Welcome Back, Booklovers! It's been awhile but I'm back with the last installment of my holiday gift suggestions. Make sure to check out part 1 and part 2. I really like that idea of gifting books to friends. So I decided to think about what books I would gift friends and this list was born.
Couples Wanted sounds perfect for the friend who wants something sexy, suspenseful, and just a wild ride.
Adventurous and open-minded, newlyweds Bridget and Roman are determined to keep their relationship exciting. So, when they meet married swingers Corinne and Patrick, they’re instantly drawn to their carefree glamour and warm promise of friendship. And after swapping spouses for one passionate, exhilarating night, Bridget and Roman feel fulfilled and closer together than ever...
Until Corinne and Patrick start turning possessive, wanting more of them than Bridget and Roman can ever give. Soon, the young couple is plunged into a nightmare of suspicion, lies, and secrets in which they can’t trust each other—or what they think they know about themselves. Pushed to the breaking point, they must uncover the truth behind the other couple’s machinations. But when the dust settles, there’s no guarantee Bridget and Roman will have their love—or anything else—left to save...
For the friend who likes superhero movies and comics Hardears is an Afro-Caribbean graphic novel fantasy set on the fictional J'ouvert Island.
The story takes place in an alternative world on Jouvert Island; a magical analog of the island of Barbados and begins when a superstorm of unprecedented strength obliterates the island, leaving it totally defenseless.
As the island reels from the devastation, Mr. Harding, the head of the Merchant Guild, charges in and promises to rebuild the economy of the island by creating jobs in his giant corporation. However, it’s soon discovered that Harding is a parasite and is capturing people from the island and using their life essence or vibes to feed his factories.
Bolo, a local hero, saves his love Zahrah from Hardin and cronies but the lovers are then framed as rebels against the state. The state has been compromised by the factories and the workers who know the truth about Harding must go into hiding. If Bolo, Zahrah, and their allies don’t take down Harding and the corrupt government, all will be lost. Together, they must find the strength of their island and ancestors to fight the evil forces that have taken over their homeland.
For the friend who likes to throw down in the kitchen I Heart Soul Food: 100 Southern Comfort Food Favorites is a great gift with 100 recipes to enjoy.
Learn to cook comfort food the way Mom used to! Here Rosie shares all the secrets of southern classics like fried chicken, mashed potatoes, collard greens, and mac & cheese, plus soulful twists like Sweet Potato Biscuits and Fried Ribs. Authentic, approachable, and mouthwatering, these recipes use easy-to-find ingredients. Perfect for Sunday suppers and other celebrations as well as everyday favorites, these recipes are love on a plate!
Organized by meal, the cookbook starts with stick-to-your-ribs breakfast favorites like Blueberry Cornbread Waffles and Shrimp, and Andouille Sausage and Grits, plus plenty of main dishes and sides like Smothered Chicken, Oxtail Stew, Baked Candied Yams, Soul Food Collard Greens, and Sweet Cornbread. Don't forget drinks and desserts like Peach Cobbler, Pralines, and Sweet Iced Tea! Includes 100+ recipes, including 30 fan favorites and 70 never-before-seen recipes, and 90 photographs.
For the friend who is into both fantasy and romance Magic Dark Magic Divine has both in a NYC setting.
Pennrae Linbry’s done everything to make her life look as normal as possible. She’s a skilled karate instructor with a cute dog, great friends, and a sweet New York City loft. Her biggest nemesis is Callan, the gorgeous instructor at her dojo, because what’s not to loathe about a pompous jerk with perfect abs? But when a Brooklyn fair turns into a carnival of dangerous magic, “normal” disappears in a hot second.
Because Penn isn’t normal. Far from it. She’s a former warrior and Shaper from the magic-era who was punished with a 300-year-sleep. When she woke, magic was gone, along with her family and everything she knew. And now it looks like a dangerous Necromajin is in the present with her—and about to unleash a mess of magical hell upon the Big Apple.
Penn may have been asleep for a few centuries, but she’s still a fighter. With a powerful celestial alignment nearing and more questions than answers, she’s running out of time to save her city, her friends, and the love life she never saw coming from another magic apocalypse.
For the friend who is addicted to true crime podcasts Midnight Hour: A chilling anthology of crime fiction from 20 authors of color will satisfy their craving for crime stories while also introducing them to some great authors.
From a simple robbery gone horribly wrong to a grisly murder in a secret love dungeon, this stellar collection of crime fiction short stories showcases some of today's finest voices of color
Fans of the canceled Lovecraft Country should enjoy Bitter Root Volume 1: Family Business which contains the first 5 comics.
Where the Rhythm Takes You is a YA romance that gives warm and fuzzy feels, escapism to a Caribbean island, and a heartfelt tale about dealing with grief.
Seventeen-year-old Reyna has spent most of her life at the Plumeria, her family’s gorgeous seaside resort in Tobago. But what once seemed like paradise is starting to feel more like purgatory. It’s been two years since Reyna’s mother passed away, two years since Aiden—her childhood best friend, first kiss, first love, first everything—left the island to pursue his music dreams.
Reyna’s friends are all planning their futures and heading abroad. Even Daddy seems to want to move on, leaving her to try to keep the Plumeria running.
And that’s when Aiden comes roaring back into her life—as a VIP guest at the resort.
Aiden is now one-third of DJ Bacchanal—the latest, hottest music group on the scene. While Reyna has stayed exactly where he left her, Aiden has returned to Tobago with his Grammy-nominated band and two gorgeous LA socialites. And he may (or may not be) dating one of them…
Sometimes I Trip on How Happy We Could Be is entertaining from start to finish with essays about Southern Black girlhood, pop culture, and sexscapades galore.
Pop culture is the Pandora’s Box of our lives. Racism, wealth, poverty, beauty, inclusion, exclusion, and hope -- all of these intractable and unavoidable features course through the media we consume. Examining pop culture’s impact on her life, Nichole Perkins takes readers on a rollicking trip through the last twenty years of music, media and the internet from the perspective of one southern Black woman. She explores her experience with mental illness and how the TV series Frasier served as a crutch, how her role as mistress led her to certain internet message boards that prepared her for current day social media, and what it means to figure out desire and sexuality and Prince in a world where marriage is the only acceptable goal for women.
Combining her sharp wit, stellar pop culture sensibility, and trademark spirited storytelling, Nichole boldly tackles the damage done to women, especially Black women, by society’s failure to confront the myths and misogyny at its heart, and her efforts to stop the various cycles that limit confidence within herself. By using her own life and loves as a unique vantage point, Nichole humorously and powerfully illuminates how to take the best pop culture has to offer and discard the harmful bits, offering a mirror into our own lives.
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