Reading While Riding...

Bookapalooza!

2011-04-26T12:10:00.012-05:00

So um...I have a slight problem. I am addicted to buying books. I went on a bender on Amazon.com one night & bought 20+ in one sitting recently. It's real in these streets. Some people have drug, shoe, food addictions, but I have a book addiction. I just can't read enough. Unfortunately for me, the time has come for me to move & I realize that ~~I'll be damned if I move all these books~~ I cannot take all of the books that I have purchased and read with me. So that's where you, dear reader, reap the benefits of my impulsivity. The premise is simple...I have tons of books (63 specifically) that I need to get rid of. If there are any on the list that you want, lmk! All I ask is that you cover s&h (Paypal is optimal for payment method). Also, feel free to tell a friend! : )

Below is the list of books as well as a link to the plot description on Amazon. : ) Those with the strikethrough have already been claimed. You can either leave a comment here or email me at dalionqn at gmail dot come with the books you'd like as well as your mailing address so I can figure out a shipping estimate. : )

Sins of the Mother - Victoria Christopher Murray
Black Like Me - John Howard Griffin
Reclaiming Paris - Fabiola Santiago
Becoming Americana - Lara Rios
~~29 - Adena Halpern~~
City Kid - Nelson George
Heat - Geneva Holliday
Life Over Easy - Margo Candela
How to Buy a Love of Reading - Tanya Egan Gibson
~~Look At Me - Jennifer Egan~~
The Red Hat Club - Haywood Smith
I Am Not a Cop - Richard Belzer
Pretty Is What Changes - Jessica Queller
~~The Female of the Species - Joyce Carol Oates~~
One True Theory of Love - Laura Fitzgerald
~~The Dirty Girls Social Club - Alisa Valdes Rodriguez~~
Thunderland - Brandon Massey
Whatever It Takes - Gwynne Forster
~~The Long Fall - Walter Mosley~~
The Only Way is Up - Folake Taylor
Angelica's Revenge - Houstina Summers
Let's Talk About Pep - Sandra "Pepa" Denton
The Book of Dead Birds - Gayle Brandeis
Off the Record - Jennifer O'Connell
Audition - Barbara Walters
The Dead Hour - Denise Mina
Brass Ankle Blues - Rachel Harper
~~Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins~~
The Rock Orchard - Paula Wall
My Friend Leonard - James Frey
The Girls - Helen Yglesias
Bruised Hibiscus - Elizabeth Nunez
Million Dollar Kiss - Jeffrey Stepakoff
Riding in Cars With Boys - Beverly Donofrio
Cinderella Lopez - Berta Platas
The Princess Collection - Meg Cabot
Tennyson Hardwick Trilogy - Steven Barnes, Tananarive Due, & Blair Underwood
~~Playing With Boys - Alisa Valdes Rodriguez~~
Salt Dancers - Ursula Hegi
The Prisoner's Wife - Asha Bandele
The Wedding - Dorothy West
~~The Wind Done Gone - Alice Randall~~
Getting to Happy - Terry McMillan
Oprah - Kitty Kelley
If I Have a Wicked Stepmother, Where is My Prince? - Melissa Kantor
~~Pushkin & the Queen of Spades - Alice Randall~~
~~Substitute Me - Lori L. Tharps~~
Born Confused - Tanuja Desai Hidier
Gloss - Jennifer Oko
Better Than I Know Myself - Virginia DeBerry & Donna Grant
~~The Broke Diaries - Angela Nissel~~
Happy Birthday or Whatever - Annie Choi
Sunday You Learn How to Box - Bil Wright
Re-Rambled - Angelia Menchan Vernon
Well Enough Alone - Jennifer Traig
Ghost Interrupted - Sonia Singh
Little Earthquakes - Jennifer Weiner
Sapphira & the Slave Girl - Willa Cather
Houston We Have a Problema - Gwendolyn Zepeda
Lulu in Marrakesh - Diane Johnson
~~Save As Draft - Cavanaugh Lee~~

Teaser Tuesday: Wicked Ways - Donna Hill

2011-04-12T08:12:00.002-05:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Today's Teaser:

"Running for the rest of her life was not an option; neither was prison. She paced across the emerald green grass and even lifted her head to the heavens, wistfully imagining that the answers would rain down on her." -Wicked Ways, pg. 36-7

Other Side of the Page: Something I Don't Normally Do...

2011-03-15T15:03:00.005-05:00

Alternately titled the one in which I bare my works...

Last year my friend Lisa & I embarked on a writing exercise. It started with an email from me to her lamenting about my lack of motivation to finish my NaNoWriMo novel. From there it evolved into us making lists of 52 Persons, Place, & Events, since we decided that we were going to trade items weekly. Each week we sent each other 3 numbers between 1 & 52. From those numbers we were given our prompt. Most of what I wrote during that time was craptastical, but today I was looking over them & I found one I really liked. So I figured I'd share. Hope you'll read & enjoy. Also, feel free to leave feedback, but do realize *Erykah Badu voice* I'm an artists & I'm sensitive about my ish...HA! Not really. It was something lighthearted & funny that I enjoyed putting together. If you like it...YAY! If not...dah well! : )

My prompt from Lisa was to include a police officer, up north (aka Wisconsin's UP), & Brittany Murphy's death. You'll notice I neglected to include one of the given tools...d'oh! ;)
=========================================================================

Blowing the horn one more time, I exhaled slowly. I was waiting for my best friend of 15 years to hop in my car so that we could ride to my dad’s cabin in Northern Wisconsin for some R&R. We had been planning this trip for months. Lord knows I love this girl, but Leah is not the timeliest person. I purposefully mentioned that I would be coming to get her an hour earlier than I actually planned on arriving simply because I knew she wouldn’t be ready.

For the last fifteen minutes, much to the annoyance of her neighbors I’m sure, I’d been blowing my horn in five minute intervals. I guess it never occurred to me to just get my lazy arse out of the car, walk up to her apartment, and let myself in. After all, I do have keys to her place strictly for times like these. I cannot count the number of times that I have had to let myself into Leah’s apartment and wake her up in order for us to continue on with our planned excursions.

Sighing, I turned off my car and made my way to her apartment. I swear if she is sleeping I am going to throttle her. I’ve been looking forward to skiing, snowmobiling, and inappropriate hot tubbing in the winter for the past two weeks. If her laziness is delaying my fun, she’d better fear for her life.

As I walk in the door, she’s sitting there watching some Dakota Fanning movie.

“Seriously, Leah?! SERIOUSLY?” I screeched.

Turning slowly, she looks at me as if she wasn’t expecting me. “What are you doing here, Vroom?”

“Please don’t call me that. You know I can’t stand that stupid nickname.”

Rolling her eyes, she says, “Fine. What are you doing here Carleigh?”

“You forgot. I can’t believe you forgot. It’s all I’ve been talking about for weeks. I reminded you on the phone two days ago. Yet you still managed to forget. Unbelievable!”

“Forgot what?”

“You. Me. Dad’s cabin. Up North? Any of this ringing a bell?”

“Oh, but that was before…I thought…you know…it was before.”

“Dude, before what?”

“Brittany.”

“Brittany? Oh my gosh, what happened to Brit? Is everything okay?” Brittany is Leah’s younger sister who was much like my own.

“You haven’t heard? She passed away yesterday.”

“WHAT?! LEAH WHY DIDN’T YOU CALL ME? HOW ARE YOU SO CALM? THIS IS YOUR LITTLE SISTER WE’RE TALKING ABOUT HERE!”

“Wait, what? My little sis…oh…” she trailed off, giggling.

“WHAT’S SO FUNNY? HOW ARE YOUR PARENTS…”

At this point, Leah is now laughing hysterically.

“Vroom. I’m talking about Brittany Murphy…not my lil sis.”

“Who in the hell is Brittany Murphy? Should I know her? Did we go to school with her? Is she one of your sorority sisters?”

“I’ll never tell?”

At my blank look, she frowns.

Affecting a New York accent, she continues, “My buns…they don’t look nothin’ like steel.”

“What?”

“Why should I listen to you? You’re just a virgin who can’t drive!”

“Leah, I don’t even know what it is that you are doing right now.”

Exasperated, she turns to the TV and points at the blonde on screen.

“THAT is Brittany Murphy, Vroom.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?”

First Line Fridays

2011-03-11T11:12:00.004-06:00

This meme is pretty self explanatory thanks to its name:

* Grab your current read.
* Share the first line(s).
* Include the title and author so that other FLF participants can add the book to their TBR lists.

Sponsored by Literary Marie of Precision Reviews.

"Ginger waited until she heard the familiar faint, even snoring from the man lying next to her in their usual double-spoon sleeping position." Knowing by Rosalyn McMillan

Whoa, that sounds hella salacious upon second read. It's not nearly...haha. I'm rereading R.Mc's novel to reacquaint myself with her writing after reading her latest. Feel free to share the first line of your current reads as well.

Rockin' the Red Pump--My Personal Story...

2011-03-10T08:30:00.003-06:00

You'll notice in my sidebar over there *points to the right*, I have a badge supporting The Red Pump Project. Karyn of The Fabulous Giver & Luvvie of Awesomely Luvvie began this initiative to raise awareness about the impact of HIV/AIDS on women back in 2009 & I've been rockin' the the red pump ever since. This post is in no way literary related, but I thought it prudent to share my personal story in relation to the disease to show my support for The Red Pump Project.

For the longest time, I'd heard of the disease, but it never really hit close to home until I got to know someone who was living with and eventually died of the virus. In my sophomore year of high school, I was introduced to my friend Tisha's Aunt Gina. I'd heard stories about Auntie Gina and her wild ways, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. She was the most vivacious woman I'd ever met. Loud, brash, and unapologetic in her ways. She reminded me of the characters that actress Jenifer Lewis tends to play.

Whenever Auntie G was around, she would always sit Tisha and I down to have what she called "fireside chats". These chats ran the gamut from idiotic pop culture discussions to more important things like guys & sex. I can still hear Auntie G saying, "Tell him to wrap that pickle up, guhl!" or "Just because he looks clean, does not mean HE IS clean!" Even though Tisha and I repeatedly told Auntie G that we weren't engaging in any sexual activities, she maintained that we needed to be safe in all that we did.

One day, Tisha called me bawling her eyes out. When she finally calmed down, she told me that Auntie G was in the hospital. Gina had passed out when they were shopping at the mall and had to be rushed to the hospital. Tisha and I had no idea that Auntie G had AIDS at this point in time; so we were worried sick about her and wished for a speedy recovery. Auntie G remained in the hospital for about two weeks that first time. She was out for about a month before she went back again.

She was worse for the wear this time. Tisha and I kinda got the idea that something was up, but didn't know how to broach it. Tisha's mom was being really secretive, so we tried to come up with what we thought was wrong. After much research (aka us coming up with scenarios on our own) we decided that Auntie G had cancer. The next time we went to visit Auntie G in the hospital, we asked her why didn't she tell us she had cancer? I'd lost 2 of 4 grandparents to cancer already, so I thought I was prepared. That's when Auntie G dropped a bombshell, that she did not have cancer, but was suffering from AIDS.

She told us her story and made us understand why she constantly drilled it in out heads to be safe. I was flabbergasted. Prior to Auntie G, my only experience of "knowing" someone with AIDS was through Pedro Zamora of The Real World: San Francisco. I didn't really know much about the disease except that it was deadly. After hearing the news, Tisha & I were devastated. We could not wrap our minds around this at all. Two months later, we were burying Auntie G.

To date, Auntie G is the only person that I knew personally that was affected by HIV/AIDS, but it hasn't stopped my advocacy. I need to step it back up, actually. I've been slacking in current years.

Lit Tracks: An Night w/ Heidi Durrow

2011-01-27T12:33:00.010-06:00

Tuesday evening, I had the pleasure of attending a reading/signing for Heidi Durrow, the author of The Girl Who Fell From the Sky at Anderson's Bookshop* in Naperville, IL. I had an opportunity to meet Heidi for the first time in 2010 when she did a reading/signing at Open Books in Chicago & was really impressed by her manner. She was very warm, engaging, & humble. The Girl... was one of my favorite books that I read in 2010, so when I saw she was coming back to a local suburb, I made plans to attend.

Fast forward to Tuesday evening when I'm wandering around Andersen's, talking on the phone to my friend and I hear "BOOKS ON THE TRAINNNNNN" (my twitter handle). I turn around and it's Heidi Durrow. Talk about being pleasantly surprised! We chat briefly & she introduces me to her husband Darryl (who is equally as awesome as his wife). The reading starts pretty soon after that & I'm just as taken w/ Heidi as I was the first time. It's always fun to see authors read their work because it becomes alive in a different way for me.

After reading a bit from The Girl..., Heidi goes into acknowledging some of the people in the bookstore and...lil ol' me! Yes, I get called out as a book blogger (!!!) & she pubs RWRnet**. I felt my face getting hot & just about fell out my seat when she said, "Tell everyone your URL again. I can't remember, but it's in my reader." GIRL. MA'AM. CHILE. I've had the pleasure of meeting a few celebs, but none of them make me as nervous as meeting one of my favorite authors. Firstly, to any author that I respect & admire highly shouting me out? *gets woozy* And for Heidi to have remembered me by name? I'm passing out again just thinking about it.

Heidi also read an excerpt from her work in progress. Last year when I attending a reading, she alluded to a book that she was working on and I was a wee bit skeptical if I'd be into it. At that time all she said was that it involved a hairy Laotian girl & Edgar Degas. My side-eye was on laser beam status after that description. After hearing the snippet on Tuesday however, I am completely hooked & wanna read more. Definitely looking forward to this novel whenever it hits the shelves.

All in all, it was an amazing night & I really enjoyed myself. As I said above, Heidi's readings are always a joy. If she is anywhere near you at any time, please get thyself to the reading. You can check out where she'll be next on her official website or by following her on Twitter (@hdurrow).

*As a bibliophile, I feel shamed that I'd never been in Anderson's before. It's such a cute lil indie shop & the workers there are amazingly nice. Next time I'm out in the 'Ville, I'll definitely pop & make a purchase from there.

**After being put on the spot (lol), I also felt compelled to update my blog w/ a legitimate post since I haven't done that since 1864.

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!

2011-01-03T11:06:00.003-06:00

After a highly scientific process (aka me making my roommate pick names out of a hat), I've come up with the winners of the Borders gift cards. *drumroll*

$15 dollars of Borders-y goodness goes out to...Miss Attitude of Reading in Color! :)

$10 of Borders-y goodness goes out to...Lisa aka @woohoo02 on the Twitters.

Congrats to you both. :)

Emails w/ details re: giftcards to follow within 48 hours.

Are you up for the challenge?

2010-12-30T08:17:00.011-06:00

Hello everyone. A few weeks ago I had an idea to start a reading challenge for 2011, but could not figure out what I wanted its theme to be. After a bit of thinking, I finally settled on one of my favorite periods in history: The Harlem Renaissance.

Billed as the New Negro Movement upon its inception, the Harlem Renaissance began in the late 1920s and continued on through the 1930s. This period birthed masterpieces from such well known artists as Langston Hughes, Nella Larsen, Jean Toomer, Zora Neale Hurston, Dorothy West, & Claude McKay. A lot of what is considered to be classic Black American Lit was written during this period. The purpose of this challenge is as simple as its name, to read books of poetry and/or prose written during this time period.

This challenge will last from 01 January 2011 through 31 December 2011.

Levels:
1-3 books: Novice
4-7 books: Intermediate
8+ books: Harlem Renaissance Scholar

Suggested Readings:
Black Thunder by Arna Bontemps
God Sends Sunday by Arna Bontemps
One Way to Heaven by Countee Cullen
The Black Christ and Other Poems by Countee Cullen
Comedy, American Style by Jessie Redmon Fauset
Plum Bun by Jessie Redmon Fauset
The Chinaberry Tree by Jessie Redmon Fauset
There is Confusion by Jessie Redmon Fauset
The Conjure Man Dies: A Mystery Tale of Dark Harlem by Rudolph Fisher
The Walls of Jericho by Rudolph Fisher
Not Without Laughter by Langston Hughes
The Ways of White Folks by Langston Hughes
Jonah's Gourd Wine by Zora Neale Hurston
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
God's Trombones by James Weldon Johnson
Passing by Nella Larsen
Quicksand by Nella Larsen
Banana Bottom by Claude McKay
Banjo by Claude McKay
Gingertown by Claude McKay
Home to Harlem by Claude McKay
Black No More by George Schuyler
Slaves Today by George Schuyler
Infants of the Spring by Wallace Thurman
Interne by Wallace Thurman
The Blacker the Berry by Wallace Thurman
Cane by Jean Toomer
Tropic Death by Eric Walrond
The Wedding by Dorothy West
Flight by Walter White
The Fire in the Flint by Walter White
When Washington Was in Vogue by Edward Christopher Williams
Black Boy by Richard Wright
Uncle Tom's Children by Richard Wright

Also, feel free to add any other works by authors from this time period in the comments.

To sign up, please leave your info below...

Merry Litmas 2: Electric Boogaloo!

2010-12-22T11:40:00.005-06:00

I know I promised this giveaway last Friday, but I didn't have much free time last weekend due to a semi-last minute trip + holiday gatherings. At any rate, that's neither here nor there right now. The important thing is that I'm gearing up to do it now. : ) As I alluded in the previous post, the giveaway is for something that rhymes w/ Schmorders schmift schmard. Using your detective skills, I'm pretty sure you could guess what it is. In case you're a little bit slow, it's a *Oprah voice* BORDERS GIFT CARRRRRRRRRD. : ) Two to be exact. One for $15 & another for $10.

I think you are all well aware of my slight obsession with this big box store, so it's no surprise that I'd choose it to provide a treat to my readers. This year I've been hella sporadic with posts (taking long hiatuses) & y'all have stuck with me. As a thank you, I wanted to hold this giveaway. I'm gonna make you work for it a wee bit for it though. The rules are simple.

1. Leave a comment here w/ your favorite book read in 2010 as well as your email address. Note: It does not necessarily have to have been released this year. (1 entry)

2. If you are not already, become a follower of this blog. If you are already following, tell a friend & comment to let me know about the referral. (2 entries)

3. If you are not already, follow me on le Twitter (@booksonthetrain). If you are already following, tell a friend & comment to let me know about the referral. (3 entries)

4. Join the fan page on Facebook: http://on.fb.me/gpGY5m (4 entries)

5. Tweet about the contest with this tweet: Win a $10 or $15 Borders Gift card via @booksonthetrain. Enter here: http://bit.ly/h9QKsg (5 entries per tweet--limited to once daily)

Simple, yes? I thought so... : ) You have from now until Friday, December 31 to enter the contest. Winners will be notified via email on January 2, 2011.

Merry Litmas!

2010-12-10T08:26:00.000-06:00

Litty Christmas? Meh, both are rather lame, but they convey the spirit of the season a little bit, yes?

I know I've been off the scene a bit, but I am working to get it together & post more regularly. The winter blahs have slowed down my reading a bit, but I *do* have a great announcement to make! In the spirit of the season, I've decided to don my Bookie Claus (St. Bookolas?) had & offer a couple giveaways!

Today's giveaway is books! I'm giving away some of my favorite books that I read this year to spread the good lit love amongst the masses. Unlike the last time I did a massive giveaway however, I am *not* listing the books for giveaway. I have a total of 8 mystery books that I am giving away. The genres range from literary fiction to nonfiction/biography to chick lit. To be entered for a chance to win, simply leave a comment below with your name/email address/type of literature you generally enjoy/your favorite number.

On Monday December 13, 2010, I will use the random number generator to choose a winner. If you are chosen, I will send you an email asking for your mailing address. Please feel free to post about this contest on Twitter & Facebook as well. : ) Good luck!

Also, stay tuned for next Friday's giveaway which may or may not rhyme with Schmorders schmift schmard. ; )

Angelica's Revenge - Houstina Summers + Author Interview

2010-11-29T11:58:00.005-06:00

Angelica's Revenge is romantic thriller introducing two characters, an African American male, Trayvon and a Hispanic male, Mario, who are members of two rival gangs. Trayvon's jealous rage elevates the hatred with Mario when Trayvon murders Manny, Mario's twin brother. Revenge fuels Mario's hatred and he takes the lives of Trayvon's parents, which creates destruction within the community. Roseanna, Mario's grandmother is tired of the senseless killing in their community. She believes in prayer and asked God for an Angel and her plea for mercy came in the form of a woman, Trayvon's sister, Josie. Josie brought comfort to Mario's dying grandmother and captivated her heart, BUT CAN LOVE CONQUER THE HATE IN MARIO'S HEART?

This book combines elements of romance, fantasy, & narrative fiction to tell an explosive story. Where I live the many tensions between the Black & Brown communities are not spoken about in abundance, so I had to suspend a bit of what I perceive to be reality to really get into the story. Nevertheless, I found myself drawn into the story from the first chapter. I must confess here that I am always trepidacious when it comes to reading books published by smaller/independent publishing houses. In my previous experience, they tend to be of a lesser caliber (and harder for me to get through) than those published by major houses. However, with the exception of a couple errors, this book was an easy read from a technical standpoint. Summers' debut effort is one worth checking out.

I was contacted by the book's publicist for a feature and seized the opportunity to do a short Q&A session with the author as well. The Q&A is featured below.

RWR: Was there a specific incident that prompted you to write this novel?

Houstina Summers: Yes, I had a vision about two people that appeared to be destined to hate each other. The people were Black and Hispanic. There is a serious problem also in certain inner cities that made this vision more evident. It was like a movie playing over and over in my mind. After a few days of this I knew I had to share this story with millions.

RWR: Is there a sequel in the works?

HS: There actually is a sequel coming. In fact, I’m working on it now.

RWR: When did you begin writing creatively?

HS:I started writing creatively after I had the vision of agape love between these two races (Blacks and Hispanics) that the media labels as rivals. After I accepted my calling to be a writer, the rest of the story simply began to fill in.

RWR: Describe your writing process.

HS: I write whatever I see vividly in my mind. I continue writing with no grammatical corrections until its time to edit the entire piece.

RWR: Describe the process of getting published.

HS: The very first step is to get your work copy written. The second step is to definitely do your research. Visit as many book publisher's websites to make sure that your manuscript fits their genre of novels. This is very important. Thirdly, now you must submit your manuscript to an agency or publisher. Finally you must wait for the final response of yes or no. This is the most dreadful part.

RWR: Who are some of your writing inspirations?

HS: Of course, Ms. Maya Angelou and I also enjoyed Teri Woods’ pieces.

RWR: Any advice to aspiring writers?

HS: Dream no more and simply walk into what you want your reality to be. Dreaming is just the first step, now it’s time to leave your mark on this earth.

RWR: What projects, if any, are you working on currently?

HS:I am working on the sequel as I mentioned earlier, but I am also working on linking up with a film agent. Hopefully we will see Angelica’s Revenge on the big screen.

