Shade Lapite's Blog

Lara is looking forward to a summer vacation in Lagos, Nigeria filled with glam parties, delicious food and her cousin Derin’s ‘wedding of the decade’. Instead, she lands to find Derin has been receiving threats from an anonymous person who’ll go to any lengths to prevent the marriage. As the wedding begins to fall apart Lara puts on her sleuthing hat to search for the culprit.

20-year-old Témì is convinced a Brazilian butt lift is the answer to all her problems. As she tries to convince her family in the wake of her father’s death, we dive into the fascinating lives of the women in her family and learn secrets that make a BBL look like the least of anyone’s worries.

Books make great gifts. The end.

Now, choosing the right book is a whole different discussion. Thankfully I’m here to help. Here are 28 suggestions to help you choose the ideal book whether for your sister, dad, best friend or neighbour.

To make life easy I’ve grouped the books as follows: Romance, Fantasy/Sci fi, Mystery/Crime, Literary, Non-fiction.

Black book gift ideas for adults.

The Insufferable Mr. Fletcher by Lindo Forbes

Junior Sano is an Afro-Latina stunner working on a hit TV show. She likes to be in control of every aspect of her life and has zero time for new producer Davis Fletcher, writing him off as a clueless, corporate drone.

Davis – Cree on his mother’s side, white on his dad’s – has escaped a poor, one-horse town and can’t afford any distractions as he scales the TV ladder.

When the Junior and Davis are thrown together for the show’s finale, they fall into a fling that becomes a thing, that quickly starts to feel worryingly permanent.

(The Queen City Queens series includes: The Indomitable Mr. Temple and The Inscrutable Mr. Yang)

Possibility by Sareeta Domingo

When Anika Lapo wakes up in hospital on her thirtieth birthday she realizes she’s not afraid of dying, but of having wasted her life. After a successful operation, she vows not to lose another second. Every night she pours her aspirations into her diary – of becoming a radio producer, DJing to a crowd and connecting with the sexy breakfast show host she lusts after. As she writes, her words miraculously come into being. But as her dreams become reality, she begins to wonder if the big changes are causing her to lose herself, maybe she was enough all along!

The Love Simulation by Etta Easton

Brianna Rogers has been told a time (or six) she needs to stop jumping into things head first. But when the principal rescinds his approval for a library upgrade, deciding to spend the money on a football field instead, she sees red. Literally. She joins a team of teachers who will spend their summer in a Mars simulation. As the sister of an astronaut, this should be easy, right? What she didn’t count on was the last-minute addition to the team—Roman Major: science teacher, son of the principal, and too handsome for his own good.

A Tropical Rebel Gets the Duke by Adriana Herrera (Book 3)

It is 1889 in Paris. Physician Aurora Wright runs an underground women’s clinic that exposes her to certain dangers. Help arrives in the unexpected form of the infuriating Duke of Annan. Begrudgingly, Aurora accepts his protection, and somehow finds herself in his bed.

The Duke of Annan knows half of society is waiting for him to misstep and the other half looking to discredit him. When his new bedmate proves loyal and trustworthy he realizes she could be the perfect duchess for him. But Aurora won’t give up her independence, and her secrets are more than the aristocracy will stand.

Other book in the Las Leonas series:
Book 1: A Caribbean Heiress in Paris
Book 2: An Island Princess Starts a Scandal

Quarter-Love Crisis by Jasmine Burke

Maddison Clarke has always lived by tick-lists, schedules, and five-year plans. So, she didn”t foresee being this close to thirty and still living at home, in an assistant role, with the closest thing to a committed relationship being her grocery delivery driver. But when she lands the opportunity to lead on the company”s biggest event to date, Maddison sees a chance to get her life back on track. There is just one problem: she needs to join forces with Aiden Edwards, her long-time rival and the infuriatingly handsome bane of her existence.

A Wager at Midnight by Vanessa Riley (book 2)

Scarlett Wilcox is willing to live out her life as a spinster if it means being able to continue her medical research. After all, few husbands would tolerate her dressing as a man to attend lectures at the Royal Academy of Science. When she’s unmasked at a lecture on ophthalmology, she prepares to be disgraced, but instead she’s saved by Trinidadian-born physician Stephen Carew who claims her as a cousin. Stephen has no wish to marry a frivolous and privileged lady, no matter how many fall for him. But Scarlett proves the opposite.

