December 31, 2015

Top 10 Books of 2015

It is my literary duty to bring the top books read of this year to the forefront and highlight my favorites. Please note that my list is purely my opinion. It is not influenced by authors, other readers, other bloggers, or publishers that may have provided free or advance copies in exchange for an honest review. Please see the Top 5 Series of 2015 to accompany this list. For your convenience, click the book's title for my previously published reviews of the Top 10 Books of 2015.

Not Top but Certainly Notable Inside the O'Briens by Lisa Genova


10. The Third Wife by Lisa Jewell

9.   The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

8.   Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

7.   All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

6.   One Night by Eric Jerome Dickey

5.   Perfect Peace by Daniel Black


4.   Bright Side by Kim Holden

3.   Stand Your Ground by Victoria Christopher Murray

2.   Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

1.   The Turner House by Angela Flournoy

 See you next year, bookhearts!

 

December 30, 2015

2015 Popsugar Reading Challenge



2015 Popsugar Reading Challenge: Read all 50 themed books from list.
Challenge Almost Met: I read books 49 from list this year. (98% of goal)

This was the ULTIMATE reading challenge. Although I didn't finish the trilogy I started, I completed the rest of the list. It certainly broadened the genre of books I read this year. Are you looking for diversity too? Use my list below as a recommendation guide. Click the title for my previously published review.

