One to Watch!

Hello Meltingpot Readers,

You know we slipped into August and I didn't even notice I'd made it to the end of my Blog-o-rama. Minus my sick days I managed to blog Monday - Friday for a month. I have to admit, it wasn't easy and I don't think I'll maintain the pace, but I did enjoy the challenge. I'll def. try to post more regularly now, but I am going to take a wee break here in August as I try to figure out how I want to revamp my site a bit. No major face lift or Botox injections, just some link updates and technological advances (I still don't know what RSS feed means or how to make it happen. But as cyberGod is my witness, I will figure it out).

In the meantime, as summer is coming to a close I am trying to enjoy every last minute of it, now that I can finally draw a breath without collapsing into a coughing fit. I went to the bookstore the other day and bought Carleen Brice's debut novel Orange Mint and Honey. For me buying a novel just for the heck of it is what summer is all about. Orange Mint and Honey is a delicious little novel about a mother and daughter who are trying to repair their very damaged relationship. It's about forgiveness and love and all of that other good stuff that makes us human. The book is really well written and the story is so fresh, but what I really appreciated the most about the book is that the characters, most of them African-American, were unique individuals not stereotypes. The fact that they were Black seemed incidental to the story. Instead of making the book about Black people and their problems, Brice crafted a compelling story about the human condition.

In addition, the Meltingpot in me loved the story because it was set in Colorado, a state I never considered relevant for colored people. Yet Brice makes Denver sound like it has its own meltingpot situation going on full force. Now I want to go check it out. The things you learn.

Brice's next book, due out in July 2009, is about two sisters, one biracial, the other White who were separated by adoption and meet up again in adulthood. You know we can't wait to get our hands on that one. So keep your eyes on Carleen Brice. She's one to watch!

Peace!