The Love Child’s Revenge
by Nicole Bailey-Williams
(Broadway Books, ISBN: 978-7679-1911-1)

The love child of an upright housekeeper and her married employer, Claudia Fryar is bilked out of her inheritance by her father’s furious and jealous wife.  But after enduring years of ridicule and teasing while she was growing up for being a “bastard,” Claudia decides to settle the score and avenge her mom’s long suffering and death.

With vengeance fueling her, the once shy girl moves south to attend college and to start her broadcasting career.  During the next decade, she turns herself into the glamorous, successful and powerful Peach Harrison, star newscaster.  Returning to Philadelphia, she is determined to get back at the family of her father, who caused Claudia and her mother so much pain.

As a television personality who is much in demand, Claudia assumes her place amongst the black elite of Philadelphia who once held her in contempt.  But as she employs a “by any means necessary” strategy to get what she feels she’s entitled to and pay back the people who harmed her when she grew up, what will she have to sacrifice in the process?

The Last Good Kiss
by Janice Pinnock
(Strebor/Atria Books, ISBN: 1-59309-055-2)

Tamara Jones, a beautiful, ambitious, successful woman who is about to have her life turned upside down.  This dramatic novel follows Jones, a savvy businesswoman who is blesses --and cursed-- by six sometimes-selfish, yet always supportive girlfriends who all take on the trials and tribulations of friends, family and of course, love.

Janice Pinnock is a recent graduate of the University of Manitoba in Canada.  She was originally born in Jamaica, but has lived in England, South Korea and now resides in Toronto, Canada.  The Last Good Kiss is her first novel.

Iyanla Vanzant - Tapping the Power Within: A Path to Self-Empowerment for Women
20th Anniversary Edition, Book & CD, SmileyBooks
( ISBN: 978-1-4019-2188-0)

Rev. Dr. Iyanla (pronounced E-Yan-La) Vanzant is a nationally recognized inspirational speaker devoted to showing others the way to transform their lives. The founder and Executive Director
of Inner Visions Spiritual Life Maintenance Network, Iyanla is the author of over twenty books and audio books, including the #1 New York Times bestseller, In the Meantime. There are over eight million copies of her books in print.

Iyanla has received numerous awards and accolades for the power and impact of her work. She is hailed as one of Halle Berry's five "Sheros" (Glamour Magazine 2006). Ebony has named her one of the “country’s most influential African Americans,” Vibe magazine praised her as one of "100 Leaders of the New Millennium" and Newsweek included her as one of the "Women of the New Century." She is a woman of
passion, clear vision and purpose who delivers her special brand of self-empowerment and
inspiration around the globe.

GOING DOWN SOUTH
by Bonnie J. Glover
(ISBN 978-0-345-48091-0)
One World/Ballantine Trade Paperback

It is 1960s Brooklyn, New York that fifteen-year-old Olivia Jean discovers she is pregnant.  Caught within the confines of the era and complicated by an already difficult relationship between mother and daughter, Olivia’s parents flee their New York home for her grandmother Birdie’s Alabama farm.  They intend for Olivia Jean to seek refuge there for the duration of her pregnancy.

But Birdie sees things differently.  Though estranged from her daughter, Daisy, for years, Birdie insists that Olivia Jean can stay only if Daisy stays as well. With no alternative but to send her beloved, albeit unfaithful husband back north and to settle into life “down South” with her mother and daughter, Daisy reluctantly agrees.

Thus three generations of often difficult women must learn to function as a family for the first time.  Over the course of Olivia Jean’s pregnancy, the three begin to make sense of their roles as mothers -- and find a place in their lives for love, independence and each other.

Soap Opera Stars Pens New Mystery
DEATH IN DAYTIME
by Eileen Davidson
(The Young and the Restless and
The Bold and the Beautiful)

Eileen’s soap opera buddies have this to say about her new book --

“A real inside perspective on the life of a soap opera veteran -- not a clichéd diva, but a warm, complex and thoughtful single mother with a great sense of humor.  Readers will be thrilled with the unexpected twists and turns of the plot.”  Peter Bergman (The Young and the Restless)

“A funny and entertaining read that had me laughing out loud.  Ms. Davidson draws on a world she knows very well and gives you a host of ‘Who did it’ characters that keep you guessing to the very end.”  Ronn Moss (The Bold and the Beautiful)

Seen It All and Done the Rest
by New York Times Bestselling Author, Pearl Cleage
Ballantine Books, ISBN: 978-0-3745-48112-2

In this new novel, Cleage asks a question that will likely face us all: Can you ever truly go home again?

For Josephine Evans, home was on the stages of the world where she spent 30 years establishing herself as one of the finest actresses of her generation.  Josephine was the toast of Europe, and her fabulous apartment in Amsterdam’s theater district was a popular gathering place for an international community of artists, actors, and expatriates who considered themselves true citizens of the world.

