Best of Birmingham Public Library's
Season’s
Readings
Adult Fiction
Resurrection
by Tucker Malarkey
Reviewer: Ellen Griffin Shade
Tucker Malarkey’s Resurrection is an atmospheric thriller built around the 1945 rediscovery of the lost Gnostic Gospels, collections of non-canonical early Christian writings which include a gospel attributed to Mary Magdalene. Malarkey explores the emergence of the Lost Gospels through London nurse Gemma Bastian, a world-weary survivor of World War II who has lost her mother to the Blitz and her father to Egypt. With finely drawn characters and a haunting sense of time and place, Malarkey has crafted an elegant story of love, faith, and spiritual discovery.
by Tucker Malarkey
Reviewer: Ellen Griffin Shade
Tucker Malarkey’s Resurrection is an atmospheric thriller built around the 1945 rediscovery of the lost Gnostic Gospels, collections of non-canonical early Christian writings which include a gospel attributed to Mary Magdalene. Malarkey explores the emergence of the Lost Gospels through London nurse Gemma Bastian, a world-weary survivor of World War II who has lost her mother to the Blitz and her father to Egypt. With finely drawn characters and a haunting sense of time and place, Malarkey has crafted an elegant story of love, faith, and spiritual discovery.
The Wave
by Walter Mosley
Reviewer: Maya Jones
In keeping with the current trend of the horror genre’s reemergence of zombies, Mosley’s new book puts a sci-fi twist on a much-loved storyline. Zombies are real in this novel, but they are the emissaries of an alien group consciousness that crash-landed on earth thousands of years ago. The United States military knows about this entity, and they are taking drastic measures to contain it. Sounds interesting? Read The Wave by Walter Mosley and be horrified and thrilled at the same time.
by Walter Mosley
Reviewer: Maya Jones
In keeping with the current trend of the horror genre’s reemergence of zombies, Mosley’s new book puts a sci-fi twist on a much-loved storyline. Zombies are real in this novel, but they are the emissaries of an alien group consciousness that crash-landed on earth thousands of years ago. The United States military knows about this entity, and they are taking drastic measures to contain it. Sounds interesting? Read The Wave by Walter Mosley and be horrified and thrilled at the same time.
Love is Never Painless
by Zane
Reviewer: Bryan Gamble
Love is Never Painless is a collection of three novellas by African-American authors that tackle the darker sides of love rarely explored in love stories. In How the Other Half Lives, by Eileen M. Johnson, longtime friends Jamellah and Fernecia are having trouble with the men in their lives. Love is 2 Blame, by V. Anthony Rivers, features Malcolm, who is devastated after his two-year relationship with Shaylisa ends—but the lovely Zahara may be the perfect woman to show Malcolm what true love is all about. In Staring Evil in the Face, by Zane, Robier has everything: a successful career, beautiful children, and the woman of his dreams. Having loved Tiphanie since college, he is determined to keep his marital vows—until Tiphanie is involved in a horrible car accident that changes the entire course of their lives.
by Zane
Reviewer: Bryan Gamble
Love is Never Painless is a collection of three novellas by African-American authors that tackle the darker sides of love rarely explored in love stories. In How the Other Half Lives, by Eileen M. Johnson, longtime friends Jamellah and Fernecia are having trouble with the men in their lives. Love is 2 Blame, by V. Anthony Rivers, features Malcolm, who is devastated after his two-year relationship with Shaylisa ends—but the lovely Zahara may be the perfect woman to show Malcolm what true love is all about. In Staring Evil in the Face, by Zane, Robier has everything: a successful career, beautiful children, and the woman of his dreams. Having loved Tiphanie since college, he is determined to keep his marital vows—until Tiphanie is involved in a horrible car accident that changes the entire course of their lives.
Adult Non-fiction
We Speak Your Names: A Celebration
by Pearl Cleage
Reviewer: Pam Lyons
Oprah does it again! We Speak Your Names takes center stage as a spoke in a wheel that connects all of those honored by Winfrey to each other and to all of us who watch and marvel at the evolution of these remarkable women. The poetic tribute speaks volumes to the old adage of “giving them their flowers while they yet live.” But what is more remarkable is the book’s ability to inspire us to honor those who are legendary in our own circles. The book inspires us to work toward our personal best.
by Pearl Cleage
Reviewer: Pam Lyons
Oprah does it again! We Speak Your Names takes center stage as a spoke in a wheel that connects all of those honored by Winfrey to each other and to all of us who watch and marvel at the evolution of these remarkable women. The poetic tribute speaks volumes to the old adage of “giving them their flowers while they yet live.” But what is more remarkable is the book’s ability to inspire us to honor those who are legendary in our own circles. The book inspires us to work toward our personal best.
Perfect Madness: Motherhood in the Age of Anxiety
by Judith Warner
Reviewer: Gail P. Barton
A perfect neighborhood. A perfect daycare. A perfect school. Do these things result in a perfect life for today’s children? Judith Warner examines the political and social concerns that she believes have raised the anxiety level of “millennium mothers.” Warner gives a brief history and examines how current anxieties have developed through events in American culture. She explores how theories of motherhood dovetailed with those events and how we came to the current “winner-take-all” parenting mentality. An American who lived in France for a few years before and after the birth of her two children, Warner has a unique perspective on motherhood in each country.
by Judith Warner
Reviewer: Gail P. Barton
A perfect neighborhood. A perfect daycare. A perfect school. Do these things result in a perfect life for today’s children? Judith Warner examines the political and social concerns that she believes have raised the anxiety level of “millennium mothers.” Warner gives a brief history and examines how current anxieties have developed through events in American culture. She explores how theories of motherhood dovetailed with those events and how we came to the current “winner-take-all” parenting mentality. An American who lived in France for a few years before and after the birth of her two children, Warner has a unique perspective on motherhood in each country.
Assassination Vacation
by Sarah Vowell Audio CD (read by author)
Reviewer: Kelly Laney
Listening to Sarah Vowell read Assassination Vacation is the auditory equivalent of Hawaiian pizza—a little chewy and piquant but very good if you like unusual ingredients. Best known as the voice of Violet in the movie The Incredibles and as a frequent commentator on NPR, Ms. Vowell’s off-beat interest in American presidential history, especially assassinations, leads her on pilgrimages to such places as the National Museum of Health and Medicine to see the bullet that killed president Lincoln and the island prison cell where some of the Lincoln assassination conspirators were confined. Her self-denigrating commentary and attention to detail is endearing and hilarious, and her voice is memorable. Anyone who enjoys history and cultural commentary will find Assassination Vacation entertaining and educational.
by Sarah Vowell Audio CD (read by author)
Reviewer: Kelly Laney
Listening to Sarah Vowell read Assassination Vacation is the auditory equivalent of Hawaiian pizza—a little chewy and piquant but very good if you like unusual ingredients. Best known as the voice of Violet in the movie The Incredibles and as a frequent commentator on NPR, Ms. Vowell’s off-beat interest in American presidential history, especially assassinations, leads her on pilgrimages to such places as the National Museum of Health and Medicine to see the bullet that killed president Lincoln and the island prison cell where some of the Lincoln assassination conspirators were confined. Her self-denigrating commentary and attention to detail is endearing and hilarious, and her voice is memorable. Anyone who enjoys history and cultural commentary will find Assassination Vacation entertaining and educational.