The worth of a book is to be measured by what you can carry away from it

                                                                             - James Bryce

Getting To Happy                                                                                 Terry McMillan                                                                                        Release Date: September 7                                                                   400 pages

Synopsis: An exuberant return to the four unforgettable heroines of Waiting to Exhale--the novel that changed African American fiction forever.

Terry McMillan's Waiting to Exhale was more than just a bestselling novel-its publication was a watershed moment in literary history. McMillan's sassy and vibrant story about four African American women struggling to find love and their place in the world touched a cultural nerve, inspired a blockbuster film, and generated a devoted audience.

Now, McMillan revisits Savannah, Gloria, Bernadine, and Robin fifteen years later. Each is at her own midlife crossroads: Savannah has awakened to the fact that she's made too many concessions in her marriage, and decides to face life single again-at fifty-one. Bernadine has watched her megadivorce settlement dwindle, been swindled by her husband number two, and conned herself into thinking that a few pills will help distract her from her pain. Robin has an all-American case of shopaholism, while the big dream of her life-to wear a wedding dress- has gone unrealized. And for years, Gloria has taken happiness and security for granted. But being at the wrong place at the wrong time can change everything. All four are learning to heal past hurts and to reclaim their joy and their dreams; but they return to us full of spirit, sass, and faith in one another. They've exhaled: now they are learning to breathe.

 

When I Get Where I'm Going                                                                  Cheryl Robinson                                                                                     Release Date: September 7                                                                    400 pages

Synopsis: After thirteen years in Hollywood, Alicia Day is ready to give up on her dream of becoming a movie star. A call from a woman in Detroit claiming to be her half sister couldn't have come at a better time, and Alicia decides to return to her hometown to meet her.

Heaven Jetter was shocked when her father told her about his secret daughter. But now that she and her full sister, Hope Teasdale, have fallen out again- perhaps permanently this time-and her abusive boyfriend has finally gone too far, Heaven yearns for a fresh start.

Hope is still mourning over her husband's disappearance two years ago in a boating accident, struggling to be a good mother to her young daughter. She doesn't need more drama from Heaven-or her new "sister."

But an earth-shattering discovery, a lucky lottery ticket, and a near-fatal encounter finally bring all three estranged sisters together . . . and they realize that nothing can save a person like family.

If You Walked In My Shoes                                                                    Gwynne Forster                                                                                     Release Date: September 7                                                                      352 pages 

Synopsis: Coreen Holmes Treadwell is well respected in Bakerville, North Carolina, but when she is called to testify before a senate committee, she is paralyzed with fear that her secret will be revealed. While in high school, she was raped and became pregnant. Thrown out by her parents, she gave the baby up for adoption, went to college, became a hardworking and valued social worker, and married a man named Bates, becoming stepmother to his two children. Now she is afraid that Bates will find out about her past troubles and that she'll lose his love and respect. Meanwhile, unknown to Coreen, her child, Frieda, is looking for her and seeking revenge because her adopted father abused her. Mother and daughter are on a collision course that brings out the worst in both women, causing them to jeopardize the good in their lives. Forster's understated style allows for an insightful inquiry into the plight of African American women and the men who abuse them.         

Til Death                                                                                              Miasha                                                                                                 Release Date: September 7                                                                   224 pages

Synopsis:

“ I couldn’t care less what anybody thinks of me. They don’t pay my bills. And there’s nothing wrong with using what your mama gave you to get exactly what you want . . .”Celess knew she had to stop living the fast life and settle down, maybe even start a family—if she could find a man who could get past her secret. But you know what they say: Once you go bad, you can never go back. And if beauty is pain, Celess has suffered more than most and she knows how to use her looks to her advantage. She hooks up with well-connected Miami bad girl Sienna, and together they move with one purpose—get money.When modeling and bit parts in movies aren’t enough, Celess and Sienna leave L.A. and head to Italy to open what quickly becomes the fastest-growing escort service in the world. They have it all—looks, style, and a six-months-long waiting list. Life is good, but they know the deal—there are always haters on the way to the top. Celess and Sienna are ready for the backstabbing and drama that come with money, power, and sex, but they’ll be surprised by just who will turn on them. Be careful who you trust . . .

Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self                                                             Danielle Evans                                                                                       Release Date: September 23                                                                    240 pages

Synopsis: The territory Evans covers in her debut collection may be small, but she owns it. Her main characters are almost all teen girls and young women who struggle with disorder, and the reader is given close access to each one's interior, from which the muted plots originate. "Jellyfish," one of the better stories, starts out with the plight of middle-aged William, whose roof has just collapsed, before settling on his adult daughter, Eva, and examining her life. The two friends in "Virgins," the opening and best story, maneuver unsteadily through the minefield of casually predatory men and boys. "Snakes" looks back on a consequential summer in the lives of two little girls. "The King of a Vast Empire" is the biggest departure from form and is narrated by good son Terrence, who frustratedly tells the story of his free-spirited sister, Liddie. The stories are beautifully observed, though their similarities in theme and voice make them better read individually than together. Evans has some great chops that would really shine with a little more narrative breadth.

Natural Born Hustla                                                                              Nikki Turner                                                                                                                 Release Date: October 5                                                                         128 pages

Synopsis: The reigning Queen of Hip-Hop Lit, Nikki Turner returns with a fresh and fierce tale sure to satisfy longtime fans and create new ones.
 
Desember Day is beautiful, confident, and smart. She has more game in the streets than a basketball player does on the court, and her boyfriend, Fame, loves every single inch of her. But unlike her mother, who has been in one bad relationship after another, Desember is not going to wait on a knight in shining armor to save her, and even her love for Fame can’t stand in the way of Desember selling anything and everything—legal or illegal—that can turn a profit, so that she never has to depend on a man. The only thing Desember feels she’s lacking is a father to call her own. And her mother refuses to tell Desember who he is.

When Fame finds himself at the wrong end of a gun, fighting for his life, Desember wants nothing more than to stand by her man, but Fame warns her from his hospital bed that she isn’t safe. Desember wonders if she was the real target. Her mother, concerned for Desember’s safety, arranges for her daughter to travel to Richmond, Virginia, to live with Desember’s father and his wife.And when her father’s identity is finally revealed, Desember learns that she is a Natural Born Hustler.

But are her troubles really over? Or is the worst yet to come?

 

First Of State                                                                                         Robert Greer                                                                                         Release Date: October 19                                                                      400 pages

Synopsis: Robert Greer’s latest novel—a prequel to his CJ Floyd mystery series—takes readers back in time to a very young CJ Floyd. It’s 1972, and the 22-year-old decorated war vet has recently returned to Denver from Vietnam with post-traumatic stress disorder. Navigating depression, he finds a friend in World War II vet and amputee Wiley Ames, who shares his passion for rare and valuable western memorabilia.

When Ames and a mysterious Chinese man are found murdered, CJ’s already fragile world threatens to collapse. His attempts to find his friend’s killer are thwarted at every turn, and finally he joins his Uncle Ike’s business as bail bondsman and bounty hunter. Five years later one of Ames’s treasured antique license plates turns up at a Denver flea market, and CJ is once again off and running. The trail to Wiley Ames’s murderer leads CJ down a dark path strewn with backstabbing antique dealers, conniving friends and relatives of Ames’s, and a shadowy musician. Equally a white-knuckle-ride murder mystery and a tale of a traumatized young man coming to terms with his past, First of State features the kind of fresh characters, street-smart dialogue, and ingenious plot twists that have made this series a critical and commercial success.

Last Temptation                                                                                    Michelle Stimpson                                                                                 Release Date: October 26                                                                       320 pages

Synopsis: Will a dream come true push one woman to her limits?

Sensible single mother Patricia "Peaches" Miller isn't about to follow in her mama's footsteps and become dependent on a man--no, that would be too easy. But when she doesn't see eye to eye with the man she wants to marry, she knows that returning to a life of girls' nights out, retail therapy, and chocolate peanut clusters just won't do for her. Then Raphael, her son's father, steps back into the picture--and makes it clear that his attraction to Peaches is stronger than ever. There's just one problem. Raphael has already pledged his heart to another woman.

Peaches has been praying for a perfect family for a long time. Deep down she knows this can't be God's idea of an answer--but can you blame a girl for hoping? Now, as she battles with temptation, and with her faith, she's not sure which will win. . .

"Michelle Stimpson does a wonderful job of creating characters that are believable and loveable. The Divas of Damascus Road will make you laugh, cry and laugh some more."--Good Girl Book Club