Houstina Summers' Angelica's Revenge can be purchased on the publisher's website here.

Announcements....

2010-11-22T14:08:00.003-06:00

A frew (yes, frew) items of note:

- The blog has undergone yet (another) name change. Instead of hosting it on a subdomain of my personal website, I've decided to purchase a custom domain for this space. So if you're linking to this blog, please update your links to htt://www.readingwhileriding.net.

- I took the month off of blogging for NaNoWriMo. My novel-in-progress is currently more like a collection of short story fragments, ha! Mmmmhmmm, yep. I'll chronicle that more in depth in the next The Other Side of the Page Update.

- We have an FB page & being the narcissistic Lioness that I am, I'd love more fans. *grins* Right over *points to the right* there is a link to it in the sidebar. Please click the 'like' button. I promise to actually give you some content here that makes your like worth it really soon!

- In December I'll be playing Santa Claus with a giveaway once a week. Stay tuned!

- Finally, I'm looking to make some aesthetic changes around these parts really soon too. If any of you know any site designers (with forgiving prices, heh) please pass their info along to me either by leaving a comment here or shooting me an email at dalionqn [at] gmail [dot] com.

The Only Way Is up - Folake Taylor

2010-11-11T07:39:00.002-06:00

I am one of today's stops for BooksAnd.net's tour celebrating the one year anniversary of Folake Taylor's The Only Way Is Up.

This book features the author’s experiences and views on pertinent life issues as an immigrant to the United States of America. The objective is to empower women. However, the greater part of the message is of relevance to a general audience. Some of the issues that are the focus of this book are:

Identity
Health & Preventive medicine
Finding a mate
Relationships & Family
Single parenthood
Teenage pregnancies
Gender roles
Diet & Nutrition
Global exposure
Positivity & Loving yourself
Spirituality
Life outside the United States
And much more…

Link for You Tube book trailer:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGDG1sIumko
======================================

For the most part, I enjoyed this book, but there were a few bones of contention that I had to pick. One is kinda petty, but it needs to be mentioned. There is an over usage of italics in this book & it wasn't uniform. Something would be italicized in one sentence and then in regular type in the next. Just as a nerd I know that italics are usually used for emphasis or to denote a title of a body of work. I tended to be a little distracted every time something like Facebook or Twitter was italicized.

My second bone to pick has to do with the tone of the book in some areas. Taylor states that she is writing this from the view of an immigrant to this country and she is trying to not be condescending in her critiques of life here. She succeeds for the most part, but in some areas she comes off as a little haughty and judgmental. These portions almost make her earlier point of not being condescending seem a bit hollow.

Ending this on a good note, while reading this book I found myself shaking my head and saying "I know that's right!" more than once. Taylor attacks issues plaguing the world at large with finesse and common sense. She offers advice and solutions not only as a woman of the world, but as a medical doctor as well. Taylor's spiritually grounded. no nonsense approach to life and its speed bumps is both refreshing and enlightening.

Author Bio:
Folake Taylor is a board certified Internal Medicine Physician who resides in the suburbs of Atlanta GA with her husband and toddler. She was born in the United Kingdom to Nigerian born parents and was raised in both the UK and Nigeria before relocating to the United States to live the American dream. She hopes to spread a message of empowerment and reinforce family values.

Find out more information about the author at http://www.theonlywayisup.net.

Follow the tour:

The Only Way Is Up Tour Stops
Sunday, November 7: Character Corner Radio
Monday, November 8: For Colored Gurls
Tuesday, November 9: Reading Has Purpose
L.O.V.E. RadioWednesday, November 10: Sol Searching Radio Melissa J. Dixon
Thursday, November 11: Books on the Train
Glamazini
Friday, November 12: Notorious Spinks Talks

This tour is sponsored by BooksAnd...

Preview: Prey For the Wicked - Sheila Peele-Miller

2010-11-08T08:24:00.004-06:00

Where innocent sleeps . . . Evil lurks! Twenty-year old Janeen Cooper wasn't born with the best of anything. But one thing she knew for sure, her mother loved her and wanted nothing but the best for her only child. When Janeen's mother dies unexpectedly, her life takes a drastic turn and she winds up in the one place she was warned to never go, Williamston , NC . Convinced there's no chance for happiness, Janeen meets Sheriff Sergeant Adam Sinclair. Adam has money. He has power. And he has the charm to win her trust. She quickly learns, however, that he is not the saint he appears to be and is forced to leave the state with just the clothes on her back. In a new city , Janeen tries to start over again. Yet, she is still haunted by the events that transpired prior to her untimely departure: the mysterious disappearance of someone she loves dearly and a possible murder plot involving her former lover. Longing for the truth, Janeen makes a bold decision to return to Williamston. There she faces the biggest challenge of her life. She must confront Adam. Ultimately, she makes a shocking discovery that could destroy his family's name. It could also mean her death.

Author Bio:

From short stories to poetry to novels, Sheila Peele-Miller is not afraid to follow her passion. Although an art major in college, she was drawn to creative writing. Using life around her as a foundation, she began to create what would later become her first novel, Painted Picture, released in 2004 and self-published under ADIRA Books, a company she founded. Miller’s sophomore novel, Daylight Coming was released in 2006. Her most recent book, Prey for the Wicked, was released September 2010.

In addition to her small collection of novels, Miller has created and designed a Memoir Writing Journal. She has contributed a short story, titled, The Devil’s Poison to The Shattered Glass Effect, an anthology depicting the effects of HIV/AIDS in the African American community and has written articles for Style-ology magazine. Her credited works are: Obama: A Time for Change and Child Maid Trafficking.

Miller hones her craft by teaching creative writing and publishing workshops anywhere possible. She has co-hosted an African American Read-In in Chicago and Detroit, and is the co-founder of the annual New Bern Literary Festival and Book Fair in New Bern, North Carolina. Miller lives in Chicago with her husband. She is the mother of four and the grandmother of two.

For booking or tour information for Sheila Peele-Miller, please contact Pamela S. King, CMB Virtual Assistant, cmbvirtual@gmail.com or at 901.834.2751.

The Other Side of the Page: ...and so it begins

2010-11-01T12:21:00.002-05:00

Welcome to day one of NaNoWriMo! As y'all know I'm unofficially participating in the event this year. I'm not sure how far I will get & don't want to be held accountable for it & fail. So I didn't sign up on the official NaNo site. Wait, should I have signed up officially anyway? By not signing up am I making a self-fulfilling prophecy & basically dooming myself to fail? Oy gevalt, I'm schvitzing! Perhaps this was a bad idea... *smacks self* SNAP OUT OF IT, J! YOU CAN DO THIS!

So I've ditched the initial idea that I had for my NaNo Novel. I had an outline for it and I may go back to it at a later date, but this story that I'm working on now came to me in a dream and I can't let it go. My main character does not have a name. I don't have a clear direction in which I'd like the plot to end up. I'm still excited, though. I'm ready to get to know her, the people surrounding her, and the world in which she maneuvers through daily. I'm excited to see her meet new people, have adventures, and learn more about herself as the journey progresses. Most importantly, I'm excited to just write. It's been so long since I've done that.

I'm setting a 1500-2000 word goal a day for myself. That's approximately 10 pages a day. It's an ambitious goal (especially for someone who hasn't written creatively in a very long time), but I need to push myself. Otherwise there will be more of that shite that was up there in my initial paragraph and I'll give up before I even begin. So not the business.

I'm hoping to at least post a weekly update during this process. The book reviews may been even fewer and further between than they are now because I'm not too sure I want to be reading others' work while working on my own. I don't want anything to muddy the waters of my creative river. LOL @ that lame metaphor I just used. I promise the writing in this project won't be as pithy as that. Well, I won't make any promises, but just know that I'm going to try my hardest to keep things like that out of my work, haha!

Thinking about...

2010-10-28T09:34:00.002-05:00

Change.

More specifically, changing the name of the blog & its host. Blogger is aight, but I think I need to get into wordpress. I'm also thinking about getting this blog its own domain name to separate it from my domain for my personal website (which I will get up and running one day!). Any ideas for me? Reading While Riding just popped into my head, but then shortly after it sounded dirty (yes I have a 12 year old's potty humor brain at times).

Preview: Be Careful What You Pray For - Nicole Rouse

2010-10-25T09:00:00.001-05:00

Be careful what you pray for is an old adage, but one that Maya Richards comes to discover is more than just a cliché.

Third grade teacher Maya Richards has been with her soul mate, Kenneth Green, for over ten years. She never doubted that Kenneth would one day ask for her hand in marriage, but on the eve of their anniversary, Maya asks a question that Kenneth struggles to answer.

When their relationship ends abruptly, Maya finds herself alone for the first time in thirteen years. She turns to her family and best friend to help her deal with her heartbreak, but is left to heal on her own. Her parents have discovered a love for traveling, her sister is preparing to move across the country, and her best friend is busy tending to her husband and children.

Instead of seeing this time as an opportunity to get closer to God, feeling lost, Maya begs God to send her a new mate. Impatient and desperate, Maya begins a relationship with gym teacher Lloyd Bradford despite the many warning signs.

As she struggles to escape a dangerous situation, Maya learns that the relationship that matters most in life is the one that she has with Christ. Will Maya have the strength to break away from Lloyd’s tight reigns, or will she trust God and allow Him to restore peace in her life?

Be Careful What You Pray For will be in stores, tomorrow October 26, 2010. Today I'm offering a preview of Chapter 1 for your reading pleasure. Hope you enjoy!

Author Bio:

Nicole S. Rouse developed a passion for writing at a young age. Nicole graduated from Temple University, with a Bachelor of Science in Early and Elementary Education. As a classroom teacher, Nicole took every opportunity to incorporate her appreciation of various forms of writing into the curriculum. She became a member of the Northern Virginia Writing Project, where she promoted and encouraged writing in mathematics. Nicole was a founding member of a literacy team that created plays for students to perform and developed workshops for parents to help their children excel. Happily Ever Now (Urban Christian, 2007) is her debut novel and has ranked consistently on the Top 25 Christian Independent Publishers Best Sellers list. Happily Ever Now received the EDC Creations 2008 Best Book Award. Her sophomore novel, Someone to Love Me (Urban Christian) was picked up by the Black Expressions Book Club® before its June 2009 release date. Be Careful What you Pray for is the third novel and slated for release October 26. 2010.

For booking or tour information for Nicole Rouse, please contact Pamela S. King, CMB Virtual Assistant, cmbvirtual@gmail.com or at 901.834.2751.

Audition - Barbara Walters

2010-10-19T10:36:00.006-05:00

A portrait of the life of one of the foremost television journalists of the 20th Century, Audition tells the story of Barbara Walters' rise. From the time she spent in her father's nightclubs to her current job being the Wizard on The View, Barbara's book is 600 pages of pure boredom.

Before reading this book I had sort of a grudging respect for Baba Wawa. I have never been a fan of her because of her haughty nature on my television screen, but I was able to admire the empire that she has built. I picked up her memoir because I thought it would be entertaining and possibly enlightening or inspiring. After reading this book, however? What little respect I had for her has dwindled into nearly none. I don't even know where to begin with the problems that I had with this book.

One major problem I had was a lack of chronology. The book began at the beginning of her life (for the most part), speaking about her childhood adventures. Then at some point everything just fell apart. I guess in Barbara's mind, the order in which she told her stories made some sort of sense, but to a person who didn't know much about her outside of those produced TV specials, it gave me a headache. Especially because she tended to allude to situations and then say "I'll tell you more about that later..." By the time she revisited those allusions, I'd completely forgotten about them.

Another part of the book that really made me irritated was her description of her relationship with family. Whether it was speaking about her parents in ungrateful terms or reading the disregard with which she treated her older sister Jackie (who was mentally disabled), I found myself wanting to throttle Barbara. Of course she consistently speaks about her past behavior and regrets of how she treated her family, but it comes off as insincere and an afterthought. One of the things I found most ironic was her constant criticism of her father not being there for his family because he was too busy with his work ventures. Especially since for the greater part of her own daughter's life she was busy chasing the brass ring & left her with a governess. Pot kettle action, yes?

I was also kind of shocked by her "celebrity" revelations. I mean, let's be honest. We all knew I didn't go into this book to learn just about Babs. I was hoping for some fun, behind the scenes, good natured gossip. Instead what I got was kind of mean-spirited and self-congratulatory. It seems as if in every celeb encounter she talked in depth about, the celeb was the one who came off as an asshole, while she was gracious, kind, and patient. *rolls eyes*

A steaming pile of pretentious mess, this book did have one benefit. I've had a problem with insomnia for the longest time, yet every time I began reading this book, my eyes would begin to droop of their own accord. It was like taking an Ambien every night for the few weeks that it took me to read Audition. & it was some GOOD sleep too. Dreamless, yet refreshing. I did hate to get to the end of this book for that reason alone. I will most certainly miss that sleep.

I try not to snark on books too hard & I usually enjoy memoirs/biographies. In most cases they reveal a bit more about the man (or woman) behind the curtain & I end up with a different view of that person at the end. This book makes me think that all of my ideas of Barbara being a haughty, pretentious, self-absorbed, egoistic C U Next Tuesday were certainly confirmed from page 2 onward. If you're in need of a sleep aid, I would most certainly recommend this book. If not...don't even bother!

Have you read this? Did you enjoy? Was I too harsh? Let me know...

Giving it all away...

2010-10-18T11:27:00.004-05:00

Greetings readers!

I've recently realized that I have a problem. I am a biblioholic. I love books and everything about them from the smell of their pages to the creases in their spines after a good reading. You may be saying to yourself, well that isn't such a bad problem; more people should have that problem. I'd say you were factually correct. The problem with me (as opposed to most bibliophiles I know) is that it's not enough for me to just be obsessed with books. I am also obsessed with buying books. I would venture to say that I spend at least a fifth of my yearly income on books. I don't make *that* much money, but the amount that I spend on books yearly is astounding.

With that being said, it's time for me to liquidate some of my assets. So I'm playing Bookie Claus. Below is a list of books that I am willing to part with. I've also handily linked them to synopses, so if you're interested (or know anyone who may be interested in FREE BOOKS!) leave a comment with your email address. I will be sending out an email to those who are interested by the end of this week (10/22/10) for address info. I'm hoping to mail out these books on Saturday morning along w/ the rest of my chores. :o)

OH! One quick note: Just because I am giving away these books does not mean that I did not enjoy them. Some of them were amazing, some not so, haha...

The Books:

1. Audition - Barbara Walters
2. How to Buy a Love of Reading - Tanya Egan Gibson
~~3. Make Him Look Good - Alisa Valdes Rodriguez~~
4. The Wish Maker - Ali Sethi
5. I Am Not a Cop _ Richard Belzer
~~6. Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang - Chelsea Handler~~
~~7. Loot - Nadine Gordimer~~
~~8. The Magic Keys - Albert Murray~~
~~9. Water Ghosts - Shawna Yang Ryan~~
~~10. Conception - Kalisha Buchanon~~
11. One True Theory of Love - Laura Fitzgerald
~~12. The Moon In Our Hands - Thomas Dyja~~
13. Salt Dancers - Ursula Hegi
~~14. The Autobiography of my Mother - Jamaica Kincaid~~
~~15. A Place Where the Sea Remembers - Sandra Benitez~~
~~16. If You Walked in My Shoes - Gwynne Forster~~
17. Look At Me - Jennifer Egan
18. The Red Hat Club - Haywood Smith

The Other Side of the Page...

2010-10-07T11:22:00.024-05:00

Hey y'all. So. Yeah, I took another unexpected blogging hiatus. I was sent to Florida for business last week & before that I was on holiday w/ some of my best girlfriends. I haven't read in quite a while, but I need to get back in the groove. I want to diversify the content on this site to not only include book reviews, but also thoughts about literature in general. Today's post in the beginning of a new feature that I'm calling The Other Side of the Page.

Ever since I was about 8 years old, I remember saying that I wanted to be a writer. Back then I had no idea of what it entailed, just that I loved making up characters and writing stories. I'm pretty sure if you ask my parents, they'd say that if I wasn't playing with other children I was holding either a book or a pen & pad. In middle school, I adored my language arts block. My teacher, Mrs. Spearman, let me do all kinds of special projects that cultivated my creative skills. In high school my themes (essays) were nearly always held up as a standard for clear, concise writing. It was also in high school that I began my first draft of my epic novel called Underscore, ha! (Full disclosure, it was titled such not for any deep reasons, but because I liked the sound of the word underscore, heh.) I've never had a grade of less than an A in any English course I've taken. I've recounted all of this not for bragging rights, but just to lay groundwork to let y'all know how dedicated I was to being a writer.

Then I got to college & gained a bit of "maturity". With this new-found maturity, it got into my brain that writing was nothing more than a hobby & not a vocation. Instead of choosing to major in something in which I was passionate about (English), I chose to major in elementary education. I figured this was a safe choice because a) I liked kids & 2) education would NEVER go out of style. Then, after being inducted into a highly competitive program, I had an early quarter-life crisis & changed my major to English Language and Literature. Arguably the best decision I've ever made, but since I was so near to graduation when I switched I didn't really get to fully explore my resources.

Writing got put to the back burner for way too long and it's high time that I change this. I've decided to unofficially participate in NaNoWriMo. I say unofficially because I don't want to held accountable if I do happen to slack off, haha! Two days ago while walking to the train, an idea for a novel popped into my head & I couldn't type the idea into my Blackberry quick enough. I was so excited with the rush of ideas that flowed through my head. I missed that rush.

So, where does the title of this entry come into play you may ask? On my journey, I may from time to time talk about my process here. I might poll you guys for opinions on character names. Or vent when I hit my inevitable wall of creative blockage. Or beseech those of you who read this and are writers for advice to keep on keepin' on. Perhaps even, if I get over my shyness, leak bits & pieces for your perusal.

I've been in reader mode for so long, it'll be interesting to see what happens when I put my cap on to go back into writer mode. I'm looking forward to taking you all along on the journey with me. :o)

Mother Wit - Angelia Vernon Menchan and Dera R. Williams + Giveaway

2010-09-22T08:06:00.022-05:00

Mother Wit is a collection of five short stories which encompass the many nuances of mother daughter relationship. Co-penned by Angelia Vernon Menchan and Dera R. Williams, Mother Wit tackles such issues as violence, death, life after remarriage, sex, love and much more. "Stepmama", which leads off the pack of stories, is a gripping tale of a woman who is newly married and has to deal with a stepdaughter who has little to no respect for her as a woman nor as a mother. "Song for a Pretty Girl" is about a woman who is traveling home after she had abandoned her mother and son in hopes of becoming the next big thing. "On Her Own Two" is a cautionary tale of a young woman who finds herself pregnant at the age of 17 & thinks she's grown enough to handle what comes along with it. "Searching for Mama" deals with overcoming the pain of abandonment and learning to forgive one's mother for transgressions that may have occurred. "Divana's Mama" teaches the audience not to underestimate a mother's intuition.

I liked this collection. The stories were soundly based and had a message as well as entertaining. I was familiar w/ Menchan's work since I'd read another of her works before and I have to say that I was just as impressed with her now as I was then. Her way of storytelling spurs a sense of familiarity. She tackles themes that are seemingly mundane and puts her own spin on them. Williams' work was previously unfamiliar to me, but I can appreciate her artistry as well. Her writing allows a reader to fully immerse him/herself in the minds of the protagonists and dwell. My only gripe with this collection of stories is a few spots of bad editing. In one story the character names were transposed and I got confused while reading. I had to go back and re-read the pages before I recognized the mistake. Not to sound flippant, but if y'all need a part-time editor (for free!!) call me! :-) I'd love to help. Despite that shortcoming, the collection was solid. If you're a mama, daughter, or know a mama/daughter, it's definitely worth giving a read.

&now for a little GIVEAWAY action:

The author has graciously provided me with a copy of this book to share with you all. My rules are simple...

*If you haven't already, subscribe to the blog. If you're already subscribed, get a friend to subscribe & let me know who they are so I can count that as an entry for you.

*If you're not already, follow me on Twitter (@booksonthetrain) If you're already following, tell a friend to follow & let me know.

*Tweet about the giveaway

*Note: Book was provided by publisher for review purposes.
====================

Angelia Vernon Menchan is a wife, mother, mentor, writer, publisher, and child of God; whose goal is to reach as many as she can through the written word and do what God has asked of her, Mentor by Writing. Angelia resides in Jacksonville, Florida with her love of 32 years; Maurice Menchan. Mother Wit is her 10th book published through her company MAmm Productions since 2006. Visit her at www.angeliamenchan.com or www.twitter.com/angelmenchan.

Dera R. Williams lives, works and plays in the Oakland/Bay Area where she is employed at a local community college. Proud of her southern roots, she is the family historian and storyteller. As a writer she has contributed to several anthologies and journals, most recently, Go, Tell Michelle: African American Women Write to the New First Lady. Dera had also done academic writing for reference manuals. She is a book reviewer in print and online publications, and active in local literary events.

Follow the tour:
Monday, 9/20 Precision Reviews
Tuesday, 9/21 Another Writer's Block
Wednesday, 9/22 Thoughts on Being Seen
Books on the Train
Thursday, 9/23 Books And... Online Chat - 7p.m. C.S.T.
Melissa J. Dixon
Friday, 9/24 Notorious Spinks Talks

This tour is sponsored by BooksAnd...

The Book of Dead Birds - Gayle Brandeis

2010-09-21T08:35:00.007-05:00

The Book of Dead Birds by Gayle Brandeis is the story of Ava Sing Lo, a half Black-half Korean young woman. Ava is twenty-five years old and living at home with her mother. Fresh out of graduate school, she is in search of employment, but has no luck. Ava's mother has a great affinity for birds and for as long as Ava can remember, she [Ava] has killed her mother's birds. Not on purpose mind you, but each bird in their household has met an untimely demise at Ava's hands. Her mother keeps a photo album with mementos from each bird as well as details of when and how they were killed by Ava.

Concurrent with the present day story of Ava, her mother's story is weaved. Ava's mother Hye-yang (Helen) hailed from a small fishing village in Korea. Her mother & grandmother made a living as divers, collecting various kinds of seafood. Helen wasn't cut out to make it as a diver, so she decided to go mainland Korea, following in the footsteps of her good friend Sun. During her time on the mainland, Helen is employed in many different arenas, before being recruited into a prostitution ring for Black American G.I.s. It is during this time that she meets her (white) husband who brings her to America. When she gives birth to Ava and she comes out dark, Helen's husband abandons her.

After reading about a local sea being contaminated, Ava volunteers to help out in the relief effort. This sea is home to many birds and she thinks that if she can help save them, her mother will see her in a different light. During her stay in the coastal town surrounding the sea, Ava comes to terms with many things in her life, including her relationship w/ her mother, men, and birds.

