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Beauty & Leisure: Winter 2020


It’s a New Year and as we prepare ourselves for all the new books of leisure to dive into to come, there are a handful of books we believe you should be reading now into the new winter. In keeping with the new year renewal feels, it’s appropriate to intertwine our love for beauty and goodreads. Take a look below at our favorite books to read into the beginning of the new decade and the lipsticks and manicures that make these leisurely moments even more enticing. Introducing our first installment of Beauty & Leisure Winter 2020!


The Dutch House
written by: Ann Patchett

The first order of business for Cyril Conroy after World War II and his lucky investments in a real estate empire, was to buy a lavish Dutch House in the suburbs of Philadelphia, two sibling’s Danny and Maeve’s are banished from the castle like estate by their callous Step-mother; after their father's death (their mother disappeared in India during their childhood). The sibling’s grow up with strengthened loyalty and find themselves held captive by the house and the unraveling lives that inhabit it.

Grand Union
written by: Zadie Smith

Zadie Smith has established herself as one of the most critically respected, iconic and prevalent writers of our generation. In her first foray into short stories combines the power of her observation and her inimitable voice to the complex modern world and life’s experiences. Grand Union includes a rich tapestry of fictional stories, new and unpublished pieces from everyone including, children to parents to world-famous celebrities.

Ginger Bread
written by: Helen Oyeyemi

Both mother-daughter duo Harriet and Perdita Lee are a seemingly “average” pair in the fictional place called Druhástrana. Although, the gold-painted, seventh-floor walk-up apartment says different. Including some not so ordinary magical moments and surprisingly talkative vegetation this story comes choc full of classism, mystery, gingerbread and dark family secrets.

“Two families from different social classes are joined together by an unexpected pregnancy and the child that it produces. Moving forward and backward in time, with the power of poetry and the emotional richness of a narrative ten times its length, Jacqueline Woodson's extraordinary new novel uncovers the role that history and community have played in the experiences, decisions, and relationships of these families, and in the life of this child.”

The Water Dancer
written by: Ta-Nehisi Coates

Young Hiram Walker was born into bondage. When his mother was sold away, Hiram was robbed of all memory of her—but was gifted with a mysterious power. Years later, when Hiram almost drowns in a river, that same power saves his life. This brush with death births an urgency in Hiram and a daring scheme: to escape from the only home he’s ever known.

Supreme Models
written by: Marcellas Reynolds

It's astonishing to think that there has never been a book devoted to Black models to date until now. This coffee table book is treasure trove of visual aesthetic and beauty which, pays homage to black models of the past and present. Including Iman, Tyra Banks, Naomi Campbell, Joan Smalls, and Adwoa Aboah together with interviews and personal essays that intertwine the seriousness of racial prejudice in the industry and the power of social media.


A Few More Books To Read in 2020

  • Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid

  • The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

  • Followers: A Novel by Megan Angelo

  • The New Black Vanguard: Photography Between Art and Fashion by Antwaun Sargent, Addy Campbell (Photographer), Arielle Bobb-Willis (Photographer), Micaiah Carter (Photographer), Awol Erizku (Photographer)

  • GREAT by Mel D. Cole

  • AGENCY by William Gibson

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