Black Coffee discussion

I know it's late (forgive me). The month of August is for new authors! Please nominate a new author for August polls. Members we encourage you to nominate your book. Please refer to our new author rules before nominating your book. The poll will begin July 15th.

I will nominate the debut novel from Cynthia Bond


Ruby: A Novel

Ephram Jennings has never forgotten the beautiful girl with the long braids running through the piney woods of Liberty, their small East Texas town. Young Ruby, “the kind of pretty it hurt to look at,” has suffered beyond imagining, so as soon as she can, she flees suffocating Liberty for the bright pull of 1950s New York. Ruby quickly winds her way into the ripe center of the city--the darkened piano bars and hidden alleyways of the Village--all the while hoping for a glimpse of the red hair and green eyes of her mother. When a telegram from her cousin forces her to return home, thirty-year-old Ruby Bell finds herself reliving the devastating violence of her girlhood. With the terrifying realization that she might not be strong enough to fight her way back out again, Ruby struggles to survive her memories of the town’s dark past. Meanwhile, Ephram must choose between loyalty to the sister who raised him and the chance for a life with the woman he has loved since he was a boy

Londa wrote: "I will nominate the debut novel from Cynthia Bond


Ruby: A Novel

Ephram Jennings has never forgotten the beautiful girl with the..."

I really "enjoyed" this book. I know it will be one of my top reads for 2014.

How are you finding debute novels? I'm having a hard time choosing for this. Maybe I'll look on lystopia

Our very own Beverly has a great list.

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/4...

Not all are historical fiction and not all are debut authors, but quite a few fall into that category.

The 2013 list is good too. These would be easier to obtain.

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2...

I also enter a lot of goodreads contests, so I 'SEE' the new books LOL

oh I see. Well I'll be working on finding one.

Blackberry Days of Summer by Ruth Watson

(I've already read this book but just seen she has a sequel so I'll reread it).

In an exciting historical whodunit, a young black man is murdered and even though suspects abound, no one is trying too hard to find his killer.

The novel begins as “The Great War” is coming to an end. As Robert Parker’s body is lowered into the grave, Herman Camm introduces himself to the mourning family. He is a beady-eyed, small-framed, well-dressed man with a mysterious stare—and he is about to drastically change the lives of three women: Mae Lou Parker; her daughter, Carrie; and Pearl Brown.

On Christmas Eve in Jefferson County, Virginia, trouble arrives when Carrie reveals a disturbing secret that will haunt and change their lives forever. Mae Lou is fed up with Herman spending time with other women and she goes to confront him. Everybody wants a part of him, including Willie; however, the tables are slightly turned when Willie ends up with a gun pointing directly at him.

All of the stories converge when Herman is found dead from a shotgun wound. There are many people Herman has offended. And all three women are suspects in his murder. An investigation is launched. But no one really cares, including the police. Blackberry Days of Summer is a brilliantly crafted story of family secrets, complexity and the courage of forgiveness.

kisha wrote: "Blackberry Days of Summer by Ruth Watson

(I've already read this book but just seen she has a sequel so I'll reread it).

In an exciting historical whodunit, a young black man is murdered and even..."

New author???

Ish? Lol I'm struggling here, but I think she has only written this book and it's sequel. Newish?

I will nominate:



'Til the Well Runs Dry: A Novel by Lauren Francis-Sharma

A glorious and moving multi-generational, multicultural saga that begins in the 1940s and sweeps through the 1960’s in Trinidad and the United States

Lauren Francis-Sharma's 'Til the Well Runs Dry opens in a seaside village in the north of Trinidad where young Marcia Garcia, a gifted and smart-mouthed 16-year-old seamstress, lives alone, raising two small boys and guarding a family secret. When she meets Farouk Karam, an ambitious young policeman (so taken with Marcia that he elicits the help of a tea-brewing obeah woman to guarantee her ardor), the risks and rewards in Marcia’s life amplify forever.

Queen Sugar by Natalie Baszile

A mother-daughter story of reinvention—about an African American woman who unexpectedly inherits a sugarcane farm in Louisiana



Why exactly Charley Bordelon’s late father left her eight hundred sprawling acres of sugarcane land in rural Louisiana is as mysterious as it was generous. Recognizing this as a chance to start over, Charley and her eleven-year-old daughter, Micah, say good-bye to Los Angeles.



They arrive just in time for growing season but no amount of planning can prepare Charley for a Louisiana that’s mired in the past: as her judgmental but big-hearted grandmother tells her, cane farming is always going to be a white man’s business. As the sweltering summer unfolds, Charley must balance the overwhelming challenges of her farm with the demands of a homesick daughter, a bitter and troubled brother, and the startling desires of her own heart.



Penguin has a rich tradition of publishing strong Southern debut fiction—from Sue Monk Kidd to Kathryn Stockett to Beth Hoffman. In Queen Sugar, we now have a debut from the African American point of view. Stirring in its storytelling of one woman against the odds and initimate in its exploration of the complexities of contemporary southern life, Queen Sugar is an unforgettable tale of endurance and hope.

The New Author Poll is now open. Please vote when you get a chance. You can find the poll here