Diversify Your Bookshelf

By Willow Symonds
Staff Writer

Black Water Sister by Zen Cho

Genre: Paranormal Mystery; LGBT

Jessalyn Teoh has no memories of Malaysia, but she moves back with her parents anyway, being closeted, broke, and… hearing the voice of her dead grandmother? Jess soon learns that Ah Ma was a spirit medium for a deity called the Black Water Sister, and even in death she wants revenge against a gang boss who disrespected the goddess. This novel is slow-paced but expertly told and builds up to a tense climax.

Memphis by Tara M. Stringfellow

Genre: Historical Fiction

This debut novel follows two timelines – the first being of Joan in summer ‘95, whose family seeks refuge at her mother’s ancestral home in Memphis. The second timeline is of her grandfather, half a century before, who became the city’s first Black detective and was lynched only days after. While discovering her family history, Joan meets a strange neighbor who knows a lot about curses. Inspired by the author’s own life, Memphis explores what passes down from generation to generation: prejudice, violence, sacrifice, faith, and love.

The Grief Keeper by Alexandra Villasante

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary; LGBT

In The Grief Keeper, the US government gives seventeen-year-old Marisol Morales an opportunity to grant her and her little sister immunity, but it comes with a price. This new, experimental procedure causes her to absorb another person’s pain. Marisol is assigned to Ray, a teen girl struggling from PTSD, and the two grow closer. This novel uses a speculative device to tell a story of healing from trauma and unlikely first love.

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