Book 1 – A Gamble at Sunset (in the Betting Against the Duke series)

The Black Fantastic: 20 Afrofuturist Stories – edited by André M. Carrington

Edited by SF-expert, André Carrington, and including award winners alongside emerging and experimental voices, The Black Fantastic showcases 20 powerful, horror-strewn, weird, woke, nerdy, terrifying, liberating, fantastic, utopian, surreal, genre-defying and empowering short stories.

The Ghosts of Gwendolyn Montgomery by Clarence A. Haynes

Gwendolyn Montgomery is a high-powered, New York publicist living her best life with her handsome new boyfriend. But after a grisly incident at the Brooklyn Museum, Gwendolyn begins to realize that something nefarious is happening tied directly to her past. Former acquaintance, Fonsi Harewood – a queer Latinx psychic from the South Bronx – dives back into her life. He’s able to communicate with the dead, and he comes with a dire warning for Gwendolyn, that the barrier between humans and spirits is weakening.

Gwendolyn would prefer to ignore the warning but in order to get to the bottom of the spookiness derailing her life and threatening the world, she must face the demons she’d long left behind.

Blackheart Man by Nalo Hopkinson

Veycosi is training to be a griot and hopes to sail off to the magical island of Chynchin toexamine the rare Alamat Book of Light. Her plans are derailed when 15 Ymisen galleons arrive in the harbor to force a trade agreement on Chynchin. Bad turns to worse when pickens (children) start disappearing and an ancient invading army, long frozen into piche (tar) statues by island witches stir to life—led by the fearsome demon known as the Blackheart Man. Veycosi was already juggling problems in his polyamorous personal life. How much trouble can a poor student take – or cause all by himself – as the line between myth and history blur.

Awakened by Kelechi Okafor

In a near-future London where technology affects everything from our bodies to our politics, journalist Pels Badmus wants to make a real difference. She’s desperate to investigate the spate of disappearances of young Black kids, but her boss won’t hear of it. Instead, she’s assigned to cover the protests miles away in Benin, against culturally oblivious tourists foolishly partaking in sacred Spirit Vine rituals.

Pels jets off to the protests in West Africa but begins to experience strange, ethereal dreams. They are compounded by a mind-boggling experience when she takes the Spirit Vine, one that points to an unfulfilled destiny that could change the course of her life.

Give Him To Me by Dorothy Koomson

Robyn Managa was twelve when she witnessed her controlling and abusive father murder her mother. Put into care while her well-connected father was given a new identity in Witness Protection, Robyn has lived with the trauma of that day ever since.

Now in her twenties, Robyn has decided she wants a family reunion – so is killing people connected to her father’s case, leaving on their bodies the note: GIVE HIM TO ME.

Dr Kez Lanyon is called onto the case. But can Kez get into Robyn’s mind before she kills again? Or is she about to become her latest victim?

Fog and Fury by Rachel Howzell Hall

Veteran LAPD cop Sonny Rush has relocated with her elderly mother to a peaceful, seaside town, to join her godfather’s new PI business. Her first case – tracking down a missing goldendoodle – is everything she expected of small town life. But within days the missing dog has thrown Sonny into an unwelcome reunion with her wealthy ex and the body of a teen boy has been discovered along a popular hiking trail. It seems the town is hiding secrets at odds with its idyllic façade and Sonny quickly finds herself drawn into a web stranger than anything she saw in LA.

(Book 1 of 2 in the Haven Thrillers series)

The Game Is Afoot by Elise Bryant

After rage quitting her job, Mavis finally has time to get all the rest she’s been putting off. Well, if her hours weren’t filled with helicoptering her daughter around to her extracurricular activities. When the director of the kids’ soccer program drops dead on a Saturday morning, the police soon uncover evidence that shows someone had it in for the coach. But who?

Mavis is determined to find out, even if it takes her into the dark, dangerous underbelly of gentle parents and MLM girlbosses. Sleuthing is a welcome distraction from the panic attacks she keeps brushing off, the fact that she’s unemployed and has lost all sense of purpose and that her ex-husband is back in town and trying to court her just as she’s beginning a new relationship. Can a murder investigation qualify as self-care? Maybe.

