All results / Stories / Terri Schlichenmeyer
Book Review: "Out of Office: The Big Problem and Bigger Promise of Working from Home" by Charlie Warzel and Anne Helen Petersen
At least the commute is better. That's what you tell yourself every morning: 15 steps from bed to office is better than 15 miles. You've been working from home now for nearly two years and you're waffling: will it be like this forever and if so, is that good? Read "Out of Office" by Charlie Warzel and Anne Helen Petersen, and it could be...
“Blended” by Sharon M. Draper
One plus one is two. It’s simple: all you have to do is add or count, easy-peasy, a trick you probably learned shortly after you could talk. One plus one is two but as you grow up, you’ll notice that math can get funny and, in the case of the new book “Blended” by Sharon M. Draper, one plus one might suddenly become more.
“Grandma’s Purse” by Vanessa Brantley-Newton
What’s in the bag? It looks like it could be a surprise. Lots of things that come in a sack that size are good things. Maybe it’s a doll or a truck or a bar of chocolate. Maybe it’s a whistle or a puzzle. Or maybe, as in the new book “Grandma’s Purse” by Vanessa Brantley-Newton, it’s a whole lot more than that...
Best Books of 2020
You've got a little extra time this month, and you don't want to waste it. You want to read something good, the possibilities are endless, and the best place to begin is with these Best Books of 2020 titles...
"Grief is Love: Living with Loss" by Marisa Renee Lee c.2022, HarperLegacy
It happened so fast. One minute, your loved one was talking, laughing, alive – and the next minute they were gone, as if a thick line were drawn somewhere between life and not-life. Even if you had time to prepare, time to get used to their impending death, it happened too fast. You have to continue without them... but how? In the new book "Grief is Love" by Marisa Renee Lee, you'll see what may be next for you.
Black History Books for Adults
The month of February has whipped by so fast that you almost missed it.
"I Got the School Spirit" by Connie Schofield-Morrison, illustrated by Frank Morrison
A brand-new, shiny box of crayons. That's just one of the things you're looking forward to when you finally start school. Mom says you can't have them yet, though, you have to be patient. So why not read "I Got the School Spirit" by Connie Schofield-Morrison, illustrated by Frank Morrison in the meantime?
“Broke: Hardship and Resilience in a City of Broken Promises” by Jodie Adams Kirshner, foreword by Michael Eric Dyson
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall. And you know how that went for him. The Royal Soldiers and a bunch of ponies couldn’t help him and you can only imagine what happened next: as in the new book “Broke: Hardship and Resilience in a City of Broken Promises” by Jodie Adams Kirshner, everything got scrambled.
“Encyclopedia of Black Comics” by Sheena C. Howard, foreword by Henry louis Gates, Jr., afterword by Christopher Priest
“Draw, Sheriff.” Oh, how you loved to do that. It started with spider-legged people and crooked houses. As you got better, you replicated and created worlds, invented characters, and expanded your tool use. Even today, with sharp pencil or fine pen, you can still make a respectable doodle; in the new book “Encyclopedia of Black Comics” by Sheena C. Howard, you’ll see how you’re right in ‘toon.
“Agent of Influence: How to Use Spy Skills to Persuade Anyone, Sell Anything, and Build a Successful Business”
You just had your trench coat to the cleaners. There are new batteries in your undercover wrist-camera, and your listening device seems to be working well. You’ve even found a perfect hidey-place to watch from the shadows. Yep, this seeking-and-capturing-new-customers stuff is hard but that’s what it takes to get ahead, right? Although, wouldn’t it be easier to read “Agent of Influence” by former CIA agent Jason Hanson?
“Better Late Than Never” by Kimberla Lawson Roby
Life has handed you a lot of chances. You’ve taken some, for good or not. Others, you’ve passed up, and regretted it. Maybe you’d be richer today. Maybe you’d be poorer. For sure, you’d have an existence unlike what you have now and, as in the new novel “Better Late Than Never” by Kimberla Lawson Roby, you wonder what might’ve been…
“Keep Your Airspeed Up: The Story of a Tuskegee Airman” by Harold H. Brown with Marsha S. Bordner
In things of great importance, you stand on the shoulders of giants. Those who came before you gave you a boost to get you where you are. They cleared your path and knocked aside obstacles. You stand on the shoulders of those giants even if, as in the new book “Keep Your Airspeed Up” by Harold H. Brown (with Marsha S. Bordner), the giant was once kinda scrawny.
“American Prison: A Reporter’s Undercover Journey into the Business of Punishment” by Shane Bauer
You cannot escape. You’re stuck where you are and, though you’ll rail and squirm, resist and rant, you decide in the end that there’s little you can do but wait the situation out. Whether it’s in mind or in body, welcome to confinement. As you’ll see in “American Prison” by Shane Bauer, you’d best hope you’re on the right side of the bars.
“Sin of a Woman” by Kimberla Lawson Roby
Nothing’s set in stone. Few things are. Lucky for you, there’s usually a chance to change your mind or have a do-over. You can often get another go at something because few things are that firmly decided. As in the new book “Sin of a Woman” by Kimberla Lawson Roby, you can sometimes have a second chance.
“Super Freak: The Life of Rick James” by Peter Benjaminson
Your feet sometimes have a mind of their own. You see your favorite foods, and they carry you toward lunch before you even realize you’re hungry. When you’re faced with danger, they take you in the right direction, away and safe. And when you read “Super Freak: The Life of Rick James” by Peter Benjaminson, your feet just gotta dance.
“Rossen to the Rescue” by Jeff Rossen
You know your rights. You’re well aware of what you can and can’t do legally because you’ve armed yourself with knowledge. You have rights and, in the new book “Rossen to the Rescue” by Jeff Rossen, one of them is the right not to be scammed, schemed, or unsafe.
“Broke Millennial” by Erin Lowry
And that’s never a good thing in relationships, recreation, or in finances; especially in finances. When your wallet is empty, so are both calendar and stomach, but what can you do when even the word “money” scares you? With the new book “Broke Millennial” by Erin Lowry, you can be a dinero hero.
“The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row” by Anthony Ray Hardin with Lara Love Hardin
You always keep your eyes on the prize. You’ve given yourself no other options and your steadfastness is your compass. What you believe will happen. What you know is truth. Say it enough, and everybody else will know, too – especially when, as in the new book “The Sun Does Shine” by Anthony Ray Hinton with Lara Love Hardin, the truth is one of innocence.
“The God Groove: A Blues Journey to Faith” by David Ritz
One thing leads to another. Isn’t that how it goes? You start somewhere and a door is opened. You enter that door and see a window. The window takes you elsewhere and each new place teaches you something different. Isn’t that the way life is – and in the new book “The God Groove” by David Ritz, isn’t that the way faith is?
