March 31, 2016

#KillYourTBR2016 March & February

Per my previous post, I just joined the Kill Your TBR 2016 reading challenge hosted by Bookish. Every month has a different theme designed to help knock out titles on your TBR shelves. Since I am late joining, consider this my catch-up post.


  • Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson ~ Seriously WTF is on this book cover? Is it a happy ass squirrel dancing in confetti? How could I not pluck this book out of my TBR pile to read?
  • F*ck Love by Tarryn Fisher ~ Look at this beautiful cover of red roses crushed by black manicured nails. I had to read it next. Review to be posted soon.



  • We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie ~ My head hangs in shame. But I never realized this short book existed. Sure we've all heard lines quoted in Beyonce's Flawless but I am embarrassed that I hadn't yet read the modified version of Chimamanda's talk delivered in 2012 at a conference.
  • Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay ~ Do you notice a theme here? Yet another book about feminism that I'm embarrassed I hadn't read until now. Roxane Gay is one of my fave people to follow on Twitter. I finally got around to reading her awesome book of essays.
  • Ms. Marvel No Normal, Volume 1 ~ I added this graphic novel to my TBR when it was published in late 2014. It took me forever to crack it open! Finally a comic book featuring a brown girl. Yay for diversity in a genre full of superheroes. 


 

#KillYourTBR2016 Challenge

I joined another reading challenge!

Bookish hosts Kill Your TBR 2016. All these stacks of unread books I stare at? Unsure of what to read next? Never-ending-forever-growing TBR list? Well thanks to this reading challenge, I have a plan. There are 12 reading challenges (one for each month of the year) designed to help knock out titles on To Be Read (TBR) shelves.
  1. January ~ Read Whatever You Want/Most Excited About
  2. February ~ Read Books You're Embarrassed You Haven't Read Yet
  3. March ~ Read Based on the Cover
  4. April ~ Read Genre You Own the Least Of
  5. May ~ Read Classics
  6. June ~ Read Adaptations
  7. July ~ Read Diversely
  8. August ~ Read Chronologically
  9. September ~ Read Books with Least Number of Pages
  10. October ~ Read Books People Gave or Lent You
  11. November ~ Reread Books You Can't Remember
  12. December ~ Read What Others Recommend

If you are interested in joining this challenge with me, visit Bookish for the deets and share your progress using #KillYourTBR2016 on social media.

 

March 30, 2016

Lit Tidbits: Patty Duke


Title: Brilliant Madness: Living with Manic Depressive Illness
Author: Patty Duke
Published: February 1997
Lit Tidbits: Anna Marie "Patty" Duke revealed a long-kept secret in her autobiography Call Me Anna: she suffered from a mental illness called manic depression (bipolar disorder). Most people know Patty Duke as an Oscar-winning actress and the star of primetime series The Patty Duke Show. But I was first introduced to Patty Duke as a brave woman sharing her diagnosis and struggle with extreme mania, depressive episodes, panic attacks, spending sprees and suicide attempts. Brilliant Madness was one of the books that helped me understand manic depression and effective treatments. Recommended by Chickadee, this bestseller offered hope and insight. Patty Duke died yesterday on March 29, 2016, at the age of 69 years old. She was a talented actress, an author, a wife, mother and mental health advocate. Eternal rest and many thanks.

 

Sleep Sister


"I haven't time to sort out your domestic squabbles." ~ 29%

Beth ran away from home when she was a teenager leaving behind her sister, Sara, and a terrible secret they share. Like most secrets and cliché fiction, Beth and Sara have to face their past and confront it head-on. Meanwhile, Eva has to learn more about her past to continue her future. With a marriage in shambles and her own birth a mystery in itself, Eva traces her roots.

Sleep Sisters was influenced by hidden stories that are locked away in the memories of women, per the author's letter at end of the book. I have to agree. A lot of people carry secrets to their grave. But sometimes secrets go public. Laura Elliot had a good premise with this fictional story but it fell flat. Perhaps it was the emphasis on corruption or maybe it was too many characters thrown in the mix. I found it very difficult to keep up and really get into the story.

Sleep Sister will be published tomorrow, March 31, 2016.

