Publishers Weekly: The Women They Overlooked

Community, have you read any of the backlash about Publishers Weekly's Top 10 for 2009? At She Writes, there's been quite a stir. There's no women in the top ten though a few are mentioned in other categories. Even if you haven't read the list, most of us here wouldn't be surprised by the absence of color.

Of course I asked where was the shared outrage over the absence of women of color. Kamy, one of the co-founders not only read my multiple posts to different responses, but she in turn asked me to share a list of women of color who published in 2009 who rightly deserve to be recognized.

I read mostly YA and I don't normally read new releases. Ego aside, I want to get this right. She Writes has a huge membership so I am calling on you to help me submit a solid list. Share with me your picks for women of color who had works published in 2009. Most of the top 10 are literary works.

I'll start:
The Other Side of Paradise by Stacy Ann Chin
The Map of Home by Randa Jarrar
Stealing Buddha's Dinner: a memoir by Bich Ming Nguyen
The Weight of Heaven: A Novel by Thrity Umrigar
The Thing Around Your Neck by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Daughters of the Stone by Dahlma Llanos-Figueroa
Secret Son by Laila Lalami

Hispanic Heritage Month: Adult Fiction List

Community,

As promised here are a few recommended titles from Stella at My World, Mi Mundo, author, Mayra Lazara and I included a few from Eva at A Striped Chair. How many have you read, what's on your tbr list, which do you own or have heard of?

Of course, no list is complete (find our YA list here). We want your input so our list can be as comprehensive as we all can make it. Leave your titles and comments in the comment section. Our list begins with:


1. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
2. Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel
3. Bless Me Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya
4. I The Supreme by Augusto Roa Bastos
5. In The Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez
5. How The Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez
6. Something To Declare by Julia Alvarez
7. The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende
8. City of the Beast by Isabel Allende
9. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
10. The Island of Eternal Love by Daina Chaviano
11.The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolano
12. Hungry Woman in Paris by Josefina Lopez
13. A Girl Like Che Guevara by Teresa de la Caridad Doval
14. Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter: A Novel by Mario Vargas Llosa
15. The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
16. My Wicked Ways by Sandra Cisneros (poetry)
17. Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair by Pablo Neruda
18. Dreaming in Cuban by Cristina Garcia
19. Memory Mamboby by Achy Obejas
20. When I was Puerto Rican by Esmeralda Santiago

21. Let It Rain Coffee by Angie Cruz
22. Almost A Woman by Esmeralda Santiago
23. Across a Hundred Mountains by Reyna Grande
24. Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende

Color Online's Community HHM Recommended Reading List

Hispanic Heritage Month runs Sept. 15th-Oct. 15. To celebrate, Doret has provided the following recommended YA list. But this list is short, we want your input. Tell us your favorite YA Latino/a titles. How many of these have you read? Would love to have links to reviews. And let's add non-fiction. Feel free to ask questions or leave comments about the titles listed.

Yes, we will post an adult title list, too. Happy reading.

1.Rogelia's House of Magic by Jamie Martinez Wood
2.The Holy Tortilla and a Pot of Beans by Carmen Tafolla
3.Voices in first person edited by Lori Marie Carlson

