Monday, December 30, 2013

Black Kindle - Another cute book, well, maybe to me only.

NUMBER 173
I will continue my story, but I forgot a book or two to discuss. 

I must be in a Christian/Christmas/Happy mood because I have been reading all kinds of books that I am picking up from the library.  Don't worry, I also brought a few. Got to keep the independent bookstores open. 

I like Amish stories.  They are warm and not too much hell on wheels with drama and more drama.  Sometimes you just want to sit back and read a soft and heartwarming book (no, I could not think of another word for "heartwarming", so give me a break, will ya!)

There are times I just want to read a simple story and not try to figure out who murdered whom.  Also about drama on boats, houses, church, etc, etc.  I just want to clear my head of anything and be reserve.  While reading this, I found out I was reading book three.  Did not know there were others.  I may try book one and two.  

I can just hear you all now, "what the ding dong are you doing reading Amish stuff.  Get back to the African American books will ya?"  I will, I will.  So bear with me and take a chill pill.

PATRICIA DAVIDS - AN AMISH CHRISTMAS (BRIDES OF AMISH COUNTRY) - $3.74 - - - Karen Imhoff sees a man along the road almost beaten to death while driving her sister and brother to school.  She gets help and while waiting, she is holding his hand, praying and trying to get him to talk to find out what happen.  While she is holding his hand, something in her was moved - her heart.  Of course it was. 

Mr. John Doe, as he is named since his memory is gone, gets help but needs a place to stay.  He cannot stay with Karen and her family.  He is not one of Amish stock, he is a Englisher.  

He does receive some help from the community and eventually stays in one of the houses on Karen's land.  Her father not too happy about it but gives in.  As Christmas draws near, Karen and Mr. John Doe bond.  You know they do.  He gets a job and becomes part of the Amish community.  He is also beginning to have flashbacks of memories.  He finally gets his memory back while falling in love with Karen.  Will he stay or return back to his home. Read it. You know how it ends - Happy.  Ok, I get it.  Move on to another book.
An Amish Christmas (Brides of Amish Country, Book 3)

MARILYNN GRIFFITH - SONGS OF DELIVERANCE - $3.99 - - - I got this book at Mr. K's Used Book store a few weeks ago. It's my "going to bed" book.  You know.  I have a book at work, in my car for doctor/dentist visits, waiting for friends at the restaurant, kitchen, living room and I'm sure I missed some other places as well.  

I got to page 33 and figured out that this is the second book after, RHYTHMS OF GRACE - $3.99. I told you I've been lost and now I know one of the reasons.  Can't keep up with my books.  So far what I have read I see I will need book one to understand the characters better.  

Here's a review by "Inspire Me" on Amazon.  "I did not realize this was a sequel. Read Rhythms of Grace first!!! That being said I was still drawn in and will go back and read the first book to fill in some of the back story of these great characters!

This is some excellent Christian Fiction!! Some said it wasn't Christian enough. I say it is REAL Christian!!! Life isn't always filled with "Hallelujah." This book shows us the struggles of believers as they try to walk with God. The message of God's redemption and forgiveness from HIM and for others without a lengthy sermon or lecture is clearly communicated. It began with a bang and kept rolling. There are lots of characters who are all intermingled which keeps it interesting but easy to follow. I could not put it down. The characters are well written and believable. I laughed, cried, was worried and excited. This is my first time reading this author's work, but most definitely not my last. Great Work!!!"  

Not bad, not bad at all.

Songs of Deliverance



Sunday, December 29, 2013

Black Kindle - Still a bit lost but it's coming up roses soon!

NUMBER 172
Remember when I said I felt a bit lost after losing the part time job yesterday?  I guess I should explain more.  I was mentally and physically getting ready, after my return from my vacation in September in DC, to going back to a seven day a week work schedule.  Well things changed.  I was let go of the Asylum job.  Was I worry, a bit.  I took that job to stay on my Dave Ramsey plan.  After the lost and I re-worked the figures, that's when I realized that I had accomplished more than I could have imagined.  I was not completely there yet, but I knew I could move forward, stay on track and reach the finish line.

Then it really hit me: I can sleep late on Saturdays (Not really. Tommy my dog gets me up at 5am).  I don't have to rush after church on Sundays to get to work.  Not rush after the full time job on Thursdays and Fridays to get to the second job on time.  Hangout with my friends on Friday & Saturday nights. Actually come home on time everyday. Walk Tommy more. Cook healthier dishes.  Read more.  Blog more. Watch all of those DVDs I paid $5.00.  Clean up my house and start donating items to the Goodwill.  Since the holidays were coming, start attending the holiday parties and other functions I missed in the last three years.  I was ready, but something was missing.  I could not figure out what.  I could not slow down and enjoy the time. I felt lost.  

Then an e-mail arrived on October 23 from the Dave Ramsey Team.  “Thank you for volunteering to work our live event in Greenville, SC to be held on Thursday, November 14, 2013 at Brookwood Church, 580 Brookwood Point Place, Simpsonville, South Carolina 29681. You are helping us change our nation!.”  

