An Audacious Book Club Pick

The author of the award-winning national bestseller I Done Clicked My Heels Three Times returns with a new poetry collection that transforms the Black female speaker from object, artistic muse, and victim, to subject, critic, and master of her story

Resting Bitch Face is a book for women, for Black women, for lovers of art and film criticism, and for writers interested in work that finds a middle ground between poetry and prose. Taylor Byas uses some of our most common ways of “watching” throughout history (painting, films, sculpture, and photographs) to explore how these mediums shape Black female subjectivity.

From the examination of artwork by Picasso, Gauguin, Sally Mann, and Nan Goldin, Byas displays her mastery of the poetic form by engaging in intimate and inventive writing. Fluctuating between watcher and watched, the speaker of these poems uses mirrors and reflections to flip the script and talk back to histories of art, text, photography, relationships, and men. From Polaroids to gesso primer to sculpture, Byas creates a world in which the artist calls out and the muse responds. For not only does she enter the world of the long-revered classic artist, but she also infuses her poems with such iconic pop-culture works as The Joker, WandaVision, and Last Tango in Paris.

Ultimately, while watching lies at the crux of this collection’s poetic concerns, the goal of the speaker is to query her own self, rendering these poems as invitations for readers to question their own.

More than friends. Less than official. Definitely complicated. The first unputdownable romcom from Stormzy's #merkybooks.

'Bridges the gap between Bridget Jones and Insecure' Stylist

'Marks a bold new voice. I was hooked from start to finish'. Caleb Azumah Nelson, author, Open Water and Small Worlds

'ESSENTIAL' Ore Agbaje-Williams, author of The Three of Us

When the love of her life shows up with a girlfriend, Tia decides it's time to put herself out there.

Expectations of dating apps are low, so it's a surprise when she instantly connects with handsome photographer Nate. He's everything she's looking for; he makes her feel safe, seen, and desired.

Tia assumes they're on the same page - the only catch? They're yet to have The Talk.

In a generation that's normalized competing over who cares the least, can Tia overcome her fears and lay her cards on the table, in the pursuit of something real?

'Fun, fresh, and endlessly relatable, this is the most empowering rom-com of 2023. Run don't walk to get a copy!' Laura Jane Williams, author of Our Stop and The Love Square

A mighty family once fell in a maelstrom of bloodshed and forbidden love. And the curse is about to repeat itself . . .

When fantasy author Celeste Taylor arrives at Drew Collins University, she’s stunned to learn the magical HBCU is not only real but also populated with young witches, vampires, shifters, and other creatures that until now she’s only encountered in the pages of her books, not to mention her strange, recurring dreams.

Celeste is soon welcomed into the home of Maggie Grey, her friends, and their otherworldly talking cat, Quan. She may finally have found her place here in this world hidden in Atlanta’s Underground. Still, questions remain: Who is the terrifying, red-eyed man who led her there? What are her visions of three mysterious werewolf brothers trying to tell her? And what might her next story reveal?

Meanwhile, four students from DCU’s rival school, Society Hill, have vanished. As Maggie and the group once again become embroiled in a mystery, their path to discover the truth will entangle them in a dangerous web of sinister plots and a ruthless quest for power that could change the Underground forever. Unless they stop it first . . .

This edition features a signed letter from the author and two bonus scenes.

"Beautifully crafted and captivating.This triumphant tale is sure to be an instant classic."--Victoria Christopher Murray, New York Times bestselling co-author of The Personal Librarian

"How do we not all know the name of Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield? The story of this brilliant singer -- a Black woman born enslaved who performed both sides of the Atlantic in the years before and during the Civil War -- is finally given its just due."   --Marie Benedict, New York Times bestselling author of The First Ladies

Before the Civil War, Black opera singer Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield reigned supreme on Northern stages—even performing at Buckingham Palace. Novelist Tiffany L Warren brings this remarkable but forgotten diva’s remarkable story to life for modern readers.

Born into slavery on a Mississippi plantation, Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield has been raised in the safety of Philadelphia’s Quaker community by a wealthy adoptive mother. Sheltered and educated, Eliza’s happy childhood always included music lessons to nurture her unique gift: a glorious three octave singing voice that leaves listeners in awe. But on the eve of her twenty-fourth birthday, young Eliza’s world is thrown into a tailspin when her mother dies.

