We’re so glad to finally have a taste of spring! This winter felt much too long, don’t you think? Now it’s time to bring a little life and laughter back into our reading lives for Spring. In April we like to read something with humor and wit to break down any remnants of that dreary winter mood.

And this year we’ve selected Michael Arceneaux’s I Can’t Date Jesus: Love, Sex, Family, Race, and Other Reasons I’ve Put My Faith in Beyonce.

Arceneaux is a Houston-born, Howard University-educated writer who started his career writing for various news media like The Guardian, Teen Vogue, Essence, The Washington Post, etc. And this collection of essays, published in July of 2018, is the first book published by Arceneaux (he’s currently writing his second, titled I Don’t Want to Die Poor addressing private student loan debt).

In this collection Arceneaux shares seventeen different autobiographical essays. He addresses his Houston upbringing within a heavily Catholic family as a gay black man. His ever-present issues around sex, religion, race, and becoming the man he is today is at the forefront of each story he tells. It’s an intimate look at Arceneaux’s life and the paths he’s taken.

We hope you’ll read with us! How? It’s easy! Read your own pace and finish up by the end of the month. You can also share your thoughts and updates as you’re reading here or on Instagram (don’t forget to use #booklymark and tag us @thebooklyclub). Then on the last day of the month look out for our Instagram discussion post to join in the conversation!

Happy reading 🙂