The Total Money Makeover: Classic Edition: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness

My heart stop.  I jumped up and down so excitedly in the room that Tommy (my dog) thought I was attacking him.  I thanked God, jumped again, laughed and screamed.  I was so excited, so awesomely excited. I had forgotten all about when I signed up.  I'm always signing up to volunteer somewhere in the world.  Sometimes I make it, like Houston, DC, Miami and now Simpsonville.  Where the hell is Simpsonville?  I never heard such a place.  I was scheduled to be there from 4 to 10pm, with dinner to be served.  I checked out Simpsonville on the map, it's very close to Greenville.  I looked at Tommy and screamed, "ROAD TRIP." Booked a hotel that accept pets and got more excited as time went by.  I could not wait to go.  

A week later, another e-mail arrived and I'm thinking, Oh, crap, it's been canceled.  They wanted to know if I could come at 11am instead of 4pm. Some volunteers backed out at the last minute.  No problem.  When I found out how far the drive would be, 3 hours, Tommy and I left at 6am and took our time.  I've driving up and down the coast many times, so I was familiar with the area.  It's is very close to my kid's college, Clemson.  Go Tigers!!!! 

When you check out hotels on the Internet, it is never as it appears when you arrive. The hotel was a bit sketchy outside and not too dirty as well as not a "hooker" hotel.  Also was not far from pretty good strip mall and behind it a Quality Inn. Sketchy hotels/Motels don't bother me.  I got my dog and my policemen stick.

Oh, yeah, I carry a serious policemen stick with my trusted pepper spray.  No women who travels alone should be without something to defend herself and since I have always had to fight, growing up with 13 boys surrounding you.  You learn how to fight early and where to hit, grab and pull the hardest. I was driving down to Miami one time and stopped at one a rest stop.  Come out of the bathroom and was approached by a large, big belly, older and stinking to high hell funky black guy. He made a crack about being a women alone there.  I just kept walking to my car.  He may have found some young filly or some idiot women to fall for that line, but not me.  He then started to follow me and continue to talk crap, while I continue to walk to my car.  

I walked slowly because I knew what I was going to do, but I know he didn't.  I hit the car alarm button and Tommy started barking out the window like he was going to have this man's ass for dinner.  I turned around and told him to back the hell off or he was going to become sushi for Tommy.  He then saw Tommy and saw the policeman's stick in my hand when I turned around slowly, while I pounded it gently in my other hand and said he was sorry and walked back to his car.  I have watched a lot of Pam Grier's kick ass movies. 

No, I may not had been able to really hurt him, but I was going to damn sure try to ensure he will never have kids. Take one of those free defending classes at your local police station.  It works.

Once we got to the room, it was amazing inside.  Clean and I mean clean with Clorox bleach.  52 inch TV (since I don't have a TV a home, this was awesome).  Coffee/Tea maker, refrigerator and a nice sitting area.  I was surprised and I had brought my own Pine Sol mixture. Thinking, as I have done so many times before, clean the room first before I get comfortable.  Yes, I travel with my own Clorox bleach and Pine Sol.  Many and I mean many hotels are using cheap cleaners and don't change the damn sheets. They probably wash them in soap instead of soap and real bleach such as Clorox.  

After I settled in, I walked Tommy outside the hotel for a while so he could take care of his business.  I then left him in the room to finally, finally meet the one and only Dave Ramsey.

OK, too long of a blog.  Will continue story tomorrow.  

KILLER LIBRARIAN - MARY LOU KIRWIN - $6.83 - - - You know every British murder mystery should always have the most suspicious and creepy characters.  Now, it does not take away from the murder nor finding out who kill the person or persons, but when you add a group of “asylum” characters, it just makes it funny and you know one of them did it.  

As you know by now, I am a serious, serious bibliophile.  When I saw this book in the library, a bell went off.  I figure, well let’s see, my favorite place - Library, my favorite city - London, my favorite British authors; Agatha Christie (Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot), Dorothy L. Sayers (Lord Peter Wimsey), and a new black British writer I found recently, Mike Phillips (black journalist Sam Dean).  So it was inevitable that I would borrow this book.    

Karen Nash, a librarian in Minnesota, is getting ready to take a long dream trip to London with boyfriend Dave.  Hours before the plane takes off, Dave dumps her.  Hurt and confused, she manages to pull herself together and still take that trip.  Guess what, Dave and his new younger girlfriend are on the same plane.  Why are men still leaving their girlfriends or wive for a younger model?  Have they learn yet that it's cheaper and safer to keep her? Dumb ass!

In London she meets Caldwell Perkins, owner of the B&B that she and Dave were scheduled to stay in.  And the suspicious and creepy characters are also staying there: Betty and Barb, older women from Nebraska who completes each others sentences as well as dress alike; Howard, a very old gentlemen, 70s, with his new very young wife 30s, (yuck!!!) and Francine, a french woman who owns her own business selling linens whose an eccentric nut.

Her first night in London, Caldwell takes her to the local pub (I just love that word "pub") where she meets two blokes, Twad and Tweed, who drinks with her and Caldwell.  May add that she drinks a bit much than she could handled.  While Caldwell is getting her and their new friends more drinks, Karen blabs to another customer in the pub, Guy, about how she wishes she could kill Dave for what he has done.  Guy understands Karen's heart break and tells her, "You'll will be surprised. Dave will be taken care. I'll make sure he is."  Don't you just love it when a man takes charge?