1.   A book with more than 500 pages: Americanah
2.   A classic romance: Bright Side
3.   A book that became a movie: Paper Towns
4.   A book published this year: God Help the Child
5.   A book with a number in the title: Day Four & One Night
6.   A book written by someone under 30: Selected Letters of Langston Hughes
7.   A book with nonhuman characters: Daughter of Smoke & Bone
8.   A funny book: I Regret Nothing
9.   A book by a female author: Go Set a Watchman
10. A mystery or thriller: The Girl on the Train
11. A book with a one-word title: Wench
12. A book of short stories: Citizen: An American Lyric
13. A book set in a different country: Destiny's Captive
14. A nonfiction book: Between the World and Me
15. A popular author's first book: To Kill a Mockingbird
16. A book from an author I love but haven't read yet: Shopaholic to the Rescue
17. A book a friend recommended: Loving Day
18. A Pulitzer Prize-winning book: All the Light We Cannot See
19. A book based on a true story: Poisoning the Pecks of Grand Rapids
20. A book at the bottom of my to-read list: Life and Death: Twilight Re-imagined
21. A book my mom loves: Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret
22. A book that scares me: Between the World and Me
23. A book more than 100 years old: Book of Proverbs from the Bible
24. A book based entirely on its cover: Perfect Peace
25. A book I was supposed to read in school but didn't: To Kill a Mockingbird
26. A memoir: The Facts of My Life
27. A book I can finish in a day: Emma's Secret
28. A book with antonyms in the title: Naughtier Than Nice
29. A book set somewhere I've always wanted to visit: Second Life
30. A book that came out the year I was born: Ramona Quimby, Age 8
31. A book with bad reviews: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
32. A trilogy: Incomplete - Read 1/3 of Daughter of Smoke & Bone Trilogy
33. A book from my childhood: Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret
34. A book with a love triangle: Carry On
35. A book set in the future: The Lost Girl
36. A book set in high school: All the Bright Places
37. A book with a color in the title: Grey: Fifty Shades of Grey as Told by Christian
38. A book that made me cry: Bright Side
39. A book with magic: Daughter of Smoke & Bone
40. A graphic novel: Archie The Married Life 2
41. A book by an author I've never read before: Stealing Marilyn Monroe
42. A book I own but have never read: Finding Emma
43. A book that takes place in my hometown: The Turner House 
44. A book originally written in a different language: The Truth and Other Lies
45. A book set during Christmas: Naughtier Than Nice
46. A book written by author with same initials: Selected Letters of Langston Hughes
47. A play: The Grownup
48. A banned book: To Kill a Mockingbird
49. A book based on or turned into a TV show: What I Know For Sure
50. A book I started but never finished: I Take You

~~~~
Download the printable 2016 Popsugar Reading Challenge.

View all of Literary Marie's Memes and Reading Challenges here. 2016 Bookish Challenges will be posted soon. I welcome all recommendations so let me know if you are a book blogger hosting a challenge or a participant of a cool reading challenge.


 

December 29, 2015

2015 Bookish Challenges

I participated in six (6) reading/bookish challenges in 2015. Click the title for my previously published review of each book.

2015 Goodreads Challenge: Read 75 books.
Challenge Met: I read 80 books this year. (107% of goal)


https://www.goodreads.com/review/stats/2924016-literarymarie#pages
2015 Pages Challenge: Read 20,000+ pages.
Challenge Met: I read 24,301 pages this year and counting. (122% of goal)


Perpetual Kinsey Millhone Challenge: Read books in Kinsey Millhone alphabet series.
Challenge Met: I read book M this year. (100% of goal)


2015 Diversity on the Shelf: Read 19-24 books by or about a person of color.
Challenge Met: I read 31 books by or about a person of color this year. (129% of goal)

1.   Destiny's Captive by Beverly Jenkins 
2.   Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine
3.   Hope to Die by James Patterson
4.   Balm by Dolen Perkins-Valdez
5.   Wench by Dolen Perkins-Valdez
6.   Selected Letters of Langston Hughes by Langston Hughes
7.   Blanche on the Lam by Barbara Neely
8.   Blanche Among the Talented Tenth by Barbara Neely
10. For Your Love by Beverly Jenkins 
11. God Help the Child by Toni Morrison
12. The Ultimate Betrayal by Kimberla Lawson Roby
13. Bed & Breakfast Bedlam by Abby L. Vandiver
14. Coastal Cottage Calamity by Abby L. Vandiver
15. Maya Mound Mayhem by Abby L. Vandiver
16. Naughtier Than Nice by Eric Jerome Dickey
17. One Night by Eric Jerome Dickey
18. Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
19. Perfect Peace by Daniel Black
20. Forty Acres by Dwayne Alexander Smith
21. What I Know For Sure by Oprah
22. The Turner House by Angela Flournoy
23. A Moment of Silence by Sister Souljah
24. Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon
25. Pleasantville by Attica Locke
26. Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
27. Stand Your Ground by Victoria Christopher Murray
29. Loving Day by Mat Johnson
30. Perfect Peace by Daniel Black



2015 New Authors Challenge: Read 15 books by authors new to me.
Challenge Met: I read 35 books by authors new to me this year. (233% of goal)

1.   Bright Side by Kim Holden 
2.   Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine
3.   Poisoning the Pecks of Grand Rapids by Tobin T. Buhk
4.   Wench by Dolen Perkins-Valdez
5.   Stealing Marilyn Monroe by Sophie Warren
7.   Blanche Among the Talented Tenth by Barbara Neely
8.   Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
9.   The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
10. Perfect Peace by Daniel Black
11. The Truth and Other Lies by Sascha Arango
12. Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor
13. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews
14. All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
15. The Turner House by Angela Flournoy
16. The One That Got Away by Bethany Chase
17. I Take You by Eliza Kennedy
18. The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson
19. Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon
20. Pretty Baby by Mary Kubica
21. Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf
22. Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
23. The Facts of My Life by Charlotte Rae
24. Stand Your Ground by Victoria Christopher Murray
25. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
26. You by Caroline Kepnes
27. The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant
28. The Two-Family House* by Lynda Cohen Loigman
29. The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald
30. Loving Day by Mat Johnson
31. The Daylight Marriage by Heidi Pitlor
32. Day Four by Sarah Lotz
33. Forty Acres by Dwayne Alexander Smith
34. Freedom's Child* by Jax Miller
35. Nine Minutes* by Beth Flynn

~~~~
View all of Literary Marie's Memes and Reading Challenges here. 2016 Bookish Challenges will be posted soon. I welcome all recommendations so let me know if you are a book blogger hosting a challenge or a participant of a cool reading challenge.

*Review to be posted in early 2016.

 

December 27, 2015

Top 5 Series of 2015


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. Have you ever read a book and wasn't quite ready to leave the characters? Or have you read a book with a cliffhanger? This is why I love series. I get to revisit characters and follow them through fictional life. Below are the top 5 of books I've read this year that belong to a series.

Click the title/author for my previously published review of the books featured in my Top 5 Series of 2015.