I fell in love with this book from the introductory paragraph. Brandeis' storytelling has a way of drawing you and making you not want to leave. Initially I only picked this up because I saw that it was a Bellwether Fiction Prize winner like one of my favorite books I read earlier this year, The Girl Who Fell From the Sky. After reading this novel, I want to go back & read all of the other books that've won this prize. Helen's story was so heartbreakingly raw and emotional that I found myself on the verge of tears at some points. Ava's inability to connect with anyone on a deeper level had me rooting for someone to come into her life & help her get over the demons that held her back.
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Note from Management: I'd planned on making this mother-daughter week, posting reviews of books I've read recently that deal w/ mother-daughter relationships. Then I contracted a mild form of ebola (LOL), so yesterday's post never happened. Soooo, it's gonna be mother-daughter semi-week ;)

Happy Birthday or Whatever - Annie Choi

2010-09-16T09:47:00.006-05:00

Annie Choi's Happy Birthday or Whatever: Track Suits, Kim Chee, and Other Family Disasters is a memoir of a first generation Korean American growing up in the San Fernando Valley. A collection of 13 personal essays that explores topics such as being the child of immigrant parents, the American school system's failure to accommodate non English native speakers, & good old mother/daughter guilt (amongst other topics), this book draws instant laughter from the first page. Here's the introductory paragraph of the book:

I was going to have the best birthday ever. It would start with a parade--a dizzying spectacle of floats, prancing palominos, and the country's loudest marching bands. There would be troupes of mimes and contortionists, foul-mouthed drag queen, and a man juggling little girls on fire. Monkeys dressed in powder blue tuxedos would throw candy and tiny bottles of whiskey to the hordes of my fans lined up along Sixth Avenue. A dozen Michael Jackson impersonators, from his pre-op "Rock with You" days to his current noseless incarnation, would handle the sixty-foot helium balloon version of me. As the Grand Marshal, I would ride on the back of an elephant and wave as streamers, confetti, and twenty-dollar bills cascaded over me. After the procession, my friends and I would drink all the liquor in Manhattan, break tequila bottles over our heads, and pick fights with Hell's Angels. The next morning we would crawl into work at the crack of noon, nursing hangovers and picking glass out of last night's clothes, and proclaim that the only birthday that could've been more historic was Jesus' bar mitzvah.

When I first read it I burst into giggle fits within the first few sentences. It tickles me now even though I know the outcome of the story and all. Choi has a writing style that is equal parts inviting and thought-provoking. I love reading about cultures different from my own and all of the different things which make them unique. Choi explores straddling the cultural divide between traditional Korean mores and mainstream American ideals.

Recommended?: Absolutely. This is probably one of my favorite books I've read all year. I got hella strange looks while laughing out loud on the train though, ha!

Sapphira and the Slave Girl - Willa Cather

2010-09-15T09:17:00.002-05:00

Sapphira Colbert is a a middle aged woman who was raised in the lap of luxury. The last of her sisters to wed (after he parent's death), Sapphira's choice in husband shocked everyone in her hometown. Her husband Henry was from an immigrant family without a cent to his name. Upon wedding, Sapphira and Henry moved to a town out in the country and built up his mill. On the mill farm, Sapphira and Henry owned about 30 slaves. One slave girl in particular received the brunt of Sapphira's animosity though. Nancy, the slave girl, was thought to be the result of a tryst between her mother (Till) and a traveling salesman who stayed at the mill years ago.

Nancy is a house slave, assigned mostly to attend to a room in Mr. Colbert's mill in which he slept sometimes when needed. Henry Colbert had a soft heart toward slaves because owning them was unlike anything he'd experienced before in life. Sapphira, on the other hand, ruled with an iron fist. When another slave insinuated that Nancy's fair treatment by Mr. Colbert was possibly because of a more carnal reason, Sapphira all but waged war against Nancy.

Henry & Sapphira's widowed daughter Rachel lived a few miles down the road, but barely has any interaction with her parents. When Sapphira starts torturing Nancy, Rachel's house becomes a safe haven for her. As a means of breaking Nancy, Sapphira invited her husband's nephew (who is known as a cad & generally randy fellow) to come visit. During his visit, he is merciless in his pursuit of Nancy. Nancy confides in Rachel about his advances and Nancy concocts a plan to get her to freedom. With the help of a local schoolteacher and some friendly Quakers, Rachel manages to get Nancy out of harm's way and into Canada.

In an epilogue dated 25 years later, Nancy returns to the mill after living in Canada. When she returns, we get to know an elegant, middle aged woman who has been living a good life in Canada. The narrator of this chapter is a child who is assumed to have been born after Nancy fled the mill.

I am a big fan of Willa Cather. In my undergrad senior thesis class, one of the novels I had to read and dissect was My Antonia. Cather's novels are usually set on the American Plains in the 19th Century, so I was kind of surprised by this novel being set in Virginia. It still has all of the things I've come to love about a Willa Cather novel though: strong female characters and a dynamic plot time line. I found myself getting irritated with the main character Sapphira often, which is not surprising as stories set during slavery always tend to get my hackles up. I do love a good historical fiction novel though and this one is definitely on my list as a good read.

Favorite Character: Rachel Despite having a harpy of a mother, she is a compassionate, caring, loving individual. I also loved that despite the tragedies that she endured, she always remained steadfast in her service to others.
Recommended?: Yes. If you're a fan of historical fiction, it's a must read. If you're a fan of Willa Cather, again a must read.

QUICKIE: Gloss - Jennifer Oko

2010-09-14T08:53:00.007-05:00

Set in the cutthroat world of morning news shows, Jennifer Oko's Gloss follows morning show producer Annabelle Kapner as she seeks to unravel a mystery that has been placed in her lap under the guise of a banal news story. Annabelle is a segment producer for New Day USA who was recently imprisoned. At the beginning of the novel, we are introduced to Kapner as she sits in prison awaiting bail to be posted as well as trial details. While working on a story about a cosmetic company's program to create jobs in an impoverished third world country, Kapner sees that there is more to this story than the surface-y story to which she has been assigned. Add to the mix Kapner's budding relationship with America's newest heartthrob, White House speechwriter Mark Thurber and you have a story that is part thriller, part romance and fully intriguing.

Oko is a producer for an early morning news show and her knowledge about the arena certainly shines throughout this book. I found myself unable to put the novel down because I wanted to know what happened next. Which lead to me sneaking chapters during the work day while I should have been doing more important things like playing text twist, haha. Seriously though, Oko's novel pulled me in from the prologue and never let me go.

Favorite Character: Galina. She is a minor character, but when she speaks I found myself laughing every time. She is also very integral in helping Annabelle fight to clear her name.

Recommended? Absolutely. If you like unraveling mysteries, this book is definitely one you'll enjoy.

Dear Author: Lori L. Tharps

2010-08-24T08:11:00.013-05:00

Hi guys. I know. Let's just move past it! ;) So today, I'm rolling out a new feature I'm calling Dear Author.... As I'm sure you can glean from the title, this new feature will be letters I've written to the author of books that I either loved or loathed. No idea if the authors will actually *see* these letters, but it'll be a fun way to switch things up around here. Today's featured author is Lori L. Tharps, newly published fiction writer of the "nanny" novel Substitute Me. I've reviewed one of Tharps' nonfiction books here before when I started the 100 Books in 100 Days quest, so I was pumped to hear she was making her foray into fiction.

In Lori L. Tharps' Substitute Me Zora Anderson is a 30-year-old African American middle class, college educated woman, trained as a chef, looking for a job. As fate would have it, Kate and Brad, a married couple, aspiring professionals with a young child are looking for a nanny.

Zora seems perfect. She’s an enthusiastic caretaker, a competent house keeper, a great cook. And she wants the job, despite the fact that she won’t let her African American parents and brother know anything about this new career move. They expect much more from her than to use all that good education to do what so many Blacks have dreamed of not doing: working for White folks. Working as an au pair in Paris, France no less, was one thing, they could accept that. Being a servant to a couple not much older nor more educated, is yet another. Every adult character involved in this tangled web is hiding something: the husband is hiding his desire to turn a passion for comic books into a business from his wife, the wife is hiding her professional ambitions from her husband, the nanny is hiding her job from her family and maybe her motivations for staying on her job from herself.

Summary via Amazon.com
=============================================
Dearest Lori L. Tharps,

Hey girl! How are you? How's el esposo? The kidlets? Your mom n'em? Everyone's good? Fabulous! Sooo...Substitute Me is out! How exciting is that?! So...can we talk. Like I can give you my honest opinion and stuff? I can? Great! Here's the thing...I'm a little upset with you.

First of all, who gave you access to my journals?! Outside of the nanny thing, I could absolutely related to Zora. All of her thoughts, fears, insecurities, doubts, etc? I have the same. Reading this novel (Zora's sections specifically), I found myself nodding my head and saying "yessss" repeatedly. You accurately and descriptively captured the voice of many people in this society. Those of us who are unsure about what path to take through life next and desperately searching for something that feels right. Seeing our friends and their passions and being envious that they have found what they have been looking for as we still search. Taking a "just to get by" job and wondering how we ended up here in the first place.

Kate, Kate, Kate...oh my dear. I found myself feeling so sorry for her at times. I know moms who have gone back into the workforce after an extended leave to spend time with their kids. It's never easy. Their jobs were way less high profile than Kate's, so I can just imagine the pressure she was feeling. She manages to be both sympathetic and irritating at the same time, though. While it is valiant of her to believe she can have it all without something suffering, the reality of that is nearly impossible. That's what irritated me about her the most. Well that and her mother. Gah, that woman. Such a minor character, but such a burr in my bottom, haha!

Brad. Ohhhh B.Rad (my nickname for him in my head). I was equal parts angered and enamored by him. Love that he sought out his dream much to the exasperation of Kate. Hate the method in which he went about it. Of course, I could somewhat understand why, but still...& the twist w/ him at the end? Did not see that coming at all. #whoa

I needed more Keith. I wanted to know more about him. I feel like he was a temporary distraction that could have developed into more. I found myself missing him though I barely knew him.

Lori. We're on a first name basis by now, yes? Ok then. Girlfriend. Friendgirl. this book, This book, This Book, THIS BOOK! I found myself moving through it fairly quickly because I needed to know how situations were resolved, who did what & how, and the conclusion. After finishing, I concluded that we need a sequel. I need to know what happens to Kate, Brad, Zora, & most of all Baby Ollie! To quote the youth of today, "You did that!!!" I absolutely adored this book & hope others will too. I've already recommended it to a few friends I know will enjoy it. I'll definitely be on their backs to purchase a copy!

Eagerly Awaiting the sequel, Replaced (haha),

Jeanette Nicole

Teaser Tuesday: Conception - Kalisha Buchannon

2010-08-10T08:29:00.004-05:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Today's Teaser:

"There was something to be said for children's intuition as well as mothers'. It was a curious bond, where two beating hearts still seemed to be connected to the thoughts, activities, and well-being of another." -Conception, pg. 163-4

One True Theory of Love - Laura Fitzgerald

2010-08-09T08:26:00.004-05:00

Meg is a school teacher and a recently divorced mother of a nine year old son named Henry. Ever since her divorce, Meg has developed what she calls a "Hokey Pokey Theory of Life", which basically equates to her "putting her whole self in" in any endeavor that she undertakes. She and Henry frequent a local coffee shop and one day she meets Ahmed, an Iranian-American man who is very interested in getting to know her socially. Once bitten and twice shy, Meg brushes off Ahmed's chances every chance she gets. Sooner rather than later though, Ahmed wears Meg down and they begin dating, much to the delight of her son Henry.

While Meg's love life is on an upswing, her parents' relationship is a different story. Her mother discovers that he father is having an extramarital affair, which leads her to have a midlife crisis. Meg is in denial about her father's infidelity and this causes a strain in an already brittle relationship that she has with her mother. As if that wasn't enough complication, when her mother learns of her relationship with Ahmed, she is uber critical & borderline bigoted toward him. Her father however, welcomes Ahmed with open arms.

The sudden reappearance of Meg's ex-husband cranks the drama meter up a bit higher & causes tension between Ahmed & Meg. After the required amount of angst & breakups, Meg, Ahmed, & Henry live happily ever after.

So...this book. Well I didn't fall in love with it nor hate it with the fire of a thousand suns. It was just all right. Nothing about it really stood out and it probably won't be one of those that will be memorable to me. It was very...paint-by-numbers. Predictable plot, character development, etc. There were a few moments that made me smile, but other than that...eh.

Three Daughters - Letty Cottin Pogrebin

2010-08-05T11:23:00.000-05:00

Three Daughters is the story of three women who are struggling to deal with life despite the secrets their family holds. Shoshanna, the youngest, lives a life of order and rigid structure until her Filofax blows into the wind. Rachel, the eldest, is concerned with always presenting a perfect facade but soon has to learn to deal with life when it all comes crashing down. Leah, the middle child, is the most screwed up of them all. Abandoned by the father she shares biologically with Shoshanna (&legally with Rachel), Leah is a strong willed, no nonsense woman who refuses to show any sort of emotions.

Did I mention that they were all Jewish and their dad's a rabbi that lives in Jerusalem who is in line to receive a major award? Did I also mention that Leah holds an elephantine amount of resentment towards said father for his lack of presence in her life? As the story unfolds, Three Daughters becomes a story of love, loss, and lots of alliteration.

It took me a while to read this book. It wasn't terribly long...about 300 or so pages, so that wasn't the problem. My problem was that Pogrebin took too long to get to the meat of the story. She tacked on all of these extraneous, tedious details that could have been left out. She padded the book with overly detailed descriptions of the most humdrum things. Then she would throw important & necessary plot details in as if they were an afterthought. The whole thing read sort of confusing at times. I was pretty much bored for 42% of the book.

When she finally got down to it and delved into the conflict betwixt the sisters is when I got interested in the novel. Then, of course, it was nearly over. I'm not going to malign the book as a whole because in the end I did come to enjoy it. I will say, read with caution if you choose to seek this one out. You'll find yourself looking for context clues to understand the Yiddish words weaved into the story. You'll get frustrated with her circular storytelling device and lament that you wish she'd JUST GET THERE, but when she does get there, you will be pleased. Or that could just be how I saw it. ;)

QUICKIE: Chelsea Chelsea, Bang Bang - Chelsea Handler

2010-08-04T09:18:00.004-05:00

Handler's back at it again. In Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang, she recounts tales of ridiculousness and hilarity. In one story she recounts being at a sleepover (approximately around age 8) and getting "The Feeling". One of her girlfriends had learned the power of humping pillows & making one's self feel good. At the sleepover, she introduced everyone else to "The Feeling" and Chelsea was hooked. She became a fiend for "The Feeling", trying to do it as much as humanly possible. Another story that had me laughing out loud was a practical joke that she played on her boyfriend in which she makes him believe that she killed their friend's dog. Ehhh, that sounds bad, but once you read it, you'll see the humor, haha.

If you're a fan of Handler's TV show/brand of humor, then you'll love it. If you think she's an unfunny, talentless hack, then perhaps this isn't the book for you. I, for one, find her hilarical and she seems to be getting better with each book released.

Teaser Tuesday: The Broke Diaries - Angela Nissel

2010-08-03T08:35:00.002-05:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Today's Teaser:

"I open the tube top and peer in. A grit stares back at me. Hel-lo? Did y'all hear me? One grit. A grit. Una gritora." -The Broke Diaries, pg. 21-22

Quickie: Child of God - Lolita Files (Re-post)

2010-07-28T10:03:00.003-05:00

I'm on vacation at the end of this week and my mind has been in vacation mode since last Friday. Here's a repost of quickie I did back when I began this blog. This will be my last post until Monday after I return from Beantown...enjoy!

Child of God by Lolita Files is the tale of the Boten family that spans generations and geographical locations. The novel begins in Downtown, Tennessee with a fire taking the life of Ophelia Boten's young child named Hamlet. The reader is eventually taken back in sketches to learn how we got to this point. When the novel catches up with itself in modern day, the reader is ensnared in the story of a family that has been through a great deal of trouble and has had its share of setbacks. Some in the family manage to rise above, while others meet an untimely demise.

After reading this book I have a renewed sense of why I started this quest [Ed. note: This blog initially began as me reading 100 books in 100 days]. This is easily in my top 3 books that I've read in these sixty-somethin' days. I remember reading Files' earlier novels Scenes From a Sistah and Getting to the Good Part w/ my best friend in high school. Love Files' writing style and was very interested when her name came up in a suggestion from my twitter homie, @chrisalexander_. Having read her past novels, I wasn't quite sure what to expect from the title of the novel alone. Files has made a glorious transition from "urban literature" to literary fiction with CoG. I definitely think that if you love great family stories, you should check this one out.

Teaser Tuesday: Playing With Boys - Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez

2010-07-27T08:09:00.003-05:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Today's Teaser:

"I was in Calabasas, California, not El Salvador, I was thirty-four, not ten, there was nothing to fear. The vinyl shade of the lone bedroom window glowed gray with the approaching dawn." -Playing With Boys, pg. 45

Giveaway Winners...

2010-07-26T08:49:00.004-05:00

No review today. :( I had a pretty busy weekend and I didn't have much time to compose reviews. Nevertheless, I did want to post & reveal the winners of the two giveaways from last week.

The winner of Thursday's Re-Rambled giveaway is...Linda Chavis! Congrats! Please email me at dalionqn AT gmail DOT com w/ your mailing address & I'll get the book in the mail right away.

The winner of Friday's Platinum giveaway is...MsDailey! Congrats! Please email me at dalionqn AT gmail DOT com with your mailing address & I'll get the book in the mail right away.

Back to business as usual tomorrow, peeps!

Platinum - Aliya S. King (+giveaway)

2010-07-23T13:28:00.002-05:00

As I alluded in this post, this is a book I've been looking forward to reading. Inspired by a story King did on hip-hop wives in an issue of Vibe, Platinum follows four women who are connected to hip-hop artists.

Beth Saddlebrook has been with rapper Z since she was fifteen years old. Many years (&kids) later, she is now dealing with his incessant affairs, illegitimate babies, & crack habit. Pregnant with who is hopefully their last child (the baby girl Z's grandmother told him would save his life), Beth is dealing with her husband's spastic behavior as well as the unruliness of their eldest son, Zander, who is a rising star due to his YouTube videos w/ girlfriend Bunny Clifton.

Beth's best friend Kipenzi Hill is an R&B diva who is romantically linked to rapper/label mogul, Jake. They choose to keep their relationship out of the tabloids, so there is much speculation about the depth of their involvement Kipenzi has decided that her years of reigning the airwaves are over and she wants to retire. She's tired of the hustle & bustle of the celebrity lifestyle and wants to get into a more low key role.

Alex Sampson Maxwell is a writer who is assigned to do a story on rappers wives for Vibe. In addition to writing this story, she is also planning her wedding...to a rapper. Their relationship has been on the hush for the past five years because their coupling happened under less than stellar circumstances. She has also been chosen to ghostwrite a memoir of a Superheadesque character named...

Cleo. Name any rapper, producer, or hanger-on in the hip-hop arena and she's got a story for ya. Cleo has bedded more men than you can name, but is still searching for something. The only man with whom she has ever really connected (Ras Bennett) is married and has no plans on leaving his wife. This book, airing out the dirty laundry of the rap game, is a chance for her to get something out of all these years on her back.

Ras Bennett's wife Jacqueline's life looks picture perfect from the outside. She's beautiful, married to a successful producer, has more money than she can spend, but she is still unhappy. Faced with the fact that her husband's escapades w/ Cleo will be revealed in the upcoming book and reeling from a miscarriage, she is searching for happiness.

The lives of all of these women intersect and overlap for a tale that will send you on an emotional rollercoaster (no Vivian Green, ha!). While reading, I went from laughing at one character's antics to getting frustrated with the next's. King has a way of making the characters jump off the page and into the room in which you're reading. The writing is so visual, that I found myself wishing this was a movie. For those hip-hop heads (or celebrity followers in general, really), there are noticeable likenesses to current stars. Most notable are the similarities of the dynamic of the Kipenzi/Jake relationship, which calls of mind one of my favorite celebrity pairings. With a twist at the end that left me with tears in my eyes (I wasn't ready Aliya!!!), Platinum gives you a bird's eye view into the lives of the people we see on TMZ.

Aliya S. King is on Twitter (follow her!) & has a dope website that you need to check out. She is currently working on the sequel to Platinum, that I am EAGERLY awaiting.
========================================================

& now, the fun stuff. As I did with Ernessa T. Carter's 32 Candles, I ended up buying Aliya's book twice, so that means...ANOTHER GIVEAWAY! I feel like Santa w/ all of these giveaways I've been offering lately, haha. At any rate, to enter is simple:

*Leave a comment here with the name of your favorite hip-hop couple that isn't Jayonce/Bey-Z. HAHA!

*If you haven't already, subscribe to the blog. If you're already subscribed, get a friend to subscribe & let me know who they are so I can count that as an entry for you.

*If you're not already, follow me on Twitter (@booksonthetrain) If you're already following, tell a friend to follow & let me know.

*Tweet about the giveaway

NOTE: This contest will end at approximately 6:00pm CST on Sunday, July 25, 2010. Winners will be announced on the blog on Monday July 26, 2010.

Re-Rambled - Angelia Vernon Menchan + Giveaway

2010-07-22T08:00:00.002-05:00

Re-Rambled is a journey into the new world that I call prosetry (prose+poetry). Angelia Vernon Menchan is a woman with a lot on her mind and she expresses these thoughts throughout the pages of Re-Rambled. Covering such topics as race relations, parental responsibility, faith, and self-respect, Angelia speaks frankly to the reader. Her words resound in your head as you are reading along, eliciting head nods and amens.

One of my favorite pieces from the book is titled "In A Blink". This piece is about impulsiveness & its effects. She begins with speaking about positive impulsive actions such as seeing a beautiful bouquet while walking down the street and making a snap judgment to buy them for someone who can appreciate them. Of course, goodness begets goodness and this action reaps a happy ending. She then goes on to speak of the bad impulsive decisions we can make in life, such as cussing someone out or raise a hand to "slap the taste out of their mouth", as she states. These actions almost always result in a negative behavior pattern. The most powerful part of this piece was one line toward the end that says,

"We are never sorry until we have done someone wrong...And you know what sorry don't change much[...]"

I got chills after reading that line. It's something that's common sense, but has never been plainly stated to me like that before. Another one of her pieces that I really enjoyed is one called "Until Someone, Anyone Listens". Here she is speaking about those who are in need of validations. She speaks specifically of an old coworker who was known to talk about everyone in the office's business, including her own. Menchan confronts her, asking her to keep the gossip to herself & is met with a respectful response. The situation, though, caused her to recall many people in her life who are seeking some sort of validation, just like this woman. They want someone to cosign their madness, in order to make them feel wanted, needed, or just plain visible. Two quotes from this one stand out in my mind:

"...the best kind of validation is validation of self. Because we will never, never, eve, find anyone, who will agree with us on all things[...]"

