Series Sunday: A House Divided

(Reverend Curtis Black #10)

Series Sunday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie of Precision Reviews. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.

• Read an installment of a series.
• Share your review/recommendation below.
• Include the title, author and series name.

"Life would never be the same, and he'd be ruined." ~ pg. 56

My Series Sunday pick is A House Divided, the tenth installment of the Reverend Curtis Black series by Kimberla Lawson Roby. Eighteen-year-old Matthew and his girlfriend Racquel are expecting their first baby together. Even though his parents, Reverend Curtis and First Lady Charlotte, are disappointed in their son's life choices, they are excited and ready for the arrival of their first grandchild. But getting along with the in-laws is difficult. Charlotte cannot stand Racquel's mother and the feeling is mutual. When their tension explodes into a physical altercation, Racquel goes into premature labor because of the stress. Of course, Charlotte is the one everyone blames.

Meanwhile Curtis is confronted by a mysterious person from his past. Cryptic phone calls and threatening letters start rolling in. Whatever the secret is, he cannot afford to let it become public information.

If you've kept up-to-date on the Reverend Curtis Black series, you expect this latest installment to be full of drama, scandal and twists. Well you will not be disappointed. There were a few moments where my jaw literally dropped while reading. I didn't think this family had more scandalous skeletons in the closet but behold, they came falling out in A House Divided. 

The novel is fast-paced. I felt like I was on a train ride going full speed while reading. I buckled up at the first page and held on to the seat until the last page. Well written, Kimberla.

Title: A House Divided
Author: Kimberla Lawson Roby
Published: May 2013
Pages: 324
Edition: Hardcover
Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

 

The Great Gatsby

I first read The Great Gatsby in middle school. As a young girl, I didn't appreciate its lessons of the great American dream. So when news of a new movie releasing hit, I knew I had to re-read this classic. Here's why:

• Themes: Greed, lust, hedonism, corruption, freedom and social classes are explored. These themes are as prominent today as they were in the Jazz Age.
• Movie Adaptation: I always like to read the book before watching the movie adaptation to see how it measures up. I have high hopes for Baz Lurhmann's film with a soundtrack produced by Jay-Z.
• Summer Setting: The book takes place in a hot humid summer. Pool and lawn parties. Sundresses. Sailing boats. There is no better book to ring in the warmer seasons.
• Read with Eyes & Mind of a Bibliophile: When I read The Great Gatsby before, I just wanted to finish so I could write my book report and turn in the assignment on time. But now as a matured reader, I can appreciate the character development, understand the plot and be affected by the tragic ending. This classic deserves to be a great American novel.

My official opinion of Baz Luhrmann's movie is two hearts up. I liked it. I enjoy the soundtrack and will likely play it all summer. Leo is a great actor in any role and he played Jay Gatsby well. The main character, Nick, was played by an actor I am not familiar with, but he held his own. The story was...well...like the classic book. But to see the costumes and Roaring Twenties/Jazz Age style was what I liked best. Ain't no party like a 3D Gatsby party!

Title: The Great Gatsby
Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald
Published: April 1925 & May 2013
Pages: 134
Edition: eBook
Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

 

I Would Die 4 U

 

Prince. The Symbol Formerly Known as Prince. The Purple Rain god. The Creator of Sexual/Spiritual Music.

Journalist and TV personality Touré uses in-depth research and interviews with former girlfriends, band members, and musicologists to decipher Prince's music and its influence on Generation X.

I Would Die 4 U: Why Prince Became an Icon is not a tell-all or biography. It is best defined as an unauthorized analysis of Prince and his music through research.

Title: I Would Die 4 U: Why Prince Became an Icon
Author: Touré
Published: March 2013
Pages: 176
Edition: Hardcover
Rating: ♥♥♥

 

Series Sunday: Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood

(Sookie Stackhouse #13 and #14)

Series Sunday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie of Precision Reviews. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.

• Read an installment of a series.
• Share your review/recommendation below.
• Include the title, author and series name. 

My Series Sunday pick is Dead Ever After, the final book in the Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood series by Charlaine Harris. This book marks the end of the popular series and was just published on May 7. But don't worry, True Blood fans! The TV series spawned from the book series will not end. And as a bonus to fans, After Dead: What Came Next in the World of Sookie Stackhouse will release on October 29.

 

First Lines Friday + Free PDF

First Lines Friday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie of Precision Reviews. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.

• Grab your current read(s).
• Share the first line(s).
• Include the title and author.

