Talking Volumes, 2003-2004

Blessings

By Anna Quindlen

The world of Blessings is changed forever when a teenage couple leaves a box at the estate owned by Lydia Blessing and drives away. Richly written, deeply moving, beautifully crafted, "Blessings" is the story of Skip Cuddy, caretaker of the estate, who finds a baby asleep in that box and decides to keep her, and of matriarch Lydia Blessing, who, for her own reasons, decides to help him. The secrets of the past, how they affect the decisions and lives of people in the present; what makes a person, a life, legitimate or illegitimate, and who decides; the unique resources people find in themselves and in a community—these are at the center of this novel of love, redemption, and personal change. (09/02/2003)

Midmorning interview: September 3, 2003, 10 a.m.

Live appearance: September 26, 2003, 7 p.m.

Themes and Threads in Anna Quindlen's "Blessings"
Feature by Heather McElhatton

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Purple Hibiscus

By Chimamanda Adichie

Fifteen-year-old Kambili is completely shielded from the troubles of the world, but things are less than perfect in her wealthy Nigerian home. Although her papa is generous and well respected, he is fanatically religious and tyrannical at home. He looms over his family's every move, severely punishes Kambili and her older brother, Jaja, if they're not the best in their classes, and hits their mama if she disagrees with him. Home is silent and suffocating. But everything changes once Kambili and Jaja visit Aunty Ifeoma outside the city. For the first time they experience freedom from their papa. As the country begins to fall apart under a military coup, tension within the family escalates, and shy Kambili must find the strength to keep her family together after her mother commits a desperate act. (10/21/2003)

Midmorning interview: October 22, 2003, 10 a.m.

Live appearance: October 13, 2003, 7 p.m.

Themes and Threads in Chimamanda Adichie's "Purple Hibiscus"
Feature by Heather McElhatton

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Dry

By Augusten Burroughs

When the ordinary person had two drinks, Augusten Burroughs had twelve. The ordinary person went home at midnight, but Augusten never went home at all. Loud, distracting ties, automated wake-up calls and cologne on the tongue could only hide so much for so long. His employers sent him to rehab. But as Augusten began to examine himself, something clicked, and that's when he discovered the worst trouble of all: When his 30 days are up, he has to return to his life and live it sober. What follows is a memoir that's as moving as it is funny, as heartbreaking as it is true. Dry is the story of love, loss, and Starbucks as a Higher Power. (11/03/2003)

Midmorning interview: November 4, 2003, 10 a.m.

Live appearance: December 4, 2003, 7 p.m.

Themes and Threads in Chimamanda Adichie's "Purple Hibiscus"
Feature by Heather McElhatton

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A Brief History of the Flood

By Jean Harfenist

Jean Harfenist's new book, "A Brief History of the Flood," is a collection of short stories set in the 1960s and centered around the Anderson family. The stories follow the developement of the Andersons' daughter Lillian from young child to young adult. Lillian is a small-town girl dealing with an alcoholic father and a mother who views the world like a romance novel. Lillian is also trying to avoid her mother's mistakes and is focusing on becoming a self-sufficient working woman. (12/18/2003)

Midmorning interview: December 18, 2003, 10 a.m.

Live appearance: January 14, 2004, 7 p.m.

Themes and Threads in Jean Harfenist's "A Brief History of the Flood"
Feature by Heather McElhatton

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Coraline

By Neil Gaiman

Neil Gaiman's "Coraline," a horror novel for children, is about a little girl who discovers a malevolent netherworld hidden behind a door in her house. It's ruled by a hideous being known as the "other mother" who kidnaps Coraline's real parents. She then tries to imprison the girl herself. (01/19/2004)

Midmorning interview: January 20, 2004, 10 a.m.

Live appearance: February 15, 2004, 2 p.m.

Author Neil Gaiman's latest horror novel aimed at young readers
Feature by Euan Kerr

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Children of God Go Bowling

By Shannon Olson

We first met Shannon Olson—our semifictional heroine—in "Welcome to My Planet." Now, in "Children of God Go Bowling," we find Shannon in her mid-30s and still besieged by reminders that her life is anything but normal. Her friends are blossoming in marital bliss, everyone seems to own a home, and even her baby sister is having a baby. Why, in the march to adulthood, has she been left behind? Shannon embarks upon a feng shui-inspired campaign to make room in her life for a future—or at least the hope of one. She joins group therapy, accepts blind dates, and even gives organized religion a go. Of course, surprises await her in the struggle against anxiety - and from some unlikely sources. (02/19/2004)

Midmorning interview: February 20, 2004, 10 a.m.

Live appearance: March 16, 2004, 7 p.m.

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Empress Orchid

By Anchee Min

It is the final days of the Chinese empire. A beautiful 17-year-old girl is pushed into the maelstrom when she finds herself unexpectedly chosen to become a low-ranking concubine of the emperor. The thousands of concubines will go to any lengths to bear the emperor a son and become his empress. Determined not to be a victim of jealousy and foul play, Orchid seduces the monarch. "Empress Orchid" is the story of a fascinating, strong-willed woman who has been vilified for generations as a grand seductress and murderer. Anchee Min draws a vivid portrait of a flawed yet utterly compelling woman and of the world of the Chinese court. (04/02/2004)

Midmorning interview: April 2, 2004, 10 a.m.

Live appearance: April 20, 2004, 7 p.m.

Themes and Threads in Anchee Min's 'Empress Orchid'
Feature by Heather McElhatton