Ravens
by George Dawes Green
Grand Central Publishing
Fiction
July 2009
What does it feel like to hold a winning lottery ticket worth $318,000,000?
Patsy Boatwright is a gin and tonic, scotch-drinking, Bible-quoting mother of two who fades in and out of reality. And finally, one ticket in Patsy’s large collection matches the jackpot numbers announced on Wednesday night. She’s super rich! Her worries are over. But can she cope with instant wealth, fame and more attention than one person could ever imagine? She’s about to find out.
Patsy’s hopes are dashed when she finds out that for the entire Boatwright family to survive, they must split the winnings with two complete strangers … or die. Mitch, Patsy, Tara, and Jase are up against the egotistical whims of two amateur thugs. Delusional Shaw McBride and his spineless friend Romeo Zderko have their eyes on the prize.
Her fury running away with her. She polished off the gin in a single swallow, and got up to fix herself another … May they burn in hell! And they would, she thought. Because if they ever tried to leave Brunswick, to enjoy their loot, she’d bring the FBI down on them like a hive of hornets. The FBI would put so many holes in them, their own mothers wouldn’t want what was left.
Author George Dawes Green spins a gritty tale of greed in “Ravens.” Shaw and Romeo, both dejected employees of Dayton Techworld in Ohio, travel Interstate 95 without a plan, but swoop down into the small, Bible Belt town of Brunswick, Georgia. And like a pair of desperate ravens, these simple-minded misfits are full of mischief, darkness, depression and death. One with a huge appetite for money and death. Both with a sinister, greedy plan to claim half of the Boatwright’s fortune.
A well-blended recipe of originality, danger and humor highlight a cast of characters searching for riches and love. And no one has waited longer for love than Burris “Deppity Dawg,” a down-in-the-dumps cop with a withering career and a 40-year crush on Nell Boatwright, who refuses to give him the time of day. But that doesn’t stop him from trying again and again to get close to her.
And in the meantime, Romeo’s blind dedication and love for his childhood friend, Shaw, keeps him driving aimlessly in his old Tercel. He watches the Boatwright family’s every move and awaits Shaw’s command to kill. Does Romeo have it in him to harm such nice people? Does he share Shaw’s dream to own a piece of the world?
Green’s vivid imagination comes to life with characters so believable and a plot so unpredictable, this third novel reads more like “True TV.” He skillfully manipulates every chapter with clues to bring an exciting and original novel to a roaring climax.
It takes love, persistence, and a map to get to the bottom of this charade. And you will never guess who connects the dots.
MORE BOOKS PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT
Jericho’s Fall
by Stephen L. Carter
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Fiction
July 2009
A Plague of Secrets
by John Lescroart
Dutton
Fiction
June 2009
Literary legend Richard Wright gets stamp of approval
The power of a little postage stamp is evident in the popularity of a 61-cent, first-class commemorative stamp honoring Richard Wright, acclaimed author and former postal employee (a letter sorter from 1927 to 1930).
The 25th installment in the Literary Arts series of the Postal Service, this unique stamp was issued on April 9, 2009. Inspired by the popular novel “Native Son,” its beautiful artwork depicts Wright in front of snow-swept tenements on the South Side of Chicago and was created by Kadir Nelson of San Diego, California.
Wright, who died on November 28, 1960, penned 16 literary treasures that began with his first book, “Uncle Tom’s Children” (1969). But his 1940s novel, “Native Son” and his 1945 autobiography “Black Boy” are hailed as his most memorable works.
Wright’s literary fiction titles include “Uncle Tom’s Children” (1938), “Native Son” (1940), “The Outsider” (1953), “The Long Dream” (1958), “Eight Men” (1961), “Right of Passage” (1994), “A Father’s Law” (2008).
Nonfiction titles include “12 Million Black Voices: A Folk History of the Negro in the United States” (1941), “Black Boy” (1945), “Black Power” (1954), “American Hunger” (1975).
