Whether you're settling in for a heaping plate of Mamaw's banana pudding or Abuela's arepas and tostones, a good meal always brings family together. A Charlotte Zolotow Honor Book An ALSC Notable Children's Book This tale of a family road trip highlights the author's joy in both her American and Colombian heritage, and captures all the warmth and love of her family's two distinct cultures. Once a year, on a Friday night, My family leaves the city And drives hours and hours . . . After a long drive to visit family—whether in the mountains of rural West Virginia or the sticky heat of Florida—what could be a better welcome than a homemade meal? Inspired by Elizabeth Lilly's childhood vacations and the sense-memories of late-night journeys down the coast, Let Me Fix You a Plate is a vivacious exploration of family traditions old and new— from toast with homemade blueberry jam, to fresh orange juice and arepas with queso blanco, to midnight waffles at home. Vivid illustrations explore the heart of the home—the kitchen—and the treasures found when a family gathers to celebrate their culture, and one another. Joyous, bright, and mouth-watering, this celebration of family and our diverse, delicious traditions is sure to leave readers hungry for more! A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year A CCBC Choice

Whether you're settling in for a heaping plate of Mamaw's banana pudding or Abuela's arepas and tostones, a good meal always brings family together. A Charlotte Zolotow Honor Book An ALSC Notable Children's Book This tale of a family road trip highlights the author's joy in both her American and Colombian heritage, and captures all the warmth and love of her family's two distinct cultures. Once a year, on a Friday night, My family leaves the city And drives hours and hours . . . After a long drive to visit family—whether in the mountains of rural West Virginia or the sticky heat of Florida—what could be a better welcome than a homemade meal? Inspired by Elizabeth Lilly's childhood vacations and the sense-memories of late-night journeys down the coast, Let Me Fix You a Plate is a vivacious exploration of family traditions old and new— from toast with homemade blueberry jam, to fresh orange juice and arepas with queso blanco, to midnight waffles at home. Vivid illustrations explore the heart of the home—the kitchen—and the treasures found when a family gathers to celebrate their culture, and one another. Joyous, bright, and mouth-watering, this celebration of family and our diverse, delicious traditions is sure to leave readers hungry for more! A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year A CCBC Choice

Take an Amazing Soul Food Journey With 60 Authentic, Unique and Indulgent Recipes Get ready to shake up your home cooking with the most soul-satisfying dishes you’ve ever encountered. From hilarious and beloved chef Scotty Scott comes a deep dive into the delicious world of soul food, showcasing traditional recipes as well as awe-inspiring remixes on the classics. Learn the history behind how these iconic dishes came to be so embedded in soulful southern culture, and follow along as Scotty tells the heartwarming, sometimes side-splitting stories of how they were interwoven into his family history and childhood. Start your morning off right with savory Southern Raised Biscuits with Spicy Sausage Cream Gravy or a big ol’ hearty plate of Catfish and Grits. Next, put some meat on your bones with staples like succulent Short Rib Grillades or Sea Island Red Peas and Carolina Gold Rice Hoppin’ John. Finally, dive into the Soul Remix with Scotty’s out-of-this-world elevations of classic recipes, like Fried Oyster Collard Green Salad, Duck Fat Shrimp Etouffee or Chicken and Brown Butter Sweet Potato Waffles with Maple Bourbon Sauce. Capturing the very essence of family, history and hearty goodness, Fix Me A Plate delivers the best of down-home cooking with the funkiest of mouthwatering funky fusions. So dig right in, and you’ll soon be creating crowd-pleasing meals that will have your friends and family asking, “Can you Fix Me a Plate?”

What happens when Mae meets a man and fall in love with him only to discover he isnt what you thought? He reaches for her hand and kisses it, Welcome to The Moonlight Lounge, My Lady Is Mae with you? I just got off work and found her purse and cell phone on the ground by her car Well its about time you woke up Who are you? They call me Lucifer I am your worst nightmare

Millionaire Grace Purdue never understood why her three beautiful, intelligent granddaughters didn’t have a husband. Every woman needs a good man by her side, especially a woman of means. So, when the publishing empire heiress died she made sure that her granddaughters wouldn’t stay single. In order for them to get their inheritance, they must each fall in love and get married in nine months. Easy….right? Sheila, Leslie and Regina are wondering if their grandmother took too much medication when she wrote her will. If thousands of women across the globe are having a hard time finding true love and a husband, what made their grandmother think that they could in less than a year? But with a total of $45 million at stake, they are determined to shed their singleness or die trying. Little do they know that love, romance, deceit and deception run deep because money can get you what you want and a whole lot of what you don’t. Enjoy this entertaining tale as the Purdue women each take a different path that they hope will lead to meeting the love of their lives at the altar.

