Local Book Club, Sharing the love of Reading

In my local town of Madera, California, I, along with the Friends of Madera County Library have started a book club. The book club was started in February. Our name is Madera Reads Community Book Club. 

We meet once a month, sometimes two, depending on how long our book discussions last. We meet once at the Library and another, at a local coffee shop in the community.

I have been an avid reader my entire life. I hope that the book club helps to find local readers that want to read, fellowship and discuss great works of literature with their community, as well as highlight great writers.  Thus far, we have read some pretty great books. I've attached the flyers from past book discussions, in case you're interested in reading some of Madera Reads picks!

    

I highly recommend the following; February book was, Manana Means Heaven, by the talented and beautiful - Tim Z. Hernandez, March book was Idaho, a debut novel by Emily Ruskovich, and April book was, We the Animals, a haunting, gorgeous story written by Justin Torres (We the Animals is soon to be released as a motion picture).

Our last two books, May's book club choice, Here Lies Memory by Doug Rice and June's book club choice, Into the Beautiful North by Luis Alberto Urrea, I cannot get the characters out of my mind. I am working on short blurbs about all the books we have so far read. 

I encourage you all to share  your love of reading within your community. Start a local book club, find like minded people. Keep reading and a love for literature- ALIVE! 

Read and be Happy!

Francine

anthemwritingservice@gmail.com

(559) 273-9627  

Local Poets You Should Read in April

April is National Poetry Month and what better way to celebrate the month of poetry then by reading books from local poets. I have searched my bookshelves to find a few of my favorite Central Valley Poets.

We all love the classics. right? Homer, Akhmatova, Milton, Neruda, Yeats and so on, but what about the current poets. Today's poets are the names we will be reading in years to come. They speak to our generation and their immortalized words will always remind us of what the world was like today. I know the four books I've selected below will always remind me of a season in my life, a person, a moment during the 2000's that I will never forget.

For instance, De Luna's" Bent to the Earth", I purchased at Tower Records, Sacramento in 2006. At the time my seven-year engagement  was painfully coming to an end and oddly enough, so was Tower Records. I remember taking the book to our then home, and sitting on those dreadful baby blue couches when I read the stanza below and succumbed to the universal language of  loss.   

"There were no great truths

revealed to me then. No wisdom

given to me by anyone. I was a child

who had seen what a piece of polished wood

could do to a face, who had seen his father

about to lose the one he loved, who had lost

some friends who would never return,

who, later that morning, bent

to the earth and went to work."

Then there was the moment when my husband who is not a reader, read Chacon's "The Cholo Who Said Nothing", never having read a poem, much less an entire book of poetry, said to me, this book was so real and truthful to what it really feels like after losing a mother, with his Asian eyes full of sadness.

Or when at Toca Winery in Madera, when the song  Paloma Negra resonated between the walls of Marisol Baca's "Tremor" book release party, and in my hands I held Marisol's book, reading  the poem "Helena" and I thought to myself, life is so good, so, so good.  

Joe Rios wrote an amazing collection of Poetry with "Shadowboxing". Rios was editor of a college newspaper we wrote for in Fresno. He is one of the most original human beings I have ever met, and he is such a great writer. His book "Shadowboxing" should be on every bookshelf in the world.

Poetry emotionally charges the soul. When a poem is well written  it is like a bolt of lightning giving way to see and understand the world a little bit clearer. These four books of poems have done just that for me and I am sure they will for you also. I hope you grab a copy of each and let the words take you on a journey of  what life is like in the Central Valley. Create your own moments with Poetry!

Happy National Poetry Month!  

-Francine

The Power of Recommendation

In his most recent Netflix special, Dave Chappelle mentioned the name of a book and encouraged the audience to read it. This, he said, would help all understand why he removed himself from his popular FX comedy series.
The book Pimp by Iceberg Slim was first published in 1967 by Holloway House. Then, it was released in 1996 in Great Britain by Payback Press. Simon and Shuster picked up Pimp in 2011 and here it stayed.

Pimp had already been an underground favorite. Ice-T completed a documentary on the book in 2013, plenty of celebrities, rappers and comedians have raved about the book.

I read a book review on Pimp sometime around 2013.I intended to buy the book. I found a used copy at a used bookstore in Fresno’s Tower District. There wasn’t even an actual price on the book, and it was a “$10 bag of books” deal. I chose another book over Iceberg Slim’s Pimp. Now I totally regret that decision.

According to thelaughbutton.com, Dave Chappelle’s recommendation has caused this decade old book to skyrocket to the top of the best sellers list. Ughh!