4.The Smell of Old Lady Perfume by Claudia Guadalupe Martinez
5.White Bread Competition by Jo Ann Yolanda Hernandez
6.I Wanna be Your Shoebox by Christina Garcia
7.Invisible Touch by Kelly Parra
8.Return to Sender by Julia Alvarez
9.Who's Your Daddy? by Lynda Sandoval
10.Mexican White Boy by Matt de la Pena
11.Dark Dude by Oscar Hijuelos
12.The Brothers Torres by Coert Voorhees
13.Gringolandia by Lyn Miller Lachmann
14.Down To The Bone by Mayra Lazara Dole
15.The Meaning of Conseulo by Judith Ortiz Cofer
16.The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
17.Journey of Dreams by Marge Pellegrino's
18.The Tequila Worm by Viola Canales
19.Leaving GloryTown by Eduardo F Calcines
20.Petty Crimes by Gary Soto
21.Sammy & Juliana in Hollywood by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
22.Haters by Alisa Valdes Rodriquez
23.Honey Blonde Chica by Michele Serros
24.Sofia Mendoza's Guide to Getting Lost in Mexico by Malin Alegria
25.Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco Stork
26.La linea by Ann Jaramillo
27.The Poet Slave of Cuba by Margarita Engle
28.Adios to My Old Life by Caridad Ferrer
29.Amor and Summer Secrets by Diana Rodriguez Wallach
30.Gamma Glamma by Kim Flores
31.Cuba 15 by Nancy Osa
32. Becoming Naomi Leon by Pam Munoz (MG)
33.Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz (MG)
34.So Hard to Say by Alex Sanchez
35.Rainbow Boys by Alex Sanchez
36. Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles
37.Jaguar by Michele Dominguez-Greene
38.The Whole Sky Full of Stars by René Saldaña Jr
39.Cubanita, Riding the Universe by Gaby Triana

Diversity Roll Call Roundup: POC in Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Sci-fi and fantasy was a hit! If you didn’t know where to find POC characters and writers before, here’s a good place to start. A few highlights:

Claudia at the Bottom of Heaven writes about classic science fiction, "From King Arthur’s Court to Delany’s Nevèrÿon." This article is for all you literary geeks.

Stacy Whitman offers an introspective article and impressive list of MG and YA options.

Mitali Perkins from Mitali's Fire Escape writes on "Race, Class and Caste in Hunger Games." This article prompted my choice for the meme.

Ana at things matters a lot writes a thoughtful piece on the issue of race in sci/fi and fantasy.
Find all links with Mr. Linky. The following lists were culled from the posts and comments. I highly recommend you take your time checking out the individual posts over a course of multiple visits.

Authors
L. A. Banks - VHL series
Nisi Shawl - whose book recently won an award
Samuel Delany
Nalo Hopkinson
Tananarive Due
Jewell Parker Rhoades
Steven Barnes
David Anthony Durham
Octavia Butler (AF Am fantasy/sci fi)
Derrick Bell (afrocentric sci fi)
Nalo Hopkins (afro-futurism/ black woman centered sci fi)
Kalpa Imperial (fantasy/sci-fi - translated from Spanish available)
Gerald Vizenor's Bearheart
Lee Perry (afro-futurism)
Samuel Delany
Terry Bison Nova Africa (alternative future)
Vandana Singh
Kazui Ishiguro (distopic futurism)
Daniel Heath Justice (Native American alternative future

Anthologies
Dark Matter - edited by Sheree Thomas
Mojo - Conjure Stories edited by Nalo Hopkinson
So Long Been Dreaming edited by Nalo Hopkinson

Titles/Authors
Return to Nevèrÿon by Samuel Delany
The Shadow Speaker Nnedi Okorafor
Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin's
Patricia McKillip
The Moon and the Face
The Cygnet
The Sorceress
The Invention of Morel by Afolfo Casares
Travels to Fahdamin-Ra by Chaz Young
Troy Cle
Marvelous World
Allende's City of Beast
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin. (YA)
The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm by Nancy Farmer
Magic or Madness by Justine Larbalestier (YA)
A Wish After Midnight by Zetta Elliott
Cynthia Leitich Smith
Eternal (YA)
Tantalize (YA)
Across the Nightingale Floor: Tales of the Otori, Book One by Lian Hearn
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin

August: Color Me Brown Book Challenge

CONGRATULATIONS, WINNERS: Rhapsody at Rhapsodyinbooks, Allison at Read Into This!, Erika at Made by Momma , Doret at Happy Nappy Bookseller and Liz at A Chair, Fireplace & ATea Cozy.

Originally, I said we'd have 3 winners but with 121 links, I increased it to 5. Thank you all for incredible participation. As I promised, there is more. Every Monday, begining September 7th, I will feature 5 links to CMB reviews I find across the blogosphere. Once a month, I'll select reviewer among these links to receive a free book from our Prize Bucket. You won't have to link back to us. You don't have to do anything except what you already are: reading and reviewing books that reflect the diversity of our world. To spread the loot, a reviewer can only win once a year for CMB. Of course, there are so many other ways to win free books here.