This starts things rolling and one person is dead, someone is after Dave and his new girlfriend and Karen is feeling all of this is her fault.  She stays focus, looks for the killer and continues with the scheduled planned she had for her vacation in London. The plan she had for her and Dave (Dumb Ass!).  Now this is where I truly enjoyed reading about: Caldwell is a serious bibliophile and she start to fall in love with him, she visits the National Gallery to see her favorite painting Rain, Steam and Speed; Trafalgar Square; a trip with Caldwell to see Macbeth at the Shakespeare's Globe Theatre; and shopping at the small shops.  Karen gets real close to Caldwell and starts a growing fondness towards him. I would too with a man who loves books, reading and his B&B has books in all of the guest rooms.  Love it!

The best and more exciting thing of her adventures, other than finding the killer and falling in love with Caldwell is Hay-on-Wye.

What is Hay-on-Wye, Karen says, "A small town located on the border of England and Wales with at least thirty antiquarian bookstores.  Mecca to book collectors.  I was dying to go there.  When I had planned the trip with Dave, I hadn't dared suggest we go to Hay-On-Wye.  I knew Dave would have died of boredom,"

You see when I read stuff like that through out the book about Dave - Mr.Toad-Mr. Plumber, I'm glad he dumped her.  He was definitely not a reader and in my book, I would have not wasted my time.  I think I would have dumped him first. Dumb Ass!

OK, back to the book.  Snippets here and there about her adventures with Caldwell and London were funny and so romantic.  Of course the killer is found out and of course the book ends happily.  It's a great cozy, hot toddy in a big comfy chair book.  I'm getting the second book.  Some body else has to be killed. It's no fun if no one is killed.


A KISS OF A DIFFERENT COLOR - BETTYE GRIFFIN - $3.99 - - -  30ish old Miranda has had it looking for employment in Racine, Wisconsin.  It's been nine months. She takes a job offer in Bismarck, North Dakota.  Have you noticed lately in many books, women are leaving town to find a decent job and a decent man?  You think something is up with that?

There aren't that many African Americans in Bismarck.  I can understand that, it's too damn cold.  Once she is there she looks around for something to keep her busy after work and finds a ballroom dance class to sign up.  Miranda has always love dancing and some of her favorite musicals:  Band Wagon, Singing in the Rain, Silk Stockings and Till the Clouds Roll By (one of my favorite with Lena Horne).  I instantly like her because of her fortitude to keep her childhood memories of old musicals and taking a chance to move to another state.

At the ballroom dancing class, she meets and is partnered with Jon, a white guy.   The attraction is obviously and they begin to make great music together their dancing.  Jon, another out of state mover, is handsome, endearing and smart.  He is also from a family of failed marriages which causes him to do the "love them and leave them seasons relationship."  

They work for the same company, which restricts dating among employees, but you know that does not really stop them.  They have a extreme attraction to each other and are careful to not be seen together.  In the interim they noticed how much they have in common.  Reading, skiing, movies, food and dancing.  Miranda, though, is not interested in being a "season" girlfriend for Jon.  She wants more.  One of the best things about Jon, he comes through as a knight in shinning armor for Miranda when certain people, oh, let's just call them "jack-asses" dismiss or treat them badly because their an interracial couple.  Jon comes through each and every time and each and every time Miranda gives a little of her self to him even though she does not want to.  Her heart has a different story.  

I enjoyed the slowness and believable aspects of the characters and how they relate to what's going in the world today.  Bettye did a great job in showing how down to the wire, no job, new city, new challenges, can become a blessing if you just take a chance.





















Saturday, December 28, 2013

Black Kindle - Relationships are nuts!!!

NUMBER 171
I understand that there are relationships that tests your mind, body and soul; but on the other hand, others are just freaking crazy.  A friend of mine got into some trouble with a women.  The said part is, I told the boy she is on something, not illegal, but legal drugs and is as crazy as a beehive.  Stay away from her. Run, boy, just run. Nope, he stayed and now his "relationship" became news in the local City Paper:

"A man says that one of his baby-mamas called him while he was at work and announced that she was in the process of vandalizing his apartment.  The man went straight home and saw that oil had been splashed all over his suede couches, television, and carpet, and the electrical cord to his microwave had been cut.  I guess she was a bit pissed."  You think she was a little crazy or what?  I told the boy.  He just did not listen.  

Speaking of crazy, how about an update on my other off the hook nuts from the "Part Time Job at the Asylum."  I visited the “Asylum” last week to get a free cup of coffee and some donuts.  Did anything change?  Yep, the staff, but that place never keeps staff longer than a few months.  Baby mommy had her third child and returned to work and dumped the "hooker's" brother who was the father.  According to others in the store, he still comes around begging for her to return to him.  I know her, she will return to him and dump him again;  I just hope she does not become pregnant again.  For some reason, it's in her DNA and I never thought she could stop.  

When I saw her she was complaining again about all of their hours being cut back.  From 40 or 45 to 30 or 35 hours.  I remember explaining to them in September that this was going to happen because of the rise in health costs and the Obama care plan.  I forgot that talking common sense and money like IRAs and saving for retirement doesn’t go over very well them.  So, I just listen to her complain.