Josephine lived above and beyond the reach of conventional definitions of who and what an African American diva could be, and her legions of loyal fans loved her for it.  She had a perfect life and enough sense to live it to the hilt, but then a war she didn’t fully understand turned everything upside down, thrusting her into a role she never wanted and was not prepared to play.

THE BACHELORETTE PARTY
by Donald Welch
Ballantine Books - One World Paperback,
ISBN: 978-1-034550161-5

The Bachelorette Party is the story of a group of friends --all tight since high school-- who get together to send one down the aisle in style.  They come together to shower her with lavish gifts, good wishes, a hot stripper, humor that pushes the envelope, and plenty of cocktails.

There’s Denise, an attorney running for city council whose ambition masks a pain she can’t admit; Zenora, owner of two of the hottest salons in Philadelphia, who despite her success, wonders what else life holds for her; and Freda, a singer who fears she is past her prime to make it big.

What starts as a fun romp turns transformative as their friendship and sisterhood is tested as the night gets out of hand in ways no one expected.

Nikki Turner Presents Gorilla Black
by Seven
Ballantine Books - One World Paperback,
ISBN: 978-0-345-50052-6

Bilal Cunningham has grown up in Richmond, Virginia’s meanest projects.  His mother offers him little love but takes whatever cash Bilal can make to feed her alcohol-fueled life and the men she shares her bed with.  Instead of drugs and drinking, Bilal devours Shakespeare, Langston Hughes, and the works of other poets, which he can recite verbatim.  But when his beloved little brother, Keon, is killed in a shoot-out, Bilal’s straitlaced life goes away.

Vengeance lands Bilal in jail for seven years and when he comes out he’s drawn to the streets.  By becoming Richmond’s top cocaine kingpin, Bilal has all the money he could ever want, though he knows to steer clear of the powder himself.

But sexy Starr, the girl he’s loved since childhood, can’t quite keep clean.  Their tumultuous relationship gets even rockier when Starr involves herself with men who may have been responsible for Keon’s death.  As friends and foes alike drop dead in the fallout, a shocking truth is revealed, and Bilal’s last shred of innocence may be lost forever.

Black Widow
By Nikki Turner
Ballantine Books - One World Paperback,
ISBN: 978-0-345-493873

Bestselling author Nikki Turner returns with an explosive new novel about a woman at an emotional crossroads, and the hapless men left in her wake.

Isis Tatum knows firsthand the way love can mess up a person.  After all, she saw her mother drive a truck through the home of her father’s mistress before killing her dad.  And ever since Isis was a teenager, her love life has been a series of disasters: her first sweetheart was executed by the state of Virginia, and her next lover was sent to jail for murder.

Now Isis is a successful jewelry designer, but she remains a failure with men.  When she meets Logic, a Las Vegas high roller who treats her like a princess, Isis recons she’s finally struck gold --literally.  Logic sees to it that her custom pieces of jewelry are seen on the hottest rap stars and pro athletes.

But when Mr. Right ends up in jail too, Isis starts to believe that she’s cursed, that she’s a true Black Widow.

THE JAMES BROWN LEADER
50 Years of Writing About
The Godfather of Soul
Plume Paperbacks, a division of Penguin Group (USA)
ISBN: 978-0-452-28946-8

When James Brown passed away on December 25, 2006, the world lost one of the most celebrated and memorable entertainers of the last fifty years.  In addition to being one of the most influential musicians, James Brown has been one of the most written about.

In THE JAMES BROWN READER, edited by Nelson George and Alan Leeds, James Brown’s phenomenal career of epic highs and lows is chronicled in this unparalleled collection of newspaper and magazine articles of the soul musician’s life.

WHEN SCIENCE GOES WRONG
Twelve Tales from the Dark Side of Discovery
by Simon LeVay
Plume Paperbacks, a division of The Penguin Group (USA)

Neuroscientist Simon Levay brings together a collection of fascinating, yet shocking, stories of failure from recent scientific history in WHEN SCIENCE GOES WRONG.  From the fields of forensics and microbiology to nuclear physics and meteorology, LeVay shares twelve true essays illustrating a variety of ways in which the scientific process can go awry.

Failures, disasters and other negative outcomes of science can result not only from bad luck, but from causes including failure to follow appropriate procedures and heed warnings, ethical breaches, quick pressure to obtain results, and even fraud.

Often, as LeVay notes, the greatest opportunity for notable mishaps occurs when science serves human ends; WHEN SCIENCE GOES WRONG provides a compelling glimpse into human ambition in scientific pursuit.

