Not sure what to read next? Are you looking for some book recommendations? Don’t worry, friends – I have you covered!
On the third Monday of every month, I will share with you some fantastic books of any given subject or topic. Not only do I hope that you find your next great read, but I also hope to broaden my scope of reading and encourage myself to read a variety of books!
- Red Rising by Pierce Brown (Goodreads)
- Want by Cindy Pon (Goodreads)
- Exo by Fonda Lee (Goodreads)
- The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness (Goodreads)
- The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid (Goodreads)
- Under a Painted Sky by Stacey Lee (Goodreads)
- Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys (Goodreads)
- Freedom Swimmer by Wai Chim (Goodreads)
- Timekeeper by Tara Sim (Goodreads)
- The Abyss Surrounds Us by Emily Skrutskie (Goodreads)
- Otherbound by Corinne Duyvis (Goodreads)
- Peter Darling by Austin Chant (Goodreads)
- The Land of Forgotten Girls by Erin Entrada Kelly (Goodreads)
- When The Sea Turned To Silver by Grace Lin (Goodreads)
- Amina’s Voice by Hena Khan (Goodreads)
- The Gauntlet by Karuna Riazi (Goodreads)
- Seven Tears at High Tide by C.B. Lee (Goodreads)
- Bloodlines series by Richelle Mead (Goodreads)
- We Awaken by Calista Lynne (Goodreads)
- Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire (Goodreads)
- Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay (Goodreads)
- We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Goodreads)
- Fifty Shades of Feminism edited by Lisa Appignanesi (Goodreads)
- Feminism is for Everybody by bell hooks (Goodreads)
- Kindred by Octavia E Butler (Goodreads)
- Binti by Nnedi Okorafor (Goodreads)
- Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson (Goodreads)
- Promise of Shadows by Justina Ireland (Goodreads)
- Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho (Goodreads)
- Monstress by Marjorie Liu (Goodreads)
- The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo (Goodreads)
- The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi (Goodreads)
- The Memory of Light by Francisco X Stork (Goodreads)
- Not Your Sidekick by C.B. Lee (Goodreads)
- Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Cordova (Goodreads)
- Into White by Randi Pink (Goodreads)
- Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid (Goodreads)
- The Forbidden Wish by Jessica Khoury (Goodreads)
- Not If I See You First by Eric Lindstrom (Goodreads)
- To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han (Goodreads)
- A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab (Goodreads)
- The Impostor Queen by Sarah Fine (Goodreads)
- Fullmetal Alchemist by Hiromu Arakawa (Goodreads)
- Carry On by Rainbow Rowell (Goodreads)
- Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell (Goodreads)
- Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (Goodreads)
- The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood (Goodreads)
- Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (Goodreads)
- Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman (Goodreads)
- Charm & Strange by Stephanie Kuehn (Goodreads)
- More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera (Goodreads)
- Highly Illogical Behaviour by John Corey Whalen (Goodreads)
I welcome all questions and don’t mind answering them, but please check if the question is already answered in my FAQ below. If your question is not in the FAQ, either email me at readthinkponder@gmail.com or send me a direct message on Twitter.
FAQ
Can you draw [this character]?
I will only draw characters from books (or other media) that I have enjoyed and liked. However, you are more than welcome to contact me on Twitter and give me a little nudge about what characters you’d love to seen drawn. I cannot promise that I will draw it, but I don’t mind ideas.
Can you draw something for me for free?
I will not draw art for you for free (even if you are my friend), unless I have explicitly offered to draw something for you. If you like my art, please consider commissioning art from me if my commission requests are open.
I know your commissions are closed, but could you please draw something for me and I will pay you?
You can try and ask, but the likely answer is no.
I am an author/publisher/agent and I am interested in commissioning art from you to promote a book.
Please email me at readthinkponder@gmail.com so that we can discuss what you are interested in and what I can offer.
What does commission mean?
Here’s the Wikipedia page on commissions, but in essence, it means the act of requesting services from someone in exchange for payment.
Can I repost your art?
Yes but you must give credit that is a) full, b) visible), and c) has my handle (‘readthinkponder’) included. If for Twitter, please retweet my art instead of reposting.
