2024 Mid-Year Reading Check In

Essay collections, surrealist fiction, and disappointing series enders are just a few of the things that have made up my 2024 reading thus far.

Happy June! Month six means that it’s time for a mid-year reading check-in. For starters, if you’re a listener of my podcast, Diary of an Ex-English Major, then you may know that I applied to an English master’s program late last year. And this past March, I was notified of my acceptance! My declared field is African American literature, so I’ve been eagerly devouring novels related to AA Lit and Black studies as you’ll see in this post. Let’s jump in.

Essays & Non-Fiction

The Souls of Black Folk by WEB DuBois

The Souls of Black Folk was the first book I finished this year and it was just as relevant as I expected it to be.

While Souls was definitely a product of its time in some ways, DuBois’s philosophical perspective on Black life and double-consciousness made for a wholly capturing read. I also enjoyed the Dartmouth lectures by Dr. Cornel West on DuBois, which allowed me dive even into deeper into the text.

“It is a peculiar sensation, this double-consciousness, this sense of always looking at one’s self through the eyes of others, of measuring one’s soul by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity.”

WEB DuBois, The Souls of Black Folk

The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin

The Fire Next Time made me fall in love with Baldwin as a writer and as a thinker. Baldwin’s raw approach to discussing both class and race as it related to his upbringing in Harlem was extremely compelling.

I own the Library of Congress collection of his essays, so I know I’ll be reading more in the future.

“The most dangerous creation of any society is the man who has nothing to lose.”

James Baldwin, The Fire Next Time

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass is quite literally the definition of a classic written text. I listened to many podcast interviews from writers and scholars within the field of African American Literature that reference Douglass’s first memoir, so I knew I had to read it.

This narrative of Douglass’s experience as an enslaved person was impactful. The account of his journey towards literacy was an especially memorable moment, as his command over the English language yielded prose that was so exacting and compelling. I’m definitely glad that I finally read this classic.

Classic Fiction

Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison

Admittedly, Invisible Man is a book that I will probably gain more from after a solid re-read. My first experience with the novel was a whirlwind since its structure and style is that of the surreal, which I did not expect. Our unnamed protagonist never catches a break and neither do we as readers.

Nevertheless, Invisible Man is an essential classic novel, and I understand now why that is; it’s complex to the highest degree while also being succinct in its intention of depicting a journey through the multifaceted experience of Blackness.

Kindred by Octavia Butler

I read Kindred way faster than I expected. The jumps in time period made the story compulsively readable. Butler’s anachronistic portrayal of a modern Black woman in the antebellum period was a very clever premise that had me hooked.

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

Their Eyes Were Watching God was another relatively quick read. Once I started reading, I couldn’t stop. What I enjoyed most about this book was its depiction of community—the ins and outs, and the good along with the bad. Hurston’s anthropological perspective really shined through for me, which made me care about our protagonist as a human with flaws who deserved happiness nonetheless.

Beloved by Toni Morrison

Finishing Beloved felt like a huge accomplishment for me. I’d started the book twice previously, but always set it down at the half-way point. This time, I devoured the book in a week. Morrison’s prose and her centering of Black life (even within a period in the shadows of slavery) is impeccable. Beloved is a think-piece; it keeps you on your toes, and it makes certain that you are paying attention. It made me love Morrison’s writing even more.

Contemporary Genre Fiction

The Atlas Complex by Olivie Blake

While The Atlas Complex did get a review here on the blog, it hasn’t stayed with me. As a finale, this book repackaged the same ideas and tactics of the first two installments, which ultimately hurt its final impact (and staying power).

And that sums up what I’ve read so far in 2024 . I hope you all have had a good reading year thus far and here’s to another six months of great books.