Thanks again to all of you for making this challenge a huge success.



Read and review POC books through the month of August. We'll have a random drawing for 3 reviewers at the end of the challenge. Drop us a link to your review to be eligible. +3 entries for any sidebar link/tweet or blog post about this challenge. Contest limited to US residents.

If you want books, here are some options:

1) Request your library buy it. Many will when a patron asks. I have a wonderful library system and every request has been purchased.

2) Look for dated POC on trade sites like Paperbackswap.com I understand folks can't buy every book they want to read. I know I can't.

3) Contact the author directly. Many will send you a copy. They don't have endless stashes but believe me they love being asked for books for review.

4) Send me a review of book by POC writer. Every month I do a drawing for a free book for reviews we publish.

5) Color Online runs trivia quizzes. Same deal. Enter the drawing win a book. And winners pick their prizes from our Prize Bucket.

6) Book Loan Program at Color Online. For all active members at Color Online, I will loan you a book. Just pay for return shipping. I run a library with more than 3000 books. Our collection is 90% women 80% POC. You can see a partial list of our collection here. Let me confess, cataloguing online has not been my priority. If you don't see a title, ask. I'll be happy to see if we own it. *You must be an active member. If you need clarification, write me.

I want books in readers' hands. If you commit to read and review, I'll send you the book.I think I have effectively addressed the access issue.

Read brown, people.

Please post book titles in your links.

Susan's Unofficial List of Great YA by or About Women of Color

Not too long ago, I completed a fun exercise about YA literature. I think it said something about being well-read. Well, the list was light on writers of color so I’m offering a list of my own. Put an ‘X’ by what you’ve read, “#” by what books are on your tbr and “!” by books you loved. This list is very short and focused on women writers of color. Feel free to add titles in your comments. The list sorely needs works by Native Americans and Latinas for example.

Susan’s Unofficial List of Great YA by or About Women of Color:

1. When Kambia Elaine Flew In From Neptune by Lori A. Williams
2. Every Time A Rainbow Dies by Rita Williams-Garcia
3. No Laughter Here by Rita Williams-Garcia
4. Jumped by Rita Williams-Garcia
5. If You Come Softly by Jacqueline Woodson


6. The House You Pass On The Way by Jacqueline Woodson
7. Flygirl by Sherri L. Smith
8. From The Notebooks of Melanin Sun by Jacqueline Woodson
9. Sold by Patricia McCormick
10. Heaven by An Na
11. The Parable of The Sower by Octavia E. Butler
12. Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
13. Persepolis by Majane Satrapi
14. The Rock and The River by Kekla Magoon
15. Secret Keeper by Mitali Perkins
16. Mare’s War by Tanita S. Davis
17. A Wish After Midnight by Zetta Elliott
18. Down To The Bone by Mayra Lazara Dole
19. Don’t Get It Twisted by Paula Chase
20. Jason & Kyra by Dana Davidson
21. Forged by Fire by Sharon Draper
22. Kendra by Coe Booth
23. Shine, Coconut Moon by Neesha Meminger
24. Does My Head Look Big In This? By Randa Abdel-Fattah
25. Born Confused by Tanuja Desai Hidier
26. Skunk Girl by Sheba Karim
27. The Meaning of Conseulo by Judith Ortiz Cofer
28. In The Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez
29. Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
30. First Part Last by Angela Johnson
31. Pemba’s Song by Marilyn Nelson
32. Wanting Mor by Rukhsana Khan
33. M + O 4EVR by Tonya Hegamin
34. Lucy The Giant by Sherri L. Smith
35. The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
36. Throwaway Piece by Jo Ann Hernandez
37. White Bread Competition by Jo Ann Hernandez
38. Across A Hundred Mountains by Reyna Grande
39. Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon
40. Ash by Malinda Lo
41. The Skin I’m In by Sharon G. Flake
42. Maizon at Blue Hill by Jacqueline Woodson
43. That's What's Up by Paula Chase
44. It Chicks by Tia Williams
45.Indigo Sound by Regina Baiocchi
46. Only Twice I've Wished for Heaven by Dawn Turner Trice
47. The Shadow Speaker by Nnedi Okorafor