4. For Your Love by Beverly Jenkins (Blessings #6)

3. Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor (Daughter of Smoke & Bone #1)




December 25, 2015

Top 10 First Lines of 2015


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. First lines are what grab readers. It sets the tone for the remainder of the book. What makes a good first line? Clever wording. A bold statement that makes me wonder who, what, when, where or why. A sentence(s) that prompts me to nod my head, say hmmm and read further. Below are the top 10 first lines from books I've read this year. Hopefully these spark your attention too.

Click the title/author for my previously published review of the books featured in my Top 10 First Lines of 2015.

10. "At dusk they pour from the sky. They blow across the ramparts, turn cartwheels over rooftops, flutter into the ravines between houses. Entire streets swirl with them, flashing white against the cobbles. Urgent message to the inhabitants of this town, they say. Depart immediately to open country." ~ All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

9. "Is today a good day to die?" ~ All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

8. "Every woman has one. That name you Google at two o'clock in the morning." ~ The One That Got Away by Bethany Chase

7. "For as long as I can remember, I have always had the feeling of not quite fitting in, not being the same as everyone else. I'm certain that is why I became a writer." ~ Summer Secrets by Jane Green

6. "Hoodwinked. Bamboozled. Betrayed. My rage was bottomless." ~ Naughtier Than Nice by Eric Jerome Dickey

5. "Son, last Sunday the host of a popular news show asked me what it meant to lose my body." ~ Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

4. "She is closer to me than my shadow." ~ Moment of Silence by Sister Souljah

3. "I've read many more books than you. It doesn't matter how many you've read. I've read more. Believe me. I've had the time." ~ Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

2. "This book is not for everyone. I have a specific audience in mind—people who care deeply about racial justice but who, for any number of reasons, do not appreciate the magnitude of the crisis faced by communities of color as a result of mass incarceration." ~ The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander

1. "When you are alone and too tired even to turn on any of your devices, you let yourself linger in a past stacked among your pillows." ~ Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine

 

I'll Be Home for Christmas


"Today is Christmas and it's time for forgiveness, it's time for sharing, and it's time for expressing the love we have for one another." ~ pg. 13

Merry Christmas, Bookhearts! Take a few minutes to yourself, cuddle up in your new pajamas/snuggie and read this eShort story by Zane. Don't worry—no erotica involved! Noelle Mitchell ran away with no notice at the young age of 15 years old. She shows up at the family home 13 years later to explain her absence and to see if holidays really can bring families together.

I'll Be Home for Christmas is a super eShort story at only 16 pages but perfect length for the bookheart who wants to get a quick read in during the holiday.

Title: I'll Be Home for Christmas
Author: Zane
Published: November 2012
Pages: 16
Edition: eBook
Challenge: Diversity on the Shelf
Rating: ♥♥♥♡

 

December 23, 2015

Day Four


"...the disappearance of The Beautiful Dreamer was already dubbed the biggest maritime disaster since the Titanic." ~ pg. 267

What do you get when you bring together a deranged wheel-chaired prophet, a prisoner, a witch's assistant, a condemned man, an angel of mercy, a keeper of secrets, a devil's handmaiden, a pair of suicide sisters and a wildcard blogger? I know what you're thinking: #distewmuch. And it was!

Four days into a cruise, the Beautiful Dreamer, stops dead in the water. No electricity, low food supply, no working toilets, no cellular signal or no way to call for help. EEK! Then a dead body is discovered in a cabin and causes everyone to panic. There is a murderer on board!

"After all, in this day and age, how does a ship that could comfortably house three thousand people simply disappear?" ~ pg. 272

I'm a cruiser so I was very hesitant to read this book, especially with this year's incidents on Carnival cruise line's fleet. But how discouraging could a book be? Well, I am glad to report Day Four did not taint my impressions of cruises. It did not frighten me enough to never book a cruise again. In fact, it made me miss the boat even more because the story was so ridiculous. Yes, a murder is likely to happen on board. But the characters were out of this world. I hate to say it but I would've rather read a novel about a cruise gone terribly wrong in a realistic way. The far-fetched happenings were distracting.

Day Four did not discourage me from reading other Sarah Lotz books; although, this was a blah first impression.

