If you’re anything like me, your TBR is already overflowing… and August isn’t helping.
This month is an incredible one for Black literature, with more than 60 books by Black authors arriving on shelves. Every genre is represented, from literary fiction and fantasy to mysteries, historical fiction, and stories that explore family, friendship, identity, and belonging.
One of my favourite things about being part of this community is discovering new voices while celebrating the authors we’ve grown to love. Every new release feels like another reminder that our stories are expansive, imaginative, joyful, haunting, romantic, and impossible to place in a single box.
After far too much deliberation, here are the five books I’m most excited to read this month.
A Clash of Carnivores by Liselle Sambury
What’s it about?
The highly anticipated sequel to A Master of Monsters follows August Black as she enters a deadly tournament where monsters, magic, and political intrigue collide. Still bound to her Monster companion, August must navigate dangerous alliances while deciding just how far she’s willing to go in her pursuit of revenge.
Why it’s on my list
Liselle Sambury has become one of those authors I automatically add to my reading list. I love fantasy that isn’t just about magical worlds, but about the emotional choices people make inside them. This series promises high stakes, unforgettable world-building, and characters whose decisions feel deeply human. I have a feeling I’ll be racing through this one.
Take What You Can by Naima Coster
What’s it about?
Years after meeting as young women studying abroad in France, lifelong friends Val and Milly reunite as they prepare for motherhood. But as their lives intertwine once again, old hurts, shifting ambitions, and complicated questions about race, class, and identity begin to reshape the friendship they’ve always counted on.
Why it’s on my list
Naima Coster has a beautiful way of writing relationships that feel honest and lived-in. I’m always drawn to stories about Black women’s friendships because they hold so much tenderness, complexity, and truth. This feels like the kind of novel that will have me pausing every few chapters just to sit with a particularly beautiful sentence.
The Twelfth House by Robert de la Chevotière
What’s it about?
Set in colonial Dominica, The Twelfth House blends historical fiction, magical realism, and West African spirituality. The story follows Bako, an enslaved father forced across the Atlantic, alongside Etta, an unborn spirit determined to break a cycle of loss and finally enter the world. Together, their stories explore ancestry, memory, survival, and hope.
Why it’s on my list
If you’ve been following me for a while, you already know I have a soft spot for stories rooted in the Caribbean. Add in ancestral memory, mythology, and historical fiction, and you’ve basically written a book with my name on it. I expect this one to be both heartbreaking and breathtaking.
Soft Spots by Leila Renee
What’s it about?
This contemporary novel explores vulnerability, healing, and the quiet courage it takes to let ourselves be fully seen. Through richly developed characters, it examines love, emotional growth, and the tender places we often spend our lives trying to protect.
Why it’s on my list
Sometimes the books that stay with us aren’t the loudest ones—they’re the quiet stories that gently remind us what it means to be human. Even the title Soft Spots speaks to me. In a world that often asks Black women to be endlessly strong, I’m always drawn to stories that celebrate softness as its own kind of power.
Ghost in the Night by Tiffany D. Jackson
What’s it about?
When twelve-year-old Harmony travels to Savannah after her grandmother’s death, she hopes to prove ghosts are real. Instead, she uncovers a mystery surrounding the murder of a Black history tour guide—one filled with hidden secrets, family history, and unexpected danger.
Why it’s on my list
There are very few authors whose books I buy without reading the synopsis first, and Tiffany D. Jackson is one of them. She consistently delivers suspense that keeps me guessing while grounding every story in emotion and history. A ghost story wrapped around Black history? Say less.
Additional Books Coming Out in August…
Here’s the full list of books coming out in August: See here
What’s on Your August TBR?
The best part of every new release month is comparing reading lists with all of you. So tell me…
Which August release are you most excited about?
Drop it in the comments, I have a feeling my TBR is about to grow even longer, and honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Happy reading,
Lalaa
This Black Girl Reads
