Reads4Pleasure

Gathering of Waters - Bernice McFadden

2012-01-30T07:30:00.001-06:00

I worried that there would be no one to take J. California Cooper's place. I thought Bernice McFadden might be the one when I read Glorious. After reading Gathering of Waters, I'm sure of it!

I've often said that reading a J. California Cooper book is like sitting on the porch listening to your grandmother tell you a story. Using lush words and phrases that make you long for those days, McFadden's latest will leave you breathless from start to end. Once you start Gathering of Waters, you won't want to put it down until you've finished it.

Warning: When I read and write about really good books, the words I'm looking for don't always come out right. So even if you can't feel it while reading this review, know that I was gushing over the greatness of this book while writing it.

Through narration by the town of Money, Mississippi, the reader is taken on a journey that explains the evil spirit that inflicted Roy Bryant, one of the men responsible for the murder of Emmett Till. Surely one would have to be evil to harm an innocent child the way the Bryant and his accomplices did, right?

We're first introduced to the spirit, which belonged to the town's recently deceased whore, early on when it comes back in the form of a little girl. When that child's mother can no longer control the monster that her daughter has become, she sends her to live with a preacher's family where her destructive ways reach far and wide. Eventually the spirit finds its way to another innocent child, this one a white boy brought back from the dead, who would eventually become the Roy Bryant who murdered Emmett Till.

Weaving history with fiction with surrealism left me absolutely fascinated with the way the author tied the stories of each person affected by this evil spirit together and then went a step further and tied it into water. Water is used often in literature to symbolize life, transformation, chaos or a cleansing. In Gathering of Waters, water is present at each milestone: Doll's transition, Roy's re-birth, Emmett's transition, Emmett's rebirth (of sorts), and Tass' transition. The culmination of the last two events brings forth one of the most chaotic events of present time. Water...who would have thought it could wreak such havoc.

250pp
Published: January (ebook)/February (paperback) 2012

Theme: Come to the River by Dianne Reeves

Sinners & Saints - Victoria Christopher Murray and ReShonda Tate Billingsley

2012-01-27T07:30:00.001-06:00

Jasmine Larson Bush and Rachel Jackson Adams play to win. So when their husbands are both nominated for the presidency of the American Baptist Coalition, they'll stop at nothing to see them win. And though they're supposed to be women of God, there's nothing godly about their scheming and plotting. Sinners and Saints could have been aptly named "Christians Behaving Badly."

While the two ladies battle it out at convention, their husbands are oblivious to what's going on until it becomes all too obvious. That leads each man to question how badly he wants the position. If it's meant to be, it'll be, right? Not if Jasmine and Rachel have anything to do with it. And what happens if there's someone that wants the position more badly than Rachel or Jasmine? Having personally served on a regional level of a national organization and on the national nominating committee for that same organization, I can honestly say that Murray and Billingsley are definitely on point when it comes to the things people will do to make sure they, or the person they're supporting, wins. A convention has never been so exciting!

It's rare that two people can co-author a book so seamlessly, especially when they're bringing characters that they've each created independently together in one storyline. With alternating chapters, each author takes a turn presenting Jasmine's and Rachel's side of the story. I can honestly say I was team Jasmine, but only because I've read about the character previously in Sins of the Mother. Rachel gives almost as good as Jasmine, but not quite. I'd say that's only because Jasmine is older and has more years of experience at being conniving and cunning. I'm sure Rachel will be around giving others hell for years to come.

288pp
Published: January 2012
Disclaimer: Copy of book received from publisher. Opinions are my own.

Theme: Long As I Got King Jesus by Vickie Winans

The Liberation of Alice Love - Abby McDonald

2012-01-25T07:30:00.000-06:00

Can you ever really know someone? If you're Alice Love and your identity has been stolen by the woman you thought was your best friend, the answer is no. When the bills start rolling in and you realize that person has been leading a better life than you could ever imagine, do you get mad or do you do something about it?

After briefly wallowing in misery, Alice decides to get herself in gear and start living herself. Always a straight laced and by the book kind of girl, Alice has been stuck her a rut for years. The day a crystal "toy" arrives at her office, along with calls from creditors and bills she knows she didn't create, Alice decides to trace Ella's, her former friend turned identity thief, steps.

On an adventure that takes her to shops she's never imagined, with items she's never imagined; a small town in Italy where she winds up spending a night in jail after a reckless one night stand; to Hollywood, Alice gives new meaning to the phrase "mother has lived."

By the end of the book, I wasn't even mad at Ella for stealing Alice's identity. Sure, she caused her some discomfort, but she opened her up to a whole new way of living and actually gave her a life much better than the one she'd been leading.

432pp
Published: March 2011

Theme: Diva by Beyonce

Paris Noire - Francine Thomas Howard

2012-01-23T07:30:00.000-06:00

I loved the author's previous work, Page from a Tennessee Journal. I love reading about "black" Paris. And I love historical fiction. So when I came across Paris Noire, it seemed to have all of the elements of a great book. Meh, it was just ok.

Marie-Therese is the mother of two, Collette and Christophe. A native of Martinique, the mulatto Marie-Therese came to France with her children, thanks to the inheritance her father left for his illegitimate daughter and the French citizenship afforded to her by her ex-husband.

As I started Paris Noire, it seemed to me that this set up was somewhat similar to Anne Rice's The Feast of All Saints, though Feast was set in New Orleans. However, where The Feast focused on both children, much more attention was given to Christophe than to Collette.

Collette is in love with a Frenchman that her mother opposes, though we're never really told why, other than the fact that he's French. Since the author doesn't care to explain this or Collette's story line in depth, the reader is left to guess as to whether her relationship with him has any substance prior to her wedding announcement.

Christophe seems to be the real focus of the story. His affair with a married waitress turns tragic as her husband returns from war. Unfortunately, it's a tragedy that's just really uninteresting. I didn't have enough background about him to really care if he and this woman were able to be together.

One mistake that Howard made, as I see it, is that she tried to include too many players in the game. Marie-Therese has an American friend, Glovia, that hosts parties at her house. Through that connection readers are given the history of blacks in Paris with stories about Bricktop, Langston Hughes, Josephine Baker, etc. during World War II. So when Howard introduces Glovia, she introduces miscellaneous characters that attend her parties, as well as a love interest for Marie-Therese. So we're going with that story line, right? Well not really.

We jump from Marie-Therese's story to Christophe's and begin to invest time in his story line, only to be abruptly thrown back in to Marie-Therese's. Yes, I can read more than one thing at a time and follow several story lines, but this didn't flow very well. It was very disjointed and really took away from the overall story. I'd love for Howard to take another stab at this and either fully flesh out Christophe or Marie-Therese's story lines, but not both.

363pp
Published: September 2011

Theme: April in Paris by Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong

Blue Christmas - Mary Kay Andrews

2012-01-20T07:30:00.000-06:00

Fans of Mary Kay Andrews are probably familiar with her characters Bebe Loudermilk and her best friend, Weezy Foley. I first read and reviewed them in Andrews' Savannah Breeze. Over my hiatus, I had time to catch up with them in the short story, Blue Christmas.

Whereas Savannah Breeze really focused on Bebe, Blue Christmas is mostly about Weezy. The owner of an antique shop in the historical district of Savannah, Weezy is up in arms about the annual window decorating contest. With her window decorated, she notices the proprietor's of a new business across the square doing things differently. And you just don't do that in Savannah. There's the Savannah way of doing things and then there's everything else.

Unfortunately, Weezy doesn't have time to worry about whether or not Manny is following the rules because her shop has been broken into and her display vandalized. Not only has her shop been vandalized, someone also broken into her house and stole all of the food for the contest judges.

With her boyfriend Daniel and best friend Bebe assisting, Weezy goes on a mission to find out who's invading her space in true Weezy fashion. And in the meantime, she's still determined to win that contest! As always, Andrews' stories are lighthearted and heavy on the humor.

256pp
Published: November 2009

Theme: Blue Christmas by Porky Pig

Then Came You - Jennifer Weiner

2012-01-18T07:30:00.000-06:00

When I mentioned on Twitter that I was reading this, I started getting tweets about how bad it was or how it didn't live up to her other work. Well I can't remember reading any Jennifer Weiner before, so I had no basis for comparison. I also know that reading is subjective and what works for some may not work for others.

With that being said, I found Then Came You to be a fairly decent read. There was nothing earth shattering or life changing about it, but that's true of most books. Then Came You revolves around the lives of women connected to a fertility clinic.

When Princeton senior Julie is approached about donating her eggs, she's initially hesitant until she finds out how much they're worth. It's not that she needs the money for school, but with $ 20,000 she can pay for her father's next stint in rehab.

Mother of two and the wife of an underemployed airline worker, Annie knows that being a surrogate could potentially harm her marriage, but her family really needs the money. It's fascinating to watch the dynamics between Annie and her husband, sister and in-laws. Everyone seems to recognize the need for the money, but Annie is made to feel as if it's her fault for providing for her family when her husband is incapable of doing so.

PR maven India is a planner. When she left her life on the west coast and moved east, she created a new identity. That carefully crafted identity lands her on the arm of one of New York's most eligible CEOs. With her man and money, India should be unstoppable, but what she really wants is to have a baby.

Unlike other books where these women's lives would become intertwined early on, Weiner allows each of their story lines to fully develop before introducing them to each other. Even when she does, each character maintains her identity and her story separate from the others. As a reader, I appreciated that.

352pp
Published: July 2011

Theme: Count On Me by Cece Winans & Whitney Houston

Our Man in the Dark - Rashad Harrison

2012-01-17T07:30:00.000-06:00

It's purely coincidental that I should be reviewing this the day after the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. Set in 1964 Atlanta, Our Man in the Dark is the story of John Estem. Estem is close to esteem, of which John seems to be lacking, but I'll come back to that shortly.

A bookkeeper in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) office, Estem is overlooked by his co-workers and antagonized by his boss, Gant., though he fancies himself a late night confidante of Dr. King. In his life outside of the office, he desperately longs for the affection of Candy, a childhood friend who lives on the dark side. The only surviving son of his father, he is in a constant battle to prove that he's just as much of a man as his father is and his brother, Fred, would have been. With all of these insecurities, and low self-esteem masked by confidence, Estem is ripe for the picking when the FBI comes calling.

Not sure if his recent Cadillac purchase has brought him to their attention, John Estem is flattered when initially approached by FBI agents Mathis and Strobe. Convinced that he is doing his part as an American to report un-American activities, he agrees to report back to them on the goings on at the SCLC office, particularly as it relates to Communism or homosexual acts. (Side note: I'm still blown away that being gay was viewed as being as bad as, or worse than, being a Communist.) The money he receives as in informant will assist him in paying back funds he stole from the organization, which he used to purchase the new car and suits, in hopes of winning over Candy.

Far too late, John realizes he's in over his head with the FBI and Candy's notorious lover, Count. Only time will tell if the "gimp" will have the nerve to stand up to agents Stroble and Mathis and free himself of his obligations to Count for once and all.

This really started off as a slow read for me, but that's not surprising as books written from a male point of view tend to be more difficult for me to dive into. In John Estem, Rashad Harrison has created a character that evokes sympathy and disdain at the same time. While you can understand some of Estem's actions, you don't necessarily condone them and may, at times, find yourself despising him. With characters similar to those found in the Easy Rawlins or Leonid McGill series, I'd recommend this to anyone that's a fan of Walter Mosley books.

320pp
Published: November 2011

Disclaimer: Copy provided by publisher as part of TLC Book Tour.

Theme: Trouble Man by Marvin Gaye

And...we're back!

2012-01-16T07:30:00.000-06:00

After a much needed break from blogging, I'm back! Now I know some of you are like:

Still, some of you may not have realized I was on hiatus and you're like:

At any rate, I'm back with book reviews and literary news for the new year. You'll see a special Tuesday post tomorrow and then I'll be back on my regular blogging schedule beginning Wednesday. For those new to the site, I'll bring you up to speed.

I generally post reviews on Mondays and Wednesdays. Fridays are up for grabs. Sometimes I do reviews on Fridays, other times I just throw things at the wall and see what happens. That usually results in Free for All Friday where I talk about any and everything.

I mostly read and review works by and/or about African-Americans or other people of color, but I do love good chick lit too. If there's anything I hate, loathe, despise and abominate (h/t to "Meet Me in St. Louis, which I 've watched far too many times), it's urban/street lit, paranormal lit and erotica. If you see reviews of any of these genres on here, call the police and tell them someone is holding me hostage and making me read and review them.

A little over a year ago, I started adding theme songs to my reviews. These are songs that either popped in my head as I was reading the book or remind me of the book in some way.

I love reader feedback. Don't like my review? Tell me. Want recommendations on books? Ask. See some room for improvement? Share your ideas!

So that's it. Welcome to a new year and new reviews.

The Top Ten Absolute Must Reads of 2011

2011-12-16T07:30:00.000-06:00

10. The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore (@WesMoore1)

It was strictly a coincidence that I listened to The Other Wes Moore the same week I was reading Patches of Grey, but it turned out to be the perfect compliment to it. Both books dealt with young men of color coming of age and, though one was a memoir and the other was fictional, I found myself comparing the characters in both.

9. Third Girl from the Left by Martha Southgate (@mesouthgate)

There comes a time in every woman's life when she realizes that her mother is human. I mean, logically, you know that your mother is human, of course. And to any other observer, it's extremely obvious. But there's a point, as a daughter, when you realize that she's just as imperfect and capable of making mistakes as anyone else. Martha Southgate's Third Girl From the Left beautifully exposes the flaws of three generations of women who are anything but perfect. Disclaimer: Though this book wasn't written in 2011, I read it this year and it was just too perfect not to include.

8. Roseflower Creek by Jackie Lee Miles

At times The Lovely Bones, at other times Bastard Out of Carolina, Roseflower Creek is a sad and unforgettable story. Set in the 1950s, it tells the tale of Lori Jean. Abandoned by her birth father, she's being raised by her mother and an abusive stepfather.

7. Best Kept Secret by Amy Hatvany (@AmyHatvany)

Admitting failure is never an easy thing to do. And for a mother to admit that she's failed, it can be devastating. In Amy Hatvany's Best Kept Secret the reader is given a front row seat into what can happen when a parent falls apart.

6. Tiny Sunbirds,, Far Away by Christie Watson (@tinysunbird)

Told from the point of view of Blessing, who is twelve when we first meet her, Tiny Sunbirds is the story of a Nigerian family uprooted from their comfortable existence in Lagos when the mother catches the father cheating.

5. Patches of Grey by Roy L. Pickering, Jr. (@AuthorofPatches)

In a story that at times reminded me of Matty Rich's Straight Out of Brooklyn, Roy L. Pickering, Jr. deftly weaves a coming of age tale of Tony Johnson in Patches of Grey. And while Pickering could have taken the easy way out and strictly focused on one main character, he takes the time to tell not only Tony's story, but that of his siblings and parents as well, each as fascinating as Tony's.

4. If Sons, Then Heirs by Lorene Cary (@LoreneCary)

It's impossible to read the latest from Lorene Cary and not reflect on your family's legacy. Whether it be physical property or simply your family history, there are things passed down through the generations for which no monetary compensation will suffice. If Sons, Then Heirs touches on both of these.

3. When She Woke by Hillary Jordan

In this reimagined, futuristic version of The Scarlet Letter, sinners don't wear a letter indicating their crime. They wear the color on their skin. The need to direct funds away from prisons and to law abiding citizens has led to the non-existence of prisons. Through a process called chroming, criminals are color coded and microchipped, allowing anyone that passes them on the street to know what their crime is and allowing the government, and anyone with a computer, to track them at all times. Yellows serve short sentences for misdemeanors and Blues are child molesters. Red is the color for murder.

2. This Burns My Heart by Samuel Park (@SamuelPark_)

Easily one of my favorite reads this year, This Burns My Heart is the moving story of Soo-Ja. As a young lady in 1960 South Korea, she longed to move to Seoul and become a diplomat. When her wealthy father forbids her to join the Foreign State Department, she plots, at her mother's suggestion, to marry an easily pliable man who will let her have her way. But when you try to run game on someone, there's always a good chance that game is being run on you. And while Soo-Ja thinks she's using Min, she finds that she really is not the master of her fate, as she thought.

1. Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones (@tayari)

With the opening line, "My father, James Witherspoon, is a bigamist," Tayari Jones skillfully pulls the reader into the world of two sisters: Dana and Chaurisse. Told in first person by each of the sisters, Silver Sparrow is absolutely remarkable.

I hope you've enjoyed the year in reading as much as I have. I'll be on hiatus from posting after today. Look for new posts starting January 17. Enjoy your holidays and have a Happy New Year.

Favorite Things Week: Current TV Shows

2011-12-14T07:30:00.001-06:00

Our America with Lisa Ling, Sundays on OWN

One of the last true journalists on TV, Lisa goes after stories that others shy away from. So far this season she's featured child prostitution, extreme parenting and polygamy.

Reed Between the Lines, Tuesdays on BET

I've seen complaints across the Internet that this show is horrible, it doesn't ring true, blah, blah, blah. As much as people would like to pretend The Cosby Show or Girlfriends started out great, they didn't. It took time for them to find their legs and it's taken time for Reed, but it's gotten better and is perfect if you're looking for a show the whole family can watch.

ABC's Wednesday night line up: Modern Family, The Middle, Suburbgatory & Happy Endings

I don't think we've seen a line up as good as this since NBC dominated Thursday nights in the 90s. With the exception of Happy Endings, which may be too much for the kiddies, Wednesday night is a great night for family comedy.

The Walking Dead, Sunday nights on AMC

When this premiered last year, I loved it, but didn't know if it would be just as good its sophomore season. It is! It's on hiatus now, but will be back in the spring. If you're a fan of Stephen King's The Stand, this has a similar feel.

New Girl, Tuesdays on FOX
I wasn't sure if I'd be on board with a show about a quirky chick. I'm already a fan of awkwardblackgirl.com, so did I have room for another nerd girl in my life? I did! Zooey Deschanel is hilarious as Jess.

Favorite Things Week: Albums of 2011

2011-12-12T07:30:00.001-06:00

This is my last week of posts for 2011 and I thought I'd get all Oprah with it and give you five days of *cue the Oprah voice* favorite thinggggggsssss. Well...I guess it doesn't quite pack the same punch as Oprah. I mean, unless you can hear her in your head saying favorite things like I hear her in mine. Anywho, each day this week, I'll bring you some of my favorites in the pop culture world, culminating with my top ten list of favorite books of 2011 on Friday. So let's get it started (no Black Eyed Peas).

I love, love, LOVE music, so it should come as no surprise that I have an opinion about the best albums of 2011. Yeah, I'm old, I still call them albums. Now I generally listen to audio books in the car, but occasionally a CD will come along that makes me pack my books away and sing along while I drive. Here are my top five favorites of albums released this year.

