Wednesday, October 26, 2016

2016-2017 To be read list

Here it is ny To Be Read List for October 2016-October 2016 I think it will be shorter next year because I have books within a series I like to review so that doesn't count them all the time

A Dictionary of Mutual Understanding
    By Jackie Copleton

2. A Man called Ove by Fredrik Backman
    
3. That Thing I Never Told You
     By Celeste Ng

4.God Help the Child by Toni Morrison

5.Here Comes the Sun
   Nicole Dennis Benn

6.Still Alice
   By Lisa Genova

7.Imagine Me Gone
    By Adam Haslett

8.After You by Jojo Moyes

9.Another Brooklyn
   By Jacqueline Woods on

10. The Country of Ice Cream Star
By Sandra Newman

11.Let's Go Crazy :Prince and the Making of Purple Rain by Alan  Light

12.Summer of the Cicadas by Cole Lavalais

13.Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

14.Eileen by Otessa Mosh Legh

15. The Perks Of being A Wallflower by Stephen Chobsky

16.Orange is The New Black by Piper Kerman

17.Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

18.Ghana Must Go  by Taiye Selasi

19. Between The World and Me by TA Nehisi Coates

20.Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom

Saturday, October 22, 2016

Philosopher by Edna St Vincent Millay

And what are you wanting you
I should be kept awake
As many nights as there are days
With weeping for your sake?
And what are you that missing you,
As many days crawl
I should be listening to the wind
And looking at the wall?
I know a man that's  a braver man
And twenty men as kind
And what are you, that you should be
The one man in my Mind?
Yet women's  ways are witless ways
As any sage will tell-
And what am I ,that I should love
So wisely and so well?


Sienna St.James series:Book one Losing Hope

Leslie January Sherrod has written an Urban Christian Series on Sienna St.James
,who like the author is a social worker.  As a writer,I can see the benefit of writing from your experiences. JOHN Grisham doesn't write about being a flame of dancer or scientist. Why? We readers can tell when something isn't the authors experience. The nuances of the story always give it away (or the lack therof) . By Mrs.Sherrod writing a novel based on the life of a social worker, we get to live vicarously--experience the sense of fulfillment, the frustrations and what's it like for a social worker.  Sienna gets the client that would make any social worker rethink their purpose in life!Hope Diamond  has been placedar in many homes she is bipolar with PTSD. Her boss is putting pressure on Sienna to make it work. The couple who care for Hope are upstanding memberserk at their churc6house. Is her boss blinded by this? Do they have something  to hide? Sienna b seems to think so.Why did this placement have to work.?
   
      Sienna also has some past issues plaguing her as well Her estranged husband of many years has a lions head ring delivered or did he? The uncertainty keeps Sienna off balance . How will this affect her teenage son Roman..?

    I don't want to give anything away I try not to put any spoiler alerts I will say that I like how this reads more like a mystery. Bible verses are not shoved down your throat, I felt that Sienna struggles like we all do sometimes. I give this book 4 1/2 stars out of 5 I think it's the strongest out of the series

Sunday, October 2, 2016

2016 National Book Award for Fiction Longlist

1) Colson Whitehead The Underground
2)Karen Mahajan The Association of Small Bombs
3)Adam Haslett Imagine Me Gone
4)Lydia Millet Sweet Lamb of Heaven
5)Garth Greenwell What Belongs to You
6)Jacqueline Woods on Another Brooklyn
7)Elizabeth McKenzie The Portable Veblen
8)Brad Watson Miss Jane
9)Paulette Jules News of The World
10) Chris Bachelor The Throwback

Monday, September 26, 2016

Part two of Challenged Books: A definition and a list of 20 most challenged books