"The publication of this extraordinary autobiography provides a rare opportunity to see behind the carefully orchestrated distortions of fact concerning the life and motivations of Assata Shakur."

 
~ Assata Shakur: An Autobiography is available in full PDF for FREE. 

  

Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald

"We have never been what we seemed." ~ pg.13

Who is Zelda Fitzgerald? Born Zelda Sayre in Montgomery, Alabama in July 1900, she was an American novelist and 1920s icon. The wife of F. Scott Fitzgerald was nicknamed "the first American Flapper." She was the other half of the famous Jazz Age/Roaring Twenties celebrity couple. On the outside, the Fitzgeralds' marriage seemed golden. But behind doors, it was full of the harsh realities of alcoholism, lost identities, mental illness, infidelity and literary rivalry.

"Happily, happily foreverafterward—the best we could." ~ Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald

The beautiful southern belle first met Scott in 1918. They fell in love hard and fast. After F. Scott sold his first novel, This Side of Paradise, to Scribner's Zelda boarded a train north and married him. Their life became a wild train ride. From New York to Hollywood to Paris, the legendary couple lived a glamorous, yet doomed life. But married life for the famous miscreants wasn't always glamorous "Gatsby-like" parties, bottomless champagne, tuxedos and sparkling gowns. Real life kicked in and along with it, conflict between the Fitzgeralds. Women's roles in marriage was quite different than modern-day. But even then, Zelda had a tough time adjusting to being a dedicated housewife and not a career woman. Zelda was among the first to read F. Scott Fitzgerald's writing. But did you know she was often the author behind articles with only F. Scott's Fitzgerald's name in the byline? This is just one of the many things told in this novel.

F. Scott, Zelda & daughter Scottie

Author Therese Anne Fowler tells Zelda Fitzgerald's story the way Zelda herself might have told it. It is evident through the novel that the author has respect and affection for both Scott and Zelda. If you are a writer, you know that fiction is based on real people. Z takes readers on an imaginary journey through Zelda's life and thoughts. In the Acknowledgments, the author says this novel is an attempt to imagine what it was like to be Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald. The research is evident in passages that reflect known facts of the Fitzgeralds. Yet it has a personal spin to it that newspapers, media and gathered correspondence could not portray. Well done, Therese Anne Fowler. Well done.

Because facts are woven into imagination through words, there were moments where the story seemed to drag. However, it was often the case where back story was necessary to continue into the future of the plot. Z is an exceptional novel to read, especially while re-reading The Great Gatsby or watching the new movie which releases this Friday, May 10. Z is 380 pages of fiction based on reality that any Fitzgerald or classic literature fan will enjoy.

DISCLAIMER: This book was received directly from the publisher for review purposes only. In no way does it influence my review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Title: Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald
Author: Therese Anne Fowler
Published: March 2013
Pages: 380
Edition: Galley
Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

 

I Can Barely Take Care of Myself

"I'm just going to come out and say it: this is the real reason lots of people end up changing their minds and having kids." ~ pg. 147

When asked why I don't have children yet, my answer is always "I can barely take care of myself." So when I saw this title and read a blurb of this book, I knew immediately that I had to read it. I already knew the author and I had a connection. I would "get" whatever Jen Kirkman was trying to say.

I Can Barely Take Care of Myself is a hilarious original debut from television writer and stand-up comedian Jen Kirkman. You may recognize her from regular appearances on Chelsea Lately and After Lately. Her first published book is comprised of funny detailed stories of her real life without kids.

This book is recommended to any woman who is child-free by choice. (Put your hands up!) This book should be read if you've ever rolled your eyes when asked, "But who will take care of you when you get old?" It is especially for those who sarcastically thanked every person who said, "But you'd be such a good mom!" (Or am I the only person who had such reactions to these questions/comments?) This book is not just for other women who choose to live child-free. It is for anyone whose life decisions have been questioned.

Author/comedian Jen Kirkman dedicated this book to her parents for "being so overprotective that I never got pregnant as a teenager." Although my parents were not overprotective, I thank them for being so trusting that I never got pregnant as a teenager and could therefore enjoy this funny good read.

Check out Jen Kirkman's appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno below. Then grab a copy of I Can Barely Take Care of Myself. Read it, relate to it, laugh through it.

DISCLAIMER: This book was received directly from the publisher for review purposes only. In no way does it influence my review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Title: I Can Barely Take Care of Myself: Tales From a Happy Life Without Kids
Author: Jen Kirkman
Published: April 2013
Pages: 226
Edition: Galley
Rating: ♥♥♥♥