5. All of Me: The Prequel by Estelle

I've been a fan of Estelle since I heard the infectious beat of Wait A Minute a few years ago. I loved it so much that I went back and found her first CD, The 18th Day, and jammed out to that one too. But it's been a few years since Estelle put out anything. She kept tweeting that she was working on something and when Freak, a great song with catchy lyrics and a deep house beat, came out, I was convinced that the album was finally on its way. Not! But Estelle assures her fans that it's coming and in the meantime, she released a mix tape to tide us over. There's absolutely no way to listen to it and not find yourself twerkin'. If you haven't yet, be sure to download your free copy here and be on the look out for the official release of All of Me.

4. As Above, So Below by Anthony David

Anthony David's voice is like cognac, it goes down smooth and stays with you for awhile. Most of us were introduced to him when he did a duet with India.Arie called Words back in 2008. He's actually been putting out albums since 2004 and each one just gets better. His duet with Algebra on 4Evermore had to have been the feel good wedding song of the year.

.
3. 4 by Beyonce'

I confess, I had some doubts about 4 before I heard it, based on King B's last CD. While B-day was everything, I Am...Sasha Fierce left SO much to be desired. My first listen to 4 confirmed that Bey was indeed ready to reclaim her title. I didn't, and still don't, care for 1+1 or I Care very much, but the rest of the album? She's giving us 80s/90s pop diva all over the place. And if you had enough sense to purchase the deluxe version, you were treated to some real gems that weren't included on the regular version, including my favorite, Schoolin Life. I was disappointed that Bey didn't make a video of it or perform it at her Live at Roseland concert. With 4, she clearly got her grown woman on.

2. Watch the Throne by Jay-Z and Kanye West

I was really afraid that I wouldn't like this album and that I'd have to cancel my membership in the Jay-Z stan club. Kanye's last few CDs have left something to be desired, in my opinion, and I wasn't sure that the two of them could pull this off. Wrong! Watch the Throne stayed in rotation for months. I don't think I listened to an audio book from the moment it came out in August through the end of September. I was relieved when my literary twin, J Nic, came to visit. I didn't know if she loved it as much as I did, but we played it the entire time she visited (when we weren't listening to 4). Then @HuskyBro_Inc, who I knew detested Jay & Ye, got in the car. I didn't tell him what I was listening to, I just let it play. I looked over and he was bobbing his head, so I knew it was safe to unleash the "a-ha" on him. I have to tell you, not only did he like Watch the Throne, he liked 4. I converted him!

The Watch the Throne tour didn't make it to St. Louis, but someone on YouTube shot great footage of the Montreal concert. Here's one of my favorites.

1. 21 by Adele

There are a handful of artists that I love, but they depress the dog stank out of me. There's Donny Hathaway, Phyllis Hyman and, now, Adele. I can't even tell you how many times I've listened to 21 in its entirety, never taking it out of the CD player. It stayed on a continuous loop for months. Even when I got out of the car, I'd listen at work or in the house...constantly. Adele has a voice that makes unicorns cry and unicorns are magical, mystical, pretty damn happy creatures, no? That lush voice combined with heart wrenching lyrics are enough to bring grown men to their knees. I could be having a perfectly good day, start listening to Adele and start questioning my existence on my earth. She's that damn good. I can't even pick a favorite song on 21, each one speaks to me in a different way. I'll just leave you with her singing Someone Like You while she lounges at home with just a piano player. No autotune, no studio effects, just her clear and perfect voice.

So how about you? Which albums stayed in rotation in your car or home this year?

Confession: I'm A Muppet Stan

2011-12-09T07:30:00.001-06:00

Longtime followers of the blog and Twitter followers know that I stan for the Peanuts. I live tweet every holiday special and live for Snoopy's cackle.

But did you know that I also stan for the Muppets? I don't know anyone that was happier than me when the latest Muppet film was announced. I was eight when The Muppet Movie came out. I begged for the soundtrack on 8-track and still remember the words to all of the songs, like this one.

And this one

So over the Thanksgiving weekend, I ~~begged~~ asked the Princess of Snark, who is loving life as a college freshman these days, to accompany me to see The Muppets. Both of us loved it! It's cheesy, it's over the top, but it's the Muppets and that's exactly what I expected from them. How can you see the clip below and not want to kick your heels up and run out in the street and dance?

Don't even pretend like that clip didn't give you life! You're over there dancing in your seat, I can see you. Anyway, watching the movie led me to wonder if there are enough Muppet fans out there to justify bringing the show back. Would you watch it? I know I would.

Busted in Bollywood - Nicola Marsh

2011-12-07T07:30:00.001-06:00

When her romance with a wealthy, married man ends, Shari Jones finds herself without a job and without a place to live. Her best friend, Amrita, is engaged to a man she's never met, in India. Determined not to go through with the marriage, Amrita convinces Shari to meet him in her place. After all, her groom has never seen her since the families arranged the marriage. With the assistance of Amrita's wacky aunt, Anjali, Shari is off on the adventure of a life time and finds romance where she least expects it. From the busy streets of New York to the bustling streets of Mumbai, Nicola Marsh takes readers along for the ride.

What did you like about this book?
It was a short, cute read.

What didn't you like about this book?
I'm used to my chick lit heroine's being smarter than Shari. Actually, I can't say that Shari wasn't smart, because her character wasn't really developed enough for me to know if she was or not. For her to be the main character, it really felt like the author glossed over developing her and, instead, chose to focus on other characters, like Anjali.

The ending also felt really rushed and, unlike chick lit heroines who choose to marry for love or because they're headed down that path, Shari seems to have chosen marriage because she ran out of money...and the guy was loaded anyway...so...yeah.

What could the author do to improve this book?
There were areas that could have been funnier and other sections that could have been removed entirely. Also, the synopsis and title would lead one to believe that a good portion of the story deals with Shari's time in Bollywood, when, in fact, it makes up very little of the story. Perhaps a title that aptly reflects what the book is about would be more appropriate.

244pp
Published: December 2011
Disclaimer: Book provided by the publisher.

Theme: Would I Lie to You by The Eurythmics

A Different Kind of Christmas - Alex Haley

2011-12-05T07:30:00.001-06:00

Originally posted Dec. 24, 2009

A visit to Philadelphia his sophomore year at Princeton, and an unlikely friendship with three Quaker brothers, starts the young man on the path to question the morality of slavery. Though he's managed to avoid facing his parents, returning home for Christmas can't be avoided. Agreeing to assist with the Underground Railroad proves to be the biggest challenge he's faced in his 19 years, especially when he finds out that his assignment places him in direct conflict with his family. With assistance from an unlikely source, Fletcher works to right the wrongs that his family has perpetuated for generations.

At just 100 pages, this is a very quick read. I received this as a gift in 1991. The detail given to characters like those that appear in other Haley novels is not as evident here. I suppose if it had been, the story would have been more memorable without re-reading it. Nonetheless, it was fairly enjoyable.

Free for All Friday, December 2

2011-12-02T07:30:00.000-06:00

If you missed the Black Friday giveaways last week, don't worry. There are still quite a few books up for grabs. I consolidated them into one list and they can be found under the Giveaway tab at the top of the blog. Now, *cue the shooting star*

In the course of my work day, I proof a lot of documents, so the AP Style Guide and dictionary.com are close, personal friends of mine. While reading Wednesday, I ran across a document in which the writer kept using predominate instead of predominant. What's the difference? Predominate is a verb, predominant is an adjective. Anywho, as I edited, I tweeted a grammar PSA stating the difference between the two. @GammasWorld & @CaliGirlED immediately jumped in with SchoolHouse Rock requests. Thanks to those two, you're being treated to "Unpack Your Adjectives" and "Verb: That's What's Happening."

As a kid, and admittedly as an adult, I loved the School House Rock series. In my world, the only thing better than Saturday morning cartoons were the SHR videos that appeared between cartoons. Lolly, Lolly, Lolly Get Your Adverbs Here? Conjunction Junction? I'm Just A Bill? Who needed to pay attention in school? School House Rock taught me everything I needed to know. Which videos were your favorites?

Substitute Me - Lori L. Tharp

2011-11-30T07:30:00.000-06:00

Originally posted August 11, 2010.

Thirty year old Zora Anderson has floated from place to place and job to job on a whim. Moving on when things become too much to handle, she finds herself in New York with a place to stay, but in desperate need of a job. The college-educated daughter of upwardly mobile parents, Zora realizes that she's not living up to the goal her parents have set for her. Even still, the former au pair in France decides to give being a New York nanny a try.

Kate Carter is headed back to work after an extended maternity leave and the search is on to find the perfect nanny. She has regrets about leaving her infant son home with a stranger, but figures the ad she's placed will guarantee a perfect fit.

Substitute Me: Looking for a nanny who will take care of my six-month-old baby as if he were her own. Five full days a week. No cooking or cleaning required. Must love children and be prepared to show it. References required.

Raised in a working class neighborhood, Brad Carter is hesitant to bring in a nanny to watch his son, Oliver. While his and Kate's jobs afford them certain privileges, he's unsure that this new situation meshes well with the way he was raised. As Kate begins to work longer hours and Brad becomes more accustomed to Zora's presence in the house, it seems that the 'substitute me' is beginning to take on additional duties that have nothing to do with baby Oliver.

It's important to note that while Zora is black and the Carters are white, their races are not necessarily the central issue. It seems to me that the issue is one woman completely giving power over her life to someone else and then questioning it when that person steps in and does a better job at it. Kate and her mother make racially charged comments about Zora, but if they were being honest with themselves, they would realize that her race has nothing to do with the situation Kate finds herself in.

In Jodi Picoult fashion, Lori L. Tharp has crafted a nanny story that gives the reader all sides. Often the story is only told from the point of view of the nanny. In Substitute Me, you really get a chance to learn the characters and understand that perception really is reality.

What did you like about this book?
It really made me think beyond the obvious. As a black woman, I think I see race first sometimes and sex second. This book made me realize that in this case, while race played a small part, overall it was not caused the real conflict.

What didn't you like about this book?
Zora's relationship with Keith isn't as fleshed out as I would have liked to see it.

What could the author do to improve this book?
I don't know that I love the cover of the book. Nothing about it screams nanny lit or anything else that would grab my eye. If I saw it in the bookstore, I would assume it was a thriller/murder mystery just based on its darkness.

368 pp
Published August 2010
Disclaimer: A copy was provided by the publisher.

Theme: I'd Rather Go Blind by Etta James

Satan's Sisters - Star Jones

2011-11-28T07:30:00.000-06:00

Sweet Jesus, when I say people should stay in their lane, I do mean people should stay in their lane. But I digress. I'll get to why I said that later.

I remember all the buzz when Satan's Sisters first came out and everyone assumed it would be about the women of The View. Though the women are co-hosts of a daytime talk show, the similarities seem to end there. As a former co-host is set to release her new book, aptly titled Satan's Sisters, the current co-hosts are in a tizzy over the potentially explosive information her book could hold.

None of the hosts has led a perfect life and each woman has her own secrets. Maxine, the Barbara Walters of the show, is ruthless. Her carefully created media persona has made her the darling of America. Behind closed doors, Maxine will stop at nothing to get what she wants, even if she has to destroy lives and careers along the way. Lesbian, Latina Dara Cruz loves her girlfriend, but she's not out to her family or the public. Whitney Harlington is too busy carrying on an affair with the network president to realize her husband's wicked ways. And Molly, the Joy Behar of the crew, has a pill addiction that's getting out of control. Satan's Sisters threatens to expose all of their secrets and force them to come clean with the public and themselves.

What did you like about this book?
I appreciated the fact that the characters were fully developed. Each woman's story line was fleshed out well. In a recent appearance on The Wendy Williams Show, Jones announced that the book has been optioned as a series and will be coming to television screens in the near future. It will be interesting to see how the book and characters come across on the small screen.

What didn't you like about this book?
Much like the agony I endured while listening to Terry McMillan narrate Getting to Happy, it was just as painful to listen to Star Jones narrate Satan's Sisters. What could have been a four star book easily became three stars because Ms. Jones hasn't met a period or comma she liked. With her always breathless and extremely dry voice, she rushed sentences together and added pauses where none were necessary. Her disjointed reading made for a terrible listening experience and her snarky tone of voice did not serve her characters well at all. Had I another audio book on standby, I would have ejected her CD from the player and listened to it instead. With all that being said, I wonder what makes authors decide to narrate their own work instead of leaving it to professionals. It seems to make more sense when narrating a memoir, as was the case with Michele Norris and Condoleezza Rice, though the latter's tone was drier than a camel's tongue in the Sahara. But neither Star or Terry should try their hand at narrating ever, ever, ever again.

What could the author do to improve this book?
Just write and leave the narration to a professional.

320pp
Published March 2011
Listening time: 10 hours, 27 minutes

Theme: Segredos (Secrets) by Eliane Elias

An Interview with Sibylla Nash, author of Bumped

2011-11-23T07:30:00.000-06:00

When and why did you begin writing?
There were stories I wanted to tell and there were stories that needed to be told. I was the type of kid that always had her head in a book. I have an insatiable need to figure out the world around me by writing things down, pulling back the layers of character and asking what if? When I discovered that people could actually make a living from writing, I was all in.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I’ve always written, ever since I was kid, I was banging away on a typewriter (yes, I’m dating myself) writing short stories. Professionally though, I didn’t really consider myself a “writer” until I was in my 20s and started seeing my byline in magazines.

Is Bumped your first book?
Bumped is actually my second novel, fifth book. I’ve written three non-fiction books, one of which was co-written with a friend. In fact, I’m re-releasing a guide for parents later this year – Baby Modeling & Beyond: From the Stroller to the Red Carpet. My daughter began working as a model/actress when she was a baby. I wanted to share our experiences with parents who may be considering getting their child in the business.

What inspired you to write your first book?
My first novel was DreamCity. It came out 11 years ago (eegads!!) and it feels like it was during the prehistoric times pre-social media. I had a new cover created for it and I’m updating it for a re-release in December. I wanted to write that book because I’ve always kept a journal. I loved Bridget Jones’ Diary and really wanted to create a story using the diary format. I wanted to capture the experience about an actress who moves from the east coast to the west. It’s funny because DreamCity was fictional but now I find myself really seeing that lifestyle up close because of my daughter. When I originally wrote DreamCity, I had worked in talent agencies and production companies and saw the business from that perspective.

What was the hardest part of writing Bumped?
Bumped was a long work-in-progress. If you were to ask my daughter how long it took me to finish it, she would probably say “forever.” In the beginning, the hardest part was just trying to find the time. I was a new mom when the idea for the book came to me. As I wrestled with the time management issue, the challenge became keeping the tone consistent after so much starting and stopping. I think in one version I mentioned Sky Pagers! The other challenge was reigning in the story, trying to find its heart.

In hosting the Colorful Chick Lit challenge, I’ve found it difficult to find books about “colorful” chicks that fit into the genre. Did you write Bumped intentionally as chick lit or did you just fall into that category?
I always saw Bumped as chick lit. Early on, when I was work-shopping the book, I had some folks say it was more literary, but I love the chick lit genre. I wanted it to be in the same vein as Shopaholic and In Her Shoes.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
I didn’t start off with the intention of conveying a message to my readers – I’m not a fan of books that are too message-y because it takes away from the story (in my opinion, although I have to say I did like the Left Behind series). Bumped is one woman’s journey and I hope it kept the readers entertained and enthralled. If it makes them reflect on decisions they have made, great! If it makes them give the next smooth-talker the side-eye, even better.

What books have most influenced your life most?
Notebooks. I have a thing for journals, notebooks, sketchpads and anything bound that I can write in. I have boxes of journals and notes that have captured moments in my life and being able to write down my thoughts, plan out my dreams, it’s allowed me to be the architect of my life.

If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
That’s a tough one, I read so much and soak in everything. I love Stephen King for his pacing and ability to scare the crap out of me, the VC Andrews Flowers in the Attic series for its high concept/hooks. I once interviewed the late LA Banks and she was so inspiring and prolific. She didn’t find time to write, she made time to write. The list goes on. I’ll read books and see how someone made a transition or how they structured their novel and it goes into a pot that I stir and will later pick out bits and pieces and figure out how I can put my own spin on it.

What book are you reading now?
It’s not even funny, I have a backlog of books stacked up in the house and on the iPad. The one that I’m almost finished with is Rob Sharma’s The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari. This book has been life-changing for me because it’s helping me to regain my focus and really concentrate on what’s important. I also have an excellent book on screenwriting I’m getting ready to start called Save the Cat.

Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?
I don’t know if they’re new, but they are new to me. I enjoyed Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones and 32 Candles by Ernessa T. Carter.

What are your current projects?
I have two books that I’m updating this year that I mentioned and I’m also working on a sequel to Bumped and I’ve outlined the sequel to DreamCity. So 2012 should be pretty busy.

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
Writing can be very solitary and it’s work, some days you have to really wrestle the words on the page. It’s totally self-directed and self-motivated and the hardest thing for me is tuning out the noise of the day and really challenging myself to write outside of my comfort zone, push the boundaries of the craft and become the writer I’ve always wanted to be. Once I actually get my butt in the chair, it’s all good. It’s getting there that tends to be a problem.

Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?
We were driving past a section in Los Angeles the other day and I was telling my daughter that the homes reminded me something out of an Easy Rawlins’ mystery. I read those books years ago and even now the imagery and characters are just as vivid as the day I read the book. As an author, that’s what we all strive to do: create characters and settings that are so real, they become memories of places you’ve been, not stories you’ve read. Walter Mosley does that, he has the ability to pull you into the story headfirst.

Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
Thank you for reading my work and going with me on this journey as an artist. I hope you are having as much fun as I am. Life’s short: Live large, dream big and love hard!

When She Woke - Hillary Jordan

2011-11-21T07:30:00.000-06:00

I didn't expect to be blown away by this book. Sure, I requested it from Algonquin Books because it looked interesting, but I had no idea that it would completely draw me in and make me late for work because I couldn't put it down.

In this reimagined, futuristic version of The Scarlet Letter, sinners don't wear a letter indicating their crime. They wear the color on their skin. The need to direct funds away from prisons and to law abiding citizens has led to the non-existence of prisons. Through a process called chroming, criminals are color coded and microchipped, allowing anyone that passes them on the street to know what their crime is and allowing the government, and anyone with a computer, to track them at all times. Yellows serve short sentences for misdemeanors and Blues are child molesters. Red is the color for murder.

When Hannah Payne fell in love with a married man, she had no way of knowing that she would end up a Red. Having an abortion in a United States where it's no longer legal is tantamount to murder. So when the authorities find out that Hannah has indeed had one, she's brought to trial. The refusal to name the doctor that performed the procedure or the father of the aborted child add time to her sentence and she faces the prospect of 16 years as a Red. Faced with a future of being shunned by her mother and treated as a second class citizen by the rest of the country for the next 16 years, Hannah is determined to make her way to a place where she won't be judged.

