At first glance, a Hip-Hop fan of two decades might overlook a book about the hustle and prosperity of Sean Carter. Having followed Jay-Z's music and his moves since he entered in the game with Reasonable Doubt in 1996, there's not much one wouldn't know about the undisputed heavyweight champion of Hip-Hop. What makes the book, Empire State of Mind great is that it takes the things you know and shines a brighter light on them, while putting the man and his business ventures under a microscope in order to find out those things the majority of fans wouldn't know.  As far as business biography's go, this is probably one of the best you'll ever read.

In Zane’s latest, Total Eclipse of the Heart (released 12/1, Atria Books) she verges slightly from the expected sensual musings of America’s hottest erotica writer. Her novel contains a pair of interwoven novellas that take us through the negative aspects of love to the shining transcendence of the heart’s fulfillment.

Play the Game (released 12/1, Dafina Books) is the latest novel from Doug Dixon and certainly not his last. Characters Tangie Jackson, Mya LeVeaux and Stephanie Hall are schoolteachers in Atlanta, Georgia. They find lasting bonds of friendship while shopping for a pair of boots in Nordstrom’s. Dixon keeps it real, displaying their flaws in finding the perfect match. Twice-divorced, Tangie has decided that love is all about having a good time, even if it means being “the other woman” with a married man. Mya, devastated by a faithless fiancé, hides herself in books and intellectualism to combat her loneliness. Meanwhile, Stephanie throws herself and her young son into the church while her unemployed man makes excuses for why he can’t do right.

Four women, all friends, living in the hood, caught up in the world of sex, deceit, and drugs Have you heard this story before? Yes. Has it been told the way Takerra Allen does it in her debut novel? Not quite.