Black History Month 2009 - African American Award Winning Authors

African American Literary Awards 2008, Fiction

Too Little, Too Late by Victoria Murray - "Juicy Jasmine Larson Bush returns....Murray efficiently illustrates the importance of honesty and trust in marriage, and manages to contain Jasmine's outrageousness within the context of Christian faith."— Publishers Weekly


Stephen E. Henderson Award
African American Literature & Culture Society 2008, Fiction

Bass Cathedral by Nathaniel Mackey - "In the fourth installment of this National Book Award–winning poet and novelist's ongoing epistolary work of fiction, Mackey (Splay Anthem) is never shy of the unwieldy or the recondite, plunging readers into the heady thoughts of N., narrating letter writer and member of the fictional early '80s jazz ensemble Molino m'Atet, who are releasing their first album, Orphic Bend."— Publishers Weekly


BCALA Literary Awards 2008, Fiction
Black Caucus of the American Library Association

New England White by Stephen L. Carter - "Two lesser characters from Yale law professor Carter's bestselling first novel, The Emperor of Ocean Park (2002)—husband and wife Lemaster and Julia Carlyle—take center stage in his second, a compelling, literate page-turner that effortlessly blends a gripping whodunit with complex discussions of politics and race in contemporary America."— Publishers Weekly


Essence Literary Awards 2008, Fiction

Red River by Lalita Tademy - "The intertwining stories of two Louisiana families--three generations of African-American men--and their struggles to make a place for themselves in a country deeply divided in the aftermath of the Civil War and beyond"—Provided by publisher.

February Recommendations for Kids

Fiction

A Visitor for Bear by Bonny Becker - Bear does NOT want visitors, but the persistent Mouse keeps popping up in the most unexpected places. The amusing illustrations of grumpy Bear and the perky friendly Mouse make for a fun story of the development of friendship, just in time for Valentine's Day.

The Dragon in the Sock Drawer by Kate Klimo - Ten year-old cousins Jesse and Daisy have always wanted some magical excitement. Jesse finds a rock which speaks to him, and he brings it home. Jesse and Daisy become Dragon Keepers when a baby dragon explosively hatches in Jesse's sock drawer. To their dismay, a suspicious herpetologist in a long black coat at the College of Mining and Science claims the dragon. Can they rescue their pert new friend?

Emperors of the Ice: A True Story of Disaster and Survival by Richard Farr - A fictionalized memoir based on Apsely Cherry-Garrard's "The Worst Journey in the World," details his survival in an icy Antarctic wilderness. Chosen from over 8,000 applicants, 'Cherry' considered himself lucky and volunteered for the infamous "Winter Journey" in 1911, a harrowing month long trek to collect emperor penguin eggs. Persisting through the worst possible conditions, the incredible, inspiring story continues to astonish as one considers the limits of human endurance. Cherry wrote that those two terrible, grueling years in the South, with all their physical and mental suffering, were the best in his long life.

Love, Splat by Rob Scotton - Splat the cat has a special Valentine for Kitten. He likes her more than ice cream and fishsticks, but when he meets her his tongue turns to jelly, and his legs wobble like rubber. Will she be his Valentine?


Nonfiction

The Raucous Royals: Test Your Royal Wits: Crack Codes, Solve Mysteries, and Deduce Which Royal Rumors are True by Carilyn Beccia - So, if Louis, XIV, King of France was only 5'4" in his stocking feet, how could he tower over his subjects at an unheard of 6'10"? He wore six-inch red heels and a twelve-inch-high wig! Was Henry VIII, King of England so fat that he had to be carried by his servants? Find out in this unusual look at history.

African Critters by Robert B. Haas - Breathtaking, full-page photos and stories of animals from the African wilderness by a National Geographic photographer.

February Recommendations for Teens

Fiction

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: A Graphic Novel, Adapted by Nunzio DeFilippis & Christina Weir, Based on the Story by F. Scott Fitzgerald - Fitzgerald's short story about a newborn that ages backwards has received much attention as of late. The film adaptation starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett expands and alters the story in broad strokes. Here, in DeFilippis and Weir's graphic novel, the story lives closer to Fitzgerald's original tale. The sepia-toned illustrations by Kevin Cornell bring the story to life in its own curious way, by making the story appear steeped in time while simultaneously refreshing the old short story with a contemporary and modern medium. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button has never looked more youthful and new. Curious, indeed.

13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson - Ginny is 17 and about to have the experience of a lifetime. Her beloved aunt Peg has just passed away, but not before sending a mysterious letter to Ginny that sends her on a journey of self-discovery. As Ginny follows the letters and her aunt's friends across Europe, she discovers how love and family will always help you find your way home.

The Fortunes of Indigo Skye by Deb Caletti - What would you do with a $2.5 million tip? Indigo loves her life as a waitress in a small town with a crazy family and an adorable boyfriend to keep things interesting. When a mysterious man leaves her a generous tip, it transforms her life in ways she never expected, and not always for the better. How she finds her way makes this a fast, entertaining read.

The Juvie Three by Gordon Korman - Gecko drove a getaway car. Terence ran with the worst gang in Chicago. Arjay killed a boy. They all deserve to be in Juvenile Hall, right? But circumstances are not what they seem and all three boys are about to get a second chance. But if they can't learn how to get along, it will be their final chance.

