November to December 2009 - Best Selling Books

AALBC.com's 25 Best Selling Books
November 1st through December 31st 2009
Bestsellers list compiled from online sales via Amazon (including ebook format)

Also check out the best selling Fiction and Nonfiction books for all of 2009

#1 Total Eclipse of the Heart Click to order via Amazon by Zane Hardcover: 336 pages Publisher: Atria (December 1, 2009) Language: English ISBN-10: 0743499298 ISBN-13: 978-0743499293 Read an AALBC.com Review Brooke Alexander, a waitress who has self-esteem issues regarding her lackluster existence and her fluctuating weight, is in love with Patrick Sterling, one of the most prominent attorneys in Washington, D.C. On his good days, Patrick is the man in every woman's dream. On his bad days, Patrick's behavior is demeaning and he is angry at the world. Brooke adores Patrick -at least some things about him- but he's stressing her out and causing her to alienate most of the people in her inner circle. Damon Johnson, who's been married to Carleigh for four years, is one of "the last good men", compassionate and honest, worshipping the ground his wife walks on. He's also a man with goals and aspirations. Sure, he pulls in a six-figure income as the Human Resources Manager at a Fortune 500 corporation, but he dreams of building his own empire. Carleigh, a woman who has her own issues with men, treats Damon like a trophy husband, however, and views his plans as a joke. Damon loves his wife with all of his heart, but he's beginning wonder if he made the right decision when he asked for her hand in marriage. The lives of Brooke, Damon, and Carleigh are changed forever the day they attend a music festival in downtown D.C. the day that Damon saves the lives of both women when an SUV careens out of control. In the days after the accident, all three of them struggle with its repercussions, and an unlikely friendship begins between Brooke and Damon after she calls to thank him. They find that they're immediately drawn to each other, and are soon caught up in intense conversations that range from their goals and dreams, to children, and eventually to their own relationships. Brooke and Damon quickly realize that are playing a dangerous game, but it's a game that neither of them can back away from. There is something going on between them and it's growing deeper. It may have started out because of the accident, but it's become so much more than just a friendship. Conflicted and caught in a web of intense feelings, both Brooke and Damon must decide if they should focus on their current relationships and try and make them work or jump at the chance to find true love. TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HEART is a provocative tale of love and heartbreak, a story in which Zane explores what happens when you cater to your emotional well-being and discover the meaning of unconditional love...or, rather, experience a total eclipse of the heart.	#1 Confessions of a Video Vixen Click to order via Amazon by Karrine Steffans ISBN: 0060842423 Format: Hardcover, 205pp Pub. Date: June 2005 Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Watch an AALBC.com Interview with Karrine Steffans Glass vases filled with marbles crashed all around us as he began tossing linens from the bed. As the marbles scattered, we laughed in unison ... I remember the exact moment that I first laid on my back for him ... My legs were wrapped around his waist and just before his body was to merge with mine, I noticed his upper right chest. On it was a tattoo with the words "Pain is Love." Confessions of a Video Vixen is the widely anticipated memoir of Karrine Steffans, the once sought-after sexy siren who appeared in the music videos of multiplatinum hip-hop artists such as Jay-Z, R. Kelly, and LL Cool J. A top-paid video dancer, Karrine transitioned to film when acclaimed director F. Gary Gray picked her to costar in his film A Man Apart, starring Vin Diesel. But the movie and music video sets, swanky Miami and New York restaurants, and trysts with the celebrities featured in the pages of People and In Touch magazines only skims the surface of Karrine's life. This memoir -- part tell-all, part cautionary tale -- shows how Karrinne came to be the confidante of so many, why she kept their secrets, and how she found herself in Hollywood after a life marked by physical abuse, rape, and drugs -- all before she was twenty-six. By sharing her emotionally charged story, she hopes to shed light on an otherwise romanticized industry.
