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#TopTenTuesday: 23for23 Recommendations

Dini @ dinipandareads17 Comments

We’re back with another Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl.

This week’s topic is actually Reading Goals I Still Want to Accomplish Before the End of the Year (We’ve just begun the last quarter of the year! What bookish goals would you still like to accomplish? If you participated in TTT’s Bookish Goals for 2023 topic this past January, update us on which goals you’ve achieved, which you’ve given up on, and which ones you’re still working on!) BUT I’M GOING ROGUE!

I wasn’t feeling this week’s topic because I’m pretty much falling behind on every reading goal that I set at the start of this year! In a way, my chosen topic is relevant to the actual TTT topic because it’s now a reading goal I want to accomplish but let’s rewind to the backstory:

I listened to the Fated Mates podcast episode yesterday about Excellent BIPOC Romance Novels for#23for23. I’d never heard of this challenge before but I immediately wanted to jump on it after listening to them talk about it. What is it? Here’s a quick summary:

Mission: The 23for23 initiative amplifies and elevates marginalized voices in publishing by promoting, showcasing, and celebrating the works of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color dedicated to telling stories that center marginalized identities.

I know I’m terrible with reading challenges (just take a look at how many books I’ve read for the 12 Book Challenge…) but there’s so much flexibility with this and one of my goals every year is to always read more BIPOC books so it’s a winning combo! With all that being said, today I’m sharing 1020 recommendations for BIPOC-authored books with BIPOC characters that you can read if you’re interested in joining the #23for23 challenge or if you simply want to support marginalized voices and expand your TBR! I tried to focus on books that I loved but that I also think deserve a lot more love (maybe I’m biased, lol).

Adult

Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin
Fake It Till You Bake It by Jamie Wesley
The Wedding Setup by Sonali Dev
I Think I Might Love You by Christina C. Jones
The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi
The Missed Connection by Denise Williams
Don’t Go Baking My Heart by N.G. Peltier
The Bride Test by Helen Hoang
Office Hours by Katrina Jackson
The Mountains Sing by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai

Young Adult/Middle Grade

Omega Morales and the Legend of La Lechuza by Laekan Zea Kemp
Well, That Was Unexpected by Jesse Q. Sutanto
As Long As the Lemon Trees Grow by Zolufa Katouh
The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan
Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse
The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar
The Invincible Summer of Juniper Jones by Daven McQueen
The Ones We’re Meant to Find by Joan He
Sunny Song Will Never Be Famous by Suzanne Park
The Black Kids by Christina Hammonds Reed

Have you read any of these books or are they on your TBR? Are you joining the #23for23 challenge? What would your recommendations be?

17 thoughts on “#TopTenTuesday: 23for23 Recommendations”

  2. I’ve come across this challenge in a lot of my emails over the last month or two. I always see lots of recs for it, but I have often read most of them. Not so with your recs, so great job there!

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  5. I’ve only read (and love) The Bride Test on your list. I did read another Denise Williams book this year and enjoyed it a lot, though. I guess some recommendations I’ve read this year would be You Had Me at Hola (Alexis Daria) and A Night at the Tropicana (Chanel Cleeton).

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  8. I loved Ayesha at Last, and also The Mountains Sing (a tough read but very good). Also really liked The Astonishing Color of After and Trail of Lightning and The Ones We’re Meant to Find. I try to read a lot of books by BIPOC authors as well. I can recommend anything by Angie Kim, Elizabeth Acevedo, and Angeline Boulley.

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  15. Great twist on the topic! I also enjoyed The Wedding Setup, Juniper Jones, and The Black Kids. I still need to read The Bride Test and The Mountains Sing. Good luck with the challenge!

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