Shigidi and the brass head of Obalufon by Wole Talabi

Shigidi is a disgruntled nightmare god reluctantly answering prayers of his few remaining believers to maintain his existence long enough to find his next drink. When he meets Nneoma, a succubus with a secretive past, everything changes. Together, they attempt to break free of his obligations and the restrictions that have bound him to his godhood.

From the boisterous streets of Lagos to the swanky rooftop bars of Singapore and the secret spaces of London, Shigidi and Nneoma encounter old acquaintances, rival gods, strange creatures, and manipulative magicians as they are drawn into a web of revenge, spirit business, and a spectacular heist.

Zeal by Morgan Jerkins

Harlem, 2019. Ardelia and Oliver are hosting their engagement party. As the guests get ready to leave, he hands her a love letter on a yellowing, crumbling piece of paper . . .

Natchez, 1865. Discharged from the Union Army as a free man after the war’s end, Harrison returns to Mississippi to reunite with the woman he loves, Tirzah. Upon his arrival at the Freedmen’s Bureau, though, he catches the eye of a woman working there, who’s determined to thwart his efforts to find his beloved.

Meanwhile in Louisiana, the newly free Tirzah is teaching at a freedmen’s school, and discovers an advertisement in the local paper looking for her. Though she knows Harrison must have placed it, and longs to find him, the risks of fleeing are too great.

Spanning over a hundred and fifty years, Morgan Jerkins’s extraordinary novel intertwines the stories of two star-crossed lovers and their descendants.

This Kind of Trouble by Tochi Eze

1960s Lagos is a city enlivened with newfound independence. Headstrong Margaret meets British-born Benjamin, a man seeking his roots after the death of his half-Nigerian father. They fall in love in the dense, humid city.

However, as they exchange childhood stories they uncover a past more entangled than they could have ever imagined. Margaret’s deteriorating mental health combined with the shadow of events that transpired decades ago in a small village sets their gradual fracture in motion.

By 2005, Margaret has retired to an upscale gated community in Lagos, and Benjamin lives alone in Atlanta. But their attempt at a settled life is shattered when their grandson begins to show ominous signs echoing the struggles Margaret once faced. The former lovers are forced to reunite to confront the buried secrets they had dismissed in the passion of their youth—secrets that continue to ripple through their family.

Village Weavers by Myriam J. A. Chancy

In 1940s Port-au-Prince, Gertie and Sisi become fast childhood friends, despite being on opposite ends of the social and economic ladder. As young girls, they build their unlikely friendship—until a deathbed revelation ripples through their families and tears them apart.

After François Duvalier’s rule turns deadly in the 1950s, Sisi moves to Paris, while Gertie marries into a wealthy Dominican family. Across decades and continents, through personal success and failures, they are parted and reunited, slowly learning the truth of their singular relationship. Finally, six decades later, with both women in the United States, a sudden phone call brings them back together once more to reckon with and—perhaps—forgive the past.

Harlem Rhapsody by Victoria Christopher Murray

In 1919, a high school teacher from Washington, D.C arrives in Harlem excited to realize her lifelong dream. Jessie Redmon Fauset has been named the literary editor of The Crisis, the preeminent Negro magazine. But she holds a secret that jeopardizes it all. W. E. B. Du Bois, the founder of The Crisis, is not only Jessie’s boss, he’s her lover. And neither his wife, nor their fourteen-year-age difference can keep the two apart. Amidst rumors of their tumultuous affair, Jessie is determined to prove herself. She attacks the challenge of discovering young writers with fervor, finding sixteen-year-old Countee Cullen, seventeen-year-old Langston Hughes, and Nella Larsen. Under Jessie’s leadership, The Crisis thrives.

The extraordinary story of the woman who ignited the Harlem Renaissance.

Only Big Bumbum Matters Tomorrow by Damilare Kuku

Freshly out of Obafemi Awolowo University, 20-year-old Temi has a clear plan for her future: she is going to surgically enlarge her backside like all the other Nigerian women, move from Ile-Ife to Lagos, and meet a man who will love her senseless. But when she finally finds the courage to tell her mother, older sister, and aunties, her announcement causes an uproar. As each of the other women try to cure Temi of what seems like temporary insanity, they begin to spill long-buried secrets, including the truth of Temi’s older sister’s mysterious disappearance five years earlier.

