New Releases | Issue 1

Greetings Wordies, and a happy start to the -ber months to those who celebrate!

As a lover of autumn myself, one of my favourite things is that there are usually some incredible book releases to curl up with as the days get cooler and the nights draw in.

Now that the Black British Booklist is up and running with over 400 titles, it seemed like the perfect time to start a new series dedicated to what is happening on the Booklist.

Welcome to Black British Booklist News (any suggestions for a cooler name, let us know!).

In these posts, I’ll be sharing new and upcoming releases from Black British authors, books newly added to the Black British Booklist database, updates to the browser and any other news that might inform and enrich your reading journey.

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This post contains affiliate links. This means I may receive a small commission if you make a purchase through some of the links, at no additional cost to you.

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First, the Black British Booklist has had an upgrade.

If you haven’t visited the Booklist recently, it is looking a little different!

Motivated by the promise of unlimited matcha lattes, our web developer, Caleb (also my son), has been working behind the scenes on the browser, and has made it even easier to find books according to what you actually feel like reading. I’m thrilled with the new look and I think you will be too.

You can now use the quick filters to click on flags, genres and categories, and combine them to narrow down the books displayed. So, for example, you could look for a particular genre and combine it with another category to find a much more specific selection of books. If you already know what you are looking for, you can also simply search for an author or book title using the search bars.

Make sure you head over there and check it out!

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Black British book releases in September 2026

1 September: Beyoncé—One of One by Antonia Jade King

Genre: Non-fiction, music and popular culture

If Beyoncé has ever made it onto your playlists, timelines or general cultural consciousness, this one might interest you.

Beyoncé—One of One is not a traditional Beyoncé biography. Poet, scholar and dedicated BeyHive member Antonia Jade King looks instead at Beyoncé’s cultural impact, combining personal reflection with cultural analysis.

The book explores her rise to fame, her influence on representations of Blackness in popular culture, the power of her music and her life as a performer, with particular attention paid to themes including Blackness, feminism and queerness.

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3 September: Big Man by Dean Atta

Genre: Contemporary/Literary Fiction, LGBTQ+

Dean Atta, probably best known to many readers for his YA novel in verse The Black Flamingo, makes his adult literary fiction debut this September with Big Man.

Big is a middle-aged Black British gay man living in East London with his boyfriend, Little. Their life together is gentle and familiar, filled with friends, holidays, yoga and runs along the Hackney canals.

But Big’s past begins to resurface when he reconnects with Mother, an African American trans woman who helped provide a refuge for queer young people when Big was growing up.

The novel explores identity, family, sex, trauma, queer life and what it means to age as a queer person.

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7 September: The Durbar’s Reckoning by Remington Blackstaff

Genre: Historical Fiction

For the historical fiction readers, The Durbar’s Reckoning takes us to seventeenth-century Nigeria.

Set five years after the Battle of Katsina, the story follows Isa as he prepares to join an elite order of durbar warriors. With conflict between Kano and Sokoto threatening the pathway to peace, Isa is forced to confront both the danger surrounding his kingdom and demons from his own past.

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17 September: The Recovery House by Derek Owusu

Genre: Literary/Contemporary Fiction

The Recovery House follows Jamal, a young poet who wakes in a recovery house following a mental breakdown.

As he adjusts to the unfamiliar environment and begins forming relationships with the other people staying there, the novel explores friendship, faith, mental health, creativity and the difficult process of trying to rebuild a sense of self.

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Backlist books newly added to the Black British Booklist

One of the ongoing parts of building this archive is finding books that have already been published but aren’t yet represented in the database. I’m currently adding books that have were published from 2020 onwards, but I hope to start adding older books soon!

Here are a few of the latest additions.

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Theatre of Marvels by Lianne Dillsworth

Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery

Theatre of Marvels takes us into Victorian London.

Zillah performs as the Great Amazonia at a variety show on Drury Lane, but her career relies on audiences believing the persona she performs each night. When another performer disappears, Zillah begins searching for her and is drawn into the darker corners of Victorian London.

It is a historical novel about race, class, identity, performance and belonging, wrapped around a mystery.

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Patchwork by Laurel Sibanda

Genre: Poetry

Patchwork is the debut poetry collection from Zimbabwean-British writer and poet Laurel Sibanda.

The collection explores identity, mental health, generational trauma and healing, including Sibanda’s experiences of intersecting identities and finding a sense of self.

It also feels like a particularly timely addition to discover this September. This month is Complex PTSD Awareness Month (CPTSD), making this a good time to highlight literature exploring trauma, healing and the ways our experiences can shape us.

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The Lagos Flash Fiction Series by Tolulope Popoola

Genre: Flash Fiction, Short Stories, Contemporary Fiction

Tolulope Popoola’s Lagos Flash Fiction Series is a bumper collection of short, sharp stories centred on contemporary life in Lagos.

Across six books, readers meet characters including a wedding planner, taxi driver, junior banker, baker and serial best man, with stories exploring careers, relationships, ambition, family and the general chaos of city life.

The stories are under 1,000 words and the individual collections can be read in any order, making this a particularly interesting addition for anyone who enjoys short fiction or wants something easy to dip in and out of.

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And One new future release we are really excited about…

Bound by Fate by Cairo Aibangbee

Genre: YA Fantasy, Romantasy, Mythology

Expected UK publication: 4 March 2027

This one isn’t arriving until next year, but I couldn’t resist putting it on your radar early.

Bound by Fate is the YA romantasy debut from Black British playwright and poet Cairo Aibangbee, and the first book in her new Òrìṣà & Olympians duology.

For five thousand years, the Òrìṣà and Olympians have been at war. When their conflict begins to threaten both pantheons, the Divine Council decides that the answer is a union between them.

Enter Ọṣun, Òrìṣà of rivers, and Ares, Greek god of war.

Neither particularly wants anything to do with the other, which, naturally, leaves us with enemies to lovers, an arranged marriage, forbidden attraction, political conflict, mythology and what sounds like a considerable amount of tension.

The book blends Greek and Nigerian mythology, with an author drawing on her own Jamaican and Nigerian heritage as well as her background studying Ancient History.

Basically, this one has gone straight onto my radar.

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Find your next read on the Black British Booklist

All of these books can now be found through the Black British Booklist, alongside hundreds of books by Black British and mixed-race Black British authors.

You can search by author or title, browse the full collection, or use the new filters to narrow the database according to what you want to read.

If you know of a Black British authored book that you think should be included, you can also submit it for consideration.

Explore the Black British Booklist here.

And if you would like more posts like this, make sure you subscribe. I’ll be using these Black British Booklist news posts to share new releases, newly discovered backlist books and improvements to the database as it continues to grow.

Until the next update, happy reading, Wordies!

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