Diversity Spotlight Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by the wonderful Aimal @ Bookshelves and Paperbacks. Every week, you come up with one book in each of three different categories: a diverse book you have read and enjoyed, a diverse book on your TBR, and one that has not yet been released.
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A BOOK I HAVE READ
“Afterworlds” by Scott Westerfield
Darcy Patel has put college and everything else on hold to publish her teen novel, Afterworlds. Arriving in New York with no apartment or friends she wonders whether she’s made the right decision until she falls in with a crowd of other seasoned and fledgling writers who take her under their wings…
Told in alternating chapters is Darcy’s novel, a suspenseful thriller about Lizzie, a teen who slips into the ‘Afterworld’ to survive a terrorist attack. But the Afterworld is a place between the living and the dead and as Lizzie drifts between our world and that of the Afterworld, she discovers that many unsolved – and terrifying – stories need to be reconciled. And when a new threat resurfaces, Lizzie learns her special gifts may not be enough to protect those she loves and cares about most.
Although I didn’t LOVE this book, I liked it a lot. This one is diverse in two ways. Darcy Patel is a person of color, she’s a young Indian-American who had just gotten her first book published. This book also includes LGBT+ characters (including Darcy). I also love the concept of it, Darcy’s story is a contemporary while every other chapter is Darcy’s novel which is kind of a supernatural romance.
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A BOOK ON MY TBR
“Memoirs of a Geisha: by Arthur Golden
A literary sensation and runaway bestseller, this brilliant debut novel presents with seamless authenticity and exquisite lyricism the true confessions of one of Japan’s most celebrated geisha.
In Memoirs of a Geisha, we enter a world where appearances are paramount; where a girl’s virginity is auctioned to the highest bidder; where women are trained to beguile the most powerful men; and where love is scorned as illusion. It is a unique and triumphant work of fiction – at once romantic, erotic, suspenseful – and completely unforgettable.
I heard about this book fairly recently (one of my friends showed me the trailer of the movie and I saw that it was based on a book) and the concept sounded too interesting to resist. I believe this book takes place in Japan and is a good introduction to Japanese culture (correct me if I’m wrong).
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A BOOK RELEASING SOON
“The 
Sun is Also a Star” by Nicola Yoon
Natasha: I’m a girl who believes in science and facts. Not fate. Not destiny. Or dreams that will never come true. I’m definitely not the kind of girl who meets a cute boy on a crowded New York City street and falls in love with him. Not when my family is twelve hours away from being deported to Jamaica. Falling in love with him won’t be my story.
Daniel: I’ve always been the good son, the good student, living up to my parents’ high expectations. Never the poet. Or the dreamer. But when I see her, I forget about all that. Something about Natasha makes me think that fate has something much more extraordinary in store—for both of us.
The Universe: Every moment in our lives has brought us to this single moment. A million futures lie before us. Which one will come true?
Release Date: November 1st, 2016 | Goodreads Link
I was actually lucky enough to read the ARC copy of this beautiful book and it was one of the best contemporary romances I have read in a long time. Natasha is an undocumented Jamaican immigrant who is set to be deported and Daniel is a first generation Korean-American struggling to juggle his parents’ expectations with the person he wants to be.
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Any thoughts on these books? Have you read or planning to read any of these?
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