"[...]this is a Mama Deep Ramble for real. Take from it what you can use and the rest toss over your shoulder. Maybe it will land on someone else!"

I absolutely adore that last quote & will probably use it fairly often, so thanks Miss Angelia! ;-) This book also has an added bonus of recipes from Menchan's kitchen. I tried out the mac & cheese recipe & my stomach said, "yes ma'am!" Haha. Also included is Menchan's book Ramblings, which is an added bonus.

*Note: Book was provided by publisher for review purposes.
===================================================

Angelia Vernon Menchan considers writing to be the elixir of her soul. Since learning penmanship at age four, most days have found her jotting down thoughts in a notebook. After decades of journal-keeping she decided to try her hand at writing and publishing books, from which was born her small publishing company, M.A.m.m. Productions through which she publishes her own books that she has coined, 'Fictionalized Truths, Ageless Fiction and Ramblings.'

When not writing, Angelia is a wife, mother, mentor and nana who loves reading almost as much as writing. Angelia is also an Avid Blogger and posts blogs most days to her blog, RAMBLINGS at http://acvermen.blogspot.com or for Skirt Magazine at http://skirt.com/angel08.

www.angeliamenchan.com
===============================

& now for a little GIVEAWAY action:

The author has graciously provided me with a copy of this book to share with you all. My rules are simple...

*Leave a comment w/ a common sense adage by which you live your life.

*If you haven't already, subscribe to the blog. If you're already subscribed, get a friend to subscribe & let me know who they are so I can count that as an entry for you.

*If you're not already, follow me on Twitter (@booksonthetrain) If you're already following, tell a friend to follow & let me know.

*Tweet about the giveaway

Giveaway will end at 11:59pm CST on Sunday, July 25, 2010. The winner will be announced Monday July 26, 2010.
====================================

Follow the tour:
Monday, July 19 Books And...Chat
Tuesday, July 20 BrownGirl Speaks
Wednesday, July 21 Notorious Spinks Talks
Thursday, July 22 Books on the Train
Friday, July 23 Glamazini's Natural Hair Journey

This tour is sponsored by BooksAnd...

Teaser Tuesday: Born confused - Tanuja Desai Hidier

2010-07-20T08:04:00.000-05:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Today's Teaser:

"I realized then that my father's comment, coupled with this outfit had transformed me in their eyes. They weren't seeing the hungover bad girl who felt dressed like a circus attraction; before them was the good Indian daughter, kheer-saver, and homely girl, demurely previewing her wedding day duds." -Born Confused, pg. 71

TBOTT Recommends... (+giveaway winner!)

2010-07-19T09:52:00.006-05:00

Welcome to another installment of TBOTT Recommends. Interestingly enough all of these books have also been adapted to major motion pictures and/or made for television movies. So you may want to check out the movies that accompany them as well. :o) I've provided a synopsis of the novels as well as a couple of my thoughts re: the movies.

The Wedding: A Novel (Paperback) by Dorothy West
Shelby Coles is all set to marry the love of her life Meade Wyler in a few days at her family's estate on Martha's Vineyard. This flaxen haired, blue eyed beauty is the child of one of the most elite African American families. She comes from a family of academics and medical professionals. Her betrothed? He's a white, jazz piano player. Her family doesn't think he's good enough for her, but has accepted the union despite. Hours before the wedding, Shelby meets and feels a strong attraction to Lute McNeil. Lute is the complete opposite of Meade. He's a dark skinned Black laborer, who still is not good enough for Shelby by her family's standards. Set in an enclave of Martha's Vineyard called the Oval in the 1950s, this novel explores many different themes: race, family, & love.

Movie Thoughts: Starred Halle Berry & was an ABC movie presented by Oprah Winfrey. From what I recall about the movie, it is really different from the book. Most of it is spent focusing on present day, while the book gives a lot more background history. This is one of those rare instances where I think I liked the movie more than the book. Not to take away from the book, by any means, but the film's pace was a lot quicker, which I enjoy.

Riding in Cars with Boys (Paperback) by Beverly Donofrio
Many of you are probably familiar with the movie starring Drew Barrymore that shares its name with this memoir. Beverly Donofrio was a bad girl with good intentions. Or was she a good girl with bad intentions. After being told by her mother that she wasn't going to be able to go to college, Beverly became more interested in hanging out with the local hoods and riding in shiny cars with hot guys. One such ride landed her in a dilly of a pickle when she became pregnant at the age of 16. She & the father get married immediately & it's pretty much a disaster. Bev is still too young to have the mindset of a mother & wife. Ray, the father, is a complete eff up. Eventually Bev turns her life around and goes back to school. The hi-jinks that happen while she is raising her son Jason are a laugh a minute.

Movie Thoughts: The book and the movie are pretty much consistent with each other. I saw the movie years before reading the book, so reading the book I was instantly able to picture the scenes from the movie. Which is quite an interesting experience.

In Her Shoes by Jennifer Weiner
Rose Fuller has spent her entire life in the shadow of her little sister Maggie. Ironic, yes? Maggie has always been the thinner, blonder, in more need to attention sister and Rose sort of fades into the background. Maggie is also a perennial screw-up. She has dreams of being a star, therefore cannot keep a job to save her life. After Maggie's latest eviction, she moves in with Rose. Their strained relationship becomes even more strained when Maggie commits the most egregious of mistakes, Rose kicks her out of her apartment and her life. Forced to stand on her own two feet, Maggie goes on a whirlwind ride where she ends up with a long estranged grandmother. This ends up being a much needed jolt to get Maggie headed in the right direction. After the exit of Maggie from her life, Rose's life is on a upswing. The reunion of the sisters eventually happens & leads to an interesting conclusion.

Movie Thoughts: I HATED this adaptation. One of my friends kept raving about the movie, so I kept saying I wanted to see it. I'm a huge fan of Weiner's books, so I was hoping the movie would be just as awesome. The afternoon that I finished this book, the movie just happened to be on F/X, so I tuned in. MAJOR mistake. I already did not like Maggie & Cameron Diaz playing her made it worse. They cut out a lot of (what I thought to be) major scenes in the movie & I just got irritated the more I watched it. LOVED Toni Collette as Rose though. She is the one saving grace that movie has.
====================================================

And now, for the giveaway winner *drumroll*...

Congratulations to Miss Attitude aka Ari of Reading in Color! The Random Number Generator chose you as the winner of 32 Candles. Shoot me an email at dalionqn AT gmail DOT com with your info & I'll get the book out to you soon.

For those of you who entered & didn't win, better luck next time! I'll actually be hosting yet another giveaway this Friday for Aliya S. King's Platinum.

32 Candles - Ernessa T. Carter + GIVEAWAY (!!!)

2010-07-16T08:59:00.001-05:00

***NOTE*** The Giveaway is now over. The Random Number Generator chose a winner on 7/19/10. Thanks to everyone who participated!

Davidia (Davie) Jones just can't seem to catch a break. In school, she is ridiculed by the other students and given the nickname "Monkey Night" in reference to her dark skin & unkempt appearance. That coupled with the fact that Davie hasn't spoken a word since her elementary school days makes her an odd duck with no friends at all. At home, she is constantly abused by her mother both emotionally and physically. After seeing the movie 16 Candles, she decides that its perfect ending is what she is seeking in her life.

Enter James Farrell: Talk, dark, handsome, and kind. His family has just moved in Davie's hometown in Mississippi. He & his two sisters, heirs to the Farrell Hair Care throne, are instantly thrust into the school's popularity circle. James is a fantastic football player, with every girl in school wishing she was on his arm. The Farrell siblings throw a huge party at their house and everyone in school is anxious to get invitations. Davie is shocked to see that she has received a personalized invite from James. This leads her to believe that he is definitely the Jake Ryan to her Samantha Baker.

Davie takes care in preparing from the party, spending money she has squirreled away for a fancy new dress. When she arrives at the party though, it is revealed that her invitation was a big joke. Embarrassed in front of the most popular kids in school, she flees town. Runaway Davie makes it all the way to Los Angeles and reinvents herself as a torch singer in a nightclub. Fast forward a few years and who should walk into the club but James Farrell himself. He does not recognize her as Monkey Night and is very interested in getting to know her. At first, Davie rebuffs him at every chance she gets. Eventually though, as fine men are prone to do, he wears her down and they begin dating.

All is going well between the two of them until James' sister comes into town. Recognizing Davie as "Monkey Night" immediately, she shatters the new image that Davie has built. As the story progresses, the reader sees a side of Davie that was previously not shown as she does everything in her power to seek revenge on those who made her high school days a living hell while fighting to keep the only man she's truly ever loved.

This book, this book, this book, y'all! To be honest, when I first heard about it, I thought I knew what course the plot would take. I thought it would be the typical ugly duckling turns into a beautiful swan and gets the hot dude kinda book. I was WRONG. Davie's wild ride sent me through it! There were times that I felt like crying because of all the sadness that I felt for Davie & other times when I felt like slapping the dog isht outta her.

Another thing that struck me about this book is that every character felt like they were needed. You know how sometimes you read a book and a few people could have been left out and it still would have worked? Not in this one. Everyone has a part to play in the development of the story and their absence would have left missing pieces. I'm definitely looking forward to Carter's second novel. She has posted a rough draft of the first chapter on her website & I'm already chomping at the bit to read more. NOTE: If you have not read 32 Candles, do not click that link. Now, onto the good stuff...

I liked this book so much that I bought it twice! (The truth of the matter is that I was too impatient for it to get to me via Amazon so I bought it at Borders on release day as well, haha!) It worked out perfectly however, because now I have one to share with one of you lovelies! So. I am very (!!!) excited to be hosting my first giveaway. Here are the ways to get entries in the giveaway:

*Since Davie's searching for her 16 Candles ending, leave a comment on the blog naming your favorite 80s movie.
*If you haven't already, subscribe to the blog. If you're already subscribed, get a friend to subscribe & let me know who they are so I can count that as an entry for you.
*If you're not already, follow me on Twitter (@booksonthetrain) If you're already following, tell a friend to follow & let me know.
*Tweet about the giveaway

Quickie: Oprah:A Biography - Kitty Kelley

2010-07-15T10:26:00.000-05:00

In one of the most anticipated books of 2009, Kitty Kelley's Oprah: A Biography provides an intimate look into the life of Oprah Winfrey. Comprised of interviews from family, friends, & professional associates, Kelley takes the reader on a ride from Oprah's rise from a poor little gal in Mississippi to the media conglomerate that she is today. Kelley also delves into the scores of personal records available to the public (i.e. court records, birth certificates, financial records) and ties them in with the interviews to show a well-rounded picture of one miss Oprah Gail Winfrey.

I had no intent on buying nor reading this book, to be honest. I am an Oprah stan & heard terrible things about it. Then it went on sale at Borders for 50% off &...well, I'm sure I've talked a time or two about my slight addiction to Borders & bargains. Anyway, after reading this I honestly feel like it wasn't that bad. Kelley, in my opinion, did not reveal anything more than any of the tabloids have published in the past 20-some odd years about Oprah. There was the stuff about the drugs, the alleged lesbian affairs w/ Gayle & Diane Whatshernuts from Good Morning America, her diva attitude, etc.

One of the biggest takeaways from this book for me was the picture of Oprah that was painted re: her success. She doggedly pursued greatness. She never said "I want to do xyz". It was always "I will do xyz." And she accomplished everything that she said she would do, just by speaking it into existence. It made much more sense for me why she endorsed The Secret so heavily now. It is how she has been living her life all along. So if you're looking for an "insider's" view into the life of Opie, pick this one up & give it a chance. You may learn something about her that you've never known.

Bruised Hibiscus - Elizabeth Nunez

2010-07-14T10:58:00.000-05:00

In a story set in 1950s Trinidad, we meet two women who are bound together by a heinous scene they both witnessed behind a hibiscus bush when they were just young girls. Many years have passed since that incident and both women have gone their separate ways. Memories of that day which were long forgotten resurface when the mutilated body of a woman is washed ashore one day. This woman's death (& the circumstances surrounding it) cause both women to travel to Our Lady of Fatima to pray. It is here that the women are reunited and we learn each of their stories.

Rosa is a white woman whose mother was hellbent on getting her daughters married to the right sorts of men. Rosa's two older sisters were shipped off to England to find husbands, but when it became Rosa's turn her mother kept her in Trinidad instead. As she grew older, she resented her mother for this and sought to rebel. Enter Cedric, a handsome half-black Trinidadian schoolteacher. Rosa spots him walking by her window one day and seeks him out, feigning a need for a tutor. Soon she and Cedric are doing the horizontal hokey pokey on a regular basis. They're doing it so much in fact, Cedric asks for her hand in marriage and her mother acquiesces with no problem. After a short while though, Rosa's sex drive inexplicably dries up. Convinced that she is cheating on him, Cedric turns their marriage into a living nightmare.

Zuela's been living a nightmare for the past twenty years herself. Her mother died at a young age & she was living with her father. Her father then gives her to a man under the ruse of raising her as a daughter. That man subsequently kicks his wife to the curb & begins a sexual relationship with Zuela, who has had one child a year since. Her "husband", referred to as the Chinaman by Zuela, is aged and dying. By day, Zuela runs his store & by night she is forced to tend to his needs by either supplying him with the opiates to which he's addicted or sex. The only solace she has is knowing that her sacrifices make a better life for her children.

The reunion of these two ladies dredges up a shared past that both would rather soon forget. In a story filled with secrets, lies, & eventual redemption, Bruised Hibiscus takes the reader on an emotional roller coaster the whole way through.

This story broke my entire heart while reading it. The pain of these characters leaped off of the pages & into my life, I swear. I'm an emotional empath & this story definitely tapped into that. Nunez's nuanced storytelling was a delight. The characters (some reprehensible, some pitiable) were well-rounded and carefully constructed. One of my favorite quotes is below. It's from a scene where Zuela is talking about her daughter knowing the difference between real love and the situation in which she (Zuela) was involved.

"Already she know what only I now know--that when man love you, he don't take the power you have, even if you give him. Even if you want to give him. Because man who love you, want you to keep your power. Then the power you have is the power both of you have."

At points the storyline moved a bit too slow for me, but a few unexpected twists definitely made up for that. Overall, I really enjoyed the book & would definitely recommend.

Teaser Tuesday: Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang

2010-07-13T08:44:00.000-05:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Today's Teaser:
"We can't commit him to an institution because he knows the date, time, and the president of the United States. I have looked into this, and even though he's completely out of step with modern-day society, he still has all his faculties. Poor Mom, she's probably rolling over in her grave that he didn't even pay for."
- Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang p.197

How to Buy a Love of Reading - Tanya Egan Gibson

2010-07-12T09:37:00.001-05:00

16 year old Carley Wells hates reading. When asked by a teacher to name her favorite book, she responds "never met one I liked". Much to her parents chagrin, she has no discernible interests besides her best friend Hunter Cay and the television show The Arion Annals. Determined to fix what is called "intellectual impoverishment" by her English teacher, Carley's parents hire an author to write a book that will simultaneously make Carley fall in love with reading while showing their exclusive enclave of a town their great appreciation for the arts.

The plan is for the Wells to move writer Bree McEnroy into their house for a few weeks in order to write the novel. McEnroy is still smarting from the less than stellar debut novel that she released. Carley has no interest in this whole process until she realizes that it can be used as a way to save Hunter from himself. Hunter Cay is a typical, self-destructive spoiled little rich kid with an addiction to three things: alcohol, vicodin, & literature. In trying to appease Carley's parents, Hunter encourages Carley to really take the book writing project seriously. While composing the novel with Bree, Carley learns the true art of storytelling as well as how it affects the lives of herself and those around her.

I wanted to love this book. I read the description before buying it and was convinced that I would. I laughed hysterically at a joke on the first page of the novel. Then I read past that &...it just wasn't that good. The author rips off The Great Gatsby in a way that (whether it's intentional or not) is nauseating. The prose in the novel is overly peppered with adjectives and too many details. The characters are insipid little twits who make me want to knock them upside the head. I didn't completely loathe the book, but it's definitely not one I would recommend. It came off as trying to be a really cerebral read, but only achieving to be a pretentious bore.

*Edit: I think the problem that I had with this book is the same as most had with Dawson's Creek. While teens like this may exist, they're not the norm. I don't know any teens who behave in such a manner, thus taking me out of the book. I know that the point of fiction is to take the reader to places they have never experienced before. Believe me, I get that. I can suspend reality with the best of them. The fact is that if the author doesn't present the subject matter in a way in which one can plausibly accept it, the book fails, imo.

Quickie: Pushkin & the Queen of Spades - Alice Randall

2010-06-29T08:58:00.003-05:00

Windsor Armstrong is a lover of all things Russian, particularly Alexander Pushkin. She is so enamored of him that she has named her son, Pushkin. Born in her freshman year at Harvard, Pushkin is Windsor's pride and joy. She wants the best for him in life always, which is why she is dismayed when he chooses sports over academia. Even now, as he is in the NFL, Windsor still finds herself thinking that it is not good enough for her boy. When Pushkin comes to her with the news that he is marrying a white, Russian exotic dancer, Windsor loses her mind. In a combination of flashbacks and modern day accounts, Randall crafts a story of a woman who needs to face her past in order to have the future that she hopes for.

This story began a bit slowly for me as I was not a fan of Windsor Armstrong in the beginning. I found myself getting impatient with her because of her narrow-minded view when it came to her son. She figured that she knew what was best for him and if he didn't agree with her then he was completely wrong. The evolution of Windsor through this novel made me grow to like & eventually respect her viewpoint. Randall's characterization skills are amazing. Even though I didn't like Windsor for a majority of the book, the fact that she even evoked an emotional response says a lot. Alice Randall is an author I would definitely read again.

Baby steps...

2010-06-24T13:31:00.003-05:00

I hadn't planned on posting today, but I had to shoot out this quick one off. So earlier today I tweeted about my impatience w/ Am*zon not shipping my pre-ordered copies of Ernessa T. Carter's 32 Candles & Aliya S. King's Platinum until darn near August. Since I'm a book fiend who can't wait that long to read two books I've been anticipating for the last few months, I decided not to just go out & buy the novels in store as they became available. I'd keep the Am*zon order & use those copies for giveaways on the blog (v. excited about doing my first giveaway, btw!).

So today on lunch I walked over to the local Borders to grab 32 Candles. Since I visit this store about once a week, I'm very familiar with its layout. Walked right up to the African American section ready to grab this gorgeous pink cover and...wait what? It isn't...here? But...the website said it was likely in store. In my extended history w/ Borders, likely in store 10 times outta 10 means it's on the shelf waiting to jump into my grubby little paws. So I went over to the in-store computer kiosk & search for the book again. Yup, still likely in store.

I must've looked really confused because a worker came to ask if she could help me. I told her the novel title & author's name and she looks it up on the kiosk I just abandoned. She starts walking in the direction of the African American section and I'm thinking to myself "Now I know I didn't miss this book!", but then she keeps going. Confused, I follow and we end up in the fiction & literature section. Plain as day, there's a nice amount of 32 Candles shelved with some faced out so they catch the eye of passersby(!!!!). The bookseller hands me the book and the following exchange happens--

Me: OMG SERIOUSLY! This is great! Usually Black books are all...
BS: I KNOW! This shelving system is so random.
Me: It's ridiculous is what it is.
MS: Basically.
ME: *fist pumping my way to the checkout lanes* (I get extraordinarily excited by new books, what can I say? Haha!)

At any rate, a few months back I wrote this post about the marginalization of writers of color & along with that comes segregation in bookstores (mainly w/ the African-American books). I was shocked and happy to see 32 Candles shelved in the mainstream section. Is this a sign of the times to come? Heck, with the African-American section looking more & more like "hood lit" central with each passing day, I can't be upset if book stores decide to do away with it entirely & integrate shelving.

The Vast Fields of Ordinary - Nick Burd

2010-06-23T08:30:00.001-05:00

Dade Hamilton is your typical pre-college Freshman stuck in middle America (aka Cedarville, IA). He has a crappy job at a local grocery store. His parents marriage is rocky. He's been in a two year secret relationship with the quarterback of the football team at school, Pablo. Okay, maybe not so typical. The relationship sours when Dade confesses his love to Pablo. Pablo responds by slapping Dade in the face until he takes it back. Realizing that this "relationship" isn't the healthiest, Dade pulls back from Pablo.

At an end of the year party, Dade meets Alex, a 19 year old drug dealer at a party and is instantly drawn to him. After pestering the party hosts, Dade eventually tracks down Alex's legit place of employment under the guise of wanting to score some weed. Alex, older & wiser, is hip to Dade's shenanigans and takes him on a wild night that includes getting to know Alex's stoner friends. Dade & Alex continue to build a friendship and hang out pretty regularly.

A few weeks into the summer, Dade meets Lucy at a neighbor's barbeque. Lucy has been sent to Cedarville from California by her parents who freaked out when she came out as a lesbian at 17 years old. Lucy is bold, outlandish, & daring, everything that Dade is not. The two bond instantly and are joined at the hip until it is time for Lucy to go back to California. Dade's parents take a trip to Europe to try to rekindle their romance & during this time Dade, Lucy, & Alex party hardcore nonstop at Dade's house.

Eventually Alex reveals to Dade that he, too, is gay & magic happens. Pretty soon, Dade & Alex are an item. Meanwhile, Pablo has caught wind of Dade & Alex's relationship and begins pestering Dade nonstop to take him back. He pulls some pretty interesting stunts to get Dade's attention, but none of them work. Near the end of the novel, an accident occurs which causes Dade to take into account his current life choices and the effects they have on his life.

There's also a bit of an odd subplot, with a nine year old girl who disappeared from the town. Dade has hallucinations where he thinks he sees her. The Vast Fields of Ordinary is a coming of age story filled with tons of drugs, sex, and rock & roll.

Nick Burd's writing style was really engaging. I enjoyed the way the story unfolded. The characterization was very well developed as well. I found myself being able to visualize these kids in real life. They didn't just seem like people on a page. My favorite character would probably have to be Lucy because she was juse ridiculous. She had a devil-may-care attitude & I absolutely loved that about her. I'd actually like to read a spin-off or sequel that tells her entire story. I think it'd be interesting. Anyway, it's a YA novel that deals with issues that As (ha!) can relate to as well. Great debut novel & I'd love to read more from Burd.

