Following on from yesterday’s post, I thought I would share one thing I have been doing over the last few months – diversifying both my bookshelf and the kids’ shelves.

Entirely unconsciously, our bookshelves are very white. They are also pretty straight.

Admittedly, this isn’t a deliberate thing, I honestly often get books without even looking at who wrote them. I go by the blurb, or even, for shame, the covers.

Recently I made a conscious decision to try to combat this – to make active choices that put books by authors of colour, books with positive LGBT representation, and books written by LGBT authors onto our shelves.

Buying these books supports the authors, and helps to get their voices out to a wider audience, bumping them up seller lists and getting them noticed.

Reading these stories broadens both my horizons, and those of the Smalls. If we read about people who are different to us and see that, actually, they are the same as us and therefore they need our help to make other people see this, then maybe we will be moved to do it.

I will try my best to review the books as I read them, if not on here then at least on Amazon and Goodreads, to help get them out there and encourage more people to pick them up. I used to be pretty good at writing at least quick Amazon reviews of everything I read, but the habit has got lost somewhere along the way. Time to fix that!

It’s a tiny action, a drop in the ocean, but it is one way of supporting others that I can do from my sofa.

For now, I’m going to share a selection of some of the diverse books I have in my library – I’ve read a few (I’ll put my * rating next to them), and some are patiently waiting on my TBR – if any catch your eye, please consider buying one or two, or ordering one from your library (if it is open again), ebook or physical copy, it all helps. And you might even find a new favourite book!!

Birthday by Meredith Russo, 5*

The Wicker King by K. Ancrum, 5*

Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James

All The Things We Never Said by Tasmin Rahman

I’ll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson, 5*

Date Me, Bryson Keller by Kevin van Whye, 5*

The Boy At The Back Of The Class by Onjali Q Raúf

Starring Kitty by Keris Stainton, 4*

Rose, Interrupted by Patrice Lawrence

If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo, 5*

Why I’m No Longer Talking To White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge

The Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds, 4.5*

My So-Called Bollywood Life by Nisha Sharma, 3.5*

Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly

The Hate U Give (THUG) by Angie Thomas, 5*

Release by Patrick Ness, 5*

Do you have any suggestions of books I should go hunt down and read? Please let me know in the comments or on social media – let’s work together to diversify our reading and lift up the voices in our community that are being constantly talked over.