As we enter the final quarter of 2022, it’s important to reflect on the months that have passed. Fall also symbolizes a time of transition from one season to another, and one of the best ways to reset mentally is to sit back, relax, and get lost in a really good book or two.
There are several great reads being released in the coming months. Charles Johnson is releasing All Your Racial Problems Will Soon End: The Cartoons of Charles Johnson a group of subversive gag comics about Black life in America, while Award-winning author Kennedy Ryan writes a novel about hope and healing. From adrienne maree brown’s collection of poetry and short stories, to Wanda M. Morris’ compelling story about the lives of two sisters in the aftermath of a crime committed in Jim Crow Mississippi, there is a book out there for wherever your interests lie.
Here are some of the best new books from Black authors to read this fall.
01
‘The Furrows: A Novel’ by Namwali Serpell – (9/27)
Namwali Serpell’s new novel is a bold exploration of memory and mourning that twists unexpectedly into a story of mistaken identity, double consciousness, and the wishful—and sometimes willful—longing for reunion with those we’ve lost.
02
‘Sweet, Soft, Plenty Rhythm’ by Laura Warrell – (9/27)
This is Laura Warrell’s debut about the perennial temptations of dangerous love, told by the women who love Circus Palmer as they ultimately discover the power of their own voices.
03
‘A Shiver in the Leaves’ by Luther Hughes – (9/27)
A Shiver in the Leaves is stunningly cinematic in its layered portrayal of the never-ending dualities of a queer Black poet’s life in the city. Hughes’s interrogation of selfhood renders a sharply intimate and viscerally powerful reimagining of what it means to be alive in a body, and what it can mean to live.
04
Soul of a Killer by Abby Collette – (10/4)
In this mouthwatering cozy mystery series, fraternal twins Keaton and Koby are trying to run their combined soul food café and bookstore, but they find themselves searching for a cold-hearted killer.
05
Soul of a Killer by Abby Collette – (10/4)
In this mouthwatering cozy mystery series, fraternal twins Keaton and Koby are trying to run their combined soul food café and bookstore, but they find themselves searching for a cold-hearted killer.
06
Anywhere You Run by Wanda M. Morris – (10/25)
From the award-winning author of All Her Little Secrets comes yet another gripping, suspenseful novel where, after the murder of a white man in Jim Crow Mississippi, two Black sisters run away to different parts of the country.
07
“Dr. No: A Novel’ by Percival Everett – (11/1)
Dr. No is a sly, madcap novel about supervillains from American novelist Percival Everett.
08
‘All Your Racial Problems Will Soon End: The Cartoons of Charles Johnson’ – (11/8)
Years before he wrote his National Book Award–winning novel Middle Passage, Charles Johnson created these sidesplitting and subversive gag comics about Black life in America, now collected for the first time in nearly half a century.
09
‘Fables and Spells: Collected and New Short Fiction and Poetry’ by adrienne marie brown – (11/12)
Fables and Spells is a vibrant selection of visionary works, both previously published and brand new by adrienne maree brown.
10
‘Pride and Protest’ by Nikki Payne – (11/15)
A woman goes head-to-head with the CEO of a corporation threatening to destroy her neighborhood in this fresh and modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice by debut author Nikki Payne.
11
‘Fat Ham’ by James IJames – (11/15)
James Ijames’ Fat Ham reinvents Shakespeare’s masterpiece in startling and hilarious ways amidst the backdrop of a family barbecue in the American South.
12
‘Before I Let Go’ by Kennedy Ryan – (11/15)
Award-winning author Kennedy writes a powerful novel about hope and healing, and what it means to have long-lasting love.
13
‘What We Found in Hallelujah by Vanessa Miller – (11/29)
In the latest novel from prolific writer Vanessa Miller, three women must find the strength to endure the storm and the faith to believe in a miracle.
14
‘We Deserve Monuments’ by Jas Hammonds – (11/29)
This debut by Jas Hammonds is an examination of how a history of racial violence can resonate for generations. It is a love story for queer Black girls that speaks to the South’s deep-rooted racism.
15
‘I Hope She Finds This’ by r.h. Sin – (12/13)
From New York Times bestselling author, r.h. Sin, comes a care package of two new poetry and prose collections boxed together in an elegant slipcase.
