TBB Lit List November 2025

Check out our recommended reads for the month of November…

This month’s selections span memoir, history, fantasy, fashion, and festive magic. Cynthia Erivo’s Simply More offers a heartfelt blend of personal storytelling and inspiring lessons on growth and resilience. Chanté Joseph’s A Quick Ting On: Black British Power charts the radical roots and cultural impact of Black activism in Britain.

Tigest Girma’s Eternal Ruin returns to Uxlay University for a gripping tale of power, loyalty, and darkness. Michelle Obama’s The Look takes us behind the scenes of her most iconic fashion moments, revealing how style can shape identity and purpose. And Serena Holly’s The Other Father Christmas brings a warm, whimsical adventure filled with hope, courage, and the magic of the season.

Simply More by Cynthia Erivo

Part-memoir, part-inspirational manual for better living.

Cynthia Erivo learned the music to Wicked a decade before she needed it, not knowing that those same lyrics would change her life. Ten years later, she performed those songs on a world stage, showing us that there is always time to keep discovering ourselves, and that the journey of becoming is not a finite one.

In Simply More, through a series of powerful, personal vignettes, Cynthia reflects on the ways that she has grown as an actor and a person, shares the lessons she’s learned over years of performing, and reminds us how we are capable of so much more than we think.

In this profoundly honest and moving memoir, Cynthia draws from her experiences running marathons, both real and metaphorical, on stage and on screen, to show how each challenge can help us. Through personal anecdotes, lessons and advice, she urges readers to lean into the wisdom of their bodies and to understand and strive for a physical and mental balance. Because when we chase our deepest desires, each small step leads us closer to where we want to go.

Publication date: 18th November 2025
Imprint: Macmillan

Lost In Town by Danny James King

Meet Johnny Ace—reluctant heir to a legendary brewery empire, caught in a world of corruption, betrayal, and rising crime. Set in The Capital, a shadowy underworld inspired by London’s darkest past, Lost in Town blends classic film noir aesthetics with gritty British gangster storytelling.

Alongside the enigmatic singer Jessica Kelly, Johnny must navigate a ruthless syndicate and choose between revenge, redemption, and survival. Every chapter pulls you deeper into the Ace of Hops Brewery universe—where family legacy, crime, and honor collide.

Available to purchase online at the Lost In Town website.

First Born Of The Son by Marvellous Michael Anson

In Oru L’ore has a secret. She is the only one without agbára – the ability to harness power from the sun. On pain of death she must conceal it from everyone. Including her best friend, Alawani.

But when the gods declare Alawani an Àlùfáà – a great honour where he will serve the gods and the Kingdom – he must be stripped of his power in a brutal trial likely to kill him. Unwilling to bear his death, L’ore vows to rescue him.

When she desperately attempts to channel agbára an icy shadow magic instead pours from her hands; a power she learns originated from a forbidden, secret land beyond the six rings of Oru.

One where she and Alawani must now seek sanctuary and discover a secret that could bring the Kingdom to its knees . . .

‘Absolutely Radiant’ – Bea Fitzgerald
‘A Dazzling Debut’ Andrea Stewart
‘Enthralling and epic’ Anna Day
‘Readers are going to LOVE THIS BOOK!’ Angela Montoay

Boy: When you find the boy you will discover the man by Fredi Nwaka

A true story of love, loss, survival and finding your voice.

Before the roads. Before the raves. Before the reputation. Before the man.

There was just the boy. A black child raised in a white seaside town, searching for somewhere-anywhere-to belong.

This is a journey through the silence, the secrets, and the scars.

From fishing trips and foster care to carnival, sound systems, fistfights, and murders, Boy is a raw, unforgettable memoir of identity, abandonment, and the power of being seen.

Told with brutal honesty, unexpected humour, and deep reflection, this is more than a story about growing up – it’s about rising up. A reflective therapy for me, the writer and an invitation for you, the reader, to walk every step of the journey with me.

It’s about finding light where there was none, and a voice where there was silence.

Some memories leave bruises while some build armour. Some do both.

Publication date: 1st November 2025
Publisher: Nwaka Books

Ever Since We Small By Celeste Mohammed

An intricately woven tapestry of stories where survival, resilience and self-discovery are passed down through generations of an Indo-Trinidadian family.

Celeste Mohammed’s second novel-in-stories, Ever Since We Small, is a family saga which covers a sweeping landscape from the days of the British Raj in India, to multicultural modern Trinidad. Written in a blend of Standard English and several flavours of Trinidad kriol, the book follows the bloodline of a young woman, Jayanti, after her decision to become a girmitiya, an indentured labourer in the Caribbean.

Jayanti’s grandson, Lall Gopaul, seeks to escape the rural village where he was born, but becomes seduced and corrupted by urban life. His son, Shiva, is forced to take a child-bride, Salma, but never recovers from the guilt. Heartache follows for their three children – Anand, Nadya and Abby – who must each find a way to accept and yet move past their parents’ failed example.

Along the journey of these ten interconnected stories, the alchemy necessary to turn the Gopauls’ inheritance of pain into a “generation of gold” requires intervention by the living and dead, the “real” and the mythical, the mundane and the magical, the secular and the sacred.

‘Ever Since We Small is a rich and captivating novel-in-stories, with beguiling characters and an emotional pull that made me want to swallow the book whole. Celeste Mohamed is a wise and consummate storyteller.‘ – Jendella Benson, author of Hope&Glory and All That We’ve Got

Publication date: 16th October 2025
Publisher: Nwaka Books

A Quick Ting On: Black British Power By Chanté Joseph

From the Mangrove Nine to Notting Hill Carnival, writer and social commentator Chanté Joseph takes us through the formative, radical histories of Black British activism.