Teaser Tuesday: Bruised Hibiscus by Elizabeth Nunez

2010-06-22T09:03:00.004-05:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Today's Teaser:
"But then, at that moment when the slits that were his eyes narrowed to a sliver of black light, and spit jettisoned from between hid teeth, stained from years of tobacco smoke and much, much more, she conceived it: his murder. The Chinaman's murder. Man-woman business."
- Bruised Hibiscus p.10

The Optimist's Daughter - Eudora Welty

2010-06-16T11:15:00.008-05:00

In Eudora Welty's "The Optimist's Daughter", we meet Laurel Hand (nee McKelva) who is traveling from Chicago to New Orleans to meet her father & his new, younger-than-Laurel wife, Wanda Fay (Fay). Her father Judge McKelva is having trouble with his vision and has traveled from Mount Salus, MS to seek the treatment of a specialist. They soon learn that the judge has a detached retina and must undergo surgery. After the surgery, both Laurel & Fay are told not to disturb the judge, as any sudden movement could have adverse effects on him. He was to lie perfectly still until the doctor gave him a clean bill of health. Fay simply cannot bear that her (elderly) husband is lying in bed, still while they are in New Orleans at the height of Carnival (which I am assuming to be Mardi Gras). In an effort to bring back her husband's spark, Fay shakes him violently to arouse him at some point in time. This kills him. I wish I were making this up. I'm not overly familiar with the inner workings of the eye, but apparently jostling a person who has just had eye surgery is deadly.

Distraught, Fay & Laurel return to Mount Salus with the judge's body. Awaiting them to help with the funeral arrangements are the townspeople with whom Laurel has a long-standing bond. Fay never quite jelled with the pillars of the community, but they treated her with respect because she was mourning the death of her husband. One of the neighbors (at the behest of the judge before his trip) also contacted Fay's family in Texas who arrived soon after the ladies returned. This bunch is eccentric to say the least. After the funeral, Fay's family suggests that she comes back to Texas with them for a while to get herself together. She promptly agrees and they ride off into the sunset.

This leaves Laurel in the house she grew up in alone, struggling to get things in order before she goes back to Chicago. Over the next few days, there are many visits from townspeople offering support and such for Laurel in this hard time. Some try to urge her to stay in Mount Salus, but she refuses. The life that she knew there was no longer and she needed to get back to her place in Chicago.
==========================

*sigh* Ok, where do I begin? Well firstly, I'd like to put on record that I LOVE Eudora Welty. I have a collection of her short stories that is one of my prized possessions. Her characterization/storytelling skills are beyond, IMO. In this book however? Errrr...ahhhh...ummmm, they're sorely lacking. This book has the distinguished honor of being the worst book I've read all year. It was full of plot holes, rife with ridiculousness, and just plain hard to even get into.

Laurel seemed like a whiny, middle aged woman who doesn't know what she wants out of life nor herself. Fay is an insolent and impudent leech of a woman who has no redeeming qualities. The townspeople are annoying. In fact, I don't think there was one character that I even liked a smidgen. Everyone seemed to be over-exaggerated relics of what small town Southerns are like & I just wasn't feeling it.

While reading this, I posted over at goodreads how hard it was for me to get through it and someone told me that she couldn't even get through it. After mucking through for nearly 4 days, mind you the book is only about 180pp (!!!!), I see why she gave up. I think Welty had all good intentions, but the execution was WAY wrong.

I'm trendy, who knew?

2010-06-16T08:38:00.005-05:00

And furthermore, why didn't you ever tell me? HAHA! So, I took an unplanned hiatus as you all who subscribe to this blog can see. I...ok, I will be honest. I kinda lost my zeal for reading for a while. I was overwhelmed w/ life stuff & reading was the last thing I wanted to do. Which is ironic (I think? I've never quite grasped the full meaning of irony) as I use books as a means of escape into a new world for a few hours or so. Anyway, I digress...

Despite my hiatus, Miss Toya over at Tales of a Literary Nobody has given me a blog award. Color me shocked! AS you may be able to tell from this post's title, it's called the Trendy Blog Award. I'm not sure what the definition of trendy in the creator of this award's mind is, but for me these blogs are by people whose trend many others should be following. This list is a mix of people I admire, respect, & call friends in my head (well those I don't know outside of the blogosphere, that is...)

Alright, the rules:

To receive this award, promise to share this with 10 other blogs that you think are Trendy too!

1. Post about your award in your blog.
2. Share with your fellow bloggers.
3. Ask recipients to give this award out to 10 as well

Without further adieu, here are my 10 Trendy Bloggers:

**A Little Less Coffee, my voice, and Babybottoms...Essentials to Your Day: Without a doubt one of my favorite bloggers out there. Assertive Wit gives it to you straight, no chaser on a variety of topics, including politics, pop culture, religion, & motherhood. She also has the *cutest* lil chocolate drop of a daughter, Babybottoms! :) Definitely a writer who inspires.

**Black Girls Like Us: Tia & Toya's blog is a great read. I was linked to it years ago via a *NSYNC message board. Wait...did I just admit that? Haha. Anyway, I know that I can always find out about a great new artist via these ladies.

**Naked and Natural: Again, one of my favorite bloggers. Suga always has a hilarical tale about her life. She also provides spiritual upliftment (yes, I make up words) & positive energy on a regular basis.

**Dirty Pretty Thangs: A mix of social commentary, sagacious advice giving, and comedy, The PBG always tells it like it is & I love it!

**CoffeebreakDMV I found this blog & blogger via Twitter actually. So glad I did. Michele's worldview and positive spirit is uplifting! :)

**Ramblings...: This is my friend Colleen's photo (with occasional ramblings) blog. She has such a great eye for photography & I love it.

**coloredboy: Chris.Alexander's humor is everything to me. Granted, it's not for the faint of heart, but I live for it. His biting, sarcastic wit leaves me in peals of laughter every time I read an entry of his. His appreciation for the art form of writing & his zeal for reading give me inspiration. Well rounded brotha who's going places.

**TwoMindsFull: The official blog of authors Virginia DeBerry & Donna Grant. I love it because it's a mixture of literary posts with thought provoking personal commentary. It's always a treat to be able to interact with writers I admire & this blog definitely allows that.

** BrownGirl Speaks A mix of book talk, motherhood talk, & randomosity (hey, made up word!), Browngirl's point of view always provides a good read.

** Reading in Color: I like to think of this as the blog I would have written as a teen reader. This young lady is amazing. Her thoughtful and concise reviews have made me want to pick up more than a few YA novels.

Trading Dreams at Midnight - Diane McKinney Whetstone

2010-05-17T15:07:00.016-05:00

36 year old Neena "makes a living" for herself by engaging in affairs with married men and blackmailing them for money. Her latest victim, however, has other plans. He quickly dismisses her from his life without buckling to her demands. Left penniless (save a few hundred she has on hand) and homeless, she returns home to Philadelphia. In addition to bilking men out of money, Neena has also been traveling from coast-to-coast in search of her mother (Freeda), who left Neena & her sister Tish with their grandmother Nan nearly 20 years ago. Weaving in and out of present day, McKinney-Whetstone presents a multi-generational tale that deals with alcoholism, mental illness, and the effects on secrets on a family.

I really enjoy Diane McKinney-Whetstone's writing, so I looked forward to reading Trading Dreams... when I received it. I was definitely not disappointed by this novel. I found my heart breaking for everyone in this book. All of these women were holding onto so much pain & fighting so many inner demons that could have possibly been avoided had they actually took the time to talk things out instead of sweeping nearly everything under the rug. One of my favorite passages is quoted below. It's taken from a conversation between Nan & her husband Alfred in reference to Freeda:

"...I pointed out the pole that the firemen slide down. And she said sometimes she slides down a pole just like that but then she can't get back up. And I asked her to describe what she was talking about. And she said sometimes she's pulled down to the bottom inside herself and she's stuck even thought she doesn't want to be there. And I asked her what's pulling her down like that and she said a strong wind that has hands and eyes, big rough hands and Doberman pinscher eyes."

Alfred's voice caught in his throat and he swallowed hard. "And so I asked her what is was like down there, and she said it feels like how the Reverend Mister describes where Satan lives. No joy allowed.

This made my heart just break into like 12 pieces for Freeda. Granted the reader knows up front that she is dealing with mental illness and this is a reason for her leaving Neena & Tish behind, but this description of it is so...vulnerable that it made me wanna cry. My only problem with this book was the ending. I felt like some things could have been explored a bit more. I felt like they were left open ended & I don't like that, haha. Overall, a strong novel that I'd highly recommend a read.

If Beale Street Could Talk - James Baldwin

2010-04-23T08:46:00.001-05:00

In Baldwin's If Beale Street Could Talk, Tish (Clementine) & Fonny (Alonzo) are two young people in love. Having grown up together in a Brooklyn neighborhood, they've known each other all of their lives. They had their ups and downs, but in the end remained friends who eventually turned into lovers. When the reader meets Tish & Fonny, Tish is pregnant and Fonny has been falsely accused of rape & jailed.

Working with a lawyer to uncover Fonny's innocence, Tish soon finds out that Fonny was set up by a racist police officer with whom they had a bad experience. The woman who accused Fonny of rape has fled back to her native country of Puerto Rico. Determined to prove his innocence and help her daughter, Tish's mother goes to Puerto Rico in search of the woman to convince her to recant her tale. In a story spanning two continents, Baldwin's novel is a story of overcoming the odds in life.

I'm a huge fan of Baldwin's Go Tell It On the Mountain, so I was very interested in reading this novel. GTIOtM was the only Baldwin book I've read, so I had very high expectation for this one. I wans't drawn in immediately to this novel because it seemed very dry. I felt like it was predictable and I knew where it was going. Somewhere along the way though, I found myself really getting into the novel more. I was invested in the characters and needed to know how things ended up. What I initially thought of as a simplistic story unfurled into a compelling read.

TBOTT Recommends...

2010-04-16T10:20:00.001-05:00

Hello readers! Today marks the unveiling of a new feature I like to call TBOTT Recommends (as you may have guessed from the title of this post, ha!). Each Friday, I'll post a list of recently read books that I think you need to read, if you haven't already. For the inaugural post, I'd like to highlight a few novels I read a couple months back, but hadn't had the time to properly review.

Unaccustomed Earth - Jhumpa Lahiri

In this collection of short stories, Lahiri explores the familiar themes of family, culture, and how these two intersect in daily life. Broken into three sections (Unaccustomed Earth, Hell-Heaven, and Hema & Kaushik), Lahiri tell tales that leave the reader yearning to know more about the characters involved.

The Book of Night Women - Marlon James

Set in Jamaica, James' debut novel is a slave narrative written nearly entirely in patois. A story about a strong willed women who will stop at nothing to get what she feel she rightfully deserves, The Book of Night Women is a novel you won't soon forget.

The Tipping Point - Malcolm Gladwell

Ever wonder how novels that seemingly come out of nowhere go on to be best sellers? Or how the latest fashion trends come ot reality? Gladwell explores these ideas and much more in his research done for The Tipping Point, which explains the emergence of these phenomenons & those who help make them come to fruition.

The Tempest Tales - Walter Mosley

A departure from Mosley's usual detective/mystery faire, this is a collection of short stories that meld together to form a larger allegorical tale. In Tempest... Mosely explores the consequences of decisions made and how they effect one in the long term.

The Big Bounce - Elmore Leonard

2010-04-12T09:38:00.000-05:00

Jack Ryan is a man of few words. He prefers to show people what he can do instead. Ryan finds himself in a heap of trouble after getting into an altercation w/ his supervisor that leaves the supervisor a bloody mess. Immediately dispatched from his job and told to leave the small Michigan town in which he was working, Ryan instead finds a job with a local justice of the peace at a resort community. While working at the resort community, Ryan becomes involved with a young woman named Nancy. Nancy is the girlfriend (mistress, really...) of a local businessman named Ray Ritchie. Nancy is also somewhat of a sociopath as evidenced by the glimpses that the reader gets into the background & life growing up. Nancy coerces Ryan to help her steal $50,00 from Ritchie. Along the way, however, the plan gets screwed up, pitting Ryan and Nancy against one another for survival.
====

I picked this one up at my local Goodwill one rainy Saturday morning. I was vaguely familiar with Elmore Leonard & this title jumped out at me for some reason. I later learned that it was because of the Owen Wilson movie of the same name, which was a loose adaptation of the novel. I've never seen the movie, but I kinda wanna check it out after reading the novel.

Leonard's writing style is straightforward and gritty. There are no flowery adjectives or colorful descriptions to move the plot along, just the facts tinged with a bit of intrigue that draws the reader in. This book was kinda of a miss for me, mainly because I just did not like the characters. I was intrigued enough, however, to keep reading because I wanted to know where all of the twists and turns would end up.

I do think that I will check out a few of Leonard's other novels, most notable Get Shorty because the movie adaptation is one of my favorite Travolta films. I think it helps if I see the movie before reading the novel because I feel less cheated. I have been let down by too many movies in recent history not living up to the novel version, haha.

At any rate, The Big Bounce was a good enough novel. Not bad, but not OMGworthy either.

Book #2 of the Spring Readathon...

2010-04-10T09:55:00.002-05:00

I have a habit of going into Borders and picking up books off of the bargain shelves by just the cover art or title of the book. I will someitmes take a gander at the summary provided inside of (or on the back of) the book jacket, but rarely do. I've had some hits and some misses using this method. Here's hoping that I'll garner a few more hits. The next few books I'm reading will be from the $1 bargain blowout @ Borders that caused me to go overboard, haha. The first of them is...

If It Ain't One Thing - Cheryl Robinson (in progress)

Review forthcoming...

Read & read & read & read...

2010-04-10T08:26:00.003-05:00

I'm participating in the Dewey 24 hr Readathon today. I almost forgot about it, but thanks to tweavesdropping on a convo between Reads4Pleasure & BrownGirl I signed up at the last minute. Should be a fun time. I'm going to attempt to stay up reading for the entire 24 hours. I've awakened & started reading a little Shakespeare. I swear I am like the little English major that did not, haha. I read the minimal amount of what is considered to be classical literature to get by. It's nothing that I have a problem w/ Shakespeare (like I do w/ my archnemisis Hemmingway), I just never had any classes for my major that made me chomp at the bit for him. I also got lucky in high school and had the fun teacher who focused more on modern classics instead of those from the days of yore. Anyway, I digress...

Book #1: Much Ado About Nothing - William Shakespeare (~~in progress~~ finished)

Set in Italy, Shakespeare weaves a tale that is as juicy as any modern day soap opera. At the beginning, Don Pedro is all set to court the daughter of Leonato, governor of Messina. He travels to Messina with a few of his friends as well as his bastard brother, Don John & John's friends. Upon the arrival into Messina it is revealed that one of his companions (Claudio) is in love with Leonato's daughter, Hero. Don Pedro gallantly steps aside to let Claudio woo and subsequently marry Hero.

Don John hears of this plan and sets about to ruin it. He, along with his friends, stage a scene that makes it look like Hero is skulking around with another man. Heartbroken, Claudio renounces his earlier vow to love Hero and shames her in front of their wedding party. A constable hears one of Don John's friends, Borachio, revelaing the dastardly trick that he & Don John played on Claudio. Borachio is instantly apprehended and made to reveal to Leonato the trick that was played. The truth is then revealed to Claudio, who at this point thinks Hero has died as a result of his accusations & has resigned to marry the daughter of Leonato's brother. When the time for that bethrothal comes, it is revealed that he is marrying his true love, Hero. Blah blah blah, happily ever after.

In the subplot, the cousin of Hero, Beatrice is fighting her attraction/affection for another of Don Pedro's men, Benedick. Conversly, Benedick is fighting the same losing battle. Through more trickery (of the positive kind this time), Beatrice & Benedick are forced to face the fact that they love one another and deal with it.
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Despite my issues with reading all of those thee, thou, thy, & words ending in -eth, this was a pretty good story. I should have probably already read it by now, but meh...whatever, haha. Like I said earlier, I like Shakespeare, but I'm not over the moon about him. This play, however, changed my mind a little bit. I might have to read a bit more of his stuff and find a few more that I like. This play was a trip though. I straight up felt like I was watching All My Children or Young & the Restless everytime something else was revealed.

I'll update this later w/ my thoughts and a new post for the next book I begin...

The Girl Who Fell From the Sky - Heidi Durrow

2010-04-08T10:33:00.002-05:00

The daughter of a Danish mother and Black American father, 11 year old Rachel is the only survivor in a tragic incident that killed her mother, brother, and baby sister. In the aftermath of the accident, Rachel goes to live with her paternal grandmother & aunt in Portland, Oregon.

Missing her family as well as struggling to define herself, Rachel morphs into whom she calls "the new girl". The new girl learns how to deal with the kids at school tormenting her. The new girl adjusts to her grandmother's way of thinking. The new girl is both awed & inspired by her Aunt Loretta. The new girl controls her emotions to the point of stuffing all of the bad into an imaginary blue bottle (with a cork stopper) that is settled into the pit of her stomach. As she grows older, the distinction between Rachel & the new girl is blurred. They have morphed into one person, Rachel on the cusp of adulthood.

Told through the perspective of Rachel & others, Heidi Durrow's debut novel examines the ideas of identity and how those around us can shape who we eventually become.

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I've recently joined an online bookclub & this was our first selection. What a way to begin, let me tell you! I enjoyed so many things about this novel that I don't even know where to begin. I loved the voice of Rachel. I adored the vulnerability that cried out from the pages. The characters were well-rounded, dynamic individuals who made me yearn to know more about them.

I am not bi-racial, but I felt myself being able to connect with Rachel on a visceral level. I am often in situations where I am "the new girl" and find myself using the same coping mechanism as Rachel did throughout the novel. It is much easier to tuck the feelings away instead of dissecting them beyond recognition. I find dumping grounds for when the emotional bottle is nearing its capacity, but I digress...

I recently had the pleasure of attending an event where Heidi read from the novel and held a brief Q&A with the audience. Hearing her read scenes from the novel took it to another place. Clearly when I'm reading, I'm not reading aloud nor am I changing the voice in my head as I read dialogue from each character. Heidi was highly animated & nuanced in her reading. Hearing certain pieces read aloud touched me in a different way. If you have a chance to attend an event at which she is present, I'd say RUN to it. It will most certainly be a delightful experience. Hearing her read aloud also helped me realize that I'd like to see this book as a film, preferribly an indie. I don't want Hollywood to ruin it. :)

If you've read the novel, what do you think? If you haven't, I suggest you mosey on over to your local bookstore and scoop a copy. You won't regret it.

If You Were My Man - Francis Ray

2010-04-08T09:37:00.006-05:00

In Francis Ray's If You Were My Man, Rafael Dunlap is a man used to getting whatever he wants. As an officer in Myrtle Beach police department's SORT unit, he is known as the master negotiator, de-escalating high risk situations with an offhanded ease. Nathalya Fontaine is a young, widowed restauranteur with a singled minded focus on making her restaurant, Fontaine one that is known as the best in the nation. Rafael is used to getting any woman he sought out, without effort.

When he meets Nathalya Fontaine however, he finds that he is in over his head. Wary of his good looks and charm, Nathalya puts Rafael through the wringer before finally agreeing to go out with them. From the first date, sparks ignite that soon burst into flames. Everything isn't a walk in the park though. Rafael is cautious to get too close to Nathalya because he is afraid of how that will effect him in the long run. Nathalya is harboring secrets from her past that could hold an effect on their relationship.

In a story of love, pain, deceit, and redemption, Ray spins a tale that wraps readers in a world where her characters learn that in order to get everything you want out of life, one must risk it all.
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I am an avid reader of romance novels. I blush to admit that, but honestly they're entertaining. It's not all just sexytime between impossibly attractive characters. In this novel, Ray's characters are both flawed individuals who are seeking solace within each other. There's drama, intrigue, and a happy ending, which is what draws me in.

I've been reading Ray's work for over ten years now and she has another one that is worth its space on my bookshelf. She writers characters that are exasperating and lovable at the same time. I felt myself talking aloud to the book in points, getting frustrated with Nathalya's choices as well as Rafael's reticence. Any book that evokes an emotional response is all right in my book. :)

The Marginalization of Writers of Color...

2010-04-06T22:17:00.005-05:00

I'm back & on my soapbox, haha. ;)

The marginalization of authors of color by mainstream media is something that vexes me greatly. I’ve been tossing around how to approach this subject for the past few months after reading posts by Virginia DeBerry & Bernice McFadden regarding the subject. Author Carleen Brice even started a blog dedicated to promoting Black authors to White audiences. Of course, I realized the problem long before these ladies spoke out about it, but it was a recent post by author Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez that made me get up off my duff & add my $.02 on the subject.

I’ve read books by all of these authors and while the characters in the novels are people of color, the stories are universal. The thought of not reading a book because the characters within may not look, talk, or sound like me has never crossed my mind as a reader. Hell, I grew up worshiping at the altar of Ann M. Martin’s Baby Sitters’ Club from ages 7-11. That series is about the whitest ever, haha! There wasn’t a single Black person in these books (well…initially; a black girl named Jessi was written in after a bit), but that did not change the integrity of Martin’s writing or the quality of the stories for me.

I think it’s sad that literature written by people of color is automatically deemed to be written only for the consumption by people of color. I, too, was guilty of holding this point of view as recently as a few years ago. When my White friends would ask for reading suggestions, I steered clear of the authors I was actually reading frequently and shouted out the canonized authors such as Morrison, McMillan, Walker, etc. These were writers that they may have already heard of and that I felt would be “easier” for them to read. Hell, I even hesitated to recommend one of my favorite books, Their Eyes Were Watching God, because of the fact that it is written nearly entirely in dialect and they wouldn’t “get it”.

As the years have passed, I’ve realized that I was adding to the problem. For every time I overlooked a DeBerry & Grant, McFadden, McElroy Ansa, etc, I was helping make that chasm between African-American literature and “mainstream” literature. Looking back on it, I feel disgusted. I felt as if by holding onto these authors, I was keeping something for “us”. As if by withholding praise for these amazing authors, I was taking ownership of excellence stemming from my culture. It's like when you find a restaurant in your neighborhood that is an excellent, yet unknown place. You want to keep it to yourself for as long as possible before the masses come through and sully the place. Silly, young me.

The emergence of the Street Lit/Urban Lit genre actually spurred me to change my point of view. I had a White coworker who knew that I loved to read suggest a book that she’d recently read and enjoyed to me. It was some random street lit* novel that was poorly edited and even more poorly written. She seemed so proud of herself for reading something by a Black author that was outside of her normal reading list of Nicholas Sparks and Jodi Picoult. I was thoroughly disgusted that this was her first exposure to what she considered to be African American literature.

She’d heard of (& read in college) a few Black authors, but had no idea of any outside of those canonized in higher education literature classes. I immediately told her that she needed to leave that trash alone and made a few suggestions of modern AA authors whom I enjoy. She fell in love w/ quite a few of the authors that I suggested and passed them along to her friends. I felt proud of myself for that feat, I can’t lie, ha!

