Best Book Club Books 2021
2021 is coming to an end! The Lit Queens Book Club and I have read some amazing books this year.
January: The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
February: Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert
March: Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall
April: Life After Death by Sister Souljah
May: Woman Evolve by Sarah Jakes Roberts
June: Sidelined the Draft by Bianca Williams
July: Seven Days in June by Tia Williams
August: Well-Read Black Girl by Glory Edim
October: Unbound by Tarana Burke
November: While We Were Dating by Jasmine Guillory
December: Set Boundaries, Find Peace by Nedra Tawaab
My top 5 book club picks were:
Woman Evolve by Sarah Jakes Roberts
Woman, Evolve! Sarah never ceases to amaze me. Her goal of this book was to encourage women to break up with their fears, awaken their potential, and set their purpose in motion and she did just that. So many gems dropped throughout this book, but my favorite was "You are someone else's mirror." The older I get the more I understand this. Our lives serve a purpose bigger than some of us can imagine. Those fears, insecurities, and mistakes that we endure were not meant to break us. They were meant to transform us and help alleviate someone else's burden. To everyone reading this, keep going! Your breakthrough is going to give another woman the courage to get started.
Sidelined the Draft by Bianca Williams
Sidelined the Draft is Part 1 of the Sidelined series and I am in love. Bianca took us on an emotional rollercoaster with this one. I literally don't know whether I want to hug Bryn right now or shake some sense into her. I do know that I'm invested in her and her shenanigans so I will be starting Part 2: Sidelined the Penalty ASAP!
Sidelined the Draft follows an up-and-coming event planner Bryn Charles, who is excelling in all areas of her life except her love life. That is until she finds herself in a love affair with her client, NFL superstar Shane Smith. Bryn believes that Shane may be the one until she realizes dating an athlete is harder than she ever imagined. Now Bryn must decide if she's going to take a chance and play in the game or sit this one out on the sideline.
Every now and then you need a fun and exciting read. This was it for me! If you're looking for a fast-paced book with relatable characters, I highly recommend you add Sidelined the Draft to your reading list!
Seven Days in June by Tia Williams
Seven Days in June warmed my heart! I love LOVE and I hope that everyone gets to experience it one day! There's no better feeling than finding someone who allows you to be yourself. This book reminded me that we don't have to let our past define our future. There's always light at the end of the tunnel. If you are a hopeless romantic, I highly recommend this read! The beginning was a little dark and traumatic, but it transformed into a beautiful story.
The Vanishing Half by Britt Bennett
This was my first-time reading Brit Bennett's work and her writing is incredible! This book inspired me to embrace my imperfections and I want you to do the same. There's something about you that is unique and only you can see it. I want you to really dig deep and figure out WHAT IS YOUR UNIQUENESS? WHAT MAKES YOU, YOU?
After reading The Vanishing Half, all I want to do is embrace my imperfections. It was sad to see a woman live a life of lies. All I want to do is celebrate my authenticity. The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett is a novel about twin sisters, inseparable as children, who ultimately choose to live in two very different worlds, one black and one white. I wanted to read this book because one of the main themes of the book is self-acceptance which is familiar to most of us. I think at one point in our lives we've all felt insecure. We've all disliked something about ourselves.
Stella, the sister who chose to pass as white mentioned that one of the reasons she wanted to become white was to gain FREEDOM. I get it. I do. This book took place during the 50s- 60s, which was a time when Black people were very disadvantaged. Who didn't want more? But to steal someone else's identity is absurd to me. I truly felt bad for her. (It's the empathetic part of me) I'm sorry but trying to be someone else is too much work and I don't have time for that!
In the long run, Stella got the financial freedom she craved but she never got the freedom to be herself. She had to hide who she really was for her entire life. Imagine that. Imagine not being able to share your childhood with your children. This morning I was literally just showing my daughter pictures from when I was pregnant with her and my baby shower and she was so amazed lol. Imagine not being able to share the most sacred parts of you with the people you love. It must suck. She had to learn the hard way that money can't buy love or happiness.
Unbound by Tarana Burke
Reading this book gave me the chills. Although I am not a survivor of sexual abuse, hearing Tarana’s story scared me. There are some horrible people in this world, and I pray that my daughter never has to mouth the words ‘me too’.
I enjoyed this book very much and I recommend that you read it as well. My key takeaway from Unbound was that there is power in sharing your testimony. You never know who needs to hear it. We are all fighting silent battles that no one knows about. Sharing your story could change someone’s life. As a teenager I felt so alone. All I wanted to hear was that someone shared the same experiences with me but there was no one to be found. I created this blog because I never want another young girl or woman to feel like I did.
I would love to know what was your top 5 books of the year???
If you are interested in joining our book club in the future, the details are below!
Sign up for email updates: http://eepurl.com/hpZzcP
Join us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thelitqueensbookclub/about
Follow us on instagram/bookstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelitqueensbookclub/
I look forward to reading with you!!!