The crying women, who lives with the boy friend who does not work. What he does is get her to make him and her father free huge bacon sandwiches with a soda.  I was always surprised she was not caught stealing the food, but maybe she paid and I just did not see it. 

It was still nice to see some of them and lord behold, the hooker is still there too.  This day, it changes every week, she had a orange and red hair wig on.  No, it did not look good on her.  I told them that I miss working with them and wished them a great new year.  The new manager (the other one left for another job), saw me.  I did not work with him but remembered seeing him a few times in the store.  He asked if I wanted to come back and work there.  I told him I would think about it and get back to him soon.  I said my good byes and paid for my coffee and donuts.  

As I've said before, I will always miss them and in a way feel a bit lost without them.  I don't know why; I just know I'm feeling a bit lost.  

I'll continue with my story later.  Let's get to some books on relationships.  Maybe my friend, who is a subscriber to my blog on Amazon, will read and learn.  No he won't.

EMMA BUCKLEY - BUDGET-FRIENDLY ROMANTIC DATES - 99 cents - - - This is a clever book.  I like her ideas of breaking down what type of cheap dates you can go on such as playing board games, making or completing a DIY project, movies (well, at least the 3 dollars one), taking a dance class together at your local community center, skating, walking or hiking in the park and/or a movie marathon at home.  Another one I did not think about but actually may be good is Observe a Court Trial. Hey, that may give you a warning of how to stay out of jail and see if the guy or girl knows anyone there.  I don't mean the judge either. You may want to run at that point.   

I also like how she breaks it down by seasons. Now that's unique. If you live in a cold weather city, there's skiing, camping, local festivals and painting the snow.  You don't need much just spray bottles of water and food coloring.   Summer, play kiddie golf, visit a garden, or the local beach.  Bring you own food and just enjoy the weather. Her bottom line, there are so many and I mean so many cheap ways to go out on a date. The end results is to find that person who likes and enjoy the same things you do.  This I know will give you both an opportunity to get to know each other before all of the crappy trails of one night stands come out and haunt you with the "it wasn't that great sex aroma." The book is cheap, practical and smart. Now that's a bargain!

ERNESSA CARTER - THE AWESOME GIRL'S GUIDE TO DATING EXTRAORDINARY MEN - $4.99 - - - Stop, don't get the wrong idea that this is one of those dating book for black women.  It's one of the best books on how to accept your self, laugh at some of the crazy men out there and how to move your but and have fun, without always, always having a man around.  You will also laugh your but off about the lives and loves of:

Thursday (yes, that's her name) - Most people have one night stands, she has one month stands.  When they get too close or on her nerves, she dumps them.  Then she starts to have this recurring dream about a man with no face and her heart begins to tell her it's time to settle down.
Risa - She wants to be Rock Star, but will not let go of losing and getting back "The One."

Sharita - She is so much like my girlfriends who when they get a man, they disappear.  She has a great career, avoids social gatherings and will dump her best friends in a minute when a man comes crawling.  She returns as usual when the jackass dumps her, crying all the way home.

Tammy - A later bloomer to the group.  A rich girl with a flickle heart.

The first chapter will have you laughing and saying things like, "I got friends just like that or I do remember my girl friends when they were around 30 years old. I laughed at the beginning, but then I got bored.  I read that plot before.  It was reading just like any other book I have read before, but then, I got hit and hit hard.  Was at work reading it and did not move until it was done.  Yeah, I missed a few meetings and such at work, but who the hell cares.  I had to find out what the hell was going to happen next.  Bump the job, I need to finish this book.

You better go out and buy this book.  Buy it for your girlfriends and have a serious party on how so many antics in this book were done or being done by your friends.  It will make you go, "Damn, am I like that or was I like that?  Yes we were and Yes you are.

L. DIVINE - DRAMA HIGH: SECOND CHANCE - $7.39 - - - Since I have returned to working at the library on Wednesdays, I've started re-shelving the young adult books. Let me tell you, you are missing some "scandal" stories and I don't even have a TV, but I hear from many people about the show Scandal.  Maybe I am missing something?  That's all and fine, but I'm not going out an buying a TV.  I got other things to do with my money.  Just got this book and five others.  Boy, I'm enjoy these stories.

Back for another dose of high drama, Compton’s sassiest, Jayd Jackson, is about to discover it really is a different world when she starts dating South Bay High's finest white boy…
All Jayd Jackson wants is a drama-free year at South Bay High, a.k.a. Drama High. But it doesn't seem she's going to get it. It's only the second week of Junior year and already, Misty, her nemesis, has almost gotten her killed after instigating a fight between Jayd and KJ's girlfriend, Trecee. 

But it goes with the territory. She's a fire child, and granddaughter to Lynne Mae Williams—Mama—and Mama says that means the drama will follow Jayd wherever she goes. Even so, Jayd just wants to chill, still hoping Junior year can carry on, drama-free. And with Misty and KJ reportedly "hanging," Jayd is ready to move on. But the brother won’t stop blowing up Jayd's cellie, and the text-messages keep coming; and the message is clear: KJ wants Jayd back bad.