#2 Purple Panties: An Eroticanoir.com Anthology Click to order via Amazon by Zane (Editor) ISBN: 1593091656 Number Of Pages: 320 Publication Date: May 06, 2008 Publisher: Strebor Books Zane, the New York Times best-selling author and Queen of Erotic Fiction, brings a new collection of lesbian erotica that will blow the sheets off beds everywhere. What happens when "The Finest Man" you have ever laid eyes on is a woman? What happens when a woman comes home to her man after a hard day's work with "Lipstick on Her Collar?" What happens when a married woman runs across the love of her life -- another woman -- who insists that "It's All or Nothing?" Is there such a thing as playing too "Hard to Get?" What happens when "Mom's Night Out" turns into group sex? What happens when you discover your true sexuality "At Last?" All of these questions and more are answered within the pages of Purple Panties. Written by women from all over the world, here is a new level of lesbian erotica, compiled by Zane, that promises the most exciting and steamy reading experience possible. These stories move beyond race, age, and all walks of life, including long-hidden passions, secret rendezvous with strangers, and May-December romances. With Zane's ever-growing popularity, and the need for increasingly quality erotica, Purple Panties will satisfy a long-standing demand for African-American lesbian literature. In the tradition of such successful erotica anthologies as Chocolate Flava and Caramel Flava, Purple Panties uncovers a new world of evocative risk-taking that has never been explored before from a lesbian perspective. The adventures in these stories are beyond everyone's wildest imaginations.	#2 The Isis Papers: The Keys to the Colors Click to order viaAmazon by Frances Cress Welsing Format: Paperback, 1st ed., 302pp. ISBN: 0883781042 Publisher: Third World Press Pub. Date: November 1990 Edition Desc: 1st ed Preface: "We now are nearing the final decade of the 20th century. Recently, there has been an unraveling and an analysis of the core issue of the first global power sysem of mass oppression-- the power system of racism (white supremacy). One the collective victim (non-white population) understands this fundamental issue, the ultimate organizing of all of the appropriate behaviors necessary to neutralize the great injustice of the white supremacy power system will only be a matter of time. The length of time required to neutralize global white supremacy will be inversely proportional to 1) the level of understanding of the phenomenon; plus 2) the evolution of self- and group-respect, the will, determination and discipline to practice the appropriate counter-racist behaviors--on the part of the non-white victims of white supremacy."
#3 Missionary No More: Purple Panties 2 Click to order via Amazon by Zane (Editor) Paperback: 256 pages Publisher: Strebor Books (January 6, 2009) Language: English ISBN-10: 1593092113 ISBN-13: 978-1593092115 Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches Steamy, sensual and poetically hypnotic, Missionary No More: Purple Panties 2 is the follow-up to the bestseller Purple Panties. No one can debate the fact that Zane knows sex. The Queen of Erotic Fiction has hit home run after home run in the literary arena with her literary offerings. Now comes the latest, a collection of lesbian erotica that will have readers squirming on the edge of their seats, curling up beneath the sheets, and fantasizing about the possibilities. Including such stories as "The Namma's Nectar," "Coast to Coast" and "She Loved a Girl," Missionary No More gives an insight into a world where love and lust have no boundaries. Come take a journey through the eyes of several women who have one thing in common: an appreciation for female sensuality.	#3 Cool, Confident and Strong: 52 Power Moves for Girls Click to order via Amazon by Cassandra Mack Paperback: 98 pages Publisher: Authors Choice Press (October 22, 2007) Language: English ISBN-10: 0595475604 ISBN-13: 978-059547560 Created just for girls, Cool, Confident and Strong helps young women tackle the many day-to-day issues they face. From self-esteem and body image to dating and surviving cliques Cool, Confident and Strong teaches girls how to remain true to themselves and make choices that respect their values, boundaries and bodies. Also included are a mother/daughter discussion guide, resources for teenage girls and tips for starting your own Cool, Confident and Strong reading group