Dream Count: A Novel by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Set mid-pandemic, the story is centred around the lives, loves and longings of four women: Chiamaka, a Nigerian travel writer living in America; her best friend, Zikora; her cousin, Omelogor, a financial force in Nigeria; and Chiamaka’s housekeeper, Kadiatou, who is also raising a daughter. Their journey’s demonstrate the interconnectedness of women and the impact of our choices in life.

Matriarch: A Memoir by Tina Knowles

Matriarch begins with a precocious, if unruly, little girl growing up in 1950s Galveston, the youngest of seven. She is in love with her world, with extended family on every other porch and the sounds of Motown and the lapping beach always within earshot. But as the realities of race and the limitations of girlhood set in, she begins to dream of a more grandiose world. Her instincts and impulsive nature drive her far beyond the shores of Texas to discover the life awaiting her on the other side of childhood. In her own words, Knowles reflects on family, love, loss, heartbreak, race and motherhood.

Ghana to the World: Recipes and Stories That Look Forward While Honoring the Past by Eric Adjepong, Korsha Wilson

“Sankofa” is a Ghanaian Twi word that roughly translates to the idea that we must look back in order to move forward. In his moving debut cookbook, chef Eric Adjepong practices sankofa by showcasing the beauty and depth of West African food through the lens of his own culinary journey.

With 100 soul-satisfying recipes and narrative essays, Ghana to the World reflects Eric’s journey to understand his identity and unique culinary perspective as a first-generation Ghanaian American.

Full of stunning photography shot in Ghana and remembrances rooted in family, tradition, and love, Ghana to the World shows readers how the unsung story of a continent’s cuisine can shine a powerful light on one person’s exploration of who he is as a chef and a man.

In My Remaining Years by Jean Grae

In My Remaining Years debunks the myth that coming-of-age narratives should be reserved for the kids, providing a much-needed rallying cry for those still trying to figure it out in their forties. Laugh-out-loud essays cover everything from aging gracefully (with and without botox), what happens when you look for community and almost start a cult, befriending childhood demons (Hi Mumm-ra!), gender fluidity in middle age, the cost of being too fabulous, and the various gymnastics we do to avoid becoming our parents, taking us from her childhood in 1980s New York City to present-day Baltimore.

Jean Grae is a multidisciplinary artist, humorist, and former rapper with over 25 years of experience in the entertainment industry.

What I Mean to Say by Ian Williams

In contemporary society, much of our communication exists in a new dimension, the online space, and it’s changing how we regard each other and how we converse. With What I Mean to Say, award-winning novelist and poet Ian Williams seeks to ignite a conversation about conversation, to confront the deterioration of civic and civil discourse, and to reconsider the act of conversing as the sincere, open exchange of thoughts and feelings.

Born to Walk by Alpha Nkuranga

“My grandparents used to tell me Rwanda is a country unlike any other, and I knew they spoke the truth. Blessed with majestic mountains and breathtaking valleys, it is a sacred and spiritual land. And yet Rwandan men drenched the land in blood in acts of hate so horrific that the stains of those three years will not fade in one hundred lifetimes.”

At the age of eight, Alpha Nkuranga made a fateful decision. With war raging around her, she grabbed the hand of her younger brother, Elijah, and ran from her grandparents’ home. When they came to a swamp, they hid until it was safe to escape. Weeks later, they joined a group of refugees, who were fleeing to Tanzania. “If I kept walking,” Alpha remembers thinking, “I could tell my story.”

Nkuranga emigrated to Canada more than a decade later. In Born to Walk, she tells a remarkable story of resistance and survival.

Chop Chop by Ozoz Sokoh

In Chop Chop, author, culinary anthropologist, and Nigerian native Ozoz Sokoh celebrates classic and traditional Nigerian cuisine to underscore the ingredients, flavors, and textures that make it not only beloved, but delicious and easy for the home cook.

Featuring a collection of classic and traditional Nigerian recipes. Think smoky spicy beef suya skewers, egusi soup with greens, restorative pepper soup, jollof rice studded with tomatoes, soft puff puff dough bites, and sweet-tart hibiscus drinks, and more from across the country.