Title: Day Four
Author: Sarah Lotz
Published: May 2015
Pages: 308
Edition: eBook
Challenge: New Author
Rating: ♥♥♡

  

December 22, 2015

All the Light We Cannot See


"You know the greatest lesson of history? It's that history is whatever the victors say it is. That's the lesson. Whoever wins, that's who decides the history." ~ pg. 94

This, bookhearts, is literature. The prose, the timed pauses and careful unrevealing of characters are what makes the story of a blind french girl and a german boy so hopeful. Their paths collide in France as they are both trying to survive World War II. Marie-Laure lives with her father in Paris, who is the best locksmith around. When she is six years old, she goes blind. Her father builds a mini-neighborhood so she can memorize it and navigate her way home. When she is twelve years old, they flee Paris carrying a museum's most valuable jewel.

In another part of the world, an orphan boy named Werner grows up in Germany. He finds a radio and soon becomes an expert at building and fixing instruments. His skills earns him a special assignment in the war where he travels into Saint-Malo, a walled city where Marie-Laure now resides. And this is where their lives meet.

"He says she is his émerveillement." ~ pg. 38

I understand why All the Light We Cannot See was ten years in the making. Doerr took his time writing this novel of metaphors and well crafted language. Though at times, I was impatient with such long descriptions because I wanted to get into the heart of the story. So it took me much longer to read it than usual. When I started this buddy read with Sistah A, I was a bit thrown off in a good way. Having previously read books of a different genre, I was not expecting deep sentences and a history lesson. Especially not over 600 pages worth!

So as not to burn myself out, I made the wise bookish choice to read it steadily while I read other books. I highly suggest the same for others. Read it in intervals perhaps during commutes or quiet winter evenings only. This way you will appreciate the overall story after reading its last page, as I have. Critics call All the Light We Cannot See the book of the century. Hmmm, I respectfully disagree but think it has the potential to translate better on the big screen. So take your time with this one, bookhearts.

"Open your eyes and see what you can with them before they close forever." ~ pg. 274



Title: All the Light We Cannot See
Author: Anthony Doer
Published: May 2014
Pages: 557
Edition: eBook
Challenge: New Author; Popsugar Pulitzer Prize Winning Book; Popsugar Book Over 500 Pages
Rating: ♥♥♥♡

 

December 20, 2015

Series Sunday: Alert

(Detective Michael Bennett #8)


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 Alert, the eighth book in the Detective Michael Bennett series by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge. The Detective and FBI's Emily Parkers try to catch criminals who claim responsibility of high-tech attacks in New York (including a subway explosion and Mayor assassination). Being the good detective he is, Bennett soon realizes the bad guys are gearing up for a major threat. Racing against the clock, and keeping a watchful eye on Seamus' health at the same time, Bennett tries to save his beloved New York.

"Literally, no one had ever done anything like this. No one. It was going to rearrange people's minds." ~ pg. 78

The last couple books in this series had me literally on the edge of my seat. But now that Detective Michael Bennett, Mary Catherine, his ten children and Father Seamus are back home in New York, it is kind of snoreville. I was liking and accustomed to the fast-paced action but the suspense in Alert just wasn't there. Plus I feel some kind of way about the many 9/11 references. I understand this is fiction but would have preferred this storyline not be compared to America's worst terrorist attack. The entire city is still on edge so New Yorkers reading Alert may be sensitive to this installment of the series.

"Don't tell me this is 9/11 all over again!" ~ pg. 57

On a side note, I have noticed the co-author's name appears in larger font nowadays. I am glad they are getting more recognition. Patterson fans know his co-authors write majority of the novels' content allowing Patterson to crank out books like doughnuts on a Krispy Kreme assembly line. HOT NOW!

On another side note, I read this book in large print. The chapters didn't seem so short. I actually missed Patterson's writing style of pithy chapters to help build suspense and mini-cliffhangers.

Hmmm, would I recommend it? Yes, for the purposes of continuity. But if you are not already a follower of the series, you may want to skip this one.

Title: Alert
Author: James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge
Published: August 2015
Pages: 460
Edition: Hardcover Large Print
Rating: ♥♥♥

 

December 18, 2015

First Lines Friday BONUS


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.


