January
We All Want Impossible Things, Catherine Newman
If you love your friends, motherhood, the messiness of middle age and dying, then this is the book to read. I have loved Catherine Newman for a long time–it’s so random, but she writes a great occasional blog (which introduced me to Wednesday Cake!) and has a soft spot for teenagers. I cried and laughed when I read this one, and then immediately called my bestie.
Black Cake, Charmaine Wilkerson
I read this one in a couple of days. Couldn’t put down this family saga held together by secrets and recipes. I immediately thought of some other great texts that would build out a ladder for this one, including Staceyann Chin’s The Other Side of Paradise, among others.
Everyman, M. Shelley Connor
This one came recommended by Son of Baldwin. More Southern family Black drama and super queer. I was HERE FOR IT! I related to the main character’s search to learn her family secrets, her journey back to the South from Chicago, and the storylines that branched from that one. If you read this one, might be good to take notes so you can keep the many people straight.
Dr. Kimberly N. Parker 