#4 Head Bangers: An APF Sexcapade Click to order via Amazon by Zane ISBN: 1593092393 Label: Strebor Books Manufacturer: Strebor Books Number Of Pages: 128 Publication Date: June 09, 2009 Hope and Faith: two things that everyone needs to survive. But the words take on a different meaning in the form of a set of twins who attend Crockett University in Washington, D.C. As seniors, they are looking forward to a bright future in corporate America. Meanwhile, they have decided to relieve some of the stress involved in getting a higher education by being members of APF. Soror Ride 'em High and Soror Lick 'em Low, originally hail from Atlanta and, like most twins, they share a connection. In fact, their physical bond is so strong, that one can often feel a pounding in her vagina while the other is engaged in sexual activity. But everything is not perfect when it comes to being a twin. Sometimes animosity and jealousy can creep in; especially when Hope and Faith find themselves both attracted to the same man on campus. Is blood really thicker than water? Or, in this case, thicker than basic carnal desires? In this long-anticipated second volume in the APF series, a follow-up toThe Sisters of APF: The Indoctrination of Soror Ride Dick,New York Times Best-Selling Author Zane, once again proves why she is "The Queen of Erotic Fiction." Over the years many have tried to emulate her but Zane's imagination is not to be replicated any time in the near future. The freak nights of APF are some of the most artistic, exhilarating, erotic experiences that have ever graced the pages of a book; evidenced by the thousands of emails Zane has received over the years from women yearning to join the sorority. The sexual revolution continues...within the pages ofHead Bangers: An APF Sexcapade.	#4 Dear G-Spot: Straight Talk About Sex and Love Click to order via Amazon by Zane ISBN: 0743457056 Pub. Date: July 10, 2007 Format: Hardcover, 256pp Publisher: Atria Books Dear G-Spot includes real letters from real people, both women and men, who have sought Zane's advice over the years -- the preacher's wife worrying about being judged, the virgin, the guy next door, the gay man next door, the woman with low self-esteem, and the other woman with a sex drive over the moon. In her own uniquely can-did and humorous way, Zane answers all your questions -- even questions you never thought to ask -- about making whoopee.
#5 Push: A Novel Click to order via Amazon by Sapphire ISBN: 0679766758 Format: Paperback, 140pp Pub. Date: April 1997 Publisher: Random House, Incorporated Precious: Film based on the novel Push by Sapphire Read a film Review In an electrifying novel, a black street girl, sixteen years old and pregnant, again, with her father's child, speaks. In a voice that shakes us by its language, its story, and its unflinching honesty, Precious Jones records her journey up from Harlem's lowest depths... For Precious, miraculously, hope appears and the world begins to open up when a courageous black woman - a teacher hellbent to teach - bullies, cajoles, and inspires her to learn to read, to define her own feelings and set them down in a diary: to discover the truth of her life. Day after day they go over the pages, translating the illiterate but developing language of Precious' journals. The learning process itself, as vividly revealed as the most brutal aspects of Precious' daily existence, is the heartbeat of a novel that will disturb, galvanize, and stay in the mind.	#5 Christopher Columbus and the Afrikan Holocaust: Slavery and the Rise of European Capitalism Click to order via Amazon by Dr. John Henrik Clarke ISBN: 1886433186 Format: Paperback, 128pp Pub. Date: August 2002 Publisher: A & B Distributors
#6 Last Bitch Standing Click to order via Amazon by Deja King Paperback: 254 pages Publisher: A King Production (November 24, 2009) Language: English ISBN-10: 097558118X ISBN-13: 978-0975581186 In the final installment of the Bitch Series, Precious Cummings only has one agenda and that is to destroy her most conniving enemy yet, Maya. Precious has no doubt that she can shut it down, the only problem is locating her nemesis who has disappeared with her husband, Supreme and daughter, Aaliyah. As Precious fights to not only win the battles but the war, she is determined to be the Last Bitch Standing.	#6 The Vixen Manual: How to Find, Seduce, & Keep the Man You Want Click to order via Amazon by Karrine Steffans Hardcover: 272 pages Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (July 13, 2009) Language: English ISBN-10: 0446582271 ISBN-13: 978-0446582278 Since she exploded on the scene with her two juicy and impossible-to-put-down tell-alls, readers have wanted to know even more about what makes Karrine Steffans tick. How was she able to meet all the high profile politicians, movie stars, and other celebrities that are her close acquaintances? What skills does she possess to keep men wanting more? Finally, Karrine lays it all out and explains exactly what a woman must do to win over the man of her dreams. With chapters like "Never Let Him See You Sweat,""Flirting,""Encouraging His Manhood," and "Give Him What He Wants," this hot and sexy manual is a must-have for every woman's bookshelf.
