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 February. 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, February 19, 1:30 p.m.
Book selection: Saffron Kitchen by Yasmin Crowther

Central Readers' Club

Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library
Monday, February 18, 7:00 p.m.
Book selection: The Outside World by Tova Mirvis

Cordova Book Club

Cordova Branch Library
Tuesday, February 19, 12:00 p.m.
Book selection: Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

North Renaissance Men's Book Club

North Branch Library
Saturday, February 16, 2:00 p.m.
Book selection: Makes Me Wanna Holler: A Young Black Man in America by Nathan McCall
Learn more about this book club

North Women's Book Club

North Branch Library
Saturday, February 23, 2:00 p.m.
Book selection: One Prayer Away by Kendra Norman-Bellamy

Parkway Village Book Club

Parkway Village Branch Library
Wednesday, February 20, 2:30 p.m.
Book selection: The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler

Second Saturday Book Club

Highland Branch Library
Saturday, February 9, 1:30 p.m.
Book selection: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Learn more about this book club

Science fiction, fantasy and young adult author Orson Scott Card has been in the news several times recently.

In mid-January, Card was awarded the Margaret A. Edwards Award for several of his books by the Young Adult Library Services Association, or YALSA.

One of the books which Card was honored for, Ender's Game, is in the process of becoming a series of downloadable video games for the Xbox 360 and will be available beginning in 2009.

Labels: News and Notes

From CNN.com:

"KANSAS CITY, Missouri (AP) -- Margaret Truman, the only child of former President Harry S. Truman who became a concert singer, actress, radio and TV personality and mystery writer, died Tuesday. She was 83.

Margaret Truman Daniel was a singer, TV personality and mystery writer.

Truman, known as Margaret Truman Daniel in private life, died at a Chicago assisted living facility following a brief illness, according to a statement from the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum in Independence. She had been at the facility for the past several weeks and was on a respirator, the library said."

Read Full Article

Check the Library Catalog for Margaret Truman

Labels: Author Obits, News

What books made you laugh the most?















Thanks to Noa Eason, Raleigh Branch Library, for a great question!

Labels: Memphis Reads Question

Fiction/Suspense

Beth reviews PLUM LUCKY Janet Evanovich (St. Martin’s Press, 2008)

My year just keeps getting better! Janet Evanovich released a between-the-numbers novella, Plum Lucky, where Stephanie heads to Atlantic City in search of Grandma Mazur, a bag of money, and a leprechaun. Diesel is following a little man in green pants (Snuggy) who stole a bag of money—which leads him to Stephanie, Grandma Mazur, Atlantic City and Grandma Mazur’s leprechaun.

Trouble started when Grandma Mazur got the “luck of the Irish” on her side and, while following a rainbow, found the bag of money. Like all good senior citizens (or at least like my Nanny!) she bought a RV, hired a driver/bodyguard and is gambling away the money in Atlantic City. But the “original” owner of the money, a Trenton mobster named Delvina, wants it back. Stephanie and Diesel must save everyone—Grandma Mazur, Snuggy and his ex-racehorse Doug from Delvina. The mobster starts with one hostage. Adds another. And another. He simply can't have too many hostages.

This book was hilarious! Several times I had to stop reading just to catch my breath! Stephanie is in full force this time—with a horse added to the mix. Of course she blows up a car, gets shot at and catches a “skip.” It’s Stephanie Plum at her craziest!


Beth, Highland

Labels: Reviews by Beth, Suspense

The Mystery Writers of America has released the list of nominees for the 2008 Edgar Allan Poe Awards, also known as the Edgars.

The Edgars include thirteen different categories for outstanding works in the mystery genre and cover pieces intended for stage, film, television, and publishing. There is also a Mary Higgins Clark Award, which is awarded to the book that best follows the guidelines for mystery established by Mary Higgins Clark.

Labels: Awards

Fiction/Mainstream

Andrea Bledsoe reviews A MODEL SUMMER by Paulina Porizkova (Hyperion, 2007)

One of the best aspects of my job as a LA (library assistant), believe it or not, is shelving books. As monotonous as the actual task is, the flip side is that I get to find titles and authors I may not have known about already. A perfect example is Ms. Porizkova’s novel, A Model Summer. Paulina Porizkova is well-known as a fashion model, but I had no idea that she is a writer! Discovering novels like this one is where shelving books came in handy.

A Model Summer begins in 1980 in Paris, France where everything and everyone is beautiful and glamorous. In the midst of all this opulence is young, 14 year-old Jirina (pronounced Yee-ree-na). Jirina grew up in Sweden taking care of her younger sister, with whom she formed a sisterly alliance against their cruel, abusive mother. Her life was that of an ordinary teenager, complete with her feeling too gawky and too ugly, until her photographs grab the attention of Jean-Pierre, owner of Paris’ Siren modeling agency. After Jirina has her 15th birthday, she is invited by Jean-Pierre to give modeling a try.

