February is the month for romance. It’s also Black History Month. We celebrate Presidents Day and the Super Bowl, so it’s a great time to read. Whether you enjoy romances, books about football, historical novels, or biographies, we have recommendations for you. We have a few must-reads from outstanding black authors including these five romances:
Real Men Knit by Kwana Jackson – After the death of their foster/adoptive mother, the four Strong brothers have different ideas about what to do with her yarn shop, Strong Knits. Despite his playboy reputation, Jesse is the only brother who wants to keep it going instead of putting it up for sale. He enlists the help of Kerry, a part-time employee who knows the business well and has had a secret crush on him for years. Can Jesse and Kerry keep the business going and keep things strictly business?
Get a Life, Chloe Brown (Book 1 of The Brown Sisters Series) by Talia Hibbert – After a near-death experience, Chloe Brown decides to shed her sickly computer geek persona and live a little. She comes up with seven tasks she must do to have the daring life she’s always wanted. First up, she moves out of her parent’s home and enlists the help of her hunky neighbor to accomplish numbers 2-7 on her list. What’s on the list? What would be on your list?
The Boyfriend Project by Farrah Rochon – After Samiah Brooks live tweets her break-up with a cheating boyfriend, Samiah and his three other girlfriends swear off men to focus on themselves. Unfortunately(fortunately), Samiah didn’t figure her handsome co-worker, Daniel Collins, into the equation.
Finding Joy by Adrianna Herrera – Desta, a Dominican American relief worker is assigned to Ethiopia for a twelve-week project. Ethiopia has special meaning for him. It’s the place where he spent his early childhood and the place where his father died. After being accepted into a doctoral program in the United States, Elias has been trying to decide whether to leave his homeland and everything that’s dear to him to pursue his dream. When Desta and Elias become close, the missing pieces seem to fall into place.
Hidden Sins by Selena Montgomery (the nom de plume of Stacey Abrams) – Ethan and Mara are former lovers thrown together by chance to solve a 50-year-old murder mystery. Can they put the past aside to solve the case or will working together again rekindle their former passion?
The Games that Changed the Game: The Evolution of the NFL in Seven Sundays by Ron Jaworski, Greg Cosell, and David Plaut – Ron Jaworski breaks down the films from seven of the most memorable football games of the last 50 years and explains the strategy of the game and how it has evolved.
The Ultimate Football Trivia Book: 600 Questions for the Super Fan by Christopher Price – Test your knowledge of the sport with questions from an award-winning sportswriter.
You’re the Ref by Wayne Stewart (foreword by Raymond Berry) – Learn how to make the calls on game day, grab your whistle, and test your knowledge of the rules of football.
Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream by H.G. Bissinger – Even if you’ve seen the movie, you should read the book to feel the full impact of this gripping story of a football-obsessed town in a football-obsessed state.
The League: How Five Rivals Created the NFL and Launched a Sports Empire by John Eisenberg – This is the story of five owners who guided the NFL from its inception and weathered the trials of the early years of the league to create the most popular sport in America.
His Truth is Marching On: John Lewis and the Power of Hope by Jon Meacham – This book is an intimate look at the life of John Lewis, a U.S. Congressman, and civil rights icon.
The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin with photographs by Steve Schapiro – Baldwin shares the reality of the Black experience in this iconic work first published in 1963 which explores race relations in the ’60s. Over 100 of Schapiro’s photos were later added to this edition from his travels through the Deep South with Baldwin for Life magazine.
Well-Read Black Girl by Glory Edim – This is a collection of essays by black women authors such as Jesmyn Ward, Lynn Nottage, Jacqueline Woodson, and many others.
A Promised Land by Barack Obama – The memoirs of our 44th president of the United States presents an intimate look at the presidency and his unique challenges being the first black man to be elected to the office.
The Presidential Biographies by Doris Kearns Goodwin – This is a collection of Kearns Goodwin’s award-winning biographies of Franklin D. Roosevelt (No Ordinary Time), Abraham Lincoln (Team of Rivals), and Theodore Roosevelt (The Bully Pulpit).