#7 Nothing But Drama Click to order via Amazon by ReShonda Tate Billingsley Reading level: Young Adult Paperback: 288 pages Publisher: Pocket (November 7, 2006) Language: English ISBN-10: 1416525602 The first book in an exciting and inspiring new series from national best-selling 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.	#7 Inner City Miracle: A Memoir Click to order via Amazon by Judge Greg Mathis and Blair S. Walker Format: Hardcover, 256pp. ISBN: 0345446429 Publisher: Ballantine Books, Inc. Pub. Date: October 2002 Read an AALBC.com Review It starts in Detroit�but far from the court where Greg would one day preside. Raised in the hell of the Herman Garden Projects, he grows to become a "bad-ass, cool-dressing, do-anything gangsta." His father gone, his mother juggling two jobs, he falls in with the Errol Flynns�"funkified English gentlemen" in three-piece suits and Borsalino hats, urban Robin Hoods who are truly stylish as they steal from everyone and give to themselves. Considered bright but incorrigible, Greg is sent to stay in his middle-class cousin's mixed neighborhood, where he enlists the local white youth in wrongdoing. Even jail can't keep him from going bad again once he gets out. Then a threat to his beloved mother causes a shaken Greg to make a promise in a prayer to God: save my mother and I will straighten up.
#8 Breath, Eyes, Memory Click to order via Amazon by Edwidge Danticat Paperback: 256 pages Publisher: Vintage; Reprint edition (May 18, 1998) Language: English ISBN-10: 037570504X ISBN-13: 978-0375705045 At an astonishingly young age, Edwidge Danticat has become one of our most celebrated new novelists, a writer who evokes the wonder, terror, and heartache of her native Haiti--and the enduring strength of Haiti's women--with a vibrant imagery and narrative grace that bear witness to her people's suffering and courage. At the age of twelve, Sophie Caco is sent from her impoverished village of Croix-des-Rosets to New York, to be reunited with a mother she barely remembers. There she discovers secrets that no child should ever know, and a legacy of shame that can be healed only when she returns to Haiti--to the women who first reared her. What ensues is a passionate journey through a landscape charged with the supernatural and scarred by political violence, in a novel that bears witness to the traditions, suffering, and wisdom of an entire people	#8 Mozart and Leadbelly: Stories and Essays Click to order via Amazon by Ernest J. Gaines ISBN: 1400044723 Format: Hardcover, 158pp Pub. Date: October 2005 Publisher: Knopf Publishing Group In this collection of stories and essays, the beloved author of the classic, best-selling novel A Lesson Before Dying shares with us the inspirations behind his books, how he came to choose the vocation of a writer, the childhood in rural Louisiana that he continually re-creates in his fiction, and his portrayal of the black experience in the South. Told in the simple and powerful prose that is a hallmark of his craft, these writings faithfully evoke the sorrows and joys of rustic Southern life. They begin with Gaines's move to California at the age of fifteen to complete school. Missing the Louisiana countryside where he was raised by his aunt propelled him to find books in the library that would invoke the sights, smells, and locution of his native home. Gaines never agreed with the authors' portrayal of black people: "either she was a mammy, or he was a Tom," he explains in Miss Jane and I. From that initial disappointment stemmed a literary career that has spanned forty years and includes five novels, which in the words of USA Today reviewer Suzanne Freeman have made the smallest truths, the everyday sorrows of hard choices, add up to moments of pure illumination. These are cherished and popular books like The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, A Gathering of Old Men, and the 1993 blockbuster A Lesson Before Dying, which has sold more than two million copies around the world, won the National Book Critics Circle Award, and in 1997 was picked for Oprah's Book Club. It has been continually selected for City Read programs and praised by critics as "an instant classic, a book that will be read, discussed and taught beyond the rest of our lives" (Charles R. Larson, Chicago Tribune). In the essay "Writing A Lesson Before Dying," Gaines describes the real-life murder case that gave him the idea for his masterpiece. Included here are short stories that transport us to the rural Louisiana of the 1940s and the influences that shaped him’most lastingly, the people and the places of Gaines's own past. This wonderful collection of autobiographical essays and fictional pieces is a revelation of both man and writer.
