TBB’S LIT LIST August/September 2026

Check out our recommended reads for the month of August & September …

This month we’re reading The Recovery House by Derek Owusu, Are You Still Watching? by Kelechi Okafor, Marlon James’ The Disappearers, The Good, the Black and more.

We also make special mention of the late Professor Jason Arday and his memoir Great and Unfortunate Things. Following his sad passing last month, the book takes on even greater poignancy, sharing Jason’s journey from growing up in south London to making history at the University of Cambridge, alongside the people, challenges and experiences that shaped his life.

Great and Unfortunate Things by Jason Arday

When Jason Arday was thirty-seven years old, everything changed. He made international news by becoming the youngest Black professor in the almost thousand-year history of the University of Cambridge. But that remarkable achievement is only part of his great and unfortunate tale.

He grew up in a council house in south London with his parents and two brothers. Diagnosed with autism and global developmental delay at the age of three, he spent much of his non-verbal childhood navigating a system that struggled to understand him. Doctors and teachers believed there was ‘no one in there’. But Jason’s mother, Giff, refused to accept the limits others placed on her son.

With the faith of his family and the support of a handful of extraordinary friends and mentors, Jason slowly found his voice. He spoke his first word at eleven, learned to read and write at eighteen, and discovered a passion for education and helping others that would transform his life. Along the way there were improbable triumphs and heartbreaking setbacks, tears of joy and moments so painful that laughter was the only option, and more than one occasion when everything seemed poised to fall apart.

Publish date: 27th August
Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK

The Recovery House by Derek Owusu

Inspired by Derek’s own summer spent in a recovery house, the book follows Jamal, a gifted and introspective young poet, who wakes in a quiet, claustrophobic recovery house after a devastating mental breakdown, unsure how the bright edges of his life became so fractured. In this stark yet strangely tender sanctuary, with its watchful nurses, restless corridors and overlooked garden, he encounters several wounded, but radiant souls who are each wrestling with their own invisible storms. As Jamal navigates this suspended world, at once suffocating and strangely sacred, he begins to observe rather than retreat, finding in the rhythms of shared cigarettes, half-finished conversations and midnight confessions a hesitant, flickering sense of belonging.

Within these intimate, volatile walls, music drifts like prayer. A song sung into the dark becomes a fragile lifeline. Psalms are read aloud with trembling conviction. Laughter erupts, unexpected and defiant. Jamal’s searching, philosophical mind moves restlessly between memory and imagination, literature and scripture, doubt and devotion, interrogating the porous boundaries between illness and inspiration. What does it mean to hear a voice and call it God, or art, or madness? What is salvation in a place built to contain collapse? In the charged silence of the garden, under watchful skies, he begins to sense that joy can exist even here, braided through grief, carried on melody, sustained by human touch.

“What a beautiful book, it’s like a hug, or a gentle holding of a hand.” Michaela Coel

“As disarming as it is gripping, The Recovery House is a fluid, bruised and beautiful brooch of a book.” Inua Ellams

“So rich, emotional and wise, distilling it all into a finely textured work of tenderness, love, camaraderie and human resilience.” Courttia Newland

“There are writers who both survive things and understand them. Brutal, precise, and full of light.” YRSA Daley-Ward

Publish Date: 17th September
Publisher: #Merky Books

Are You Still Watching by Kelechi Okafaor

The year is 2032. Dorcas has her whole life ahead of her – university, career, escape from her suffocating small town. There’s only one problem: she has no idea who she wants to be. Then something impossible happens. A being from another world brings a terrifying message: her entire life is a reality show broadcast across the galaxy … and she’s bombing. The audience is bored. Unless she does something extraordinary – anything – she’ll be cancelled. Permanently. Now Dorcas has one chance to figure out what makes a life worth living. Before her time runs out.

“I want this book to be a story that explores our interconnectedness within the cosmos, and raises the question of: in the technological age of social media and reality television, who do we actually exist for?” Kelechi

Publish Date: 10th September
Publisher: Scholastic

The Good Immigrant : 21 writers reflect on race in contemporary Britain edited by Nikesh Shukla

Fearless, challenging, playful, moving and always real, this ground breaking essay collection sees 21 leading writers of colour explore the realities of the immigrant experience in Britain.

What it means to grow up and live in a country and still be made to feel like an outsider, no matter how long it’s been your home. When it was first published, The Good Immigrant lit a fire: telling the truth, starting conversations and irrevocably changing how we talk about race.

But the work is far from done, and its wisdom is needed now more than ever. Here are 21 of our most vital voices, urging you to listen, care – and resist.

