Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Dance into Destiny bySherri Lewis(Urban Christian)

Dance to Destiny (Urban Christian)Keeva Banks represents a lot of Christians who want to do something worthwhile with their live but don't know what God's purpose in their lives.  She like many of us have tried to live up to their
parent's expectations.  She meets Shara Anderson,who knows her purpose and is thriving in  the same graduate program that Keeva is also enrolled in,but doesn't have a clue about balancing her life.
What I enjoyed the most about this book is that it touche on several issues that Christians face in church
without being harsh or putting u in that "crazy" box.  The dialogue was great  I thought the ending was dangerously close to a "happily ever after"scenario but over all I was pleased with the simple and plain writing  style I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

Saturday, December 26, 2009

black water rising by Attica Locke

Black Water Rising: A Novel Jay Porter is trying to survive his past.  Almost thrown in jail for his radical involvement in college. His fear clouds his world ten years later as a lawyer in what is supposed to be Houston,Texas in 1981.  He has a pregant wife who is quietly dissatified with their marriage will he be the man she needs him to be?The Port of Houston workers are about to strike . Will Jay forgive his former college buddy and help them?Will the white woman he fished out of the bayou one night be the end of him?

I must say I was intially impessed with the imagery and how well the author knew Houston(I live hear and lived here during the early 80's)  however just someone can accurately  name some streets does
not make up for not so well planned plot.  Which drags in the middle and towards the end.  Jay Porter is
so scary acting I am really too frustrated with him to care whether or not if ever develops a backbone!
I also felt the dialogue could have been better and I wasn't too thrilled with the ending I give it 2 out of 5 stars

Monday, December 21, 2009

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao  Oscar believes his family is cursed.  His mother ,Belicia,survivied atrocities she almost didn't
speak of again.  His sister,Lola a constant runaway.  How else do you explain this life our nerdy Dominican in Paterson, New Jersey.  When I found out this book won the Pulitizer Prize (2008) in  Literature just like a true
junkie,I wasn't happy until I got it!  This author has a gritty,raw way of telling this story and yet it's hauntingly
beautiful.  It's like finding a diamond near a garbage dump..You just don't expect to find something
this amazing in the landscape we call contemporary literature. I strongly recommend this book for your
permanent collection.  I would give it 7 stars but the most I can give any book is 5 out of 5.

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Part Two Act Like A Lady Think Like a Man

9 Men Respect Standards  Get Some
10 The Five Questions Every woman should ask before She gets in Too Deep
14 How to get the ring
Does this book give you insight about the way men think ? Yes!
Does this book give you practical advice?(Thank you Lord)
See in the past when came to a relationship book you may have gotten bits and pieces
to the jigsaw puzzle i call man or there was so much psychobabble it was discourgingto
try to wade through the pool of crap we call relationship advice.
Sometimes the advice just wasn't practical.  Here we don't have that problem. Ladies
do what you got to do to get this book! As far as relationship books go I give it 5 out of 5 stars.

Act Like a Lady Think Like a Man

Steve Harvey dismantles a lot of myths women have when it come to men
and their intentions(God bless him where was he about 6 or 7 years ago!)
not to get off topic I am includig a partial list of the Table of contents

Section I The mind set of a man

1 What drives a man
2 Our love isn't like your love

Section 2 Why men do what they do
5 First things first he wants to sleep with you
7Mama's boys
8 Why Men cheat

Section 3 The playbook how to win the Game

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Nine Dragons by Micheal Connelly

Wow I finally got my hands on this one!This is the Harry Bosch series.  HIs pa rtner Ferras has been shot
in a previous story and is turning into a real desk jockey.So will he be any help on this new case of
a murdered store clerk in South LA?  His daughter Maddie lives with her mother in Hong Kong
she wants to live with her Father. Will Maddie resolve her issues with her mom.  Of course the main
focus will be  on the Hong Kong Triad, a dangerous organzied crime ring.  I like the way the characters are
potrayed mostly I like this writer's style very no nonsense(for this genre it works)  I like the fact that he expais certain forensics and police procedures.  The plot was good I felt  myself being pulled in slowly
at first and just like a fish on a hook before you know I was reeled in pretty quickly toward the end.
I was surprised at the ending but not in that "no they didn't "Kinda way  It tied in with the story and
I didn't feel like I got punked into buying this book I give it 5 out of 5 stars

