Books Invited to the Cookout 2025: Adult FictionLike this list

10 items

• A Love Song for Ricki Wilde

  a Novel

  Williams, Tia, 1975-

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  Ricki Wilde moves from Georgia to Harlem to start over and build a burgeoning business. As she settles in, she keeps running into a handsome, mysterious stranger. Tia Williams takes us on a journey of history and self-discovery full of swoony…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Countess

  Palumbo, Suzan

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  If you think you know the story of The Count of Monte Cristo, you’re in for a surprise in Countess. This sci-fi re-imagining of the story digs deeply into the concepts of race and identity as well as that of rebellion and responsibility. It’s a…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Long Way Home

  Stewart, Tanisha

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  Nadine’s worst nightmare has come: after strapping her son into his car seat and heading to put something in the trunk, she was knocked out...and when she woke up Benji was gone. She will get her son back, because this mom has a special set of…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Lore of the Wilds

  a Novel

  Sbrana, Analeigh

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  Lore grew up trapped in Duskmere. And that’s not just a feeling—she and her fellow humans have been trapped inside this forest by their fae overlords. When the opportunity comes to work in the fae’s mysterious enchanted library (you know we love a…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Ours

  Williams, Phillip B.

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  This novel begins with a resurrection. It also starts with police killing another unarmed Black boy, so read with care. The lyrical opening chapter introduces us to a world in which the magic of Ours, a place of refuge for people liberated from…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Sky Full of Elephants

  Campbell, Cebo

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  The conceit of this novel is a serious trip: one day, all of the white people in the US just walk into a body of water. This brings significant change to the way the country survives, including for our main character, Charles Brunton. And then he…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Dead Cat Tail Assassins

  Clark, P. Djèlí

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  No matter how many pages he uses, P. Djèlí Clark is a magician, and this short fantasy novel lives up to the well-deserved hype. In this fantasy world, Eveen is a member of the Dead Cat Tail Assassins, a mercenary group made up of truly dead humans…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Kiss Countdown

  Easton, Etta

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  This book is a debut novel but it sure doesn’t feel like it! A compelling romcom with fake dating and cohabitation and misunderstandings, all with an astronaut cherry on top, The Kiss Countdown will make you smile the whole time you’re reading.

• The Mayor of Maxwell Street

  Cunningham, Avery

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  Thick but incredibly readable, this book twists and turns every different way! Nelly is a young debutante with a dream of becoming a crackshot reporter, and has the chance to break a huge story about the Mayor of Maxwell Street. But her identity and…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• This Could Be Us

  Ryan, Kennedy

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  Wanna cry? Wanna rage? Kennedy Ryan is the queen of Feelings and this book is no different. The second in her Skyland series, This Could Be Us introduces us to a woman who is unhappy with her marriage and most elements of her life. When her husband…Read moreRead more of this annotation