The book now sells on Amazon for $10 for new books up to $600, probably for a first edition or not one of the mass produced paperback books. I mean can you believe that??? A book like Pimp, for a book lover like myself, I would never want a new $10.61 book. It is the old, first edition, even the first edition Great Britain edition that would be worth collecting. Listen, the book has so bumped up in price that even a Kindle edition is freaking $11.99 and Simon and Shuster sells it for $15 bucks and some change.

Do you see the power of a recommendation? So if you were one of the lucky ones to purchase Pimp by Iceberg Slim early on, imagine what you could get for a first edition, hardcover from Halloway House. Search your mama’s and yo grandparents bookshelves…. and call me if you have the book.

Francine

(559) 273-9627

Social Media Friends Are The Best At Book Recommendations

 One of my social media friends posted a picture of a Sherman Alexie book with a caption underneath that read something along the lines of, “best writer alive”. Until that day, I had never heard of Alexie. But his name remained in my mind. While at The Paperback Trader in Redding, CA, I scanned the bookshelves for a gem and I found a Sherman Alexie book with a photo of two men punching each other. Immediately, I purchase The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fight in Heaven and read nearly half of it by the time I reach Modesto. I loved it. It is a wonderfully written book, with short stories that are magically told.

Soon after, I purchased Blasphemy.    

This purchase confirms that I had found a new favorite writer in Alexie. Blasphemy is a great book full of wonderful short stories. “Breakfast” is one of my favorites and is so short but packs the greatest punch of love, loss and parental guidance all in one and a half pages. Alexie is truly a magical storyteller. 

Then, last week while at the B&N bookstore in Fresno, I picked up You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me, a memoir piece mixed with prose and poetry by Mr. Alexie. And, well, everything comes to a halt. Here is my review of, You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me under the tab Memoir Reviews.

Happy Reading! 

By Francine! 

Seven Summer Must Reads for Women!

Anthem Recommends Seven Summer Books for Women!

Every summer, magazines, websites, publishers, friends and family recommend a slew of new summer books to read. Maybe you take those recommendations, maybe you don’t. Maybe you choose your own picks and devour them over the blistering summertime heat.

According to the New York Times’ summer read recommendations, it calls for “no hard” literature, no “deep and twisted meaning”. The Times explains they wanted, romance, fun, light summer reads and that is what it recommends to its readers. I disagree; I want hard, complex characters. Complexity is fine by me. I keep a minimum of 3 books with me, a fun read, a “my choice deep read”, and a book I am usually reading for a review. Don’t limit yourself to only romance novels during the summer months, nor limit to only newly released books, but if you so choose to, great, JUST READ, something, anything!

If romance summer reads is what you are looking for, my recommendations will do you little good. Although love is a factor, deep, complex relationships between- mother and child, men and women are at the core of the books I am recommending. All of the “Seven Books of Summer Recommendations” I have read and adored. Whatever your literary preference, I offer my own suggestions for women, you lovers of the written word. Enjoy.  Here it goes….

"Seven Books of Summer"

Mildred Pierce by James M. Cain: Set during the Great Depression; Mildred Pierce is the story of a woman doing her best to help maintain the financial status of her family. She leaves her lazy husband and starts working in a restaurant. Mildred is an amazing female character. She does everything for her children. Yet, her oldest daughter, Veda is the most ungrateful thing imaginable. This book tells the truth of what it is like to be a mother, the struggle, the constant sacrifice by mothers and the sometimes painful treatment a mother suffers at the relentlessness of their children.   

Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates:  One of my favorite books on family and a woman’s desire to wanting more in life than just being a mother and a housewife. Yates is a beautiful writer. This is a classic and heartbreaking story of April Wheeler and her family. The book is rich in wonderful domestic characters, but it is April Wheeler that the reader will never forget. Her profound loneliness is evident throughout the entire novel. I loved this book. The reader quickly gets lost in the suburban life of the Wheelers but it is the loneliness of Ms. Wheeler that will have the reader most alive. It is a loneliness that is hauntingly human.

The Book of Ruth by Jane Hamilton:  Poor, Poor Ruth. She is such an awkward girl with low self-esteem. She has a mother that treats her brutally. Ruth has a brother that is a math whiz and is favored and loved by her mother. Ruth has no friends. Ruth’s only friend is found in her aunt and the aunt becomes a saving grace for poor Ruth. She encourages Ruth to write and read. Throughout the novel the aunt and Ruth maintain the most decent relationship throughout the entire book. They become pen pals. These letters prove a lifesaver for poor Ruth throughout the novel. Hamilton develops the character of Ruth from childhood to adulthood. The reader gets to watch Ruth grow into a woman, a wife, and a mother. But the poor, insecure and awkward Ruth is never given a chance to grow into her full potential. Her mother is relentless as ever with each passing day. This book has one of my favorite passages in all of literature. After coming home from church, Ruth sees 3 burnt crows upside down on a telephone pole. She immediately shivers with a feeling of fear. After the horrible incident between her husband and mother, Ruth is adamant that the crows were a prelude to this. She states “Sometimes God gives you a warning sign.” This book will not let you put it down.  