Samiq “Shooter” Young learned at an early age that love doesn’t make you responsible. His parents chose their vices over him, and although they were there, they fell short when it came to providing him with the things he needed. That deficit forced him into the streets and into a different type of family where he had to do whatever necessary to survive. Years passed, and he built a one-man operation that was just enough to provide him with a good life but kept him under the radar. However, as a man, he once again learns that love doesn’t make you responsible. When one of his transactions are interrupted by his ex, who chose her vices over raising the daughter that the two of them created—a daughter that Shooter wasn’t aware existed—he’s left once again to pick up where someone else fell short. Refusing to be a mirror image of his parents, he had some tough choices to make, which meant rearranging his priorities enough to be a father to his daughter. He walks away from everything and grinds in any way possible to make sure they both have what they need. That left little to no room in his life for anything other than being on his grind and raising his daughter, until her... Unfortunately, Shooter finds himself stuck between what his heart is being pulled to and what his mind is fighting against. Once you’re faded off of love, you no longer have control, no matter how hard you fight to maintain it.

Timothy Evans-Barnes is three and lives with his fathers in an apartment above their bar and grill, The Pickled Pepper. His grandfather, Miss Jason, runs The Rendezvous, the most successful gay brothel and restaurant in the state. His great-grandfather prefers to be called Mom and wears daffodil aprons and bright yellow earrings; he manages a homeless shelter for that well-known Sripper-for-God, the Reverend Margie Bartholomew. Timothy spends his days playing with his babysitter, Sandra Dee, and watching the cats who parade down Peters Street and Piper Avenue and the rats who hover around the alley trash bins. On the same day that Mike and Logan, his parents, discover he has learned a new word something Miss Jason says he learned genetically Timmy becomes terrified that someone is being eaten by the rodent population. Join the Rendezvous gang in this new adventure in mystery, and meet the latest members of the team: a Ringling Brothers clown, a laundromat owner who names her children for Hollywood stars, all four stooges, assorted professors, a fraternity stud, all following Miss Jason into rat infested tunnels while investigating murder. This time Miss Jason might just get her merit badge in Detective. . .if its designed by Donatella Versace! About The First Rendezvous Mystery, RUBBER BABY BUGGY BUMPERS. . . this novel with its tongue twisting title seemingly came out of nowhere to land squarely on my list of favorites for this year. This is a book not to be missed. Drewey Wayne Gunn, Lambda Literary Review, author of The Gay Male Sleuth in Print and Film

The Last of the Butterflies By: B.L Baker

When a BIG, lovable, does-it-her-way dog wiggles her way into the heart of a loudmouth pipsqueak of a boy, wonderful things happen that help him become a bigger, better person. Perfect for fans of Wonder and Because of Winn-Dixie. Timminy knows that moving to a new town just in time to start middle school when you are perfect bully bait is less than ideal. But he gets a great consolation prize in Maxi—a gentle giant of a dog who the family quickly discovers is deaf. Timminy is determined to do all he can to help Maxi—after all, his parents didn't return him because he was a runt. But when the going gets rough for Timminy, who spends a little too much time getting shoved into lockers at school, Maxi ends up being the one to help him—along with their neighbor, Abby, who doesn’t let her blindness define her and bristles at Timminy’s “poor-me” attitude. It turns out there’s more to everyone than what’s on the surface, whether it comes to Abby, Maxi, or even Timminy himself.

After doing a 5-year bid, all ex-drug dealer Breeze wants is a normal life with the love of his life and his children. Determined to stay on a straight and narrow path, he follows all the rules of his probation, and even works a full-time job as a janitor. But when the pressure becomes too much to handle, he reverts back to what he knows best. With everything under control, he's the happiest man alive—that is, until he realizes his happiness was achieved at the cost of another man's losses. This brings Breeze back to a part of his life he'd hoped never to relive. He puts his combat boots on and is ready for war, not knowing if the battle will land him back in lockdown. In order to keep his happiness, Breeze is willing to risk it all. Bestselling author Chunichi brings readers another engaging tale of life on the streets. The Streets Keep Calling will make you ask yourself, "How far would I be willing to go for survival?"