Books for Current Times (Cierra’s Cynosure Turns 10!)

Hello everyone! It’s 2025 now, which means that Cierra’s Cynosure has officially existed for 10 years. I have dedicated nearly half of my life to running this blog, and it is a source of immense pride for me. I love this space I’ve created for myself on the internet and I am so, so grateful for the people that I’ve met along the way and the opportunities this blog has opened up for me. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for being around this long.

And before I get too far, I realized while typing this that it sounds like the beginning of goodbye, which is not what this post is. I know, false alarm. Everyone take a breath.

Photo gallery depicting all versions of the Cierra’s Cynosure blog logo from creation in 2015 to the most current version created in 2021.

The purpose of this post is two-fold. I wanted to give myself a chance to talk about what’s been going through my mind over the past couple of years while also sharing some books that have given me perspective over the last decade. And yes, you guessed it, this whole post is brought to you by an overwhelming sense of dread about the current state of U.S. politics.

It is truly a scary time to be alive. I go through my days lately on autopilot because it feels like that’s all I can manage. But somewhere in the back of my mind, I’m always thinking “Surely there has got to be a better version of the world than this…right?”

It’s exhausting.

What’s worse, this background feeling of existential dread relates to my blog. Every now and again, I find myself mentally chastising myself when I think about how much I used to read, how many posts I used to write in a month, how much I used to post on my bookstagram/YouTube channel—on and on and on.

Well, that’s also exhausting. So now I’m dealing with exhaustion on top of exhaustion which puts me in a paralyzing, shameful thought loop. No bueno.

If you relate to any of the above, just know that I see you. It’s a hard time to exist for a lot of people and we’re all just doing the best with what time/energy we have. So today, I want to share some books that have given me perspective and provided moments of levity over the years. I have read all of the books I’m highlighting below, and some of them I’ve even been critical of for one reason or another. The thing that unites all of these books is that they have given me pause. Something to ponder, something to criticize, something to take away.

Click on each book icon to go to the Goodreads page for it. If you’re curious about my thoughts about the book, visit my review index page to see if I have written a review on it.

I got this. You got this. Thanks for being here. Now let’s talk about books.

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Young Adult Realistic Fiction for U.S. Politics

All of the titles below have themes that are relevant to day-to-day life in the United States. All of them center on the perspectives/experiences of people of color. These titles contain heavy and important topics such as immigration, police brutality, racism, and more. Read with care.

Nonfiction Memoirs/Essays That Tell It Like It Is

These are titles I’ve read throughout the years that have given me perspective as a black woman navigating systems that are not exactly designed for me. They address everything from romantic/familial relationships to pop culture commentary to the Former First Lady’s life before and after the White House. These titles also contain heavy and important topics, so read with care.

#GamersUnite: How Gaming Helps Us Learn About the World

I am a gamer through and through, so I’ve welcomed the opportunity to read YA books that explore how gaming forms relationships by bringing people together who may not have met otherwise. These two are my favorites.

Disability Awareness: The Spectrum of Deafness

Reading these titles from Anna Sortino opened my eyes to how deafness is a spectrum and not a binary. They’ve also given me the perspective of how important inclusion for disability is. I intend to read more books that explore other disabilities in the coming years.

When Life Starts Lifing a Little Too Hard: Coping with Life-changing Circumstances

Whether it is a life-changing diagnosis or a close brush with an untimely demise, these titles all deal with death and dying. We Americans don’t really like talking about death because we fear the unknown, but I appreciate these books because they’ve helped me think about death differently.

All Love is Valid: YA LGBT+ Levity

In a time where it is possible to have decades of political precedent reversed and rights taken away in an instant, I think we can all use a little bit of gay levity. These titles provide just that. Love is love. Don’t be a bigot.

All of the Coming of Age Drama You Could Ever Imagine

Last but not least, these are titles that I’ve had mixed opinions about. Some are ridiculous. Some are thought-provoking. All are dramatic in more ways than one. Regardless of the rating I’ve given them, what I’ve appreciated about these books is their various depictions of the coming-of-age experience. Welcome to becoming a young adult—it is NOT for the weak.

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Have you read any of these titles? If so, what did you think about them? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below, and again, thank you for being here. Until next time.