NUMBER 98
Well, I’m finally back on track and getting my “Book Buffer” on. Reading, buying and borrowing from book stores, book sales, book conferences, libraries, books, books and more books. I have to admit that I do have an “obsessenation” and the other day, someone wrote a complaint about me and the Charleston County Library. That I am pushy, becoming irritating and too totally aggressive with buying books and such and putting them on the spot to do the same, (You know, I looked up the word Pushing in the Urban Dictionary and it dawned on me that I need to find another dictionary. Some of the words on that website is un-be-live able!!! - “Pushin it,” “Pushing a Palin,” “Pushing diarrhoea uphill with a rake,” and so many crazy ass words meaning so much sex, drugs and rock and roll. Un-Be-Live able!!!) Its not that they don’t appreciate libraries, but I guess my hobbyhorse book craze self was driving them insane, even though some of them are as dumb as sticks, I do understand. Many people and I mean many people do not read as much as I do, but I also note that these same people are living the same “country ass slave mentality with collards greens for brains life in a slow moving Cadillac.” No one can make you happy but you, no one can promote or give you a job if you don’t apply yourself and apply for the job. No one is giving any handouts. I’m not referring to people who are out there struggling every single day to look for a job, keep their faith, raise there kids right and willing to take any job to get someplace better than they are at, I’m talking about those same people who complain ever day or every life that “life sucks and I cannot get ahead because no one will take on my problems and solve them for me.” The same people who fuss, fight, poo poo anything positive. Whether it’s reading a book or reading to a child or taking care of their own children and help others. The same damn people who make me sick.
Stop the fighting and complaining about little crap and leave the “positive” people alone. We are getting damn tired of YOU!!!
OK, I feeling better, let’s get on with books-my world, my life, my heart, my soul and my being on earth!!
ROCHELLE ALERS – SECRETS NEVER TOLD - $9.99 - - - Married to one of Washington, D.C.'s, most powerful African American attorneys, mother of two wonderful grown children, and owner of an elegant bridal gift shop, Morgana Johnson-Wells seems to have it all until her mother suddenly passes away and she learns that her husband has been unfaithful. Desperate to escape, Morgana returns to her mother's home in Salvation, Georgia, where she visits with her kind Uncle Julian and discovers her mother's journals. Soon Morgana learns that her mother also suffered deeply, and harbored destructive secrets of her own. She also meets sexy photographer and painter Erick Wilson and is instantly attracted to his zest for life and art. The two share a passionate affair that begins to heal Morgana's damaged spirit and to give her hope again. But eventually Morgana must choose between her husband of 20-plus years and the man who reawakened her heart. Alers' engaging tale is rich in family secrets, lost love, and women who never forget their strength, or their roots. I don’t ever remember having to make a decision like that before, ever!
TRACI BEE – TWO TEARS IN A BUCKET - $2.99 - - - A review from “Leona, APOOO BookClub - - - Okay, so I have to admit that it took me entirely too long to finish reviewing this novel by Ms. Bee. Admittedly I had a number of obligations that sidetracked me for months, but Hurricane Irene forced me to sit down and finish my journey. Let me just say, I was not one bit disappointed by the ending. Fantastic, well-written, and a can't-put-this-down page turner, Ms. Bee knocks this story out of the park! I think there's a saying that says if something is really meant for you, set it free, and if it comes back to you, it's yours. That is definitely an underlying theme of Two Tears In a Bucket, which details the kind of on-again, off-again relationship between Kevin and Simone. After life and misunderstandings tear them apart, can a twist of circumstance bring them back together after years of separation? I've always kind of assumed, based on other reviews, that this was an Urban Lit novel, but after reading it in its entirety, I'm not sure I would classify it as such. To me, it's more of a contemporary drama with urban elements and without question a a few cuts above its competitors. As a matter of fact, if this is an Urban Lit novel then Traci has set a HIGH bar for similar authors to reach in terms of story structure, editing, and professionalism--I hope they take notice! Traci Bee is an author to watch and I look forward to reading the sequel to this page-turner! The cliffhanger on this book is a DOOZIE!! --K.L. Brady, Author of The Bum Magnet.
Blip! Bam! Whomp! KaNakia R. Laushaul, Author of Running from Solace - Running from Solace
TRACI BEE – ANOTHER TEAR - $3.99 - - - Kevin Kennard gazed into the precious face of his newborn son, the offspring of the intoxicating love he shared with his wife, Simone. Closing his eyes, Kevin whispered a prayer of thanks. Life had given him a second chance at happiness far greater than anything he'd fathomed from inside the concrete walls of his prison cell.
While Kevin and Simone bask in their familial bliss, those scorned by their union collect the pieces to their shattered hearts and plot the couple's demise. Darkness covered the Kennards when their newborn baby becomes the target for revenge. A tidal wave of fatal events stifles the sanctity Kevin and Simone have come to cherish.
Kevin had promised those he loved that his gun-toting days were a thing of the past. But with nothing else to live for, he journeys to find the person responsible for the devastation reeked in his world. Someone will pay for what they've done to his family, even if it cost Kevin his own life.
While Kevin and Simone bask in their familial bliss, those scorned by their union collect the pieces to their shattered hearts and plot the couple's demise. Darkness covered the Kennards when their newborn baby becomes the target for revenge. A tidal wave of fatal events stifles the sanctity Kevin and Simone have come to cherish.
Kevin had promised those he loved that his gun-toting days were a thing of the past. But with nothing else to live for, he journeys to find the person responsible for the devastation reeked in his world. Someone will pay for what they've done to his family, even if it cost Kevin his own life.