In the Context of Love by Linda K. Sienkiewicz: A beautiful and interesting look at love and the loves that shape one’s life. Angelica falls in love with the high school bad boy. The relationship forever changes the relationship between mother and daughter. This makes the reader want more. Sienkiewicz does a marvelous job of creating tension and then when the reality of why Angelica’s mother feels so harshly against bad boy Joe it eases the reader with pure understanding. But it doesn’t stop there. The book covers decades of Angelica’s life. We see her love, grow, make mistakes, learn, and become a mother and a positive force when given a second chance. But the past has a way of creeping back into your life and it is not always a bad thing to have your past become your present. This is a great read. So full of the complex relationships between mother and daughter, boyfriend and girlfriends, husbands and wives. You will get lost in the beautiful tale of love.  

Snow in May by Kseniya Melnik:  The most wonderful collection of short stories by Russian writer Melnik. This book will transport you to a different time, a different place and shower you with delight at each beautiful tale. “Love Italian Style, or in Line for Bananas” is a wonderful story of a mother and wife and the temptation of a fling and how love overpowers it all. Melnik is such a fresh voice and is bound to keep you cool and interested from first page to last. I love these short stories. Take it in story by story and enjoy!

Beloved by Toni Morrison:  A mother’s love is the strongest force out there and Morrison captures this beautifully in Beloved. Even in death this love cannot be quenched. This book is life, it is poetry, and it is an all year long read. This book is a must read for all true lovers of literature. It is a timeless tale of love, of motherhood, poverty and of the afterlife.

God Help the Child by Toni Morrison:  After reading Beloved, you will have no clue Morrison wrote God Help the Child. Morrison’s voice is completely different, her work contrary to the mother in Beloved. This is a cool, modern take on a strong woman Bride and her even stronger mother, Sweetness, whose name is in no way suggestive to her character. Sweetness is a tough-love mother that punishes Bride for being dark. This constant treatment of Bride makes Bride tough and eventually successful as an adult. As the book continues it is clear that Sweetness had her reasons for treating Bride as she did and everything comes full circle by the end of the book. God Help the Child is an interesting look at what a mother feels necessary to do to in order to protect and prepare her child for the world, however questionable. Morrison writes a short, interesting read at how love comes in different forms, shapes and colors. I’d like to see this book made into a movie and Lupe N’yongo play Bride.  It would be such a good film.  

Happy Reading!

By Francine @

Anthem Book Review

A Book For Your Father

                

Anthem Recommends Books for Fathers

                                    

Father’s Day was first created by Sonora Smart Dodd whose father, war veteran, William Jackson Smart was a single dad that raised six children on his own. After Dodd heard a sermon regarding Mother’s Day, Dodd encouraged her pastor that a day honoring fathers should also be established. The idea soon turned into reality.

Dodd initially wanted Father’s Day to fall on her father Smart’s birthday which was on June 5, but after much discussion the date was changed to the third Sunday in June. The first Father’s Day celebration was officially held in Spokane, Washington and continues to be celebrated today.

This Sunday will be no different. Children across America are currently searching for a good Father’s Day gift for a day set aside to honor fathers everywhere. Well, there is no better gift than a book. Below are a few good books that shed light on the beautiful, complex relationship between fathers and sons. The lists below are of books and short stories that I have actually read and that I found to be interesting father and son stories. I hope you enjoy.  And if you are a father, have a wonderful Father’s Day!

Memoir- Comedy

Being a Dad Is Weird: Lessons in Fatherhood From My Family to Yours-by Ben Falcone. Falcone is funny-woman Melissa McCarthy’s husband. So, of course it is funny and full of inappropriate memories that Falcone so eagerly shares with the world about his unconventional father. There are great loving parts to the book that just warm the heart. Definitely a book both father and son will get a good laugh out of.

Memoir- Written by Stars

Not My Father's Son: A Memoir -by Alan Cumming . A heartbreaking story of an abusive father and polarizing figure that changes the course of his children’s lives.

Christian

Like Father, Like Son: How Knowing God as Father Changes Men – by Pete Alwinson This is a Christian themed book written by Pastor Alwinson. This book is really for those that did not have a strong father role in their lives and for those raised with a father that was absent and less affectionate. Alwinson does his best to help boys/men deal with filling that void by embarking on a relationship with the heavenly father, God.  