Cross Justice: FREE Preview of First 6 Chapters by James Patterson 


 

December 16, 2015

Life and Death - Twilight Reimagined


As an act of rebellion, I refuse to feature this fraud on my Series Sunday meme. So here goes—Life and Death is Twilight Reimagined. Or as I would like to call it Twilight with a Pronoun Twist. Seriously. That is all this book is. Almost word for word. It is Twilight with every "he" changed to "she" and vice versa. Stephenie, you didn't fool this fan. This is NOT nearly 400 pages of new content. This is NOT how you celebrate ten years of a great series. Nobody asked for this. We want Midnight Sun!

Title: Life and Death
Author: Stephenie Meyer
Published: October 2015
Pages: 389
Edition: eBook
Rating: ♥

 

December 15, 2015

The Daylight Marriage


"These updates that are not in fact updates? These are bullshit." ~ pg. 117

Hannah's life feels like an epilogue. And so begins The Daylight Marriage. Hannah and her husband Lovell begin the novel with an argument that seemingly starts out of nowhere. Rage flies. Tempers flare. Voices rise. By the second chapter, the wife goes missing. The rest of the book is flashbacks of the marriage. Sound familiar? Sound like Gone Girl? Or Where'd You Go, Bernadette? On the surface, yes. But this novel does not have that UMPH. It started slow; it ended slower. Hardly no suspense. No incentive grabbing me to keep reading and figure out where Hannah went or why. And the marriage memories were just plain boring. Even though this novel is only 176 ePages, I recommend your time be spent reading something else.

Title: The Daylight Marriage
Author: Heidi Pitlor
Published: May 2015
Pages: 176
Edition: eBook
Challenge: New Author
Rating: ♥♥

 

December 13, 2015

Series Sunday: Shopaholic to the Rescue

(Shopaholic #8)


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.

"Am I the only responsible adult around here? Am I?" ~ pg. 190

My Series Sunday pick is Shopaholic to the Rescue, the eighth book in the Shopaholic series by Sophie Kinsella. There is nothing like a shopaholic book starring one of my favorite light chick lit characters, Becky Brandon (née Bloomwood). In this eighth installment, Becky is on a road trip—well, it's really a rescue mission. Her father and best friend's husband are missing somewhere in the United States around Las Vegas/Los Angeles. Of course Becky's mom is hysterical and best friend, Suze, is beside herself with worry. So with a couple more people, they all hop on a rented RV, driven by hubby Luke, and carry out Becky's plan.

The novel went by faster than a credit card swipe. Time flies when you're reading a shopaholic adventure. So pick a quiet winter morning, brew tea, snuggle up in front of a fireplace, then giggle and read away!

Title: Shopaholic to the Rescue
Author: Sophie Kinsella
Published: October 2015
Pages: 350
Edition: Hardcover
Rating: ♥♥♥

 

December 11, 2015

First Lines Friday


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.


"'OK,' says Luke calmly. 'Don't panic.'"

~ Shopaholic to the Rescue by Sophie Kinsella

December 9, 2015

Loving Day


"You've got a duty. To let her know who she really is, who we are. What blackness means, not the pathology you see on TV." ~ pg. 43

Warren Duffy had no choice but to return to America. He just got divorced. He had to sell his comic book shop. And his Irish American father died leaving behind a mansion in the ghetto that is already inhabited by two crackheads that may or may not be ghosts. He is a man who feels he has nothing.

"Okay, look, it's not 'a black.' It's never 'a black,' okay? Just 'black.' Or African American." ~ pg. 41

At a comic book convention, Warren comes face-to-face with a teenage girl that resembles his black mother and white father, both now dead. It turns out the 17-year-old girl, Tal, is his daughter and she's been raised to believe she is white. Warren and Tal adjust to their newfound life together building a father-daughter relationship, learning their culture and balancing life in a mixed-race cult.

Listen. When I read a book described as "frequently hilarious," I don't take it seriously. My humor is not always on the same level as critics. However, this was not the case in Loving Day. There were so many "frequently hilarious" moments that I started quoting them to my Chickadee. Well written colorful comedy! The writing is so descriptive that I could picture every scene and dialogue as if I were in the utopia. Bookhearts, I have to warn—if you read this book in public as I did, be prepared to answer people asking what's so funny.