Eliza’s inheritance is contested by her mother’s white cousins, leaving her few options. She can marry her longtime beau, Lucien, though she has no desire to be a wife and mother. Or she can work as a tutor for rich families. Her mother’s dying wish was for Eliza to pursue her talent and become a professional singer, but that grand vision now seems out of reach.

When a chance performance on a steamboat to Buffalo, New York, leads to a surprising opportunity, fearless Eliza seizes her moment. Within a year she is touring America, singing to packed houses, and igniting controversy wherever she goes. In a country captivated by “the Swedish Nightingale” Jenny Lind, Eliza is billed by tour promoters as “the Black Swan.” An unlikely diva, Eliza is tall, dark-skinned, and robust of figure compared to the petite European prima donna, but even the harshest critics can’t deny Eliza’s extraordinary gift. Menaced by racist crowds, threatened by slave-catchers who kidnap free Black people, Eliza lives a public life full of risk, but one which also holds the promise of great riches, and the freedoms those buy.

From the churches of Philadelphia to Queen Victoria’s salon in Buckingham Palace, Eliza Greenfield will blaze her own path—with a voice that no listener will ever forget.

“I’m in awe. This Side of Beautiful is a beautifully raw work of art. So much passion—for music and for love—drips from the pages for Janae and Landon. Tiye delivered a masterpiece.” - Shanora Williams, New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Author
“Tiye tugs at your heartstrings with two deeply flawed characters in an unforgettable love that is raw and messy, but ultimately... beautiful.”- Delaney Diamond, USA Today Bestselling Author

Janae Warner had it all — platinum records, sold-out arenas, and a life in the spotlight. But the same fire that fueled her rise burned everything down. Branded as unstable and unredeemable, she disappeared from the world she once ruled. Now, after years away, Janae is stepping back into the industry she left behind, determined to reclaim her voice and prove she’s more than the headlines.

Returning to Houston, the city that built her and broke her, Janae faces more than the pressures of a comeback. The emotional storms she’s battled for years still churn within, and while her drive to succeed is unwavering, the world is watching, waiting to see if she will rise again or fall harder than before.

Landon Hayes, a quiet, brilliant guitarist, moves through life with a rhythm and focus that sets him apart. His calm, structured world feels like a contradiction to Janae’s relentless highs and lows, yet their connection feels unexpectedly natural. He is a steady presence that both unsettles and intrigues her in ways she never imagined.

As their bond deepens, Landon’s unwavering presence forces Janae to confront the vulnerability she’s worked so hard to bury. Trusting someone who sees through the walls she’s built may be her greatest risk, but it could also be her path to a second chance she thought she’d never deserve.

*ships in 7-10 business days

The author of the Booker Prize finalist Real Life and the bestselling Filthy Animals returns with a deeply involving new novel of young men and women at a crossroads

In the shared and private spaces of Iowa City, a loose circle of lovers and friends encounter, confront, and provoke one another in a volatile year of self-discovery. At the group’s center are Ivan, a dancer turned aspiring banker who dabbles in amateur pornography; Fatima, whose independence and work ethic complicates her relationships with friends and a trusted mentor; and Noah, who “didn’t seek sex out so much as it came up to him like an anxious dog in need of affection.” These three are buffeted by a cast of poets, artists, landlords, meat-packing workers, and mathematicians who populate the cafes, classrooms, and food-service kitchens of Iowa City, sometimes to violent and electrifying consequence. Finally, as each prepares for an uncertain future, the group heads to a cabin to bid goodbye to their former lives—a moment of reckoning that leaves each of them irrevocably altered.

A novel of intimacy and precarity, friendship and chosen family, The Late Americans is Brandon Taylor’s richest and most involving work of fiction to date, confirming his position as one of our most perceptive chroniclers of contemporary life. 

A stunning repackage of a companion to Mildred D. Taylor's Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, with cover art by two-time Caldecott Honor Award winner Kadir Nelson!

The son of a prosperous landowner and a former slave, Paul-Edward Logan is unlike any other boy he knows. His white father has acknowledged him and raised him openly-something unusual in post-Civil War Georgia. But as he grows into a man he learns that life for someone like him is not easy. Black people distrust him because he looks white. White people discriminate against him when they learn of his black heritage. Even within his own family he faces betrayal and degradation. So at the age of fourteen, he sets out toward the only dream he has ever had: to find land every bit as good as his father's, and make it his own. Once again inspired by her own history, Ms. Taylor brings truth and power to the newest addition to the award-winning Logan family stories.