Another Tear
PAT SIMMONS – IF I SHOULD DIE BEFORE I WAKE - $99 cents - - - It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassion's fail not. They are new every morning, great is Thy faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23 God’s mercies are sure; His promises are fulfilled; but a dawn of a new morning is God’ grace. If you need a testimony about God’s grace, then If I Should Die Before I Wake will encourage your soul. Nothing happens in our lives by chance. If you need a miracle, God’s got that too. Trust Him. Has it been a while since you’ve had a testimony? Increase your prayer life, build your faith and walk in victory because without a test, there is no testimony.
PAT SIMMONS – IF I SHOULD DIE BEFORE I WAKE - $99 cents - - - It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassion's fail not. They are new every morning, great is Thy faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23 God’s mercies are sure; His promises are fulfilled; but a dawn of a new morning is God’ grace. If you need a testimony about God’s grace, then If I Should Die Before I Wake will encourage your soul. Nothing happens in our lives by chance. If you need a miracle, God’s got that too. Trust Him. Has it been a while since you’ve had a testimony? Increase your prayer life, build your faith and walk in victory because without a test, there is no testimony.
BRIAN W. SMITH - MAMA’S LIES-DADDY’S PAIN - $14.95 Paperbackk - - - Review from Keesha Berry - Whew www. This book had me on an emotional roller coaster. It made me laugh, cry, and mad. Tracy and Jamal are teenage parents. Jamal decides that he doesn't want to be the kind of father that his father was so he made the decision to be the best father he could be for his daughter, Jada. For seventeen years he provided emotional and financial support for her all while dealing with the typical baby mama drama. So many dead beat fathers are walking around not taking any responsibilities for their kids and we find one that is a true father through and through. You have to read the book to understand his pain and any other good father's pain.
MARCUS MAJOR - FOUR GUYS AND TROUBLE - $6.99 - - - When four young men make a pledge to their dying fraternity brother to take care of his little sister, Bunches, a delightful story unfolds. Each of these successful African American men takes his responsibility as a brother seriously, giving gifts and advice as well as compliments and scolding. As Bunches matures from their friend's little sister into a young woman, the men find it increasingly difficult to accept her independence. Ibin, the consummate lady's man, learns the hard way that the old double standard is only true for those who choose to believe it. Colin, the henpecked boyfriend, is dating a woman who uses negative energy to keep him in line. Michael, the romantic nice guy, rekindles a relationship with a college friend. Dexter, the man with the plan, is stopped in his tracks when his girlfriend becomes pregnant. But most central to all their lives is Bunches, the little sister that each of them loves. But, of course, she has to make her own love choices--even if all the "boys" do not agree.
MARCUS MAJOR - A FAMILY AFFAIR - $13.99 - - - This sequel to Major's first novel, Good Peoples - $7.84 Hardcover Good Peoples, Myles and Marisa Moore are recently and very happily married. Meanwhile, Myles' attractive, intelligent, and strong-willed teenage cousin, Jasmine, has moved in with his parents. She is very enamored of Marisa, although her circumstances have made her angry and bitter. Myles' brother, Amir, and his wife, Kenya, share in the family's concern for Jasmine, especially when Darius, a resident of the halfway house that Kenya runs, is released at 18 and begins to date Jasmine. Marisa convinces Jasmine that if she is determined to date Darius, then she must introduce him to the family and not sneak behind her aunt's back. The family's woes are compounded when Myles' and Amir's father is caught cheating. Now the brothers and their wives must show tough love for the rebellious Jasmine and also provide unconditional support for their mom as she rebuilds her life without her husband of 40 years. A loving portrait of a family sharing good and bad times.
NELSON GEORGE - HIP HOP AMERICA - $12.99 - - - Although it's been part of the cultural sound scape for over 25 years, hip-hop has been the focus of very few books. And when those books do pop up, they tend to be either overtly scholarly, as if the writer in question has just landed on some alien planet, or a bit too much like a fanzine. If there's anyone qualified to write a solid, informative, and entertaining tome on the culture, politics, and business of hip-hop, it's Nelson George. A veteran journalist, George is one of the smartest and most observant chroniclers of African American pop culture. Much as he broke down and illuminated R&B with his acclaimed book The Death of Rhythm and Blues - $12.99, George now tackles hip-hop with the clarity of a reporter and the enthusiasm of a fan, which is fitting, because George is both. A Brooklyn native, he began writing about rap back in the late 1970s, when the beats and the lifestyle were not only foreign to most white folks, they were still underground in the black communities. Hip Hop America is filled with George's memories of the scene's nascent years, and it tells the story of rap both as an art form and a cultural and economic force, from the old Bronx nightclub the Fever to the age of Puffy. Highlighting both the major players and some of the forces behind the scenes, George gives rap a historical perspective without coming off as too intellectual. All of which makes Hip Hop America a worthwhile addition to any fan's collection.
Got to stick on one for Black History Year.
OCTAVIA BUTLER - KINDRED - $4.95 - - - It has been years since I read this book and now I need to go back and read it again. I kinda miss it.
Dana, a modern black woman, is celebrating her twenty-sixth birthday with her new husband when she is snatched abruptly from her home in California and transported to the antebellum South. Rufus, the white son of a plantation owner, is drowning, and Dana has been summoned to save him. Dana is drawn back repeatedly through time to the slave quarters, and each time the stay grows longer, more arduous, and more dangerous until it is uncertain whether or not Dana's life will end, long before it has a chance to begin.
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