Jordan pulls from so many areas with When She Woke. Canada and her version of the Underground Railroad harken to runaway slaves making their way from America to a country where they would be seen as free men and women. The overturning of Roe v. Wade, along with an appointed Secretary of Faith, are indicators that America, as we currently know it, is no more. Though I don't remember the year that the story takes place being referenced, the United States, in this book, has clearly moved completely to the right and the party that claimed to want no government interference now interferes with every aspect of human life and morality.

What did you like about this book?
I love books that force me to think. What would it be like to live in a world where your every move can be tracked by the government or where your crime is worn on your sleeve so blatantly? I imagine that it would be stifling.

What didn't you like about this book?
I had the same problem with this book that I had with The Scarlet Letter, the protection of father of the child. Ugh, just like Hester Prynne pissed me off, so did Hannah Payne. I hated seeing both women take the fall for a sin in which two people were guilty, but only the women were implicated.

What could the author do to improve this book?
I would have loved an epilogue just to wrap things up neatly for me.

352pp
Published October 2011
Disclaimer: Copy received from publisher. Opinions are completely my own.

Theme: Skin I'm In by Cameo

My Kindle Fire Review

2011-11-18T07:30:00.000-06:00

Killer in High Heels - Gemma Halliday

2011-11-16T10:14:00.000-06:00

Maddie Springer, one of my newest chick lit faves, is back again. If you'll remember, we first met Maddie in Spying in High Heels. In that book, she was trying to track down her missing boyfriend while resisting the charming Detective Jack Ramirez. Luckily, she made it out of that adventure relatively unscathed. Lucky for her and lucky for readers, Maddie is back!

Killer in High Heels finds our nosy yet adorable protagonist heading for Las Vegas after a strange call from the father to whom she's never spoken. Along for the ride are her best friend, Dana, and Marco, the flamboyant receptionist from her stepfather's salon. Hijinks and hilarity ensue as the trio tries to locate and save Maddie's dad, all the while keeping the mob at bay.

What did you like about this book?
Though Maddie is funny in her own right, Dana and Marco are equally funny and entertaining.

What didn't you like about this book?
It seemed to run longer than necessary. There were a few times when it could have wrapped up, but it seemed to be drawn out for no particular reason.

What could the author do to improve this book?
I'm still working my way through the series, but Maddie's mother and her mom's best friend, Mrs. Rosenblatt, are hilarious. I'd love to see more of them.

310pp
Published March 2007

Theme: Viva Las Vegas by Elvis Presley

Fairy Tale Fail - Mina V. Esguerra

2011-11-14T07:30:00.000-06:00

We all know someone who's in love with the idea of love, right? They're living life like a Disney fairytale, walking around with birds singing in their ears and bunny rabbits and squirrels following them like Snow White or Cinderella. And then reality hits and they realize they're not Snow White or Cinderella. They're not even Sleeping Beauty, who I always felt was the most boring Disney princess, but I digress.

Ellie Manuel loves love. She's lived her whole life believing that her Prince Charming exists and that he'll come along and sweep her off her feet. Well that doesn't happen. What does happen is she falls for her friend, coworker and current Prince Charming, Don. Though working in the same office could be a testy situation, Ellie is happy to see Don day and night, until things fall apart.

You know how when you break up with someone and you share common friends, someone gets the friends when you split? Imagine that your coworkers are your friends, your only friends. So how does one deal with a break up where she's suddenly the odd woman out at work and in her personal life? She changes departments.

Set in Manila, Mina V. Esguerra gives readers another quirky chick to cheer for in Fairy Tale Fail. Ellie's journey from sappy dingbat to savvy adult is an absolute pleasure to watch.

What did you like about this book?
Like her other books, Esguerra set this book in her hometown of Manila, so readers unfamiliar with customs and the culture are introduced to new and fun facts.

What didn't you like about the book?
At times, the story line was predictable.

What could the author do to improve this book?
Other than the predictability issue, not much.

Published April 2010
Available in Kindle/Nook format only

Theme: Weary by Amel Larrieux

Free for All Friday, November 11

2011-11-11T07:30:00.000-06:00

Who else is happy it's Friday? The time change has been killing me all week and I'm glad to have this weekend to try to correct my sleeping pattern and what not. Before I start my weekend, let's run through the usual hodgepodge that makes up Free for All Fridays around here.

By this time next Friday, I'll be snuggled up with the new man in my life. Though I wish this was who I'm talking about,

the reality is, I'm talking about

That's right! Someone that feeds my addiction for books and gadgets ordered this for my birthday last month and it should arrive next Thursday. I'm considering staying up late Thursday night to play with it so I can report back to you next Friday on whether or not upgrading from a regular Kindle to the Fire is worth it. Meh, we'll see. At any rate, I'm excited like

In other news, if you're on tumblr, I've started two different accounts. reads4pleasure.tumblr.com is updated randomly through the day with things I find of interest. Sometimes it's literary quotes, other times it's songs, pictures of some of my favorites (like Ella Fitzgerald) or just plain foolishness. If you follow the blog through Facebook, you'll notice that the feed there is updated more frequently. Facebook fans get the feed from both the blog and the tumblr account. So if you want to make sure you don't miss out on a thing, follow me on Facebook and/or tumblr.

The other tumblr account, effyeahidris.tumblr.com is all about, you guessed it, my love for Idris. There's really nothing I love more than a good book, but let a picture of Driis cross my screen...let me hear that voice and I'm all

Lastly, I'd like to wish a very special birthday to @GammasWorld. Today is her big day. If you see her on Twitter, be sure to sprinkle her with birthday greetings.

Anywho, that's all I've got this week. What's on your mind?

Bumped - Sibylla Nash

2011-11-09T07:30:00.000-06:00

This book has been on my radar for a minute, but I was saving it for the read-a-thon. One of the things I've learned with read-a-thons is that it's best to keep your reading material short and lighthearted. That way you don't get weighed down with any one book for too long and you don't get bogged down with deep thoughts or heavy feelings about the subject matter.

With that thought in mind, I added Bumped by first time author Sibylla Nash to my must read list for the read-a-thon and I'm glad I did. I recently started the Spying in High Heels series by Gemma Halliday and Bumped reminded me of that series meets Platinum by Aliya S. King. So picture a quirky every day girl turned detective who just happens to be involved in the music scene and you've got Elle Nixon.

PR maven by day (and a lot of nights), Elle is at the top of her game. She loves her job and she's gearing up for a promotion. Her love life is going pretty well too, or at least it was before her boyfriend disappeared on her. Now pregnant, disgraced and jobless, Elle is having a heck of a time trying to make sense of it all.

What did you like about this book?
Nash blends just the right amount of fun and quirky with mystery to give a delightful read for lovers of chick lit.

What didn't you like about this book?
Off the top of my head, I can't think of a thing.

What could the author do to improve this book?
I'd be perfectly happy with a series of books about Elle. The chick lit world could definitely use a colorful chick like her.

214pp
Published August 2011

Theme: Crumblin' Down by John Mellencamp

The Buddha in the Attic - Julie Otsuka

2011-11-07T07:30:00.000-06:00

Told in a collective voice that speaks for Japanese women that came to America, specifically San Francisco, a century ago, The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka is a compelling read. At only 144 pages, it should be a quick read, but it's not. That's not because it's a complicated read or because it's boring, but it's so good that you'll want to savor each word and each story as they come.

Broken down into eight sections, it starts with their time on the boat from Japan to America as they imagined their new lives with husbands they'd never met before, introduced only through letters and pictures. It covers their disappoint with some of those husbands who had promised them a solid, middle class life and instead could only offer them work, side by side, as a field laborer.

Not all were field laborers and so it also covers their time working as a maid in a private house or at a hotel. One line in particular stuck with me, as it made me think of the way people of color are sometimes made to feel in and out of the work place.

“One of them greeted us warmly every morning in the kitchen, but whenever she passed us outside on the street, she had no idea who we were.”

I don't work in a kitchen, but the general idea is that I have co-workers that only know me within the context of our workplace. Should I happen to pass them on the street during the lunch hour or run into them on the weekend, their eyes pass over me as if they have no idea who I am. So it was interesting to me that these women, other people of color, had this same observation.

This group of women also speaks about the shame, the sadness, the fear and the loss that came about as a result of the relocation and internment of Japanese and Japanese American citizens, particularly those on the west coast, in the United States, as a result of the bombing of Pearl Harbor during World War II. With their collective voice we hear of how homes and businesses were lost as families were forced to leave. Children were removed from schools and friends as neighbors stood by and watched, often forgetting about them shortly after their removal.

Though it is at times sad, The Buddha in the Attic is not a sad book by any stretch. For me it is simply a different look at another chapter in American history through the eyes of a group that I've not been exposed to previously.

What did you like about this book?
It really forced me to think. In reading the women's stories, it made me reflect on various immigrant's stories and their adjustments to a new life. Most fascinating was a section in which the women speak of their white employers who tell them about how they cannot trust blacks to do certain things and how the Chinese are better at this, that or the other. Consciously, or subconsciously, it becomes the basis of stereotyping of races and creates the foundation for pitting people of color against one another based on the stereotypes taught to them by those in power.

What didn't you like about this book?
At just 144 pages, it was too short. It ended just after the families were taken away to the internment camps and I would have loved to explore further and find out about their lives in the camps and after their eventual release or relocation.

What could the author do to improve this book?
As I said, I could have used a few more chapters. Otherwise, it was the perfect read.

144pp
Published August 2011

Theme: Another Day in Paradise by Phil Collins

Miss Julia Rocks the Cradle - Ann B. Ross

2011-11-04T07:30:00.000-05:00

It's been quite awhile since I've posted a review of the Miss Julia series, but I've been listening to her antics all summer. In the latest, Miss Julia Rocks the Cradle, she's back with another round of madness and mayhem.

With the arrival of Hazel Marie and JD's twins any day, the household is in an uproar. I don't know how big Miss Julia's house is, but current household members include JD, Hazel Marie, Lloyd, Sam, Miss Julia, Etta Mae, Lillian and Latisha. And "dem babies" are on the way!

Never one to just give readers one story line to follow, in addition to Hazel Marie's pending delivery, there's the problem of Miss Julia bouncing checks all over town and a mystery to be solved when the body of Richard Stroud, a former resident of their small town who was sentenced to prison for white collar crimes, turns up in the shed of Miss Petty, Lloyd's teacher. It just so happens that Miss Petty lives next door to Miss Julia's arch nemesis, Thurlow Jones. Though she usually can't stand him, Miss Julia has no choice but to get in good with Thurlow if she plans to figure out what Richard was doing in the shed.

As usual, Miss Julia muddles things and it's only through the assistance of Lillian, the patience of Sam and overall good luck that she's able to straighten things out and, once again, return her household to the peaceful place she loves.

What did you like about this book?
Miss Julia is an absolute riot. I've thought she was hilarious since book one and she continues to be.

What didn't you like about this book?
I'm still bothered by the dialect used by Lillian. While everyone else speaks as if they're in the present, Lillian continues to speak as if she's in the early 20th century. I have to question if the author knows any people of color outside of the ones she sees on TV or has created in her head.

What could the author do to improve this book?
I'd like to see more characters have their own story lines that focus more on them and not on Miss Julia. I find each of them to be interesting so it would be nice to give them a chance to really shine.

320pp
Listening time: 9 hours, 36 minutes
Published April 2011

Theme: Bug-a-boo by Destiny's Child

Love Your Frenemies - Mina V. Esguerra

2011-11-02T07:30:00.000-05:00

I'm finally getting back on track with the Colorful Chick Lit challenge and Love Your Frenemies is the perfect read for it. Set in the Philippines, it's the story of Kimmy Domingo, the girl everyone loves to hate, at least that's what Kimmy believes.

When her fiance' ditched her the week before their wedding, Kimmy took off to parts unknown. With an occasional phone call to her mother, Kimmy let her friends and family know she was okay, but for a year she traipsed around the world trying to find herself and forget the humiliation of being left at the altar. The wedding of her BFF has brought her back to Manila and that's not necessarily a good thing.

Faced with the same demons that haunted her before she left, Kimmy returns to a clingy and needy mother, a tense relationship with her childhood friends and blatant hostility from coworkers. So how does she plan to resolve these problems? It's simple. She'll cut off unnecessary contact with all of them after the wedding.

What did you like about this book?
I always enjoy reading stories from a different perspective. Though Love Your Frenemies is chick lit in nature, it's also a short study in Filipino culture.

What didn't you like about this book?
There were a few cultural references that readers outside of the Filipino culture may not understand. It would have been nice to have footnotes or a short glossary in the back to help bring the reader up to speed. On the other hand, Google is always available for readers willing to do the legwork.

What could the author have done to improve this book?
Kimmy is a likable character. I could definitely see a series based around her. Hopefully, the author will make that happen.

120pp
Published May 2011

Theme: Do You Know Where You're Going To (theme from Mahogany) by Diana Ross

Spying in High Heels - Gemma Halliday

2011-10-31T07:30:00.000-05:00

Lovers of chick lit, if you've found yourself looking for a new series to read, welcome to the wacky world of Maddie Springer. With the smarts of a Mary Kay Andrews heroine and the quirky charm of a Sophie Kinsella leading lady, Maddie's world is a non-stop whirlwind of hilarity.

Children's shoe designer by day, and unintended super sleuth whenever the spirit hits her, Maddie finds herself on a mission to locate her missing boyfriend and clear his name with the feds. With her best friend, Dana, as her trusty sidekick, Maddie is determined to prove to handsome detective, Jack Ramirez, that there's no way her boyfriend could have done all of the things the feds claim she did. Oh, and there's the nagging question of whether or not she's pregnant.

Rounded out with a cast of great characters, the High Heels series is definitely going on my list of great chick lit reads.

What did you like about this book?
Halliday has really created a not too bright, yet likable character in Maddie. I found myself comparing the characters to those in Lifetime's Drop Dead Diva. With the exception of that show's lead character, Jane, I could easily see swapping characters out interchangeably and creating a television series based on Maddie and her crew.

What didn't you like about this book?
Not much. It was a quick and easy read, what's not to love about that?

What could the author do to improve this book?
I can't think of a thing.

324pp
Published: August 2006

Theme: Before He Cheats by Carrie Underwood

Writing...it ain't for everyone

2011-10-28T07:30:00.000-05:00

On Wednesday I touched on five elements that can make or break a book in my opinion. Authors that get it right consistently find ways to incorporate all of the elements. They've studied their craft and combined it with their passion for writing to produce an end product that readers love. And then there are those other people.

You, Tyrese, I'm talking about you and your little friend Steve Harvey, along with a host of others. Remember when Tyrese was all about this:

Oh how we loved that little chocolate boy. When he crossed over from singing into acting, we went along for the ride. Sure, he couldn't act (Baby Boy flashbacks, anyone?), but we were okay with that. He was exploring new thangs and what not. Then he crossed over into my territory and started writing books. It wasn't bad enough that Steve Harvey convinced himself he was an author, Tyrese caught a whiff of the dollars Steve was bringing in and decided he could do just as well, if not better. No ma'am, no sir!

Writing, or should I say attempted writing, isn't just limited to singers, rappers are also getting in on the game. 50 Cent and TI have thrown their hats in the ring and are now writing for the urban youth. Never mind the fact that neither of them can enunciate worth a damn and I'm always tempted to turn the closed captioning on when they're on the screen. They're writing books for your children to read! 50 Cent, who strikes me as a long time bully, is writing a book on...you guessed it, bullying. And TI is writing about, hell, who knows? 101 Things to do Before My Next Prison Stint?

What I do know is that it overcooks my grits to see celebrities get book deals and put out absolute garbage that the masses will consume while terrific authors languish in the Twitterverse practically begging people to buy their wonderful books. Is there enough room in the universe for real authors and these other people, sure. But who gets the press and the big publicity campaigns and appearances on The Today Show? It's certainly not the authors that eat, sleep and breath their characters.

Anyway, that's the end of my rant. Since it's Friday, I'll leave you with this for the weekend.

What makes a good book a good book

2011-10-26T07:30:00.000-05:00

Brian over at Don't Sweat the Technique approached me about writing a post on what makes a good book to a reviewer. I'm not a professional reviewer, just a chick that loves to read. At any rate, I took a stab at it and my thoughts are below.

Thoughwhat makes a good book is really subjective, I’d have to say the basis of agood book is well-developed story lines; fleshed out characters; unpredictableplots; descriptive imagery and fluid writing. Not sure what I mean? Let’sexplore a little further and I’ll give you examples of books in which authorsget it right.

1) Well-Developed Story Lines
I want to know that the author hastaken the time to think the story all the way through to the end. Don’t draw me so deep into the book that I’mstaying up past my bedtime to finish it, then drop me off a cliff with nowarning at the end! That’s not to saythat every story needs to be nice and neatly wrapped with a bow at the ending,but I shouldn’t get a feeling that your editor told you that you only needed towrite 200 pages and you quit at page 199.Finish that story.

On the other hand, don’t give mefluff. There are a million ways to saythe same thing. Don’t try them all outin one book.

And please remember what part of thestory you’ve already told. There’snothing worse than feeling like I’m stuck in the movie Groundhog Day because the author keeps rehashing the same scene.

Example: Room by Emma Donoghue, TheJoy Luck Club by Amy Tan

2) Fleshed-out Characters
If you want me to like, love, hateyour characters, you’ve got to tell me who they are. I’m more likely to keep reading and cheering(or booing) for characters if I feel like I know them.

Circle back to the character that you made melike in chapter three and never spoke of again beyond chapter four. What purpose did he/she serve? If she was important enough to add to your storyline initially, why wasn’t she important later?

Get me emotionally invested in yourcharacters and I’m yours forever. However, if they’re forgettable, trust me, so is your book.

Example: Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones, TheStand by Stephen King.

3) Unpredictable Plots
Readers love twists, turns and whatnot. If I already know how the story isgoing to end, why should I bother to read it?We read as an escape from our day to day routine. Life is, generally, predictable.Plots should not be.

Example: This Burns My Heart by Samuel Park, The Sport of the Gods by Paul Laurence Dunbar

4) Descriptive Imagery
Unless I’m reviewing a kid’s book,there are no pictures included. Theauthor should write in such a way that I can envision what characters looklike. A really well written book willnot only allow me to see the character, but hear them as well. And if the setting for the story ismagnificent/gritty/etc., I should be able to feel that from what the author haswritten.

Example: The Personal History of Rachel Dupree by Ann Weisgarber, The Last Empress by Anchee Min

5) Fluid writing
Journalist andauthor Norman Cousins once said, “Wordshave to be crafted, not sprayed. Theyneed to be fitted together with infinite care.”

