BlackChristianNews/BCBC Bestsellers-Fiction-January 2009-PT 1
Discover the January 2009 curated collection of Black Christian fiction bestsellers from BlackChristianNews—featuring standout titles like Second Sunday by Michele Andrea Bowen, The Ex Files by Victoria Christopher Murray, and The Pastor's Wife by ReShonda Tate Billingsley. This list spans compelling adult fiction, inspirational African American women’s stories, and uplifting juvenile fiction, offering faith-filled narratives of love, redemption, and community. Explore timeless works from acclaimed authors like Sharon Ewell Foster and Jacqueline Woodson, perfect for your next soul-stirring read.
Book
The Other Side
by Jacqueline Woodson
Jacqueline Woodson is the 2018-2019 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature Clover's mom says it isn't safe to cross the fence that segregates their African-American side of town from the white side where Anna lives. But the two girls strike up a friendship, and get around the grown-ups' rules by sitting on top of the fence together. With the addition of a brand-new author's note, this special edition celebrates the tenth anniversary of this classic book. As always, Woodson moves readers with her lyrical narrative, and E. B. Lewis's amazing talent shines in his gorgeous watercolor illustrations.
Book
Miracle's Boys
by Jacqueline Woodson
Winner of the 2001 Coretta Scott King Award, in Miracle's Boys, three young outsiders struggle to make it through when their parents die and leave them to survive on their own. An ALA Best Book for Young Adults.
Book
If Memory Serves
by Vanessa Davis Griggs
Memory Patterson has been hiding from her family for much too long. Her instinct has always been to run, and never more so than when a chance meeting with Pastor Landris and his pregnant wife, Johnnie Mae, leads to a shocking revelation about Memory's mother. Meanwhile, when Johnnie Mae has complications with her pregnancy, Pastor Landris learns that he may have to make an impossible choice - one that will amount to spiritual warfare.
Book
The Pastor's Wife
by ReShonda Tate Billingsley
From bestselling author ReShonda Tate Billinglsey comes a charming novel filled with love, laughter, inspiration and drama as Pastor Terrance searches for his Mrs. Right. Most men barely survive one mother, but Terrance Ellis has three: his aunts. His grandmother Essie's sisters—Eva, Dorothy Mae, and Mamie—lovingly raised him after Essie died in a tragic accident. They made sure that troubled young Terrance got on the right path and made something of his life. And now that he's all grown up and the rising pastor of Houston's Lily Grove church, the endlessly argumentative sisters agree on one thing: Terrance needs to find a wife. And not just any wife—but the right young woman to stand beside him as First Lady of Lily Grove at the fast-approaching one-hundredth-year Christmas service. Humble and handsome, Terrance is focused on preaching more than dating and has kindly fended off the advances of more than a few perfectly available ladies. So why, of all women, is outrageous, flirtatious Savannah McKinney drawing him in? Seeing Terrance falling under her seductive spell has got his aunts frantically matchmaking since time is running out and gossip is flying. Who will be the pastor's wife? Only heaven knows for sure. But before he finds her, some surprising and dramatic revelations are in store for Terrance, his congregation, and the three aunts who love him most in the world.
Book
Church Folk
by Michele Andrea Bowen
Mississippi, 1963. Essie Lee Lane is a small-town girl who doesn't take "stuff" from nobody. Yet even she isn't ready for the Reverend Theophilus Simmons, one of the South's most fiery and respected young preachers. Down-to-earth, caring, and oh-so-fine, he's everything Essie never thought she'd find in a man, and he realizes she is everything a pastor needs in a wife. But Essie and Theophilus soon discover that dealing with the contentious members of Theophilus's church will be no honeymoon-especially when a couple of First Lady wannabes and a few blasphemous preachers enter the picture. With their parishioners in turmoil and their denomination facing a major scandal, Essie and Theophilus must put their faith and love to the ultimate test as they struggle to lead their congregation to God's sweetest rewards.