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 honestly my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins.

Title: Sleep Sister
Author: Laura Elliot
Published: March 2016
Pages: 343
Edition: Galley
Rating: ♥♡


 

March 29, 2016

Highlights


Family: You need rest. You're always doing something.
Me: Because I need to maximize my time during good days.

FriendWhy do you read so much?
Me: To temporarily escape. Get lost in someone else's world. I seriously cannot function w/o fiction.

It is so simple. The world would be so much better if more people read books than read social media timelines. Focus on the words of a page rather someone else's pic or status update. Put the iPhone down and experience life!

As a migraineur, there are days that I cannot pick up a book and read because my fingers are numb and my vision is blurry. I couldn't turn a page if I wanted to. I can't go outside and feel the sun on my brown skin because light hurts. The only moves I can make are to and from the toilet because nausea. So heck yeah on the days I am migraine-free, I cram in everything I want and need to do. I multi-task like a muh'fucka. I try to live my BEST day.

"I want my whole life to only be highlights."

  

March 27, 2016

Series Sunday: Cross Justice

(Alex Cross #23)


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 Cross Justice, the 23rd book in the Alex Cross series by James Patterson. Alex Cross returns home to support his cousin, Stefan Tate, who stands trial for drugs, rape and murder. Alex left his hometown 35 years ago after some awful family tragedies. Going back to Starksville, North Carolina opens up more than old wounds and fried rabbit. It is especially difficult in a town where still no one feels safe to speak.

Although Cross Justice is the 23rd installment of the Alex Cross series, it is the most personal yet. We find out more about Alex's childhood, Nana Mama's roots and the extended Cross family. Yes—we meet Alex's cousins and 'nem! It is an intense family reunion under the saddest of circumstances.

"Of course, I'd told her very little about my boyhood, because, really, my life began the day Nana Mama took me and my brothers in." ~ pg. 27

Cross Justice would have been a solid 5♥ had the beginning not been slow and one of the subplots were interesting. I usually like when authors add a touch of current event and pop culture but I am so over the whole Caitlyn Jenner farce that I didn't care for the character Coco. I would have been perfectly content if the entire book focused on his cousin's trial. The narrative in the courtroom reminded me of a good 'ole fashioned Matlock scene. The ending was perfectly executed!

Title: Cross Justice
Author: James Patterson
Published: November 2015
Pages: 420
Edition: Hardcover
Challenge: Keeping Up with Patterson
Rating: ♥♥♥♥♡

 

Keeping Up with Patterson Challenge


I created the Keeping Up with Patterson reading challenge so that new and existing readers of James Patterson can keep up in all three (3) series. Books are released quite frequently so this challenge will motivate readers to not fall behind. 

  • Alex Cross Series ~ Forensic Psychologist
  • Michael Bennett Series ~ Detective and his 10 kids
  • Women's Murder Club Series ~ Homicide Detective Lindsey Boxer, Crime Reporter Cindy Thomas, Chief Medical Examiner Claire Washburn and District Attorney Yuki Castellano

James Patterson is an American author that I stan for. He is known for mystery/thriller novels with trademark brief chapters and memorable lead characters. He also teaches writing in a MasterClass that I will take soon.

Patterson's books have sold more than 300 million copies to date and he holds the Guinness World Record for being the first author to sell one million eBooks. Patterson is an advocate for young readers, adult writers, school libraries and independent bookstores. He encourages people of all ages to read more books.

Bookhearts are welcome to join me on this thrilling #KUWP challenge and the MasterClass! 

March 26, 2016

Happy Easter

Decorate eggs in a special way this Easter by using book pages!

*images and directions seen on Pinterest

 

March 25, 2016

First Lines Good Friday


First Lines Friday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie of Precision Revision. 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 thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance." ~ John 10:10, AMP

"'I'm sorry'...she began in a lowered, apologetic voice, 'but we're going to have to let you go, Melinda.'"

Once Upon a Sunday by Renee Allen McCoy

  

March 24, 2016

This Raging Light


"How does a barely noticeable star become your very own sun?" ~ pg. 14

Fans of John Green and Rainbow Rowell will absolutely love this debut novel by Estelle Laure. This Raging Light has the YA "it" factor of keeping you hooked and hoping.