Her world is turned completely upside down once she arrives in Paris. Wild parties, glamorous photo shoots, and new experiences are hurled at Jirina. Although there is the undercurrent of nervous tension abuzz everywhere, at the end of the day, Jirina is still a stranger in a strange land. I felt compassion for Jirina because even though her associates think she is worldly and sophisticated, she is still that lonely, gawky teenager.

I enjoyed this story by Ms. Porizkova because I imagined that it was based on real-life experiences. I also could relate somewhat with Jirina. Even though I have never modeled or even been to Paris, I have been that awkward, insecure teenager. As it states on the novel’s dust jacket, this “is a searing look at a world many people fantasize about, but few really know.”


Andrea Bledsoe, Poplar-White Station Branch Library

Labels: Mainstream Fiction, Reviews by Andrea King

Fiction/Suspense

Beth reviews BLOOD DREAMS by Kay Hooper (Bantam, 2007)

I definitely started my New Year reading list off with a bang! This book will haunt me for a while—serial killers, bloody murder scenes and psychic connections. It also has an ending that leaves you waiting for the other shoe (or in reality, book) to drop.

The killer seems to have no boundaries, no fears. He hunts his victims and no one is safe—a fact proven by the identity of his latest victim: the daughter of a powerful U.S. Senator. Under pressure from the media and a father seeking justice, Bishop and his FBI Special Crimes Unit must find the killer before it is too late. But what if the psychic cops are not enough?

Haven, a group founded by Bishop, works outside the government and its red tape. This group of people is willing to go the extra mile and use their abilities to solve “un-solvable” crimes. But this time they find themselves being hunted by the evil which they hunt, and Haven member Dani Justice is in particular danger. Dani has always had nightmares that become real but she never expected to have the same dream over and over, a dream full of blood, smoke and helplessness. She doesn’t want to hunt the killer or risk those whom she cares about, but she doesn’t have a choice. Especially when she alone is the weapon that can bring him down. What her dreams don't tell her is who will make it out alive.

Blood Dreams is part of the Bishop/Special Crimes Unit series. The books are set up in trilogies. Other books in this series are:

Stealing Shadows
Hiding in the Shadows
Out of the Shadows

Touching Evil
Whisper of Evil
Sense of Evil

Hunting Fear
Chill of Fear
Sleeping With Fear

Blood Dreams


Beth, Highland Branch Library

Labels: Reviews by Beth, Suspense

Labor and Civil Rights Historian Visits
Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library
Saturday January 19, 2:00 p.m.


Author Michael Honey will be at the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library on Saturday, January 19 at 2 p.m. to commemorate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Honey’s latest book, Going Down Jericho Road: The Memphis Strike, Martin Luther King’s Last Campaign, chronicles the sanitation workers’ strike of 1968 and King’s Poor People’s Campaign. This is the third of Honey's nationally-recognized trilogy of prize-winning books on Memphis labor and civil rights history.

Honey is the Fred and Dorothy Haley Endowed Professor of the Humanities at the University of Washington, Tacoma. He teaches African American, U.S., civil rights and labor history and Martin Luther King studies. He is a former Southern civil liberties organizer who lived and worked in Memphis.

For more information, call 415-2700.

Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library
Memphis/Shelby County Room (4th Floor)
3030 Poplar Avenue
Memphis, TN 38111

Book on sale for signing courtesy of Burke's Bookstore.

In mid-December, Terry Pratchett announced that he has a rare form of Alzheimer’s. He's staying optimistic that he will be able to fulfill his public appearances and book obligations for several more years and in typical Pratchett style, reminded his readers that he would like to keep things positive and that he's "not dead."

Pratchett is one of my favorite authors. I was delighted to have the opportunity to meet him last March at Mid-South Con, the local science-fiction and fantasy convention. He does not often get to attend fan gatherings in the United States since he lives in England. He was very friendly and quick to smile, autograph a book, or pose for a picture with fans. At a panel, he mentioned that health issues may restrict his ability to travel in the future, but he was very hopeful to continue writing.

His long-running Discworld series has over 35 titles and counting. The series began as a satirical look at the fantasy genre and over the years has morphed into something much larger. Pratchett uses his saber-sharp wit to poke at a variety of real-world issues and institutions which he satirizes in his books. Some of Pratchett's targets include academia, various works of literature, Hollywood, war, shopping malls, the press, the post office and even the birth of rock music, or rather "music with rocks in."

In addition to ordinary humans, Pratchett's Discworld is populated with dwarves, trolls and many other mythological races which are a staple in the fantasy genre. While many of his stories feature heroes, wizards or witches, many of them are also populated by cowards, beggars, and misfits. Sometimes a character falls into more than one category, such as the wizard Rincewind, who has never successfully cast a spell and whose only strategy when faced with an obstacle is to run away from it as fast and as long as possible.