"Since when are you Irish? Your black ass is not Irish." ~ pg. 154

Loving Day will be a very good first impression of author Mat Johnson if you haven't read his works before (Pym, Incognegro, Dark Rain and more). They are good novels with sometimes a comical theme of race exploration in America.

Loving Day isn't all about jokes, fun and games. It is a moving story of whites and blacks, fathers and daughters, the living and dead, crackheads and sobers. It is also a story about opposites and a lesson on how to adapt to change. Read it!

Title: Loving Day
Author: Mat Johnson
Published: May 2015
Pages: 279
Edition: eBook
Challenge: New Author; Diversity on the Shelf
Rating: ♥♥♥♥

 

December 8, 2015

Lit Pick: Better Made in Michigan


Title: Better Made in Michigan: The Salty Story of Detroit's Best Chip
Author: Karen Dybis
Published: August 2015

Description:
Better Made is known for light, crisp potato chips near to perfection. This book reveals how Better Made started, survived over forty local chip companies and became Detroit's favorite chip. Author Karen Dybis writes the salty story of how this garage-based business became crunchy snack food royalty.

 

December 6, 2015

Series Sunday: Pleasantville

(Jay Porter #2)


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 Pleasantville, the follow-up book to Black Water Rising by Attica Locke. Fifteen years later, lawyer Jay Porter returns to fight one last case. He gets entangled in the political world and learns how far shady politicians will go to win.

Jay Porter is ready to quit. Even though he won his case against Cole Oil, he hasn't seen a dime of the money thanks to appeals. His environmental law practice is no longer in business and his personal life is changing.

"For, yes, they endured the worst of Jim Crow, backs of buses and separate toilets; and yes, they paid their poll taxes, driving or walking for miles each Election Day, waiting in lines two and three hours long. Yes, they waited. But they also marched." ~ pg. 11

While driving his daughter to school, he hears of a case hitting close to home. A girl goes missing on Election Night in the Pleasantville neighborhood—a planned community of new homes built specifically for black families of means and class located north of Houston. Being a single father and noticing this makes three girls now who have gone missing in Pleasantville alerts Jay. When a local close to the election is arrested, Jay reluctantly serves as defense attorney.

I usually don't read series out of order; I am a stickler for starting in the beginning. However, I wanted to read Pleasantville before the year was over because the description of murder, political corruption and a close-knit affluent black neighborhood lured me in. Even though I skipped right over the first book lawyer Jay Porter was featured in, Black Water Rising, I was not lost. There was enough backstory to keep me informed about the characters and his history in and out of the courtroom.

Pleasantville was 345 pages long but the story steadily moved. It reminded me of House of Cards episodes. It is not definite Jay Porter will return in future books for a series. However, I plan to read the first book Black Water Rising to get more familiar with good 'ole Jay Porter the lawyer.

Title: Pleasantville
Author: Attica Locke
Published: April 2015
Pages: 345
Edition: eBook
Challenge: Diversity on the Shelf
Rating: ♥♥♥

 

December 4, 2015

First Lines Friday


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.

"In the ghetto there is a mansion, and it is my father's house."

~ Loving Day by Mat Johnson

 

December 2, 2015

I Regret Nothing


"The point of this project, and really, my overarching goal for the year, is to minimize that which I regret." ~ pg. 116

Jen Lancaster is funny. There was a time that I knew I was in for a treat when I crack open a new memoir of hers. She is a New York Times bestselling author for a reason. For years, Jen has been transparent about her life. Bitter is the New Black is damn near a classic. Now in her eighth memoir, I Regret Nothing, she focuses on regrets.

Readers may remember her mistakes—such as carrying a Prada bag to the unemployment office—but a girls' weekend prompts Jen to turn a mid-life crisis into a mid-life opportunity. I Regret Nothing has its entertaining LOL moments but is not as hilarious as her earlier memoirs. There were a few anecdotes that could've been explained more to really drive the humor home. Nevertheless, it is worth reading for bookhearts that follow Jen's journey through life. Just don't expect our gal in pearls to make you bust a seam laughing.

Title: I Regret Nothing
Author: Jen Lancaster
Published: May 2015
Pages: 320
Edition: Hardcover
Challenge: Popsugar Memoir
Rating: ♥♥♥