I recently had the pleasure of attending a reading/signing with authors Virginia DeBerry & Donna Grant. They could not stress enough the fact that we needed to support quality writers of color because they are becoming few & far between. It was Virginia, I believe, who said that it’s easier (& less costly) for a publisher to put out a street lit novel that’s barely worth the paper it was printed on. Writers who produce more quality work are aware of their worth and wish to be compensated justly. Some publishers don’t want to hear that. They’re all about what’s “hot in the streets” and what’ll bring in the most revenue. *yawn*

I just wish there was more that we could do. Well, I should speak for myself. I buy the books, but I don’t feel as if that is enough. Sometimes I wish I had a disgusting amount of money and the ability to set up my own independent publishing company to keep all of my favorites writing & publishing. The emergence of all of these electronic reading devices is certainly not helping the problem either. Oy!

Readers of literature written by those of color need to be proactive in getting the word out. We need to buy books in that first week, like we’d do with cds by our favorite recording artists. Those numbers count big time. We need to show up to those rare reading/signings and show our support. We need to tell everyone, not just other people of color, about these writers. From here on out, I plan on doing my part to help these writers that I adore continue to be able to do what they love. I just hope everyone else does their part as well.

*Note: I don’t have a problem w/ street lit as a whole. Just the ones that are poor representation of “literature” and have the nerve to be shelved alongside the writings of who I consider some of the most prolific modern day authors. #nomaam & #nawsuh.

Taking a brief...

2010-03-22T14:56:00.004-05:00

Taking a couple weeks off to make some changes to the site. Relaunching on 04.07. Until then, feel free to visit some of those links in my sidebar. OH! And I'll be tweeting still, as well: www.twitter.com/booksonthetrain

The Wave - Walter Mosley

2010-03-12T08:33:00.000-06:00

Errol Porter is a computer programmer who has been recently downsized by his job. In the meantime, he has taken up pottery...strange, yes? Even more strange is when Errol begins receiving late night phone calls from someone who sounds (& acts) like his dead father. At first Errol is a bit unnerved about these phone calls, but curiosity soon gets the best of him. He finds himself visiting his father's gravesite after dark, only to be met by a young man who bears a slight resemblance to his father. Errol first believes him to be an illegitimate child of his father's because he has a lot of knowledge about Errol and his family.

Taking the man who he christens GT (a nod to the young man's repeated promise that good times are coming) begins telling him things that only his father could know, but Errol refuses to believe that he is telling the truth. After meetings with his sister and mother, Errol is soon convinced that GT is infact a reincarnated form of his father. GT says he is just a collection of Errol's father's memories and experiences in a new human form. He was brought to the Earth and subsequently Errol by this forced referred to as the Wave, which has "awakened" many other dead folks.

We soon learn that the government is investigating such lifeforms as GT. Errol is kidnapped by a government scientist named Wheeler who believes that he is one of these lifeforms. After it is discovered that Errol is indeed human, he is still kept in Wheeler's custody for further questioning about GT, his relationship to him, as well as any other information that he may have. While he is being held as a prisoner at Wheeler's house, Errol starts a short affair with Wheeler's wife. This coupling with the wife allows Errol to escape and warn GT of the government's research & plans to eradicate him and those like him. What follows is a whilwind of action in which Errol finds himself knee deep.
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I absolutely love Mosely's mysteries, so I thought I'd give his Sci-Fi a shot. I'm not really one for Sci-Fi. When I was a kid my dad used to try and get me to watch stuff like StarTrekWars and the ilk, but I couldn't get into it. The only fantasy I can get behind is love. ZING! Anyway, as I've gotten older, I've tried getting into some SciFi/Fantasy stuff. Some of it's really interesting and others...are like this book. It teeters on the fine line of entertaining & batcrap crazy.

The plot was simultaneously riveting and wholly unbelievable in places. I liked the characters (Errol, GT, Errol's gf whose name escapes me right now), but I felt like I didn't really know them. I think because this book was so short (about 200 pages or so), character development took a backseat to this crazy plot. I found myself saying "who in the what now?" several times during the reading of this novel. Events seemed to be thrown in just for conflict's sake or as a transitionary device.

Overall, this book was rather meh. I've heard that Mosley's other SciFi ventures are way better than this one. Perhaps I'll check one of them out.

Rocking the Red Pump

2010-03-10T08:11:00.004-06:00

Today is National Women's and Girls' HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NWAGHAAD). Last year, bloggers Karyn of The Fabulous Giver and Luvvie of Awesomely Luvvie co-created the Red Pump Project which strives to increase the awareness of HIV/AIDS, encourage dialogue about HIV/AIDS, and teach women/girls about the alarmingly rapid rate at which the disease is spreading. I personally Rock the Red Pump in remembrance of my "Aunt" Tina who succumbed to the disease a few years ago. I told her story on my personal blog last year on World AIDS Day. The need for education/awareness is imperative.

Fellow Blogger Reads4Pleasure is hosting a discussion on Bernice McFadden's "Keeper of the Keys" tonight in honor of NWAGHAAD. I'll be hustling home in order to make sure I can participate. The book is available for $1.99 on Amazon.com and can be downloaded even if you do not have the Kindle. More information about the discussion can be found here: http://reads4pleasure.blogspot.com/2010/03/reminder-join-us-march-10-to-discuss.html

Housekeeping...

2010-03-05T09:07:00.004-06:00

Greetings all! :)

In an effort to be a) a bit more serious about my blogging & 2) more organized with my life in general ;), a few things are going to be changing around these parts and I just wanted to make you aware.

1. You may have already noticed a different format w/ my review entries. Before I gave a brief synopsis and now I'm giving a more in-depth view. I felt I was doing some of these books a disservice by only giving brief snippets, hence the expounding. I have also expanded my thoughts and feelings about the novels I read a bit more. I think I want to add my favorite line (if there is one) from the novel, within context of course, as well. <--that was a comma splice. Ignore it. HAHA.

2. I have set a schedule for myself. New posts on M-W-F. I'll still be reading every day of course. That's the only way I keep from going off on some of these people on the Metra. Especially those who look like I am yelling in the Grand Canyon when I am holding a quiet conversation on my phone. UGH. Wait, what? Sorry, I got distracted. YES! New posting schedule, M-W-F.

3. I'll be updating my layout soon as well. My wonderful friend Jenny has created a layout for me! I've been sitting w/ this domain name and this default blogger layout for far too long, ha! Time to make this place look a little prettier. :)

Errrmmm, I think that's all of the changes for now. Hopefully I have the time this weekend to get things rolling. I have enough drafts to last me for about a month of posts, so I should be good on content. Thanks for sticking with me through the evolution of this project that started out as a lark, but has morphed into something in which I am finding great joy. :)

Just My Luck - Tajuana "TJ" Butler

2010-03-03T09:36:00.005-06:00

In Just My Luck, Butler introduces us to Lanita Lightfoot who is a 30-something soon-to-be graduate of USC. Her husband (who is also graduating today) has paid for for to have a spa day including hair, makeup, and nails before the graduation ceremony that is set to take place later in the afternoon. On her way into the salon, Lanita finds four quarters sitting on the ground. She chalks it up to her "luck" that has been showing itself since her birth. Upon entering the salon she is greeted by the receptionist, Natasha, to whom she begins telling her life story.

In the midst of the Watts riots in the 60s, Lanita's mother went into labor. Her father is nowhere to be found. Since the area was so chaotic and hectic, she ends up giving birth in a local store owned by Chinese immigrants. This store remains untouched by the rioters because Lanita's mother was giving birth. So overwhelmed with joy, the owner of the store (who also managed to own/rent many apartment buildings) offered Lanita's mother an apartment rent free for the rest of their lives. After living in the apartment for 12 years, Lanita and her mother are evicted at the behest of the landlord's children who have taken over since his death.

With no skills and having not worked a day in her life, Lanita's mother is forced to go on welfare. They are moved from a luxurious 2 bedroom apartment to a 1 bedroom efficiency. I should also mention that at this point, Lanita's mother's drinking increased heavily. She was mixed up with a no good man and he had her strung out on gin and table wine. There was barely enough money to cover their groceries, let alone buy toiletries, so Lanita was barely able to wash herself. She became known in school as the stinky kid and was an outcast. One day she confides in her teacher and the teacher sets out to help Lanita and her mother. She gets the mother set up in a nursing training program and helps out whenever she can.

A few years pass and Lanita's mother is doing much better. They are still living in the one bedroom apartment, but she is working steadily and providing for Lanita properly. During thistime period, Lanita's father makes a reappearance in theie lives. Things seem to be going well between her parents until her father's infidelity becomes too much to deal with and her mother puts him out. Blaming her mother for her father's absence, Lanita begins to seek solace in one of two places the home of her childhood friend, Gloria or the local library. Here she forms a bond with the librarian who becomes a positive guiding force in her life. Right before they are to begin highschool, Gloria and her family move up to Oakland, leaving Lanita on her own.

In her high school years, Lanita spends most of her time with a friend named Stacey. She and Stacey are both on the cheerleading team, so that's how they bonded. On one occasion, Stacey's boyfriend gets them tickets to a taping of a Pepsi commerical starring The Jacksons. You know...the infamous one where Michael gets burned. Well, in this account Lanita and Stacey are among the first to see his hair spark flame and flag down the staff to bring it to their attention.

Although she was a cheerleader, Lanita didn't have much luck in the dating world. The only boy she ever allowed herself to "love",Jermaine, passed her by when an upperclassman sought out his affections. This leads to her librarian friend finding her a date for Prom at the last minute. She keeps mentioning a son of her friend's named Todd who is a really nice boy. Fastforward to the night of Prom and Todd is actually Todd Bridges of Diff'rent Strokes fame. He ends up being really nice and down to Earth. He makes Lanita feel like a princess and shows her a really good time. Of course, all of the girls in school were jealous when they saw her date, natch. Lanita also ends up being Prom Queen, much to her surprise, with Jermaine as her King.

Lanita goes off to college and reunites with Gloria at Howard University in DC. AT Howard she is living the life, excelling in all of her classes while partying to her heart's content on the weekends. It is at Howard that she first experiments with alcohol and drugs. In her junior year, Lanita is summoned back home because her mother is diagnosed with cirrohsis of the liver. When she returns home, she finds that her mother's life is in shambles. She is behind on rent, bills, and barely has enough food to eat. Instead of going back to Howard after winter break, Lanita decides to stay home and help her mother. She begins working as a secretary, but is barely making ends meet.

Looking to make more money, she goes to a strip club looking for a waitressing gig. She is told that there are no waitressing spots, but they do have opening for dancers. Initially resluctant, Lanita ends up auditioning and winning a spot at the club. During her stint at the club, she relies heavily on alcohol and drugs to get her through. She thinks that she is successfully concealing how she makes her money until an old friend from the neighborhood, Jermaine (remember him? The only man she ever loved) shows up to the club one night and sees her stripping. Jermaine, now an honest working man, manages to get her to leave that life behind and get back on the straight and narrow.

Years pass & Lanita and Jermaine find themselves comfortably ensconced in a relationship. Things progress and they eventually get married and have a child. A few years after their daughter was born, both of them return to school at USC. This brings is to present day. Lanita has had all of her spa treatments, telling her story to everyone she encounters while there. They are all so impressed with her tale, that she is told that her treatments were on the house and they wished her well. Lanita then goes on to graduate and bask in the loving glow of her wonderful, lucky life.
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So I picked this up randomly in the library. Sometime I scan the shelves and pick books all willy nilly. This was published by One World Books who've published other books I've loved like "Going Down South" and "Orange Mint and Honey", so I was immediately interested. Reading the plot summary on the back brought my interest level down a bit, but I thought I'd give it a shot anyway. Ugh. So mad, I did, haha.

As you can tell, my review of this book is LACED with sarcasm. I was not a fan. I found it to be too unbelievable. Yes, it is a work of fiction, but no one is that *lucky*. The overabundance of pop culture references were not helping either. I didn't like the way that the author found a way to put Lanita in too close of a proximity to these events. If they were a backdrop, I'm sure I would have been less annoyed. I found myself saying "Oh you're GOT to be kidding me" aloud several times while reading this book.

One of the character's names was Jimmy Choo for Christ's sake (no it wasn't the famed shoe designer, either). The plot was wholly unbelievable. Maybe I'm naive, but I can't imagine someone who went through all of the stuff that Lanita did, walking into a salon and spilling their guts to everyone they meet. I mean, clearly she was a walking, talking testimony of how God can get you through anything, but it was all chalked up to her being "lucky". *eye roll* I kinda of thought the book was a waste of my time. Not the discredit the author fully because I feel that she is a talented writer, but this one just did not do it for me. Perhaps I'll read another book by Butler and feel differently.

Til Death Do Us Part - Kate Smith

2010-03-03T08:50:00.009-06:00

This book is White's third in the Bailey Weggins series. Magazine reporter Baily Weggins finds herself in the midst of a real life murder mystery. One evening she receives a cryptic phone call from a woman with whom she is only vaguely acquainted, Ashley Hanes, imploring her to meet up to discuss a delicate matter. They were both bridesmaids in Bailey's college roommate wedding, Peyton Cross. When she meets with Ashley, Bailey soon learns that two of the five bridesmaids have met their untimely demises in what appears to be accidents. Ashley is of the mind that the bridesmaids are being target by someone and that she and Bailey are next on the list. Familiar with Bailey's knack for solving mysteries, Ashley turns to her to investigate.

Bailey's investigation begins with a trip to Peyton's farm with Ashley. Peyton is touted as the next coming of Martha Stewart and has a vast complex which includes a house, store, and gallery. Ashley, who is an interior decorator, is working with Peyont on the gallery. While Bailey is questioning some of the people at Peyton's farm, including Mary (Peyton's "right hand man") and Philippa (Peyton's cousin), Ashley is found sprawled out on the floor of the gallery, dead.

Ashley's death spurs Bailey to amp up her investigation. She ends up going on a whirlwind that takes her through New York City, Greenwich, CT, & Miami, FL before ultimately finding the killer.
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I was familiar w/ White because of her day job as editor-in-chief at Cosmopolitan magazine. I had no idea that she was also an author. I came across this book while perusing the library and was entertained. White's writing style is quick paced, witty, & comical. The Bailey Weggins character is smart, quick-witted, and likeable. Those qualities are what kept me engaged in the novel. Some of the plot fell a bit short for me (i.e. the random subplot about Bailey's relationship w/ her boyfriend), but overall I enjoyed this novel a lot. I think I'll be reading the other books in the Weggins series.

Orange Mint & Honey - Carleen Brice

2010-02-15T15:34:00.010-06:00

Facing eviction and on the brink of flunking out of grad school, LaShay (Shay) Dixon is in the midst of a breakdown. Looking to her muse Nina Simone for answers, Shay soon realizes that the only way to find peace is to go home. Home for Shay is Denver, CO which she fled years ago after enduring life with an alcoholic mother, Nona. Nona, who has been clean for a few years, is now also mother to Sunny, aged 3. She welcomes Shay back home with open arms, but Shay is still mistrustful of her mother.

Reluctant to reconcile with her mother, Shay is antisocial and dismissive of everyone that comes into Nona's house. Most notably, Shay clashes with a girl whom Nona sponsors named Ivy. These two are like oil and water. Shay soon tires of sitting aorund the house doing nothing, so she gets a job at a local music store. There she encounters Oliver, an undergrad who teaches her about love. A story of self discovery and forgiveness, Orange Mint and Honey is an amazing read.

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I've noticed that I've picked up quite a few mother/daughter themed novels lately. I wonder if it's because I'm going to be moving back in with mine soon and am tryna prepare myself, haha! At any rate, I have been hearing about this novel for quite some time because I follow the author on twitter. She was gearing up for the release of a Lifetime movie based upon the novel starring Jill Scott and Nicole Beharie and it was exciting to hear about how her journey progressed. I knew that I wanted to read the novel before the premiere of the movie (which happens on 2/21), so I bought it.

Normally, if I'm being honest, I don't buy books unless I have a history w/ the author or it's really cheap. I read so many positive reviews of OM&H that I took a chance and was not disappointed. Brice writes characters that are not only relatable, but genuine. As much as I wanted to wring Shay's neck at times, I could understand where she was coming from. Watching the growth in both of the main characters of this novel as it progressed was like seeing a friend or family member have their "lightbulb moment" and turn their life around. I ended up wanting to know more in the final pages of this book. How things turned out after Shay went back to school? What was going on with Oliver? Could Nona really help Ivy get her life right?

To me, that's the mark of a good novel. When I am left with many more questions. When these characters are so imbedded in my brain that I feel like I need more of them. When they inspire emotional response, be it good or bad. I'm looking forward to seeing the Lifetime movie and how it compares to the novel.

Are You There Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea - Chelsea Handler

2010-02-15T15:33:00.007-06:00

A collection of essays from the host of the E! show, Chelsea Lately, Handler's Are You There Vodka?... is a laugh from the beginning. This collection of 12 autobiographical sketches from various points in Chelsea's life are a mix of crazy, unbelievable, and just plain weird in some cases. The book opens with Chelsea telling the reader about the time she was late turning in homework and made up an elaborate story about how she was starring in the sequel to Private Benjamin with Goldie Hawn. There's another story in which Chelsea lies about her age to get a babysitting job and ends up with the charge from hell. My favorite story is from when Chelsea is on the book tour for her first release and goes over to the UK. Accompanied by one of her best friends, Chelsea is coerced into dining at a restaurant where the entire meal is consumed in the dark. Of course, hilarity ensues & they ultimately get kicked out of the restaurant. After leaving the restaurant they end up at a pub talking to whom they think is Don Henley of the Eagles, which brings about more laughter. It doesn't sound all that funny from my description, but I am sitting here in tears thinking about it.

My friend Sarah recommended this book to me a few months back, but everytime I went to the library it was checked out. I like Chelsea, but not enough to commit to spending over $20 for her book, so I waited patiently for it to finally be checked back in. It was well worth the wait. Chelsea is a ceritifed nut and this book proves it. My neigbors probably think that I am crazy because I was laughing outloud for at least 85% of this book. The other 15% of the time I was trying to stifle my laughter so I wouldn't appear too crazy, haha! Even if you aren't a fan of Handler's brand of comedy, I think you would still find yourself laughing out loud quite a bit while reading this one.

Going Down South - Bonnie J. Glover

2010-02-10T13:42:00.007-06:00

At the suggestion of author Carleen Brice, I picked up this novel from my local library to read. The novel begins with the Stone family(Turk, Daisy, & Olivia Jean) trying to quietly and discreetly leave their house in the early AM hours to begin their journey down to Alabama. We soon learn that the reason for this trip is because of 15 year old Olivia Jean's pregnancy. Following the tradition of the 50s & 60s, Olivia Jean's parents are sending their pregnant teen down South to live with her grandmother, Birdie, for the remainder of her pregnancy. Turk and Daisy are in for a big surprise when Birdie announces that they cannot just drop Olivia Jean off and that Daisy must remain in Alabama with her daughter. Daisy hadn't been back to Alabama since she left it years earlier with Turk and was not looking forward to staying there at all.

Narrated by each of the women in this story, this novel is told through a series of flashbacks. The first section of the book is told from Olivia Jean's perspective. Through stories from her youth up until her current age, we learn how she ends up pregnant. Naive and yearning for a love to fill the hole left by perceived lack of love from her father, she falls for a slicktalking, handsome ladies man. In Daisy's section we learn of her childhood troubles that lead her to flee Alabama and not look back. In Birdie's section we learn about her life's struggles as well. The last section of the novel is a narrative of how all of these women live together in present day. Secrets are uncovered and their bonds are strengthened.

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I love reading mother-daughter stories and this tri-generational novel gave me everytihng I needed. I found myself going from sympathetic to frustrated to irritated back to sympathetic with each of these characters. "Watching" Olivia Jean falling for the oldest trick in the book had me talking to the book, telling her "that ain't it, girl!". Seeing how Daisy treated Olivia Jean and was seemingly only concerned with herself had me wanting to knock some sense into her, literally, until I learned her background. Birdie's character had my sympathy the whole way through until I felt like she was screaming off the pages tellin' me, "Girl I don't need your sympathy. Those were some thangs I had ta' go thru & I made it!"

She (Birdie) also happened to be my favorite character in the novel because she was the most true to herself the whole way through. Daisy & Olivia Jean were too busy trying to chase down what they thought they needed instead of looking inside and trying to work through the issues they had. As much as I hate the phrase, Miss Birdie was "keepin' it real" throughout the whole novel and I loved her for it. There's a scene where she and Daisy are having a knock down drag out fight that should be dramatic, but ends up being hilarious because of Birdie. Her no nonsense attitude reminds me of a few of the older women in my life.

All in all, I really liked this novel and will probably be buying it soon to add to my collection.

Breath Eyes Memory - Edwidge Danticat

2010-02-09T08:48:00.015-06:00

At the age of 12 Sophie Caco's life changes in ways she never thought were imaginable. Her mother, who had left her behind in the care of an Aunt while she moved to the US, sends a plane ticket for Sophie to join her in the States. Sophie is reluctant to leave Haiti and more importantly, the only woman that she has known as a mother. Aunt Atie tells Sophie that it is time for them to part ways and that she must go back to the countryside to take care of her (Atie's) mother.

Upon arriving in the US and meeting up with her mother, Sophie is taken aback at the woman who greets her. The image of her mother that she has held in her mind for so long was of a young, carefree woman with a sunny smile. She is greeted by an aging, overwrought woman with whom she feels no connection. She is soon introduced to her mother's significant other, Marc, a high powered Haitian immigration attorney. Over the next few months (before school starts), Sophie accompanies her mother to her various jobs. It is in this time she learns that her grandmother used to "test" her mother and aunt to make sure that their hymens were in tact. The testing ended fairly early for Martine (Sophie's mom) because she was raped at the age of 16 on her way home from school by a masked assailant. Sophie was a product of this rape. Here, the relationship between mother and daughter shifts. Sophie begins to see herself as a constant reminder of her mother's assault.

Years pass and the ladies move to a different part of town. In this new area, Sophie finds herself becoming attracted to their neighbor, an older jazz musician named Joseph. While her mother works all day, Sophie gets to know Joseph. As time goes on, she finds herself falling for him and he for her. One night (after he had proposed marriage) she stays at Joseph's house later than usual, only to be caught sneaking back into her house by her mother. Enraged, she begins testing Sophie to make sure she is still pure. These nightly testing continue until one night, Sophie impales herself w/ her mother's spice pestle. After failing the test, Sophie is thrown out of her mother's house. Sophie then marries Joseph and moved with him to Providence, RI.

More years pass and the next time we see Sophie is travelling back home to Haiti w/ her young daughter, Brigitte. She had fled from her home in Providence while her husband was travelling with one of his bands. Upon her return to Haiti, she finds her grandmother Ife is constantly speaking about her (Ife's) impending death though she is healthy as an older woman can be. Her Aunt Atie, who was previously illiterate, has learned how to read, but has also becoming dependant on alcohol.

