BOOK GROUPIE: Carleen Brice's book a gem for book groups
Possibly the greatest perk of writing this column is the free books. Authors and their publicists send books to newspapers all across the country, hoping newspaper reviewers will recommend their books.
At the Gazette, these books are collected for me in boxes. I like to think of the boxes as treasure chests. While they aren’t trimmed with gold or lined with satin (really, they’re just your average cardboard boxes), I have discovered many a gem inside them.
Carleen Brice’s “Orange Mint and Honey” is one such gem. “Orange Mint and Honey” tells the story of Shay Dixon, a broke and broken-down graduate student in Iowa City. The book begins with Shay becoming so depressed she sees a vision of deceased blues singer Nina Simone. In the vision, Simone tells Shay to go home.
Home for Shay is a tricky place. Shay grew up in Denver with an absentee father and an alcoholic mother. While Shay’s mom, Nona, claims she’s stopped drinking, Shay is doubtful. But with no other option in sight, Shay goes to Denver and moves in with Nona. Also in the house is Shay’s half-sister, a little girl named Sunny.
Shay has a huge chip on her shoulder, and you’ll have to read the book to see if it ever comes off. No spoilers here! Suffice to say, Shay grows considerably in the book. She builds strong personal relationships and deals with a recurring problem with trichotillomania — the intentional pulling out of hair. Shay also comes to terms with her past and develops a healthy approach to her future.
“Orange Mint and Honey” is a fabulous book club book. I can easily imagine members verbally jousting over the mother/daughter dynamic. Should Shay forgive Nona? Some book club members will scream, “Yes, yes!” while others will insist, “No way!”
And if clubs can’t come up with their own discussion questions, there are questions located at the back of the book. Also found there is an interview with Brice, a nice addition to the total reading experience.
Finally, because the book is set in Denver, book clubs have a great excuse for taking a field trip. Brice has two free events scheduled in Denver in early 2010, both at public libraries. Details about the events, as well as information about “Orange Mint and Honey,” being optioned by Lifetime as “Sins of the Mother,” are available at CarleenBrice.com. Her newest book is “Children of the Waters.” Brice’s blog, White Readers Meet Black Writers, is https://welcomewhitefolks.blogspot.com.
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CONTACT THE WRITER: Anita Miller welcomes your book suggestions. Read her blog at bookgroupie.freedomblogging.com
or e-mail anita.l.miller@worldnet.att.net.
