A shy bookworm enlists her charming neighbor to help her score a date, not knowing he’s the obscure author she’s been corresponding with, in this sparkling and heart-fluttering romance by Kristina Forest.
Shy, bookish, and admittedly awkward, Lily Greene has always felt inadequate compared to the rest of her accomplished family, who strive for Black excellence. She dreams of becoming a children’s books editor, but she’s been frustratingly stuck in the nonfiction division for years without a promotion in sight. Lily finds escapism in her correspondences with her favorite fantasy author, and what begins as two lonely people connecting over email turns into a tentative friendship and possibly something else Lily won’t let herself entertain—until he ghosts her without a word.
Months later, Lily is still crushed, but she’s determined to get a hold of her life, starting with finding a date to her sister’s wedding. And the perfect person to help her is Nick Brown, her charming, attractive new neighbor, who she feels drawn to for reasons she can’t explain. But little does she know, Nick is an author—her favorite fantasy author.
Nick, who has his reasons for using a pen name and pushing people away, soon realizes that the beautiful, quiet girl from down the hall is the same Lily he fell in love with over email months ago. Unwilling to complicate things even more between them, he agrees to set her up with someone else, though this simple favor between two neighbors is anything but—not when he can't get her off his mind...
Shy, bookish, and admittedly awkward, Lily Greene has always felt inadequate compared to the rest of her accomplished family, who strive for Black excellence. She dreams of becoming a children’s books editor, but she’s been frustratingly stuck in the nonfiction division for years without a promotion in sight. Lily finds escapism in her correspondences with her favorite fantasy author, and what begins as two lonely people connecting over email turns into a tentative friendship and possibly something else Lily won’t let herself entertain—until he ghosts her without a word.
Months later, Lily is still crushed, but she’s determined to get a hold of her life, starting with finding a date to her sister’s wedding. And the perfect person to help her is Nick Brown, her charming, attractive new neighbor, who she feels drawn to for reasons she can’t explain. But little does she know, Nick is an author—her favorite fantasy author.
Nick, who has his reasons for using a pen name and pushing people away, soon realizes that the beautiful, quiet girl from down the hall is the same Lily he fell in love with over email months ago. Unwilling to complicate things even more between them, he agrees to set her up with someone else, though this simple favor between two neighbors is anything but—not when he can't get her off his mind...
Bestselling author Mary Monroe won rave reviews from critics and readers alike with her first two novels, God Don't Like Ugly and The Upper Room, both Main Selections of the Black Expressions Book Club. Now she returns with the masterful Gonna Lay Down My Burdens--that rare novel that inspires laughter, tears, and repeat readings.
In the sweltering little town of Belle Helene, Alabama, Carmen Taylor keeps her weaknesses, her frustrations, and her tears to herself. She's too busy shouldering the burdens of her troubled friends, like Desiree Lucienne, the petite, pampered daughter of a doctor who tries to beat the wildness out of her. But it doesn't stop Desiree from trawling for men whenever she can, and trying to drag Carmen along with her.
It's not that Carmen hasn't had her share of boozy pick-ups. She has, but they just can't compare to the one steamy night she spent with the man she's loved since they were both kids. Now a local cop, Chester Sheffield, with his Barry White voice and his all-too-fine body, keeps showing up in Carmen's life, wanting to do something about the feelings they obviously have for each other. But that would mean abandoning her "boyfriend" Burl Tupper and that's something Carmen just can't do.
Ever since Burl ended up in a wheelchair because of a foolish teenage prank she played on him, Carmen's promised herself that she'd spend the rest of her life making it up to him. When Carmen doesn't take her chance with Chester, Desiree does, and when she learns that she's pregnant with Chester's child, it's almost more than Carmen can bear. Still, her loyalty to Desiree goes back a long way, and she's not about to let a man get in the way of their friendship--even when Desiree starts stepping out on Chester.
Then, on a sultry, reckless moonlit night, Carmen commits a desperate crime of passion, and, with Desiree, hits the road running. But she can't run from the truth she's avoided for years--and in a seedy hotel in the middle of nowhere, she confronts her demons head-on. Now Carmen has two choices--a life on the lam, or a full circle return to Belle Helene, the place where it all began. . .and the only place in the world she can lay down her burdens and seize her one true chance at love and redemption.