The Unspoken by Thomas Fahy - Six kids were the only survivors of a great fire that destroyed the Divine Path religious compound five years ago. The last thing the kids remembered from life there was an eerie prophecy from the founder: "In five years' time, your greatest fear will consume you. It will rob you of your last breath." Now five years latter the teens have all thought they have moved on with their lives, but are reunited at the funeral of the son of the founder…he drowned, which was his worst fear. One by one the teens are being killed in mysterious and frightening ways; the others are trying hard to stay alive and find out what is the evil that is hunting them. This is a great thriller with lots of suspense. A great quick read that will leave you jumping at shadows and quaking in your boots.

February Recommendations for Adults

Fiction

Blackbird, Farewell by Robert Greer - As the NBA's second draft pick, superstar Shandrell Blackbird was headed for a professional basketball career and the big money that goes with it. But someone had another career agenda for him. When Shandrell is found shot to death mid-court, his best friend and teammate Damion Madrid, CJ Floyd's godson, takes the case. Will he survive the mean streets of Denver as he uncovers the dark side of pro sports?

Home by Marilynne Robinson - Pulitzer Prize-winning author Robinson has created another powerful voice in the literature on family generations and the secrets they nourish. Prodigal son Jack Broughton returns to Gilead seeking refuge and redemption. His sister Glory assumes the role of nurse to their dying father and witness to Jack's troubled past and present pain. As in all great parables, shared deep and universal emotions knit together the frayed bonds of family generations.

The Ladies' Lending Library by Janice Kulyk Keefer - The beginning of the rockin' sixties, the release of Cleopatra, and the national drama of the Taylor/Burton romance set the scene for the 1963 summer season at Kalyna Beach for the Canadian-Ukrainian community. With their husbands working in the city, the moms trade gossip along with gin and racy paperbacks at their Friday afternoon book discussion. But adolescent Laura, her sisters and their friends, are beginning to challenge the once impregnable "world of the mothers" and unleash a startling series of betrayals and discoveries. For this is the summer when everything will change for the girls and women of Kalyna Beach, as innocence is exchanged for a new understanding of the possibilities open to them all.

The Mystic Art of Erasing All Signs of Death by Charlie Huston -"There are many things to love about Charlie Huston's fiction--he's a brilliant storyteller, and writes the best dialogue since George V. Higgins--but what pushes my personal happy-button is his morbid sense of humor and seemingly effortless ability to create scary/funny bad guys who make Beavis and Butthead look like Rhodes Scholars."

"…the best thing about Mystic Arts is how decency and heroism rise to the top in spite of everyone's best efforts to crush them under heel." The whole review by Stephen King is available at Amazon.com.

The Red Convertible: Selected and New Stories, 1978-2008 by Louise Erdrich - Three decades of Erdrich's stories are collected together for the first time including six not previously published. The chronological order reveals the evolution of a master storyteller developing her characteristic themes of passion, revenge, deception, and identity within the complex relationships of generations of Native American families.


Nonfiction

Chocolate: A Healthy Passion by Shara Aaron - Who would argue against chocolate? Winner of the Gourmand World Cookbook Award for the Best Cookbook, USA, Aaron answers the question: no one. It is ancient, it comes from the tropical rainforests, it is addictive, preparation requires fermenting the seeds, even science acknowledges its divine origins, named Theobroma=food of the gods, by Linnaeus. One seed is 40-60% solid fat, some of the most expensive and seductive fat in the world. An homage to one of the nicest discoveries ever, Aaron has filled this book with wonderful recipes, beautiful photographs and important nutritional information about this universal passion.

The Foreclosure Survival Guide: Keep Your House or Walk Away with Money in Your Pocket by Stephen Elias - If you're having trouble making your mortgage payments or are already in jeopardy of foreclosure, this book will give you the practical information you need, step by step. An essential tool for anyone at risk of foreclosure.

Little Heathens: Hard Times and High Spirits on an Iowa Farm during the Great Depression by Mildred Armstrong Kalish - Kalish delights us with a loving but realistic portrait of a "hearty-handshake Methodist" family that gave its members a remarkable legacy of kinship, kindness, and remembered pleasures. Recounting a world of hardship, hard work, and simple rewards Kalish's memoir of her childhood shows how the right stuff can make even the bleakest of times seem like "quite a romp."

Organize Your Digital Life: How to Store Your Photographs, Music, Videos, & Personal Documents in a Digital World by Aimee Baldridge - Great how-to for keeping track of what you've got, in all media formats, without going crazy. Guaranteed to reduce clutter and paper waste.

Panic: The Story of Modern Financial Insanity, edited by Michael Lewis - With his trademark humor and brilliant anecdotes, Lewis pulls commentary from a variety of sources to paint the mood and market factors leading up to four major financial disasters. He analyzes the 1987 stock market crash, the 1997-98 emerging market crisis, the dot.com meltdown, and the current housing and stock market crash. Using blog entries and other contemporary accounts, Lewis shows what people thought was happening at the time, and then, with the luxury of hindsight, analyzes what actually happened and what we should have learned from experience. In addition to six essays by Lewis, included are satirist Dave Barry, and articles by business reporters Joseph Stiglitz, Roger Lowenstein, Jack Willoughby and Greg Zuckerman.