Published: Wed, Feb. 13, 2008 12:00AM

Modified Wed, Feb. 13, 2008 07:03AM

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Why it's on my list: I laughed so hard I cried. Talbert's dialogue is hilarious, and the court scenes are a riot. Talbert not only cracks you up, but he really makes you wonder: If legislating relationships were possible, would you do it?

"P.G. County" by Connie Briscoe (2002)

Briscoe provides a front-row seat into the lives of the affluent African-Americans who live in the exclusive Silver Lake community of Prince George's County, Md. Barbara Bently, the alcoholic housewife and grand dame of the community, can't keep her millionaire husband, Bradford, out of other women's beds. Jolene is a social climber. Pearl is a divorced single mother who owns a beauty salon and can't afford to live in Silver Lake but still finds her life intertwined with its residents. Candice is the token white character struggling to keep secret the information she's recently learned about her lineage.

Why it's on my list: I'd rename this "The Black and the Beautiful." It's pure soap opera. I have to hand it to Briscoe for not only keeping it intriguing, but writing in such a way that I could keep all these characters straight without index cards.

"Supreme Justice" by Gary Hardwick (2001)

Farrel Douglas, the Supreme Court's only African-American justice, is assassinated before hundreds of people. Daishaya Mbutu, a radical black activist, can't wait to take responsibility and be arrested. U.S. Attorney Marshall Jackson, who also is black, gets the case. He soon smells conspiracy and suspects the aging Mbutu is just grandstanding for attention. He puts his career and his marriage on the line to find the truth.

Why it's on my list: My former book club chose this after its release in mass-market paperback at 416 whopping pages. I stared at it on my nightstand for days, thinking, "Who has time to read this?" Once I picked it up, though, I never put it down. I had never been into mysteries or suspense novels, but Hardwick changed my mind.

"Redemption Song" by Bertice Berry (2000)

A slave narrative about Iona and Joe, lovers torn apart, brings together two strangers who both want to buy the book from an African-American bookstore. The owner refuses to sell it but lets Josephine "Fina," a businesswoman still grieving the loss of her father, and Ross, an anthropologist who needs the book to finish his dissertation, take turns reading it to each other at the store. Iona and Joe's story holds the keys to issues in the lives of Fina and Ross.

Why it's on my list: "Redemption Song" will make you believe in love again. It's mystical. It's a history lesson. And it's a love story. Berry's prose is poetic, and her message is clear: Love transcends generations and is stronger than chains.

"On the Eighth Day She Rested" by J.D. Mason (2003)

Ruth Johnson is low self-esteem personified. Raised by a single mother who dies young, she eventually finds herself married to Eric, a wife-beating misogynist. When she finally escapes the brutal relationship after 14 years, she must put herself back together. And with the help of three close friends, she does. She learns to love herself, loses weight, discovers her passion and even finds real love with a man. But the love doesn't come easy ... and Eric returns.

Why it's on my list: Mason's scenes are so vivid, you'll feel you are in the room with the characters. I wanted to scream at Ruth for staying with Eric and wished I could kick his butt for her. Then I cheered her transformation every step of the way.

"The Hearts of Men" by Travis Hunter (2006)

Prodigy Banks has a good job and a way with women. And why not? He's a good catch. Not only does he handle his business, he volunteers with children and tries to show his hood-rat cousin, Jermaine, that there's more to life than the streets. But will he ever settle down? Prodigy's role model, Poppa Doc, is a wise gentleman. Only Poppa Doc can't seem to get his own triflin' son Michael to grow up. A heartwarming story about men trying to do the right thing.

Why it's on my list: The strength of "The Hearts of Men" is in the message: Real men take care of themselves and their families and, yes, there are African-American men doing just that.

At a book festival I attended, Hunter told an audience that he purposely writes novels with positive black men. I say, keep writing.

"What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day" by Pearl Cleage (1998)

Playwright and essayist Cleage follows Ava Johnson's discovery that she is HIV-positive and her journey from Atlanta back to her Michigan hometown. Ava moves in with her sister Joyce, a social worker with a big heart who tries to educate young women about safe sex and decides to care for a crack-addicted baby. Ava gets caught up in her sister's life and discovers her hometown isn't the quiet place it used to be.

Why it's on my list: Whew! Cleage tackles a lot in this debut novel, and it had all the ingredients for sending me into a deep depression. But her writing is so witty, and Ava's first-person, sarcastic narration keeps the story moving so fast you don't have time to feel bad. You just get caught up and hang on for the ride.