Looking for new reading material? Click through for more info on my picks.

1.Between The World and Me, by Ta-Nehisi Coates

If you haven’t read this yet, I understand. Its slim silhouette had been sitting on my nightstand for years before my anti-racism book club forced me to crack it open. It was as I feared: painful, full of tenderness and resignation.

We all need to be reminded of the lived experience of others in order to keep our compassion readily available and to push us to join the struggle for equality. While it’s not easy, this is an important read.

2. Kindred, by Octavia E. Butler

Are you a sucker for time travel narratives like I am? Try this strange and wonderful story about a young woman who faces demons in her ancestral lands. Exciting and searing, the story explores generational trauma, race and class, gender, and our connection to our ancestors.

(If you like this concept, The Revisioners, by Margaret Wilkerson Sexton does something similar in a totally different way.)

3. Dread Nation, by Justina Ireland

A little bit revisionist history, a little steam punk, Dread Nation takes place a couple of decades after the Civil War. The book has a sharp eye for the issues that have dogged our country and how refusing to face up to them or make meaningful change damages our society’s potential for success.

I dislike screen-based depictions of zombies, and it always surprises me when I like a book about them. To me, the humor generously spread throughout the book stuck out more than the depictions of “shamblers,” the book’s apt name for the undead.

Clearly, Ireland did her homework when it comes to historical garb – the clothes described take cues from real fashion trends from the time period. She then overlays how the reality of living alongside zombies might have changed the way fashion developed over time.

4. White Rose, Black Forest, by Eoin Dempsey

The curtain opens in Winter 1943 in Germany’s Black Forest. A desperate woman comes across an injured airman slumped in the trees. World War II historical fiction inspired by actual events has been my favorite genre over time. This story did not disappoint.

5. The Sins of the Father, by Jeffrey Archer

This historical fiction piece takes place in Europe and the U.S. between 1939 and 1945. The story explores generational sin, class, and character. It’s actually the second book in a series, but I didn’t miss the first book. I only realized it wasn’t a stand-alone title about 2/3 of the way through the book.

The ending is a bit abrupt, being part of a series, but I didn’t mind. Not knowing exactly how it ended allowed me to project my own desired ending to the book without having to chance being disappointed.

If you found out the love of your life might be your half sibling, what would YOU do? Would you ask your mom for the truth if she were living? Why the mother in this story doesn’t unequivocally say who the disputed dad is was a bit of a confusion to me, (maybe she didn’t know?) but I liked the story all the same.