But Jayd couldn’t care less. She’s got a new man to kick-it with now—a half-Jewish white boy from Palos Verdes whose parents are loaded with a capital “L.” And Jeremy Weiner’s no ordinary white boy—he listens to East Coast rap, he’s got a sweet ride, and he’s got it bad for Jayd Jackson. But no one at South Bay High will just let a sistah be happy. Misty's back to her usual foolishness, KJ’s all over her jock, and the notoriously anti-black teacher Mrs. Bennett is tripping. Jeremy’s got her totally sprung, but she’s going to have to rely on her brains—and some of Mama’s magic, of course—if she’s going to survive another week at Drama High.

But Jayd couldn’t care less. She’s got a new man to kick-it with now—a half-Jewish white boy from Palos Verdes whose parents are loaded with a capital “L.” And Jeremy Weiner’s no ordinary white boy—he listens to East Coast rap, he’s got a sweet ride, and he’s got it bad for Jayd Jackson. But no one at South Bay High will just let a sistah be happy. Misty's back to her usual foolishness, KJ’s all over her jock, and the notoriously anti-black teacher Mrs. Bennett is tripping. Jeremy’s got her totally sprung, but she’s going to have to rely on her brains—and some of Mama’s magic, of course—if she’s going to survive another week at Drama High.

DR. GRACE CORNISH - 10 BAD CHOICES THAT RUIN BLACK WOMEN'S LIVES - $9.78 - - - Relationship expert Dr. Grace Cornish writes a lively, practical, provocative guide for black women everywhere who want to shed the duds and find the studs who will treat them with respect.  

According to Dr. Cornish, six out of every ten black women are either in bad relationships, share a man, or are celibate. The problem is not the women themselves but the bad choices they keep making.  In her frank and refreshing new book, Dr. Cornish speaks to unique aspects of the African American female psyche by targeting ten of the most common and foolish choices black women make in their lives regarding men, and how they can correct these problems, including:
Relying on case studies, interviews, and letters she has received, Dr. Cornish gets to the heart of the matter by illuminating why black women, no matter how smart, savvy, and successful, continue to lose at the dating game, and how they can face, erase, and replace the problems that have kept them from finding true love. Give it a quick look at it. You just never know.

HILL HARPER - THE CONVERSATION: HOW MEN AND WOMEN CAN BUILD LOVING, TRUSTING RELATIONSHIP - $10.99 - - - Anything written by him is always, always worth it's weight in gold.  Only 34 percent of African-American children today are raised in two- parent households, a sharp contrast to 1966, when 85 percent of black children were raised by two parents. In provocative but heartfelt words, Hill Harper takes on these urgent challenges, bringing a variety of issues out of the shadows. 

In The Conversation, Harper speaks to women and men with clear-eyed perspective, covering topics such as: - The roots of the breakdown in the black family, The myth that there are no mature, single, black male professionals, What women can do to alleviate the "heaviness" they sometimes attach to dating, What men can do to break the cycle of being a player, The difference between sex and intimacy, and Bridging the communication gap and other points.   

FINESSE MITCHELL - YOUR GIRLFRIENDS ONLY KNOW SO MUCH: A BROTHER'S TAKE ON DATING AND MATING FOR SISTAS - $8.78 Hardcover - - - 
According to many of the reviews, this is a book for the 19 to 30 year old. I can see their point.  As long as it's funny and according to them it is, and gets the point across, it's an OK book by me.  I have not received my copy yet, so who knows.  I may change my mind.

Sunday, December 8, 2013

Black Kindle - Happy and Sad

NUMBER 170

Sorry for being so late, but the last 4 weeks have been the best time of my life.  I will bring you up to date in later, but since I had drafted this blog a few weeks ago, I figure I better get this out of the way.  Thanks for being a subscriber.  I really, really appreciate all of you.

My friend of many years husband died a few weeks ago.  He was only 50 and they had been married over 35 years.  Her and I attended the same church growing up in DC, Rehoboth Baptist Church.  It relocated from South West DC to Alabama Avenue South East a few years ago.  As a matter of fact, it was just a few blocks from the Washington Navy yard where the shooting was a few weeks ago.   

I had decided I was not going to cry.  I did not know him as well as her.  Figure I would be fine and just listen to the singing and comments about him.  She on the other hand, was not handling it too well.  I didn't expect her too.  She was surrounded by family, friends and the "women in white."  You know them.  Women dressed in white who walk around the church during services giving out fans, tissues and holding on to people who may fall or hurt themselves because they "got the spirit."  I was fine and remembered those women from my youth at the church.  Then I cracked.  A comment was made from one of the "women in white" at the podium.  She announced that Rehoboth Baptist Church sent their condolences to the family.  I shattered and the tears flowed down like a faucet.  Memories of my Aunt Precious, who use to take me to the church and signed me up for bible study during the summer.  My grandmother attended the church sporadically and her sister, my Aunt Precious, was not going to let her sister's grandchild, who she was also raising, become a devil in the making.  So she was put in charge of me "becoming a Christian."  

My grandmother and my Aunt Precious funerals were held at that church and I broke down again from the memories.  I hate funerals.  I don't won't anyone to die.  In my head I know we must all die, but my heart still to this day cannot get over losing my grandmother.  I don't think I want too.  If my daughter was not around at the time of my grandmother's death, I would have surely joined her.  I did not want to live in this world without her.  My daughter keep me going and she still is.  God kept me going to.

