Memphis Reads Archive

The Memphis Public Library & Information Center sponsors book clubs at many branches and at the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library. Here's a list of the titles that will be discussed in January. For a book club's contact information, click the link for that branch or call (901) 415-2700.

Book Lover's Book Club

East Shelby Branch Library
Tuesday, January 15, 1:30 p.m.
Planning Meeting

Central Readers' Club

Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library
MEETING LOCATION (this meeting only): FOOD COURT, OAK COURT MALL, 4465 Poplar Avenue (Intersection of Poplar Avenue and Perkins Extended)
Monday, January 21, 7:00 p.m.
Book selection: Family Tree by Barbara Delinsky

Cordova Book Club

Cordova Branch Library
Tuesday, January 15, 12:00 p.m.
Book selection: The Bonesetter's Daughter by Amy Tan

North Renaissance Men's Book Club

North Branch Library
MEETING LOCATION (this meeting only): Hollywood Branch Library, 1530 N. Hollywood
Saturday, January 19, 2:00 p.m.
Book selection: Member of the Club: Reflections on Life in a Racially Polarized World by Lawrence Otis Graham
Learn more about this book club

North Women's Book Club

North Branch Library
Saturday, January 19, 2:00 p.m.
Book selection: A Man Inspired by Derek Jackson

Parkway Village Book Club

Parkway Village Branch Library
Wednesday, January 23, 2:30 p.m.
Book selection: Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

Second Saturday Book Club

Highland Branch Library
Saturday, January 12, 1:30 p.m.
Book selection: Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
Learn more about this book club

Fiction/Romance

Beth reviews AMAZING GRACE by Danielle Steel (Delacorte Press, 2007)

Sure, like every girl my age, I’ve grown up surrounded by Danielle Steel. My mom reads her (while skipping certain “parts”), my Nanny reads her (now in large print and I’d bet not skipping “parts”) and so did my sister and I (I’m not commenting on “parts” with us!). This Danielle Steel is not the one of my teenage years—Amazing Grace was a soft romance mixed with inspirational fiction, a devastating earthquake and a touch of suspense and criminal activity.

The Bay Area experiences a huge earthquake that brings down parking garages, destroys houses, closes hotels and leaves thousands homeless. It also brings together three women seeking something in their lives. Sarah Sloane, married to the highly successful entrepreneur Seth, is a mother of two and event planner of the high-ticket charity auction. Melanie Free, a hot Grammy-winner, performs at the auction until the earthquake. At 19, she sees her life stretching out in front of her—and she doesn’t like what she sees. During the crisis she meets Sister Maggie Kent and begins to work with her ministering to the needs of the injured. Melanie is reminded of her dream to become a nurse…but will her stage mother let her? Sister Maggie also attracts the attention of photo-journalist Everett Carson.

A great soft read for a cold day! Enjoy this wonderful book!

Beth, Highland Branch Library

Labels: Inspirational Fiction, Reviews by Beth, Romance

Fiction/Historical

Robert Cruthirds reviews JERUSALEM VIGIL by Bodie and Brock Thoene (Viking, 2000)

This is the first book in a series that chronicles the birth of the modern state of Israel in 1948. It covers the first five days after Israel was declared a sovereign state on May 14, 1948. This was a period filled with uncertainty after British soldiers left Palestine. Although most of the Jews and Arabs in Palestine resent the British, the British military presence maintained a semblance of peace and order. Now things are about to change.

Jewish forces under the Haganah are preparing to defend their section of the old city of Jerusalem from Muslim attackers. Both sides are anticipating reinforcements soon, but the Jewish situation is much more desperate due to a lack of food and water. The Muslim forces are hoping to deliver a knockout blow before the Jews are resupplied. Meanwhile, an Israeli military caravan from Tel Aviv is desperately trying to reach Jerusalem.

The Thoenes have produced a well-researched work of historical fiction. Many of the Jewish characters are Holocaust survivors from Eastern Europe, hoping for a fresh start in an independent Israel. The youngest two Muslim characters are brothers who save the life of a Jewish boy. Many verses from the Bible are included, and some of the characters experience a spiritual transformation in the midst of all the suffering.

Robert Cruthirds, Randolph Branch Library

Labels: Historical Fiction, Inspirational Fiction, Reviews by Robert Cruthirds

Fiction/Mainstream

Sara Ellen Reid reviews OPEN HOUSE by Elizabeth Berg (Random House, 2000)

Samantha Murrow's husband of twenty years has suddenly left her. Feeling bereft and desperate, Samantha (Sam) goes on an uncharacteristic spending spree before she finally settles down to begin the process of rebuilding her life. Two pressing problems she must face immediately are the demands of rearing her son alone and a shortage of money. To help ease financial woes, Sam decides to open her home to boarders. Particularly endearing is Lydia, an elderly woman who becomes a comforting presence in the lives of both mother and son. Sam's new friend, King, a very unconventional man, is also a steadying influence as he shows her the enjoyment and freedom of living a simpler life.

This is a winsome and witty first-person narrative about a woman rediscovering herself, and finding, in turn, that there is indeed life and love after divorce.


Sara Ellen Reid, Parkway Village Branch Library

Labels: Mainstream Fiction, Reviews by Sara Ellen Reid

Fiction/African-American

Heather Lawson reviews MIRACLE AT ST. ANNA by James McBride (Riverhead Books, 2002)

This is the moving story of four African Americans who are members of the 92nd Infantry Division of the Army, also known as the Buffalo Soldiers, and how they became caught behind enemy lines in a small Italian town during World War II. Each soldier deals differently with racism, fear, courage, cruelty, and hate. A series of miracles occurs beginning with Pvt. Sam Train recovering a Florentine statue's head and saving a young Italian boy traumatized by the war. Things become more complicated when Italian partisans, led by the Black Butterfly, enter the village seeking revenge.