A few weeks into her trip, Sophie's mother comes back to Haiti since she left over 20years ago. She was summoned by her mother as an effort to help her reconcile with Sophie. Martine also comes on behalf of Sophie's husband who has been worried after returning from tour and finding an empty home. After talking through their issues, the ladies try to mend their relationship and return to the States. On the journey back to the States, Martine becomes violently ill. Sophie stays with her mother before returning to Providence. Martine then confesses that she is pregnant by Marc, but unsure about whether or not she will keep the child.

Sophie tries to convince her mother to keep the child and learn from the mistakes she made while raising her. Martine is convinced that the child is evil and wants to abort. She has told Marc about the pregnancy and he is excited about it. One day Sophie receives a frantic call from Marc. Martine has stabbed herself in the stomach seventeen times and is now deceased. Her demons would not allow her to carry this child full-term even if it was at the expense of her own life. She only sees peace after her death when Sophie and Marc return to Haiti and bury her in her hometown.

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Edwidge Danticat is quickly becoming one of my favorite modern day authors. Her writing style is simplistic, yet beautifully structured. Her stories are those to whome anyone can relate. Each story that I have read by her has been a snapshot into the life of Haitians (immigrants or on the island) that's rich in culture. Breath Eyes Memory is a hauntingly tragic tale.

My heart ached for Sophie when she was brought to America and stripped from everyone that she knew. I could not imagine having such an upheaval at an early age. You have to learn an entirely new way of living in a short amount of time to fit in. Even though her mother managed to keep her in a Haitian immigrant enclave, when venturing out to school or even on the streets, she had to become American. That switching back and forth could not be easy.

Another thing w/ Sophie that struck a chord with me was how little she was educated about the things in life that school can't teach you. Her mother, Martine, continued the cycle that probably spanned back generations in their family. Sophie has the advantage of seeing how badly thing turned out for previous women in her family and has a chance to change all of that while she is raising Brigitte. I'd love to see a sequel to this novel that tells the story of Brigitte and any offspring she may have.

Kinky Gazpacho - Lori Tharps

2010-02-09T08:47:00.007-06:00

Lori Tharps' Kinky Gazpacho tells her life's story. Beginning with her childhood growing up in the suburbs of Milwaukee as the only Black child in most of her classes, Tharps introduces the reading audience to her obsession with Spain. She always felt drawn to the country for inexplicable reasons and ends up finding why she was so drawn to the country by the end of the book.

Along the way though, she has many interesting adventures that include travelling to Morocco as a foreign exchange student in high school and traveling to her beloved Spain during her undergraduate years. In Spain she finds that she encounters a great amount of racism. Tharps eventually ends up digging deeper into the history of Spain. While in Spain, Tharps also finds love. Eventually she ends up finding a link between the area in that her husband's family is from and the slave trade. Tharps' discovery leads her on a journey that is both amazing and inspiring.

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I liked this book. Lori Tharps' voice is captivating. I felt as if I were riding shotgun when she described nearly every adventure on which she embarked. I chuckled aloud at several points in the book and found myself wanting to know more about everyone involved in this tale after I closed the book. I also REALLY wanted to take a trip to Spain and dust off my rusty español, haha.

Dirty Girls on Top - Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez

2010-02-08T08:32:00.008-06:00

In the sequel to The Dirty Girls Social Club, Alisa Valdez-Rodriguez reintroduces Las Sucias: Usnavys, Rebecca, Sara, Amber (Cuicatl), Elizabeth, & Lauren. The ladies are on their way to their annual vacation and the drama begins almost immediately.

Usnavys is a reformed "manizer" who is now married to Juan, who is a stay-at-home dad with their three year old daughter Usnavys finds herself drawn back to her old manizer ways and begins a torrid love affair with a golf pro at the resort in which the ladies are vacationing. The affair soon gets out of hand and Usnavys finds herself up the creek without a paddle.

Rebecca has a successful professional life and has found the man of her dreams. Sadly, she cannot get the one thing that she wants most, a baby. They have tried to conceive many times, but she keeps miscarrying. Right before leaving for the trip, she learns that she is with child once again, but keeps it a secret from her girlfriends.

Sara is known as the Latina Martha Stewart due to her highly successful television show. She is, however, harboring a big secret. She has reignited a relationship with her ex-husband who is a control freak. Meanwhile, a young staffer on her show has been vying for her romantic attention as well.

Amber is a world famous musical superstar now known as Cuicatl. Her latest album hasn't been met with the fervor as her previous ones and Cuicatl finds herself searching for ways to reinvent herself. She also finds herself falling for her much older manager. Trying to sort out these feelings as well as keep her star shining bright, she's in for helluva journey.

Elizabeth has just adopted a child with her wife. She soon learns that her wife isn't ready for motherhood quite yet as she assumes the responsibility for taking care of their son by herself. Couple with the fact that she has been in love with Lauren since their days of undergrad, Elizabeth has a lot on her plate.

Lauren is engaged a former drug dealer turned record exec who hasn't got a monogamous bone in his body. She is constantly second guessing his motives and knows he's cheating, but refuses to end the relationship. Her low self-esteem coupled with bulimia leads Lauren to make some decisions that are not only detrimental to her mentally, but physically as well. A close call w/ Lauren's health brings Las Sucias together and helps them all realize how precious life is & not to take it for granted.

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I really enjoyed this book. Although it was a sequel, it was a good standalone read, too. Valdez-Rodriguez is equal parts comical and poignant. Her characters are well rounded, yet flawed. The storylines were both believable and riveting. In a book with this many "main" characters, it is easy to lose someone's voice, but Valdez-Rodriguez effortlessly shifts between each of the Sucias while maintaining their individuality. Chick lit at its finest, Dirty Girls on Top is an entertaining read that I would definitely recommend.

Queen Takes King - Gigi Levangie Granger

2010-02-05T16:44:00.003-06:00

In Queen... GLG takes us into the lives of NY couple, Cynthia and Jackson Power tho have been married for 25 years. Jacks Power, in those 25 years, has screwed nearly anything in a skirt. Cynthia has remained faithful throughout the entire marriage. On the day after their 25th Anniversary party, the NY Post's front page photo is Jacks sneaking out of the house of his latest lady friend, Lara Sizemore, a local news reporter. Cynthia immediately demands a divorce and from this spawns a story about love, loss, and forgiveness.

I bought The Starter Wife a coupla years ago and laughed my way through it. I absolutely adore Granger's style of writing. It's fresh, witty, and just plain funny. She does it for me again with this one. I was rooting for Cynthia the whole way through because Jacks was SUCH a dick, haha. She had her faults too, but I had to stick with my sista...solidarity. *holds fist up*

Far From the Tree - Virginia DeBerry & Donna Grant

2010-02-04T09:40:00.006-06:00

Far From the Tree is a story full of secrets. The women of the Frazier family are very good at keeping them. There's the matriarch, Della whose life before the birth of her daughters is a mystery to them. Eldest daughter Celeste who is constantly fighting to keep up the facade of having a perfect life. Finally there's the younger daughter Veronica aka Ronnie who has been living on the cusp of poverty unbeknownst to her family. Upon the death of Della's husband (and the ladies' father), Will each of these women are forced to face their demons and let the truth ring out.

Every time I read a DeBerry & Grant book, I feel like a broken record because I always say that I don't get how two people can write one book &have it flow so smoothly. The character voice, the descriptions used, hell everything melds together seamlessly as if it only was borne of one mind.

Anywho, I really liked this novel. The tenuous relationship of Della and Celeste reminded me of myself and my mother's relationship at points. Granted neither one of us are holding onto secrets as grave as these ladies (well I can only speak for myself), but the dynamic is eerily similar. I found myself drawn to the younger sister Ronnie because I just felt so bad for her. I knew that all of her hardships were the direct effect of her pride, but I still had a soft spot for her, haha. Great novel, well rounded characters, excellent writing. A definite recommend.

More Like Wrestling - Danyel Smith

2010-02-03T11:59:00.006-06:00

More Like Wrestling is Danyel Smith's debut novel. Set in Oakland, it tells the story of two sisters Paige and Pinch (aged 14 & 12) who are living alone in a rented apartment in a Victorian house. The mother of these two young women is in a abusive relationship and figures getting the girls out of the house was the best thing to do. Chronicling the lives of the girls over the next decade, More Like Wrestling deals with themes such as sexuality, drugs, violence, mental health, etc.

I friggin loved this book so much. I was familiar with Smith from her tenure as Editor in Chief at Vibe mag and various other musically related writings of hers. I had no idea she'd penned two novels (I am hella late) a few years ago. I read the second of those novels Bliss sometime last year before beginning my 100 Books journey and loved it. Anyway...while reading ...Wrestling in the beginning I found myself getting incredibly frustrated with the choices made by several of the characters in ths novel. A few of them reminded me a bit too much of people with whom I am close, so it was kinda painful to read at points. At any rate, yes...read this novel..ASAP.

Keep the Faith - Faith Evans w/ Aliya S. King

2010-02-02T08:31:00.001-06:00

Keep the Faith is the story of Faith Evans' rise to the Queen of Bad Boy Records. Faith (and Aliya) take us through her childhood in Newark through her life in its current incarnation as a mother of four working to release new material.

I absolutely loved this book. I've known about it for quite a while and actually follow the co-author on Twitter, but never had the opportunity to read it. I really enjoy Aliya's writing style (looking forward to her novel this summer!), so I was interested to see how that would gel with Faith's story. It definitely was a perfect match.

I adore Faith as a musician and this book made me respect her craft even more. I had no idea that she was a songwriter as well as a singer. I loved reading about how she paid her dues and rose through the ranks. I'm a nosey little bugger, so I really enjoy learning behind the scenes info about some of my favorite performance artists. I howled with laughter after reading about an incident with one of BIG's sidepieces that ended with Faith stormin ol' girl's apartment and laying a quick beatdown. I shook my head in disbelief when reading about how estranged Faye & BIG's marriage became in such a short period of time. I was just all into this book emotionally, haha!

IF you're a Faith fan and you haven't read this one, what are you waiting for? You gon' be five years late to the party like me?

The Funny Thing Is... - Ellen Degeneres

2010-02-01T08:32:00.002-06:00

A collection of humorous essays, Ellen Degeneres' The Funny Thing Is... is like having the author in your home telling you stories. Opening with a hilarious retelling of a recent brunch at her house (whose attendees include Eminem, Paula Adbul, Gloria Steimen, Tara Lipinski and Sigfried [or Roy]), Degeneres discusses about everything from parallel parking to Gloria Estefan. With chapter titles like "That's Why Prison Wouldn't Be So Bad", "My Dad Was Like a Father to Me", & "Smartishness", the reader is taken a trip through Ellen's mind. There's one chapter where she laments the uselessness of cuddly things and the color yellow, only to retract those statements later.

In general, I love Ellen. When I was FUNemployed I'd watch her talkshow daily. I'm even (against better judgement) looking forward to her stint on American Idol. This book? Weeeeeellllllll, in some places I was laughing out loud, slappin' my knee. In other places? I just wanted it to be over. Sometimes it felt like she was reaching too hard for the joke. If you're a fan of Degeneres' brand of humor, this book will definitely work for you.

The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother - James McBride

2010-02-01T08:31:00.012-06:00

Growing up, James McBride knew his mother was different from most of the mothers of his friends, but she never let him explore her differences. When he asked what color she was, she responded that she was "light skinned". As he grew up, though, his mother eventually shared with him her life story. She was a Jewish Polish immigrant who was disowned by her family for marrying a Black man. Her name went from Ruchel to Rachel to Ruth...and along the journey she changed into the woman he had come to know as his mother. Told in alternating viewpoints (that of Ruth and James), The Color of Water explores the lives of two individuals whose life trajectories were intertwined, yet separate.

I don't know if I've ever mentioned on here, but I am fascinated with race & how it is discussed amongst people in the United States. So when I read about this book on my friend Meg's Good Reads list, I knew it was something I would be interested in checking out. McBride does a great job of telling his mother's story as well as explaining how her story affects his own. The more details were leaked about Ruth McBride Jordan's life, the most my heart ached for her. I could not imagine being cast out of my family for choosing love. It's completely and utterly ridiculous. At any rate, McBride's story is one of inspiration and triumph. I would definitely recommend anyone to read this book.

Pretty in Plaid - Jen Lancaster

2010-02-01T08:31:00.010-06:00

This book is a compilation of some of the most important moments in Lancaster's life defined by what she was wearing while the happened. Chronicling her life from elemetary school to adulthood, Pretty in Plaid is one laugh after another. Lancaster is a quirky kid whose family moves from Boston to Indiana when she is about 8 or 9 years old. She is made fun of for bearly everything about herself for the first few years of her move from her accent to her love of all things girl scouts. As she acclimates to the Midwest, she begins rebelling against her upbringing. High school and college Jen are more than a handful.

This book was cute. Every chapter was named after an outfit that was worn during the time period in question and I had to crack up at some of them. Jen was quite the little fashionista inspite of being stuck in Cow Town, IN. Her story is one of universal truths to which anyone anywhere (be it small town America or the big city) can relate. I really enjoyed this one and will possibly check out some of her other books.

Bling - Erica Kennedy

2010-02-01T08:30:00.009-06:00

Set in the heart of the music industry, Bling is a firsthand account of how the ills of fame can taint even those with the best of intentions. Mimi is a girl from small town Ohio who is in a singing group with her two best friends. They land an audition with one of the biggest labels, but after seeing them the label head, Lamont Jackson, is only interested in Mimi. She is reluctant to sign, but eventually does. Soon the small town girl disappears and Mimi is deeply entrenches in the world of money, cars, clothes, drugs, violence, & fame. It's a whirlwind ride that takes some surprising turns, but eventually Mimi ends up where she should be.

I went to the library looking for Kennedy's latest novel, Feminista, but they didn't have it so I picked this one up instead. I'm glad I did because I loved every minute of it. Every character in this book is a trip from the crazy named rappers (Ridickylus) to the random folks who show up for one scene. Kennedy does a great job at giving an inside view of the seemingly glamourous world of recording. Can't wait to read Feminista.

The Booster - Jennifer Solow

2010-01-28T11:19:00.009-06:00

Jillian Siegel seemingly has it all: the perfect job, good looks, a hot boyfriend, fashionable clothes etc. She also has a secret; she's a shoplifter. From designer blouses to high end undies, Jillian snags them all while repeating her mantra "It is mine". Soon though, Jillian's world comes crashing around her as she loses her job, her boyfriend, & is on the verge of losing her favorite relative, Uncle Bingo. She relies on the thing she has the most control over (shoplifting) to get her through. She botches a shoplifting expedition and ends up in lockup. While there she meets a young woman named, Shelly who introduces her to the leader of a shoplifitng ring. Jillian joins them and hijinks ensue.

This book began incredibly slow for me. I picked it up from the Barnes & Noble post holiday sale because it looked interesting. After about 100 pages it picked up for me and I was engrossed. I needed to know why Jillian stole, how long she could do it for, and if she'd ever get caught. It also kinda made me wanna try and steal, if we're being honest LOL! I was reading her tricks of the trade and wondered if they'd really work. Obviously, I'll never try them, but it didn't hurt to wonder, haha. There was a twist at the end, but it didn't pack a punch. It kinda wrapped up a bit too prettily for me. This novel ended up being just okay for me.

Mixed Blood - Roger Smith

2010-01-27T08:35:00.008-06:00

Jack Burn has a knack for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. A security professional turned reluctant bank robber, Burn is on the run for a crime he did not commit. Fleeing to Cape Town, South Africa with his wife Susan and young son Matt, he has assumed the identity Jack Hill. Rudi Barnard (known in the streets as Gatsby) is a dirty cop with a penchant for killing anyone who steps in his path. Benny Mongrel is a disfigured ex-con who is now a security patrolman that guards the house next to Jack Burn's. Rikki Fortune is a drug dealer/addict who has a poor sense of judgement that leads to disastrous results. Disaster Zondi is a high ranking police official seeking to rid the local precincts of the rotten cops. The lives of all these men intersect by virtue of one fateful event. The adventure that unfurls along the way is nothing short of heart-racing.

I picked this novel up on my way out of the library last week. I saw it in the new releases section and it piqued my interest. I was not disappointed. . I typically do not read "thrillers", so I didn't know what to expect going in. Smith weaves a tale that is both entertaining and thought provoking. I found myself sympathizing with some characters while reviling others. Yet another novel that I've read that evokes an emotional response. Y'all know how I feel about that, haha! Any novel that makes me think or has me talking back to the book as if it were a movie reels me in everytime.

The whole time while reading this book, I kept thinking it would make a dope movie. I did a little investigating and apparently Samuel L. Jackson is set to star in an independent adaptation. I'm super excited and will probably be trying to keep up with news on the movie as it progresses.

At any rate, I highly recommend this novel for a read. Even if you're not a "thriller" reader, I'm confident that you'll enjoy it.

Infidel - Ayaan Hirsi Ali

2010-01-25T14:54:00.013-06:00

Opening with the brutal of famed Dutch film producer (and Hirsi Ali's friend) Theo van Gogh, Infidel is a poignant story of a young Muslim woman's road to liberty. Hirsi Ali tells the story of growing up as Muslim girl/woman. Born in Somalia and raised in parts of Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia and Kenya, Ayaan Hirsi Ali grew up a devout Muslim. After being forced to marry and escaping from her homeland to the Netherlands, Hirsi Ali begins constantly questioning the tenets of Islam. Throughout the course of her journey, Hirsi Ali manages to become a member of the Dutch Parliament. It is when she is within this parliamentary position that she makes the general Dutch public aware of the lack of rights of the Muslim woman. She ultimately becomes a champion for rights of Muslim women. With great power comes much opposition, she soon learns. Threats are made on a daily basis and she is forced to resign from the Parliament as well as have her citizenship questioned.

To say that Ali had a helluva life is an understatement. There were points in this book that I was incredibly uncomfortable and had to put it down for a bit. I could not imagine going through half of what she did and making it out well enough to retell my story. It's a rollercoaster of events and some of them are too ridiculous to even be believed. Alas, that's me speaking like a Westerner. This book definitely made me lucky to be born in an environment where I can make my own decisions & live my life according to my own will. Hirsi Ali's evolution is a fascinating tale that I'd encourage all to check out.

Things Fall Apart - Chinua Achebe

2010-01-21T09:54:00.003-06:00

Achebe's novel is the story of Okonkwo, a great man despite growing up with a father who was a lazy bum. After defeating a powerful tribesman in a wrestling match, Okonkwo begins his ascent to greatness. He is propelled into the high rungs of his society, often seen as powerful, yet stoic. Respected by the elders in his tribe, Okonkwo is allowed to house a prisoner taken by his village named Ikemefuna until they are ready to kill him. Ikemefuna winds up staying with Okonkwo's family for more than three years, with Okonkwo's eldest son Nwoye growing rather fond of the young man. Okonkwo is warned to take no part in the killing of the boy because it would be like killing his own child. When the tribesmen come to collect Ikemefuna and lead him to certain death, Okonkwo goes with them. Against the warning of the elder, he kills Ikemefuna. After Ikemefuna's death is when everything comes crashing down for Okonkwo. He accidently kills someone at a funeral and is exiled to his mother-tribe for seven years. During his time away, Okonkwo's life keeps going downhill. When he is finally allowed back to his homeland, trouble awaits and leads to his ultimate, untimely death.

I know. You probably expected that I've read this book before. Nope. Heard of it, of course, but never had the time (nor interest, if I'm being honest) to crack it open. It's another that's on my list for the African Diaspora Challenge, so I figured there's no time like the present, right? Here's the thing. Structually, I liked the book. I like Achebe's writing style a lot. As far as the story, I was torn. I liked it for the most part, I just found myself getting really frustrated with the character of Okonkwo. Which, I guess, is the point of it all, haha. I think this is one of those books that will probably have to grow on me. I'm sure upon a second (third or fifth) reading, I'll come across things that I didn't notice before and ultimately love this book as much a those I know do. For now, I'll just say it was okay for me.

The Untelling - Tayari Jones

2010-01-20T10:59:00.012-06:00

In 2010, I'm getting serious about my reading and have joined several reading challenges you see linked on the right. One of them is the African Diaspora Challenge. Tayari Jones' The Untelling is the first book that I'm reading for the challenge.

The Untelling is the story of Ariadne (Aria) Jackson's life. Forever changed by a car accident that claimed the lives of her father & younger sister, we meet Aria at age twenty-five. She works as a literacy counselor for teenage girls and lives in "the hood". Life seems to be going fairly well for Aria until she finds out that she is pregnant. What subsequently unfolds is a maelstrom of drama!

My little summary up there really doesn't delve into all of the intricacies of this book. I had a hard time trying to summarize without giving it all away. I will tell you this though. I did not want to put this book down. I was upset when I pulled into train station in the morning and had to stop reading; wanted to take an extra half hour on lunch to finish the novel then; & RAN to the train on the way home to finish it. THAT good. I found myself talking to the book at points and bawling like a newborn at the end. I was rooting for Aria the whole way through and she kept missing opportunities to make things right.

I love a book that pulls me in emotionally & The Untelling definitely does. I'd certainly recommend this for you to read & I'll be reading Jones' other novel soon. :)

Mama Dearest - E. Lynn Harris

2010-01-20T08:59:00.006-06:00

In this posthumous release, Harris revives characters that his readers have come to know and...well love or loathe. Yancey Braxton Harrington was a young promising star until everything around her came crashing down. She's currently on a bus-and-truck touring production of Dreamgirls trying to make her way back to the spotlight. Her mother, Ava Parker Middlebrooks however, does not want Yancey to succeed and will do everything in her power to derail her daughter's course. With the help of a powerful & rich force, Ava nearly succeeds in ruining her daughter's life. A tale of deception and redemption, Mama Dearest is a page turner.

In my summary up there, I kinda left out some vital information. It's a key part of the story, but I couldn't work it in. So if you haven't read this and you happen to pick it up, consider it my surprise to you, haha! Anyway, so here's the deal. I have a love/hate relationship with E. Lynn Harris novels. They're like Tyler Perry movies to me. I go knowing what to expect, hope for some variety, and leave feeling kinda 'meeeeh' about the whole thing. I scooped this one up because it was prominently displayed in my local library (quelle surprise!) and the last book released before Harris' untimely death. I was actually quite surprised when I found myself cackling in the laundromat while reading it. Yes it was the same ol' predictability, but I still dug it nonetheless. I liked it WAAAAY better than I did Basketball Jones, that's for sure..