Some of Pratchett's most memorable characters are the anthropomorphic personifications, which are creatures that exist because everyone knows that they exist, like Death. The Death of the Discworld looks exactly like what most people would expect him to and his voice is so deep that he talks in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS. Like most things Discworld, there is more to Death than appearances. Despite his looks, he shows curiosity and kindness towards all living beings at the point when they cease to be living things. At one point, he explains to his apprentice Mort "THERE IS NO JUSTICE, JUST US."

The setting of the Discworld novels is as important to the books as the characters are. The world is a flat disc, which is supported on the back of four massive elephants that are in turn supported by the shell of Great A'tuin, the world turtle.

Many of the books are set in the city Ankh-Morpork, which is the great metropolis of the Discworld. Ankh-Morpork lies on the river Ankh which is more mud than water, but still fluid enough to call a river. Over the centuries Ankh-Morporkians have built on top of older structures when they could no longer build out, so it's often said that Ankh-Morpork is built on Ankh-Morpork.

Ankh-Morpork is a melting pot of many of the different races of the Discworld and home to the wizards of Unseen University. The city is ruled by the Patrician, Lord Havelock Vetinari, a master politician who has legalized crime simply because it makes it easier to regulate. Thieves, assassins, beggars and ladies-of-negotiable affection all have their own guilds. The city is teeming with unwashed masses and there are numerous bars and opportunities for fools to be separated from their money. As the series progresses, Ankh-Morpork becomes more modern and develops conveniences such as a post office, daily newspaper and even a crude telegraph system composed of semaphore towers.

Most of the books featuring the witches take place in Lancre, which is a small kingdom in the mountains. Other places of interest in Discworld geography include Uberwald (like Eastern Europe with vampires, werewolves, and Igors), the great cabbage fields of Sto Lat, Klatch (similar to Africa), Fourecks (kind of like Australia), and the Counterweight Continent (vaguely Asian).

Although you could read nearly any of the Discworld books as a stand-alone title, many of the characters and places seem to develop over time. There are several sub-series which revolve around different sets of characters. There are the wizards of Unseen University, the witches of Lancre, the Nightwatch of Ankh-Morpork as well as other characters who appear less frequently. Characters from different sequences do occasionally pop up in other stories, however, so readers who read the books sequentially may have a better understanding of some characters.

A lot of Pratchett's appeal comes from his use of satire, humor and puns. His books are almost cartoonish caricatures of many of the subjects of his books. It's rare that I go more than a page or two without having to stop and laugh. Another element of his appeal is his ability to take genre conventions and turn them inside-out and upside-down so that fantasy elements that many readers may already know seem fresh and often produce unexpected twists on familiar stories.

The Discworld books make up the majority of Pratchett's work, and have inspired games, BBC films, companion books, and a host of fan websites. Pratchett has also collaborated with Neil Gaiman on a book titled Good Omens and has written several children's books including the Johnny Maxwell trilogy.

Visit Terry Pratchett's official website:
http://www.terrypratchettbooks.com/

Read Terry's post about diagnosis on Discworld illustrator Paul Kidby's website:
http://www.paulkidby.com/news/index.html

Read the story from CNN:
http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/books/12/13/terry.pratchett/index.html?iref=newssearch

Labels: Author Spotlight, Fantasy, Reviews by Jesse Pool

Nonfiction/Memoir

Sarah Frierson reviews A LONG WAY GONE: Memoirs of A Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah (Farrar Straus and Giroux, 2007)

Ishmael Beah lived in a small village in Sierra Leone. At a very young age, his life was interrupted by the political and social turmoil around him. On what began as a very normal day, Beah found himself without his family, his home or a sure path to safety. After months of wandering, scavenging for food and awaiting his own death at the hands of the rebels or fearful civilians, he was recruited by the army to fight. As a soldier, he was armed with weapons and drugs and taught to kill. Fortunately, he survived his conscription, eventually being released to an NGO rehabilitation program and taught how to once again be a child.

Beah’s first-person account is remarkable first and foremost because he lived to tell his story, which he recounts in hopes of eliciting change and protecting other children. But what is most incredible is his ability to take the reader down the path he was forced to tread. His impressive skill as a writer allows each reader to feel the fear of a night alone in the forest or the sorrow of losing a friend.

At times, reading this story can be overwhelming. But, one must only glance at the picture of Beah on the back of the book to regain a sense of hope. This young man’s smile alone gives a sense that anything can change for the better and that hope can never be lost. Perhaps his story is a story that must be told and retold until everyone is safe on the other side.


Sarah Frierson, Business and Sciences Department

Labels: Memoir, Nonfiction, Reviews by Sarah Frierson