Miracle at St. Anna is an emotionally painful, but ultimately uplifting story. Strong character development is a significant aspect of the book. Interesting facts about Italy and the African-American experience during World War II are an added bonus.


Heather Lawson, Public Services

Labels: African-American Fiction, Reviews by Heather Lawson

Nonfiction

Sarah Frierson reviews THE LAST SEASON by Eric Blehm (HarperCollins, 2006)

Randy Morgenson spent 28 seasons as a backcountry ranger in the High Sierras. It's possible to say that no one knew more about the area and what it took to survive there than him. Without a doubt, no one had a greater love for the land. So no one expected what happened in the summer of 1996.

Randy Morgenson vanished.

Did he want to disappear? Was there an accident? Could he have been murdered? Did problems from the off-season spill into the backcountry and lead him to suicide?

All of these questions are confronted as this book combines the mystery of Randy's disappearance with the story of Randy's life, the tales of the backcountry and an intricate portrait of a modern search and rescue mission. Eric Blehm pieces together parts of Randy's own journals and logbooks with hundreds of interviews of friends, family and coworkers to combine each of these parts of the story seamlessly.

Blehm does a good job of building suspense and propelling the reader deeper into the book, so anyone who likes a mystery will probably enjoy this book. But, for those who have any interest in the outdoors, national parks, search and rescue operations, or anyone who has enjoyed Jon Krakauer's books, you are sure to like it!


Sarah Frierson, Business and Science Department

Labels: Nonfiction, Reviews by Sarah Frierson

Fiction/Gentle

Andrea Bledsoe reviews FANNY AND SUE by Karen Stolz (Hyperion, 2003)

It is no coincidence that I am reviewing Karen Stolz’s second novel right after reading and reviewing her first book, World of Pies. When I find an author I like, I usually try to read his or her other works. Author Karen Stolz did not disappoint me with her second novel, Fanny and Sue, either.

We are introduced to identical twins, Fanny and Sue Logan, in the novel. The twins are born in St. Louis in the year 1920, a decade before the Great Depression sweeps the nation. The girls are identical in looks and are often seen dressed alike, but their personalities are as distinct as night and day.

Fanny is the boisterous, boy-crazy twin with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes, whereas Sue is reserved and compassionate. When it comes to family and especially one another, both the girls have hearts of gold.

Stolz intertwines world events and how families stick together in those times of adversity, just as she did in her first book. In Fanny and Sue, we read about the family’s compassion for strangers and one another throughout the lean Depression years, Sue’s isolated hospitalization when coping with scarlet fever, and a cousin’s bout with and eventual recovery from childhood polio.

I enjoyed this book because I could understand how important it is for families to rely upon and love another when times are hard and strained AND when times are joyful and victorious.


Andrea Bledsoe, Poplar-White Station Branch Library

Labels: Gentle Fiction, Reviews by Andrea King

Nonfiction/Memoir

Jeanie Condo reviews NAKED by David Sedaris (Little, Brown, 1997)

Naked is a book of vignettes, some hilarious, some zany, some bittersweet, about the author's most interesting family, his life, and the world as he sees it. In "Get Your Yayas Out," Sedaris describes his eccentric Greek grandmother, Yaya, who never referred to Sedaris' mother as anything but "the girl." Sedaris discusses his epiphany when he discovered he preferred guys instead of girls in the chapter "I Like Guys." In the hilarious chapter, "Dinah, The Christmas Whore," Sedaris shows how his rather dysfunctional family can pull together in a crunch and do the right thing. And in the final chapter, for which the book is named, Sedaris tells of his experiences while staying at a nudist colony. In Naked, David Sedaris has skillfully written a book that is alternatively laugh-out-loud funny and poignant.


Jeanie Condo, East Shelby Branch Library

Labels: Nonfiction, Reviews by Jeanie Condo

Fiction/Young Adult

Beth reviews LOVE UNDERCOVER by Jo Edwards (Simon Pulse, 2006)

OK, so maybe I read a little more than most people. But, it is my job and I love to read. Back in November, it was time to choose my 100th Book of 2007. Yes, the 100th book—which is really hard to choose. I sent emails to friends and co-workers asking for ideas and suggestions. And then it hit me—Jo Edwards, known to adult fiction readers as Johanna Edwards, had written a young adult novel. I grabbed my library’s copy (although I plan to purchase my own and ask Johanna to sign it for me) and got to reading. This book was the perfect 100th Book of 2007 for me!

Kaitlyn Nichols is bored. Her life is dull—even with a father who is a secret agent. But, that all changes when he brings home Blaine. Blaine is 17 years old, super hot and needing protection from the bad guys due to his father’s business deals. Now Kaitlyn has a “cousin” who lives with her, goes to school with her and maybe loves her? Kaitlyn must protect Blaine from those bad guys—and the girls in her school! But can Kaitlyn protect herself from love?

Looking for a great read? This is it! Enjoy a light romantic comedy on a cool evening!

Other books suggested for my 100th Book of 2007:

Peeps by Scott Westerfeld
Smilla's Sense of Snow by Peter Hoeg
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
Invisible Life by E. Lynn Harris
Five Smooth Stones by Ann Fairbairn
Books by author David Sedaris


Beth, Highland Branch Library

Labels: Reviews by Beth, Young Adult