Poet X

"That love can be a band:
tears if you pull it too hard,
but also flexible enough
to stretch around the most chaotic mass." ~ pg. 340

Xiomara Batista feels unheard but always seen. Ever since her body grew into curves, she gets unwarranted attention from guys and very strict parenting from her religious mother. Instead of letting her fists do the talking, Xiomara releases her thoughts, passion, and opinions into a leather journal. When Xiomara's teacher invites her to join the slam poetry club, she takes a leap of faith. Going behind her mother's almighty back, Xiomara can't help but enjoy performing her poems. This young girl in Harlem refuses to be silent.

Bookhearts, I dare not give too much away with Poet X. Just know the cover is flawless. The premise is touching. The story is the definition of coming-of-age. And the main character...le sigh...is a young girl that you just want to reach through the pages and hug. It is simply beautiful prose.

I am adding Poet X to the recommended reading list for the next group of gifted and talented high school kids I mentor. Oh, we will have a discussion about this!

Title: Poet X
Author: Elizabeth Acevedo
Published: March 2018
Pages: 357
Edition: Hardcover
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤

Turn This L Into a Lesson

Girl Scout Troop 6000 is specifically for girls in the New York City shelter system. Meetings are led by trained troop members who are women also living in the shelter system. Dubbed the "Homeless Girl Scout Troop" by the media, they are all over recent news for surpassing a goal of selling 6,000 boxes of cookies. The total numbers are impressive: over 32,000 boxes sold and $15,000 in donations! The proceeds will allegedly go toward field trips, camping, scout supplies and other activities.

I am proud of the girls for going above and beyond their sales goal. It shows teamwork, dedication and an entrepreneurial spirit. But one thought remains in my brain:

🗣THESE GIRLS ARE STILL HOMELESS!

Record-breaking sales and cash donations are not helping their homelessness, for those of us reading between the fine lines. At the end of the day, these girls sold tons of cookies and still have no roof over their head and no place to call home. The thought of these girls traipsing around the city dressed in cookie costumes (literally, look) to make big organizations money then returning to a shelter at night angers me. Need I also point out that Troop 6000 is majority girls of color?

Articles report a partnership among the Mayor's Office, Department of Homeless Services and Girl Scouts of Greater New York will invest $1 million over a 3-year period to "expand the troop." WAYMENT Why is it a goal to expand homelessness? It should be the opposite—strive to decrease the homeless rate. Here's a thought: use the allotted $1 million to place every single member of Troop 6000 in a stable home. At the very least, offer them a large percentage of cookie sales to be used toward everyday living expenses, not f'in Girl Scout uniforms.

Troop 6000 is not out here living their best life. Instead they are being pimped by the very influential people that have the ability to change their situation. When did society become so self-serving? Absolutely no one in the Department, Girl Scouts organization, or Mayor's Office saw a problem with this? And where are these girls' mamas? Especially the ones appointed as leaders of the troop. Someone needs to speak up and turn this loss into a lesson.

  

Series Sunday: Murder with Fried Chicken and Waffles

(Mahalia Watkins Soul Food Mystery #1) 

Series Sunday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie. 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 Murder with Fried Chicken and Waffles, the first book in the Mahalia Watkins Soul Food Mystery series by A.L. Herbert. Welcome to Mahalia's Sweet Tea—the finest soul food restaurant in Prince George's County, Maryland. It is famous for it's cornbread and mashed potatoes that make you want to slap yo' mama. The owner, affectionately nicknamed Halia, has her hands full cooking, dipping, and solving an unexpected mystery.

"It's all such a mystery. One minute he's enjoying my fried chicken and waffles, and, next thing you know, he turns up dead." ~ pg. 127

When a fast-talking shady entrepreneur turns up dead in her kitchen, Halia acts on impulse. Determined to keep her restaurant out of the news, she cleans the fingerprints off the weapon, a cast iron skillet, and moves the body to a neutral place. But Halia's efforts only point a finger at her young cousin as the prime suspect.

"You was the Lucy in this episode, Halia. I was just the Ethel." ~ pg. 111

Soul Food + Mystery = Fictional Greatness. Nothing says cozy like a mystery served with fried chicken. How come no one else thought of this? And how am I just now discovering this series? And why are there are only two (2) books?! Okay, let me calm down. At least enough to recommend you check out this series if cozy foodie lit is your thing.

Title: Murder with Fried Chicken and Waffles

Author: A.L. Herbert

Published: February 2015

Pages: 276

Edition: Paperback

Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤

First Lines Friday

First Lines Friday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie. 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.

"It started out as a typical Saturday night. And by typical, I don't mean normal in any mainstream American way."

~ All We Ever Wanted by Emily Giffin 

Feud

"The good book says to love your neighbor. No one in it moved next door to a Lawson." ~ 22%

Inheriting a house is usually good news, right? Especially when it comes with an attractive, tall, dark and sexy neighbor. Not the case for Alex Bridges when she learns of the legendary hundred-year old family feud. That sexy neighbor is her enemy. And there's an additional monetary inheritance at stake if she doesn't run him out of the neighborhood for good.

