The Summer We Turned Bookish
The Ultimate July Readin’ List
By Readin’ Team Members
Edited by Reilly Nelson
Welcome to the second month of the Summer Readin’ Program! This July, our prompts highlight historical fiction by minority authors.
Need inspiration for curating your July Summer Readin’ list? Below are recommendations for each prompt, from the Readin’ team to you.
New-To-Me Author: Yellow Wife by Sadeqa Johnson
Recommended by Zee Perry
Image by @sappysorcerer
I yearn to read books that make me feel strongly because we as humans experience expansion through all sorts of emotions. I also think I just love the growth from a hard read. I found my latest heartbreaking read, Yellow Wife by Sadeqa Johnson back in January 2026. The title is what really did it for me. It is a provocative and almost offensive title, yet unfortunately familiar. Growing up a mixed person, I got called yellow way too often so I knew this would hit a soft spot for me. I peered into the author’s history a little, saw she was a local, and brought the book the next time I went to my local indie.
Sadeqa Johnson had moved to Richmond, Virginia, and her exploration of the Slave Trails inspired her to write this story. She tells us in her author’s note that she was enraptured with the story of Mary Lumpkin and the energy of the slaves stuck on her body when she visited the location of the Lumpkin Jail. Richmond used to be the capital of the Confederacy and I won’t lie, it’s jarring to remember the reality that these buildings in the city are not just aesthetically old. They remind us that slaves lived here; that slavery is in our history, my history.
This book is under 300 pages, but don’t make the mistake of thinking that you’d get through this read so quickly. Be prepared to stop for a second and realize how, while fiction, some of this really happened to real people. This book quickly snags your attention and pulls discomfort up from the bowels of your body, yet you can’t look away. I remember finishing the book and being so grateful to be born in a time where I wouldn’t have to hide my love of reading.
Book That Was Adapted to TV/Film: Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson
Recommended by Carly Zimmerman
In her captivating debut novel Black Cake, Charmaine Wilkerson weaves together the complicated family story of the Bennetts. After the death of their mother, Eleanor Bennett, Byron and Benny are left with a black cake and a voice recording of Eleanor sharing her journey from her home in the Caribbean Islands to present-day California. The book takes you back and forth in time between Eleanor’s story as a promising young swimmer in the Caribbean and the strain this hidden history has put on her children and relationships. With twists and turns, secrets revealed, and a mysterious murder from many years ago, Black Cake will keep you turning the page. Once you’re done with the book (or before you read it, I’m not judging here), you can watch the TV adaptation on Hulu!
Most Anticipated July 2026 Release: Cool Machine by Colson Whitehead
Recommended by Sherriece Hughes
Colton Whitehead is back with the last installment of his riveting Harlem trilogy, Cool Machine, out July 21, 2026. In the first two books, Harlem Shuffle and Crook Manifesto, the shady world of salesman Ray Carney is introduced, and we follow his fight to walk straight down Harlem’s crooked streets during the 1960s and 70s. In Cool Machine, Whitehead ends his journey amid the backdrop of a fast paced, redeveloping NYC in 1980s, with Carney coming out of retirement to finally avenge his cousin Freddie’s death and teaming up once again with the infamous colorful Pepper. I’m excited to reenter the seedy world of Ray Carney that depicts the contrast of crime and glamour which Whitehead illustrates so well with complex, dimensional characters, evocative imagery, and thought-provoking themes.
Takes Place During the Summer: Untamed Shore by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Recommended by Cielo Maria
Image by @cielomaria.reads
Untamed Shore by Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a coming-of-age noir set in the late 70s on the beaches of Baja California, Mexico. The novel follows Viridiana, a naive 18-year-old, desperate to chart her own path and flee her small, stifling town.
When three wealthy Americans arrive in town, Viridiana accepts a job as their translator and assistant for the summer. After one of the Americans suspiciously dies, what begins as a fun and exciting opportunity quickly spirals into something far more sinister. As secrets stack up, Viridiana’s allegiances are tested, as she has to decide who deserves her trust and how to prioritize the future she desperately wants.
What I loved most about Untamed Shore was Viridiana’s character development. Watching her transform from a young woman yearning for escape into someone capable of navigating danger and deception made this book unputdownable. Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s writing is atmospheric and immersive, it captures the heat, desperation, and tension immaculately.
I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy character-driven stories, slow-burn suspense, morally grey characters, and noir fiction.
July 2026 Release: The Intrigue by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Recommended by Morgan Edwards
Release Date: July 14, 2026
What happens when you are about to turn thirty and have nothing to show for it beyond a few enemies, an incredible amount of failed scams, and a penchant for skimming the lonely heart ads? In Ulises Linares' case, he decides to try one last time to charm (manipulate) and romance (scam) his way to a massive payday. Heading to Veracruz, he targets Perla, the wealthy owner of a small-town boardinghouse. Anticipating the desperation of a spinster and the tranquility of a coastal life, Ulises is ready to unleash his con one last time on the city of Veracruz. However, he's not ready for the desperation that lies under the surface, Perla's clever niece (Inés), or his feelings for her. Scrambling to salvage his plan, Ulises has no choice but to team up with Inés. Unbeknownst to them, this is not the first time that Perla has been written off as a spinster, will this assumption once again work out to her benefit? Who will end up the winner? What does victory look like in a greedy and deranged world?
