5 Books to Fall in Love With This Autumn

by Tracey Michae’l

It's that time of year.

As the leaves become a kaleidoscope of reds and golds and violets, many of us look forward to that familiar chill in the air. It is our signal to spend our evenings sipping on our favorite libation, slipping on something comfortable, climbing into the sensual comfort of our beds for a little rendezvous with… a book.


Wait… Where did you think I was going with this?



Literary affairs are certain to be plentiful this fall, as there are some exciting, must-have books just waiting to land on our shelves and tablets. If you are looking for some great reads to curl up with over the next few months, I got you covered!

Land of Love and Drowning (Riverhead, July 2014)

Description: In the early 1900s, the Virgin Islands are transferred from Danish to American rule, and an important ship sinks into the Caribbean Sea. Orphaned by the shipwreck are two sisters and their half-brother, now faced with an uncertain identity and future. Each of them is unusually beautiful, and each is in possession of a particular magic that will either sink or save them.

Tiffany Yanique’s debut novel will not only immerse you in Caribbean culture—it’s initially set during the founding of St. Thomas as an American colony—but this beautifully rhythmic epic will set you ablaze with its story of love and magic.

Crazy, Sexy Revenge (St. Martin’s Griffin, Oct 2014)

Description: Jordan Gatewood’s life is falling apart. The women in his world are paying him back for all the terrible things he’s done, and they’re bringing on the drama in spades. And now with Desi Green bringing Jordan to the attention of the detective investigating his lover’s murder, his tenuous grip on control threatens to unravel completely.

Are you the kind of reader who prefers to leave a story with your heart pounding, emotionally spent? Does a little murder, sex, and betrayal do it for you? JD Mason’s latest is certain to give you the ride of your life.

Into the Go-Slow (The Feminist Press at CUNY, Sept 2014)

Description: It's 1986 and twenty-one-year-old Angie continues to mourn the death of her brilliant and radical sister Ella. On impulse, she travels from Detroit to the place where Ella tragically died four years before: Nigeria. She retraces her sister's steps, all the while navigating the chaotic landscape of a major African country on the brink of democracy careening toward a coup d'état. And at the center of it all is a unique love story.

Award-winning author, Bridgett Davis’ second novel offers readers literary intimacy on steroids. The characters in the story explore the consequences of living vicariously through another, eventually learn what it means to own all of oneself, and how to love so deeply that it transcends time and geography.


Okay, so maybe fiction isn’t your thing. That’s cool. There are some new nonfiction releases written by sisters who have mastered the art of challenging us all to be and do better.

Impolite Conversations On Race, Politics, Sex, Money and Religion (Atria, Sept 2014)

Description: When was the last time you said everything on your mind without holding back? In this no-holds-barred discussion of America’s top hot-button issues, Cora Daniels, a journalist, and John L. Jackson, a cultural anthropologist, express opinions that are widely held in private—but rarely heard in public.

This book sends you to the deep end with its no-filter dialogue on topics that are difficult to discuss singularly, much less all together.

IMAGINE THIS: Creating the Work You Love (Agate, Nov 2014)

Description: Imagine This explains how some of us consciously choose the vehicle through which we express our magnificence—be it business, art, or science—while others have dutifully plied a trade in arenas that society has suggested as more worthwhile, relegating self-expression and creativity to hobbies. Clair maintains that both can contribute to a good life. Occasionally, however, a moment comes that is insistent on deep examination. In that moment we float the possibility for expression of a greater self.

For us creative types (and even those who aren’t), Maxine Clair’s will guide you through all the ways you can harness your creative energy in pursuit of your life’s purpose.


So if autumn is the beginning of “cuffing” season, why not tie yourself down with any of these five fabulous books? You will not be disappointed.


Tracey Michae’l is a freelance writer and educator based out of the metro Philadelphia area. Most of her work probes the intersection of faith/spirituality with social issues such as race, class, and gender. The author of seven books can be found online at www.traceymlewis.com.