One of thereasons J. California Cooper is my favorite author is that reading her writingis like curling up on my Granny’s lap and listening to her tell a story. Cooper doesn’t get extra fancy with herwords. She simply tells the story in arelatable, conversational, sitting on the back porch kind of way. Her storyline, her characters, her words andher imagery flow together in such a way that when the book has ended, you findyourself wishing she’d give you just one more chapter.

In contrast,some authors write so choppily that you may find yourself seasick a fewchapters in. Bumpy writing will have meready to jump ship in a heartbeat. Thegoal should always be to tell a story in such a way that the reader doesn’twant it to end.

Example: Some People, Some Other Place by J.California Cooper, 32 Candles byErnessa T. Carter

I don’t havea degree in English or a MFA in Creative Writing; I’m simply a reader. But if these basic elements are included, Ican almost guarantee that I’ll give a book a five star rating.

What makes a good book a good book for you?

The Weekend in Review

2011-10-24T07:30:00.000-05:00

So I started this weekend's read-a-thon like this at 7:00 a.m. Saturday morning:

By 8:30 a.m., I had finished book one and I was still like:

I finished book two with ease around 12:30 p.m. I felt myself waning and decided to eat lunch and have a Pepsi. By the time I dived into book three at 2:30 p.m., I was like:

Now I probably could have gotten in a few more books, but I had a dinner invite that I couldn't miss, so I finished book three right around 5:40 and headed out for the evening. Could I regain my momentum? Uh, no. I started book four around 11:30 p.m. and halfway through I was all:

I think I made it to 2:00 a.m. and just couldn't go any further. With my alarm set for 4:00 a.m., I figured I could get up and have book five read before the 7:00 a.m. end of the read-a-thon. Let me tell you, when my alarm went off, THIS was the look on my face.

Needless to say, I didn't start reading. I rolled right back over and went to bed. So I didn't read all five books that I planned to read, but I did get in three books that qualify for the Colorful Chick Lit challenge and a very good historical fiction read. Look for reviews of those books and more in the next few weeks.

Who else participated? Did you last all 24 hours or did you crash like me? What did you read? Details, details!

Free for All Friday, October 21

2011-10-21T07:30:00.000-05:00

I know many of you set reading goals at the beginning of the year and, if you're anything like me, you're behind with your reading. While I've managed to stay current with my goal of reading 100 books this year, I'm woefully behind on the number of books I'd like to read for the Colorful Chick Lit Challenge. I'll be spending 24 hours, beginning at 7 a.m. CST Saturday, reading to catch up. Sponsored by the good people over at Dewey's Read-a-Thon twice a year, I try to participate at least once a year and always enjoy the visits from other readers to the blog. Stop by Saturday and Sunday for updates here and over on my tumblr. Details are below.

What is the 24 Hour Read-a-thon?
It’s sort of a reading challenge, only everyone participates at the same time. For 24 hours, we read books, post in our blogs about our reading, and visit other readers’ blogs. We also participate in mini-challenges throughout the day and win prizes.

Do I have to stay up the whole 24 hours?
No, although it’s more fun if if you do. Cheerleaders only need to commit to at least one hour, and Readers can either choose to stay up the entire time or take breaks as they need to. There are some prizes that you’ll only be eligible for if you participate all 24 hours.

Do e-books count?
Well, sure! Also audio books, reading to the kids, etc

Where can I sign up?
You can sign up to be a Reader in the read-a-thon here and can sign up to be a volunteer here.

An overwhelming number of people that read this blog and follow me on Twitter are women. I've had discussions with a few of you about whether or not men read and, if they do, their reading habits. Though the handful of male readers rarely chime in, you'll be hearing from them soon as I launch my "Real Men Read" series. If you've wondered where the men that read are and what they're reading, you'll have a chance to find out as I feature their thoughts about and comments on books once a month.

That's all for now. Anyone joining me for the read-a-thon?

Sixty-7 - Aynoit Ashor

2011-10-19T07:30:00.000-05:00

Only available in ebook format for now, Sixty-7 is a novella from Aynoit Ashor's Family Secrets series. Told from the point of view of a 10 year old boy, it's an account of the abuse of his mother by her boyfriend. Ashor covers a lot of territory in this short read.

With his father in jail, the young boy is being raised by his mother, but he has fond memories of the times when the three were a complete family. Even with his father in jail, they maintain a relationship through visits and frequent phone calls. When his mother gains the attention of a shady newcomer, the boy seeks ways to protect her by any means possible, even if she doesn't realize that she's in danger.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Told in simplistic words, this is a short that could and should be used in schools to educate children on what domestic violence looks like. Too many children begin to think that it's the norm when they see it on a daily basis. And if nothing else motivates you to share or read this, the author offers an interesting statistic, "Sixty-seven percent of boys in jail for murder are there for killing their mother's abuser."

Domestic violence is best understood as a pattern of abusive behaviors -- including physical, sexual, and psychological attacks as well as economic coercion -- used by one intimate partner against another (adult or adolescent) to gain, maintain, or regain power and control in the relationship. Batterers use of a range of tactics to frighten, terrorize, manipulate, hurt, humiliate, blame, often injure, and sometimes kill a current or former intimate partner.

For more general information about domestic violence, including potential warning signs for emotional, physical, or sexual abuse, visit the National Domestic Violence Hotline's information page: What is Domestic Violence?

Available: Kindle or Nook format
Published: March 2011

Theme: Love is Blind by Eve

Girls in White Dresses - Jennifer Close

2011-10-17T07:30:00.000-05:00

Though it's billed as a story of three young, recent college graduates who are looking for love while their friends get married, Girls in White Dresses is really just a hodgepodge of meh. Though it's supposed to focus on Isabel, Mary and Lauren, it seems that every woman they've ever known is given a chapter in which to whine about the lack of real relationships and/or why their parents' relationship is the reason why they cannot have a successful relationship.

Quite honestly, the author spends so much time trying to cram as many characters into the story as possible, that it was difficult to remember who was whom. I didn't read the synopsis of the book until after I'd actually read it and was shocked to find that it was billed as the story of three friends. And they weren't even the most interesting friends. It's almost as if the author just liked their names and decided that out of the 10 to 15 women she wrote about, she decided that their names would go inside the jacket cover instead of one of the others.

Was it as funny and hysterical as the blogosphere and editorial reviews made it out to be? Not hardly. More than anything, it's the predictable, panicked reactions of twenty somethings who are more focused on getting married than anything else. It's catty and backbiting and is much more reminiscent of mean girls in high school than adult women. While it might make a quick and easy beach read, if you're looking for something of substance, you can skip right over this.

What did you like about this book?
It was a quick read.

What didn't you like about this book?
There were far too many characters to try to keep up with, so I found myself having to flip back through previous chapters to try to distinguish them.

What could the author do to improve this book?
Instead of bringing so many characters into the story, perhaps focus on the three about whom the book is actually written.

304pp
Published: August 2011

Theme: That's The Way I've Always Heard It Should Be by Carly Simon

Free for All 40 & Fabulous Friday, October 14

2011-10-14T07:30:00.000-05:00

So today we take a break from books, literature and what not. Why? Because it's my birthday! While you're reading this, I'll be getting a massage or a pedicure or getting my do done. Eventually I'll have a late lunch with my father and maybe take in a jazz concert later.

I know that most people make resolutions for the new year, I make mine on my birthday. So here are a few of my resolutions.

1. I'm shedding one-sided relationships. That includes friends that can't remember my birthday, though I remember not only theirs, but their kids as well. I know it will come as a shock to some of them.

But honestly, if the only time I hear from you is when you need to borrow money, you need a new gig, you're between boyfriends, you want to vent about your kids or you're selling product XYZ that you'd like me to buy, consider yourself gone, because we're not friends. Hell, we're barely even acquaintances. Buh-bye.

2. Toodles Debbie Downers. You can't find something to be happy about ever??? I've known you for years and that scowl on your face is etched so deeply that you've got well defined lines like you're sitting up on Mt. Rushmore. You're like the piss fairy, just waiting on someone to come along in a good mood so you can rain on their parade. What is that all about? I know misery loves company, but damn.

You can hop on the goodbye bus along with One-Sided Sally. You are no longer a factor in my world.

3. I plan to enjoy life to the fullest. I've spent a lot of time and put a lot of effort into raising a productive member of society. She's off in college getting her ~~party~~ study on and I plan to do the same.

What, if any, changes have you made in your life recently? Are you already thinking about New Year's resolutions? Was I too harsh?

The Weird Sisters - Eleanor Brown

2011-10-12T07:30:00.000-05:00

Those familiar with Shakespeare's Macbeth remember the Weird Sisters, or the Three Witches, who predicted Macbeth's ascension to power. Well this book isn't about those weird sisters, but it is about the Andreas sisters. Adult daughters of a stay at home mother and a father who just happens to be a professor of Shakespearean literature, the three have been raised with sonnets as their nursery rhymes. Each sister was named after a famous Shakespearean woman and each has a distinct personality.

As the oldest, Rose has always felt responsible, not only for her younger sisters, but also for her parents. A professor in her own right, she can't fathom leaving the small town of Barnwell...like ever. Engaged to Jonathon, a professor himself, Rose resists his request to join him in England where he has a fellowship, sure that her family will fall apart without her.

It was curious to us, who had so long enjoyed the benefits of Rose’s strength, had leaned on her for everything from ensuring our socks matched to keeping the secret of exactly how late we snuck out of the house to providing a sweet shoulder to cry on when things went horribly wrong, that Rose would need her own rock. But that was why he loved her better than we did - we loved her so much for her strength that we could never let her be weak, and he loved both parts of her equally.

Middle child Bianca, or Bean as she's known to family and friends, has always been the one that everyone knew would make it out of their small town. Living a successful, from all counts, life in New York, Bean looks perfect on the outside, but stealing from her employer to keep up the facade is slowly eating away at her. Hiding out in Barnwell should give her time to clear her head and come up with a plan to pay her former employer back.

Cordelia, aka Cordy, makes messes as she goes along, knowing that someone will clean up after her. As the youngest, she's used to people covering for her. Her parents and sisters have tolerated her nomadic, hippie lifestyle for years and rarely questioned her, so when Cordy finds herself pregnant, she figures they'll be willing to clean up her latest mess as well.

Though Bean and Cordy come home for differing reasons, it would appear that they've arrived at a time when their mother can really use them. Diagnosed with breast cancer, their mother is happy to have all three of her girls around. And even though Rose resents her sisters for breezing back into town with little regard for anyone, she's secretly happy too.

Sisters keep secrets. Because sisters’ secrets are swords.

As much as the sisters vie for their parents' attention and affection, and show a general disregard for each other, they are still sisters. I think sometimes we fail to see our siblings as the people that they really are, only seeing them through our filter, which is usually pretty one-dimensional. An interesting look at how siblings, particularly sisters, see each other and communicate with them, I'd highly recommend The Weird Sisters for anyone struggling with how to relate to their siblings or in need of a good read.

What did you like about this book?
Each sister had a distinct personality and style that made them likable and unlikable at the same time. So even if the sisters could only seen each other as one-dimensional characters, readers were able to see several facets of their character.

What didn't you like about this book?
Though it didn't bother me, the book is sprinkled with Shakespearean quotes. For those not familiar with Shakespeare, I can see how it might be overwhelming and slightly annoying, but, in most instances, one of the characters translates the quote into modern English.

What could the author do to improve this book?
I can't think of a thing.

336pp
Published: January 2011

Theme: Sista by Rachelle Ferrell

This Burns My Heart - Samuel Park

2011-10-10T07:30:00.000-05:00

Easily one of my favorite reads this year, This Burns My Heart is the moving story of Soo-Ja. As a young lady in 1960 South Korea, she longed to move to Seoul and become a diplomat. When her wealthy father forbids her to join the Foreign State Department, she plots, at her mother's suggestion, to marry an easily pliable man who will let her have her way. But when you try to run game on someone, there's always a good chance that game is being run on you. And while Soo-Ja thinks she's using Min, she finds that she really is not the master of her fate, as she thought.

Why are we asked to make the most important decisions of our lives when we are so young, and so prone to mistakes?

So caught up in her dreams of escaping her small town of Daegu and becoming a diplomat, Soo-Ja misses out on the warning signs that would have stopped her from making such a grave mistake. Like a weight around her neck, Soo-Ja is forced to carry the decision she makes as an early 20something with her for years. Bound by duty to her family and tradition, Soo-Ja endures the deceit of her husband's family and disrespect of her own child. Chance encounters with an old friend with whom she shares a special bond only make the burdens harder to bear.

“Tchamara. What is the word that comes closest to it? To stand it, to bear it, to grit your teeth and not cry? To hold on, to wait until the worst is over? There is no other word for it, no way to translate it. It is not a word. It is a way to console yourself. He is not just telling her to stand the pain, but giving her comfort, the power to do so. Tchamara is an incantation, and if she listens to its sound, she believes that she can do it, that she will push through this sadness. And if she is strong about it, she’ll be rewarded in the end. It is a way of saying, I know, I feel it, too. This burns my heart, too.”

The pain, the sadness, the longing of Soo-Ja all come through in the words of Samuel Park. While this is a love story between a man and a woman, it's just as much a love story of a mother for her child. Through it all, Soo-Ja finds her spirit down, but never broken. I can guarantee you that you'll find yourself rooting for her happiness just as much as I was.

What did you like about this book?
Not only was it an easy read, it was a beautiful read. Park managed to weave in the student revolutions of 1960 into the story line, providing the reader with a historical aspect. Readers unfamiliar with Korean traditions and society were also offered a glimpse into the changes within South Korea from 1960 through the mid 70s.

What didn't you like about this book?
I can't think of a thing.

What could the author do to improve this book?
Not a thing.

320pp
Published July 2011

Theme: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart by Al Green

Free for All Friday, October 7

2011-10-07T07:30:00.000-05:00

In which I pretend that I'm not obsessed with Idris Elba. Oh sure, I glance at other men, but I always come back to Driis. I mean, they're cute. You can't deny that Blair is fine,Michael Ealy's eyes are magical and Lamman Rucker is the business (even though he's lost in Tyler Perry land these days). But it's always, ALWAYS about Idris. Enjoy.

Michael Ealy

Blair Underwood

Lamman Rucker

Le Freak: An Upside Down Story of Family, Disco, and Destiny - Nile Rodgers

2011-10-05T07:30:00.000-05:00

Even if you don't know his name, and I can't imagine you don't, but if you don't, you know Nile Rodgers' music. A writer, musician and producer, you can almost bet that at any given moment, a radio station some place on earth is playing a Nile Rodgers' song. We'll get into the songs in a just a minute, but for now, let's talk about Nile himself.

Born to a 13 year old mother, Nile's upbringing was anything but conventional. I would go so far as to say that the phrase, "sex, drugs and rock & roll" accurately describes his youth. A few years later his mother would go on to marry, not Nile's biological father, but Bobby, a Jewish salesman that wasn't much older than her. As Beverly and Bobby experimented more with drugs, their surroundings changed, so it wasn't uncommon for Nile and his brothers to live in Greenwich Village one day and Alphabet City or Hell's Kitchen the next.

As his mother tried to get herself together, Nile went to live with his grandmother and began an endless stream of flights back and forth from California to New York as his mother summoned him and sent him away. The one bright light in all of this chaos was his discovery of a love for music. It almost seemed like as soon as he felt he was old enough to handle life on his own, he made a break from the yo-yo lifestyle he'd been leading. Thank goodness he did.

Starting with the Big Apple Band, Rodgers would partner with bassist Bernard Edwards and go on to compose, write, produce, perform or play on some of the biggest hits of the last 40 years. As Chic, Rodgers and Edwards just wanted to make good music. Neither was concerned with being the front man, which made them the perfect house musicians for artists like Luther Vandross and Ashford & Simpson. Their production and writing skills brought us Sister Sledge's We Are Family and He's the Greatest Dancer. I still bump Diana Ross' Upside Down and I'm Coming Out. And though Rodgers and Edwards split in the 80s, Rodgers went on to work on albums for Madonna (the complete Like A Virgin album), David Bowie (Let's Dance), Duran Duran (The Reflex), Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Michael Jackson and Prince, to name a few.

What did you like about this book?
I learned a lot about Rodgers. I guess I'd never really given him much thought prior to receiving this book, but he really has written the soundtrack of my life. He's lead quite an interesting life and has overcome what would be insurmountable circumstances for others.

What didn't you like about this book?
Off the top of my head, I can't think of anything.

What could the author do to improve this book?
I went into this expecting to get a lot more gossip or back stories of Rodgers' friends. I guess because they were his friends, he didn't really give up as much as I expected him to.

336pp
Published: Oct. 18, 2011

Theme: Dance, Dance, Dance by Chic

One Day It'll All Make Sense - Common

2011-10-03T07:30:00.000-05:00

A lot of rappers write memoirs and while I've had no interest in reading most of them, I couldn't resist giving Common's One Day It'll All Make Sense a read. He's one of my favorite rappers because unlike some that talk about how many cars they have or how many women they've slept with, he generally comes with a message. I'll forgive him for the foolishness that was Electric Circus (I'm just going to blame that one on Erykah Badu) and Universal Mind Control (and I'll blame this one on Serena Williams).

I'm not sure why, but I fully expected Common to just break down some of his lyrics, tell us about his fancy lifestyle and throw in an occasional motivational message. Instead, each chapter starts with a letter from him to someone important in his life, alive or dead. Through these letters, the reader learns what the person he's writing to has meant to him and how they influenced his life. I especially enjoyed his letters to his parents and to his daughter.

Another thing he does, that not many men are willing to do, is be open about his relationships and the roles he's played in them. Let's go back to my reference to Electric Circus and Ms. Badu. Why do I blame her for that horrible CD? How do you go from Like Water for Chocolate to that? Other than Come Close, which was written about Erykah, it was the epitome of whack. In talking about his relationship with her, it's apparent that from day one, Erykah was in control and their relationship was all about her.

"Erykah was my first grown-up love. Loving her was the first time I had been so caught up in a relationship that everything else seemed muffled and dimmed. ...I loved Erykah so hard that I didn't have any love left for myself."

While his family and friends watched, Common changed the way he lived, ate, communicated, etc. It almost sounded like one of the Ms. Cleo commercials of the nineties, "I think someone put roots on me!" Though they started as friends, Erykah decided when they became a couple and also when the relationship ended, calling him while he was on tour to tell him it was over, while her next man sat in the room and listened in on the conversation. Who does that??? When I say Ms. Badu is stronger than battery acid?!?! I just wanted to cradle Common to my chest as a I read that...purely for unselfish reasons, of course. And um, have a word with "E."

Common goes on to talk about his other relationships with Taraji "my eyes stay bloodshot" P. Henson and Serena Williams, but it's obvious that Ms. Badu had the most lasting effect on him and some of his biggest life lessons were learned as a result of their time together. The message that stood out most to me was,

"No longer am I going to dim my light for anyone or anything. I 'm going to let it shine. This is what God gave me, so I'm going to wear this. I'm going to wear my greatness."