Book
The Ex Files
by Victoria Christopher Murray
There are four ways a woman can handle heartbreak: She can fall apart, seek revenge, turn cold, or move on. The Ex Files follows the reverberations of heartbreak in the lives of four women. When Kendall Stewart finds her husband and her sister in bed together, she vows to never let anyone get that close again. But when she is faced with saving the life of the woman who destroyed hers, will she be able to forgive? In another thread, NBA superstar tells his mistress, Asia Ingrum, that he's decided to honor his marriage vows, her shock quickly gives way to revenge—but her decision may come back to haunt their five-year-old daughter. Then there’s Vanessa Martin, whose life revolves around obsessing over why her husband has committed suicide. Even worse, she contemplates joining him in eternity. Will Vanessa be able to gather the strength to live again? And Sheridan Hart is finally finding her way after a lie destroyed her seventeen-year marriage. Her new love is ready to get married, but will she commit to this younger man or is her ex-husband taking up too much space in her heart? When their pastor asks Kendall, Asia, Vanessa, and Sheridan to meet weekly for prayer, they can't imagine they will have anything in common. But then a devastating tragedy strikes, and these strangers are forced to reexamine their choices. Will they find true friendship, or will prayer—and their union—fail them?
Book
With Friends Like These
by ReShonda Tate Billingsley
The third book in an exciting and inspiring new series from national bestselling author ReShonda Tate Billingsley Only one girl will be chosen.... In the year since Camille, Alexis, Jasmine, and Angel joined Rachel Jackson's church youth group, the four best friends have bonded over boys, pitched in on community projects, and shared their deepest secrets. There's nothing they don't know about each other -- or is there? When a special guest arrives at Rachel's group and announces auditions for a television talk show, the girls will come to know a side of each other they never knew existed. And they may not like what they see. Will the four friends become enemies? The race to find the perfect host for KRCP's Teen Talks is heating up -- the competition is fierce, and so are the lies the girlfriends tell about each other in order to win the coveted spot. But more painful than any lies they can concoct is the cold, hard truth: none of them will reach their ultimate dreams if cutting each other down is how they choose to get ahead. Is winning a place in the spotlight worth losing their friendship? Includes a reader's group guide! Be sure to read the previous novels in ReShonda Tate Billingsley's fresh and fun series that looks at the Ten Commandments in a whole new light: Nothing But Drama and Blessings in Disguise -- now available! ReShonda Tate Billingsley is a general assignment reporter for KRIV-TV, the Fox affiliate in Houston, Texas. She is the author of the nonfiction book Help! I've Turned Into My Mother! and three previous adult novels: My Brother's Keeper, for which she received the prestigious Gold Pen Award for Best New Author from the Black Writer's Alliance and the Nova Lee Nation Award from the Greater Dallas Writing Association; the national bestseller Let the Church Say Amen, chosen for Library Journal's Best of 2004 list for Christian fiction; and I Know I've Been Changed, a Main Selection of the Black Expressions Book Club. Her previous Christian teen novels are Nothing But Drama and Blessings in Disguise, both available from Pocket Books. She is also a contributor to the story anthology Have a Little Faith. Visit her website at www.reshondatatebillingsley.com.
Book
Pressing Hard
by Stephanie Perry Moore
When Perry wakes up in a very compromising position after having a few drinks too many, he realizes it's time to stop the crazy partying and turn his attention back to his future. Meanwhile, Perry's best friend Damarius is wasting his time doing too much weed. When tragedy strikes, will Perry's faith be strong enough to help him do what's right?
Book
A Sin and a Shame
by Victoria Christopher Murray
Having broken up her friend's marriage by seducing her husband, Jasmine Larson, the deceitful yet captivating heroine from "Temptation," moves to New York to start a new life as a Christian. She falls in love with a preacher, but will she be honest with him and reveal that she's pregnant by another man?
Book
True Friends
by Stephanie Perry Moore
When her African-American family moves to a new town after her father takes a football coaching job at a historically black university, ten-year-old Carmen learns important lessons about friendship and prejudice.
Book
Nothing But Drama
by ReShonda Tate Billingsley
The first book in an exciting and inspiring new series from national bestselling author ReShonda Tate Billingsley Their lives are nothing but drama. . . . Camille can't believe her bad luck when she's ordered to join a church youth group after hiding her boyfriend from the police. She'll bide her time if that's what it takes to get everyone off her back, but it's the last place she ever expected to make a new friend. Angel has a secret that's got her running scared, so when she sees a flyer for the group, she heads to the church, hoping to find an answer to her problem. Now Rachel, their group leader, has a task for them that may just end their daily dramas and give them a whole new beginning. They just have to take a leap of faith. . . . Along the way, they meet tough-as-nails Jasmine and society-darling Alexis, forging friendships built on strength, loyalty, and faith. As the girls take up Rachel's challenge to honor their parents, they find that walking a new path isn't always the easiest way to go. But together, Camille, Angel, Jasmine, and Alexis will embark on adventures that only the best of friends can share.
