Since the end of June, I have been to Madrid, Barcelona, Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam, London, Glasgow and Edinburgh. At the moment, I’m writing to you from Bangkok, Thailand. It certainly has been quite a journey — by turns ecstatic, overwhelming, hilarious and challenging — to say the least.
I’ve written a bit about my adventures for Ebony and will continue to do so as I go along, but I just wanted to take a moment and note all of the wonderful books I’ve been reading along the way. Earlier this year, I was able to see Toni Morrison read from Home. During the Q & A that followed, she remarked that “words are [her] home.” As readers and writers, I’m sure many of you feel the same way.
I certainly do and have found that reading novels while traveling has allowed me to create maintain a sense of familiarity while surrounded with the unfamiliar. In any case, here’s what I’ve been reading:
My Dear Friends in America by Daisaku Ikeda
Black Cool edited by Rebecca Walker
Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward
Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
For Southern Boys Who Consider Poetry 
Loved this. I’ve lived abroad since 2000 and reading, in English, has kept me connected to an imaginary community called home all these years. When I think of the beginning, of the first lonely years, I connect each moment to an author.