Memoir Family History

Dear Father, Dear Son: Two Lives... Eight Hours – by Larry Elder.  Dear Father, Dear Son is a beautiful story of Elder who since the age of 15 ended his relationship with his father. For years, Elder did not speak with him and thought he never would. On his deathbed, Elder and his father have a conversation that as you read each page, you will wish never ends. Dear Father, Dear Son, is a beautiful memoir of forgiveness and understanding and the bond between father and son that remains unbreakable.

The Return: Fathers, Sons, and the Land in Between-by Hisham Matar. A horrifying look at what it was like living under the Qaddafi regime. Matar writes of his father, his disappearance and the events that occurred during the revolt in Libya. Matar also delves into the lives of others and how they were affected by this war and revolt. There are stories so hard to fully grasp, so full of horror that the book is difficult to read at time. But Matar’s honesty and sentences structured so beautiful and rich in history makes this book well worth the read. I have not finished reading it, but should soon.  I warn you be prepared to be shaken. There is a story in the book about a man burying his son under the kitchen floor that actually made me lose sleep. The Return won the Pulitzer Prize and Man Booker Award and is deserving of every prize received.

Moving Target, A Memoir- by Ron Arias. Arias is a journalist and writes as such. The book is easy and utterly interesting to read. Arias begins with the history of his parents that is filled with beauty and horror. Arias’s father was a Korean POW that remains a mystery for much of the book. Arias, as a skilled journalist does his best to get to know a man that has remained a mystery to him for much of his life. He doesn’t find the answers to all his questions but there is clearly redemption found by the end of the book.  A great informative book about how we really never know who and what our parents were before they became ours.

It Calls You Back: An Odyssey through love, addictions and healing by Luis J. Rodriguez. I love this book. Rodriguez also wrote Always Running a truthful memoir about his life in gangs and prison. It Calls You Back takes place during the second phase of his life. Rodriguez has already transformed his life and has become a pillar and activist in his community. However, the life of his past rears its ugly face toward his children. Rodriguez writes an honest book of what it feels like as a father dealing with the difficulty and helplessness he endures, as he watches his son make the same mistakes he had in his youth. Rodriguez is so brutally honest that it is beautiful, he takes no prisoners, and he brushes off no responsibility. Rodriguez boldly admits his shortcomings and through this a beautiful tale between father and son evolves. This is a must read for anyone in the midst of change, of wanting more, the first steps come from within.

Fiction

The Road by Cormac McCarthy. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, as well as my heart. I quote this book often. I’ve read it over five or six times. It is absolutely gorgeous. At what seems like the end of civilization, a father does his best to care, protect and continually teach his son to be good, “to carry the fire”. There are so many scenes in the novel that are heartbreaking and teeming with death, but the unconditional love of a father and faith in his only son gives the book hope and life. Every father should read this book, every human.

Fiction-Short Story

Tiny And Ray by Kate Krautkramer. This short story was published in The Normal School’s Issue 13. It is a heartbreaking story of how a father shouldn’t raise his son. It is the complete opposite of McCarthy’s The Road but remains a beautiful, seemingly truthful account of a father that is just as lost as his son. A definite must read. I really enjoyed this short story. It lingered with me long after I closed the magazine.

Happy Reading!

Written by Francine 

Anthem Recommends Books in Honor of May Day

International Workers Day, May Day, Workers Day, whatever day you are observing here are some great reads by Latin writers. 

By Anthem Book Review

In honor of May Day 2017 Anthem Books & Writing would like to recommend a few of our “Top Shelf Books” – so, if you are staying home in protest,  Anthem Books & Writing highly recommends relaxing and reading the following books:

This is my personal copy and as you can see
I've read it to physical book exhaustion.

The Devil’s Highway by Luis Alberto Urrea. This is a beautiful true story of 26 Mexicans in search of a better life that attempt to cross the Arizona desert. Urrea beautifully weaves together the lives of these men and takes you on their journey; it is a journey you will never fully return from. The Devil’s Highway grabs your soul and fills your mind with such understanding of why many make the trek through a diabolical desert for America.

All They Will Call You by Tim Z. Hernandez.  28 Mexican farmworkers being deported to Mexico are killed when the plane fails. Beautiful Hernandez, as always, writes a heartbreaking, informative true story of the Los Gatos Plane Crash. He recreates the past for us; he brings back the dead through vivid careful storytelling and introduces the reader to 28 hardworking individuals that will remain with the reader long after the book is closed. Hernandez is from the Central Valley, and one of our finest investigative writers.

A Thousand Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. The best book on earth- If you haven’t read this book, you haven’t lived. Read this book. Then reread this book at a slower pace, savor the written word. Then, learn Spanish, if you don’t already and read it in its original language. And thank me later for encouraging you to read this masterpiece. J