Today's challenge is a fun one. I love the 'if this then that' recommendations from other readers. It always helps me to associate writing styles and themes that I don't always necessarily connect for myself. If you haven't picked up any of these matches, I hope that you will!
If you enjoyed Terry McMillan's How Stella Got her Groove Back, try Sweet Georgia Brown by Cheryl Robinson.
What it's about:
Meet Georgia Brown-a humble housewife determined to become a household name....
After eleven years of marriage, Georgia Brown is fed up with her husband, Marvin, a popular radio personality. It's not just because she suspects he's having an affair, or because she's suddenly expected to raise his thirteen-year-old daughter, Chloe-whom she never even knew existed. It's because of the comments he makes about her weight, their marriage, and their sex life...on national radio!
Now, to save their marriage, Marvin invites Georgia to the station for an on-air rebuttal, having no idea it will launch her career. Or that what began as a battle at home will now be a blistering war for all to hear....
If you enjoyed Waiting to Exhale try Dancing on the Edge of the Roof by Sheila Williams.
What it's about:
At forty-one, Juanita Lewis is running away from home, courtesy of a one-way ticket to Montana, a place that seems about as far away from the violence and poverty of the Columbus, Ohio, projects as the moon. She wants adventure and excitement–if such things exist for a pre-menopausal African American woman with three grown, deadbeat children.
Juanita’s new life in Paper Moon, Montana, begins at a local diner where a culinary face-off with chef and owner Jess Gardiner finds Juanita in front of Jess’s stove serving up home cookin’ that lures the townsfolk like a magic spell. And suddenly Juanita, who was just passin’ through, now has a job by popular demand.
Out here in this wide-open space, Juanita’s heart can no longer hide, especially when she sees herself through the eyes of the wonderful and eccentric people of this down-to-earth town. She’s happy in Paper Moon; she’s found a home, but can she stay? And then there’s Jess. She has always dreamed of romance, but she never planned on falling in love.
If you enjoyed Liar's Game by Eric Jerome Dickey try Emotions by Timmothy B. McCann.
What it's about:
In "Emotions," McCann once again delivers a truly satisfying novel filled with the recognizable, complex characters and thoughtful, compelling story that readers have come to expect from this masterful writer."Emotions" revolves around Joi Weston, a beautiful sitcom star, and Philip Evans, the Florida businessman for whom she has given up her glamorous Hollywood career. Handsome and stable, Phillip offers the only things Joi has truly ever desired -- a solid, committed relationship.
As the years go by, a chill falls over Phillip and Joi's marriage, and even in the sunshine state, they are unable to rekindle the magic they once shared. While Joi flounders, desperately seeking a purpose in life, Phillip seems interested only in pursuing political ambitions. That's when Fate brings writer Michael Brockmier into Joi's life. Exotic, sensual, and poetic, Michael stirs a passion in her that she's never known before. But it is a passion fraught with complication, forcing Joi to make a heart-wrenching choice that will have lifelong consequences. . .for her and for the two men she loves.
Finally, if you enjoyed Beloved by Toni Morrison try Grace by Natashia Deón.
What it's about:
For a runaway slave in the 1840s south, life on the run can be just as dangerous as life under a sadistic Massa. That’s what fifteen-year-old Naomi learns after she escapes a brutal Alabama plantation, leaving behind her beloved Momma and sister Hazel and taking refuge in a Georgia brothel run by a freewheeling, gun-toting Jewish madam named Cynthia. There, amidst a revolving door of gamblers, prostitutes, and drunks, Naomi falls into a star-crossed love affair with a smooth-talking white man named Jeremy who frequents the brothel’s dice tables all too often.
The product of Naomi and Jeremy’s union is Josey, whose white skin and blonde hair mark her as different from the other slave children on the plantation. Having been taken in as an infant by a free slave named Charles, Josey has never known her mother, who was murdered at her birth. Josey soon becomes caught in the tide of history when news of the Emancipation Proclamation reaches the declining estate and a day of supposed freedom quickly turns into a day of unfathomable violence that will define Josey—and her lost mother—for years to come.
Deftly weaving together the stories of Josey and Naomi—who narrates the entire novel unable to leave her daughter alone in the land of the living—Grace is a sweeping, intergenerational saga featuring a group of outcast women during one of the most compelling eras in American history.