I didn't just love my grandmother.  I'm sure most of you do love someone so much it hurts.  She was not just my grandmother, she was my whole life.  When she died, half of my heart shattered into small chunks of peas.  It just sat there on the floor of the church.  I left it there.  I didn't want it and I still see it on the floor staring at me and asking when am I coming back to pick them up.  I'm older now and I still won't go back there and pick them up. 

I shouldn't be like that.  My daughter has my heart and I love her to death, but she is a kid and she will grow up and move on like our kids should.  She will get marry to a great man (Or I will kill him myself if he treats her like shit), have a child or children and will some day see me go home.  I'm sure she will be totally heart broken and sad for a long time.  God will be there for her, just as he has been for me concerning my grandmother.  

But I'm still sad, very, very, sad.  I want my grandmother back.  I want her back.  

Oh, well, let me whip my tears and get to books.  That's the one place and world I got my grandmother in me.

CHRIS GUILLEBEAU - THE $100 STARTUP: REINVENT THE WAY YOU MAKING A LIVING, DO WHAT YOU LOVE, AND CREATE A NEW FUTURE - $9.99 - - - You know I was in the library working and saw this book.  Some business books are very boring and it takes 100 pages before they get to the gist of things, this is different.  It is just one of many books out there helping you realize your dream to have your own business.  It's not the best, but it has some good ideas.  

In preparing to write this book, Chris identified 1,500 individuals who have built businesses earning $50,000 or more from a modest investment (in many cases, $100 or less), and from that group he’s chosen to focus on the 50 most intriguing case studies.  In nearly all cases, people with no special skills discovered aspects of their personal passions that could be monetized, and were able to restructure their lives in ways that gave them greater freedom and fulfillment.
 
Here, finally, distilled into one easy-to-use guide, are the most valuable lessons from those who’ve learned how to turn what they do into a gateway to self-fulfillment.  It’s all about finding the intersection between your “expertise” – even if you don’t consider it such -- and what other people will pay for.  You don’t need an MBA, a business plan or even employees.  All you need is a product or service that springs from what you love to do anyway, people willing to pay, and a way to get paid.


MICHELLE STIMPSON - MAMA B - A TIME TO SPEAK (BOOK 1) - FREE - - - The good folks at Mt. Zion Baptist are doing their best to keep the church flowing smoothly while Pastor Phillips takes time off to be with his wife in her final days. Beatrice "Mama B" Jackson even opens her home so that the women's groups can continue to meet faithfully after some "rascal" stole the copper from the church's air conditioning unit. With her semi-estranged granddaughter and great-grandson staying in the guest room, Mama B soon has a full house.

When the interim preacher and his wife start touting messages that don't
 line up with the Bible, Mama B wonders how and if she can intervene without causing strife in the congregation or discouraging the young couple. 

However, Mama B can only take so much of this foolishness. Though her own faith might be intact, she can't have her great-grandson believing that God is a Sugar Daddy in the sky. Soon enough, Mama B will realize that there is much more at stake than she or anyone else at Mt. Zion ever imagined. And it's time to speak.
Mama B - A Time to Speak (Book 1)

MELINDA F. EMERSON and MICHAEL CRITELLI - BECOME YOUR OWN BOSS IN 12 MONTHS: A MONTH-BY-MONTH GUIDE TO A BUSINESS THAT WORKS - $9.99 - - - This book was a great help in understanding what it takes to become your own boss. It offers some serious advice on money, what is involved in running a business and how much faith you have to have.  Believe me, you need some serious faith to go out there.  It can be done and if you want to be your own boss, make this book one of your top list.  I also had a lot of fun reading it. If the government furlough didn't get you thinking, maybe you are not ready to take a faith of leap. Just leap, baby, just leap!!

Melinda F. Emerson is founder and CEO of Quintessence Multimedia, an award-winning marketing video production company. She has created productions for such companies as Johnson & Johnson, Verizon, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Citizens Bank, and Comcast. In 2000, AV Video Multimedia Producer Magazine named Emerson one of the Top 100 Producers of 2000. In 2001, she was named one of the Top 30 Leaders of the Future by Ebony magazine. In 2002, the Pennsylvania Department of Commerce and Economic Development named her a Black Business Pioneer.

CARL WEBER - TO PARIS WITH LOVE: A FAMILY BUSINESS NOVEL - $9.18 - - - If you read Family Business 1 and 2, then you are ready for a book on crazy ass Paris.  I know I am.
To Paris with Love: A Family Business Novel


















Thursday, November 28, 2013

Black Kindle - 12 Years a Slave - Michael Baisden

I did see the movie.  I was upset and cried like a baby.  I wish I could put into words what I saw, but I don't need to, Mr. Baisden did it for me. Read on, read on.....


Michael Baisden - I woke up in the middle of the night still troubled by the images I had seen in the movie, 12 Years A Slave. I couldn’t get the scenes out of my mind of the families being torn apart and auctioned off to different plantations; mother and child and brother and sister never to see each other again. As my eyes slowly opened... slightly watery I played back the horrific sound of the slave masters whip as it tore the flesh off the black female character’s back. The sight of the blood shooting profusely from her body made my blood boil. I was pissed!

