Get Lit! Ian K. Smith’s Detective Cayne Is Back and More Black Authors to Read this August

It’s still warm outside—a perfectly good reason to head outside with a book in tow. And this month, there’s plenty to choose from. Whether it’s Ian K. Smith‘s latest Ashe Cayne novel or a riveting biography on the late poet and activist Audre Lorde, there’s something to keep you engaged while enjoying the waves of the ocean, pool or your humming air conditioner. Dip into an African cookbook, a poetry legend, a children’s book on our royal life in Africa’s past and even a tale about our fellow BIPOC Asian sisters. And it wouldn’t be the end of summer without an easy romantic beach read; we’ve got that, too! Enjoy the sun’s final summer rays and dive into these Black-authored books this August.

Eagle Rock: An Ashe Cayne Novel, Book 4

Ian K. Smith (August 6)

Ashe Cayne is back! Our favorite Chicago detective is investigating a seemingly boring billionaire’s death, only to learn of the seedy underworld that lied beneath his exterior, one that could end it all for Cayne.

Price: $24

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Before the Ships-The Birth of Black Excellence

Maisha Oso (August 13)

This color-soaked collection of drawings—a powerful and poetic celebration of the early roots of Black history—is the perfect way to introduce your toddler to our royal roots in Africa. Illustrated by Candice Bradley.

Price: $19

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AfriCali Recipes from My Jikoni (A Cookbook)

Kiano Moju (August 13)

The American daughter of a Kenyan mother and a Nigerian father, Moju brings us a non-traditional cookbook inspired by the delicious meals she had as a child.

Price: $33

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Womanish Theology

Khristi Lauren Adams (August 20)

Inspired by the celebration of scripture she learned as a child—and through tragedy—Adams offers a new way to examine theology, through the spiritual insights of Black girls and women.

Price: $20

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Love Requires Chocolate

Ravynn K. Stringfield (August 20)

Ready for your end-of-summer romance read? A young woman trying to navigate her way through Paris finds a confidante—and then more—in a French tutor who happens to be a grumpy yet très handsome soccer star.

Price: $10

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Black Crossword: 100 Mini Puzzles Celebrating the African Diaspora

Juliana Pache (August 20)

Birthed from the website blackcrossword.com, Pache continues to deliver brain games that places emphasis on terms and clues from across the diaspora, filling in the lack of Black-oriented cluses found in traditional crossword puzzles.

Price: $16

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Pearl

Sherri L. Smith (August 20)

Wade into new territory with this graphic novel from Black author Sherri L. Smith. The story revolves around a Japanese-American girl who must survive years of uncertainty and questions of loyalty in Hiroshima during World War II.

Price: $13

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Survival Is a Promise: The Eternal Life of Audre Lorde

Alexis Pauline Gumbs (August 20)

Poet Gumbs delivers a powerful bipgraphy of biography of the late Audre Lorde, a fellow poet, who was also professor, mother, warrior and LGBTQ rights activist.

Price: $33

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Before I Let You Go

Angelo Ellerbee (August 24)

The CEO & president of Double XXposure Media Relations offers personal development and motivation in the pages of his third book, designed to inspire readers to believe in themselves, embrace their uniqueness and pursue their dreams with unwavering determination.

Price: $23

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Brown Girls Do Ballet: Celebrating Diverse Girls Taking Center Stage

TaKiyah Wallace-McMillian and JaNay Brown-Wood (August 27)

From the Instagram and nonprofit organization Brown Girls Do Ballet, this first children’s book is full of gorgeous photographs of BIPOC ballerinas at all levels, feautring Wallace-McMillian’s photographs and Brown-Wood’s poetic words.