Now that my college days of “required reading” are behind me and I’ve rescued my library card from the back of my wallet, I’m more than ready to dive into a pile of new books. But with an infinite number of titles to choose from, I want to be more intentional about the titles and authors I’m choosing.
I tend to gravitate towards young adult fiction - anything from fantasy to sci-fi to historical fiction to contemporary - as it’s the genre that got me back into reading in high school. I will also be the first to admit that my reading choices are often biased towards my favorite authors - these are authors that I trust as I’ve read and loved many of their books and I will more likely than not enjoy their future works. At the very least, I end up prioritizing their new releases at the top of my TBR list.
Long story short, there are plenty of ways I can expand my reading horizons.
With the following goals and categories to guide my reading selections, I’m looking forward to engaging with more diverse content and new authors. The titles that follow are a few of the books that I’ve been anticipating getting to read. Hopefully I’ll cross some titles off my TBR and I might even find some new favorites along the way.
1. Read more QTBIPOC authors. This is pretty self explanatory. It’s about supporting authors from marginalized communities, whether they are people of color, queer, disabled, of religious minorities and so on in an industry that has changed very little in its diversity. It’s about reading stories inspired by different cultures and lived experiences.
By supporting these narratives and their creators, as championed by movements like We Need Diverse Books and #PublishingPaidMe, hopefully readers of all kinds get to see themselves reflected in the pages of novels and we take more steps towards a publishing industry that reflects the diversity in the world its stories come from.
The Poppy War Trilogy by R.F. Kuang
Internment by Samira Ahmed
Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo
A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow
2. Read environmental literature. I did get my degree in environmental science after all and it’s still a huge part of who I am. My curiosity and fascination with ecology and climate, among other things, continue to guide my personal interests and aspirations. There’s so much we still don’t know as these fields are rapidly developing and growing and there are so many niches where my own understanding is just at a surface level.
I’m particularly interested in learning more about our history and our past decisions to better understand how we got to where we are and what might lie ahead of us, what’s at stake. And it’s not all doomsday stuff either. There are also books about new ways of thinking, solutions, and stories of action and progress that offer more hopeful and encouraging perspectives.
Bad Environmentalism: Irony and Irreverence in the Ecological Age by Nicole Seymour
What the Eyes Don’t See by Mona Hanna-Attisha
A Terrible Thing to Waste by Harriet Washington
The New Climate War by Michael E Mann
3. Read other nonfiction. This could be memoirs, essays, or how-to books. I haven’t dabbled much in the nonfiction genre but I’m particularly interested in hearing true stories told by people who live vastly different lives than I do. I hope to find inspiration and advice to apply to my own life for navigating the professional world, finding a balance between my interests and passions and a career, maintaining relationships, and appreciating life and the beauty and possibilities of the world around me.
Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes
American Like Me by America Ferrera
On Looking: Eleven Walks Through Expert Eyes by Alexandra Horowitz
4. Read classics. This genre is another that I haven’t explored very much. Something about the notoriety and intense analysis these books have accumulated over the years makes them intimidating to pick up. And now that I’m no longer in a classroom setting, I’m worried I’ll end up missing important themes or symbolism. However, with YouTube and the Internet at my disposal, I don't have any good excuses to put these books off any longer. Besides, they're called classics for a reason, right?
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
1984 by George Orwell
5. Read Star Wars books. This last one’s mostly just for fun. I’m a huge Star Wars fan and this beloved science fiction universe spans beyond movies and tv shows. The books, both of the canon and extended universe, provide insight into characters and events that didn’t get to be explained on screen. It’s always exciting to read a Star Wars book and pick out the little Easter eggs and connections to other works in the franchise.
While Star Wars is currently publishing new books exploring the High Republic Era of the universe, I’m sticking with books that fit within the Skywalker Saga part of the timeline. I’m super excited to read the High Republic books eventually, but there are some characters I want to get to know better first.
Master and Apprentice by Claudia Gray
Dooku: Jedi Lost by Cavan Scott
Resistance Reborn by Rebecca Roanhorse
While I don’t expect to check every single one of these off my list this year, I think this is a decent place to start. As with anything one chooses to dedicate time and effort to, I can’t help but think of the time I spend reading as an investment into my own well-being. Whether it’s for escapism and pleasure or to learn and retain information, or both, I want to make sure my efforts are worthwhile. While I still expect I’ll occasionally check out a title on a whim and I will definitely continue to support my favorite authors when their new bestsellers drop, including this intentionality in my reading selections is a habit that I’m sure I won’t regret.
