Best of 2008: Morrison's A Mercy

I have been excited for the past few months, anticipating my favorite part of the year, counting down my idea of the best novels written with Christian themes. I call these books Gospel Fiction. Throughout the week I will share these books and recap all the books I've covered here this year as well. I hope you enjoy.

My first pick. Noble laureate Toni Morrison's A Mercy.

An excerpt...

A praying savage, neighbors call her[Lina,] because she is once churchgoing yet she bathes herself every day and Christians never do. Underneath she wears bright blue beads and dances in secret at first light when the moon is small. More than fear of loving bears or birds bigger than cows, I fear pathless night. How, I wonder, can I find you in the dark? Now at last there is a way. I have orders. It is arranged. I will see your mouth and trail my fingers down. You will rest your chin in my hair again while I breathe into your shoulder in and out, in and out. I am happy the world is breaking open for us, yet its newness trembles me. To get to you I must leave the only home, the only people I know. Lina says from the state of my teeth I am maybe seven or eight when I am brought here. We boil wild plums for jam and cake eight times since then, so I must be sixteen.

Why it's one of my top picks?

What I loved so much about this novel is Morrison's storytelling ability and how she uses prose to create such vulnerable and vivid characters.

The story has POV shifts that blend and blur. For someone unfamiliar with Faulkner or southern romanticism in literature her writing albeit different at first, is a slow, rich, savory morsel of book eating. You will savor every page of this short novel.

Return tomorrow and I will share my next pick. It comes from an unlikely source.


Related Articles

• Wednesday Readup: Palin, Perry Preys Premiere, A Mercy, Booker List & Free BMP Help

• Toni Morrison Tribute. March 31, 1988

Join CFB's Twitter Book Tour Experiment

A few of my Facebook friends have a superlative for me as most creative. Thanks, guys. And I don't know--the idea of me being most creative gave me an idea for the blog. This month I was asked to participate in my friend and fantabulous author, Jill Elizabeth Nelson's The Reluctant Smuggle Blog Tour. I was sent the book to read and review. I love the book. And Jill has been nice enough to participate in my 1question author series this month. So of course who better than to do this experiment with than her. She's game for anything. But what about you?

If you're a Christian Fiction community member, author or book reader why don't you participate? Let's see if this experiment really works.

So what the experiment, Dee?

See that pretty blue bird at the top of this post. Her name is Twitter, She is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that allows users to send "updates" (text-based posts, up to 140 characters long) to the Twitter website, via short message service, instant messaging, email, or an application such as Twitterrific. You can also send messages through your cell phone.

We are going to use her to talk to each other. Why?

It's faster.

• It's easy to read.
• Comments are kept under 140 words.
• You don't have to log into your blog or email to read and respond.
• You can use your cell phone.
• You can meet a lot of people very fast.
• You can share your life with a lot of people very fast.
• It's a great way for people to learn about Christ without even knowing it.
• It's a chance for you to see how twitter can help you promote your ministry or book.

Fare enough?

So what do you do now?

1. Click on the blue bird. It will take you to Twitter.
   
2. Get a twitter account. It's free.
3. Then find me. I'm right here.
4. Come back to Christian Fiction Blog and leave a comment that you're ready to chirp with me and Jill.
5. Come back tomorrow as I talk about Twitter and how this tool can help you chirp with your readers better and promote your book to an audience who would not have known about you otherwise.
6. Thursday we will meet Jill at Twitter and talk Christian Fiction, smuggling art, white collar crime and the Twitter Novel Phenomena.
   

Chirping,
Dee

2007 Gospel Fiction Top 10

Merry Christmas! As a gift to you I'm posting CFB's Gospel Fiction Top Ten List. We also have four notable favorites that didn't make the list, but was a great good read. My top pick this year is announced. If you haven't read any of these books, please pick them up. Check in to CFB in 2008 and subscribe. A few of these books we gave away this year, so who knows what we will give in 2008. Also, if you're an email subscriber, check into the blog at the top of each month I feature our top ten christian-fiction titles of the month. Now onto the list:

My top pick: Patricia Haley's No Regrets .

Synopsis: For eighteen years, Karen and Johnny Clark have been blessed with a perfect life: an enviable lifestyle, three bright children and a great marriage. However time has begun to unravel their relationship. So when Karen becomes ill, the holes in this perfect union stands out. Johnny turns to other women, while Karen turns toward the church for answers. As she struggles to regain her health and belief in God's abiding love, Johnny must come to grips with his weaknesses and fears--if he's to truly appreciate the love of a good woman...and discover what being a real man is all about.

The Top Ten(in random order):

1. Nicole Seitz' sThe Spirit of Sweetgrass
2. Sherri Lewis' My Soul Cries Out
3. John Aubrey Anderson's And If I Die (The Black or White Chronicles #3)
4. Linda Hargrove's The Making of Isaac Hunt
5. Marilynn Griffith's If The Shoe Fits
6. Victoria Christopher Murray's The Ex Files: A Novel About Four Women and Faith
7. Stacy Hawkins Adams' Watercolored Pearls: A Novel
8. Jacquelin Thomas' Redemption
9. DiAnn Mill's When the Nile Runs Red
10. Stephanie Perry Moore's Chasing Faith

Notables:

• Linda Hudson Smith's Time For Hope
• Reshonda Tate Billingsley's The Pastor's Wife
• Kimberly Lawson Roby's Sin No More
• Ann H. Gabhart's Orchard of Hope: A Novel

This compilation is based on rankings by Dee's Books Reviewed-reviewer service, Christian Fiction Blog mailing list nominations, Dee's Books Reviewed bookstore owner compiled books sold stats, Amazon.com readers ratings, and Romantic Times BookClub Reviews by Dee Y. Stewart. In 2007 I reviewed more than thirty books that exemplifies a Gospel fiction novel. In January I will reveal these books. Kudos to all. The numbers have grown leaps and bounds in four years.

Oops. Who do you think should have made the list and why?