Feud was an impulse buy. If I am not familiar with the author, or not already granted an advance copy, then I stalk a book before buying. It helps curb my book budget. But the eBook was on sale for $2.99 and a couple of my bookhearts were reading it too. After seeing their delight, I immediately pressed "Buy and Send to Kindle." What a treat! Best three bucks I've spent in a while.

"It's easy to think Alex should be nicer when you're sitting on your fanny with a book in your hand." ~ 27%

How the author, Phyllis Bourne, went from being a newspaper crime reporter to comical romance fiction is beyond me. But I'm glad she found her true calling! The witty dialogue, the relatable characters and the pacing was perfect. I felt like a third main character eavesdropping on the neighborly feud shenanigans. Normally the character speaking directly to the reader (as in the quote above) would annoy me. But in Feud? Oh, it was genius! No exaggeration when I tell you I literally LOL'ed and said aloud, "Yessss, girl!" One scene in particular makes me chuckle now just thinking about it. I would love a follow-up book! Bookhearts, look no further for a cute quick read.

Title: Feud
Author: Phyllis Bourne
Published: February 2018
Pages: 150
Edition: eBook
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤

   

Only Child

"I wondered if your soul still has your face when it goes up to heaven, because otherwise how do the people who love you who are already in heaven know it's your soul and find you so you're not lonely and you can be together?" ~ pg. 67

Narrated by a seven-year-old boy, Only Child tells a terrifying story of a school shooting and the aftermath. First grader, Zach, is forced and squeezed into a closet with his classmates and teacher. This is not a drill. Zach can hear gunshots in the school hallway. A gunman has entered the building taking nineteen lives (including Zach's older brother). Needless to say, everyone involved will never forget this fateful day; multiple students, faculty and families are affected.

While Zach's mother blames the parents of the shooter and seeks justice, Zach replays the school shooting in his head and sorts through his feelings in a new hideout at home: yet another closet. His own journey through healing eventually helps adults to pull through the darkness and forgive.

"I never sat in a closet before today and yesterday, because closets are not for hanging out, they're for putting stuff away." ~ pg. 63

Only Child gave me all the vibes of Room and This Is Where It Ends. The intricate detail of a tragedy unfolding and raw emotions of young characters tug at your heart strings. The language of a child who is unaware of the magnitude of a situation. It makes you wonder "What if?" long after the book is finished. It also makes you wonder how can a kid so innocent handle such an unfortunate experience. Let alone help the adults heal, forgive and move forward. Little bodies have the biggest hearts!

Well done on your debut, Rhiannon Navin!

Title: Only Child
Author: Rhiannon Navin
Published: February 2018
Pages: 276
Edition: eBook
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤

   

Brunch at Ruby's

"Comfort, though, can make a person lazy. It can make someone take things and people and promises like 'till death do us part' for granted. Comfort makes people passive." ~ 6%

First of all, let's take a moment to admire the cover. How appropriate to the title! Every month, three friends meet for brunch at a local spot named Ruby's Soul Food Café. The usual orders are shrimp and grits for Renee, chicken and waffles for Maxine and an omelet for Debra. Brunch is like a support group; they share current happenings in their lives, ask and offer advice and go on about their day. Like true friends, they understand each other yet work each other's nerve.

The group of women are very much like the every day black woman in today's world. They are strong, dependable, successful and loyal to friendship. Renee runs the family-owned bookstore and takes care of her father, who was recently diagnosed with dementia. Love is the last thing on her mind. Maxine owns a real estate firm that caters to the high class. But she has yet to meet Mr. Rich Right. And Debra is a school principal, married for 14 years and raising a daughter; a big secret can ruin both her family and career.

"As long as I am making mistakes, I may as well make some that give me pleasure." ~ 20%

I guarantee readers will find similarities between these characters and yourselves. I sure did! Did a couple actions of one particular character annoy me? Of course. But I still cared about the outcome of her story. Did any passages make me nod or shake my head? Yup. I must admit that I hold a higher standard for debut novels. The author needs to draw me in or I am forever gone, very seldom giving a second chance. Kudos to D.L. White for developing relatable characters and pacing the story in Brunch at Ruby's. It is not what I deem a page-turner but more of a "settle in with a drink and take my time reading" kind of book. Now that's good writing!

Brunch at Ruby's is one of the many books that I downloaded onto my Kindle over a year ago and just got around to reading. Who knew this group of mature ladies with real life issues was sitting in my eLibrary just waiting to be read? I recommend it to bookhearts looking for a book about girlfriends with a strong bond. Brunch at Ruby's is especially ideal for a women's book club selection.

I am looking forward to reading the follow-up novel, Dinner at Sam's. If you scurry over to Amazon, you can buy both books for less than $4. Small price for good stories!

Title: Brunch at Ruby's
Author: D.L. White
Published: March 2015
Pages: 292
Edition: eBook
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