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Located within our Bat City’s big ol’ independent BookPeople is a book club dedicated to elevating authors of color like the writer of this month’s selection, Akwaeke Emezi. Nigeria-born and Brooklyn-based, Emezi’s work is “deeply rooted in the metaphysics of Black spirit, using the lens of indigenous ontologies to focus on embodiment, ritual, and rememory” according to their author bio. Amplify’s pick for March, Pet, was Emezi’s first young adult venture and received a Stonewall Honor. Its plot follows a young girl whose mother’s art comes to life in the form of Pet, “a creature made of horns and colors and claws.” – James Scott

Hurrah! It’s the only good thing about summer – sorry to summer-enjoyers – come back once more. Austin Public Library’s summer reading program runs from June 1 until Aug. 10 and challenges readers of all ages to get 20 minutes of reading done a day. They’ve also got activity badges you can earn – fun biz like using APL’s seed library, making a DIY nature journal, attending any of APL’s free events. Finish 10 reading hours and three activity badges to earn prizes like a free book (kids 0-17) or a camping mug (adults). But isn’t the real reward the great books you read along the way? – James Scott