One of my 2026 goals is to read more black authors (they are so fucking talented, but they don't have as much visibility on social media, that sometimes can be very white bestseller centered). My current favorites are Toni Morrison, Zadie Smith and James Baldwin. I am searching for more great writers, so feel free to recommend in this post your favorites!!

"If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking." — Norwegian Wood, Haruki Murakami I've been thinking about this quote lately, and I'm curious how others feel about it. Do you think there's truth to the idea that reading mostly popular, widely discussed books can limit the range of perspectives we encounter? Or do you think great books are great books regardless of how many people are reading them? When it comes to your own reading habits, how much variety do you seek out? Do you make a conscious effort to read outside your comfort zone; different genres, countries, time periods, literary traditions, or lesser-known authors, or do you tend to gravitate toward the books everyone is talking about? I'd also be interested to hear whether you've ever felt your reading life become too narrow, and if so, what helped you break out of that. Conversely, have you found that reading popular books enriched your experience because they gave you a shared cultural conversation to participate in? In short: what are your thoughts and feelings on reading what everyone else is reading, and how important is variety in your reading life?

What are your favorite novels with multiple protagonists? Specifically looking for books with several MCs whose lives become intertwined at a pivotal moment. Bonus points if historical fiction. Thanks in advance!