And he wears it well...as long as we're not talking about his acting, but that's another story for another time.

What did you like about this book?
I loved the openness and honesty of Common. Though he's usually portrayed as walking the straight and narrow, his stories of youth quickly dispel that myth. It's as if he's most interested in giving people the complete picture of himself rather than the manufactured image that most artists have.

What didn't you like about this book?
I enjoyed most of the letters, but some of them were quite lengthy and didn't keep my attention.

What could the author do to improve this book?
I would suggest shortening and/or removing some of the letters.

320pp
Published September 2011
Disclosure: Copy provided by the publisher, opinions posted are my own.

Theme: The People by Common

My shelves runneth over...

2011-09-30T07:30:00.000-05:00

with lit from female authors. Am I a femireader? Yes, I made that word up, hush and let me have it. During yet another passionate conversation about books, I came to the startling realization that I'm slightly prejudice against books by men or with male lead characters. I'm not talking about Grisham or Patterson or Sanford or Stephen King. I can read about Grisham's many male characters and Patterson's Alex Cross series, as well as Sanford's Lucas Davenport series, but the average male author, not so much.

Don't get me wrong, I love Ravi Howard, Jabari Asim, Roy Pickering and Daniel Black. Their works fascinate me and I thoroughly enjoy reading them, but I don't actively seek books by or about men. And it's not that they're not writing, they are. I remember when Eric Jerome Dickey first started out. I loved his books, but I remember loving them because he wrote from the point of view of a woman so well. The other male authors I mentioned write from the male perspective and I still enjoy them, so I don't think writing from the female perspective is the determining factor in whether or not I'll enjoy a book written by a male author. I've certainly digested my fair share of E. Lynn Harris and Carl Weber, not to mention some of Omar Tyree's horrid work. But I guess as a woman, I want to read things from the perspective of other women. Am I limiting myself by doing so?

I had a conversation with a co-worker some years ago about her husband's reading habits. I know a lot of men that will only read non-fiction, but her husband read just about anything, with the only requirement being that it was written by a man. He said that, in his opinion, women authors just didn't get it. Their writing was unrealistic and too sentimental. I remember thinking how can he just stereotype female authors like that? But is he really any different from me? Somewhat. I don't shun books by men like he does books by women. A quick glance at my bookshelves will show an almost equal representation of male and female authors. I think I have something to learn from both sexes.

Going even further, I think that I, and everyone else, has something to learn from both sexes and all races. I'd like to think that my shelves are just as diverse when it comes to race as they are when it comes to sex, but they're not. Though I don't actively seek male authors, I do actively seek Latina, Asian and other people of color authors, particularly women. Do I feel more of a kinship with them and seek a better understanding because they're women? Probably.

So what do your shelves look like? Do you find that you prefer male to female authors or have you ever given it a thought? How diverse is your reading selection? Are you a proclaimed femireader or will you read anything, even the cereal box?

Red Polka Dot in a World Full of Plaid - Varian Johnson

2011-09-28T07:30:00.000-05:00

Had I not been desperate for something to listen to on a recent road trip, I probably would have never picked up this book. That's not to say that anything was too terribly wrong with it, it just trended on the YA side and that's not really my thing. But given the choice between listening to this and the same 10 songs over and over again on satellite radio, I went with this.

Red Polka Dot is the story of Maxine, a recent high school graduate, who learns that the father she always thought was dead is, in fact, alive and well and living in Oklahoma. Determined to meet him, she sets off on her own from South Carolina, only to have car problems. Her best friend Deke comes to her rescue and the two make their way to Oklahoma where Maxine discovers that not only is her father Jack alive, he's white.

This first effort from Varian Johnson was crammed with entirely too many messages for such a short book. There was Maxine's discovery that she was biracial and how it affected her outlook after believing that she was black for 18 years. In addition, she had to deal with how others around her reacted to her as a result. There was also a strong Christian lit element with Deke and Jack both talking about their beliefs repeatedly and trying to convince Maxine to come back to church. And then there was the problem of defining her friendship with Deke. In the midst of this, she had to find time to create and define a relationship with her newly discovered father. And like a soap opera, the author managed to wrap all of these issues up with a nice neat bow within a week. While this may have played out well for a younger reader, it was too idealistic for a cynical older reader like me.

What did you like about this book?
It had good messages, there were just too many of them to give any one proper attention and fleshing out.

What didn't you like about this book?
The narrator of the audio book has the same last name of the author. While Johnson is a common last name, I couldn't help but wonder if she was related to him. That could be the only plausible reason for using her as the narrator. I picked up a distinct Caribbean lilt in her voice, which was distracting since the character was supposed to be from South Carolina. Another problem was that the narrator was only capable of doing three voices even though she gave voice to every character in the book. As a result, all of the male characters, with the exception of Deke, sounded like an old white man sitting on his porch holding a shotgun and all of the female characters, with the exception of Maxine, sounded like Florence Jean Castleberry (that's Flo for those that remember the TV show, Alice). It may have been more economically feasible for the author to use a relative to narrate, but the voices she used were annoying and made listening to the book almost unbearable.

What could the author do to improve this book?
Pick a theme and stick with it.

199pp
Listening time: 5 hours, 50 minutes
Published November 2005

Theme: At Seventeen by Janis Ian

The Taste of Salt - Martha Southgate

2011-09-26T07:30:00.000-05:00

Everybody has something that they're trying to hide or that they're ashamed of or would like to pretend never happened. In a family where addiction is your legacy, it's a safe bet that if you don't confront the issue head on, it's guaranteed to rear its ugly head sooner or later, and probably when you least expect it. And so it is with Josie Henderson and her family.

I love breathing underwater but still being safe, held, protected. I love the weightlessness. I never feel that the rest of the time. Life weighs a ton. That's why I love the water. Nothing weighs anything there.

A marine biologist, Josie has always loved the water. It's her escape from everything that ails her, anything that weighs her down. As a child, the water was an escape from the destruction alcoholism brought to her happy family. As an adult, it allows her to keep that same family at bay in Cleveland while she works in the Northeast. But you can't run from your problems forever and when Josie's brother Tick sinks into the depths of alcoholism himself, she's forced to return home once again. And just like that, the weightlessness that water gives her is taken away. Back on dry land, life once again weighs a ton.

While Josie is quick to point out her father and brother's addiction, it takes her much longer to realize its affect on her. She goes to great lengths to avoid anything that will weigh her down. Though she's married, it's apparent that her husband loves her much more than she loves him. Having kids would weigh her down, so even as she's approaching the time when her biological clock should be ticking out of control, she has no desire for them. And when the weight of being in an interracial marriage weighs on her even slightly, she seeks something easier, something that weighs less.

Told from the perspectives of Josie, Tick and their parents, Ray and Sarah, The Taste of Salt is simply amazing. Watching Ray's drinking spiral out of control so much so that it costs him the family that he dearly loves and to watch Tick do the same years later is scary, but makes you ask why would he follow his father's path knowing where it would end, having experienced it as a child. What makes Sarah love so hard and for so long? And at one point does Josie realize that the water can't save her from everything.

What did you like about this book?
Martha Southgate's book always make me think. While I can easily breeze through works by other authors, I find that I have to give myself time to read, think and savor each word with her.

What didn't you like about this book?
I can't think of a thing.

What could the author do to improve this book?
Nothing.

288pp
Published September 2011

Theme: Aguas de Marco by Antonio Carlos Jobim & Elis Regina

A Day in the Life...

2011-09-23T07:30:00.000-05:00

of a book blogger that happens to be black...or African American, whatever floats your boat.

7:00 a.m. Rise & shine
7:30 a.m. Check to see if Blogger FINALLY worked out their kinks and posted today's post at 7:30 instead of 9:30 or 5:30
8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Do the job I'm actually paid to do
5:30 p.m. Check email
5:32 p.m. Let out a loud exasperated sigh as I read the following:

Hello <---note that I don't have a name, just a generic hello, because this has already been pitched to every black book blogger on the net.
My name is Denise and I was referred to you by a friend on Goodreads. I'm an Urban lit authoress and I've recently authored a novel titled, Streets is Talking.

What's wrong with this picture you might ask. #1 I don't do urban lit & #2 even though it's a real word, certified by the dictionary and everything, I abhor the word 'authoress!' Like what is that even about?

5:45 p.m. DM J Nic, my literary twin, about the latest shiggidy that ended up in my inbox

Me: Why did I get a pitch from XYZ publisher about rapper Blase' Blahs latest urban tale?
JNic: *crickets*
Me: Who in the hell told rappers to start writing books? Better yet, who told publishers that I'd want to read this crap? It's because I'm black, isn't it? Do you think they pitch this crap to BethFishReads or DevourerOfBooks?
JNic: Who?
Me: Exactly!

If you thought the shelves of the bookstore formerly known as Borders were segregated, the world of book blogging is really no better. Publishers pitch books based on not only genres, but also the color of the author and the blogger. Just because I'm brown doesn't mean I want to read every piece of lit written by another brown person. No, I'm not interested in the garbage 50 Cent is peddling to urban youth, but I may be interested in that new Sophie Kinsella or Amy Tan so how about pitching me that instead?

A recent conversation with a good friend of mine led to a passionate monologue from me about the greatness of Algonquin Books. I won't jump on the soap box and give you details about what I said, but here are the highlights. Algonquin Books is hands down my favorite publisher. There aren't black, white, brown, purple or pink books with them, just good books. I've never gotten a pitch from them that was tailored for a specific audience. It's more of a "we've got great books, you like great books, look at our great books and tell us what you want us to send you."

I watched with fascination as Tayari Jones toured the country this year promoting her book, Silver Sparrow. National reviewers, national public radio and book bloggers didn't dwell on the fact that the characters were African-American. Silver Sparrow is the kind of story that can play out in families of any race. In the hands of another publisher, it might have been banished to the 'Urban Lit' section of the bookstore and found itself nestled between Zane and Ice-T. I really feel like a big reason for the book's success, other than the fact that it was amazing, was the way it was presented by Algonquin Books.

Publishers that continue to pigeonhole their authors and their audience are doing no one any favors. A good book is a good book is a good book regardless of who writes it. If you write it, they will read it. Publishers would do well to remember that and to stop selling everyone short.

One Flight Up - Susan Fales-Hill

2011-09-21T07:30:00.000-05:00

This is what Sex and the City would look like if they ever tried diversity, well diversity beyond Blair Underwood. Remember the season he played a sports doctor and hooked up with Miranda of all people??? Can we just take a moment to appreciate the chocolaty goodness that is Blair though? Can we?!?!?! Okay, I was having a moment there, but I'm back now.

So what was I saying? Oh yes. One Flight Up is a look at the lives of four friends in Manhattan. Graduates of the elite Sibley School for Girls, Esme, India, Abby and Monique seem to have it all, but each has secrets that they share with no one, not even their best friends.

Attorney India has enough on her plate trying to keep up with her mother's latest divorce attempt and her own whirlwind romance with French chef, Julien. So when the love of her life stumbles back into her world, she's forced to re-evaluate quite a few things.

Abby loves literature, but being married to a sculptor who's always on the verge of being discovered means someone has to support the family financially, so she runs her family's art gallery even though it's not her passion.

She's always played with fire, but her friends have no idea that Esme is dangerously close to getting burned. A spoiled woman of means, she treats Manhattan as her playground and the men in it as her toys.

Though she was their tormentor at Sibley, Monique has managed to work her way into the world of the trio of friends. She's still as brash and rude as she was at Sibley and being a doctor has only added arrogance to her list of characteristics.

Susan Fales-Hill has worked on several award winning shows from The Cosby Show and Different World to Linc's. A Manhattanite herself, with a true global flair, it would be great to see a mini-series or network series from Fales-Hill based on these characters.

What did you like about this book?
These women are fabulous! It's rare to see colorful chick lit that features not just one, but three women of color. Each of them is successful in her own right and boldly claims what is hers with no apologies.

What didn't you like about this book?
As fabulous as their lives were, some of the situations seemed a little unrealistic.

What could the author do to improve this book?
Make it a series please. I'm seeing Sofia Vergara as Esme!

368pp
Published July 2011

Theme: That's What Friends Are For (Live) by Dionne Warwick, Stevie Wonder, Whitney 'Pre-Crack' Houston & Skinny Luther Vandross - As much as I love the original with Gladys & Elton, this version is everything!

Confessions of A Call Center Gal - Lisa Lim

2011-09-19T07:30:00.000-05:00

Okay, before I tell you about this hilarious read, I have to share with you a disclaimer I received from the author when she saw I was reading it on Goodreads.

***DISCLOSURES: If you find politically incorrect shows like The Office, South Park and Chelsea Lately detestable, childish and offensive, then my book is probably NOT for you. But I don't write with malice, it's meant to be lighthearted, snarky and harmless.

I'm a Chinese gal and I lightly poke fun at all races, including my own. Growing up in Malaysia, people were a lot more tolerant and a little less sensitive about that topic. And sometimes I think it's healthy to be able to laugh at yourself, as long as it doesn't cross a line or go over the top.

It really did make me cackle that she felt the need to defend her work prior to me reading it. I can't tell you how many times I wished authors who've written horribly bad books would send me a notice of disclosure before I picked up their book. I'm not easily offended and though I don't watch The Office or South Park, I've read a few Chelsea Handler books and enjoyed them.

Recent college graduate Madison Lee can't find a job, though she doesn't seem to be trying too hard. So when her best friend, Karsynn Higginbotham, invites her to come visit her in the hotbed of excitement that is Pocatello, Idaho, Maddy takes her up on it. The modern day Laverne & Shirley find themselves jobs in a call center, of all things, and that's where the fun begins.

You might think that there's nothing funny about answering phones all day, but Lim does a great job of keeping the dialogue light, funny and moving at a pace reminiscent of The Gilmore Girls. Not only are the main characters well developed, so are the secondary characters. I don't think Lisa Lim has anything to worry about when it comes to finding an audience for Confessions.

What did you like about this book?
Reading this book was really like watching a sitcom. Though Lim doesn't go into a lot of detail about the character's setting, their voices ring through loud and clear giving you a full impression of who they are and allowing you to visualize the characters and the call center.

I also love how the author intertwines popular culture references.

What didn't you like about this book?
It didn't bother me, but there are some jokes that others might find slightly offensive.

What could the author do to improve this book?
I would have loved a synopsis at the end giving updates on Karsynn, Truong and the rest of the crew.

296pp
Published May 2011

Theme: She Works Hard for the Money by Donna Summer

Secret Obsession - Kimberla Lawson Roby

2011-09-16T09:00:00.000-05:00

Well she finally took a break from the ridiculously long story line of Reverend Curtis Black, but I can't say that Kimberla Lawson Roby did readers any favor with her detour into the crazy world of Paige Donahue. Paige has always lived in the shadow of her sister, Camille. From the time they were kids until now, Paige has wanted whatever Camille has, including her husband, and she'll stop at nothing to get him. Thank goodness this was a short read because the naivete of Camille and her husband, Pierce, combined with the far fetched schemes of Paige were hard to read due to the constant eye rolling on my part.

With at least 15 books under her belt, Roby still has not learned to fully develop her characters and give them plausible story lines. Yes, Paige is bat shit crazy, how do you give the reasoning behind it less than a page and then wrap up the entire story with a nice neat bow a few pages later without fully exploring the transformation from bat shit crazy to regular old crazy?

Paige and Camille's mother admitted a family secret that had a devastating effect on their lives and Roby didn't feel that it needed more than a paragraph? The people that Paige and Camille became was solely based on their childhood and the role that this secret played in it, but a paragraph will suffice? Oh, ok. I guess the author thought readers didn't require more or maybe she was only obligated to write a 200 page book and this one had hit 192 so she figured I could use the other eight pages to write my own ending. Hell, I don't know.

What did you like about this book?
Twas short.

What didn't you like about this book?
Relleh b, relleh? (Ok, seriously, in order to understand my usage of "relleh" you'll need to listen to Jay-Z & Kanye West's HAM. Tis hilarious!)

What could the author do to improve this book?
Learn that character development is key.

192pp
Published September 2011

Theme: Crazy Love by Ne-Yo featuring Fabolous (and that tooth of his)

The GQ Candidate - Keli Goff

2011-09-14T07:30:00.000-05:00

A more accurate title for Keli Goff's The GQ Candidate might be Primary Colors Part 2 or The Candidate's Friends. Some of you will remember the original Primary Colors, the 1996 novel that was loosely based on Bill Clinton's 1992 presidential campaign. In The GQ Candidate, Keli Goff has created her own version, this time focusing on the candidacy of Luke Cooper, her stand in for Barack Obama.

We all know how the candidacy of President Obama turned out, so there's really no use in rehashing that story. But what Goff gives readers is a glimpse not so much into the life of a candidate for the office of president, but that of his family and friends. Without knowing who those characters were modeled after, it becomes a much more interesting story.

As far as the similarities to the Obamas, they were pretty obvious, though small changes were made. Luke, governor of Michigan (instead of a senator), is married to Laura Cooper, an accomplished educator (instead of an attorney). Instead of two girls, they're the parents of two boys. Luke is not biracial, as is the President, but he was adopted by a Jewish family as an infant.

What's new and different is seeing how Luke's candidacy affects his closest friends and how situations in their lives directly impact his campaign. If you're running for a public office, you're bound to have friends that could be liabilities. Do you cut them loose? Do you disavow your religion if it makes voters uncomfortable? If your friends are just as competitive as you, will they be able to stand beside and behind you while you grab the spotlight that they've always craved? Goff hits all of these points and more.

What did you like about this book?
Luke's circle of friends was very well developed. It was interesting to note the roles that all of them played in their relationships, both with each other and their spouses.

What didn't you like about this book?
While Luke's friends were well developed, he wasn't. It's almost as if he were a secondary character brought in only for the purposes of reacting to situations.

I also hate the title of the book. The explanation for why Luke was nicknamed "the GQ candidate" was shallow and certainly didn't live up to the reason given for it.

What could the author do to improve this book?
Either rename it so that it accurately reflects about whom the book is written or flesh out the story of Luke Cooper more so that the title fits.

348pp
Published July 2011

Theme: Eric B. is President by Eric B. & Rakim

The Personal History of Rachel DuPree - Ann Weisgarber

2011-09-12T07:30:00.000-05:00

The book blogging community has been abuzz about this book for awhile, but it took some time for me to decide to read it. Even though I'm a fan of historical fiction and historical reality TV, like PBS' Frontier House, I wasn't sure that this story, set in The Badlands of South Dakota in the early 20th century, would be of interest to me. It's biggest selling points were that Viola Davis was working to option the rights to it and that it might be an interesting enough listen to keep my mother quiet on the five hour drive to take my daughter to college.

