Uganda Be Kidding Me

"I woke up at 4:45 a.m. in Johannesburg, South Africa, in my bra, underwear, and eyeshades. My head was torqued to the right due to the length and width of the pillow I was resting it on, which had the same dimensions as a panty liner. The duvet accompanying this 'pillow' was an inch or two wider and could have doubled as a buffet napkin." ~ pg. 12

And so begins the misadventure of comedian Chelsea Handler on safari in Africa. Complete with pictures, this fifth release by the E! Television star is hilarious. Never mind recovering from ACL surgery, Chelsea books an impromptu vacation for her and close friends/family.

Bloody Marys and champagne for the morning safari rides. Back-to-back 90-minute massages. Grandma in the back, sunroof top. Visiting an orphanage where each child had an iPad Mini or Macbook. Hot travel tips. Shenanigans of lions, tigers, baboons and elephants. These are just some of the funny moments explained in Uganda Be Kidding Me.

It's also not a Chelsea Handler book without at least one reference to a black person that causes a mayjah side-eye (see: Mount a Negro chapter). I expect nothing less from her. If you are sensitive to dry humor, then Uganda Be Kidding Me is not the book for you to read. However, if you are anything like me and enjoy sharp wit in the form of laugh-out-loud anecdotes, then add Uganda Be Kidding Me to your reading lists. It is a great choice for reading material while traveling, starting with the frequently asked traveler's questions.

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: Uganda Be Kidding Me
Author: Chelsea Handler
Re-Published: March 2014
Pages: 166
Edition: Galley
Rating: ♥♥♥♡

 

Series Sunday: Sempre

(Forever #1)

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.

"Why drown in love when you can have so much fun swimming around in lust?" ~ pg. 24

My Series Sunday pick is Sempre, the first book in the Forever series by J.M. Darhower. Even though Sempre features two seventeen-year-olds, it is sexy with traces of a dark mystery. Haven is a second-generation slave and victim of human trafficking. It goes without saying that her life is full of abuse. Carmine was born into a Mafia family and happens to be the son of the man who enslaved Haven. What a twist!

Fate causes Haven and Carmine's lives to cross and they are soon caught in a web of secrets, lies, betrayal and murder. Over 500 pages worth! I like big books and I cannot lie (♬ cue Sir Mix-a-Marie ♬). Sempre is very engaging. I was so caught up in the story that I lost track of time and didn't realize I was flipping hundreds of ePages. This novel can be categorized as young adult but young-to-middle aged women may enjoy the well written dark romance too.

"Colpo di Fulmine (Love at First Sight)" ~ pg. 76

In the Author's Acknowledgements, she states that "while Sempre is a work of fiction, the concept of modern-day slavery is not make-believe. There are an estimated 27 million people in the world today who are coerced and forced into sexual or labor slavery." Darhower encourages us to become abolitionists. You have to love fiction with a cause!

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: Sempre
Author: J.M. Darhower
Published: January 2012
Pages: 530
Edition: Galley
Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

 

US vs. UK

The UK is my hometown glory but I live in the US. The US vs. UK bookish meme compares book covers published in the two countries.

US

UK

Today's first comparison is This is How You Lose Her. The US version has a white background with a multi-colored heart in the center. The UK version is yellow and displays a curvy woman with her hands on her hips. While the UK cover may attract male readers first, the US cover grabs my attention. 

Total: US 23, UK 22

US

UK

Oh, how I love it when a cover matches its title. Although the US cover of The Invention of Wings has the Oprah's Book Club stamp, it is plain. The UK cover, however, shows a young girl with wings. There is no question which cover I favour.

Total: US 23, UK 23

 

US

UK

First Love is full of tender kisses and holding hands, much like the US and UK covers shown above. But sad to say, neither cover screams "read me!" This selection is a draw.

Total: US 24, UK 24

 

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.

"Usually people cried when they came here for the first time, and this girl looked as if she'd be no exception."

~ You Should Have Known by Jean Hanff Korelitz 

 

How To Be Black

"There's a lot more to being black than February." ~ pg. 13

What better way to end my Black History Month review of books by us, for us than to review New York Times bestseller How To Be Black by Baratunde Thurston? This is a book that jumps from the bookshelves and grabs your attention. I bet you took a double glance at the cover image above. Well, this book serves as a "thrust of blackness in your general direction."

So who is Baratunde (pronounced baa-ruh-TOON-day) Thurston and what gives him credibility to write on such a topic? He's been black for thirty years, born in the wake of civil rights. Through personal stories and answers from a diverse selected panel, he successfully explains the black experience in a comedic way. It dispels rumors about black people not being able to swim or able to travel. It reviews how to be the black employee (my favorite chapter), how to be the angry negro, discusses the future of blackness in our post-racial world and more.

No matter your race, this is a good read. Hum a negro spiritual while you go out and purchase, borrow or download How to Be Black.

Title: How to Be Black
Author: Baratunde Thurston
Published: January 2012
Pages: 238
Edition: eBook
Rating: ♥♥♥♥♡
 
 

February eMags

I am Living La Vida NOOK with these February eMags:

MacLife ~ 30 Years of Mac

Rolling Stone ~ Lorde: The Girl Who Broke the Rules

Ebony ~ Celebrate Black Love!

Entertainment Weekly ~ Philip Seymour Hoffman: Brilliant. Troubled. Tragic.

Marie Claire ~ Drew Barrymore Knocked Up, In Love & Still the Most Fun Girl in Hollywood

Elle ~ Women in TV; The Sexiest Guys on TV & The Stars of OITNB

 

The Rise and Fall of Big Meech and the BMF

"Everybody moves like brothers." ~ pg. 17

Brothers Demetrius "Big Meech" and Terry "Southwest T" Flenory built one of America's largest drug empires: the Black Mafia Family (BMF). The brothers started in Detroit and expanded to distributors in Atlanta, California, New York, D.C., Missouri, Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama and the Carolinas. After nearly a decade, BMF had hundreds of crew members, a fleet of expensive cars and millions of dollars in drug sales. They associated with some of the biggest names in rap music and the celebrity world.

Author Mara Shalhoup painted a detailed picture of BMF and its leaders, the quiet Terry and his flashy brother Big Meech. The book is full of interesting information and name-dropping, though was sometimes repetitive in events. Like its title, it told the rise and fall of Big Meech and the Black Mafia Family in a literary documentary style.
 
Title: BMF: The Rise and Fall of Big Meech and the Black Mafia Family
Author: Mara Shalhoup
Published: March 2010
Pages: 283
Edition: eBook
Rating: ♥♥♥♥