In the sweltering little town of Belle Helene, Alabama, Carmen Taylor keeps her weaknesses, her frustrations, and her tears to herself. She's too busy shouldering the burdens of her troubled friends, like Desiree Lucienne, the petite, pampered daughter of a doctor who tries to beat the wildness out of her. But it doesn't stop Desiree from trawling for men whenever she can, and trying to drag Carmen along with her.
It's not that Carmen hasn't had her share of boozy pick-ups. She has, but they just can't compare to the one steamy night she spent with the man she's loved since they were both kids. Now a local cop, Chester Sheffield, with his Barry White voice and his all-too-fine body, keeps showing up in Carmen's life, wanting to do something about the feelings they obviously have for each other. But that would mean abandoning her "boyfriend" Burl Tupper and that's something Carmen just can't do.
Ever since Burl ended up in a wheelchair because of a foolish teenage prank she played on him, Carmen's promised herself that she'd spend the rest of her life making it up to him. When Carmen doesn't take her chance with Chester, Desiree does, and when she learns that she's pregnant with Chester's child, it's almost more than Carmen can bear. Still, her loyalty to Desiree goes back a long way, and she's not about to let a man get in the way of their friendship--even when Desiree starts stepping out on Chester.
Then, on a sultry, reckless moonlit night, Carmen commits a desperate crime of passion, and, with Desiree, hits the road running. But she can't run from the truth she's avoided for years--and in a seedy hotel in the middle of nowhere, she confronts her demons head-on. Now Carmen has two choices--a life on the lam, or a full circle return to Belle Helene, the place where it all began. . .and the only place in the world she can lay down her burdens and seize her one true chance at love and redemption.
Lost. Depressed. Enraged. Emotionally exhausted. Alive but merely existing. Are accurate terms to describe Rebel Jackson.
Successful blogger Rebel has been blindly maneuvering through life after a devastating accident that tosses her world off its axis. Dealing with a lame azz, ain’t shyt boyfriend, fate unexpectedly shows her a better and brighter route when one of God’s beautiful creations inject himself into her path… and into her life. With eyes wide open and much clearer vision, Rebel regains control over her life and happiness, bringing herself out of the far too long, self-imposed depressed state. But as the holiday season rears its cheerful head, she is bombarded with painful memories that are threatening to derail her new lease on life. Will Rebel succumb to the depression and pain the holiday season brings? Or will she show how resilient she is and embrace what fate has put before her?
Converted street king and now booming businessman of the hottest, distinguished sneaker shoe store, Modest Taylor is a lot of things but modest isn’t one of them. Not one to put forth a lot of effort when it comes to the women he has entertained, he grows tired of the same ole habit and wants a more substantial and meaningful relationship. And destiny seems to know exactly what Modest needs when she puts him face to face with his future—a beautiful, smart-mouth woman that shifts his soul. However, his destiny doesn’t seem to be on the same page as him. Will Modest go after what makes his heart beat and give himself a valuable Christmas gift? Or will both of their mouths cost them a chance at something real and life altering?
Friendships are formed. Families are created. Love is fought for. For this upcoming holiday season, Rebel and Modest navigate life as it comes, but will it be for the better or for the worst? Will this Christmas be a very special Christmas for these two or a natural disaster? Join K. Larry as she brings you another Magic City Christmas in this heart-warming, African American urban holiday standalone, Thug Love for the Holidays: Rebel and Modest.
Successful blogger Rebel has been blindly maneuvering through life after a devastating accident that tosses her world off its axis. Dealing with a lame azz, ain’t shyt boyfriend, fate unexpectedly shows her a better and brighter route when one of God’s beautiful creations inject himself into her path… and into her life. With eyes wide open and much clearer vision, Rebel regains control over her life and happiness, bringing herself out of the far too long, self-imposed depressed state. But as the holiday season rears its cheerful head, she is bombarded with painful memories that are threatening to derail her new lease on life. Will Rebel succumb to the depression and pain the holiday season brings? Or will she show how resilient she is and embrace what fate has put before her?
