You’ve planned the perfect ski getaway and have everything you need packed and ready: your vintage-inspired ski suit and some bubbly for after-hours in the ski chalet. But this is also the perfect time to plop down in front of the fireplace and take in a good book.
Dip into new worlds with the buzziest authors of the past year, like Danielle Prescod and Viola Davis, or discover a classic from Terry McMillan and Barbara Neely. With so many Black authors writing across so many genres, there’s a delicious read for everyone. Take advantage of your snowy retreat away from the world and dive into some pages. Here are seven books by Black authors to savor on your ski trip.
The Ballad of Perilous Graves
Alex Jennings (Redhook, 2023)
The author’s debut novel revolves around a mysterious piano that plays in a mystical New Orleans. But when songs goes missing, failed magician Perilous Graves and his sister Brendy have to get them back and save the city.
Price: $19
Token Black Girl
Danielle Prescod (Little A, 2022)
A biting memoir that rips the designer label off the fashion and beauty industries to reveal its racist and sexist standards and the microagressions Prescod dealt with on a daily basis. She shares her path of recovery to reclaiming her true authentic self.
Price: $17
Disappearing Acts
Terry McMillian (Berkley, 2004)
This classic man-meets-woman story from the “New York Times” bestselling author isn’t all rose petals and rainbows, but it is an honest look at falling in love, from that first flirty glance to how much effort must be put in to make it last.
Price: $17
Digging Up Love (Taste of Love)
Chandra Blumberg (Montlake, 2022)
A ski trip is the perfect time for a frothy romance and Blumberg delivers it foaming hot. A young chef with big dreams meets a paleontologist who’s interested in the dinosaur bone that’s turned up in her grandparents’ backyard. Sparks ignite, but he’ll have to bury his past and move forward for this love soufflé to rise.
Price: $8
Finding Me: A Memoir
Viola Davis (HarperOne, 2022)
The EGOT doesn’t hold back as she reveals the horrific childhood she endured and how the world of make-believe and the pursuit of acting finally saved her. It’s an intense read that gives so much insight on a true rags to beyond riches life.
Price: $19
The Business of Lovers
Eric Jerome Dickey (Dutton, 2021)
This lusty romp revolves around two brothers down on their luck, but the money could roll in droves if one of them takes the plunge and joins the oldest profession in the world.
Price: $13
Blanche on the Lam
Barbra Neeley (Penguin Books, 1993)
Get acquainted with Blanche White, a feisty housekeeper who winds up the suspect in a murder. She taps into her savvy, sharp wit and network of domestic workers to solve the crime and clear her name— creating a whole career for herself and new series of books by the late activist-turned-mystery writer Barbara Neely.