When the Windrush generation arrived in Britain, the concept of ‘Black Britishness’ or ‘Black British Culture’ did not yet exist. Fast forward to the present day, where a distinct and influential Black British identity exists.

This concise and informative book traverses the crucial topics within Black British history and culture: exploring community activism, protests, Notting Hill Carnival, the Black BritBritish Panthers, Women of the movement, the Mangrove Nine and the Black British Arts.

Celebrating and chronicling the fusion of social, political and artistic elements within Black activism in Britain, A Quick Ting On: British Black Power provides an insightful look at how the British Black Power movement first emerged and has developed since.

Publication date:  2nd October 2025
Publisher: Jacaranda Books

Eternal Ruin By Tigest Girma

Kidan Adane has finally embraced her darkness. She’s killed without remorse, lied, and broken Uxlay University’s most sacred law by inviting elusive rogue vampires, the Nefrasi, into Uxlay.

Trapped with a violently unstable vampire, and reeling from her sister’s return, Kidan wields her anger like a weapon. She vows to master her house and protect the sacred artifact hidden inside, even if it means forging an alliance with the depraved leader of the Nefrasi, Samson Sagad–and betraying Susenyos.

A dangerous new philosophical text seems to hold the answers and promises the very thing Kidan has lost: control. Even as the dark pages consume her, Kidan knows no soul at Uxlay is trustworthy–least of all Susenyos. For Kidan and Susenyos, the lines of loathing and attraction may blur, but the quest for power rules them both. And neither is willing to surrender.

As devastating secrets resurface from the past, Kidan and her sister, June, must finally confront each other and take their rightful places in the looming war.

Publisher: Little Brown Books
Publish Date: 4th November 2025

How to Love Your Afro: Your Natural Hair Care Companion By Paige Lewin

At fourteen, Paige Lewin begged her mum for her first relaxer – convinced that straight hair was her ticket to beauty and acceptance. Years of damage, frustration and disconnect from her natural hair followed, until she realised she was hiding from her true self. Now, as host of Texture Talks, Paige has reclaimed her Afro hair and uncovered deeper truths about self-worth, identity and healing.

Inside How to Love Your Afro, Paige will teach you how to:

• Shift your mindset and language to transform your relationship with your hair
• Break free from beauty standards and embrace self-acceptance
• Choose the best products, tools, and techniques to nourish your Afro
• Understand the link between hair health, diet and wellbeing
• Work effectively with hair professionals

With insights from psychotherapist Tasha Bailey, dermatologist Dr. Yvonne Abimbola and Revlon curl specialist Rio Agor Watts, How to Love Your Afro offers a holistic guide to embracing your natural hair – blending emotional healing with practical care. For anyone who’s ever doubted their curls or struggled to feel “enough,” this is your empowering companion to self-acceptance and authentic beauty.

“Empowering and inspirational, everyone should read this book” Alison Hammond
“The embodied and tender guide that every Black woman needs” Kelechi Okafor
“More than a hair manual – it’s a mindset shift” Zeze Millz

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Publish Date: 9th October 2025

The look By Michelle Obama

In this celebration of style, from the moment she entered the public eye during her husband’s U.S. Senate campaign through her time as the first Black First Lady of the United States and today as one of the country’s most influential figures, Michelle Obama shares how she uses the beauty and intrigue of fashion to draw attention to her message.

Featuring the voices of Meredith Koop, Obama’s trusted stylist, as well as her makeup artist Carl Ray, hairstylists Yene Damtew and Njeri Radway, and many of the designers who have dressed Obama for notable events, The Look brings readers behind the scenes not only to reveal how her most memorable looks came together but also to tell a powerful story about how we present ourselves.

Obama’s intimate and candid stories illuminate how her approach to dressing has evolved throughout her life – from the colourful sheath dresses, cardigans, and brooches she wore during her time as First Lady to the bold suits, denim, and braids of her post-White House life and all the active looks and beautiful gowns in between.

In The Look, Michelle Obama explores the joy and the purpose of fashion and beauty and how – when wielded with grace and care – they can uplift and affirm the values one holds most dear. Confidence, she concludes, cannot be put on. But when you’re wearing something that’s intentional or beloved, clothing can make you feel like the best version of yourself.

‘A historical document, capturing a pivotal moment in the evolution of the role of first lady when clothing became an even bigger part of communication. When, in other words, dress became an officially recognized part of the job.’ – Vanessa Friedman, New York TimesUk

Publisher: Hachette Publishing
Publish Date: 4th November 2025

The Other Father Christmas By Serena Holly

When ten-year-old Mikey secretly enters his grandad into Santa Search, a magical competition to find the next fatehr christmas, he starts a journey that will change both their lives and prove that Christmas magic belongs to everyone.

Before Gran died, Gramps was the beloved Other Father Christmas at the local community centre Grotto – so when Santa Claus announces his retirement, ten-year-old Mikey secretly enters his reluctant Gramps into Santa Search, a magical competition to find the next Father Christmas.​

Swept away to Christmasland – a world of gingerbread Escape Rooms and bottomless hot chocolate – they must face enchanted trials, outwit a mysterious saboteur, and rediscover the true meaning of the season.

Publisher: Storymix
Publish Date: 4th November 2025