This is the first poem I ever memorized. I learned it for a Black History Month presentation while in middle school and it remains my favorite poem today.
"Every woman is entitled to a reality TV moment." ~ pg. 69 Button Jackson knows two things are certain: all men cheat and all women are rivals. She hasn't had a serious boyfriend or girl friends for years. She trusts no one. Meghan Cherry is fresh out of a divorce and unsure why relationships just don't work when she gives her all. Dawn Martin is expecting a marriage proposal any day now, but her boyfriend is sending mixed signals.
This story is based in the big city of Chicago. Somehow these three ladies are brought together by chance. They bond over Single Girl Sangria (recipe included in the book), give each other advice and share their current dating woes. Every girl has a season—and this summer belongs to Button, Meghan and Dawn so they can grow and explore. Liking the characters in a book is very important to me. I need to relate to them, understand them, and not side-eye their actions. It took a few chapters to warm up to Button. With the portrayals of black women today in reality TV, it was refreshing to read about these three positive black women forming healthy friendships. I recommend Single Girl Summer for women book clubs. It will be a good selection for this summer.
Title: Single Girl Summer Author: Deanna Kimberly Burrell Published: June 2011 Pages: 204 Edition: eBook Rating: ♥♥♥
Let me preface this review by saying I am a fan of the super freak, Rick James. I jam to his music. In fact, I am listening to Bustin' Out and Dance Wit Me on repeat while writing this review. I miss his live performances and interviews. The man was the punk funk master! Him and Teena Marie were the best collaboration since peanut butter and jelly. So it was only fitting that I read Rick James' confessions. What better time than during Black History Month? So let's get into the review.
Rick James penned his memoir in 1993 while sitting in a 6x8 cell in the Los Angeles County Jail. He dedicated it to "all the Super Freaks, Super Geeks, and Super Tweaks." The memoir starts from the beginning. He was born James Ambrose Johnson Jr. in 1948. He was the third oldest of eight children. It goes on to tell one of his happiest memories, when he lost his virginity at the age of nine, and even when he started chippieing (messing around with drugs). The memoir of course also describes his music career. All of his songs are about personal experiences and feelings.
Rick James' childhood, fame, drug use, felony convictions and rendezvous with women are discussed in this tell-all. All of the names and events in the book are true. He doesn't change names to protect the innocent because he simply didn't give a motherfuck.
The Confessions of Rick James is everything you imagine it would be. C'mon, it is the Memoirs of a Super Freak! Enough said.
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.
"This felt like my last line in the sand, and I wasn't going to cross it." ~ pg. 41
My Series Sunday pick is Alex Cross, Run the 20th book in the Alex Cross series by James Patterson. Detective Alex Cross arrests Dr. Elijah Creem, one of DC's in-demand plastic surgeons, and Josh Bergman, owner of a modeling agency, for illegal activity with underage girls. Now that Creem is out of jail, he reinvents himself with a new life...and a new face.
In less than a week, three dead bodies are discovered around DC's least violent neighborhoods. Alex Cross is so preoccupied with the three investigations that he doesn't notice someone has been watching him and won't stop until Alex Cross is killed.
Is Alex Cross, Run the most sensational thriller? Hmmm, no. Putting my bitterness over the movie casting aside, the book had a weak plot. The action fell flat and the detective is clearly slipping on his investigation skills. I hold James Patterson, as well as Alex Cross, to a high standard. Both have been around for years and should act more experienced.
Check out the book trailer below and judge for yourself whether it is worth reading.
Title: Alex Cross, Run
Author: James Patterson
Published: February 2013
Pages: 407
Edition: Hardcover
Rating: ♥♥♥
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.
"I held his lingam, suckled the part called the meatus. The glans. Licked his foreskin." ~Decadenceby Eric Jerome Dickey
When I think of paradise, I think of clear blue water, sunny skies, island sand between my toes, palm trees and relaxation. When four college friends go on an all-expense paid vacation to Jamaica, they are expecting paradise. These four college friends need an escape from their everyday life. Tina is a mother of four young children. Allie is struggling with news that an illness runs in her family. Savannah is trying to hide her pending divorce. Dwight is hoping this trip to celebrate his 35th birthday will bring romance into his new marriage.
Private beaches. Gourmet dinners. Beautiful villa. Full itineraries. This is how the vacation begins. But an unexpected hurricane hits the island and chaos ensues. These four college friends and their spouses try to weather the storm, personally and literally.
Author Sarah Pekkanen writes beyond the typical chick lit genre. Her stories have substance and back story that is realistic. I always enjoy her books, albeit some more than others. The Best of Us is recommended for readers that like to escape into fiction through good writing.
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: The Best of Us
Author: Sarah Pekkanen
Published: April 2013
Pages: 352
Edition: Galley
Rating: ♥♥♥