When We Ruled: The Rise and Fall of Twelve African Queens and Warriors by Paula Akpan

-Njinga Mbande (of present day Angola)
-Nana Yaa Asantewaa (of present day Ghana)
-Makobo Modjadji VI (of present day South Africa)
-Ranavalona the First (Madagascar)

These queens and warriors ruled vast swathes of the African continent, where they led, loved and fought for their kingdoms and people. Their impact can still be felt today, and yet, beyond the lands they called home, so few of us have ever heard their names.

In When We Ruled, historian Paula Akpan takes us into the worlds of these powerful figures, following their stories and how they came to rule and influence the futures of their people. Through deep research and discovery, Akpan will uncover new truths and grapple with uncomfortable realities, allowing us to be immersed in countless moments of bravery, intrigue and, for some, the unravelling of their rule.

How to Build a Fashion Icon: Notes on Confidence From the World’s Only Image Architect by Law Roach

If Zendaya is your sartorial muse, let stylist Law Roach’s memoir be your new fashion bible. From behind-the-scenes glimpses into his styling process to sharing his top tips, tricks and styling exercises, Roach guides readers step-by-step on how to lead a fashion-forward life with confidence. Along the way, read through childhood tales of Roach’s youth in the Southside of Chicago, his most memorable fashion moments, and, of course, the story behind his iconic fashion partnership with Zendaya.

The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Ta-Nehisi Coates originally set out to write a book about writing, in the tradition of Orwell’s classic “Politics and the English Language,” but found himself grappling with deeper questions about how our stories—our reporting and imaginative narratives and mythmaking—expose and distort our realities.

In the first of the book’s three intertwining essays, Coates, on his first trip to Africa, finds himself in two places at once: in Dakar, a modern city in Senegal, and in a mythic kingdom in his mind. Then he takes readers along with him to Columbia, South Carolina, where he reports on his own book’s banning, but also explores the larger backlash to the nation’s recent reckoning with history. Finally, in the book’s longest section, Coates travels to Palestine, where he sees with devastating clarity how easily we are misled by nationalist narratives, and the tragedy that lies in the clash between the stories we tell and the reality of life on the ground.

Books make great gifts. I think it’s particularly important to buy Black books for the children in our lives because they deserve to see children who look like them playing the lead role in stories .

I’ve compiled 22 book suggestions you can use as a starting point for gifts. I’ve separated my recommendations into: picture books, middle grade chapter books and teen/YA.

Black book gift ideas for children.

Light by Ruth Forman, illustrated by Katura Gaines
A boy visits a planetarium with his father and brother for a night of stargazing that opens him to the infinitely bright universe.
Age 0-2

The Best Jollof Rice Ever by Oyinye Iwu
Heartwarming story about two best friends who try their hand at making jellof rice.
Age 3-5

Granny’s Kitchen: A Jamaican Story of Food and Family by Sade Smith, illustrated by Ken Daley
Grandma steadily teaches Shelly-Ann how to cook her favourite recipes in this upbeat story about learning independence.
Age 3-5

100 Goats and Granny! By Atinuke, Illustrated by Lauren Hinds
Grandma’s collection of mischievous goats jumps from 1 to 100 and then they start to escape! Fun-filled, counting story.
Age 3-5

Rocket Says Look Up! By Nathan Bryon, illustrated by Dapo Adeola Space-loving Rocket is on a mission to see the incredible meteor shower that will zoom across the sky over her town.
Age 3-5

The Gathering Table by Antwan Eady, illustrated by London Ladd
A joyful picture book about a Southern family that gathers around a special table for celebrations all year round.
Age 6-8

One Day at the Bottom of the Deep Blue Sea by Daniel Bernstrom, illustrated by Brandon James Scott
A clever little girl “with a net for catching pearls” outwits a shark determined to eat her for dinner.
Age 6-8

The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson, illustrated by Rafael López
A poignant, yet heartening book about finding courage to connect, even when you feel scared and alone.
Age 6-8

Too small Tola by Atinuke, illustrated by Onyinye Iwu
Tola lives in Lagos, with her clever sister, her fast brother, and bossy grandma. Tola may be small but she is very capable.
Age 6-8yrs