Q: What is a book challenge?
A: According to Media & Culture: Mass Communication in a Digital Age, It's a formal request made by an individual or group to have a book removed from a school or public library.  Here are the Top
20 Banned Books
1.The Great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald
2. The Catcher in the Rye by J D Salinger
3.The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
4.To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
5. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
6.Ulysses by James Joyce
7.Beloved by Toni Morrison
8.The Lord of the Flies William Golding
9.1984 by George Orwell
10.The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner
11.Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
12.Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
13.Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
14.A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce
15.Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
16.Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
17.Animal Farm by George Orwell
18.The Sun Also rises by Ernest Hemingway
19.As I lay dying by William Faulkner
20.A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway

Monday, September 12, 2016

Top ten frequently challenged books of 2015

  1. Looking for Alaska, by John Green Reasons: Offensive language, sexually explicit, and unsuited for age group.
  2. Fifty Shades of Grey, by E. L. James
    Reasons: Sexually explicit, unsuited to age group, and other (“poorly written,” “concerns that a group of teenagers will want to try it”).
  3. I Am Jazz, by Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings
    Reasons: Inaccurate, homosexuality, sex education, religious viewpoint, and unsuited for age group.
  4. Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out, by Susan Kuklin
    Reasons: Anti-family, offensive language, homosexuality, sex education, political viewpoint, religious viewpoint, unsuited for age group, and other (“wants to remove from collection to ward off complaints”).
  5. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, by Mark Haddon
    Reasons: Offensive language, religious viewpoint, unsuited for age group, and other (“profanity and atheism”).
  6. The Holy Bible
    Reasons: Religious viewpoint.
  7. Fun Home, by Alison Bechdel
    Reasons: Violence and other (“graphic images”).
  8. Habibi, by Craig Thompson
    Reasons: Nudity, sexually explicit, and unsuited for age group.
  9. Nasreen’s Secret School: A True Story from Afghanistan, by Jeanette Winter
    Reasons: Religious viewpoint, unsuited to age group, and violence.
  10. Two Boys Kissing, by David Levithan
    Reasons: Homosexuality and other (“condones public displays of affection”).


It's getting close to that time of year again . Banned Books Week is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read .I think it's important to not take these books off the library shelf because we don't agree with the views expressed in them.  As a former preschool teacher and current parent, I feel that we should be able to let the books remain and just disagree without the censorship per se. I personally don't want me kids to exist in a bubble and not have the crtical thinking skills to disagree. By censoring books you are depriving them of the opportunity to do just that.


  As a writer I cherish freedom of speech as my first amendment right as a American citizen so I don't think censorship is the answer.  Next week I will post the criteria that usually gets a book challenged. Until then enjoy your week!

Wednesday, August 10, 2016

Poem: Mother's habits by Nikki Giovanni

I have all
My mother's habits
I awake in the middle of the night
To smoke a cigarette
I have a terrible fear of flying
And I don't like being alone
In the dark
Sleep is a sport we all
Participate in
It's the scourge of youth
And a necessity of old age
Though it only hastens the day
When dissolution is inevitable
I grow tired
Like my mother doing without
Even one small word
That says I care
And like my mother I shall fade
Into my dreams
No longer caring
Either



Thursday, July 14, 2016

Poem: Bean eaters by Gwendolyn Brooks

They eat beans mostly,this old yellow pair.
Dinner is a casual affair
Plain chipware on a plain and freaking wood,
Tin flatware.

Two who are Mostly Good.
Two who have lived their day 
But keep on putting on their clothes
And putting on their clothes
And putting things away

And remembering...
Remembering, with twinklings and twinges 
As they lean over the beans in their rented back room that
Is full of beads and receipts and dolls and clothes,
Tobacco crumbs,vases and fringes.

Friday, June 17, 2016

Author spotlight: My literary crush on Junot Diaz

Doesn't hurt that  I find him attractive I tend to find smart guys sexy! Wow when a guy can hold his end of an intellectual conversation your sexiness factor just went up, but I digress.
    Besides, he is more than eye candy to .
I am enthralled/enamoured with a writer who draws from his life experiences.  I feel like I'm eavesdropping on someone's conversation, when I read his work. Love his style.

