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Summer is near and the warm weather is live and in full effect! The beach is calling your name and for all you warm weather, sand loving, book readers out there the best time to read a great book is now. Grab a pen and some paper and get your bathing suit ready for a little beach reading. You no longer have to feel like looking for a good book from a black author is like finding a needle in a haystack because I have listed 5 books to read while soaking up that summer sun, all by black authors of course.

5. “Their Eyes Were Watching God” by Zora Neal Hurston: this classic tells the story of Janie Crawford and her search for love as she pushes through after a few failed marriages during the 20th century.

4. “Shyt List” by Reign: Unlike so many other African American fiction novels, “Shyt List” is not just about some drug dealing dope boys and paper chasing chicks.”Shyt List” tells the raw and cut throat story of Yvonna Harris, who is a very disturbed woman suffering from severe Schizophrenia that developed as a defense mechanism as a result of a troubled childhood. This is a woman you do NOT want to cross unless you have plans to make it on her “Shyt List.” “Shyt List” is a 5 part book series by Author, T. Styles also known under the pseudonym, Reign.

3. “Justify My Thug” by Wahida Clark. “Justify My Thug”, also a book series, is about our favorite black couples in Thug Fiction, Kaylin and Angel Santos, Tash and Trae Macklin and it tells more about what happened in Tash and Trae’s marriage after Tash decides to try and play a game of “get back” but cheats too close to home and Trae finds out about Tash’s infidelity and possible love child. Meanwhile Kaylin and Angel’s marriage is on the rocks after Kaylin is under the impression that Angel knew of Tash’s affair with Kaylin’s brother, Kyron. Can these two marriages remain standing after the ultimate betrayal?

2. “Pleasure” by Eric Jerome Dickey. This erotic tale is set in Atlanta and is the story and Nia Simone and her insatiable appetite for more than one man. Lucky her, she happens to meet twins and she can’t pick just one. The book is filled with eroticism for your ever wandering mind.

1. “Getting To Happy” by Terri McMillan. Ms. McMillan is back and  with the sequel to every black woman scorned tale, “Waiting To Exhale.” This tale fast forwards to fifteen years later,  Savannah is getting a divorce at age 51, Bernadine is onto failed marriage number 2 and is taking prescription pills to mask the pain. Meanwhile Robin is becoming a shopaholic as her wedding aspirations goes unnoticed and Gloria realizes she has taken her happiness and security for granted. See what is next for the ladies of “Getting To Happy.”

Already read some of the books listed, feel free to comment or leave suggestions.

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