Candice Carty-Williams (author of introduction) with writing from Inua Ellams, Bim Adewunmi & more.

“A must-read” Zadie Smith

“Phenomenal” Malorie Blackman

Publish date: 10th September
Publisher: Canongate Books

Fall From Grace by Leye Adenle

Bobby Fatokun is no stranger to conspiracies. A former police officer turned ‘Bad Coach’, he now reforms corrupt officers within the Met. But when a client requests an urgent meet and then turns up dead, Bobby suspects there’s more to the story than an accidental death.

Bobby’s investigation leads him to a church where the victim had been working undercover, but he isn’t the only one asking questions …

The church’s wealthy pastor has a powerful enemy at the heart of the British Establishment – one who will stop at nothing to neutralise a threat. As the pieces of their dangerous gambit fall into place, Bobby will have to tread lightly, or his search for the truth will turn deadly.

“Fresh, fast, compelling, convincing … A cracking start to a brilliant and original new series.” Anna Mazzola

“Adenle is crime fiction’s best new voice for years.” Lee Child

“Leye Adenle has my vote for crown prince of crime writers in the UK.” James Ellroy

“I love Adenle’s books. Clear, authentic and wonderfully engaging.” Deon Meyer

Publish date: 10th September
Publisher: Simon & Schuster

The Disappearers by Marlon James

‘Darkness is a mood in Jamaica . . .’

When eight gay men meet for the first time, in Kingston in 1988, answering the casting call for an openly queer play, they are already taking a big risk. But that is nothing compared to what rains down on them when a mob descends on one of their rehearsals.

By the end of this night, one man is dead, all are injured, and two subsequently disappear. As the survivors heal, each man finds he must confront the bigotry and homophobia that the attack laid bare. Some try to forget; some embrace their rage; and some simply vanish – but all are forever scarred.

As one of the victims puts it, ‘there’s a difference between when something ends and when something stops’. And this story won’t stop until both the disappearers and the perpetrators have been tracked, along trails both hot and cold, and an ending reached.

Epic and intimate, violent and forgiving, The Disappearers is a tour de force which only Marlon James could have written – both an unflinching portrait of the hatred and shame faced by gay men in a society which refuses to accept them, and a deeply human story of acceptance and insight.

Published: 3rd September
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

Beyoncé-One of One by Antonia Jade King

From a dedicated member of Beyoncé’s “BeyHive”, an in-depth exploration of the lessons and affirmations of Beyoncé’s work and how she continues to speak for the historically unspoken for

This is not a Beyoncé biography. This is a love letter to a musician whose songs star in our first dances, our workout playlists, and our justice movements. A celebration of a woman who, in a pop world so often seen as shallow, brings dimension through themes of confidence, feminism, Blackness, and queerness. Beyoncé—One of One urges readers to move beyond Beyoncé’s iconic image to recognize the far-reaching cultural and societal impact of her artistry.

“Reading Beyoncé—One of One feels like sitting with someone who understands exactly why Beyoncé matters—not just as an entertainer but as a cultural force. Antonia Jade King delivers a beautiful blend of scholarship and devotion. This book is for the Beyhive, yes, but it’s also for anyone who has ever felt seen, saved, or strengthened by a song.” Marcellas Reynolds, author of Supreme Sirens: Iconic Black Women Who Revolutionized Music

“As beautifully intimate as it is critically incisive, Antonia Jade King’s Beyoncé—One of One is a sharp, delightful, and altogether exhaustive exploration of one of the greatest, most impactful and innovative pop musicians of all time. Part moving memoir and part deft cultural study, One of One is stacked with Beyoncé pop culture highlights, turning points, and watershed moments that, taken together, amount to modern pop music history. This is the story of popular music culture with one change-making Black feminist icon at its center. With warmth and dynamism, King reveals how, as a result of Beyoncé’s dazzling artistry, both she and the world have been changed for good.” Daphne A. Brooks, author of Liner Notes for the Revolution: The Intellectual Life of Black Feminist Sound

“Through Antonia’s stunning retelling of the formidable Beyoncé’s career, we are reminded of the person behind the artistry. As Beyoncé Knowles continues to forge a legacy unlike any our generation has seen for a Black woman, the precision, wit, and love in Antonia’s delivery render her immortal.” Kelechi Okafor, author of Edge of Here

Publish date: 1st September
Publisher: Beacon Press

The Good The Black and The Boujee by Symeon Brown

From broadcasters and lawyers to content creators, actors and politicians, black professionals appear to have become leaders of Britain’s most visible, profitable and culture-defining industries. Yet educated black professionals say racism is entrenched and rising to the top has never been harder. So what is going on? How have they ascended? At what expense? And what does the expansion of a black middle class mean for all black people in Britain?

