​My reading list for the first six months of the year is quite long already — I have earmarked more than 50 books. But for this column I pared it down to a few fiction titles I think will be must-reads.

Out on shelves this January is what is being touted as the debut of the year — The Prophets by Robert Jones Jr. The Guardian says it’s reminiscent of Toni Morrison and pure magnificence. It’s the love story of Isaiah and Samuel, who are enslaved on Empty, a plantation in the Deep South. They build a home for each other in the safety of a shed, but their lives are threatened when they reject their master’s plan to “breed”. ..