(Get the four-book set! Too Small Tola and the Three Fine Girls, Too Small Tola Gets Tough, Too Small Tola Makes It Count)

Wild Magic: Legend of the Black Lion by Abiola Bello and illustrated by Emma McCann
Misha and Ziggy are no ordinary twins. Misha can speak to animals and Ziggy can shapeshift into them! The siblings are excited to join their wildlife presenter father on a trip to Ethiopia. When the legendary Black Lion goes missing, they discover they aren’t the only ones on the rare animal’s trail.
Age 6+

The last last-day-of-summer by Lamar Giles, Illustrated by Dapo Adeola

Two adventurous cousins in Virginia accidentally freeze time on the last day of summer. They must put aside their differences to save their town and each other before time stops for good.

Age 9-12yrs

(The Legendary Alston Boys series also includes: The Last Mirror on the Left and The Last Chance for Logan County)

Gamerville by Johnnie Christmas

Max Lightning’s hopes of competing in the Gamerville championships are dashed when his parents send him to Camp Reset, where electronics are forbidden. Can he escape and make it to the championship?

Age 9-12yrs

The Good Turn by Sharna Jackson

When 11-year-old Josie camps out for a night with her friends, they discover a mystery at the nearby abandoned factory that they must solve.

Age 9+

Future Hero by Remi Blackwood

A boy finds a portal to a legendary world in his local barbershop, a place where everyone believes he is the hero they’ve been waiting for.

Age 9-12yrs

From Here To Timbuktu by Milton J Davis, illustrated by Marcellus Jackson, edited by Rebecca Kyle

It is 1870 and Freedonia is preparing to celebrate its 50th year. A young bounty hunter is hired to find to find a valuable book. In Mali a veteran warrior has been assigned the same task, while in Germany, a Prussian officer is also on the hunt. This action-packed, steam-funk novel unfolds in an imaginative, alternate timeline.

Darwen Arkwright and the Peregrine Pact by A.J. Hartley

11-year-old Darwen Arkwright has spent his whole life in a tiny town in England. After being sent to live with his aunt in Atlanta, Georgia, he discovers an enchanting and dangerous world through the old mirror hanging in his closet and becomes entangled in an adventure that threatens the safety of his entire school.

Age 8-12yrs

Emily Knight: I Am…Power by A. Bello

Emily has been chosen to battle the powerful Neci, but with family betrayals and super powers being stolen, everything is falling apart.

Age 9-13yrs

(Book 1 of 4)

Way Off Track by Carl Brundtland, illustrated by Claudia Dávila

Nansi has never lost a race…until snobby Tania beats her in an unofficial event. Nansi is certain that Tania’s flashy shoes gave her an edge and she resolves to get her own pair before the track tryouts. This delightful tale incorporates Jamaican culture and the West African trickster character, Anansi.

Age 9-12yrs

Billions To Burn by Taylor Banks

When twelve-year-old Zeus Jones stumbles on a secret page in grandad’s beloved magazine, Burn, on the day grandad mysteriously disappears, he finally has proof that grandad’s stories about the Harlem Renaissance are true and that the secret page is a treasure map, leading to a prize beyond all imagining.

Age 9-12yrs

Rapunzella, or, Don’t Touch My Hair by Ella McLeod

Fifteen-year-old Zella splits her time between school and Val’s hair salon, a place of safety and possibility. Yet whenever she dreams she finds herself imprisoned in an enchanted forest made of her own Afro, threatened by the evil King Charming. When she wakes her memories of the dreams vanish, but is it possible they are more real than they seem?

Age 9-12yrs

The Gatekeeper’s Staff: An Old Gods Story by Antoine Bandele

When his powerful sister dies mysteriously in Nigeria, fourteen-year-old TJ commits himself to unlocking the magical heritage that has always eluded him.  He enrolls in Camp Olosa – a remedial magic school for the divinely less-than-gifted in the humid swamps of New Orleans.
He has no idea he is destined to cross paths with old, powerful spirits: the orishas.