National correspondent Symeon Brown has undertaken the largest known data study of Britain’s black middle class and elite to compile a social history and critique of the new black middle class. With style, depth and an incisive eye, Brown unravels the web of class and gender that shapes black Britain today and reconciles the cultural and political conversations surrounding black British identity with the present reality. Whether dissecting the preference of educated black women to be single, the rise of black Conservative power brokers or how the triumph and assimilation of black elites mask the barriers facing the black working class, Brown renders visible the psychological and material cost of class aspiration.

More than a simple portrait of class in motion, The Good, the Black and the Boujee is a forensic study of how race, capital and identity entwine – and what’s lost, gained and discovered through social mobility.

“A significant piece of work” Diane Abbott

“A rigorous and fearless development and dissection of the Black Middle Class in Britain” Derek Owusu

Publish date: 1st September
Publisher: Beacon Press

Jamaal Target: PHANTOM Agent by Isaac Hamilton-McKenzie 

There’s nothing special about Jamaal Target. He’s your average twelve-year-old boy who lives with his foster mum and likes to game with his best friend Myla. Until one day, everything changes . . .

When Myla is kidnapped in front of his eyes, Jamaal is pulled into a web of secrets and lies and the shadowy organisation known as PHANTOM. There he learns that he has inherited super strength, speed and heightened senses from the parents he never knew.

Forced to quickly put his new skills to the test, Jamaal finds himself on high-stakes missions across London, alongside teen PHANTOM Agent Lori Johnson. But does he have what it takes to save his best friend and put the bad guys away?

“With shades of Alex Rider, this is a thrilling action-adventure” Benjamin Dean, author of The Boy Who Fell From The Sky

“A breathtaking mix of action, adventure and super-powered fun!” Tolá Okogwu, author of the Onyeka series

“One of the most exciting books I’ve read in years!” Alex Falase-Koya, author of the Marv series

“Jamaal Target is the secret agent that kids are going to be rooting for. A new hero is here!” Abiola Bello, author of the Wild Magic series

Published date: 27th August
Publisher: Puffin

Sky City by Jacqueline Crooks

Three lives are brought together by chance in 90s London, in this spellbinding story of friendship and loneliness, healing and redemption.

Jaycee finally has a room of her own in Sky City, a housing estate in north London carved out of the glow-in-the-dark sky. But her troubled childhood continues to haunt her. When an old classmate, Sol, reappears, he seems to offer her a lifeline. Sol was her first love, and the only person who looked out for Jaycee when they were kids. Can she trust him now?

Her best friend is Ella-G, who left for the glamorous music scene in New York. When Jaycee finds a rare record that seems to lead to Ella-G’s father, the two women go searching for answers in Atlantic City. But what Jaycee encounters there forces her to confront the traumas of her own past. Back in London, can Jaycee, Sol and Ella-G find justice and healing, even as their worlds threaten to crash together and splinter apart?

“Visceral, shocking, moving – Jacqueline Crooks proves yet again that she is an absolutely fantastic writer” Bernardine Evaristo

“Jacqueline Crooks is the rare groove of literature” Afua Hirsch

Publisher: Jonathan Cape
Publication date: 6th August

Women Rent Men and Secrets Here by Damilare Kuku

Ara Ikoyi is out of time. Three bestsellers behind her, she’s got no story for her next book – until her neighbour, Juicy Mbelu, becomes the centre of a fiery scandal. Accused of killing her sugar daddy, Juicy’s tale has everyone talking and Ara knows it’s her ticket to a page-turner.

But getting the truth won’t be easy. Juicy agrees to share her story, but only if Ara meets two life-altering demands. First, she must trade secrets with the women of their Lagos estate, exposing her own vulnerabilities in the process. And second? She must tell Juicy’s story exactly as it is.

What starts as a pursuit of one explosive headline barrels into a labyrinth of buried truths, dangerous power dynamics and ruthless judgment. Can Ara tell this story without irreversible fallout – for Juicy or herself? Or will some secrets prove too deadly to uncover?