Historical Fiction

I recently read a post that suggested maybe we don't feature enough books often enough, so I'm going address that in a number of ways. One way will be cross-posting about books I've read but I have written full reviews for. Frankly, with a goal of 100 reads this year, working, writing for two blogs and meeting with CO members, it's not possible to review every book, but I can share what I've been reading. This morning, I'm sharing my response to one of Weekly Geeks' assignment which was to discuss historical fiction. Find more here.

Starting today, book titles will be linked to Shelfari when reviews are available there. Doing this will give you access to not only reviews but to members who've read the book and where you might find group discussions.

Is there a particular era that you love reading about? Tell us about it--give us a book list, if you'd like. Include pictures or some fun facts from that time period, maybe link to a website that focuses on that time. Educate us.

I prefer recent history say the last hundred years or so. I’ve mentioned before that I love multicultural literature and historical fiction provides one of the best ways to learn about another culture and its history. Favorite books of this type include:

In The Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez. This is about the Mirabel sisters' who fought against Trujillo dictatorship in the Dominican Republic. Read a Color Online reader's review here.

The Farming of Bones by Edwidge Danticat. This is the same country, but told from the point of view of Haitian migrant workers. It looks at the relationship between the ruling class and the sugar cane and other Haitian laborers.

A Wish After Midnight by Zetta Elliott. 15-year-old Genna is transported to 1863 Brooklyn during the Civil War and specifically the New York Draft riots.

Those Bones Are Not My Child by Toni Cade Bambara. This is a fictional account of a mother whose child goes missing in Atlanta during the rash of real kidnappings during the 1979-81. The book is chock full of other recent history like the Vietnam War.


The Rock and The River by Kekla Magoon. This coming-of-age story is about two brothers who make life-changing decisions during the height of Civil Rights Movement.

A member of your book group, Ashley, mentions that she almost never reads Historical Fiction because it can be so boring. It's your turn to pick the book for next month and you feel it's your duty to prove her wrong. What book do you pick?

I’d share links to all of the books above and suggest she choose.

Around The Globe: Poetry & Nonfiction

Fiction found here.

Triangular Road: A Memoir by Paule Marshall
My Forbidden Face: Growing Up Under the Taliban: A Young Woman's Story by
Latifa- Afghanistan (YA)
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou (autobiography)
Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali (memoir)
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi (memoir)
Our Dead Behind Us- Audre Lorde (Poetry)
I Put A Spell On You- Nina Simone (memoir)
My Wicked Ways-Sandra Cisneros (poetry)
When I Was Puerto Rican by Esmeralda Santiago (memoir)
Things I Have To Tell You- edited by Betsy Franco (poetry/essays)
The Cancer Journals by Audre Lorde- (essays)
Some of Us Did Not Die by June Jordan- (essays)
Never in a Hurry: Essays on People and Places by Naomi Shihab Nye
The Hemingses of Monticello by Annette Gordon-Reid
American Chica by Marie Arana (memoir)
Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi
Have a suggestions? Leave us a comment.

Around The Globe- Women's History Month

March is Women's History Month and March 8th is International Women's Day. To kick off our month-long celebration, we're launching our Around the Globe Challenge.

We are asking you to read a work by a woman of color from around the globe. Send us your review and if we publish it, we'll enter your name in a drawing for a book from our Prize Bucket. We're providing a list to give you options, but the list compromises a fraction of the work that can be read.

*Nonfiction and poetry found here.

Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie-Nigeria (YA)
Born Confused by-Tanuja Desai Hidier- America (YA)
Bliss by O.Z. Livaneli- Turkey (YA)
Beka Lamb by Zee Edgell- Belize (YA)
Skunk Girl by Sheba Karim- America (YA)
In The Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez- Dominican Republic (YA)
Annie John by Jamaica Kincaid- Antigua (YA)
Every Time A Rainbow Dies by Rita Williams Garcia- America (YA)
The Meaning of Consuelo by Judith Oritz Cofer- San Juan (YA)
Angel by Merle Collins- Grenada (YA)
Sadika's Way by Hina Haq- Pakistan (YA)
No Laughter Here by Rita Williams Garcia-America (YA)
Cybele's Secret by Juliet Mariller - Turkey (YA)
Sold by Patricia McCormick - Nepal (YA)
The Shadow Speaker by Nnedi Okorafor-Mbachu- Nigeria (YA)
A Stone In My Hand by Cathryn Clinton- Palenstine (YA)
The Road of Lost Innocence by Somaly Mam - Cambodia (YA)
Does My Head Look Big in This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah- Australia (YA)
Bound - Donna Jo Napoli - China (YA)
A Step From Heaven by An Na- America (YA)
Out of Bounds by Beverly Naidoo - South Africa (YA)
Tracks by Louise Erdrich- America
Snowflower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See - China
FreeFall by Anna Levine - Israel
Chu Ju's House by Gloria Whelan - China (YA)
When My Name was Keoko by Linda Sue Park - Korea (YA)
Who by Fire by Diana Spechler-Israel
Secret Keeper by Matilia Perkins- India (YA)
Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie- Nigeria
Japanland: A Year in Search of Wa by Karen Mueller- Japan
In Another Place by, Not Here by Dionne Brand- Carribean
The Girl From The Coast by Pramoedya- Java
Kinky Gazpacho by Lori-Tharps- Spain
The Farming of Bones by Edwidge Danticat- Dominican Republic
Pillars of Salt by Fadia Faqir- Jordan
The Cry of the Dove by Fadia Faqir- Jordan
The Girl From The Coast by Pramoedya Ananta Toer- Indonesia
Unbowed by Wangari Maathai- Kenya
Mosquito by Roma Teane- Sri Lanka
Finding Nouf by Zoe Ferraris- Saudi Arabia
Ladies' Lunch by Glida Cordero-Fernando- Phillipines
Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu- Japan
The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende- Chile
The Kabul Beauty School the Art of Perms, friendship and Freedom by Deborah Rodriguez with Ohlson, Kristin- Afghanistan
Last Full Moon- Gilda-Cordero fernando- Philippines
Orange Mint and Honey by Carleen Brice- America
Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri-America
Moonlight on the Avenue of Faith by Gina Nahai -Tehran
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy- India
Beloved by Toni Morrison-America
Baby no-eyes by Patricia Grace- New Zealand
Dogside Story by Patricia Grace- NZ
Love in a Headscarf: Muslim Woman Seeks the On by Shelina Zahra Janmohamed
Women of the Silk by Gail Tsukuiyama- China

Have a suggestions? Leave us a comment.