Rachel Reeves works as a cook in the boarding house of Mrs. DuPree, widow of the late Dr. DuPree and mother of Isaac, an army man. Before Isaac DuPree came home, Rachel believed that her days would be full of cooking for the boarders of the home. Isaac's stories about life in the army and his plans to stake a claim in the South Dakota Badlands fascinates both the boarders and Rachel.

Instantly smitten, Rachel dreams of marrying Isaac and starting life together. Mrs. DuPree will have no such thing and works feverishly to introduce Isaac to suitable upper class women. Isaac has no use for such soft women, but when the hardworking Rachel makes a deal with him that allows him to claim an additional 160 acres of land in her name in exchange for one year of marriage, he jumps at the chance. So begins their tale of life in the Badlands.

What did you like about this book?
It offered a story that hasn't really been told before. Although I was aware that there were African-American settlers, I can't recall reading any stories from their points of view. The author and narrator did an excellent job of bringing the harsh realities of life on the plains to life. Oh, and it kept my mother quiet for most of the trip!

What didn't you like about this book?
Isaac had an obvious disdain for Native Americans, so much so that at times I pondered ejecting the CD from my player. Though the possibility for his hatred was revealed eventually, I felt like the author really went overboard with her characterization of Native Americans as lazy and looking for handouts.

I also had a problem with Rachel's naivete as it related to Isaac. While he treated her as nothing more than a breeding ranch hand with little regard for her opinion, she followed him blindly repeatedly, at times to the detriment of their children. The characterization of Rachel as a physically and mentally strong woman seemed to be in direct conflict to the Rachel that kowtowed to Isaac.

What could the author do to improve this book?
The book was left with a bit of a cliffhanger. I don't need a sequel, but I would have liked a few follow up chapters just to wrap up the story line.

336pp
Listening time: 10 hours, 9 minutes
Published August 2010

Theme: Could've Fooled Me by Rachelle Ferrell

This Beautiful Life - Helen Schulman

2011-09-09T07:30:00.000-05:00

I'm almost tempted to start this review with the Law & Order "ripped from the headlines" disclaimer. This Beautiful Life really does have the feel of a Law & Order episode, but instead of wrapping the case up in an hour, it takes you beyond and shows the aftermath of families affected by the headlines. And it's rarely pretty.

By the looks of all things, the Bergamots are a traditional family. Traditional in that father Richard is a university higher up, while stay at home mom Liz cares for their fifteen year old son, Jake, and Coco, the rambunctious five year old they adopted as a baby from China. Everyone knows their roles within the family. It's Richard's job to make sure the family is provided for and guide them all in the directions they should go, without causing ripples in the fabric of their lives. It's Liz's job to make sure that no one in the family distracts Richard with their trivial problems.

When fifteen year old Jake receives a video of a prepubescent girl, who hopes to convince him that she is indeed old enough to partake in anything he might, his first reaction is to forward it to his closest friends. Unbeknown to him, hitting the send button will have far reaching ramifications. His father blames his mother for not raising him to be smarter than that. His mother blames his father for being emotionally unavailable. And Coco is simply overlooked as all focus turns to saving Jake's future.

What did you like about this book?
It was very interesting to see how each family member reacted to "the situation." One would suspect that there were already splinters in the family's relationships with one another, but it seemed that the members of the family were unaware of them prior to the incident. Watching this near perfect family implode before my eyes was much like watching a train wreck. Turning away simply was not an option.

What didn't you like about this book?
Coco didn't have a voice in the story telling. Richard, Liz and Jake all had the opportunity to tell the story from their point of view, whereas Coco was almost treated as the family pet. Her behavior prior to the incident was discussed by both parents, but after, it was like she was silenced.

It was also just a little strange that the girl that set off the flurry of events was treated as an afterthought. Not only did Jake's parents view her as a troublemaker, the author of the book seemed to as well, seemingly forgetting that she was only 12 when the incident occurred.

What could the author do to improve this book?
I didn't really care for the ending. It seemed a bit rushed and I would have liked to see it fleshed out in more detail.

240pp
August 2011

Theme: Cats in the Cradle by Harry Chapin

Dreams of Joy - Lisa See

2011-09-07T07:30:00.000-05:00

Readers of Shanghai Girls, the 2010 New York Times bestseller from Lisa See about sisters Pearl and May, will be glad to know that See has continued their story with this year's Dreams of Joy. Having narrowly escaped the Japanese bombing of Shanghai in 1937, the sisters find themselves setting sail for America to live in marriages arranged by their father to pay off his gambling debts. Shanghai Girls covered the lives of Pearl and May from 1937 through 1957. Dreams of Joy picks up right where it left off, this time focusing on Joy, daughter of Pearl, but biological daughter of May.

Convinced that she is to blame for her father's problems with the FBI, and his subsequent death, Joy is determined to leave her family in Los Angeles' Chinatown. Her studies at the University of Chicago and participation in a Chinese students organization open her eyes to the lies that she believes the United States has told about China and Chairman Mao. When Chairman Mao issues a call for those of Chinese descent to return to their homeland, Joy sees not only an opportunity to participate in the Great Leap Forward, but to also meet the artist father that she recently discovered. Filled with a naivete that many teens and twentysomethings possess, Joy soon finds that the magical world she imagined is less than desirable and anything but magical.

The Great Leap Forward of the People's Republic of China (PRC) was an economic and social campaign of the Communist Party of China (CPC), reflected in planning decisions from 1958 to 1961, which aimed to use China's vast population to rapidly transform the country from an agrarian economy into a modern communist society through the process of rapid industrialization, and collectivization. The Great Leap ended in catastrophe, resulting in tens of millions of excess deaths.^[2] Estimates of the death toll range from 16.5 to 46 million,^[3]^[4]^[5] with estimates by demographic specialists ranging from 18 to 32.5 million.^[6] Historian Frank Dikötter asserts that "coercion, terror, and systematic violence were the very foundation of the Great Leap Forward" and it "motivated one of the most deadly mass killings of human history."

As it was in Shanghai Sisters, Dreams of Joy is told in first person by Joy and, also, by Pearl. It's interesting to see the changes in Shanghai through the eyes of Pearl, who has returned to retrieve her daughter. It's also interesting to note the changes in Joy's voice from the idealistic youth who first arrives in Shanghai to the realistic adult she becomes in a few short years. Fans of historical fiction and/or mother-daughter relationship are sure to appreciate this one.

What did you like about this book?
Pearl and May have such a strained relationship, even though they're best friends and sisters. I was worried that there would be no resolution to the argument that drove a big wedge between them. Dreams finds them working toward resolution through a series of letters written back and forth while Pearl is looking for May's daughter that she has raised as her own.

What didn't you like about the book?
Pearl discovers that a relative she thought had passed years ago was actually alive and living in a village that they come across. It seems a little fairytale-ish and unlikely that out of all the villages in China, they would pass through this particular one. It doesn't take away from the story, and perhaps it's cynical of me to think that this couldn't happen, but as a reader, you'll need to judge for yourself.

What could the author do to improve this book?
There's very little to improve. The historical references were very enlightening and offered much insight into a period of which most Americans are probably unaware.

368pp
Published: May 2011

Theme: Harvest Time by Dianne Reeves

Hooray for Three Day Weekends!

2011-09-02T07:30:00.000-05:00

Enjoy your Labor Day weekend and I'll meet you back here next Wednesday with new reviews!

Ernessa T. Carter Speaks on 32 Candles

2011-08-31T05:30:00.000-05:00

Ernessa T. Carter, author of my favorite book of 2010, 32 Candles, was in town this past weekendto visit family and promote the paperback version of the book. My literary twin, @litfangrl, made the trip down from Chicago (and brought me some Garrett's Popcorn) just to meet Ernessa and hear what she had to say.

It's always interesting to hear authors talk about what inspired their characters and Ernessa didn't disappoint. I taped it as best I could, but you may need to turn your volume up to hear her over the in-store music.

Bricktop - Bricktop with James Haskins

2011-08-29T07:30:00.000-05:00

Before Josephine Baker conquered Paris, there was Bricktop. Born Ada Beatrice Queen Victoria Louise Virginia Smith in 1894, the red-headed child of a black father and biracial mother would go on to be called Bricktop first by her fellow entertainers and eventually the world. While I had read articles with brief mentions of Bricktop before, I was compelled to read her memoir after listening to Bette Midler's version of Miss Otis Regrets and learning that it was written by Cole Porter for Bricktop to perform.

Ethyl Waters version

Bette Midler version
So who was this Bricktop that she could compel one of the most prolific song writers to compose a song especially for her to perform? She's the same woman about whom F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway and T.S. Eliot wrote. As a teenager she began performing in Chicago clubs. Traveling around the country in entertainment troupes, she eventually landed in New York where she was encouraged to go to Paris.

Opening her own club in Paris, specifically Monmartre, Bricktop's became the place to see and be seen in 1920s & 1930s Europe. Her tales of teaching the Prince of Wales how to do the Charleston or waiting tables with Langston Hughes would almost seem unbelievable if there weren't pictures to back up her story. At a time when America had little use for its black citizens, Bricktop created a world of her own in a Europe that appreciated her.

Black entertainers living abroad, European royalty, American writers, composers, etc. all found their way to Bricktop's at some point. With the exception of Josephine Baker, it seemed that everyone that stumbled into her establishment was welcomed. Per Bricktop's account of their encounters, Josephine was brought to her shortly upon her arrival to France. Brick was asked to help her adjust to life in Europe by teaching her about the fashions, where to go, with whom to hang, etc. Brick believed in planning ahead and saving, while Josephine believed in living in the moment and overindulging. Heads butted and eventually the ladies stopped speaking.

Forced to leave Europe in 1939 due to the war, Bricktop returned to New York to find that the integrated life she had taken for granted in Europe still did not exist in America. While she had been able to open clubs in France and amass enough money to own her own villa, in New York she was relegated to segregated clubs and working for much less to which she was accustomed.

Turning her sights in a new direction, Bricktop headed for Mexico, where she proceeded to open yet another successful club. Two years into her stay she was forced to leave the country to apply for a formal work visa. Her plan was to return to Mexico, but instead found herself back in Europe. Her first stop was Paris, but upon finding it changed by the war and the racist attitudes the Europeans had learned from American soldiers, Brick set her sites on Rome and enjoyed a successful career there until her retirement.

Returning to America to care for her ailing sister, Brick found herself with a small inheritance when her sister passed. She used this money to travel freely and found an accepting audience in Los Angeles and this time, New York. Bricktop passed in 1984 in her apartment in New York at the age of 90, having lived a life full enough to satisfy anyone.

"Anywhere I entertain becomes Bricktop's. Running a saloon is the only thing I know and I know it backwards and forwards. As for me, it's nice to be mingling around again. Not working nights began to wear on me." - Bricktop

300 pp

Published August 1999

Originally published April 9, 2010

The Sport of the Gods - Paul Laurence Dunbar

2011-08-26T07:30:00.000-05:00

"Those whom the Gods wish to destroy, they first make mad." - Euripides

Best known for his poetry, Paul Laurence Dunbar also authored four books of short stories, five novels and a play in his brief time on earth. The Sport of the Gods, published in 1902, and made into a silent film in 1921, is the last novel.

It's the story of the Hamiltons, a family of black servants in the post-Civil War South. The patriarch of the family, Berry Hamilton, has served the Oakleys faithfully for thirty years. In addition to raising their children, Joe and Kit, Berry's wife Fannie works as a housekeeper for the Oakleys. At age 18, Joe is an up and coming barber in the white shops, while Kit prepares to become a lady. It's safe to say that the family is the envy of the black community.

The Hamilton household is turned upside down when Berry is accused of stealing a large sum of money from the Oakley house. Though Berry is innocent, it becomes a matter of the word of a white man versus that of a black man. With Berry sentenced to a life in prison, the remaining members of the Hamilton family are put out of the home they've enjoyed on the Oakley estate. Shunned by both the black and white communities, the Hamiltons are forced to leave town.

Making a fresh start in New York, the once highly-esteemed Hamiltons begin their descent into a world that they never would have imagined existed.

What did you like about this book?
I've read poems by Dunbar, so I was familiar with his work in that genre, but this was the first story that I've read by him. The writing is so fresh and contemporary that I had to keep reminding myself that it was published in 1902. I was absolutely blown away by it.

What did you dislike about this book?
It's not necessarily a dislike, but the characters do speak in the dialect of the time. At times, that made it difficult to decipher what they were saying, but it could still be figured out by sounding out in my head or saying the words aloud.

What could the author do to improve this book?
At just 118 pages, it was a really quick read, but I would have been more than satisfied with additional pages. I'm interested to know what happens with the family beyond what was written.

118pp
Published 1902

Interested in reading this? It's available for free in electronic format at The Sport of the Gods

Theme: When the World Turns Blue by Joe Sample & Lalah Hathaway

Originally posted June 14, 2010

Ford County - John Grisham

2011-08-24T05:30:00.000-05:00

A former attorney, John Grisham tends to write what he knows best, attorney centered fiction. It's my opinion that he shines most when he steps out of that box and writes about "regular" people. In his latest, Ford County, there are plenty of regular people.

Set in Ford County, Mississippi, this is a compilation of short stories (and you all know I'm a fan of short stories). Fans of Grisham will remember that Ford County was the setting for his first novel, A Time to Kill. Unlike the difficult subject matter of his first book, in Ford County there's a healthy mix of good, bad and indifferent characters blended together to create perfectly decent stories.

One of the funnier stories covers the adventures of three small town boys making a drive up to the big city of Memphis to give blood to a friend. Hilarity ensues and though the boys make it to Memphis, they never make it to their friend's hospital room. At the other end of the spectrum is the story of a young man dying from AIDS, shunned by his family and sent to live with a spinster on the other side of town. In between all of that, there's a modern day Robin Hood of sorts, working as an attendant at various nursing home all the while on the lookout for mistreatment of the elderly, ultimately for his own personal gain.

I've heard some say that short stories can be dangerous for writers, suggesting that it's the kiss of death. I would argue that this is some of John Grisham's finest writing.

What did you like about this book?

I love short stories because they don't require me to commit to a whole book if I'm not in love with the storyline. That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed this book of short stories because each story was so different, as were the characters in them. I would have been more than happy to read extended versions of most of them.

What did you dislike about this book?

Though there were some stories that I didn't like as much as others, I was pleased with the book as a whole.

What could the author do differently?

Absolutely nothing

320 pp

Published November 2009

Originally posted February 15, 2010.

Song Yet Sung - James McBride

2011-08-22T05:30:00.000-05:00

I did not expect to like to this book. As a matter of fact, it sat in my "to be read" pile for three weeks before I even picked it up. Even then, I only did so because it was due back at the library soon. Out of all of the books in my stack, it's the one I should have picked up first because I absolutely loved it.

With Song Yet Sung James McBride has managed the perfect blend of historical fiction with just a little touch of the paranormal. In reading it, I'm reminded of Octavia E. Butler's Kindred. Song Yet Sung follows the lives of slaves and slave catchers along Maryland's eastern shore. In an area full of abolitionists, free men and oysterman, Amber and Wiley live a peaceful existence with their widowed mistress and her son. The peace on their farm is interrupted the day "the Dreamer" comes into their lives.

Captured by the notorious slave stealer, Patty Cannon, and her gang, the beautiful Liz finds herself locked in the attic with fourteen other slaves. Injured during her capture, she's nursed back to health by "the woman with no name." When a turn of events frees the captives, the elderly woman with no name knows that freedom is not in her future. Instead, she gives to Liz the code that will lead her to freedom. Today, most have heard of the codes that were quilted into blocks during slavery to guide runaways along their journey. These codes would tell slaves in the area if it was save to move, if someone was on the run, in which direction they should go, etc. Though she doesn't understand the code, Liz makes note of it and starts her quest to freedom.

Liz dreams of a future that includes yellow, brown and white people standing on a large campground listening to a brown man singing the song yet sung; brown people in moving machines shooting other brown people; and children losing themselves in front of a talking box. With the help of the mysterious Woolman who lives in the swamp, the blacksmith, an oysterman and Amber, Liz's dreams are realized.

What did you like about this book?
It was so unexpectedly good. You definitely have to be a thinking person to understand the dreams of which Liz speaks. The addition of Patty Cannon, a real person, made the story that much more captivating.

What did you dislike about this book?
I was unclear on maybe two or three paragraphs right at the end of the book. I'm sure re-reading them may bring some clarity.

What could the author do to improve this book?
Nothing. James McBride seems to hit it out of the ballpark each time.

368pp
Published February 2008

Theme: 1863 by Dianne Reeves (click to listen)

Originally posted June 28, 2010

Where Are They Now? The Literary Edition

2011-08-19T07:30:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite VH1 shows is Where Are They Now?, a show about musical artists with promising careers who, for some reason or another, fell out of the spotlight. There are quite a few authors whose work I've enjoyed in the past, but at some point, they stopped writing, or at least they stopped getting published. So I've done a little digging to find out, 'where are they now?'

The Mali Anderson mysteries by Grace F. Edwards is one of my favorite series. With the first book, If I Should Die, published in 1997, I was hooked. Through Edwards' writing readers were introduced to former cop, Mali Anderson, her jazz loving father and the nephew she's raising, Alvin. As the characters on The Wire would say, Mali is "real police," even though she's no longer on the job. Four books into the series, it ended in 2000 and in 2003 Edwards wrote a stand alone book called The Viaduct, another thriller, but this time from the point of view of a male Vietnam vet. So where is she now? In addition to teaching fiction at a New York university, she recently served as secretary for the Harlem Writers Guild. She also published a new book earlier this year called The Blind Alley with no fanfare. I had no idea that she was still writing until I started researching her.

With So Good, All of Me and Colored Sugar Water, Venise Berry was one of my favorite authors in the late 90s going into 2001. Though she has authored a few non-fiction works since then, and was scheduled to release new work in 2008, it seems that it never materialized. We can only wish that we'll have a chance read it some day. In the meantime, Berry is an associate professor at the University of Iowa.

Barbara Neely's Blanche series combines detective work and common sense in the form of Blanche White. A domestic worker by day, Blanche keeps her ear to the ground and her eyes open to what's going on around her. Between 1992 and 2000, Neely published four books in the series. Where is Neely now? An award winning activist for women's rights and economic justice, Neely continues to write short stories and hosts a radio interview program Sunday nights in Massachusetts.

I have a lengthy lists of authors that I'll be featuring throughout the rest of the year, but what author's works do you miss? Who has you wondering what happened to their promising career?

Heidi Durrow & Terry McMillan, Live Tonight!

2011-08-18T11:59:00.003-05:00

Don't miss tonight's live webcast conversation at 9 p.m. CST with Heidi Durrow, author of The Girl Who Fell From the Sky, and Terry McMillan over at AlgonquinBooks.com.