#9 True to the Game III Click to order via Amazon by Teri Woods Paperback: 240 pages Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (July 2, 2008) Language: English ISBN-10: 0446581682 The third and most explosive installment of the groundbreaking True to the Game trilogy will take you on a marathon race through the mean streets of Philly. Starting off where the second installment's dramatic cliffhanger left us, True III will finally reveal Gena's mysterious stalker and savior, as well as introduce a new killer so vicious, so cunning, so ruthless, he'll have you looking over your shoulder with each turn of the page. The crooked cops are searching for the money, Gena's family members are now the target for Gena who's hiding from everything and everyone, as the race is on for Gena's survival. Will she manage to keep the money, can she get out of town and make a new life for herself, and will her family survive the maniacal killer that is hell bent on tracking her down? Will Gena stay, True to the Game?	#9 Hope on a Tightrope: Words and Wisdom Click to order via Amazon by Cornel West Hardcover: 246 Pages, illustrated (Includes a free CD) Publisher: Smiley Books (November 1, 2008) Language: English ISBN-10: 1401921868 ISBN-13: 978-1401921866 Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 6 x 1 inches Read an AALBC.com Book Review The New York Times best-selling author of Race Matters and Democracy Matters offers open-hearted wisdom for our times in this courageous collection of quotations, speech excerpts, letters, philosophy, and photographs that reflect the profound humanity that fuels the passionate public intellectual. In a world that seesaws between unconditional love and acceptance and blind hatred and exclusion, Hope on a Tightrope will satisfy readers in search of deep wells of inspiration and challenge that marries the mind to the heart. This gift book features an original CD that highlights Dr. West's outstanding spoken-word artistry. His August 2007 CD release Never Forget: A Journey of Revelationsthat featured collaborations with best-selling artists Prince, Jill Scott, and Andre 3000 topped the charts as Billboard's #1 Spoken Word album.
#10 Wildflowers: A Novel Click to order via Amazon by Lyah Beth LeFlore Paperback: 384 pages Publisher: Broadway (September 8, 2009) Language: English ISBN-10: 0767921194 ISBN-13: 978-0767921190 Lyah's sweeping and emotional family drama in the tradition of The Joy Luck Club and Waiting to Exhale AND THE COME UP BOOK ONE: THE WORLD IS MINE, Lyah's hot new teen series debuting Fall 2009 with illustrations by acclaimed artist and music industry creative force, DL Warfield. 35-year old Chloe Davis Michaels has it all: a great job as a partner in a boutique publicity firm in Los Angeles, a handsome new husband, and a baby on the way. But no matter how things look from the outside, the reality of Chloe's gilded life is far from perfect. Her husband has a violent streak that terrifies her, and she knows that the only way to protect her unborn child is to leave. And so with $23.11 to her name, Chloe seeks refuge in the loving arms of her Midwestern family, and returns to St. Louis to �get prayed up� and figure out her next move. But Chloe is not the only woman in her family who is going through a crisis. And as secrets are revealed and the bonds of family are tested, the Davis women are forced to finally be honest with each other�and with themselves�in order to weather the storm. By turns humorous and emotional, hopeful, honest, and poignant, Wildflowers is beautifully written novel that explores the complexity of the love between mothers and daughters.	#10 The Vixen Diaries Click to order via Amazon by Karrine Steffans Hardcover: 288 pages Publisher: Grand Central Pub. Date: (Sept. 25, 2007) ISBN-10: 0446582263 Watch a video of Karrine Steffans with AALBC.com founder. Also read Karrine's interview with Kam Williams This titillating expos� chronicles the personal and professional adventures of this tabloid-laden socialite, dispelling some rumors, while confirming others. Diaries unveils the heavily shrouded Hollywood backrooms and its coveted secrets. Offering her ardent fans answers to burning questions and presenting lessons learned, this book will surely not disappoint. Karrine Steffans continues to dish out juicy gossip and the much sought after details of her star studded lifestyle and the celebrity men that helped her get where she needed to be. Karrine draws you in to get an up-close and personal look at the Hollywood life of fast money and sex; all the things that make for a great movie. She discusses her interactions with people after the release of Confessions of a Video Vixen and how she copes with it all.