      My two favorite books by Mr.Diaz "Drown" and "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao' I don't remember being so enthusiastic to read the footnotes but he was so good even that was enjoyable! The novel not only resonated I thought about the characters long after I read the story.
     I think the fact that there is a ten year gap between publishing " Drown" and "The Brief Wondrous..."  Adds to this elusive quality. Kinda like when Sade releases an new CD we're going to break our collective necks trying to buy it because God only knows when the next one will be released, it's like that. So what Writer do you have a literary crush on?

Saturday, June 11, 2016

Book to film series: Silver Lining Playbook

Thank goodness Mathew Quick made the decision to leave his teaching job to write full time in 2004 or we wouldn't have Silver Lining Playbook or "Forgive me Leonard Peacock" and "Every Exquisite thing" his latest book "The Reason You Are Alive" will be out in 2017 All of his books have been optioned for film ,which I thought was cool. I will be reviewing other books that have been made into film as a part if a new series here  on the blog. Now to clarify I'm not a film  critic so any points made about the films are my opinion as a regular everyday person's point of view. I decided to start with "Silver Lining Playbook" because:
A) I already saw the movie
B) Most important I read the book after seeing the movie.
In the past, I would read the book first then watch the movie ,and inevitability spend a lot of time comparing the movie to book which ends up being less fun(except for The Hunger Games I liked both the books and movies pretty well) I am aware you can't put every nuance of a book into a 2 hour and really who wants to sit through a 3 hour movie? However I find it a little annoying when there is a key thing,(spoiler alert) where Peter is killed in the movie but not the book. It seemed like a small thing until you go see Insurgent and realize how much has changed because of one key thing .It changed the whole trajectory of the movies. Luckily no problem with that here.
    One thing I noticed was how different the Father was in the book compared to the movie, much more closed off less OCD. Chris Tucker's character ,much to my surprise, didn't show up in the book until almost the very end. This book was less descriptive than most contemporary literature books I like but he did an excellent job of showing what its like for someone struggling with mental illness. I enjoyed it even though I knew how it would end. I give the book 4 out of 5 stars . I give the movie 5 out of 5 stars

Saturday, June 4, 2016

Six Minutes by Kadija Sesay (poem)

That first day
Was the longest,
The day you left.
I spent
Sixhours sleeping
Six hours reading
Six hours eating
Six hours sitting

Six hours writing

Fighting
Every inclination in me 
To convince the 
Holiday company that
I was too I'll to stay

Away from you.

I wasn't homesick
Just you sick
Which annoyed me.

Until today I didn't believe
That it's not where you are
But who you're with
That makes the difference between
Being content and being happy








Friday, May 27, 2016

Christian book series : The Promise by Tony Evans

I have decided to kick off my Christian book series with the Promise by Tony Evans.There will be other series such as Books- to-Film,The Last Jihad by Joel c Rosenberg will kick off our Political Thriller series,Sienna st James series starting with Losing Hope by Leslie J.Sherrod and the What I like about  you series where we will look at the Authors we like and/or up and coming.Well back to the Promise by
Tony Evans.This book is about the third person in the Trinity: the holy Spirit. Perhaps I like the idea of having guidance 24/7.However I felt I needed to learn more.
   While Tony Evans may not have the name recognition of a Joel Osteen or TDJakes,I feel like his contribution  to my spiritual growth has been immense.(Check out his book Who is the king of Glory)  I like the Fact that this book is organized and very detailed. A few terms may he over my head a little,He makes up for it by using down to earth analogies. As a Christian I do not want to be mislead by people who either don't have a good understanding or they may play on my Christian beliefs to get what they want. Knowledge in the Word is power.I feel like this book is a step in the right direction of empowering me. The book is divided into 3 Major Sections:
Part One:The Holy Spirit's Presence
Part Two: The Holy Spirit's Purpose
Part Three:The Holy Spirit's Provision.
I am almost done with Part one (117 pages).Since I don't rush through it,just like you wouldn't want to rush through a decent cut of New York strip steak,I will have to come back and give you guys an update.