Lucille is forced to grow up early. Her dad is not normal. Her mom never came home from a vacation. Lucille has bills to pay and a little sister, Wrenny, to look after. As if life isn't complicated enough, she falls in love with her best friend's twin brother, Digby. This Raging Light is a YA story of a girl who learns that life and love can be unexpected yet amazeballs.

Some book reviewers were let down. I will admit if you go into this book expecting shooting stars, rainbows and fireworks then yes you'll be disappointed. Also don't read this novel thinking it will be better than some of your favorite YA novels; it is only similar. Give This Raging Light its own lane then get behind the wheel and take it for a test read.

Estelle, do me a favor and hurry with the companion novel These Mighty Forces. I need to know what happens next.

Title: This Raging Light
Author: Estelle Laure
Published: December 2015
Pages: 270
Edition: Hardcover
Rating: ♥♥♥♥♡


 

March 23, 2016

Freedom's Child


"Find her. Find her kids. Bring them home." ~ pg. 26

Freedom Oliver lives in a small Oregon town and makes a point of keeping to herself. She works at the local biker bar and gets drunk almost every night. Her few friends and neighbors don't know that Freedom Oliver is a fake name because she was arrested for killing her husband twenty years ago.

Freedom Oliver is in witness protection missing the two kids she put up for adoption. She goes unprotected and ventures out of town when her daughter has gone missing. She risks everything to fix the mistakes she made in the past. Freedom's Child is a fast-paced story that had me rooting for Freedom Oliver's throwing all caution to the wind in the name of her children. The main character reminded me of Jax Teller in Sons of Anarchy when he hurriedly went across the world to save his son.

I recommend Freedom's Child. It is not your average biker club book or novel with plenty of secrets. Well done, Jax Miller. Please write and share more of your novels with us all the way from Ireland. When I say Freedom's Child was good...believe me, bookhearts.

Title: Freedom's Child
Author: Jax Miller
Published: June 2015
Pages: 320
Edition: Hardcover
Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥


 

March 22, 2016

Fool Me Once


"Things can always be said later, but things can never be unheard." ~ 50%

Death seems to follow Maya. The former special ops pilot, home from war, buried her husband Joe three days after his murder. Not long before that, she buried her sister who was also murdered. Then thanks to a nanny cam, she sees an impossible image of her dead husband playing with their two-year-old daughter. Is her mind playing tricks? Is she grieving so hard that she sees things that she so desperately wishes were true? Left with a mind full of questions, she puts her intelligence and expert markswoman skills to use finding answers.

There are few authors that I will add their new releases to my TBR without having read a description first. It doesn't matter what the book is about; it's by so-and-so, I'll no doubt like it. Authors that I am honored to read their advance copies for my honest review. Harlan Coben is one of these few authors I speak of.

Edge-of-your-seat mysteries are what I like to read most. I like to be shocked throughout the book and thrown for a loop at the ending. The suspense in Fool Me Once builds steadily and then WHAM! I knew but I didn't know; Fool Me Once fooled me. Coben's descriptive writing makes readers feel as if they are watching a movie as the plot unfolds. I recommend Fool Me Once for bookhearts looking to read a suspense mystery and for book clubs looking to read something out of their norm.

Happy Pub Day, Harlan Coben! Fool Me Once is available today.

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 honestly my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins.

Title: Fool Me Once
Author: Harlan Coben
Published: March 2016
Pages: 400
Edition: Galley
Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

 

March 20, 2016

Series Sunday: Never Never #3

(Never Never #3)


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 Never Never, the final book in the trilogy of same name by Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher. As I previously said, I purposely put off reading this trilogy until the hype died down in the chick lit world. Thank goodness because the way these cliffhangers were set up, I had to read all three short books back-to-back.

"A curse. An alien abduction. Time travel. Twin brain tumors?" ~ pg. 44

Silas and Charlie are best friends that lose their memory every 48 hours like voodoo clockwork. They can remember things like lyrics or photography but have no recollection of family or of each other. Silas and Charlie get smart and start writing themselves notes to look deeper into their past. It is a race to find the truth.