I’m Down
by Mishna Wolff
Nonfiction
St. Martin’s Press
May 2009
John Wolff redefines fatherhood in “I’m Down,” a touching memoir written by his oldest daughter Mishna Wolff. An all-black, inner-city neighborhood in the Rainier Valley of Seattle is home to a white girl, her white sister, Anora, and her white father.
It’s easy for John and his youngest daughter, Anora to make friends. But Mishna struggles to fit in, waging a personal war between the worlds of black and white, rich and poor.
Early on, Mishna’s father grooms her for anything rough, tough, and competitive. From running track to playing basketball to swimming, as fast as he can sign her up, her father cons her into participating in just about every seasonal sport available to girls. According to Mishna, it’s her father’s attempt to have the “son” he always wanted.
John wants nothing but the best for Mishna, so he schools her in the ways of “black” America. To teach her a lesson, he decides to punish her by “putting a ball in her hands.” He avoids the white recreation center and heads for the black recreation center where she can play with the “best,” an all-black girls basketball team.
On my first day of practice, Dad and I walked into the gym where my teammates were “messing around before practice.” Underneath the hoop were five six-foot-tall black girls who must have had a ball in their hands as soon as they pried the tit out … I couldn’t believe these girls were the same age as me. They looked like they drove themselves there and had a club to go to later. Dad laced up my shoes painfully tight and sent me over to shoot with the big girls.
Mishna shares a gutsy story about her colorful, and sometimes painful childhood. She grants readers front-row seats to black culture from the perspective of a young white girl who lives it.
Mishna is forced to prove herself, and she finally earns her props in the game of capping (telling someone off). And boy is she is really good at it. Too good. But she finds out that capping on her classmates at the “white” and gifted school isn’t the coolest thing to do.
It’s easy to feel sorry for Mishna, but don’t. Eventually laughter wins you over with her father’s off-the-cuff remarks and manly antics. Serious stuff is tossed in with humorous anecdotes, like growing pains and the lingering fear of a dead-end job at McDonalds. Unlike her mother, afraid to stand up to their father, Mishna shows signs of being gutsy and driven to succeed beyond her circumstances.
Readers will alternate between dislike and admiration for John Wolff, an “expert” on social injustice, sports (all sports), women, dominoes and just about anything. If only her father didn’t have to always do things his way. For years, the home is a tacky, ongoing remodeling project with building materials scattered about the yard and a 10-foot drop out the front door. Okay, that’s not so bad. But having a steady job and providing three square meals a day is not at the top of his list either.
But John is there for his girls (even if he’s always running late) whether Mishna wants him around or not. And as she blossoms into womanhood, so does the father-and-daughter dance, an uncomfortable groove that one day just happens between a father and daughter.
Is Mishna down? Compared to her father, John, she’s not down at all, but she’s still pretty cool.
MORE BOOKS PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT
The Scarecrow
by Michael Connelly
Fiction
Little, Brown & Company
May 2009
Can You Hear Me Now?: The Inspiration, Wisdom, and Insight of Michael Eric Dyson
by Michael Eric Dyson
Nonfiction
Basic Books
May 2009
Horse Soldiers: The Extraordinary Story of a Band of US Soldiers Who Rode to Victory in Afghanistan
by Doug Stanton
Nonfiction
Simon & Schuster Publishing Group
May 2009
- April & Oliver by Tess Callahan, Grand Central Publishing, June 2009
- Shanghai Girls by Lisa See, Random House Publishing Group, May 2009
- Sag Harbor by Colson Whitehead, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, April 2009
- The Story Sisters by Alice Hoffman, Crown Publishing Group, June 2009
- Swimsuit by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro, Little, Brown & Company, June 2009
- Breath by Tim Winton, Picador, May 2009
- Hollywood by Valerie Joyner, HarperCollins Publishers, May 2009
- Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigle, Penguin Group USA, June 2009
- Let’s Get It On by Jill Nelson, HarperCollins Publishers, June 2009
Sisters & Husbands
by Connie Briscoe
Fiction
Grand Central Publishing
June 2009
A great beach read comes with a picturesque beach, a cocktail or two, and of course, uninterrupted reading. And a secluded spot is one of the few places you can escape to with that tantalizing book you just can’t put down.