Thursday, March 17, 2016

What we're reading on Good reads:Around the World in 80 booksAll

All creatures great and small by James Herriot
Start date 3/15/16
End date 4/15/16

The last will and Testament of Senhor da Silva Araujo
By Germano Almeida and Sheila Faria Glazer
Start date 3/15/16
End date 4/15/16

Thursday, March 3, 2016

Poem By Rita Dove " I have been a stranger in a strange land

I have been a stranger in a strange land”
By Rita Dove b. 1952 Rita Dove
Life's spell is so exquisite, everything conspires to break it.
Emily Dickinson
It wasn't bliss. What was bliss   
but the ordinary life? She'd spend hours   
in patter, moving through whole days   
touching, sniffing, tasting . . . exquisite   
housekeeping in a charmed world.   
And yet there was always   

more of the same, all that happiness,   
the aimless Being There.   
So she wandered for a while, bush to arbor,   
lingered to look through a pond's restive mirror.   
He was off cataloging the universe, probably,   
pretending he could organize   
what was clearly someone else's chaos.   

That's when she found the tree,   
the dark, crabbed branches   
bearing up such speechless bounty,   
she knew without being told   
this was forbidden. It wasn't   
a question of ownership—   
who could lay claim to   
such maddening perfection?   

Saturday, February 27, 2016

5 Books I would love to read but haven't yet

1. Why not me by Mindy Kahling
2.Yes please by Amy Poehler
3.Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
4.Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
5.The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chabosky

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Purple Hibsicus by Chimanda Adichie Book Review

Kambali's Father has shunned his traditional Nigerian ways , in order to become a devout Catholic.  So much so that he never visits his Father who has held   on to his beliefs and his family  is secluded  from the outside world.
   Only Kambili and her brother know the strife that exists behind the luxurious mansion that are imprisoned in .
    Her well educated Aunt takes them in when
Nigeria falls under a coup. It's the beginning of the end Kambili and her brother experience life outside of their suffocating atmosphere at home.  Will they live life on their own terms? If so at what cost?
    I am a huge fan of Chimamanda Adichie she just won the Best of the Best (decade) Bailey's Women's Prize in Fiction for Half of the Yellow Sun which is my favorite by her as well.  I love how her writing has progressed she has become a master of description and no matter the story I relate to her characters struggles. I thought it was a good first effort and give it 4 out of 5 stars

Thursday, February 4, 2016

What we 're reading on Goodreads

Of course I can't speak for the entire Goodreads community but here is what we are reading in the groups I am apart of




First Group : Around the World in 80 books
Travels in Mauritania by Peter Hudson
Start Date 1/15/16
End Date 2/15/16
My Lord John: A tale of intrigue, Honor and a Rise of a King
by Goeorge Heyer
Start Date: 1/15/16
End Date: 2/15/16


Upcoming Monique and the Mango Rains: Two Years with a Midwife in Mali by Kris Holloway
Start Date:2/15/16


The Moor's Account by Laila Lalami
Start Date: 2/15/16


Second Group:The Life of a Bookaddict
Rosemary:The Hidden Kennedy Daughter by Kate Clifford Larson
Start Date: 1/1/16
End Date: 3/31/16


Here is a sample of what some of us are reading on Goodreads if you are also from Goodreads and want to share what you are reading or whatever book you are currently reading leave a comment in the comment section

Thursday, January 28, 2016

My10 favorite books

Here is a list of my favorite books. I would say all time favorite but that could change.So  tell me what your favorite book/books are in the comment section. Have your favorites changed over the years?

1. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

2.Jazz by Toni Morrison

3.The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz

4.Drown by Junot Diaz

5.This Is How You Lose Her by Junot Diaz

6. The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisnernos

7.The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

8.Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Adichie

9.The Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri

10.The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy

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...