Can I use your art in one of my book reviews?
You must ask me before you do. If I say yes, you must include visible credit to my Instagram.
Welcome to my little corner dedicated to diversity in books!
On this page, you will find a list of books I have read that have diversity, book recommendations, discussion posts. Whether you share this goal, you are thinking of reading more diversely, or are curious about what diversity means, I hope this page will help you find what you are looking for.
What does ‘diversity in books’ mean?
For me, diversity in books encompasses books that are about or explore narratives of people of colour, gender diversity, LGBTQIA+, people with disabilities (including neurodiversity), and so on.
The purpose of this page aligns with my goal to celebrate, promote, and read more books with characters and themes with a diversity of experiences and identities. #Ownvoices books are also celebrated.
What are #ownvoices books?
#ownvoices books are stories authors have written that are based on their own personal, lived experiences and/or are stories with characters that have the same marginalized identity as the author. For more information, visit this page.
Diverse Books Recommendations
– bolded = my favourites and are highly recommended
– ❗ = may have triggering content (if book is reviewed by me, it will be disclosed at the bottom of the review)
#OwnVoices
Contemporary
- Amina’s Voice by Hena Khan (middle grade, Muslim Pakistani-American protagonist, Christian Korean side character)
- Aristotle and Dante Discover The Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz (young adult, Latinx protagonists)
- Born Confused by Tanuja Desai Hidier (young adult romance, Indian protagonist and characters)
- Flying Lessons and Other Stories edited by Ellen Oh (middle grade anthology)
- Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok (young adult, Chinese protagonist, immigrant experience)
- ❗Girl Mans Up by M-E Girard (young adult, queer butch lesbian Portuguese protagonist)
- I Believe In A Thing Called Love by Maurene Goo (young adult romance, Korean protagonist)
- ❗If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo (young adult, trans protagonist)
- ❗Into White by Randi Pink (young adult magical realism, black protagonist)
- The Land of Forgotten Girls by Erin Entrada Kelly (middle grade, Filipino protagonists)
- ❗The Memory of Light by Francisco X Stork (young adult, Latinx characters, mental illness)
- The Sun Is Also A Star by Nicola Yoon (young adult contemporary romance, Jamaican protagonist, Korean love interest)
- To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han (young adult romance, biracial Korean/white-American protagonist)
- When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon (young adult romance, Indian protagonists and love interest)
Historical
Fantasy
- The Epic Crush of Genie Lo by F.C. Yee (young adult contemporary/fantasy, Chinese protagonists and folklore)
- The Forbidden Wish by Jessica Khoury (fantasy romance, Aladdin retelling, inspired by Persian mythology, culture, and history)
- The Gauntlet by Karuna Riazi (middle grade steampunk fantasy, Muslim-American protagonist)
- The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo (historical adventure fantasy, Chinese & Malaysian characters, mythology and setting)
- The Girl from Everywhere by Heidi Heilig (fantasy adventure, biracial protagonist, bipolar side character)
- Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Cordova (fantasy adventure, Latinx protagonist, inspired by Latinx culture, mythology)
- ❗Otherbound by Corinne Duyvis (young adult fantasy-contemporary, Latino protagonist with a disability, bi dark-skinned protagonist with a disability)
- ❗Peter Darling by Austin Chant (Peter Pan retelling, trans MC, gay side character)
- The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi (fantasy romance, Hades/Persephone retelling, inspired by Indian folklore and mythology)
- The Terracotta Bride by Zen Cho (fantasy short story, Chinese/Malaysian mythology and afterlife, romance, sci-fi elements)
- ❗The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh (fantasy romance, Arabian Nights retelling, inspired by Middle-Eastern culture and mythology)
- When The Sea Turned to Silver by Grace Lin (middle grade fantasy, Chinese protagonists with Chinese mythology and folklore)
Science-Fiction