If you enjoyed Terry McMillan's How Stella Got her Groove Back, try Sweet Georgia Brown by Cheryl Robinson.
What it's about:
Meet Georgia Brown-a humble housewife determined to become a household name....
After eleven years of marriage, Georgia Brown is fed up with her husband, Marvin, a popular radio personality. It's not just because she suspects he's having an affair, or because she's suddenly expected to raise his thirteen-year-old daughter, Chloe-whom she never even knew existed. It's because of the comments he makes about her weight, their marriage, and their sex life...on national radio!
Now, to save their marriage, Marvin invites Georgia to the station for an on-air rebuttal, having no idea it will launch her career. Or that what began as a battle at home will now be a blistering war for all to hear....
If you enjoyed Waiting to Exhale try Dancing on the Edge of the Roof by Sheila Williams.
What it's about:
At forty-one, Juanita Lewis is running away from home, courtesy of a one-way ticket to Montana, a place that seems about as far away from the violence and poverty of the Columbus, Ohio, projects as the moon. She wants adventure and excitement–if such things exist for a pre-menopausal African American woman with three grown, deadbeat children.
Juanita’s new life in Paper Moon, Montana, begins at a local diner where a culinary face-off with chef and owner Jess Gardiner finds Juanita in front of Jess’s stove serving up home cookin’ that lures the townsfolk like a magic spell. And suddenly Juanita, who was just passin’ through, now has a job by popular demand.
Out here in this wide-open space, Juanita’s heart can no longer hide, especially when she sees herself through the eyes of the wonderful and eccentric people of this down-to-earth town. She’s happy in Paper Moon; she’s found a home, but can she stay? And then there’s Jess. She has always dreamed of romance, but she never planned on falling in love.
If you enjoyed Liar's Game by Eric Jerome Dickey try Emotions by Timmothy B. McCann.
What it's about:
In "Emotions," McCann once again delivers a truly satisfying novel filled with the recognizable, complex characters and thoughtful, compelling story that readers have come to expect from this masterful writer."Emotions" revolves around Joi Weston, a beautiful sitcom star, and Philip Evans, the Florida businessman for whom she has given up her glamorous Hollywood career. Handsome and stable, Phillip offers the only things Joi has truly ever desired -- a solid, committed relationship.
As the years go by, a chill falls over Phillip and Joi's marriage, and even in the sunshine state, they are unable to rekindle the magic they once shared. While Joi flounders, desperately seeking a purpose in life, Phillip seems interested only in pursuing political ambitions. That's when Fate brings writer Michael Brockmier into Joi's life. Exotic, sensual, and poetic, Michael stirs a passion in her that she's never known before. But it is a passion fraught with complication, forcing Joi to make a heart-wrenching choice that will have lifelong consequences. . .for her and for the two men she loves.
Finally, if you enjoyed Beloved by Toni Morrison try Grace by Natashia Deón.
What it's about:
For a runaway slave in the 1840s south, life on the run can be just as dangerous as life under a sadistic Massa. That’s what fifteen-year-old Naomi learns after she escapes a brutal Alabama plantation, leaving behind her beloved Momma and sister Hazel and taking refuge in a Georgia brothel run by a freewheeling, gun-toting Jewish madam named Cynthia. There, amidst a revolving door of gamblers, prostitutes, and drunks, Naomi falls into a star-crossed love affair with a smooth-talking white man named Jeremy who frequents the brothel’s dice tables all too often.
The product of Naomi and Jeremy’s union is Josey, whose white skin and blonde hair mark her as different from the other slave children on the plantation. Having been taken in as an infant by a free slave named Charles, Josey has never known her mother, who was murdered at her birth. Josey soon becomes caught in the tide of history when news of the Emancipation Proclamation reaches the declining estate and a day of supposed freedom quickly turns into a day of unfathomable violence that will define Josey—and her lost mother—for years to come.
Deftly weaving together the stories of Josey and Naomi—who narrates the entire novel unable to leave her daughter alone in the land of the living—Grace is a sweeping, intergenerational saga featuring a group of outcast women during one of the most compelling eras in American history.
No comments:
Post a Comment