The Girls Who Went Away: The Hidden History of Women Who Surrendered Children for Adoption in the Decades before Roe v. Wade - Ann Fessler

2011-08-17T07:30:00.000-05:00

As someone born in the 70s, the stories in this book are not my story, but as a mother, I can certainly empathize with the pain these women must have felt. Ann Fessler has compiled over a hundred first hand stories of women and girls that were forced by their families and society to give their children up for adoption. Some of these women included rape victims. Some are adult women that made the "mistake" of getting pregnant out of wedlock.

A great majority of the women interviewed for this book are Caucasian, though not all. It seems that the biggest difference is that while white girls/women were sent to either homes for pregnant girls or indentured to families of strangers for the duration of their pregnancy, African American girls were sent to an out of town family member. Another distinction is that while the overwhelming majority of white babies were adopted out to strangers that the birth mother had no knowledge of, or contact with, black babies tended to be informally adopted by another family member and their birth became the family secret.

The one thing that remained consistent from this time period up until present day is that the fathers of these children rarely, if ever, carried the burden of shame that the mothers did. In several stories the mothers spoke of being asked to leave school or their jobs around their fourth month and being shunned by their family, friends and neighbors. On the other hand, the fathers were never asked to leave school and by several accounts, their families excused their behavior and placed the blame squarely on the shoulders of their female partner.

While the stories of giving up their children were sad, there were just as many stories of the mothers reuniting with their adult children later in life. Those are the stories that make this book worth reading.

Originally published November 6, 2009

Pavilion of Women - Pearl S. Buck

2011-08-15T07:30:00.000-05:00

Imagine awakening on your fortieth birthday and deciding that you were through performing for others. Their concerns were no longer yours and from that point on you were going to live the life you always envisioned. That's exactly what Madame Wu, the lead character of Pavilion of Women does. How exciting!

I can't count the number of times I've said, "As soon as the kid leaves home, I'm starting life over." Like Madame Wu, I'll be 40 when that happens. Somehow I don't think my decision will have the same consequences.

As a mother of four, Madame Wu has been responsible for tending to her elderly mother-in-law, her simple husband, arranging quality marriages for her eldest sons and overseeing the House of Wu, one of the oldest and most respected families in China. Realizing that she has never really loved her husband and has given to those around without realizing any of her dreams, she makes the decision to step aside.

Moving from the court she shares with her husband to her deceased father-in-law's court sets about finding a suitable concubine for her husband. There's also the matter of her second son's unhappy marriage to be dealt with, along with finding a proper wife for her third son before he falls for her husband's new wife.

When a handsome, foreign priest enters Madame Wu's world, she's pleasantly surprised to find that he may be the perfect person to show her what she's been missing for the first forty years.

I'm a big fan of This Good Earth by Pearl Buck, but hadn't ventured any further into her catalog. I'm mad at myself for waiting so long to do so. I loved this story. Madame Wu is a walking contradiction, but her intentions are good. If you're looking for something out of the norm, this is the book for you.

Originally posted November 13, 2009

The Movie Which Shall Not Be Named

2011-08-12T07:30:00.145-05:00

Seriously, I didn't think it was possible for Twitter and the blogosphere to run a topic into the ground, but they've managed to do it. I've had to filter :::whispering::: The Help out of my time line because two years after the book came out, people are just getting around to being enraged about it. Oh sure, there were a few people that expressed their disgust with it back in 2009, but the people that don't read just got around to realizing it existed with the release of the movie.

From what I've read online there seems to be a misconception that The Help portrayed the maids as happy and carefree. Nothing could be further from the truth. At no point did I ever get the feeling that Aibileen, Minnie or the countless others were happy to be domestics. They weren't happy about it at the beginning, middle or end or the day. It was simply a job they did. Someone else suggested that the book and movie pretends that the women and their employers were friends. Anyone that read the book or saw the movie would be hard pressed to make that argument.

Other complaints I've seen were that the dialogue was thick and dated. It was set in Mississippi in the 1960s, so yes, it was dated for that time period. If my grandma Bessie Mae from Shuqualak, MS still talked liked that as an older woman in the 80s, I'd have to say it's pretty sure that she, and others like her, were talking like that in the 60s.

On Twitter someone said, "It doesn't portray the Jim Crow south accurately. At all." But then admitted that she hasn't seen it and won't until "It's on HBO or bootleg. My fear is this movie is getting such buzz, it's going to further whitewash people's ideas about what the South used to be." If you've seen the movie, if you've read the book, you know that, if anything, this movie will make people cringe at images of the South. Whites are not portrayed in a positive light and neither are the Jim Crow policies. Like I said in a previous post, the mirror that is being held up reflects poorly on them, not the women that worked in their households.

I saw the movie Wednesday evening, without Aunt Jean, who said, "it's too late to be ripping & running, catch me after church Sunday." The theater I frequent has nice leather couches and love seats, so I ended up sitting next to an elderly black woman who told me I could call her Miss Annie. Side note: While I hadn't had enough sense to grab dinner before the movie and didn't want to wait in the concession line, Miss Annie pulled a nicely made sandwich out of her purse, along with chips, as soon as the lights dimmed. I kept hoping she'd offer me the other half, but I had to content myself with eating Jolly Ranchers I found at the bottom of my purse.

At any rate, I thought the movie was fairly decent overall. I understand that it's difficult to condense such a lengthy book into a 2 1/2 hour movie and still touch on all of the salient points, but I would have lessened the roles of some to increase the roles of others. That being said, here are the problems I had with the translation from book to film:

The book version was set over the course of two to three years, which provided a more believable time line for Skeeter to gain Aibileen's trust. In the movie it happened within the first 15 minutes.

In the book, Minnie was one of the narrators and her story line was significant. In the movie, she was relegated to a secondary role and, while parts of her story were told, her diminished role made her less developed than I would have liked to see.

The relationship between Skeeter and her mother is more complex and explored in the book, as is her mother's illness. In the movie, their relationship is more of the typical mother-daughter relationships we see in everyday TV and the mother's illness is glossed over, almost in a joking manner.

The book version of Celia Foote is not the movie version.

I've watched the PhD's of Twitter discuss this film and how the negative portrayal of black women in Hollywood and the inaccurate reflection of the Civil Rights Movement are what really bother them. They've written lengthy blogs, and promoted them, about what's wrong with the movie they still won't see. People are picking sides and saying that the side you choose surely says something about you and that they're glad to see people's true colors. Really? These are the same people that sit quietly as rappers, singers and others degrade black women in song and video daily, not to mention Twitter trending topics. They have nothing to say about the images Tyler Perry feeds America about black women in film and on TV, and you can find one of his shows on TV daily and his films on cable weekly. I don't mind anyone pointing a finger at inaccuracies and portrayals and calling for Hollywood to do better, but do it with all projects that show black women in a less than flattering light and not just because you don't care for the color of the person that wrote the story or adapted the film.

Miss Annie enjoyed the movie. And noted author Pearl Cleage said on her Facebook page, "I read 'The Help' and enjoyed it. I thought the writer did a good job of making all the characters fully formed human beings, the good, the bad and the ugly." I can't argue with either of them.

Way Back Wednesday: What Did You Read As A Teen?

2011-08-10T07:30:00.011-05:00

The other day there was an article floating around the Internet about what today's readers were reading when they were 13. Though several people gave titles that suggested they were more mature than the average 13 year old of their time (like Clan of the Cave Bear), others were more down to earth and mentioned the Harry Potter and Sweet Valley High series. I missed out on the conversation on Twitter so I thought I'd share with you what I read as a teen.

First published in 1982, My Sweet Audrina was the only VC Andrews' standalone book and I loved it. Unlike anything I'd read before, it was the story of Audrina Adare, a fragile child with an unreliable memory. There were all kinds of family secrets hidden from her and I just knew there were many more to discover, but since Andrews chose not to write a sequel, readers will never know what they were.

Just as fascinating to me were the Dollanganger children of the Flowers in the Attic series by Andrews. I started reading the first two books because they were on my mother's shelf and Icouldn't wait for her to purchase the remainder of the set so I could find out what was going on with Chris, Cathy, Cory and Carrie and their demented grandmother.

Rosa Guy was the first author I read that spoke to me as an African American young adult. Set in New York in the late 70s/early 80s, Edith Jackson is the third in a trilogy that includes Ruby and The Friends. Each book in the trilogy could stand alone, so there's no need to read the first two to understand the third. Though I read all three books, Edith Jackson is the one that really stayed with me.

The oldest of her deceased mother's five children, Edith is determined to keep her sisters together as they shuttle from one foster home to another. Recently settled in Peekskill, she believes she's found a good home for them. But when her sister Bessie starts sitting on their foster uncle's lap a little too long and her sister Minnie begins to spend time with a new friend, that happens to be white, Edith's world is thrown into turmoil.

Long before it became popular in the streets to refer to your girlfriend as wifey, there was Judy Blume's Wifey. As were most girls in the 70s and 80s, I was a huge Judy Blume fan. While most of her books at that time were strictly for the 13 and under crowd, Blume wrote a few that catered to the adult crowd. Did that stop eager teens from reading her adult lit? Heck no! I remember Wifey and Forever being passed around the 7th and 8th grade like the latest issue of Dynamite or Tiger Beat. I picked it up again while at my mother's over the Christmas holiday to see if it still had the wow factor.

Set in the fun-loving 70s, Wifey is the story of Jewish, suburban housewife, Sandy Pressman. Doing what her mother always told her to do, Sandy married a nice Jewish boy. The problem is ten years and two kids later, Sandy is bored. Her husband, Norman, is the king of the quickie; her lovable brats are off to summer camp; and at Norm's insistence, Sandy is being forced to take golf and tennis lessons at "the club." Just when she thinks her summer can't get any worse, she finds herself with a pervert in her backyard and on her phone.

While this book was hot stuff in the 70s, it's pretty tame by today's standards. There's a lot of wife swapping and extramarital affairs going on, with little mention of practicing safe sex or the possible results of not practicing safe sex. Most of what happened in the book was over my head when I read it 20 plus years ago. Reading it now makes me want to ask the main character, why did you settle? Why did you ever marry him? What a difference a few decades make.

So there you have it, a taste of what I read in my formative years. How about you? What books did you read as a teen that made enough of an impact for you to still remember them?

You Are Free - Danzy Senna

2011-08-08T08:49:00.000-05:00

From the acclaimed author of Caucasia comes a collection of short stories exploring identity based mostly on race, but also class and gender. Told entirely from the point of view of women, the eight stories are okay, but nothing about them really stood out for me with the exception of the short, Admission.

Admission is a short about an upwardly mobile black couple that applies to an exclusive school for their pre-schooler as part of the mother's research for a film on which she's working. When their son is accepted, Cassie dreams of enrolling him, believing that it will open doors for him later in life. Her husband, Duncan, is firmly against it. Each has their own reason for wanting and/or not wanting Cody to attend.

Beyond Admission, where race truly was a factor, the remaining stories could have been based on women of any race. And maybe that was the message that Senna was trying to get across. Though the women in her book may have been separated by class, though not by much, their stories carried universal themes. We are much more alike than we are different.

What did you like about this book?
It was a very quick read.

What didn't you like about this book?
Everyone I know that has read this has talked about how great it was. I thought it was just okay. It was well written, but not necessarily memorable.

What could the author do to improve this book?
Remove the short story The Land of Beulah and extend Admission.

240pp
Published May 2011

Theme: Everyday People by Sly & the Family Stone

Something Old, Something New - Beverly Jenkins

2011-08-05T08:44:00.000-05:00

Readers of Bring on the Blessings and A Second Helping will be happy to know that the residents of the fictitious town of Henry Adams, Kansas are back. In Bring on the Blessings, we learned of this town that had been founded by freed slaves after the Civil War. When the mayor put the struggling town up for sale on eBay, Bernadine Brown, the ex-wife of a multimillionaire purchased it and began to turn the town around. With Bernadine's help, town residents were able to foster and adopt needy children from around the country and bring them to a place filled with love and history.

In A Second Helping the residents and kids prepare for the adoption process and readers are treated to a history lesson about an August 1st parade. If you're as unfamiliar with it as I was when I first read about it, here's some background. Most of us are familiar with Juneteenth, which is celebrated on June 19 to commemorate the abolition of slavery in Texas, the last state to free their slaves in 1865. August 1st celebrates the abolishment of slavery in the British empire in 1834 and was celebrated throughout towns in the United States up until 1927. To this day it is also celebrated in Barbados, Bermuda, Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago, Jamaica, Anguilla, The Bahamas, Turks & Caicos and the British Virgin Isles.

With Something Old, Something New the town is preparing for the wedding of mayor Trent July and his high school girlfriend, Lily Fontaine and a few of the adopted children are starting to wonder about their birth parents. As Lily and Trent move forward with wedding plans, they're challenged with assisting their foster kids with making the transition from the new home life they've come to love to being an extended family. And, as is the case with everything in Henry Adams, Kansas, the whole town is involved.

What did you like about this book?
Beverly Jenkins always has a lesson to teach and in this book, she treats readers to lessons about Seminole and Cherokee traditions. I always look forward to reading her work because I'm sure to learn something.

What didn't you like about this book?
Very rarely do things not end perfectly in a Beverly Jenkins book. While I can appreciate a happy ending, it's not realistic to believe that things always work out so well. It would be more than okay if things didn't turn out as well as expected.

What could the author do to improve this book?
I'd like to see a book that focuses more on Tamar, Trent's grandmother. There's a lot of history that swirls around her and it would be interesting to maybe see a prequel or something that focuses more on her back story.

352pp
Published June 2011

Theme: We Must Be In Love by Pure Soul

Third Girl from the Left - Martha Southgate

2011-08-03T07:30:00.082-05:00

There comes a time in every woman's life when she realizes that her mother is human. I mean, logically, you know that your mother is human, of course. And to any other observer, it's extremely obvious. But there's a point, as a daughter, when you realize that she's just as imperfect and capable of making mistakes as anyone else. Martha Southgate's Third Girl From the Left beautifully exposes the flaws of three generations of women who are anything but perfect.

Raising a family in 1950s Tulsa, Oklahoma, Mildred finds her escape in film. Weekly matinees at the local theater provide an escape from her role as wife and mother. As the wife of the town's only black pharmacist, Mildred's place in society means she must abide by a strict set of rules. A blossoming friendship with the projectionist would be frowned upon if anyone were to find out about it.

Though they often butt heads about other things, one thing Mildred and her daughter, Angela, can agree on is their love of film. Angela knows she's not the daughter Mildred wants her to be (and the feeling is mutual) and dreams of the day when she can escape her small town living for the bright lights of Hollywood. Once there she finds that Hollywood is full of small town girls with the same dream. That doesn't stop her from trying to get her big break. Along the way, she also finds love in the most unlikely person.

As the daughter and granddaughter of Mildred and Angela, respectively, Tamara has the love of movies in her blood. Angela wasn't the best mother, but she saw to it that Tamara's basic needs were met. Her emotional distance has left Tamara struggling to maintain a relationship not only with her, but with her film school boyfriend as well. When Mildred takes ill, it is Tamara and her camera that build a bridge between Mildred and Angela.

What did you like about this book?
I loved each of the women. They were all amazing in their own right. And I LOVED that Southgate set this story in Tulsa and highlighted Black Wall Street and the 1921 riots. As someone that has visited Tulsa several times, I was familiar with the history, but I was excited to see it used as part of the back story for Mildred.

What didn't you like about this book?
I wish Angela had more of herself to give to Tamara. Like I said before, she provided basic needs, but I almost felt like Tamara got in the way of the life Angela wanted and she kept her at a distance as punishment for that.

What could the author do to improve this book?
Absolutely nothing!

288pp
Published: September 2005

Theme: Wide Open Spaces by The Dixie Chicks

I'll Have A "Help"ing of That

2011-08-01T07:30:00.011-05:00

I make it a point to only speak on things about which I am knowledgeable. You won't see me jump into discussions about nuclear physics, rugby or the Twilight books because I don't know anything about them. So it's with a little shock that I've watched several blogs discuss a book that they've admittedly never read and a movie that they admittedly will never see, The Help. How much are some people against it? I've seen whole websites devoted to nothing but reasons why, sight unseen, they hate the book and refuse to see the movie. Of course, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but how do you make an informed opinion about that which you've not read?

Back in 2009 when this blog was brand spanking new and no one read it except a handful of friends, I wrote a post about how much I enjoyed the book. In fact, it was my favorite read of 2009. Those people that have no desire to see the book would probably question how a movie about black servants in white households could be a favorite of any person of color. I say, easily. The characters of all of the women, not just the white women, were very well developed. Where other books by white authors have sometimes failed to humanize black servants, The Help gave them a face and a voice.

Regular readers of this blog know that I don't care for magical Negroes such as those found in Saving CeeCee Honeycutt and The Secret Lives of Bees. In both books, it is black women that save struggling white children. Ironically, several people that hate The Help without reading it have admitted to loving The Secret Lives of Bees. Go figure. I also take exception to books with white saviors. I'm not a fan of The Blind Side because, while it's nice that the white family takes in the poor boy of color, black women have been raising white children for over 200 years with little to no fanfare, and certainly no Sandra Bullock Academy Award. (By the way, the promotional items that are being sold on HSN as a tie-in to the movie are done in poor taste and, in my opinion, the studio has gone overboard.)

What I can say as someone that has read The Help is that there are no white saviors and there are no magical Negroes. (Just to be sure I wasn't delusional, I spoke with a number of other readers of color who also read, and liked, the book and confirmed my thoughts on it.) Instead there are black women servants, some of whom are treated poorly by their employers. Through the words of a servant to her employer, which the employer puts down on paper, a mirror is held up for white families throughout the town. Does the mirror change the way that they treat their servants? In some instances, yes. In others, no. But it is still a teaching moment. And in my opinion, that is what a good book is. It serves as a teaching instrument.

The Help has started a dialogue, whether or not it is welcomed, amongst white readers and between white and black readers, particularly women. If we, as a country, can not dialogue about race, then we will continue to see a divide and mistrust of people of other races. NPR's Michele Norris has a section on her website called The Race Card, which she began as a conversation starter about race. It was started in response to questions about post-racial America. You see, a lot of people felt that once Barack Obama was elected president of the United States, racism in America was dead. And, of course, nothing could be further from the truth. Michele's site proves time and time again though that more and more people want to discuss what race in America means.

Can we truly have this dialogue if we don't want to see, hear or talk about those periods in history that cause us to cringe? If Dolen Perkins-Valdez's Wench is made into a movie, will it be more palatable because it was written by a woman of color? And what about this current generation of children that have no sense of this history? This is the same generation that didn't see why it was a big deal that the United States finally elected a black president. I think that the reason why so many white people are quick to dismiss claims of prejudice and racism by saying "Get over it" is because they are truly ignorant to how far we have not come. There are those that seem to believe that once slavery was abolished, everyone parted amiably, while ignoring the fact that there are still people walking this earth that couldn't drink out of certain water fountains or attend certain schools. Those are the people that need a mirror.

