Off the Shelf: 9 Must Read Books Centred on Black Love

If you enjoyed When No One Is Watching, then you’ll love How to Catch a Queen.

“After reading "When No One Is Watching" by the brilliant Alyssa Cole, I couldn't wait to get my hands on "How To Catch A Queen", the first of her Runaway Royals series. This novel is the perfect update to the regency romance subgenre! Strong female representation, a setting rich in culture and tradition up against changes that threaten the patriarchy, and an arranged marriage are the makings of a highly entertaining romance. Not to mention the dazzling narration by Karen Chilton (her reading had me laughing out loud more than once!). This is my first romance by Alyssa Cole, and now I can't wait to work my way through her backlist!”

Jessica, Main Street Books Davidson

The Water Dancer meets The Prophets in this spare, gripping, and beautifully rendered novel exploring love and friendship among a group of enslaved Black strivers in the mid-19th century.

They call themselves the Stolen. Their owners call them captives. They are taught their captors’ tongues and their beliefs but they have a language and rituals... Read more »

Winner of the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work - Instructional

With deeply personal and uplifting essays in the vein of Black Girls Rock!, You Are Your Best Thing, and I Really Needed This Today, this is “a necessary testimony on the magic and beauty of our capacity to live and love fully and out loud” (Kerry Washington).

When... Read more »

Seven Days in June

“Fans of second chances and epic teenage love will fall hard for this book. There is just so much feeling and feelings. Chemistry just crackles off the page.”

Zinna, A Great Good Place for Books

"If you're looking for an easy charmer, this is the novel for you."—Shondaland
 
When their foster-turned-adoptive mother suddenly dies, four brothers struggle to keep open the doors of her beloved Harlem knitting shop.

Jesse Strong is known for two things: his devotion to his adoptive mom, Mama Joy, and his reputation for breaking hearts. When... Read more »

“Readers won’t be able to get enough of these dope-ass characters.” —Elizabeth Acevedo, author of Clap When You Land

Hitch meets The Sun Is Also a Star in this “mega swoon-worthy, effortlessly cool” (Casey McQuiston, New York Times bestselling author) novel about a self-professed teen love doctor with a popular radio segment who believes he can... Read more »

From Scratch

“I just finished wiping away my last tear as I close the curtain on From Scratch, a brilliant, compelling memoir. Tembi Locke lost her larger-than-life Italian chef husband at an early age to cancer. The book is a love letter to him as well as to enchanting Sicily and its aromatic, tantalizing food. But more than anything, it is the most memorable and thoughtful gift that her daughter will ever receive. I highly recommend the audio version which is read by the author. From Scratch is one of the best memoirs that I have ever read and one of my top five best books that I read this Summer.”

Melinda, Buttonwood Books and Toys

If you enjoyed Red Island House, then you’ll love You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty.

“Save this one for your next long trip, because you definitely won’t be able to stop once you jump on the roller coaster that is Feyi Adekola’s life. Art, travel, deep abiding friendship, and food all narrated by the brilliant Bahni Turpin.”

Angie, The Country Bookshop