14 Jul 2015

Dive Into Diversity: Favourites of 2015 (so far!)

Hello there! If you're reading this, sorry for my absence, I've been in a slump and just haven't been able to bring myself to read or blog or do much of anything. Hopefully this feeling passes soon because it sucks. But on to better and brighter things, todays Dive Into Diversity post! Having been away, this post was rather last minute, but contains something all us book lovers love doing: chatting about books we've loved! And here today, I've gathered two lovely ladies to share their favourite diverse reads of the year (so far)!


My favorite diverse book I've read this year is TRUST THE FOCUS by Megan Erickson. It's a male/male romance about two best friends on a post-college road trip. One is out, but the other isn't. I loved watching Justin's growth! Seeing him find his courage. Seeing him and Landry find their way to each other. Justin is from a conservative family, which I identified with. Even though TRUST THE FOCUS is New Adult (with some sexiness added in), I feel like YA readers who love contemporaries with themes of self-discovery would love this book. -- Molli Moran, YA author of As You Turn Away
The Wrath and the Dawn is a mesmerizing and compelling debut written by Renee Ahdieh that is loosely based on the Arabic folk story, A Thousand and One Nights. In a genre that so often tends to follow a very specific mold, it was extremely refreshing to read a fantasy that incorporated a culture I had no real prior exposure to, so effortlessly. The details about the food, the clothing, and the language only made the story that more richer and fascinating. Shahrzad  was a fantastic endearing heroine. Feisty, sarcastic, and clever she brought a spark to the story that was complimented by Khalid, the Caliph of Khorasan whom I adored. Together, they were amazing. The ultimate royal power couple, their scenes together were filed with undeniable chemistry and an addicting romance. Overall, The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh is hands down one of my favorites of 2015 and a refreshing fantasy read that offers readers a look into a captivating culture. -- Kaina @ These Flying Pages

As for my pick? I think you know my favourite diverse book of the year, which is no other than Becky Albertalli's Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda. I push this book so hard and I mean, I've even created a fan tee - it doesn't get more dedicated than that.

But to spread the book love, I'm going to go with None of the Above by I.W. Gregorio. If you haven't read this, you should. It's a brilliant, eye-opening book that sheds light on intersex, a topic that doesn't get talked about nearly enough and I hope that changes soon. This was my first intersex book, but I thought the author handled the subject matter with such care and respect and I definitely recommend it!

I love how diverse our list turned out to be - a gay love story, a book about intersex and a fantasy with a POC main character. I'd love to hear YOUR favourite diverse title of the year and why we need to read it. And if you're a challenge participant, don't forget to link up below! Happy reading!

4 comments:

  1. Loving this diversity feature Rebecca! I think its a wonderful way to spotlight books. Thank you so much for having me!

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  2. I totally get the blogging slump - I am kind of having one of those at the moment :/ I hope you get your mojo back soon!

    I think I may have purchased a copy of TRUST THE FOCUS when I saw someone squealing about it on Twitter. I do know that it is on my TBR though, because I feel like there are even fewer LGBTQIA+ NA books than there are YA, and that is saying something because there still aren't all that many LGBTQIA+ YA books - eep.

    I really want to read THE WRATH AND THE DAWN because it's a fairytale retelling, diverse, AND people have been raving about it.

    SIMON and NOTA were both amazing reads, and YAY for loving them. Eight out of my top ten favourite reads this year are LGBTQIA+, which makes me incredibly happy. I will go with FALLING FROM THE SKY by Nikki Godwin, though, because it's indie and seriously just made me SO happy when I read it ^.^

    Greta post, lovely :D

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  3. My favorite so far this year? Do I have to pick just one? I loved More Happy Than Not (review here http://richincolor.com/2015/05/mini-review-more-happy-than-not/), but I also really loved X: A Novel (review here http://richincolor.com/2015/01/review-x/). There are a few more I want to list, but I'm restraining myself. ;)

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  4. Lots of great diverse reads this year! The first that comes to mind is SIMON <3 and the second is The Masked Truth. Can't wait to read Wrath and the Dawn!

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