“Sisters & Husbands” by Connie Briscoe is one of those books. Entertaining characters, intimate details and an unpredictable plot makes this novel easy to devour in just a few hours.
Briscoe reintroduces readers to sisters Beverly, Charmaine and Evelyn (from her best-selling 1994 novel “Sisters & Lovers”) and 15 years later, these feisty and successful women seem to have it all - the flashy wardrobes, the new cars and the icing on the cake is the good-looking, successful men in their lives. But the one thing they crave most in life - successful marriages - is a quest that appears never-ending and at times elusive.
This sizzling fiction is by no means an “all men are dogs” anthem. It’s more of a “some men are dogs and some men are keepers” novel. And girls, there’s more than enough blame to go around! In this hot, romantic novel, women are not always portrayed as sweet and innocent.
Beverly, Evelyn and Charmaine (especially Charmaine) can change into diva mode in a flash, dishing out plenty of drama when necessary. Briscoe’s characters are more than just colorful attitudes, they are incredibly believable. Just about everybody knows someone with “man” troubles. And Beverly, Charmaine and Evelyn are no exception.
In the heart of Maryland, nestled between Baltimore and Washington, they maintain their posh lives and over analyze the trials and tribulations of marriage and their men, Julian, Tyrone and Kevin. Along with good loving, these guys sometimes catch hell.
The ups and downs of matrimony take center stage throughout this novel. It’s enough to make grown men cry, especially if they’ve ever crossed paths with Beverly. She is notorious for her last-minute disappearing acts. And she can’t help but notice that the few couples that she thought would “make it” may not last after all. Will Julian be the one to claim Beverly’s heart?
Evelyn is a successful psychologist, but when her spirits are low, does she heed her own advice? For comfort, she dons her favorite pajamas and attempts to block out the drama intruding her ”perfect” world.
Sassy Charmaine, the most outspoken of the three siblings, makes a promise that her marriage to Tyrone will be her last, and that blending families is hard work. But surprisingly, her biggest challenge is not her husband.
Keeping company with ”Sisters & Husbands” by Connie Briscoe is the next best thing to hanging out with a group of friends. But be careful. Drama is contagious.
MORE BOOKS PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT
Mating Rituals of the North American Wasp
by Lauren Lipton
Fiction
Grand Central Publishing
May 2009
My Sister’s Keeper
by Jodi Pocult
Fiction
Simon & Schuster
May 2009
Basketball Jones
by E. Lynn Harris
Fiction
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
January 2009
Great Books for the Graduate
- Words to Warm a Graduate’s Heart by Joanie Garborg, Claire, Ellie Gift & Paper Corporation, March 2009
- Working World 101: The New Grad’s Guide to Getting a Job by Bridget Graham and Monique Reidy, Adams Media Corporation, April 2009
- You Majored in What?: Mapping Your Path from Chaos to Career by Katharine Brooks, Ed.D., Penguin Group (USA), April 2009
- The Naked Roommate: And 107 Other Issues You Might Run Into In College by Harlan Cohen, Sourcebooks, Incorporated, March 2009
- U-Chic: The College Girl’s Guide to Everything by Christie Garton, Sourcebooks, Incorporated, April 2009
- They Don’t Teach Corporate in College: A Twenty-Something’s Guide to the Business World by Alexandra Levit, Penguin Group (USA), April 2009
- Lessons of a Turtle Little Gift Book by Sandy Gingras, Andrews McMeel Publishing, May 2009
- You’ve Only Just Begun Little Gift Book by Gillian Torckler and Darryl Torckler, Baron’s Educational Series, Inc., April 2009
- God’s Promises for Graduates: Class of 2009 by Jack Countryman, Thomas Nelson, April 2009
