Diversify Your Bookshelf: great holiday reads for winter break

By Willow Symonds
Staff Writer

Diversify your bookshelf cutline: Illustration by Grace Faver

The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin (2020)
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Author of the Hugo Award-winning “Broken Earth” trilogy struck back with another fantasy series. In this alternate reality, metropolises gain sentience through human avatars, who channel the city’s energy to protect its citizens. When New York City’s avatar falls into a supernatural coma, the avatars for each borough – Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx, and Staten Island – come together against a threat larger than anything the city has seen. “The City We Became” embeds relevant social commentary into a unique, thrilling story.

Kings, Queens, & In-Betweens by Tanya Boteju (2019)
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
Nima Kumara-Clark has been tired of her small town life for years, and being in love with her straight friend makes things awkward. After an unexpected event takes place at the town’s festival, she discovers the drag scene, something she didn’t realize could be for her. In her newfound community, Nima discovers new friends and unexpected allies. “Kings, Queens, & In-Betweens” is an entertaining debut novel for anyone in the mood to become attached to a lively cast of characters and to have fun.

The Cartographers by Peng Shepard (2021)
Genre: Mystery
Nell Young aspired to be like her dad, a famously skilled map-maker, until a seemingly small mistake on her part lost her chance forever. When he dies at work and a deadly robbery soon follows, Nell uncovers the last thing she expected in her father’s desk: a cheap map of New York City gas stations, the so-called “mistake” that got her fired years ago. She recruits her ex-boyfriend, who also got fired for her mistake, to discover who could be so desperate to find this map. “The Cartographers” navigates a unique story with memorable characters and twists that keep the reader guessing.

I am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sanchez (2017)
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
In Julia’s family, Olga was the perfect Mexican daughter. But Olga died suddenly, and now her parents expect Julia to take her older sister’s place, even though she wants to escape working-class Chicago and study creative writing in college. Julia struggles through grief while the rest of the world moves on, and she soon discovers Olga wasn’t as perfect as she seemed. “I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter” explores many common themes – mental illness, nature vs. nurture, the American dream – in a new light, relevant to the 21st century.

Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart (2022)
Genre: Historical Fiction
Working-class Glasgow, Scotland is not the ideal place for a sensitive teenage boy to grow up. Falling in love with another boy in 1984 is even less ideal, especially when the two come from different denominations – one Protestant, one Catholic. Mungo Hamilton learns this the hard way, both in his rough-and-tumble hometown and when his neglectful mother sends him to the wilderness with two strangers. Fans of Hanya Yanagihara’s “A Little Life” will love “Young Mungo,” a less intense but equally poignant story.