Converted street king and now booming businessman of the hottest, distinguished sneaker shoe store, Modest Taylor is a lot of things but modest isn’t one of them. Not one to put forth a lot of effort when it comes to the women he has entertained, he grows tired of the same ole habit and wants a more substantial and meaningful relationship. And destiny seems to know exactly what Modest needs when she puts him face to face with his future—a beautiful, smart-mouth woman that shifts his soul. However, his destiny doesn’t seem to be on the same page as him. Will Modest go after what makes his heart beat and give himself a valuable Christmas gift? Or will both of their mouths cost them a chance at something real and life altering?
Friendships are formed. Families are created. Love is fought for. For this upcoming holiday season, Rebel and Modest navigate life as it comes, but will it be for the better or for the worst? Will this Christmas be a very special Christmas for these two or a natural disaster? Join K. Larry as she brings you another Magic City Christmas in this heart-warming, African American urban holiday standalone, Thug Love for the Holidays: Rebel and Modest.
Logan has always been a good girl, a beauty queen turned wife, mother and media personality with a hundreds of thousands of fans. So when her husband receives a sex tape of her in an orgy, everyone is confused and disgusted.
But Logan, has no recollection of ever recording the video. She swears to her husband that it isn’t her but he doesn’t believe her.
Since Logan was adopted, the only other explanation is that the woman in the video is her long lost twin sister…
Bitter and angry that she didn’t get the life that Logan did, Lola, the twin, is out for revenge. She does everything in her power to destroy Logan’s life, starting with the sex-tape. Lola’s devious actions causes Logan to unravel, eventually leaving her with nothing. No job, no family and no friends.
However, there is a huge dark secret between the both of them…
This is a tale of two sisters, battling the dark to get to the truth. Are you down for this crazy ride filled with twists and turns? By the time you finish this book your jaw will be on the ground in shock!
But Logan, has no recollection of ever recording the video. She swears to her husband that it isn’t her but he doesn’t believe her.
Since Logan was adopted, the only other explanation is that the woman in the video is her long lost twin sister…
Bitter and angry that she didn’t get the life that Logan did, Lola, the twin, is out for revenge. She does everything in her power to destroy Logan’s life, starting with the sex-tape. Lola’s devious actions causes Logan to unravel, eventually leaving her with nothing. No job, no family and no friends.
However, there is a huge dark secret between the both of them…
This is a tale of two sisters, battling the dark to get to the truth. Are you down for this crazy ride filled with twists and turns? By the time you finish this book your jaw will be on the ground in shock!
Kiara and her brother, Marcus, are scraping by in an East Oakland apartment complex optimistically called the Regal-Hi. Both have dropped out of high school, their family fractured by death and prison
But while Marcus clings to his dream of rap stardom, Kiara hunts for work to pay their rent—which has more than doubled—and to keep the nine-year-old boy next door, abandoned by his mother, safe and fed. One night, what begins as a drunken misunderstanding with a stranger turns into the job Kiara never imagined wanting but now desperately needs: nightcrawling. Her world breaks open even further when her name surfaces in an investigation that exposes her as a key witness in a massive scandal within the Oakland Police Department.
Rich with raw beauty, electrifying intensity, and piercing vulnerability, Nightcrawling marks the stunning arrival of a voice unlike any we have heard before.
But while Marcus clings to his dream of rap stardom, Kiara hunts for work to pay their rent—which has more than doubled—and to keep the nine-year-old boy next door, abandoned by his mother, safe and fed. One night, what begins as a drunken misunderstanding with a stranger turns into the job Kiara never imagined wanting but now desperately needs: nightcrawling. Her world breaks open even further when her name surfaces in an investigation that exposes her as a key witness in a massive scandal within the Oakland Police Department.
Rich with raw beauty, electrifying intensity, and piercing vulnerability, Nightcrawling marks the stunning arrival of a voice unlike any we have heard before.
