Woooooo it’s dark in here. I tried a different layout that’s a little easier on the eyes. Anywho, I read 3 books this month. Here's an overview that respects your time:
If any of the books below interest you, check your local library! Here’s a handy and free browser extension that shows you which titles are available at branches near you.
If you’d rather buy it, consider supporting an indie bookstore through Bookshop.org for online orders, eBooks or audiobooks (which also direct funds to indies)
What I read: Is This a Cry for Help? by Emily Austin
A queer librarian tries to navigate book bans, her own relationships, anxieties, and holding down a library job. It serves as a reminder that libraries aren’t just a space for people to check out books; they are community spaces and resource hubs.
I adored this book. The prose was vulnerable and deadpan. There was a lot of commentary on the main character’s past relationship with a man and how it was more out of obligation than love. As both a lover of books and a journalist, the conspiracy subplot was fascinating. This is messy, it’s self-aware, but it’s also forgiving and empathetic in a way that I feel many people could benefit from
Star rating: 5/5
If I hadn’t read these books, or studied what I did, I’d be a different person. It’s hard to question things, or expand the way you think, without being exposed to new information or different perspectives.
If this sounds good, consider these:
Luster by Raven Leilani
Messy, interracial affair, deadpan
The Town of Babylon by Alejandro Varela
Queer, child of immigrants, commentary on the suburbs
What I read: Allow Me to Retort: A Black Guy's Guide to the Constitution by Elie Mystal
Regular political columnist for The Nation and a former attorney, Mystal knows a thing or two about the law and its history. This book is a section-by-section breakdown of how the Constitution fails to actually include all people. Through a mix of legal analysis and historical context, Mystal debunks some common Conservative arguments while offering some suggestions for how to amend the document to actually serve all Americans.
I’ve enjoyed Mystal’s commentary for years now. It easily translates to the page. His disdain for conservative dog whistles is balanced by his empathy for women and minorities, especially Black people. His writing is witty and biting, but never hopeless; through historical framing, we’re reminded that things don’t need to be the way they are. I couldn’t put this down. It’s a very quick read that will stay with you long after the final page.
Star rating: 5/5
They use the very same legal arguments that have been used to justify slavery, segregation, and oppression for four hundred years on this continent and tell you it’s the only “objective” way of interpreting the law.
If this sounds good, consider these:
Thought-provoking, historically-based, analysis of American systems
Mutiny: The Rise and Revolt of the College-Educated Working Class by Noam Shreiber
I haven’t read this one yet, but I enjoyed this podcast episode with the writer. The library hold just came through, so maybe it’ll be in my July wrap-up.
What I read: Scorched Grace by Margot Douaihy
A former punk band member turned nun who’s also somehow a detective for fun decides to investigate a string of fires and murders at her Catholic school in New Orleans. Did I mention she’s also a lesbian? The book really wants you to know that.
Hot garbage. A great example of an interesting premise with poor execution. The book loves contributing to the main mystery for a few pages, then devolving nearly every chapter into a meaningless flashback. The ending was not satisfying, the pacing sucks, most of the characters are annoying. This book upset me and my homegirls (the mystery book club that I read it with); we all lit it up—pun intended.
Star rating: 1.75/5
Revenge is a stupid way to feel in control. Like all drugs, it doesn’t last, but it sure is fun in the moment.
If this sounds good, consider this:
Even Though I Knew the End by C.L. Polk
An actually enjoyable sapphic mystery AND it’s got vampires
Additional Resources:
I enjoyed this episode of the New York Times The Book Review about the role art plays in culture wars
Sistah SciFi will be hosting Wine Down Wednesdays every Wednesday in July. Participants will virtually meet with authors to discuss the book of the week.
Use code JB4NAY at checkout for 10% off and support a Black woman-owned business
✊🏾 Wine Down Wednesday, every week in July. Jul 1 - Tlotlo Tsamaase, House of Margins Jul 15 - C.L. Polk, The Feywild Job Jul 22 - Clarence A. Haynes, The Broken Hearts Agency Jul 29 - Greg Burnham, The Search for Sadiqah 5PM PST / 8PM EST Register 👉🏾 sistahscifi.com/pages/events
— Sistah Scifi (@sistahscifi.bsky.social) July 1, 2026 at 10:07 AM
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Have you heard about the Hardest Reading Challenge You’ll Ever Do? Well now it’s got a sequel. More info here
July TBR:
When We Were Birds by Ayanna Lloyd Banwo
I almost finished in time for this post
A Trinidadian love story about a woman from a family that helps ease the dead into the next realm and a Rastafarian man who has avoided death all of his life, but now works in a graveyard.
Mutiny: The Rise and Revolt of the College-Educated Working Class by Noam Shreiber
The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri
The first in a high fantasy series based on South Asian mythology. Lots of revenge and magic.
A Shore Thing by Joanna Lowell
This will fill the “friend/librarian recommended” slot on the Trans Rights Readathon challenge that I’m participating in
The Devil’s in the Dancers by Catherine Yu
YA sapphic horror/thriller about a scholarship student accepted into a prestigious dance academy. The school mean girl has it out for her, then bodies start dropping.
I picked this up from Giovanni’s Room, a historic queer bookstore in Philadelphia when on a trip with my Queer Book Club friends
Thirsty by Jas Hammond
A book I’ve owned for years and constantly had on my TBR. Hammonds wrote one of my favorite books of all-time with We Deserve Monuments, so I’m sure this will be another banger
The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles by Malka Older
The second novella in the Mossa and Pleiti saga. A witty and charming, Sherlock Holmes-inspired buddy detective mystery set on Jupiter.
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