Brain Candy: Books for 2024

and my ramblings about why you should read them

So many people start the new year with a promise to read more! It’s an admirable goal and so I’m here to help you ease into a new reading habit with some books you should read this year.

For Introspection, healing, & self work read

It Didn't Start with You: How Inherited Family Trauma Shapes Who We Are and How to End the Cycle by Mark Wolynn

Despite the first two or so chapters being heavy on the science jargon this is ABSOLUTELY worth the read. You might find yourself bawling. You might find yourself fighting with your past but if you take it seriously you will find yourself healing.


All About Love by Bell Hooks

There’s a reason why this book keeps making the rounds on social media! It is at its core honest and gentle about love and healing. It was one of the books I read around the time I got pregnant and has been critical in how I approach child-rearing, romantic, platonic, and self-love in the last three years.


For stretching your imagination if you’re short on time to read

Africa Risen A New Era of Speculative Fiction edited by by Sheree Renée Thomas, Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki, Zelda Knight
If you are a busy busy person or have an extremely short attention span this book is a perfect fit. It is packed with some of the most dynamic and enchanting writing I experienced in 2023. A fabulous mix of traditional mysticism and futuristic tech. There are some stories that I will revisit again and again.

Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
I read this years ago but some of the writing still haunts me to this day. Nana has a special knack for taking current events and exposing the absurdity of issues, especially regarding race and inequity. He has other novels that I look forward to reading but these short stories are a brutal and chilling punch to the gut.

For Politics and Cultural Commentary

The Decadent Society by Ross Douthat

I usually struggle through political books just because they’re usually so boring. I found that Douthat did an excellent job of writing understandable and engaging. I found that his clear writing in addition to his ability to cut right to the core of the current issue’s ties to the past was efficient. If you’re looking for a read about America’s problems from the 60s to now, analyzing a society in decline and why that won’t put you to sleep. Look no further.


Discourse on Colonialism by Aimé Césaire

This book is extremely short but still worth reading for some of the points. The biggest potential downside is lots of references to texts you might not have read. That does not however make it difficult to understand. In this piece Aimé questions who decides what civilized culture is and points out with beautiful writing that many civilizations were advanced in their own right. Aimé also takes time to highlight the hypocrisy of Colonial powers who perpetuate many of the same acts they bash other countries for doing.


For Badass Female Protagonists read

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

Let me just say that every single person who I’ve recommended this book has LOVED IT, even my husband! I have described it as an anime-esque, battle-based, coming-of-age revenge story. I place Wu Zeitan among some of my favorite female anime fighters of all time like Mereleona Vermillion (Black Clover) or Retsu Unohana (Bleach). She’s one of fucking one. She kicks ass, she punches faces, and she spits on the patriarchy!! She’s my kind of woman. I read it in less than 24 hours.

Black Sun (Book 1 of 3: Between the Earth & Sky trilogy) by Rebecca Roanhorse

This was one book that I COULD NOT STOP TALKING ABOUT. Rebecca Roanhorse is gifted beyond words. This story was packed with superb world-building, had an excellent pace, diversity, inclusion, a few steamy scenes, romance, and backstabbing. I mean I literally could not put it down and purchased the second book in the series IMMEDIATELY (I also fucking loved it). A perfect mix of epic adventure and magic surrealism. The third book in the Between the Earth and Skies trilogy drops June 4, 2024, and I expect to be done by June 8th! Although Xiala is not the focus point of the entire book her character is so compelling that I insist that you buy this book particularly if you’ve read and enjoyed Iron Widow.

If you’ve read any of these let me know what you thought in the comments! I’d also love to hear if one on the list caught your eye. Don’t be shy.

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