Memphis Reads Archive

Fiction/African-American

Wendi Glenn reviews SUNDAY BRUNCH by Norma Jarrett (Harlem Moon, 2004)

Five women meet and become friends while in law school in Houston. They remain in touch by having a weekly Sunday brunch. Although their lives have taken various turns, their friendship has endured.

Lexi is the level-headed one. She is faithful, but wonders why her prayers for a mate are going unanswered. Jermane is married to a man who is married to his job, and she feels neglected. Capri is an up-and-coming lawyer with it all. Jewel is spoiled, materialistic and she uses men. Angel, who is divorced and dealing with health issues, rounds out the group.

This book deals with these women and their relationships with God, with their families and with each other. It reminds me a lot of the TV show Girlfriends. You can’t help but wish these women the best.

Wendi Glenn, Raleigh Branch Library

Labels: African-American Fiction, Reviews by Wendi Glenn

Fiction/Horror

Wendi Glenn reviews WOUNDED by Stephen Cole (Razorbill, 2003)

While on a family vacation, Tom Anderson has a run in with a bear and awakens to find himself being taken care of by Marcie Folan. Tom starts to feel that something is not right and soon realizes that the Folans are werewolves. They are trying to turn Tom into a mate for their daughter Kate, who will only fully become a werewolf if she mates with another werewolf. Kate, however, resists her parents' wishes because she doesn’t want to become a werewolf. Kate’s brother Wesley and Tom have a fight which leaves Wesley dead, so Kate and Tom flee the area. They travel to New Orleans to meet with a witch doctor who can turn them into humans again. Time is of the essence since a network of werewolves is trying to tracking down the pair to kill Tom. This book is fast-paced and a quick read with lots of plot twists. If you like it, then try books in the Buffy, The Vampire Slayer series as well as those by authors such as R. L. Stine, Annette Curtis Klause, and Ellen Schreiber.


Wendi Glenn, Raleigh Branch Library

Labels: Horror, Reviews by Wendi Glenn

Labels: Gentle Fiction, Reviews by Wendi Glenn

Fiction/Young Adult

Wendi Glenn reviews KISSING DOORKNOBS by Terry Spencer Hesser (Delacorte Press, 1998):

Tara Sullivan is a girl with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). It started when she was 11 years old and involved the popular rhyme, "step on a crack, break your mother’s back." For Tara, avoiding cracks in the sidewalk became just the first of many obsessions. She would get mad if someone or something interrupted a ritual. She would have to start over to insure nothing terrible happened if she didn’t complete it correctly. Neither her friends nor her family understood why she did this.

In this book, you get a feel for what Tara goes through on a daily basis. You can sympathize with her and her family. She meets a boy named Sam who also has OCD. They share stories about their compulsions and help each other through behavioral therapy. Readers will enjoy this book because it’s real and easy to relate to. Everyone either has or knows someone who has a disorder that drastically affects their day-to-day activities.

In thinking about what attracts me to a book, I've found that I'm drawn to stories that are realistic. I tend to gravitate toward books with characters that I can relate to. Working in teen services, I read more young adult fiction than anything else. Our teen book club has read Born in Sin by Evelyn Coleman, Miracle's Boys by Jacqueline Woodson, and The First Part Last by Angela Johnson. These stories all have characters trying to overcome an obstacle. I think that the teens can relate to this. It gives them the sense that they're not alone in this world. We all have troubles and have to learn to deal with them.


Wendi Glenn, Raleigh Branch Library

Labels: Reviews by Wendi Glenn, Young Adult

Labels: Historical Fiction, Reviews by Wendi Glenn

Fiction/Genre: Mainstream

Wendi Glenn reviews LUCIA, LUCIA by Adriana Trigiani (Random House, 2003):

Kitt Zanetti is a play writer who lives in a New York City apartment building with Lucia Sartori or Aunt Lu as they call her. Aunt Lu is a peculiar woman who walks around wearing a fur. One day over tea, Lucia recounts her life story to Kitt. Kitt finds out that Aunt Lu was once a beautiful seamstress who worked at B. Altman’s department store. She was engaged to be married to Dante DeMartino, but broke off the engagement when she realized that she’d have to give up her career for her family. Later, she meets John Talbot, whom she thinks is the man of her dreams. He gives her a fur coat, the one she still wears, and she makes plans to marry him. He leaves her at the altar and she later finds out he’s a crook. Lucia decides to take a job in California, but is sidelined by her ailing family.

This story contains well developed characters and a detailed setting. The plot is mainly written in flashback. The author transports you to 1950's New York City with her descriptions of fashion and classic Italian cooking. If you like Lucia, Lucia then try the Big Stone Gap trilogy also by Trigiani. Other books that may interest you include Sometimes I Dream in Italian by Rita Ciresi, No Place Like Home by Barbara Samuel, and Sacred Time by Ursula Hegi.


Wendi Glenn, Raleigh Branch Library

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Labels: Mainstream Fiction, Reviews by Wendi Glenn