Guest Post: Ten Book Recommendations to Diversify Your TBR by JM @ Book Freak Revelations

October 12, 2017 by Jenna | Books, Guest Posts

Hiya! This is JM from Book Freak Revelations! I reached out to Jeann during the first week of September and I told her that should she be looking for people who would like to be featured on Happy Indulgence, I would very much like to share with her audience ten (10) books that could hopefully diversify their TBR piles. I’m glad she said yes!

So basically today, as previously mentioned, I’m going to be sharing 10 Diverse Young Adult titles that I’ve previously read, and loved! Hopefully by the end of this post, you guys could take away one (if not 10) titles that could somehow give you a glimpse as to what Diverse and #ownvoices books has in store for every reader out there.

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You Bring The Distant Near by Mitali Perkins // Multigenerational, YA Contemporary that tackles the importance of sisterhood, the euphoric feeling of first loves, and the relevance of culture and tradition inheritance. This book is also considered diverse, and #ownvoices.

Warcross by Marie Lu // An exhilarating Sci-Fi novel that’s about gaming, virtual reality, hacking, and lots of other interesting stuff set in beautifully developed and vividly drawn out settings. The MC is biracial, and the rest of the other supporting characters come from different parts of the globe, making it a very diverse story in terms of its characters and their development.

The Love Interest by Cale Dietrich // Contemporary Sci-Fi novel about two male spies trying to work hard to make a girl fall in love with one of them. Whoever doesn’t get chosen will die. The author did an amazing job at playing with the modern YA tropes in this novel that most readers have grown to love (or hate?) like the love triangle and survival of the fittest tropes. All in all this book greatly showcases how important and life-changing it is to fight for what you believe in and find love in the process. It’s a work of pure genius, and I can only hope to read it once again for the first time.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas // YA Contemporary that focuses on the Black Lives Matter movement where a girl named Starr Carter, after coming to a party, witnesses the shooting of her unarmed best friend brought upon by a white police officer. This one’s a thought-provoking and eye-opening book. It impressively talks about sensitive social issues like racism, bullying, and a lot more. If you want to feel a different kind of activism, you should definitely check this book out.

Simon V.S. The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli // Becky’s debut novel will always have a special place in my heart because this was the first diverse book I have ever read, and with my reading of this book, came my resolution to read a lot more diversely. This book helped me embrace my sexuality more, and through Simon’s voice and story, it ensured me that no matter what I choose to be, whether I be straight, gay, or bi, there will always be people who will love and accept me for what I am.

Wonder Woman: Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo // A novel from one of the queens of YA fantasies that’s worth anticipating and getting hyped up about. It subtly talks about feminism and all kinds of empowerment, and it has the power to inspire people to be the best versions of themselves. Definitely a great novel to introduce the rest of the DC Icons that is action-packed and intensely gripping in every way.

Starfish by Akemi Dawn Bowman // Contemporary coming-of-age novel about self-love, self-discovery, and what it means to be human. The MC is biracial, and has an emotionally abusive mom. There’s also a subtle addition of romance in the mix, which lots of readers will be sure to enjoy. I didn’t expect for this book to make me feel so lovely in my own skin, and I hope everyone gets the opportunity to read this as well.

The Sun Is Also A Star by Nicola Yoon // Contemporary novel about a Jamaican-American girl and a Korean-American boy who meets on a blissful day in New York City and realizes that everything happens for a reason: Nothing really happens by chance or by means of good luck. Just like TBDATE, this book is also told from multiple perspectives within the course of a day.

Meet Cute edited by Jennifer L. Armentrout // YA Anthology of stories about “how they first met”, featuring an amazing roster of WOC authors who wrote about characters with different kinds of sexuality, and different, fun ways on how main characters and love interests could first meet. (This one’s not yet released by the way, but it will be out on January 2, 2018 from HMH!)

They Both Die At The End by Adam Silvera // Contemporary Sci-Fi novel about Rufus and Mateo who were just notified that they will die within the next 24 hours, and the story revolves on how these boys spend the last day of their lives. Warning: This book may or may not leave you in tears. Told in multiple POVs, and the whole story happens in just a day.

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And that’s pretty much it! If you’re still looking for more diverse reads, feel free to check out the We Need Diverse Books trend either on Twitter and/or Instagram for more titles. And just in case any of Jeann’s readers is looking for Filipino books / stories written by Filipino authors, I recommend you to check out the #romanceclass trend as well.

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Blog: Book Freak Revelations

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Jenna is an Aussie blogger and reader who loves to indulge in great books and great food. She is a doctor (of philosophy) and can usually be found fangirling about something, devouring delicious food, or taking a nap. You can find her on Twitter @readwithjenna and on Instagram @readingwithjenna.

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3 responses to “Guest Post: Ten Book Recommendations to Diversify Your TBR by JM @ Book Freak Revelations

  1. I read a bunch of these and they were wonderful. I really want to read You Bring The Distant Near, because the synopsis keeps making me think of The Joy Luck Club, which I loved, and I cannot escape all the raves for Starfish, so, need to read that too.
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