But my anger wasn’t only for the institution of slavery or the cruel slave masters that raped, tortured, and murdered our people, my disdain was focus mainly on those black and brown people who don’t realize we are still enslaved…in many ways worse than legalized slavery.

Instead of black families being tore apart at the auction block millions of black men and women are voluntarily walking away from their children leaving them vulnerable to being rape, molested, and imprisoned. There is no need for plantations where we pick cotton or mine coal in the relentless summer heat, those industries have been replaced by “For Profit” prisons were the government pays corporate slave masters 60,000 a year to lock away poor black and brown people for many more years than whites for the same crime and then contract them out to other greedy corporations to earn higher profits.

So what’s worse, a system of slavery where we are forced to be violent, ignorant, and stab each other in the back, or a system where we voluntarily kill one another, abandon our children, and refuse to read a book? You tell me!

What was most disturbing was that the story of Solomon Northup being kidnapped and sold into slavery was a true tale. He was one of many thousands, the majority of who would never see freedom or their families again. Most of them died breaking their backs eighteen hours a day in horrendous conditions. It took him 12 years in the worse conditions imaginable to finally make it home. But you and I have the freedom today to stop this madness and start working together as a people to improve our social and economic condition. But we seem unwilling or unable to do so, and to me, that’s worse than slavery!

And we wonder why other races don’t respect us. We waste our valuable resources trying to keep up with the Joneses, we as black men disrespect our women, in frustration our women shout, “I don’t need a man!”, we abandon our children out of selfishness, and we refuse to pool our resources together and instead beg other races for employment and money to educate our children. That’s worse than slavery!

I tried to go back to sleep but as you can see from the time of this post at 6:15 am, I was unable to. I couldn’t help thinking about the nearly empty theater I sat in to watch this amazing film. With the exception of the people I invited, teacher Mr. Wheeler, and the 20 young men we mentor at Evans High School the majority of people in attendance were white. How in the hell can we expect to move forward when we are too lazy or ashamed to acknowledge our own history and pay tribute to those who made it possible for us to be here? And that, to me, is worse than physically slavery; it’s mental slavery! Wake up people, the fight is not over!


But my anger wasn’t only for the institution of slavery or the cruel slave masters that raped, tortured, and murdered our people, my disdain was focus mainly on those black and brown people who don’t realize we are still enslaved…in many ways worse than legalized slavery.

Instead of black families being tore apart at the auction block millions of black men and women are voluntarily walking away from their children leaving them vulnerable to being rape, molested, and imprisoned. There is no need for plantations where we pick cotton or mine coal in the relentless summer heat, those industries have been replaced by “For Profit” prisons were the government pays corporate slave masters 60,000 a year to lock away poor black and brown people for many more years than whites for the same crime and then contract them out to other greedy corporations to earn higher profits.

So what’s worse, a system of slavery where we are forced to be violent, ignorant, and stab each other in the back, or a system where we voluntarily kill one another, abandon our children, and refuse to read a book? You tell me!

What was most disturbing was that the story of Solomon Northup being kidnapped and sold into slavery was a true tale. He was one of many thousands, the majority of who would never see freedom or their families again. Most of them died breaking their backs eighteen hours a day in horrendous conditions. It took him 12 years in the worse conditions imaginable to finally make it home. But you and I have the freedom today to stop this madness and start working together as a people to improve our social and economic condition. But we seem unwilling or unable to do so, and to me, that’s worse than slavery!

And we wonder why other races don’t respect us. We waste our valuable resources trying to keep up with the Joneses, we as black men disrespect our women, in frustration our women shout, “I don’t need a man!”, we abandon our children out of selfishness, and we refuse to pool our resources together and instead beg other races for employment and money to educate our children. That’s worse than slavery!

I tried to go back to sleep but as you can see from the time of this post at 6:15 am, I was unable to. I couldn’t help thinking about the nearly empty theater I sat in to watch this amazing film. With the exception of the people I invited, teacher Mr. Wheeler, and the 20 young men we mentor at Evans High School the majority of people in attendance were white. How in the hell can we expect to move forward when we are too lazy or ashamed to acknowledge our own history and pay tribute to those who made it possible for us to be here? And that, to me, is worse than physically slavery; it’s mental slavery! Wake up people, the fight is not over!








Saturday, November 9, 2013

Black Kindle - Twelve Years a Slave


NUMBER 168

It's a got damn shame that so many places in these here United States will not show the movie, "Twelve Years a Slave." My BookClubGroupies have been checking around Charleston and it's surrounding area to see where it is showing. So far, no place and I mean no place in the state of South Carolina is it showing.  


They should be damn ashamed of themselves.  All is the history of South Carolina: Market street in downtown Charleston has one of the original "slave market." Boone Hall Plantation in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina is one of the oldest "working" antebellum plantations. Aiken Colored Cemetery in Aiken, SC. Schofield School, founded by the Freedmen's Bureau after the Civil War. Howe Hall Plantation in Goose Creek. Aiken-Rhett House Slave Quarters in downtown Charleston. The Avery Institute which now called the Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture, which many African American authors have come there to talk and sell their books. Denmark Vesey House in Charleston. Sweetgrass baskets off of route 17 in Mt. Pleasant.  The language of Gullah.  The home of Dizzy Gillespie, William H. Johnson, a 20th century artist.  Go see the movie! Go buy the book!

