Citizen: An American Lyric

"Certain moments send adrenaline to the heart, dry out the tongue, and clog the lungs." ~ pg. 10

Citizen: An American Lyric is a follow-up to Claudia Rankine's Don't Let Me Be Lonely: An American Lyric. Though I did not read her first book, this bold new book is right on time. It recounts ongoing events in the twenty-first century such as Hennessy Youngman's Art Thoughtz, Hurricane Katrina, Trayvon Martin, Serena Williams, CNN and other media. Reading about these events you question whether they are slips of the tongue or intentional offensives. Either way, it affects our stress level and our idea of citizenship in a so-called post racial society.

"And you are not the guy and still you fit the description because there is only one guy who is always the guy fitting the description." ~ pg. 102

Citizen: An American Lyric is in essay and image format. I am not a fan of poetry but could relate to some of the short essays. Too many times to count I have heard, "I didn't know you were black!" So many times I have been the only meatball in the rice caught in a conversation about race, wondering what impression I gave to let the other person know this conversation was okay to be having. It usually ends with a dismissive "but you're not black black." As if that explanation makes it okay. Meanwhile it is ever present in my mind that I am not treated as an equal citizen. We see it in the media and news every day. We see it in our neighborhoods. Unfortunately, this really is the American lyric that Claudia Rankine so powerfully described in this book.

Title: Citizen: An American Lyric
Author: Claudia Rankine
Published: October 2014
Pages: 160
Edition: eBook
Challenge: Diversity on the Shelf; Popsugar Short Stories; New Authors
Rating: ♥♥♥♥

Series Sunday: Destiny's Captive

(Destiny #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 Destiny's Captive, the third book in the Destiny series by Beverly Jenkins. Noah is the youngest Yates son. He loves sailing the seas with no plans to fall in love and start a family on land. Pilar comes from a family of forgers and thieves. It is in her blood. So when she chose Noah's ship to steal, it was pure business. Until Noah left her with a promise to find her. True to his word, Noah went on the hunt for the pirate woman who stole his ship Alanza. What neither of them expected was what would happen when that day came.

I cannot find fault in any novel Beverly Jenkins writes. She is one of my absolute fave authors. She introduced me to the historical romance genre and writes it like no other. It is clear from the descriptive scenes that she did her research on Cuba, General Maceo, Spain, and blacks in Latin America. How can I not love reading fiction and learning history?

If you read the previous two books in the Destiny series, you will be happy to know that brothers Logan and Drew, their respective wives Mariah and Billie, and their mother and Max are characters in Destiny's Captive. Yes, you'll get updates on them all as you read about Noah and Pilar. For those who haven't read the previous two books in the series, you can read Destiny's Captive as a standalone but I would not suggest it as you'll be spoiled.

"Promise me querida." ~ pg. 44

Promise me, Beverly Jenkins, that you will continue to write such great passionate, page-turning historical romances. It is bittersweet this series has come to an end with this final third book. However, I am left satisfied with the Yates boys and their lives.

Title: Destiny's Captive
Author: Beverly Jenkins
Published: October 2014
Pages: 368
Edition: Paperback
Challenge: Diversity on Shelf, Popsugar Set in a Different Country
Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

 

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 groaning grew louder in intensity, jarring Arthur Warren Waite from a deep slumber. The poison was working, just not fast enough."

~ Poisoning the Pecks of Grand Rapids: The Scandalous 1916 Murder Plot by Tobin T. Buhk

 

Second Life

"Isn't that what we're all trying to do, on some level? Show our best face to the world, leave the darkness within? The screen of the Internet just makes it easier." ~ pg. 67

Author of Before I Go To Sleep, is back with a new novel titled Second Life. With high expectations set, I dived in reading the ARC. Julia is settled into her life in London with her surgeon husband and teenage son. Life is uneventful until the brutal murder of her sister, who lived in Paris, opens old wounds. After speaking with Anna, her sister's best friend, she finds out the extent of her sister's second life of online chat rooms and cybersex.

What started out as a search for the truth turns into Julia giving in to her own desires. With plans to seek out her sister's killer, she creates an online profile and meets Lukas in an online chat room. She soon finds out that so much can go wrong. It's not only cybersex. Things can get really dangerous.

"What had seemed manageable is now out of control; what had been in a box has now broken free." ~ pg. 172

Second Life starts off really slow. The suspense didn't build until halfway through the story. Perhaps because the main character was not likable. She didn't think logically and kept making dumb mistakes. With that aside, having read another S.J. Watson novel, I expected a good twist. I knew whatever twist I thought I figured out, was not true. While this follow-up book was not as good as Watson's debut novel, it still threw me for loop after loop. And the ending left me quite annoyed, literally flipping the ePages and wondering if the galley didn't fully download. Surely I am missing a chapter. Because that ending?! If this is the reaction the author wanted from readers, then bingo.

Second Life will be published on February 12, 2015. Mystery lovers, add it to your wish list. If you aren't into psychological twisted reads, pass on this book.

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: Second Life
Author: S.J. Watson
Published: February 2015
Pages: 307
Edition: Galley
Challenge: Popsugar Set Somewhere I've Always Wanted to Visit
Rating: ♥♥♥♥

 

Series Sunday: Emma's Secret

(Finding Emma #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 Emma's Secret, the second book in the Finding Emma series by Steena Holmes. The family's youngest child, Emma, has been returned home after being kidnapped two years ago. She's different from the happy toddler they remember. She barely remembers her parents and older sisters. She is quiet. Not only does she prefer to be called Emmie (the name given by her kidnappers) but she longs for the people who kidnapped her.

"My secret weighs on me too heavily. But there's no release, no way out." ~ pg. 162

Emma's Secret is the aftermath of a kidnapped child returned home. You would think it is all smiles and laughter. Instead Steena Holmes keeps it real and writes about the challenges the family face, the mistrust and how secrets can change everything...again. It was easy to read this sequel in one day. Nowadays it is the trend to leave readers hanging with an unnecessary cliffhanger. Thanks to the author, I finished the Finding Emma series feeling satisfied.

Title: Emma's Secret
Author: Steena Holmes
Published: June 2013
Pages: 195
Edition: eBook
Challenge: Popsugar Finish in a Day
Rating: ♥♥♥

Happy 5th Blogoversary

♬♬ Happy Blogoversary to me 

Happy Blogoversary to me

Happy Blogoversary to meeee

Happy Blogoversary to me

And many moooooooooore ♬♬ 

Thank you for your continued support, bookhearts.

National Readathon Day

Make Time to Read

Join me in reading from noon until 4 p.m. on National Readathon Day. The goal is to promote literacy and make time to read.

NOOK Charged ✓
Magazines Stacked ✓
Books Pledged ✓
Tea Brewing ✓