Using alternating points of views, shifting power dynamics, sharp dialogue, and unreliable narrators, Silvia Moreno-Garcia and her signature style shine in front of the rich backdrop of 1940s Mexico. Contrasting between the bustling Mexico City and the deceptively picturesque Veracruz, the settings reinforce the turmoil the characters are experiencing. Moreno-Garcia is a master of her craft and her dive into noir fiction is no exception. With each page, the tension builds and by the end of the book, she will have you questioning what actions are too far when love and money are on the line.
A 2026 Release: Cleopatra by Saara El-Arifi
Recommended by Christa
Image by @thebooktrope
Saara diverges from her normal realm of fantasy and delves into historical fiction, featuring one of the most well known women of all time: Cleopatra. Known to many by her proximity to powerful men, Saara intentionally makes her the focal point of a nation, of a war, and of a story about a woman who was her own person separate from the men in her orbit.
Cleopatra almost reads as a diary of the infamous Egyptian Pharaoh, told in the first person point-of-view as we go on a journey right after she takes the throne. From the beginning of her reign, her power is tested by her siblings, her gods, and of course, the Roman Empire. She is presented as a smart and clever woman, who delivers jabs and cunning barbs at anyone who dares to cross her, but some of the most humanizing parts of the novel are her more quiet moments. The times when she is alone, or with her best friend, are when we see her at her most vulnerable, and this is when we get to see a side to Cleopatra that was omitted from the history books.
And of course we get to experience the epic love stories between her and Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. While each man is given equal space in her heart, and not necessarily equal time in the narrative, Saara manages to weave a very tender love story between some of history’s most well-known figures.
For fans of Bridgerton, check out the audiobook of Cleopatra, narrated by Lady Danbury herself, Adjoa Andoh.
Nonfiction Book: Female Husbands: A Trans History by Jen Manion
Recommended by Ally Hendricks
This nonfiction book spotlights people throughout history that were assigned female at birth but lived as men and married women. Before transgender, nonbinary, lesbian, or genderqueer identities were widely known, these "female husbands" lived the truth of their own queer expression despite risk, danger, violence, and threat of punishment. Trans author Jen Manion takes readers through the colonial era to just before World War I, providing a rich text of queer history.
Manion acknowledges that these queer individuals’ identity of “female husband” does not neatly equal any sort of queer identity in the 21st century; after all the term was disbanded in the early 20th century. Regardless of these individuals and the way they identify, Manion handles their stories with such care and respect. Throughout the book readers will gain a bigger understanding of queer and trans history, and seeing queer ancestor’s lives on the page is truly meaningful.
Book That Takes Place at a Library: The Library Thief by Kuchenga Shenje
Recommended by Jade
Image by @bookish.millenial
"Evocative, arresting and tightly plotted, The Library Thief is at once a propulsive Gothic mystery and a striking exploration of race, gender and self-discovery in Victorian England” (Storygraph).
I had so much fun reading this historical mystery set in a library (Rose Hall) in Victorian England! The main character, Florence, works as a book binder on a rare collection of books, and through documents and letters, begins to unravel what really happened to Persephone Belfield, alongside her own coming-of-age journey. I really appreciated the commentary on being white-passing, queer, and racialized in 1890s Europe. I can't wait to read more from this author, and I would love to see this turned into a film!
Book Rec From a Readin’ Team Member: Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
Recommended by Shelby Cunningham
Images by @shelby_ruth_reads
This book starts with two half sisters in Ghana, one who is married off to a white slaver and stays in Ghana and the other who is sold into slavery in America. Every chapter follows a different family member for eight generations until present day. I love how vivid and real every character felt to me, even though we spend such a short time with each of them.
A Historical Fiction by a Minority Author: Fireflies in Winter by Eleanor Shearer
Recommended by Jade
Image by @bookish.millenial
This historical fiction novel set in 1797 is about Cora, an orphan newly arrived from Trelawny Town in Jamaica, to a settlement of free African immigrants, called “Maroons,” to Nova Scotia. She arrives with her community, notably her mother-figure Leah, who took care of her when her own mother died during childbirth, and Benjamin, her late friend Elsy’s son, who she has taken care of since her passing. She meets Agnes in the woods, even after her new friend Thursday warns Cora to stay out of the woods, and begins her own coming-of-age journey.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Shearer created such gentle, brave, and curious characters in Cora and Agnes especially. Honorable mention to Patience the dog for being loyal and showing courage in every moment she was on the page. The mystery of the trial interspersed between chapters of the seasons in Nova Scotia were compelling and the way it came to a close in the final pages were very satisfying.
Let’s get readin’!
Join the July Storygraph Summer Readin’ Challenge here and you can purchase our Digital Summer Readin’ Pack-et for some extra fun here! We’re so happy you’re readin’ with us.
