Got To Be Read: Discover Good Books by African American Authors Using the Web
If you’re looking for novels by African American authors, then use this guide to harness the power of the Web to help you find something enjoyable to read. Make surfing the Web for reading suggestions a productive experience for you! You’ll be able to get lots of information here about mysteries, romance, and Christian fiction by African American authors. Want a suggestion for an urban fiction title? This guide will help with that too.
If you’d like to read reviews of books by African American authors or use booklists or lists of award winning or popular and current books you’ll find Web sites listed here where you can do just that.
Finally, you’ll find information about online (and face-to-face) book discussion groups, discussion boards, and social networking sites that focus on books by African American authors. You’ll be able to express yourself and interact with other people who share your interests in fiction by African American authors at these Web sites.
Explore Types of Fiction
Mysteries
MystNoir
Provides reviews and new arrival information about mystery, suspense and thriller novels written by African-Americans.
Black Detectives: African American Mysteries
The Springfield (MA) City Library provides a select list of twenty-nine mystery writing authors. Under each name is a paragraph containing a brief summary of the characters and titles of each series written by the author.
Romances
Kimani Press
Under the Kimani imprint, Harlequin Enterprises offers a wide selection of paperback romance novels by African American authors. eHarlequin.com gives a description and brief excerpt for each book as well as the option to buy titles directly from the Web site.
Romance in Color
Lists and reviews of the most current titles from the most popular romance writers. It also provides author and rising star spotlights, feature articles, current events and contests.
Christian
Black Christian Fiction
Black Christian Fiction offers links to the official Web pages of over fifty African-American writers of Christian fiction. Some of the writers included are Pat G’Orge-Walker, T.D. Jakes and Victoria Christopher Murray. The site also offers monthly giveaways and advice for aspiring authors.
Urban Christian Fiction
Information about Christian fiction with an urban twist, also featuring interviews with writers each month.
Urban
Triple Crown Publications
The leading publisher of urban fiction. You can get e-mail alerts about Triple Crown’s newest releases if you add your name to their electronic mailing list.
Explore New Books
Reviews
QBR: Black Book Review
Includes reviews of new and recent fiction in a variety of categories. Users can submit their own reviews, which will be linked to Black Ink, QPR’s book blog, for discussion and comment.
Booklists
Pratt Recommends - African American Authors
The Fiction and Young Adult Department and the African American Department jointly compile an annual annotated list of noteworthy novels by African American authors that is posted on the Fiction Department’s homepage along with the annual lists for the previous five years.
Library Booklists - Multicultural and Diverse Fiction
Links to annotated lists of books by African American authors that have been compiled by public libraries across the United States.
Readers’ Advice - Multicultural Literature
Information on more than 10,000 authors in more than 475 genres. Lists of books by African American authors as well as the urban fiction list.
Award-Winners
Coretta Scott King Book Award
Given to African American young adult authors and illustrators for outstanding inspirational and educational contributions, the Coretta Scott King Book Award titles promote understanding and appreciation of the culture of all peoples and their contribution to the realization of the American dream. The award is designed to commemorate the life and works of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and to honor Mrs. Coretta Scott King.
Popular and Current
African American Literature Book Club
A best sellers list is among the many features of this site.
Essence Best-Selling Books
Essence magazine includes a monthly bestsellers list for hardcover and paperback fiction as well as for hardcover and paperback nonfiction.
Baltimore County Public Library
The "Hot Titles" portion of the Baltimore County Public Library’s Web site includes a "New African American Interest" section that lists titles acquired during the past two months.
A Place of Our Own
Monthly lists of new titles as well as upcoming releases are included, and the new titles lists are archived for a twelve month period.
Explore Online (And Face-To-Face)
Book Discussion Groups and Discussion Boards
African American Literature Book Club
In addition to its conversation boards, this site features author profiles, book reviews, and resources for writers.
Go On Girl Book Club
The Go On Girl! Book Club is the largest African-American women's book club in the country. Founded in 1991, members meet in their homes in their respective communities, including Maryland, to discuss the club's reading selection of the month. Feedback on each selection is shared with the authors and publishers. The chapters come together annually to honor authors and celebrate the legacy of Black literature.
The GRITS.com
G.R.I.T.S is an acronym for Guys/Girls Reading In The South. This online reading club is a virtual book club for men and women who love reading and discussing classic and contemporary literature, with particular emphasis on African American Literature. The site also provides book reviews, and author interviews.
MosaicBooks.com
Mosaic Books, which bills itself as “the quintessential place for booklovers” maintains a directory of African American book clubs meeting in almost every state, including many in the Baltimore-Washington area.
R.A.W.sistaz.com
In addition to its online book groups, this site features links to literary blogs and author Web sites, book discussion group guides, electronic newsletters, and booklists.
Social Networking Sites
Library Thing
LibraryThing is an online service to help people catalog their books easily. You can access your catalog from anywhere -- even on your cell phone. Because everyone catalogs together, LibraryThing also connects people who own the same books, and comes up with suggestions for what to read next. Reader interest groups are a part of Library Thing, and the African American literature group shares and discusses African/African American books--both historical and contemporary.
Shelfari
This site enables you to create a virtual shelf to show off your books. Build your shelf in Shelfari and then embed your shelf in your blog, Web site, or social networking site of choice. Shelfari makes it easy to see what your friends are reading, what others with similar tastes have enjoyed, and get and give book recommendations. Reader interest groups are also a part of Shelfari. The Readers of African American Authors group, The African American Books group, and The Black Romance group are all large, active groups with discussion boards and members who share their current reading recommendations.
Contact Us
If you would like to know more about African American fiction, e-mail us through our Ask-A-Librarian service, call the African American Department at 410-361-9287, the Fiction Department at 410-396-5484, or mail your questions to:
African American Department or Fiction Department
Enoch Pratt Free Library
State Library Resource Center
400 Cathedral Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
