10 books by Black authors for your autumn 2026 TBR reading pile
Looking for books by Black authors? Our latest roundup of books has something for everyone, from thrillers, romance… View Post The post 10 books by Black authors for your autumn 2026 TBR reading pile first appeared on Melan Magazine.
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Looking for books by Black authors? Our latest roundup of books has something for everyone, from thrillers, romance to mystery. Save it to your autumn TBR (To Be Read) list of books to read.
Credit: Melan Magazine
As we enjoy the last days of summer, thoughts begin to turn to warm and cosy activities and they don’t come much cosier than snuggling up with a good book. At Melan Magazine, we love to showcase the breadth of excellent books by Black authors that land on our editorial desk for review.
Read on for a roundup that covers a wide range of reading preferences and tastes. From first time authors to OG favourite writers, check out our curated list of 10 books by Black authors for you to read this autumn season.
Braithwaite’s My Sister the Serial Killer won several major literary awards. We have no doubt her latest book, Cursed Daughters, released last September will do just as well. Cursed Daughters is a modern thriller about a young woman, Eniiyi and her family curse: “Your daughters are cursed. They will pursue men, but the men will be like water in their palms. Your granddaughters will love in vain. Your daughters, your daughter’s daughters, and all the women to come will suffer for man’s sake…” The book explores whether Eniiyi has the freedom to live life on her own terms or if the curse is something she cannot escape.
Andrea Levy’s books – new editions
In celebration of what would have been the late Andrea Levy’s 70th birthday, Headline, publishers of all six of Levy’s books has released new editions along with new cover designs.
Get into Levy’s work for a view into “British-Caribbean life and its history with themes of identity and heritage at their heart.” Levy’s early novels include Every Light in the House Burnin’, Never Far From Nowhere, Fruit of the Lemon. However, her fourth novel, Small Island, made the biggest impact, selling more than a million copies and winning the Women’s Prize among many other awards. The book was adapted for TV and the stage. Likewise, Levy’s final best-selling novel, The Long Song, also adapted for TV by the BBC. Six Stories and an Essay was Levy’s final creation, a collection of short stories. Whether you’re a fan of Andrea or are yet to read her work, the colourful new editions and fantastic writing will be a great addition to your home library.
Lagos Will Be Hard For You by Ayotola Tehingbola
Released this summer, this book is part of author Ayotola’s debut story collection. Set in her home city of Lagos, the author explores various crossroad storylines in this book. This includes a visually impaired mother who pawns her daughter off to save her, a young businesswoman who seeks out a spiritual experience out of desperation, and a Domi(natrix), who is keen to explore her sexual curiosities in her strict household.
Pemi Aguda, author of Ghostroot praised the book: “Tehingbola paints the random bizarro of Lagos exactly right, and beyond that city, the horrors of living—within terrifying families …”
This book is from Sareeta’s List by the late author and Jacaranda Books publishing director Sareeta Domingo.
Leave Your Mess at Home by Tolani Akinola
Leave Your Mess At Home is Tolani Akinola’s debut novel released in the UK this month through Jacaranda Books. The book explores first-gen children and how they navigate the expectations of their Nigerian immigrant parents.
Sola Longe, eldest daughter who is estranged from the family, is secretly back home in Chicago for the first time in a decade. Newly single, she’s a recently disgraced influencer trying to get back on track. Her siblings aren’t doing much better. Anjola is dealing with unrequited love; Karen, a college junior and the baby of the family, is grappling with her sexuality and self-image; and golden child Ola has a baby on the way and is dealing with cracks in his marriage.
Things culminate in a showdown Thanksgiving, where a decade’s worth of secrets and a lifetime of resentments explode to the fore.
(Part of Sareeta’s List)
Boom Town by Nic Stone
Boom Town is Nic Stone’s adult fiction debut. She is known for her successful first novel, YA fiction, Dear Martin. Boom Town is a thriller-based story set around an Atlanta-based strip club. The protagonist, Lyriq, a former dancer turned dance manager, is thrown back into her former world following the disappearance of a new dancer named Damaris “Charm” Wilburn. This disappearance is the second under mysterious circumstances and both are connected to a wealthy white man.