(Part of the series: Tj Young & the Orishas)

The Rage of Dragons  by Evan Winter

The Omehi people have been fighting an unwinnable war for almost two hundred years. Young, gift-less Tau plans to fake an injury to escape the battle and live a quiet life. But when those closest to him are brutally murdered, his grief turns to anger and he vows to become the greatest swordsman to ever live in order to kill the three who betrayed him.

Game of Thrones meets Gladiator in this blockbuster epic fantasy.

The Field Guide to the North American Teenager by Ben Philippe

A witty, Black, French-Canadian teen moves to Austin, Texas, and experiences the highs and lows of the American high school experience—including falling in love.

The Great Misfortune of Stella Sedgwick by S. Isabelle

It is the 1860s and Stella Sedgwick is in contention to inherit a valuable estate that would give her more choices than marriage and servitude. While she fights the legal battle for the estate, she tries to survive London society as a young Black woman, navigating the city’s fashion and balls, insults and stares, and reconnecting with Nathaniel, her childhood best friend with a rakish reputation.

Bridgerton meets The Davenports in this entertaining romance.

‘Til Death by Busayo Matuluko

True-crime-obsessed Lara Oyinlola is heading to Lagos for her favourite cousin, Dérin’s, wedding. But everything isn’t perfect in Dérin’s world. She’s been receiving anonymous threats telling her to cancel the wedding or face dire consequences. Sleuth-in-training Lara is just the person to find the culprit responsible.

Firstborn of the Sun by Marvellous Michael Anson

In Oru L’ore is the only one without agbára – the ability to harness power from the sun. She must conceal this lack from everyone, including her best friend, Alawani. When events take a turn and the two are forced to go on the run, they discover L’ore has a power of her own and learn of a secret that could bring the Kingdom to its knees.

Masquerade by O.O. Sangoyomi

Not only is Òdòdó’s hometown of Timbuktu conquered by the warrior king of Yorùbáland, but she is abducted and whisked across the Sahara to become the Yoruba king’s wife. The leap from lowly blacksmith to royalty is heady and the proximity to power enticing. She soon begins to reforge the shaky loyalties of the court in her favor in defiance of the king.

Loosely based on the myth of Persephone and set in a reimagined 15th century West Africa.

Ruin Road by Lamar Giles

After high school football player Cade Webster buys a ring in a pawn shop, his wish that people stop acting scared of him seems to come true. Alarming, people seem to have lost their fear of everything! It’s then that he remembers the ring came with a warning…

Goddess Crown by Shade Lapite

A girl raised in secret is forced to go on the run after her home is attacked by mercenaries. She finds her way to the royal court where she searches for the truth about her parents and her own identity. She quickly learns there are powerful people who would rather see her dead than accept a women on the throne.

A Song of Legends Lost by M. H. Ayinde

The Nine Lands has endured thousands of years of bloodshed as warring groups have battled for control. A new conscription of fighters, called in hopes of defeating the rebels decisively, leads to Temi, a female commoner, invoking a powerful spirit to join the battle. Unfortunately it turns out not every spirit invoked is a supportive ancestor, and some spirits are more dangerous than anyone could imagine.
(Book one in the Invoker trilogy that includes A Dance of Burning Blades)

The Reaper by Jackson P. Brown

Amy is an empath, able to sense the auras of the supernatural creatures that stalk London at night. Gerald is a Reaper – a weapon for hire – on the verge of his Awakening. Gerald offers to make Amy his partner, in return he will introduce her to a world she has only ever felt. Their first mission is to find a girl who murdered her own parents

Imagine Me Stories – Black activity packs and monthly book boxes

As an additional gift idea, consider Imagine Me Stories. They offer subscriptions (6 and 12 months) for Black book boxes for children divided by age. You can choose to receive 1, 3 or 5 books a month. They also offer Black History activity packs that teach children about Black history, culture and inspiring figures. I like to purchase a pack for my young nieces, print and bind, then post them to complete over the Christmas holidays.

https://imaginemestories.com/

Support

The end of the year is a great time to support Black authors and independent/Black-owned bookstores, so if you can, take your shopping book list to your nearest indie bookshop.  

I met Sareeta Domingo in 2019. I was on a yearlong career break and grappling with various ‘life decisions’ ie whether to stay in the UK and which career to pursue. I had free time on my hands which I was using to rework a manuscript (that would eventually become Goddess Crown) and attend Black literary events.