“Queen of the banging book title . . . I loved it” Nikki May

“Sharply observational, funny and profound.” Bolu Babalola

Publication date: 30 July
Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK

Ghalen: A Romance in Black – A Literary Saga of Love and Family Bonds by Walter Mosley

Ghalen, a brilliant young Black man, is the son of two seemingly mismatched parents. His mother, a gifted scientist, whose own mother expected her to exceed all the achievements in her family, and his father, a gentle cook at a small vegan restaurant, whose idiosyncratic nature shows the young woman a radically different love and understanding of life, despite his inexperience and lack of education.

His parents’ grand love story starts it all off, setting us up to follow Ghalen and his family so deeply, that each new twist and turn feels personal.

The journey through Ghalen’s coming-of-age tale, as he ventures out into the world, is marked with peaks and valleys and such a drive that you can’t help but strap in for it all, while not wanting it to end.

“Vibrant and powerful, Ghalen dives deep into the euphoric, heartbreaking, utterly humane story of one fascinating family—populated with the type of characters who don’t usually receive top billing. As always, Mosley tenderly crafted a world so genuine, so poignant, I never wanted to leave..” Tia Williams, NYT bestselling author of The Missed Connection

Publication: 16th July 2026
Publisher: Amistad

Now Burns Blue by Cenac Rollins

Afia and Frank are young, Black, determined to change the world – and deeply in love. But when their precious bond is shattered, they soon take divergent paths. Lawyer Frank is about to realise his dream of fighting inequality from within the justice system. Artist Afia believes the only route to a fairer world is to fight the system itself.

As Carnival weekend nears during a simmering London summer, fate tempts them close once again. But it’s not just Frank and Afia enmeshed in this potent social mix. And the unwitting consequences of their reunion threaten to change their and their loved ones’ lives forever.

Publication date: 13 July 2026
Publisher: Somesuch

Queenie is Working on It by Candice Carty-Williams

How is it possible for one woman to hold it together when she’s: Confronted with a racing biological clock when she doesn’t even know if she wants kids. Trying to act normal when her heart is smashed into a million pieces. Ten times smarter than the people she’s working for.- Priced out of the housing market in the place she grew up. Stuck in a situationship when all she wants is the love of her life back …

Bigger. Not better. Older. Not wiser. Queenie Jenkins is working on it.

Award-winning author Candice Carty-Williams returns with a scalpel-sharp, poignant and hilarious new book that shines a dazzling light on the realities of modern womanhood.

“Queenie’s return is welcome and delightfully assured. Fizzing with life, fun and sensual energy, she is one of modern UK fiction’s great heroines.” Diana Evans

“In Queenie Is Working On It, Candice Carty-Williams reminds us of the power in community, friends, and family. We join an older Queenie Jenkins in all of her thoughts, process and indecisions. Her conflict, fight and absolutions. A welcomed return filled with enough gasps to leave you bursting at the seams!” Yomi Ṣode

“No one tells a story like Carty-Williams. QUEENIE IS WORKING ON IT was like being reunited with our adored messiest friend in the warmest way. This book is full of so much heart, humour and honesty and I am so grateful to be living in a world where CCW is writing.” Bolu Babalola

Published: 2nd July
Publisher: Orion Publishing Co

Where The Shadows End by Louisa Bello

Sam, a 45-year-old Londoner of dual heritage, has lived his life accompanied by voices no one else can hear.

Chief among them is the taunting echo of a childhood bully who refuses to let Sam forget the guilt he carries over his mother’s death. When his elusive, dream-like girlfriend, known only as Boat Woman, disappears without warning, Sam’s fragile world begins to unravel, and he becomes convinced that only his death can protect those he loves.

As the past and present collide in Sam’s fractured mind, he is drawn into a labyrinth of memory and revelation that challenges everything he thought he knew. But the voices that haunt him may yet become his guides, if he can only find the courage to listen. Luminous, unsettling and tender, Where the Shadows End is a powerful meditation on self-acceptance, the nature of guilt and the need to belong.

Publish date: 21st May
Publisher: Epoque Press

Good Good Loving by Yvvette Edwards

Ellen’s beloved, beautiful, complicated family are gathered around her hospital bed as she prepares to slip away, and boy, is she ready.

You’d think she could finally get some peace and quiet, but instead her children have chosen now of all times to have a never-ending discussion about her failings. Every single tiny thing they think she’s done wrong over the years – and the one big thing too. After all the sacrifices Ellen has made for every last ungrateful one of them, they still take their father’s side.

If only they knew the whole story . . .

“Scorching, Brilliant, Witty, Shocking.” Bernardine Evaristo

“Warm, funny, full of heart” Diana Evans, author of Ordinary People

Publication date: 5 Mar. 2026
Publisher: Virago