Boom Town is described as “a masterful blend of suspense and social commentary exploring themes of racial and sexual power dynamics, the invisibility of Black women, and the societal judgements placed on professions deemed “unsavoury.’”
(Part of Sareeta’s List)
Kin by Tayari Jones
Jones is an academic and is the award-winning author of An American Marriage. Kin is her fifth novel and since its release this spring, has already garnered high profile fans. Selected as the first Oprah’s Book Club pick of 2026, the novel deals with themes around the identity of self and others.
Kin explores the bond between two motherless female friends from childhood to adulthood in America’s 1950s segregation era in Louisiana. Annie and Vernice’s kinship endures but their paths begin to diverge as Vernice goes to Spelman College, where she gains a world view while Annie embarks on a search for her mother in Memphis, Tennessee, and struggles to find her place in the world. Through alternating viewpoints through each chapter, we explore their different perspectives and destinies.
Queenie is Working on It by Candice Carty-Williams
Award-winning author Candice Carty-Williams returns with a hilarious and moving update on our cherished friend in Queenie is Working on It.
In writing that shines an authentic spotlight on the realities of modern womanhood, in this new book we find our heroine is “Bigger. Not better. Older. Not wiser. Queenie Jenkins is working on it.”
Blurb for the book says Queenie is: “Confronted with a racing biological clock when she doesn’t even know if she wants kids. Trying to act normal when her heart is smashed into a million pieces. Ten times smarter than the people she’s working for. Priced out of the housing market in the place she grew up.”
How does she hold it all together? Author of Love in Colour Bolu Babalola praises the book. She said: “It was like being reunited with our adored messiest friend in the warmest way. This book is full of so much heart, humour and honesty.
The Quiet Girls by Dorothy Koomson
With 18 books and sales exceeding 2.5 million copies in the UK alone, global, bestselling author Dorothy Koomson returns with her latest book, The Quiet Girls.
A teacher is dead. A pupil is missing. What are they hiding? Dr Kez Lanyon is forced to help when an old acquaintance (MJ Hudson) shows up in the middle of the night. There’s been a death at his daughter’s boarding school and a pupil is missing. The question is, why does the same thing happen every few years? MJ’s daughter and her group of nice, quiet friends are right at the heart of the scandal.
Going undercover as the new school therapist, Kez quickly becomes embroiled in danger and mystery, and risks putting her own family in serious danger.
This explosive new novel from Dorothy “Queen of the big reveal” Koomson will keep you locked in until the last page.
The Siren by Tomi Adeyemi
From the author of the best-selling Children of Blood and Bone series, now being made into a star studded major motion picture, comes The Siren.
At time of writing, the novel is due to be released on 1 October. However, blurb for The Siren describes it as a dark, propulsive speculative thriller that will leave you breathless.
The synopsis follows new girl Emery as she is drawn to the intoxicating and sinister ‘sirens’ at Dartmouth College. She meets glamorous, intoxicating Roux, and her close-knit band of ‘sirens’. Why can’t she stay away from them – and what do they want from Emery?
As she learns more about these women, it becomes clear that there is a dark power operating at the heart of their circle. And, with everything on the line, Emery decides it’s a power she must take for herself – no matter the cost.
Kiss Marry Kill by Yemi Dipeolu
Kiss Marry Kill, is the fantastic new psychological thriller debut by Yemi Dipeolu. A fantastic new voice in the literary space, the novel depicts complex relationship dynamics, from cultural differences to outrageous mother in laws.
Kiss Marry Kill kicks off with a bang as our protagonist Ife’s, new husband Ade is arrested at her dream wedding – for the murder of his ex. His missing ex, Cynthia, has been found dead on the Dorset coast. Case closed: it’s always the ex, right? But did Ade kiss, marry – and kill? One person hopes the truth never comes out.
Praise for Kiss Marry Kill – author of Yinka, Where is Your Huzband? Lizzie Damilola Blackburn describes the book as “Fast-paced, wickedly witty, and brimming with Nollywood-level drama. An unforgettable story that pulls you in and refuses to let go.”
The post 10 books by Black authors for your autumn 2026 TBR reading pile first appeared on Melan Magazine.