Dirty Blonde and Half-Cuban - Lisa Wixon

2010-01-13T08:33:00.008-06:00

Dirty Blonde and Half Cuban is the story of Alysia Briggs's quest to find her biological father and, in ways, herself. When Alysia is 13, her mother is dying of cancer. Until that point, Alysia was under the impression that the man she had been calling 'Dad' (an American diplomat named John Briggs) was her biological father. On her deathbed, Alysia's mother implores her to travel to Cuba and seek out her REAL father, Jose Antonio Vilar. Fast forward about ten years later and Alysia, despite her stepdad's implicit instructions not to, takea the voyage to Cuba to find her father. Arriving in Havana, Alysia is swept into a world that is the complete opposite of the one she has always known. Robbed by a family that was supposed to help her, Alysia turned to the world of jineterisimo, which is a unique form of prostitution.

this book, This Book, THIS BOOK! I absolutley loved it. Wixon's writing style is gritty and gut-wrenching. Her characters are perfectly flawed. While I can't personally relate to not knowing my bio dad and having a shocker like this dropped on me in my teen years, I could definitely relate to the character of Alysia. It was about more than just finding her dad. The journey that she took and the subsequent adventures in which she took part is one of self-discovery, growth, and acceptance. She also shows a side of Cuba that I never knew existed. I was VERY intrigued by the idea of jineterisimo and how it all shakes out. I would highly recommend this book.

Playing My Mother's Blues - Valerie Wilson Wesley

2010-01-12T08:56:00.004-06:00

Playing My Mother's Blues is a story of abandonment, deception, and heartache. Maria (who calls herelf Mariah) is trapped in a loveless marraige to a man who is very much her senior. She meets & gets taken in by a younger man, leaving her two daughters Dani (age 7) and Rose (age 17) behind with their father. Weeks later Maria is jailed for killing the man for whom she gave up her family. This novel begins 20 years in the future with Maria laying the groundwork to how everything came to be. It switches perspective between Maria, Dani, and Rose over the course of the novel.

I love Wilson Wesley's Tamara Hale detective series so I was excited to read this book. From the blurb on the back, I thought I knew what I was getting into, but not hardly. This book has so many different layers and complexities. There was a plot point that was kinda predictable, but the major premise of the story was more complex than I thought at the beginning. This one is a most def page turner and probably a contender for my book club later this year.

Sex Lies Murder Fame - Lolita Files

2010-01-11T08:54:00.007-06:00

Set in New York City, sex.lies.murder.fame chronicles the lives of three people in the book publishing industry. First up there's Beryl Unger, a homely faced woman with an enchanting smile who worked her way up from being a gopher at a a publishing house to being one of the most lauded editors in modern day. Unger also happens to suffer from both narcolepsy and obsessive compulsive disorder. Pennbrook Hamilton is a baby faced golden boy who grew up in the lap of luxury until his parents death. No longer in the lap of luxury, Hamilton relies on his good looks and above average IQ to get him everything he needs. From the outside, bestselling author Sherlyn Tate seems to have it all: attractive rich husband, fancy houses & cars, etc. An inside view shows that things are not what they seem as Sherlyn deals with infidelity and drug issues. The lives of these three intersect in interesting ways as the story unfolds.

Files does it again with this one! It began a bit slow for me at first, so when I got off the train in the morning I was not chomping at the bit to finish it. On the train ride home, however? I couldn't get to my house quick enough to finish the last fifty pages or so. Files has a way of drawing you in when you least expect it. This is one of those books that I'd like to see brought to the big screen. There's certainly enough action and intrigue to keep a viewer interested. While reading this book I went through the gamut of emotions from irritation to anger to shock to pity to disbelief. Any writer that can make a read feel that much HAS to be one of the greats. I think I'd venture to say that Lolita Files is fast becoming one of my favorite contemporary authors.

Taming Jeremy - Anne Tourney

2010-01-06T17:19:00.003-06:00

Taming Jeremy is the story of Tia, an art therapist and her crazy life. Trouble sets in when Tia's roommate Noelle seeks Tia's help with her little brother Jeremy. 22 year old Jeremy is a flighty boy who lives a life of manic highs and lows. Noelle know that Jeremy is quite advanced in his art and thinks that Tia's influence on him can help curtail his wild ways. Noelle's also playing both sides against the middle as she has a thing for Mark and is trying to break he and Tia up. Jeremy meets Tia and falls head over heels. Tia begins to have feelings for Jeremy as well...and DRAMA.

Y'all I was hoodwinked by myself! Haha! I have a bad habit of judging books by their covers. That is to say how the covers look, but rarely reading the covers in full, apparently. So one of my famed trips to Borders, I picked up a book from the the bargain section. It was a dollar and it looked fun. You would think that I have learned my lesson from doing such things (this and this!), but alas I haven't. I neglected to see that in quite bold italics the bottom of this cover details it to be an erotic romance.

So imagine my surprise when ohhhhh, about a paragraph in, I learn how much of a cunning linguist (read between the lines) Tia's boyfriend Mark is. Mind you, I read on the train & am usually sitting alone. This day, however? Crowded train so someone was next to me. I felt like I was being judged and kept trying to position the book so that what was being read could not be seen. I'd never really read erotica before. I've mentioned here before that I do enjoy a good romance, so it's not like I've never read about sex in a novel. Usually it's done tastefully in the romance novels, so I've always thought erotica to be more crude and nasty. Tourney's erotica is kinda crude, but not nasty. I didn't enjoy this book, but that's not the reason why. I really found myself hating the characters. None of them had any redeeming qualities. Tia was a bit too self-centered. Mark was a control freak. Jeremy could have been a good character (if his mental illness were more developed). Noelle was just lame. I get where Tourney was trying to go with this novel, but it never quite made it there.

What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day - Pearl Cleage

2010-01-06T12:48:00.002-06:00

Atlanta hairdresser Ava Johnson has just found out that she is HIV+. After selling her hair salon (but before moving cross country to San Francisco), Ava travels to her hometown of Idlewild, Michigan to spend the summer with her sister Joyce. Ava returns home only to find that the ills of the "Big City" (drugs, unwed teeen pregnancy, etc) have come home to roost in her small-time hometown. Ava eventually discovers the true meaning of love and commitment at this novel's conclusion.

I first read this book when it was featured in Oprah's Book Club in the late 90s. (Full disclosure: I am an Oprahphile.) I absolutely LOVED it. Cleage's writing style is concise, yet complex. The characters that she builds are rich and dynamic. Reading a Cleage novel, you can picture things exactly how they are happening and I love that.

Too Little, Too Late by Victoria Christopher Murray

2010-01-05T08:38:00.012-06:00

Victoria Christopher Murray is a Christian fiction novelist who seamlessly weaves the word of God into an interesting & well crafted story. This novel Too Little, Too Late is a sequel to one of her earlier works. In this installment, she is chronicling the life of two couples whose lives intersect in a major way. Jasmine Larson Bush is the wife of a successful minister named Hosea Bush. Jasmine and Hosea's relationship endured its fair share of storms, including infidelity. Out of Jasmine's unfaithful tryst, came their daughter Jacqueline who was fathered by Brian Lewis. Brian is married to Alexis, who is one of Jasmine's fiercest enemies. Brian is not only dealing with how to tell his wife about his child with Jasmine, but also about an addiction that he has sought help with recently. He is a sex addict (I know! I laughed too). Living on opposite coasts has allowed Brian and Jasmine to keep their secrets, but when the Bushes are temporarily transplanted to the left coast (& Hosea's ex-fiance reappears), everything implodes.

As I said with my first foray into Christian fiction, I was worried about scripture being bandied about with no real explanations. Instead I got a page turner with the applicable scriptures inserted at the proper times. Although the underlying theme of the book is to trust in God to make your life run the course that it's supposed to, I didn't feel like I was being beat over the head with theology. On the flipside, the drama between the Bushes and Lewises was not too salacious or ridiculous. This novel treads the fine line of reality and overexaggerated for effect-ality, ha! My favorite character in this novel was the "grandmother" Mae Francis. She reminds me SO much of my maternal grandmother (RIP). Tyler Perry take note, this is how the no nonsense grandmother is done properly. *shakes head at Madea* ANYWAY, I've gone on a tangent. Great novel and I look forward to reading more from Murray.

Notes from management...

2010-01-04T10:32:00.002-06:00

Welcome to 2010, everyone! I trust that you all made it through safely and unscathed! :)

So with the dawning of a new year, I've decided that this blog needed to be revamped. I've already started with the name of it. 100 Books in 100 days is done, but reading and sharing my thoughts is NOT. I've recently switched jobs and one of my newly acquired daily activities is a 40 minute train ride, twice daily! I've taken to grabbing a novel from the pile I've yet to read & reading it during my morning commute. Depending on the nature of the novel and my frame of mind, I could probably still read a book a day, but I'm trying not to push myself. :)

So yes, this blog is now "Today's book on the train..." (TBOTT, for short). I'm working with a friend to get a new layout and intergrate this (and some other ideas I'm working on) into my new domain http://www.capeinhand.net. I've already began redirecting, but nothing's cohesive and it's all a mess right now. I'm hoping to launch before the end of the month, but who knows? HAHA! That's about it for now...I'll be posting about today's book, which was a pretty easy read (halfway through on one train ride), tomorrow...with more book summaries and reviews to come on a semi-daily basis!

Little Earthquakes by Jennifer Weiner

2010-01-03T09:12:00.007-06:00

This novel is set in Philadelphia, PA and follows the lives of four different women. Suffering from the loss of her infant son, Lia leaves behind her movie star lifestyle and husband to come back home to Philadelphia. Expecting her first child with her doctor husband, restauranteur Becky befriends two women in her pregnancy yoga class; Ayinde whose exotic beauty and superstar husband make her stand out among most women & Kelly, a women who is obsessed with presenting a life of perfection to the world. Throughout the course of the book the lives of these four women intersect as they deal with many issues such as infidelity, spousal unemployment, overbearing mothers-in-law, and new motherhood.

I've fallen in love with Jennifer Weiner as a writer. I love her style, the way she captures the voices of her characters, EVERYTHING. I think she will be the only chick lit I read from now on because I haven't been let down yet. I found myself laughing aloud several times during the course of this novel as well as gasping and clutching my pearls. I would LOVE to see one of her novels brought to the big screen. If Jodi Picoult could get one optioned, I KNOW Jen Weiner can!

A Stronger Kinship - Anna-Lisa Cox

2009-12-25T10:19:00.004-06:00

A Stronger Kinship by Anna-Lisa Cox is a nonfictional look at one of the first fully integrated towns in the United States, Covert, Michigan. Cox's book takes a look at all of the town's settlers and how they managed to run a town in the 1800s where race was not an issue. Through a combination of archived town reports, pictures, and first hand recounts, Cox's view of Covert was a bird's eye view.

I was torn with this one. I really wanted to like it because the subject matter was something that interests me greatly. The book started off strong, but kind of fizzled mid way through for me. I would have liked it more if Cox was able to get more personal anecdotes. Granted most of the town's original settlers were long gone by the time Cox began writing her book, but I'm sure some of their descendants were still in town. I'm also sure that there had to have been stories passed down throughout generations. That little added extra would have made the book read less like a textbook and more like a nonfictional journey through a difficult time in history. It's a good read if you're like me and fascinated by race relations, but if you're not? Pass on it.

Fortunate Son - Walter Mosely

2009-12-24T09:09:00.001-06:00

Fortunate Son by Walter Mosely is the tale of two young men Tommy Beerman & Eric Nolan. The mother of Tommy falls in love with the father of Eric (while the boys are both infants) and they move in together. Tommy and his mother are Black; Eric and his father, white. The boys grow up as brothers until tragedy strikes and Tommy's mother dies. After hre death, Tommy is taken away to live with his biological father who is degenerate. As the book progresses, Tommy's life goes in a downward spiral, while Eric remains the "golden boy".

I like Mosely, so I was expecting a good novel. I was not let down. At times I was exasperated with the characters, but I had to know what was going to happen next. My heart broke for both of the guy son their journey. I enjoy books where I actually get emotionally invested. I would definitely recommend this one for a read.

Brooke - VC Andrews

2009-12-23T11:43:00.001-06:00

After Geek Love (which was on the initial 100 list), I veered back off and read one of the books that I acquired during my visit to the local Goodwill. I'd seen VC Andrews' name and novels before, but never felt compelled to pick one up and read it. That Saturday evernoon, however? It was anything goes day. Brooke by VC Andrews was an interesting lil novel. In this case I judged a book by its cover.It's the story of an orphan, Brooke naturally, who is adopted by a well-to-do couple. The wife in this couple is obsessed (to say the least) with physical appearance. She is trying desperately to turn Brook into a beauty queen & Brook resists at every turn. Torn between being grateful to being rescued from the orphanage and resentful of her "new mommy's" coaching, Brooke struggles to do her best to please everyone. I wouldn't want to spoil you, but let's just say in the end "mommy" gets what she wants and Brooke's with a new family.

Eeeeyup, I was definitely NOT missing anything when I decided to forego VC Andrews' distinct brand of literature. I was expecting it to be some sort of horror-filled twist to the novel due to the cover art & blurb. Doesn't Brooke look like she tortures puppies or something on that cover? I was expecting her to be like The Bad Seed, but instead she's just a misunderstood child looking for love. Meh, I could have done without reading this one.

Geek Love - Katherine Dunn

2009-12-21T16:43:00.001-06:00

Geek Love by Katherine Dunn was definitely NOT about what I thought it'd be. I judged this one on title alone. Who needs to read those blurbs on the back of books? That's what the actual novel is for, right? Anyway, so this novel chronicles the lives of a traveling circus family, The Binewskis, led by the father Big Al and the mother Crystal Lil. The story is narrated by Olympia Binewski, the second to youngest of the clan. Born to "normal" parents, the Binewski children are all unique in their own right. There's Arty, the eldest, who has fins and flippers instead of arms and legs. The conjoined twins Elly and Iphy whose torsos are separate, but only have one set of legs. Olympia who is an albino drawrf with a hump in her back. The youngest, Fortunato (aka Chick) has telepathic powers. Big Al had Crystal Lil take all sorts of drugs and chemical combinations in order to make their special children. There were others, but they persihed. They are maintained though, in glass jars & on display at the circus. The story begins in present day with Olympia explaining how everyone in the family ended up where they were currently. I ought not say more as I'd be posting a lot of spoilers to the novel.

This one was an interesting read. It was suggested to me by a high school pal, Ann. I thought it was going to be a story about nerdy people "wookin pa nub" ($5 & the shot of your choice to whomever gets that reference), so I was hella surprised when I began reading this novel. Apparently, in the circus life geeks are crazy individuals who kill chickens with their bare hands & teeth. Eeeeeyyeeeaaaahhhhh, I think I'll stick with my Urkelesque definition of geek. This novel is, for lack of a better description, WEIRD AS HELL. Surprisingly, I had no strong feelings about it either way really. I didn't love nor hate it. After it ended, all I could say was "Meh. That was...something. NEXT!" If, by chance, you're into stories about circus freaks then by all means check this one out.

Contrary to what you see here...

2009-12-16T11:33:00.003-06:00

I am reading. I am just not blogging. I swear with me if it's not one thing, it's another, HA! At any rate, um yes...bear with me here people. I'm coming back from a mini-vacation to New Orleans & starting a new job. Life is hectic. In other news, I probably won't reach 100 books by year's end, but I'm okay with that...for the most part, haha!

Read-a-Thon Updates #3 075-076

2009-12-06T08:02:00.003-06:00

This would have been posted last night had I not fallen asleep about the 2am hour. D'oh! My head was in a tizzy so I decided to take a break from reading and watch a movie. If you haven't seen Away We Go you need to rent it immediately! Maya Rudolph is amazing! I love she! HAHA!

Anyway, back to reading...so after the movie I picked up The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. This novel is quite possibly one of my favorite books ever written. I dunno why I love it so, but I just do. I first read it back in Sophmore English II Academic and reread it at least once a year. I often say that I'm a bad English major because I tend to stay away from "classic" literature, but this is one exception to the rule. I wanna go to one of Gatsby's parties on the Island and have some fun! :)

After Gatsby, I reread another of my faves Edna O'Brien's House of Splendid Isolation. If you've never read this book, I suggest you pick it up! It tells the story of an Irish woman (Josie) who is housing an IRA terrorist (McGreevy). It begins in present day, but then goes back in time a bit to help us fully understand the character of Josie. The unlikely bond that is formed between Josie and McGreevy was one of the things I explored in my senior thesis. I did a comparitive analysis of Irish Literature and literature from the American South, using this novel and Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God. I got an A if you were wondering! ;) Anyway, yes back to the book. Check it out and let me know what you think about it. At first I found it to be a bit boring, but once I got into the thick of it, I loved it!

After Splendid..., I started A is for Alibi by Sue Grafton. At least I attempted to start it. I woke up this morning face down in chapter 2, haha! So I think I'm going to try and finish it later today.

This read-a-thon thing was fun! I'd definitely do it again. Muchos thankos go to Miss Reads4Pleasure for letting me know about this! :)

Read-a-Thon updates #2 071-074

2009-12-05T20:54:00.007-06:00

Between that last post and this one I've accomplished a lot. I decided to venture out to my local Goodwill to see if I could grab a book or two to read tonight. 15 books and 1 cute Louis Vuitton later, I come back to update you all on my reading.

Since my last post I've read four books: Elizabeth: University Interrupted, Elizabeth: London Calling both by Francine Pascal, Cosmic Rendezvous by Robyn Amos, and Letters from Rifka by Karen Hesse. All good enough to keep my attention for the last few hours. :)

The first two novels mentioned are actually updated versions of the Sweet Valley High series that I adored as a girl. For this read-a-thon, I've decided that I'll switch things up a bit and grab a few childhood faves to read (hence the visit to the Goodwill). I saw these on the shelves and had to pick em up to read. In these updated, revamped stories Elizabeth Wakefield has just been betrayed by her twin Jessica while the two of them were on a cross-country road trip with their boyfriends. With nothing but a duffel bag full of clothes and an acceptance letter from University of London's study abroad program, Liz hops on a flight to good old Londontown. She gets there and everything is a disaster. She has no money. Her spot in the University's program has been given away since she didn't respond in the proper time. She ends up becoming a skullery maid for one of London's richest families. Of course, hijinks ensue. I found myself being transported to like age 8 reading these novels. I used to devour Sweet Valley Twins/High/University books as a kid. Pascal's revamping of the Wakefield sisters and their lives is done nearly seamlessly. I kinda wanna find the rest of the books in this series to see how things play out. :)

After Liz and her drama, I kept the lighthearted reading going with Cosmic Rendezvous. Another romance novel, of course. I think I've actually read something by this particular author before because the names sounds familiar. At any rate, this novel is ths story of an aerospace engineer, Shelly London, who has dreams of becoming a NASA astronaut. While working on developing s top secret space travel device for the government, she is introduced to Lincoln "Lightning" Ripley, a cocky Air Force pilot/astronaut. Of course, inevitably they start feeling some kinda way about each other and act upon those feelings. Eventually, there is trouble in paradise as it seems someone is trying to sabotage Shelly and make her seem incompetant in order to keep the government from choosing her ship as the best for their mission. Eventually, Shelly and Lincoln find out that it was one of the other engineers on the team and happy endings all around. ;)

The last book I just finished was Letters From Rifka, which is another YA novel. Also another epistolary novel. Oh joy! HAHA! This one is written from the viewpoint of a 12 year old Russian Jew whose family is forced to flee their hometown because her brother went AWOL from the Army. Through these letter to her cousin Tovah, she recounts their journey as well as the roadblocks that are constantly put up in their way as they try to get to America. Rifka is an intelligent, crafty, strongwilled little girl who, at any cost, always gets her way. Even when she is separated from her family for over a year, Rifka maintains her positivity and strong mind. I actually really liked this book and if I were a middle school language arts teacher I'd try to to introduce it into the curriculum.

Okay, I have no idea what I'm reading next nor when I'll be posting again. This is fun though... :)

Read-a-Thon Update #1 068-070

2009-12-05T16:17:00.005-06:00

Since I completely spaced on the Dewey Read-A-Thon back in October, I was stoked to find out that Dreadlock Girl was doing another this month. I found out via Reads4Pleasure and immediately signed up. Then I committed to a Christmas Party on 12/4. I seriously like living life on the edge! HAHA! Nevertheless, despite making it into the house after 3 am, I woke up at a bit before 9CST and began reading. I was an hour behind the suggested start time, so I had to make up for it.

I began my reading with a bit of spice! I'm a secret romance novel lover and one of my favorites is author Brenda Jackson. She released a new Harlequin novel last month and I bought it a few days back. I saved it for the Read-A-Thon. Westmoreland's Way is the latest installment in Brenda's Westmoreland series. This is a family full of strong, confident, and wealthy men who meet their match in feisty, opinionated, EVEN STRONGER women. In this novel, we meet Dillon Westmoreland who is researching some of his family's history. Pamela Novak has the key to this history and he seeks her out. Of course sparks fly, despite Pamela being engaged. I'm really breezing through this right nwo to give you a gist of the book. It isn't as cut and dry nor pedantic as I am making it out to be. Good writing, strong plot, & steamy seks scenes (shoutout to alliteration!), Brenda Jackson has another good one ot add to the pile.

After Westmoreland's Way, I decided to revisit one of the first books I ever read as a youngin trying to read more adult literature. One of my dad's coworkers gave me 5 books when I was about 13. I probably should not have been reading such things at that age, but I read them like reading was going out of style. One of them was Eric Jerome Dickey's Sister, Sister. Dickey's style hooked my early teen brain and I sought out books by him for years to come. One of his novels happens to be one of my favorite books. Friends and Lovers follows two sets of best friends who happen to be dating one another. I related to the character Shelby somthing tough, let me tell you. I still see shades of Shelby in me to this day, but that's a blog for my personal site and not this book blog. Anyway, of course since I've read this book before it was an easy and enjoyable read. :)

I just finished reading The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. This epistolary (written in letter form, no actual dialogue or narration) novel was a bit of a difficult read for me. I'd begun reading it during my 100 Books quest, but gave up halfway through. For this read-a-thon though, I decided to give it the old college try and read it again. The book begins with novelist Juliet Ashton receiving a letter from a stranger on the Engligh Channel Island of Guernsey. He was writing to offer praise on a piece of work she had written as well as inform her the literary society that had been formed by the island's occupants during the German occupation of World War II. Soon Juliet is exchanging letters with all of the society's members and plans to write a book about their experience. She later visits the island and gets to know these people with whom she had been communicating by letters. Once she reaches the island, the story is further told by letters to her editor and friend, Sydney; among others. (I don't think that semi-colon should be there, but I'm not sure what other form of punctuation would have fit...ANYWAY...). The epistolary form that the authors chose to use was kinda genius. I liked how the story unfolded, but it just took a lot to get used to. Also, I thought it was amazing that although this book was written by two different people, it flowed seemlessly. They did not work on the novel together Shaffer began it and upon her death, Barrows took up the challenge of finishing it. A good read, if you can get past the whole thing being letters, haha!

Okay, enough blogging. Back to reading! I'll be back in a few hours with another update...