- Binti by Nnedi Okorafor (science fiction short story, black protagonist)
- ❗More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera (young adult, has sci-fi elements, gay and Latino protagonist)
- Not Your Sidekick by C.B. Lee (superheroes young adult, bi Chinese/Viet protagonist, trans secondary character, f/f romance)
- Want by Cindy Pon – (science fiction young adult, Taiwanese protagonist, SE and S Asian characters, set in future Taipei)
Non-Fiction
Diverse SFF
- The Abyss Surrounds Us by Emily Skrutskie (young adult fantasy, Chinese protagonist, has PoC characters, f/f romance)
- The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco (young adult high fantasy, Asian-inspired world and folklore)
- The Crystal Ribbon by Celeste Lim (middle grade historical fiction/fantasy, set in Song Dynasty, China, Chinese characters and folklore)
- ❗ Down Among Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire (young adult paranormal/fantasy, WLW romance)
- Empress of a Thousand Skies by Rhoda Belleza (young adult sci-fi space opera, has PoC characters)
- ❗ Every Heart A Doorway by Seanan McGuire (young adult paranormal/fantasy, asexual protagonist, trans side character, Latino side character, Japanese side character)
- The Impostor Queen by Sarah Fine (fantasy, bi protagonist)
- Ms Marvel by G. Willow Wilson (science fiction graphic novel, Muslim Pakistani-American protagonist, has diverse characters)
- Not Your Villain by C.B. Lee – (science fiction post-apocalyptic, black trans MC, has diverse characters)
- The Reader by Traci Chee (young adult fantasy, has PoC characters)
- The Rose Society by Marie Lu (fantasy, has PoC characters)
- ❗ Saga by Brian K Vaughan (science-fiction graphic novel, has PoC characters)
- Seven Tears at High Tide by C.B. Lee (young adult fantasy, bisexual Chinese protagonist, m/m romance)
- Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo (fantasy heist, has PoC characters)
- Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho (historical fantasy, has PoC characters, Asian-inspired mythology)
- The Tiger’s Watch by Julie Ember (nonbinary protagonist, PoC characters)
- We Awaken by Callista Lynn (fantasy paranormal, black main character, asexual characters)
- Zeroboxer by Fonda Lee (science-fiction sport, has PoC characters)
Realistic Fiction
- American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang (young adult graphic novel, Chinese protagonist, immigrant experience)
- Beauty Queens by Libba Bray (young adult comedy-satire, has characters that are African-American, Indian-American, transgender, lesbian, deaf)
- ❗ Black Iris by Leah Raeder/Elliot Wake (new adult, LGBTQ not defined)
- Black, White, and Other: In Search of Nina Armstrong by Joan Steinau Lester (young adult/historical, biracial African/White-American protagonist)
- Cloudwish by Fiona Wood (young adult romance, Viet protagonist, immigrant experience)
- ❗ For Today I am a Boy by Kim Fu (contemporary, Chinese protagonist, trans*)
- Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly (middle grade, Filipino-American protagonist, character with hearing disability, Japanese characters)
- Not If I See You First by Eric Lindstrom (young adult, protagonist with a disability)
- Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli (young adult romance, m/m romance)
- ❗ The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly by Stephanie Oakes (young adult, protagonist with a disability)
- The Secret of a Heart Note by Stacey Lee (young adult, has PoC characters)
- Something in Between by Melissa de la Cruz (young adult romance, Filipino protagonist who is an illegal immigrant, biracial love interest)
- The Summer of Chasing Mermaids by Sarah Ockler (young adult, has PoC protagonist with a disability)
- ❗ This is How You Lose Her by Junot Diaz (contemporary short stories, Latinx characters)
- ❗ When Michael Met Mina by Randa Abdel-Fattah (young adult, Muslim Afghan-Australian refugee)
Short Story Collections
Blog Posts
Let’s Talk About discussion posts:
Blog features
- Diversity Spotlight Thursday – every fortnight, I share a diverse book I have read, a diverse book on my TBR, and a diverse book that is releasing soon.
Book Recs by Other Readers & Bloggers
Discussions & Recommendations
Diverse Protagonists/Narratives/Authors & #Ownvoices
Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month
Diverse SFF
Favourites/TBR/Top Books Lists
Read, Think, Ponder 