Sunday, November 29, 2009

The Perfumed Sleeve

This is a mystery written by Laura Joh Rowland
Our story takes place in the 17th century Japan.  One of the shogun's advisor's has been murdered
which does nothing to ease the growing tension between the two factions are prepared to go to battle
to see which side would gain total control of the Tokugawa regime.  Can Sano Ichiro, top investigator
to the  shogun solve this murder before violence breaks out?  Can Hirata, the chief retainer to Sano,
win back Sano's trust after being disloyal in a time of crisis?  Can Reiko,Sano's wife, overcome the
after effects of being kidnapped in time to help with the investigation?
  I won't lie I wasn't sure when I first picked up this book if I was going to be interested in
anything going on in the 17th century.  But trust when I tell you there is plenty of sneaky underhanded things
going on in this book to keep your interest. However,when it comes to the writer's use of imagery
I felt like I was looking at blurred photograph,the details could have been a little more clear.
The ending was good enough not a total surprise. It's all the things Sano had to go through to
arrive at the truth was more interesting .I give it 3 out of 5 stars

Sunday, November 22, 2009

The Shack by W.M. Paul Young

We meet Mac  a seemingly everyday kind of person in Oregon, in the aftermath of the death of one
of his beloved children. His friend Willie is not only put in the precarious position  of loaning his car to Mac
but also  retelling the story
of his weekend spent with God.  Will Mac find what he's looking for?Can he forgive himself for the
things he's done in his past.I find  this writer's style very unique and refreshing .The use of simile and metaphor paint a very vivid picture.But you don't have to be an English major to enjoy it.Don't let that
fool you .The questions that come up will make you think deeply and will touch you profoundly.
In my opinon  it will become another great american classic .I'm definitely giving this book 5out of 5 stars.

I dedicate this post to my beloved grandmother Birda M.Valmore who passed away 11/18/09 we love you
and miss you and you will live on forever in our hearts

Thursday, November 12, 2009

classic review

This will be one of many classic review (Usually a book that's 10 years or older will fit this category)
Nathaniel Branden's A Woman's self esteem was one of the 10 or so books on a website that recommended
this book for better self-esteem. Nathaniel Branden is a pioneer in the field of self esteem.He was researching
this subject in the 1960's when noone even consider the importance of feeling good about oneself. Having
said that imagine my surprise when Part one of the book is basically a recap of the Six Pillars of Self Esteem!
Part two covers  Special Issues such as Romantic Love,Fear of Selfishness and Expressing Anger
( I liked this chapter) and Part three Enpowering Straties such as Try Something  Different ,Knowing Your
Boundaries and Building a Career.  This is only a partial list of the table of contents.  I was also surprised
that he quoted himself from another one of his books  as if to say that he didn't need to use any other
opinon outside of his own. I also find it very ironic that he would name one of thchesechapters Try Something
Different when he uses that same old "stem completion exercises "he has used in serveral of  his books!
Basically he starts a sentence and you write six to ten different endings for each of the stems for two weeks
I dont know about you but I have a life outside of this.Is it effective ? Yes. Is this practical ?No.
My overall impression is that this is more of a supplemental book.  If you already read the Six Pillars of Self
Esteem then you've already read a third of this book and when it promises to give you "step by step guidance
for women who want to transform themselves it falls short. I give this book 3 out of 5 stars

for a complete list  of the recommended books you can go to webheights.net

Saturday, November 7, 2009

up to no good book review

im reviewing Carl Weber's new book"Up To No Good" the novel's main character is a minor character
from the book"The First Lady" but this is not a continuation of that story.
James Black is the church deacon who loves sleeping with the women that attend his church
even the married ones. Can he change his ways for the new love in his life? His son Darnell,
promised himself he would never be like his cheating daddy. He is about to marry the love of his life,
Keisha.Of course things go wrong as they often do in any good fiction with plenty of drama.
His sister Jamie has to struggle with her insecurities as she discover these strange texts someone has
been sending her man .  Are all men like her father or will her insecurites damage the relatioship?
One of the things I like about Carl Weber is he wastes no time "getting to the good part".  The pace of
the novel will definitely hold your attention.The other thing I like is the dialouge reminds me of conversations
I've overheard on the bus so that's a  good thing if you can relate to the characters.But even though you will
find yourself unable to put the book down the story takes a strange twist that I didn't see coming and the
ending left me unsatisfied. I gave it 3 out of 5 stars.

New Location

If you have made it here then I want to direct you to my newer improved blog over on wordpress ( New blog .) I just want to thank you guys f...