The Black Student’s Guide to Success
www.blackstudentsguide.com
ISBN: 0-615-12376-7

• The Importance of Knowledge
• Success is not an Accident
• What is Wealth and Are You Wealthy
• Proper Environment for Success

TURNING WHITE
A Memoir of Change
by Lee Thomas
Momentum Books, L.L.C., ISBN-13: 978-1-879094-81-9
www.momentumbooks.com

At age 25, Lee Thomas had a dream job in a dream city --a feature/entertainment reporter for ABC’s flagship TV station in New York.  Then he discovered that the few white spots on his scalp were the beginnings of vitiligo.  The disease had spread to half his face, a fact he covers with makeup when on camera.

While dealing with the rich and famous, Thomas never thought the toughest story to tell would happen by turning the spotlight on himself, revealing a secret that was in plain sight.  “Even people who have known me for years avoid eye contact when they see my face without makeup for the first time,” he writes.

HOTLANTA
By Denene Millner and Mitzi Millner
Point/Scholastic, ISBN: 0-545-00308-3

The Duke twins, Sydney and Lauren, live the life: They attend the fanciest school in Atlanta, they live in Buckhead, the most exclusive neighborhood, and they only date the hottest guys. And their secrets? Are the darkest of all. When their estranged father is released from prison and a murder is committed, their lives are plunged into a whirlwind of tabloid scrutiny, vicious gossip, and shocking revelation. Lauren, always such a party girl, and Sydney, bent on perfection by way of the Ivy League, can't trust anyone. Not their mother, not their rich stepfather. Maybe not even each other.

JOY & PAIN
By Franklin White
Atria Books/Strebor/Simon & Schuster,
ISBN-13: 978-1-59309-147-7

JOY & PAIN is a story of mental anguish, confusion, and selfishness between friends and lovers in the aftermath of a terrible heartbreak.

A woman can only take so much.  Lala Paige never asked a great deal from life.  She loves her job, time s pent with her best friend, and definitely long and loving nights with her man Keith.  Now in her thirties and nearing a time when she has to seriously think about starting her family, Lala’s life takes an unexpected turn.  Her man of six years decides that he dosen’t want to continue on their well thought-out course of commitment.

As she struggles to make sense of her unraveling life, Lala must choose whom to turn to, and where her heart truly belongs.  But what will she do when she discovers the real reason Keith’s skipping out?

In JOY & PAIN, Franklin White creates a topsy-turvy world of passion, betrayal, and turbulent emotions, where the characters must do all they can just to keep from drowning in a sea of uncertain loyalties and loves.

STEP BY STEP
A Memoir of Hope, Friendship, Perseverance and Living the American Dream
by Bertie Bowman
Foreword by President Bill Clinton
Ballantine Books, a division of Random House,
ISBN: 978-0-345-50411-1

Bertie Bowman is the longest serving African-American on the U. S. Capitol Hill staff.  In 1944, Bowman, a poor, thirteen-year-old, the fifth of fourteen siblings, heard South Carolina senator Burnet Maybank give a speech that ended with: “If you all ever get up to Washington, DC, drop by and see me!”  Though Maybank was addressing a crowd of white constituents, Bertie took those words to heart -- for they offered him an invitation to a new life.

Carrying only a flour sack and his meager savings pinned inside his shirt (the money he got from selling two of his father’s hens), Bertie set out for the city “up the road” to make his mark.  Surprisingly true to his word, Senator Maybank saw to it that the young Bertie had a steady income -- earned by sweeping the Capitol steps for two dollars a week. Yet, what started as a janitorial position, step by step, became so much more -- today Bertie Bowman is the hearing coordinator for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in the U. S. Capitol.

ANOTHER TIME, ANOTHER PLACE
Edited by Zane and Rique Johnson
Strebor/Atria Books, ISBN: 1-59309-058-7

WHILE AMERICA AGED
How Pension Debts Ruined General Motors, Stopped the NYC Subways, Bankrupted San Diego, and Loom as the Next Financial Crisis
By Roger Lowenstein
Penguin Press, ISBN: 978-1-59420-167-7

How Did I Get So Busy?
The 28-Day Plan to Free Your Time, Reclaim Your Schedule, and Reconnect with What Matters Most
By Valorie Burton
Broadway Books, ISBN-13: 9780767926225

Get Real GET RICH
Conquer the 7 Lies Blocking You from Success by Farrah Gray
www.drfarrahgray.com
Dutton, a member of The Penguin Group (USA),
ISBN: 978-0-525-95044-8

Entrepreneur Farrah Gray empowers readers to blaze their own path, set their own agendas, and make their own millions.  Raised in the impoverished south side of Chicago, Gray defied the odds and became a self-made millionaire at the age of fourteen, and an entrepreneurial icon.