Book
Abraham's Well
by Sharon Ewell Foster
Armentia, an aged black Cherokee woman, remembers her youth, her family, and their struggle to hold on to their dreams.
Book
Happy Princess
by Stephanie Perry Moore
In the fifth and final volume of the popular series, Carmen enters the uncharted waters of adolescence, discovering that her changing moods and growing body bring new challenges to her life.
Book
Playing God
by Michelle McKinney Hammond
Hammond explores the heartache that can come when women try to play God in their own lives. This riveting novel with intersecting story lines reminds readers that God is loving, all-knowing, merciful, and the One completely in control.
Book
Up Pops the Devil
by Angela Benson
Two hard years in prison have changed Wilford "Preacher" Winters for the better. He did his time, now he's going to "do the right thing." But the women in his life have other ideas. Tanya, the sleek and sexy mother of his two kids, is much too comfortable with her pearls-and-Porsche lifestyle, and she'll do whatever it takes to maintain it... His sister, Loretta, kept "the business" running smoothly while Preacher was inside, and she can't believe he'd trade Easy Street bling for a nickel-and-dime dead-end job... His one-time girlfriend Serena, now married to his main man Barnard, is hiding a secret—and if past sins come to light, they'll ruin several lives and a very new, very precious friendship between Preacher and Barnard's beautiful-inside-and-out sister, Natalie. With his world about to explode all around him, Preacher's going to need every ounce of his new-found faith to remain strong. Because it takes a lot to become a new man, sometimes even a miracle.
Book
Truth Be Told
by Victoria Christopher Murray
The author of The Personal Librarian and Essence bestsellers Temptation and Joy returns with a story about one woman's personal and spiritual journey to overcome the consequences of her husband's dark secret. Grace Monroe has the ideal life: a devoted husband, adoring daughters, and a booming career in politics. Newly elected on a Christian platform to the Los Angeles city council, she is determined to put her mistakes behind her and focus on her bright future. But when a secret from her husband's past is revealed, setting off a chain of attacks that threaten to rip her family apart, Grace must face a dilemma that will force her to question her life and her faith.
Book
Second Sunday
by Michele Andrea Bowen
This story is set in St. Louis in the 1970s. The 100th year anniversary celebration of Gethsemane Missionary Baptist Church is approaching and the pastor has died. How will the church pull itself back together and find a new pastor in time to prepare for the church centennial, let alone survive one more day? It seems as though everyone in the church has an idea about who the new pastor needs to be and what direction he should be going. In the tradition of Gloria Naylor's Women of Brewster Place, Bowen weaves the hilarious stories of several church members as they plan, plot, and connive to have their choice installed as the next pastor before the anniversary celebration. Second Sunday refers to one of the main worship Sundays in small traditional Baptist churches. In the book, it is the day of the scheduled centennial celebration.
Book
I Know I've Been Changed
by ReShonda Tate Billingsley
Raedella Rollins left Sweet Poke, Arkansas on a Texas-bound bus with four mismatched suitcases, a newsroom job offer and a promise to herself: never look back. Now she's a top-rated talk show host and fiancee to Houston's star councilman. When her ragtag family comes knocking, the last thing she wants is an unexpected reunion with her over-the-top relatives. But when her picture-perfect life turns out to be an illusion, can Rae open her heart to the healing that only faith and family can provide?
Book
He's Saved-- But is He for Real?
by Kimberley Brooks
In her sequel to inspirational romance He's Fine, But Is He Saved? Kimberley Brooks takes another look at the lives of Michelle, Liz and Sandy. Michelle is falling for friend David, but her feelings are thrown into confusion when her old boyfriend returns; Liz's insecurity and jealousy are threating her two great blessings - her calling as a minister and a man who loves her; Sandy's had the strength to get her ex out of her life, but meeting a spiritual man to replace him isn't easy, and soon loneliness leads her to someone who should be off-limits...
Book
Watercolored Pearls
by Stacy Hawkins Adams
Each at different places in their lives, three women--Serena, a stay-at-home mom; Erika, who is haunted by her abusive past; and Tawana, a lawyer trying not to let her ambitions destroy her life--turn to each other, and to God, to unleash their inner beauty.
Book
Speak to My Heart
by Stacy Hawkins Adams
Serena is successful, sassy, and saved. But can she come to terms with her mother's secret and past relationships before it's too late?