I became aware of Sareeta because I would see her at many of these events. When I began working on a blog post for Coffee Bookshelves about Black British Romance, friends pointed me in her direction as she was both published in the genre and the only senior Black editor at Harlequin Mills & Boon. I grew eager to interview her for a profile piece as she was such a unicorn in UK publishing. I reached out and was delighted when she wrote back agreeing to a chat.

We met at a Pret a Manger off London Bridge, near her office, and it was like talking with a friend. She candidly shared her background and career journey. I was amazed at how many projects she had on the go and yet how chilled and relaxed her energy was. She was knowledgeable about the publishing landscape and unequivocal about the shortcomings when it came to diversity. When I told her about my career dilemma she was generous with advice and invited me to stay in touch and reach out if I needed any help.

I published the profile a year later. By this time I was in a new marketing role back in Canada, but we stayed in touch. I watched her career soar and cheered her on. When she was appointed publishing director at Jacaranda Books in March 2025 I emailed her my congratulations. She sent back a warm response.

Her sudden loss on September 12 is a tragedy for publishing and for the world at large. Sareeta was radiant, fiercely intelligent, and a creative juggernaut. She lifted Black creatives up in any way she could and even as her status in publishing rose, she was always accessible and caring of everybody she interacted with. She achieved so much during her lifetime as a result of her drive and her determination to create the changes she wanted to see. The seeds she planted during her life have already begun to bloom in the form of more representative stories in bookshops, publishers that evolved and improved under her influence, anthologies she spearheaded that amplified the voices of Black writers, and new writers she mentored. We will continue to see the evidence of her work and her dedication for years to come.

Rest easy, Sareeta. As many others have said, you were truly the best of us.

June 21, 2o20: Sareeta Domingo is Making Waves

The Bollywood Bride and A Bollywood Affair are the first two books in Sonali Dev’s Bollywood series. They are two of my favourite romance novels, my go-to comfort reads, and brilliantly addictive. I could give a TED talk on why they should feature at the top of every Best Romance list. I’ll settle for the review below.

Plot: A Bollywood Affair brings together an ambitious village girl and a playboy, film director in the wake of a child marriage that should never have happened and urgently needs to be annulled. In The Bollywood Bride an A list actress must confront the boy she nearly destroyed during her climb to stardom, while ensuring he never learns the true reasons for her actions. The stories boast sprawling family dramas, buried secrets, heated attractions, Bollywood glamour and emotional healing.

Watch the video and get an inkling of the magic Sonali Dev weaves in her bestselling romance novels.

Bethany and Jacob are stuck in a loop of romantic mishaps. Bethany has been rejected by both boys she invited to homecoming, and Jacob has been dumped by two of the hottest girls in school. All this and the fall semester has barely begun! After circumstance throws them together, the two decide to practice date each other. Before long they develop a solid friendship and discover a partner they can be their authentic selves with. But it’s hard to shift from practice to the real thing, can their relationship survive the change?

Delightful romantic comedy from a masterful writer.

After years of reckless spending the aristocratic Gresham family are facing bankruptcy. Rufus, a young, handsome future earl, is forced to choose between marrying for money to refill the family coffers, or defying his controlling mother and following his heart to the sweet, girl next door.

Kevin Kwan paints sparkling pictures of the sumptuous wealth that surrounds his characters in a way that is appealing and bewitching. His writing is as witty as ever, the story takes us to far flung places across the globe, and the antics he conjures up for the ultra-wealthy would shame a daytime soap opera. Yet beneath all the drama is a story about the value of human life and how connection can save us.

It is 1690 and Anyanwu is a West African woman with special abilities that she uses to protect her tribe. Her life is upended when Doro, a spirit-being with even greater power, seeks her out and insists on adding her to his ‘seed community’. Anyanwu is forced to engage all her wits and courage for a chance to free herself from Doro’s control.

A provocative story about freedom, community and the uses of power.

The Trees is a supernatural murder mystery set in a small racist town in Mississippi.

It is a buddy cop comedy about two black detectives sent to a sundown town to investigate a series of bizarre murders.

It is a satirical exploration of the practice of lynching that helped to uphold white supremacy in the US from slavery to the present day.

The Trees is many things. Above all, it is eminently readable.