I spent most of the time reading Part One and Part Two in a state of confusion. I had no clue why two seemingly normal teenagers kept losing their memory. The setting is in New Orleans so was it voodoo? Or some supernatural shit? Or in-sync amnesia? I finally put my logical thinking aside while reading...because fiction.

The Never Never trilogy is recommended for anyone who has a day to spare. Get lost in this loopy story co-authored by two New York Times bestselling authors. Take off your thinking hat and just read.

Title: Never Never, Part Three
Authors: Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher
Published: January 2015
Pages: 77
Edition: eBook
Challenge: Popsugar Book I Can Finish in a Day
Rating: ♥♥♥

 

March 18, 2016

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.

"The starter gun shatters the silence, releasing the runners from their blocks."

~ This is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp

 

March 17, 2016

It's in My Roots, It's in My Veins, It's in My Blood


Irish-Americans are an ethnic group comprising Americans who have full or partial ancestry from Ireland, says Wikipedia. According to the Urban Dictionary, an Irish-American is what everybody in America becomes on March 17th.

So whether you are wearing green, puckering up for folks to kiss you, chugging green beer or eating homemade corned beef and cabbage, celebrate all ethnicities today.

  

March 16, 2016

Return of My Blogmoir


So today is my half born day. What a perfect day to pick up my personal pen and return to my blogmoir. On this day, I usually go through old journal entries to see how far I've come in the past six months and write goals for the following six months until my actual birthday. But today, I am at a blank. Partly because I am loopy from migraine meds. But mostly because I've been inconsistent with journal entries lately so there isn't much to analyze.

So instead I say a prayer grateful to see another half born day.

  

March 15, 2016

Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things


"This is not too surprising considering that I collect neurological disorders like other people collect comic books." ~ pg. 33

Who is Jenny Lawson? The owner of an award-winning popular blog (www.thebloggess.com) and a #1 New York Times bestselling author. I came across her name here and there. However, this book is my official introduction to her wit and hilariously skewed outlook on life.

Furiously Happy begins with a series of disclaimers from the author. First Jenny Lawson insists readers stop. Then after confirming we are still here, she admits some details have been changed to protect the guilty. That's right—because innocent people don't need protection anyway. HAHAHA At this point, I was more than curious and willing to read further. Then the author hits me with yet another disclaimer that it is a funny book about living with mental illness. As a person with loved ones affected by a mental illness, I don't mind humor mixed in with the truth as long as it is respectable. So I acknowledged that I am an accessory to plot and made the decision to continue reading.

Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things is the perfect title of this memoir of a woman who struggles with clinical depression, anxiety disorder and a lifelong battle with mental illness. Real issues told in a hilarious truly LOL manner. And I abso-fuckin-lutely loved it!

"I've often thought that people with severe depression have developed such a well for experiencing extreme emotion that they might be able to experience extreme joy in a way that 'normal' people also might never understand, and that's what FURIOUSLY HAPPY is all about. It's about taking those moments when things are fine and making them amazing, because those moments are what make us who we are, and they're the same moments we take into battle with us when our brains declare war on our very existence." ~ xviii

I know all too well about misunderstood disorders. In my experience, very few people want to acknowledge something that cannot be seen. For example, you can't always look at me and know that I am a migraineur. But that doesn't mean I'm not in pain. Depression can't be seen on someone's face but that certainly doesn't mean it is fake. It was refreshing to read a new voice talking about such serious matters and sharing her own real life events. Furthermore, she offered a different way of living life: join the #FuriouslyHappy movement.

Jenny, I know this sounds cliché but you are not alone. There were more than a few essays that I nodded my head and said, "Me too, girl!" So keep waving that "fucked up and proud of it" banner.

Bookhearts, this nonfiction book is for ALL of you. I am sure you or someone you know may benefit from its content. Let us not suffer in the dark or worry about the stigma behind depression. Raise awareness and celebrate life just as you would for a cancer survivor. Start by reading Furiously Happy. I highly suggest book clubs choose Furiously Happy as their May selection since it is a National Mental Illness Awareness Month. I recommend the hardcover edition because the cover is a for sure conversation starter. But inside the spine, brace yourself for some funny ass truths.