I drafted this blog last week and just found out yesterday that there will be some theaters showing the movie.  I wonder what happen? Backlash! They still alt to be ashamed of themselves.

Twelve Years A Slave: Full Book and Comprehensive Reading Companion


I could go on for freaking forever and list page after page of the sweat, tears, anger, hope, love, hatred, money hungry low down scalawags, and the heinous atrocities known to man. That won't get rid of the hurt nor solve anything.  What will solve many things is to not forget and remember where we came from and how much many African Americans endured. If it wasn't for them, we would not be where we are today. Now if we can only remember that, may be we will stop complaining and running scared from a movie and do something about it.  I'm not letting a damn soul forget our history.  I remember I was always preaching at the Asylum about Black History and I hope they picked up a few things.

Let's do some Black History books.  Not from years past, but current. We have some good writers out there and I hope you support them.  I am by promoting this blog to get money to buy their books, to promote, and push their works like a drug dealer on the street corner. 

C. MICHAEL FORSYTH - THE BLOOD OF TITANS - $2.99 - - - The Blood of Titans is unique love story set in the Golden Age of Africa. It is the tale of Halima, a teenage princess who falls in love with a warrior king. Enormous obstacles lie in the way of their happiness. In the course of their adventures, Princess Halima learns about loss, duty, and the high price of romantic love -- and must make a choice that determines the future of kingdoms.


EDWARD P. JONES - THE KNOWN WORLD - $7.99 - - - I truly did enjoy reading this book and meeting him. The story of Henry Townsend, a black farmer and former slave who falls under the tutelage of William Robbins, the most powerful man in Manchester County, Virginia. Making certain he never circumvents the law, Townsend runs his affairs with unusual discipline. But when death takes him unexpectedly, his widow, Caldonia, can't uphold the estate's order and chaos ensues. In a daring and ambitious novel, Jones has woven a footnote of history into an epic that takes an unflinching look at slavery in all of its moral complexities. 


JOEL B. REED – MURDER IN THE CHOIR (THE JAZZ PHILLIPS MYSTERY SERIES) - - $ 99 Cents - - -   When a famous black musician is shot down at his eightieth birthday celebration in a small settlement in rural Arkansas, no one can imagine why. Smiley Jones was a living legend, a sweet fatherly soul loved by all, and there is intense political pressure to find his killer. To solve the case the sheriff calls in Jazz Phillips, renowned former head of the Arkansas CID. Unfortunately, the governor calls in the FBI, whose bumbling senior agent almost blows the case.
Despite the incompetence of the senior agent, Jazz quickly discovers a dark side of Smiley Jones that yields a wide field of suspects. Narrowing down the list, Jazz discovers this is no simple murder and he finds himself plunged into the shadow world of national security. Jazz also discovers he is on the trail of an international assassin and finds himself no longer the hunter. He is also the prey of the man never seen; a professional assassin who leaves no loose ends.
DANTE FEENIX – BLACK BUTTERFLY – $2.99 Cents - - - This is book one of three and I never heard of him and saw some good and some bad reviews of his books, but for 99 cents, I will at least give it a try.
Set in Baltimore City, I expected Black Butterfly to be just another urban drama. Guns, drugs, and gangsters. Predictable, but entertaining. However, amidst the violence, local slang, and dark backdrop there is an unpredictable, intelligent, and heart wrenching story. A single mother and her extremely intelligent young son share a close relationship built on support. The dynamics of that relationship is tested when the mother becomes a local celebrity on the first all black soap opera, Black Butterfly. She's ultimately sucked into a world of fame and the dirt that comes with it, when art imitates life and she's accused of murder! As she flees to clear her name she encounters bad guys and bad situations she ultimately deals with in an unpredictable fashion.
Got to stick on one for Black History Year.  
PAMELA SAMUELS YOUNG - THE SETUP - $ 99 cents - - - I call Mrs. Young, the “John Grisham” of black lawyer writers, she got the “Gift” and damn sure using it well.  I will buy anything and everything from this woman, she knows murder.
When a star running back is gunned down by a cop with a questionable history, the city of L.A. is on the verge of a racial explosion. Enter a lawyer who comes to the cop's defense, but a desire for justice hasn't nothing to do with it.


JOHN HOPE FRANKLIN - FROM SLAVERY TO FREEDOM - $34.33 (paperback $23.99) - - - This is a classic and remains the most revered, respected, and honored text on the market. The preeminent history of African Americans, this best-selling text charts the journey of African Americans from their origins in Africa, through slavery in the Western Hemisphere, struggles for freedom in the West Indies, Latin America, and the United States, various migrations, and the continuing quest for racial equality. Building on John Hope Franklin's classic work, the ninth edition has been thoroughly rewritten by the award-winning scholar Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham. It includes new chapters and updated information based on the most current scholarship. With a new narrative that brings intellectual depth and fresh insight to a rich array of topics, the text features greater coverage of ancestral Africa, African American women, differing expressions of protest, local community activism, black internationalism, civil rights and black power, as well as the election of our first African American president in 2008. The text also has a fresh new 4-color design with new charts, maps, photographs, paintings, and illustrations.