Prize Bucket

When you win a contest at Color Online, you pick your own book prize from our Prize Bucket. We are always adding more books. Check out what we currently have:
*recent additions
*Annie John by Jamaica Kincaid
*Meeting of the Waters by Kim McLarin
*Searching For Tina Turner by Jacqueline E. Luckett
*Dreaming In Cuban by Cristina Garcia
*Liar by Justine Larbalestier (YA)
*Sadika's Way by Hina Haq
*Toads and Diamonds by Heather Tomlison
*Rattlesnake Mesa: Stories from Native American Childhood by Ednah New Rider Weber (children)
*Elizabeti's Doll by Bodeen (children)
*Born Confused by Tanjua Deai Hidier (YA)
*Sweet, Hereafter by Angela Johnson (YA)
*Sacred Mountain Everest by Christine Taylor-Butler
*Aya by Magurerite Abouet (GN)
*Aya of Yop City by Magurerite Abouet (GN)
*Aya: The Secret Comes Out by Magurerite Abouet (GN)
*Camilla's Roses by Bernice L. McFadden
*Ash by Malinda Lo
The Rock and The River by Kekla Magoon (YA)
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
8th Grade Super Zero by Olugbemisola Rhuday Perkovich
Foxy: My Life in Three Acts by Pam Grier with Andrea Cagan
The Big Book of Soul by Stephanie R. Bird
PeaceBuilders: Daisaku Ikeda and Josei Toda, Buddhist Leaders by M. LaVora Perry (MG)
Rich: A Dyamonde Daniel book by Nikki Grimes, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie
Tortilla Sun by Jennifer Cervantes (MG)
Feathers by Jacqueline Woodson (MG)
Tofu Quilt by Ching Yeung Russell (poetry)
Amiagas and School Scandals by Diana Rodgriguez-Wallach (YA)
Amor and Summer Secrets by Diana Rodgriguez-Wallach (YA)
One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia (YA)
A Map of Home by Randa Jarrar
Rogelia's House of Magic by Martinez Wood (YA)
The Secret Keeper by Mitali Perkins (YA)
The Other Side of Paradise by Staceyann Chin
Ruined by Paula Morris (YA)
Portrait in Sepia by Isabel Allende
Fleldgling by Octavia Butler
Red Glass by Laura Resau
Lilith's Brood by Octavia Butler
Awakening by L.A. Banks
Minion by L.A. Banks
Spirits of the Ordinary by Kathleen Alchala
Something to Declare by Julia Alvarez
Paula by Isabel Allende
June-Tree: New and Selected Poems by Peter Balakian
All of Me by Venise Berrry
Kickboxing Geishas by Veronica Chambers
February Flowers by Fan Wu
Bang by Sharon G. Flake (YA)
Anila's Journey by Mary Finn
Kid B by Linden Dalecki (YA)
Begging for Change by Sharon G. Flake (YA)
The Unresolved by T.K. Welsh
Who Am I Without Him by Sharon G. Flake (YA)
Taneesha: Never Disparaging by M. Lavora Perry
Bitter Sweets by Roopa Farooki (YA)
When The Black Girl Sings by Bil Wright (YA)
The Untelling by Tayari Jones
Gringolandia by Lyn Miller-Lachmann (YA)
Trail of Crumbs by Kim Sunee
The Disappearance of Irene Dos Santos by Margaret Mascarenhas
Houston, we have a problema by Gwendolyn Zepeda
B as in Beauty by Alberto Ferraras
A Mango-Shaped Space by Wendy Mass (YA)
Shine, Coconut Moon by Neesha Meminger (YA)
72 Hours by Bebe Moore Campbell
Cinnamon Kiss by Walter Mosley
The Skin I'm In by Sharon Flake (YA)
Who Will Cry for the Little Boy? by Atwone Fisher
Battle of Jericho by Sharon Draper (YA)
Red River by Lalita Tademy
Kushiel's Scion by Jacqueline Carey
Ugly Ways Tina McElroy Ansa
Don't Get It Twisted by Paula Chase (YA)
Marya by Joyce Carol Oates
Barefoot Gen by Nakazawa
Goddess for Hire by Sonia Sing
The Meaning of Consuelo by Judith Ortiz Cofer (YA)
Change Baby by June Spence
Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich
The Watercourse by Cynthia Zarin
Beloved by Toni Morrison
Lucky by Alice Sebold
The House On Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros (YA)
Talking Drums by Anita Diggs
Spring Snow by Yukio Mishima
The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver
In The Meantime by Iyanla Vanzant
Sold by Patricia McCormick (YA)
After Tupac & D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson (YA)
Parrotfish by Ellen Wittlinger (YA)
Haiku: Seasons of Japanese Poetry by edited Johanna Brownell
The Embroidered Couch By Lu Tiancheng translated by Lenny Hu
A Tree Grows In Brooklyn by Betty Smith
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (YA)
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
What Look Like Crazy on an ordinary day by Pearl Cleage
We Were The Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates

*Mystery Prize- choose this option and be pleasantly surprised.