Talking to a lot of black authors on Twitter, I know that there is some resentment that a white author was able to write this book, have it received as well as it has been, and then have it turned into a movie. And let's not forget, it was her debut novel. There are authors that have toiled at their craft for years and have yet to be truly recognized by the publishing industry, let alone Hollywood. I can understand and agree with their position 100%. Black authors don't get the recognition they deserve. Other than blogging and tweeting about their books, as I do here, I don't know how to change that. I can only hope that in this post-racial America we're supposed to live in, things will get better and readers of all races will begin to see books by people of color as the norm instead of outside of the norm.

Driving around this weekend I had a conversation with my teen about the book and this post. When I told her that her 76 year old spitfire Aunt Jean had been "the help" at one point, I could have knocked her over with a feather. In my teen's world, Aunt Jean has always been the highly educated, sophisticated and well off matriarch of the family. Until I told her, she didn't realize that Aunt Jean began working straight out of high school, got married at 17 and didn't start college until she was 27. She went on to get her master's in education and retired as the principal of an elementary school. In 1952, going to college as the oldest child of 12 wasn't really an option. Working to help pay the bills was. And for someone in her position, working as the help was one of the more promising jobs. Even now in speaking to Aunt Jean, there is no shame in what she did. It was honest work for honest pay, but it was temporary. It didn't take away from who she was then and certainly not from who she is now.

So when The Help comes out in a few weeks, Aunt Jean and I are going to see it together. And I'm dragging the teen, who in her middle class world can't fathom anyone in her family working as a maid, along. Will I love the movie as much as the book? I don't know, but I won't speak on it until I see it.

Below, Viola Davis, star of The Help speaks on the criticism she has received for her portrayal of Aibileen.

Viola Davis on her decision to play a maid in The Help by CherieNic

Pinch Me - Adena Halpern

2011-07-29T07:30:00.045-05:00

"Never marry a man unless he's short, bald, fat, stupid and treats you badly." Those are the words Lily Burns' mother, Selma, and grandmother, Dolly, have drilled into her all of her life. Why? Because the women in their family are cursed. Marrying for love is sure to leave you broken-hearted and alone. And at least if you marry a man with all of those bad traits, you're in no danger of loving him.

But does Lily listen? She tries for the longest, dating the baldest, shortest, fattest and most rude man she can find, Jonah. Even Jonah dumps her though and then, Gogo enters her life. He's the opposite of everything Lily has been told to look for in a man. And eventually, he wants to marry her. But there's the curse. Should they throw caution to the wind and marry anyway or should Lily drive him away? Of course she should marry him. But wouldn't you know it, as soon as she does, her perfect life with Gogo disappears and it looks like the family curse isn't just an old wives' tale.

What did you like about this book?
This is my first book from Adena Halpern, but I've heard from several other readers that her books are charming. I have to agree. Pinch Me was charming and magical at once. It was an absolute page turner and I found myself cheering Lily on in hopes that she would get things right and find a way to reverse the family curse.

Selma and Dolly provided the perfect comedy relief. Halpern wrote their characters in such a way that, even though she didn't really describe them physically, I was able to create them in my mind. Think Fran's mother and grandmother from The Nanny meets Lucy and Ethel.

What didn't you like about this book?
I really can't think of a thing.

What could the author do to improve this book?
Not a thing. It was a perfectly enjoyable read.

288pp
Published July 2011
Review appears as part of the Crazy Book Tour. A copy of the book was provided by the publisher.

Theme: Every Little Thing She Does is Magic by The Police

Money Can't Buy Love - Connie Briscoe

2011-07-27T07:30:00.048-05:00

How does one win five million dollars and lose it all in a year? Even if you wasted a few hundred thousand on frivolities, you might be hard pressed to lose everything, unless you're Lenora Stone. Then, anything is possible.

Working in a field she loves, photography, at a job she hates, a local magazine, Lenora dreams of having her own studio. She also dreams of marrying her boyfriend of three years, Gerald. Neither of those dreams seems remotely possible until the day she hits the lottery.

Suddenly, Gerald is ready to marry her. She's ready to open a new studio. And she's started an affair with Ray, a hot, young landscaper she photographed as one of her last assignments for the magazine. And just as quickly as she gained those things, she lost them.

What did you like about this book?
At just under 300 pages, it was a quick read.

What didn't you like about this book?
Lenora was a dumb and unlikeable woman and, frankly, I have no patience for dumb, unlikeable women. Her boyfriend, who had a history of cheating on her, could barely make time for her prior to winning the lottery. As soon as she won it, he was ready to settle down.

In addition, the math didn't really add up for me. Lenora bought a house, a car and a studio and that broke her? Even after taxes, she had a decent amount of money. I don't feel like the author really did her homework on this.

Her friendships with her two best friends from college seemed very superficial. Her relationship with her parents was almost non-existent. Her relationships with people, in general, just seemed to be filled with drama. Since she was the common factor in all of those relationships, I'd say she was the problem.

What could the author do to improve this book?
Create a more plausible story line with a likable lead character.

289pp
Published: June 2011

Theme: Mo Money, Mo Problems by Notorious Big featuring Puff and Mase

The VIPs - Scott Poulson-Bryant

2011-07-25T07:30:00.000-05:00

Okay, before I launch into why I loved this book and stayed up late reading it and was late for work trying to finish it, let me take you back to 1984. The television industry loved miniseries back then and, in my opinion, there wasn't a miniseries better than Lace. It was the story of a famous model who grew up an orphan, abandoned by a mother she never knew. The one thing she did know was that she was conceived by a woman amongst a group of three friends that attended boarding school. This scene has stayed with me all these years:

That scene gave my young teen heart life! I loved Lace so much that I read the book several times and even sat through the less than stellar Lace II where Phoebe Cates' character, Lily, tried to find out "which one of you bastards is my father." So I was ecstatic when I read the description for The VIPs. I'd seen the author tweet about the book, but didn't really know much about it. Once I realized that he had written a story loosely based around the Lace theme, I was in. The only twist was, he wrote it from the male perspective.

Four childhood friends, connected through Sag Harbor, are brought back together by a famous rapper for reasons unknown. Although each man has had a successful career, they've had less than stellar personal lives and the connections to their friends are dangling by very loose threads. Reunited by TNT to answer the question of whom is his father sends the group of friends reeling down memory lane. With writing that pulls you in from page one and doesn't release you until the very end, Scott Poulson-Bryant has written the perfect beach read.

What did you like about this book?
The character development was excellent. I felt like I liked the characters I was supposed to and despised those deserving of it, purely based on how well they were written. I also loved that there was no predictability with the story line. Up until the very end I was surprised at how the story turned out.

What didn't you like about this book?
I honestly can't think of a thing.

What could the author do to improve this book?
I'm going to need a miniseries. I tried casting the character's in my head and can't come up with any actors that could play the roles of the four friends. Although I can easily come up with names of established actors to play the boys' parents, I'd love to see some unknowns take on the roles of Barry, Joey, Duke and Leo. So yeah, I'm going to need that to happen.

384pp
Published: July 2011

Theme: Friends by Whodini

Ten Books You Should Be Reading

2011-07-22T07:30:00.067-05:00

The summer is flying by and with temperatures around the country so high, a lot of people are staying in under the A/C looking for something to read. How do I know? Because my Twitter timeline is full of people asking what I recommend. So here are my top 10 reads so far this year.

10. Please Look After Mom by Kyung-Sook Shin
Look for a review of this in the near future. Told by the adult daughter of a mother that's gone missing, the daughter is forced to re-evaluate her relationship with her mother and wonder how much she knows her mother. After putting her own happiness on the back burner for so many years, would it be so hard to imagine that her mother might have chosen to disappear?

9. The Grace of Silence by Michele Norris
This is the book I expected when I read Condoleezza Rice's Extraordinary, Ordinary People. Where Condi failed me, Michele Norris came through with flying colors. This is truly one of those books that everyone needs to read.

8. If Sons, Then Heirs by Lorene Cary
It's impossible to read the latest from Lorene Cary and not reflect on your family's legacy. Whether it be physical property or simply your family history, there are things passed down through the generations for which no monetary compensation will suffice. If Sons, Then Heirs touches on both of these.

7. The Midwife's Confession by Diane Chamberlain
In a book with more twists and turns than a maze, The Midwife's Confession is an "on the edge of your seat" read. You won't realize it when you first start it because it's such a nice story about three friends in a quaint northeastern town. Written in a Jodi Picoult-like style, the story is told from the view point of not only the three women, but others, as necessary.

6. All Different Kinds of Free by Jessica McCann
First time novelist Jessica McCann skillfully brings the story of Margaret Morgan and her family to life in the historical novel All Different Kinds of Free, based on the Supreme Court case Prigg v. Pennsylvania. Though the author takes creative license in some parts, it is done to fill in the gaps in an effort to bring the reader a complete story.

5. The VIPS by Scott Poulson-Bryant

I just read this this week and when I say it's an ohmygoshIcan'tputitdownbecauseIneedtoknowwhathappensnext kind of read, believe me. I recommended it to my reading twin, Litfangrl, and she missed her train stop because she was so into it. If you loved the 80s miniseries Lace, you will love this. Even if you never saw Lace, you'll love this. It's that good.

4. Tiny Sunbirds Far Away by Christie Watson
An absolutely brilliant effort from first time novelist Christie Watson, Tiny Sunbirds, Far Away, is definitely a must read. Watson tackles several issues head on and does so with ease.

3. Patches of Grey by Roy L. Pickering
In a story that at times reminded me of Matty Rich's Straight Out of Brooklyn, Roy L. Pickering, Jr. deftly weaves a coming of age tale of Tony Johnson in Patches of Grey. And while Pickering could have taken the easy way out and strictly focused on one main character, he takes the time to tell not only Tony's story, but that of his siblings and parents as well, each as fascinating as Tony's.

2. Best Kept Secret by Amy Hatvany
Admitting failure is never an easy thing to do. And for a mother to admit that she's failed, it can be devastating. In Amy Hatvany's Best Kept Secret the reader is given a front row seat into what can happen when a parent falls apart.

1. Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones

With the opening line, "My father, James Witherspoon, is a bigamist," Tayari Jones skillfully pulls the reader into the world of two sisters: Dana and Chaurisse. Told in first person by each of the sisters, Silver Sparrow is absolutely remarkable. I reviewed this back in March and worried that people would forget about it by the time it came out in May. I'm so happy that Silver Sparrow and Tayari are getting so much shine. How amazing is it? So much so that not a day goes by that I don't see someone in my time line tweeting about it. If you've yet to read it, shame on you!

What books have made your top 10 great reads of the year thus far?

Miss Julia Hits the Road - Ann B. Ross

2011-07-20T07:30:00.002-05:00

Just a quick recap for those that don't know about my summer love affair with this 60something woman. I've been averaging at least one Miss Julia audio book a week and I'm determined to make my way through the series by the end of the summer. Here's a little background about her.

Miss Julia's late husband, Wesley Lloyd Springer, was a mean and domineering, yet wealthy, man. When he died, Miss Julia found out that not only did he have a mistress, Hazel Marie, but that they had a son together, Lloyd. Not worried about how it might look to others, for once, Miss Julia takes in Hazel Marie and Lloyd. Rounding out the cast of lively characters is Lillian, Miss Julia's cook and housekeeper; Sam, the deceased Mr. Springer's attorney and Julia's current husband (or boyfriend depending on which book you're reading); J.D., Hazel Marie's boyfriend; and Latisha, Lillian's great granddaughter. This book happens to be the fourth in the series, but Ann B. Ross does an excellent job of bringing the reader up to speed so that you can pick up any book in the series and be fine.

In this adventure, Lillian's neighborhood is being demolished to make way for a water bottling plant. Of course Miss Julia can take her in, but what about the rest of the neighbors? It's not right that they can be put out with such little warning and Miss Julia plans to do something about it, even if it means jumping on the back of a motorcycle. Joining forces with local bike riders and the eccentric Thurlo Jones, Miss Julia and her crew plan to raise enough money to not only save Lillian's neighborhood, but improve it.

Listening time: 10 hours, 40 minutes
Published: March 2004

What did you like about this book?
Thurlo Jones is quite possibly one of the funniest characters I've ever read about/listened to. His interactions with Miss Julia are the best parts of the book.

What didn't you like about this book?
There was a different narrator for this book. I didn't really care for her Miss Julia voice, however, her voice for Lillian was much better than the most recent narrator's.

What could the author do to improve this book?
Not for the book, but series overall, I hope to see more Thurlo Jones.

Theme: Born to be Wild by Steppenwolf

A Catered Affair - Sue Margolis

2011-07-18T08:32:00.002-05:00

Tallulah, yes, in the 21st century, someone is named Tallulah, has certainly kissed her fair share of frogs. When her doctor boyfriend proposes, she's thrilled! Her mother doesn't care for him, but that doesn't bother Tallie too much. Believing that he's the kind of man her deceased father would want her to marry, Tallie forges ahead to the big day.

Tallie's nana has used her settlement money for survivors of the Holocaust to give Tallie a wedding fit for a princess. So with her bohemian mother, her lively grandmother, her sister and her sister's girlfriend by her side, Tallie is ready to walk down the aisle. The only problem is there's no groom there to meet her.

Humiliated on her big day, Tallie's family is doing everything they can to help her rebound. Her grandmother plays matchmaker, her sister offers her refuge and the wedding caterer gives her a shoulder to lean on. And it just may turn out that Tallie dodged a bullet with her runaway groom.

What did you like about this book?
Even though this book was 384 pages, it didn't feel like it. It was a quick and easy read with liberal doses of humor to make the time enjoyable.

What didn't you like about this book?
It was slightly predictable, but it didn't detract from the overall story line.

What could the author do to improve this book?
I'd love to see a series created around these characters. With a few exceptions, all of the characters were highly enjoyable and could carry their own story line.

384pp

Published: August 2011 (Pre-order now!)

Theme: Don't You Remember

The Rare Saturday Post: I'm It!

2011-07-16T12:10:00.000-05:00

Normally I don't post on Saturdays and, if I do, it's about a book or something literary related. But Karen over at Utah Progressive tagged me (and I'm just so impressed that she dares to be progressive in such a conservative state) so I thought I'd play along.

Seven Random Things About Me

I'm a morning person and do my best work before lunch. By 2 p.m. I'm absolutely useless.
I envy the kindergarten and under kiddies because I'm a big fan of naps and they get them daily. I live for Saturdays just so I can come home after running errands and take a midday nap.
A few years ago I said I'd cut my hair when I lost 20 pounds. At that time it was above my ears, now it's six inches past my shoulder.
I can't live without books and music.
As much as I read, I rarely buy books. My habit would force me to choose between groceries and books. Instead, I'm at the library at least once a week.
I love cheesy movies and will watch just about anything with Doris Day in it.
I hate shopping.

Me & the Princess of Snark

Q&A Session

Favorite color: Purple... I wore a shade of it every day at one point in high school.

Favorite song: Easy by The Commodores... Okay, my favorite changes occasionally, but it always comes back to Easy. I LOVE YOU LI-NEL! (And yes, it must be said as Li-nel, not Lionel).

Favorite dessert: Brownie a la mode

Biggest pet peeve: Debbie Downers. You can't find something to be happy about ever?

When You Are Upset, You: Listen to music

Your Favorite Pet: Max the Wonder Cat

Black or White: Shades of grey

Biggest Fear: Something happening to the Princess of Snark

Best Feature: My brain

Everyday Attitude: "It's not the load that breaks you down, it's how you carry it." - Lena Horne

What is Perfection: Enjoying a well written book while drinking Sangster's Rum Creme on the beach in Jamaica

Guilty Pleasure: Watching reality TV

I'm tagging: @GammasWorld, @SnobNPearls & @ASmith86

Free for All Friday, July 15

2011-07-15T07:30:00.091-05:00

It's Free for All Friday and I've got a hodgepodge of things to talk about, so let's get started.

"The Black Weblog Awards was founded in 2005 to give recognition to Black bloggers (and those of the African diaspora) which were largely overlooked by other Internet award events online. What started out as a barely-known event has now grown into an international showcase. With participants from over 90 countries, the Black Weblog Awards stands out as one of the most widespread Internet award events for Black bloggers." - source A few of you were nice enough to nominate me for the category of Best Book, Author, Literature blog and even more of you voted for me. As you can tell by my over dramatic avatar, I won! So to the new readers I've picked up as a result of the exposure, let me bring you up to speed on all things Reads4Pleasure.

I read, write and rant about books and literary happenings at least three times a week (Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays), though occasionally I'll drop a weekend post. In early 2010 I started giving every book I read a theme song after one book (can't remember which one) just screamed for it. Theme songs may have nothing to do with the book, they're just songs that reminded me of a character, a scene, etc. while I read the book. Unless a review is accredited to a guest blogger, it's safe to assume that I've read every book I review here, even the horribly bad ones. It all balances out when I read the extremely magnificent ones. I read and review primarily books by or about African-Americans and other people of color and chick lit. Street lit and erotica make my skin crawl so the chances of me reading and reviewing them are slim to none. There's nothing worse than posting a review and getting no feedback, so please feel free to comment! Moving on.

Emmy nominations were announced yesterday and I have to acknowledge some of my favorites actors and shows that received accolades.

Downton Abbey - Outstanding Miniseries or Movie; Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special; Outstanding Art Direction for a Miniseries or Movie; Outstanding Casting for a Miniseries, Movie or Special; Outstanding Cinematography for a Miniseries or Movie; Outstanding Costumes for a Miniseries, Movie or Special; Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special and gobs more. Including Elizabeth McGovern for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series as Cora, Countess of Grantham and Maggie Smith for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries of Movie as Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham

Idris Elba - Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie for the role of John Luther in Luther and Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for the role of Lenny in The Big C.

Laurence "Don't Call Me Larry" Fishburne - Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie for the role of Thurgood Marshall in Thurgood.

Loretta Devine - Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for the role of Adele Webber in Grey's Anatomy.

Andre Braugher - Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for the role of Owen in Men of A Certain Age.

Alfre Woodard - Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for the role of Ruby Jean in True Blood

Pillars of the Earth - Outstanding Miniseries or Movie

Mildred Pierce - Outstanding Miniseries of Movie; Outstanding Costumes for a Miniseries, Movie or Special; Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special. Kate Winslet also got a nod for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries, Movie or Drama

Upstairs Downstairs - Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special; Outstanding Art Direction for a Miniseries or Movie; Outstanding Casting for a Miniseries, Movie or Special; Outstanding Costumes for a Miniseries, Movie or Special;

The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences has gone above and beyond with their nominations this year. Normally I don't bother to tune in because the shows and/or actors I like aren't nominated. This year I'll be tuned in with a bag of kettlecorn and a Pepsi. How about you? Did any of your favorites get nominated?

The floor is open so feel free to share whatever's on your mind.