#11 - True to the Game by Teri Woods Click to order via Amazon #12 - Queen Bitch: Part 4 (Bitch Series) by Deja King Click to order via Amazon #13 - Alibi by Teri Woods Click to order via Amazon #14 - Getting Buck Wild: Sex Chronicles 2, Vol. 2 by Zane (Editor) Order via Amazon #15 - Life Is Short But Wide by J. California Cooper Click to order via Amazon #16 - True to the Game II by Teri Woods Click to order via Amazon #17 - American Dreams by Sapphire Click to order via Amazon #18 - The Sex Chronicles: Shattering the Myth by Zane Click to order via Amazon #19 - Dutch III: The Finale by Kwame Teague (Teri Woods) Click to order via Amazon #20 - Love the One You're With (B-Boy Blues) by James Earl Hardy Click to order via Amazon #21 - All the Rage: The Boondocks Past and Present by Aaron McGruder Click to order via Amazon #22 - Deadly Reigns II (Deadly Reigns) by Teri Woods Click to order via Amazon #23 - Casting The First Stone by Kimberla Lawson Roby Click to order via Amazon #24 - Be Careful What You Pray For by Kimberla Lawson Roby Click to order via Amazon #25 - One Night With You (Grayson Friends) by Francis Ray Click to order via Amazon	#11 - Why I Love Men: The Joys of Dating by J.J. Smith Click to order via Amazon #12 - Going Rogue: An American Life by Sarah Palin Click to order via Amazon #13 - How to deal with White people by David Goldberg Click to order via Amazon #14 - Sinking Saints: Ten Reasons Why Judgment Must Begin in the House of God by Etta B. Harbin Click to order via Amazon Read and AALBC.com Review #15 - Breaking the Chains of Psychological Slavery by Dr. Na'im Akbar Click to order via Amazon #16 - Introduction To African Civilizations by Dr. John Henrik Clarke Click to order via Amazon #17 - The Pursuit of Happyness by Chris Gardner, Quincy Troupe Click to order via Amazon #18 - Stackin' Paper by Deja King Click to order via Amazon #19 - Is Bill Cosby Right?: Or Has the Black Middle Class Lost Its Mind by Michael Eric Dyson Click to order via Amazon Read an AALBC.com Review #20 - Turn the Page and You Don't Stop: Sharing Successful Chapters in Our Lives with Youth by Patrick M. Oliver Click to order via Amazon Read an AALBC.com Review #21 - Gay Rebel of the Harlem Renaissance: Selections from the Work of Richard Bruce Nugent edited by Thomas Wirth Click to order via Amazon Read an AALBC.com Review #22 - Sex and Race, Volume I: Negro-Caucasian Mixing in All Ages and All Lands: The Old World by Joel Augustus Rogers Click to order via Amazon #23 - Something Like Beautiful: One Single Mother's Story by asha bandele Click to order via Amazon Read an AALBC.com Book Review #24 - Never Satisfied: How & Why Men Cheat by Michael Baisden Click to order via Amazon #25 - 2009 Guide To Literary Agents by Chuck Sambuchino Click to order via Amazon