* "Readers...will grab this and be astonished by its powerful story."—Booklist, starred review

* "Taylor's gift for combining history and storytelling is as evident here as in her other stories about the Logan family."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

*Ships in 7-10 Business Days*

The Body Is Not an Apology offers radical self-love as the balm to heal the wounds inflicted by these violent systems. World-renowned activist and poet Sonya Renee Taylor invites us to reconnect with the radical origins of our minds and bodies and celebrate our collective, enduring strength. As we awaken to our own indoctrinated body shame, we feel inspired to awaken others and to interrupt the systems that perpetuate body shame and oppression against all bodies. When we act from this truth on a global scale, we usher in the transformative opportunity of radical self-love, which is the opportunity for a more just, equitable, and compassionate world—for us all.

This second edition includes stories from Taylor’s travels around the world combating body terrorism and shines a light on the path toward liberation guided by love. In a brand new final chapter, she offers specific tools, actions, and resources for confronting racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia, and transphobia. And she provides a case study showing how radical self-love not only dismantles shame and self-loathing in us but has the power to dismantle entire systems of injustice. Together with the accompanying workbook, Your Body Is Not an Apology, Taylor brings the practice of radical self-love to life.

Tigers have roared and pounced their ways into kids' hearts. With this book, readers can become tiger experts and learn how to save the animals they love. Featuring an introduction from Chelsea Clinton!

Did you know that a tiger roar can be heard from two miles away? Or that tiger saliva prevents infection? Or how about that a tiger's urine smells like buttered popcorn? 

Perfect for all animal lovers--and tiger fans in particular--this book is filled with information that young readers will love to learn. From where tiger habitats are found to what it's like to be a tiger to why tigers are endangered and who has been working hard to save them, this gives readers all the facts they know to become tiger experts.

Complete with black-and-white photographs, a list of fun tiger facts, and things that kids can do right this very moment to help save tigers from extinction, this book, with an introduction by animal advocate Chelsea Clinton, is a must for every family, school, and community library.

Celebrate Brenda Jackson's 150th book, Spilling the Tea! 

EVENT DEETS

When: Tuesday, May 15 @ 7PM

Where: Kindred Stories Reading Garden (2304 Stuart Street, HTX, 77004)

How: RSVP WITH BOOK

ABOUT THE BOOK

Ninety-something Mama Laverne is determined to find all of her great-grandchildren their perfect match before going home to glory. So far, her success rate is 100 percent—and she intends to keep it that way.

Ninety-something-year-old Felicia Laverne Madaris, known in the family as Mama Laverne, is determined to find all of her great-grandchildren the perfect match before she goes home to glory. So far, her success rate is 100 percent, and she intends to keep it that way.

After sustaining injuries in Iraq, US Army Ranger Chancellor (Chance) Madaris was told he’d never walk again. Chance credits his great-grandmother, Mama Laverne, with giving him the will and fortitude to heal and prove the doctors wrong. He has a healthy respect for her meddling ways and knows he’ll eventually end up next on her matchmaker’s list.

When Zoey Pritchard was eight, she survived a car accident that left both her parents dead. She was sent to live with her great-aunt who refused to speak about her parents. Zoey has no memory from before the crash, but she’s been having the same dream over and over…

Guided by nothing but a hunch and images from her dream, Zoey travels to Houston. Searching for answers, Zoey uncovers a scandal involving her parents and the wealthy and powerful Madaris family. Her trail leads her straight to Chance’s door. The dislike and intense attraction are instant and simultaneous. Was it chance or Mama Laverne’s plan to throw this pair together?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

BRENDA JACKSON is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than one hundred contemporary multicultural romance novels, including the Madaris Family series, the Westmorelands series, and The Playas series. She was the first African-American author to have a book published under the Harlequin/Silhouette Desire line and the first African-American romance author to hit both the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists in the series romance genre. Many of her books have been adapted into movies. Brenda lives in Jacksonville, Florida, and divides her time between family, writing and traveling. brendajackson.net.