New Books by Black Authors: September 2026 Releases

Your monthly guide to books by Black authors worth adding to your TBR.

September is bringing a fresh stack of books by Black authors, and we’ve got our eyes on quite a few. From family drama and romance to fantasy, thrillers and stories that ask us to see the world differently, here are the books making their way onto our TBRs this month.

Top 7 Books I’m Looking Forward to in September

All My Sisters and Me by Sheryl Lister
Libro FM | Amazon | TBGR Bookshop

Four sisters-in-law whose relationships have grown increasingly complicated are forced to confront old resentments, grief, jealousy and family secrets during a week-long anniversary celebration.

On the TBGR list because: Lister delivers the kind of messy, emotionally charged family drama that makes you want to call your own sisters, and then keep reading. Big thanks to LibroFM who sent me the Audio ARC of this one.

The Disappearers by Marlon James
Libro FM | Amazon | TBGR Bookshop

In 1988 Kingston, eight gay men come together to rehearse a play, only to be violently attacked by a mob, setting off a story of grief, rage, survival and the long consequences of being forced to disappear.

On the TBGR list because: Other than the fact that i will read ANYTHING James’ writes this book is important. James turns his gaze toward a largely unexplored chapter of Jamaican life, creating an ambitious queer Caribbean story that asks who gets remembered, and who gets erased. The novel was also longlisted for the 2026 Booker Prize.

Ashes at the Altar by LaDarrion Williams
Libro FM |Amazon | TBGR Bookshop

At a hidden magical HBCU, a teenage boy must confront evil spirits, family secrets and fractured loyalties as the battle over bloodlines and legacy reaches its devastating conclusion.

On the TBGR list because: It’s the highly anticipated finale to the bestselling Blood at the Root trilogy, and another chance to see Black history, magic and HBCU culture woven into fantasy.

The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman by Deesha Philyaw
Libro FM | Amazon | TBGR Bookshop

Scharisse Freeman has built a glamorous life as the wife of a powerful megachurch pastor. Still, when a scandal exposes secrets from her past, the carefully curated world she’s created begins to unravel.

On the TBGR list because: Philyaw brings her trademark sharpness and wit to the messy intersection of Black womanhood, faith, ambition, respectability and freedom, and we’re absolutely ready for this one.

The Siren by Tomi Adeyemi
Libro FM | Amazon | TBGR Bookshop

When Emery arrives at Dartmouth determined to keep her scholarship and her troubled past hidden, she becomes entangled with Roux, Eli and a mysterious group of girls known as the Sirens.

On the TBGR list because: Adeyemi brings Black girlhood, rage, desire and darkness into a sinister dark-academia world that promises to be anything but predictable.

Queenie Is Working on It by Candice Carty-Williams
Libro FM | Amazon | TBGR Bookshop

Queenie Jenkins is 33, thriving professionally and trying to figure out what she actually wants from love, family and motherhood when an unexpected fertility discovery forces her to reconsider her future.

On the TBGR list because: We’re always here for a complicated Black woman figuring life out in real time, and Queenie is still wonderfully, imperfectly Queenie.

Truth to Power by S.A Cosby Amazon | TBGR Bookshop

The A Word: A Mother’s Journey Through Autism and Love by Tisha Campbell Libro FM | Amazon | TBGR Bookshop

Birth of a Culture by Grandmaster Flash Libro FM |Amazon | TBGR Bookshop