Title: Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things
Author: Jenny Lawson
Published: September 2015
Pages: 329
Edition: Hardcover
Challenge: Popsugar Written by a Comedian; Bookish Kill Your TBR—Read Based on the Cover
Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥


 

March 13, 2016

Series Sunday: Never Never #2

(Never Never #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 Never Never, the second book in the trilogy of same name by Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher. As I said last week, I purposely put off reading this trilogy until the hype died down in the chick lit world. Plus by waiting, I can read all three books back-to-back.

"This feels like I'm unraveling a piece of a puzzle, even if it's not the puzzle I should be unraveling." ~ pg. 69

Silas and Charlie are best friends that suddenly lost their memory. They remember music lyrics, how to drive and other general facts. But have no idea of their own names, where they live or school schedule. The first book didn't reveal much far as plot but co-authors Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher left a good amount of WTF-is-happening for me to continue on to part two.

Aaaaaaand, I am still confused. I still have a WTF look on my face. And bookhearts know that I love a cliffhanger but this? Never Never, Part Two literally ends in the middle of a damn sentence! Who does that?! What a way to make me immediately buy the third book.

Title: Never Never, Part Two
Authors: Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher
Published: January 2015
Pages: 84
Edition: eBook
Rating: ♥♥♥

 

March 11, 2016

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.

"They buried Joe three days after his murder."

~ Fool Me Once by Harlan Coben 

 

March 10, 2016

The Taste of Salt


"A lot of black people raised the way I was—in cities, which is most of us—don't like the water." ~ pg. 11

The Taste of Salt tells the story of a black family dealing with addiction over the course of two generations. Josie has loved the water since she was a little girl. She is fulfilling her dream position as the only black senior-level scientist at the Woods Hole Oceanograhic Institute. One thing she isn't so proud of is her family back in Cleveland. Her father pushed the family away with his drinking. Her brother is coming apart at the seams following in his alcoholic father's footsteps. Her mother spent years giving love to her family and being pushed away. Their lives are way more complex than any science Josie ever worked with as a marine biologist.

"I never hear truly urban, black voices anymore." ~ pg. 23

The Taste of Salt has sat in my NOOK library for at least three (3) years. The cover is very appealing and true to its title. The plot summary is serious yet interesting. But the subject matter of alcoholism seemed a bit heavy. The Taste of Salt is one of those books you have to be in the mood for. If there were such a thing, I would consider this genre: plain truth fiction. Martha Southgate takes it there with no minced words or timid characters, and I appreciate that.

Title: The Taste of Salt
Author: Martha Southgate
Published: September 2011
Pages: 191
Edition: eBook
Rating: ♥♥♥♡

March 9, 2016

Getting Mother's Body


"More respectable things like getting my law degree or at least digging up the treasure and paying off my mother's bills with my percentage of it or I should be thinking how one day I'll become president and pass laws for fairness." ~ pg. 168

With high praise from bookhearts and authors like Pearl Cleage and Richard Russo, I had high expectations for Getting Mother's Body. It is a national bestseller and winner of the Pulitzer Prize. It was mentioned on Better Than the Movie podcast. The cover is very classic literature-ish and what I consider a good book to read in public. Who doesn't like classic cars? And it is actually about a road trip. So when I cracked open Getting Mother's Body and started reading, my hopes were way up.

The first line had me at attention O_O. Who is this unapologetic main character named Billy Beede? She comes home one day to find a notice that her mother's burial spot is about to be plowed up to make way for a supermarket. As the sole heiress to her mother's rumored fortune, she steals a truck and plans to dig up the jewels buried with her mother's body. With her aunt, uncle and mother's lover in tow, it turns into a funny down-on-luck adventure.

So did Getting Mother's Body live up to my high expectations? Not quite. But it is certainly a worthy good read. I would love to see this novel adapted to a play. Literally take these characters on the road. Just don't let Tyler Perry have anything to do with it.

Title: Getting Mother's Body
Author: Suzan-Lori Parks
Published: January 2003
Pages: 257
Edition: Hardcover
Challenge: Popsugar Book About a Road Trip; Popsugar National Book Award Winner
Rating: ♥♥♥♡