When Maxine, a married woman craving something more, meets Anthony, an attractive and mysterious stranger, she quickly finds herself in way over her head. With her husband, James, trying to make their marriage work and a secret that could ruin her life, Maxine must grapple with her own desires and the consequences of her actions.
Set in a small city, Committed takes readers on a thrilling journey of Love, Lust, Betrayal, Murder, and Deception. With a tone of drama and eroticism akin to the works of Zane and other premier fiction authors, this novel will draw readers in with its unexpected plot twist and keep them enthralled until the very end. Committed is a must-read for anyone looking to be taken on an exciting and intense journey.
Awarded one of the Featured Authors of The National Book Club Conference in Atlanta 2022, K. Reshay has been making her mark within the literary community.
Set in a small city, Committed takes readers on a thrilling journey of Love, Lust, Betrayal, Murder, and Deception. With a tone of drama and eroticism akin to the works of Zane and other premier fiction authors, this novel will draw readers in with its unexpected plot twist and keep them enthralled until the very end. Committed is a must-read for anyone looking to be taken on an exciting and intense journey.
Awarded one of the Featured Authors of The National Book Club Conference in Atlanta 2022, K. Reshay has been making her mark within the literary community.
They call themselves the Blackbirds. Kwanzaa Browne, Indigo Abdulrahaman, Destiny Jones, and Ericka Stockwell are four best friends who are closer than sisters and will go to the ends of the earth for one another. Yet even their deep bond can’t heal all wounds from their individual pasts, as the collegiate and post-collegiate women struggle with their own demons, drama, and desires.
Trying to forget her cheating ex-fiancé, Kwanzaa becomes entangled with a wicked one-night stand—a man who turns out to be one in five million. Indigo is in an endless on-again, off-again relationship with her footballer boyfriend, and in her time between dysfunctional relationships she pursues other naughty desires. Destiny, readjusting to normal life, struggles to control her own anger after avenging a deep wrong landed her in juvi, while at the same time trying to have her first real relationship—one she has initiated using an alias to hide her past from her lover. Divorced Ericka is in remission from cancer and trying to deal with two decades of animosity with her radical mother while keeping secret the desperate crush she has always had on Destiny’s father…a passion with an older man that just may be reciprocated.
As the women try to overcome—or give in to—their impulses, they find not only themselves tested but also the one thing they always considered unbreakable: their friendship.
Me Time proudly scores this * * * * * out of * * * * *
Trying to forget her cheating ex-fiancé, Kwanzaa becomes entangled with a wicked one-night stand—a man who turns out to be one in five million. Indigo is in an endless on-again, off-again relationship with her footballer boyfriend, and in her time between dysfunctional relationships she pursues other naughty desires. Destiny, readjusting to normal life, struggles to control her own anger after avenging a deep wrong landed her in juvi, while at the same time trying to have her first real relationship—one she has initiated using an alias to hide her past from her lover. Divorced Ericka is in remission from cancer and trying to deal with two decades of animosity with her radical mother while keeping secret the desperate crush she has always had on Destiny’s father…a passion with an older man that just may be reciprocated.
As the women try to overcome—or give in to—their impulses, they find not only themselves tested but also the one thing they always considered unbreakable: their friendship.
Me Time proudly scores this * * * * * out of * * * * *
Serena, Michelle, Kenya, and Lynette have been best friends since they were small children. And as sister friends forever, they have always been there for one another, through good times and bad, no matter what.
This year is a crucial turning point for each woman. Serena, still single, is questioning why love hasn’t found her yet. Michelle is engaged and ready to walk down the aisle— until an old flame strolls back into her life. Kenya is happily married, but at the same time, her husband’s ex-wife won’t allow them or their family to live in peace. And Lynette’s divorce from her cheating husband has her nervously dating for the first time in well over a decade.
During this difficult period, their friendship will be tested like never before. Yet it is that sisterly love that they will need . . . more than ever.
Me Times gracefully gives this one * * * * * out of * * * * *
This year is a crucial turning point for each woman. Serena, still single, is questioning why love hasn’t found her yet. Michelle is engaged and ready to walk down the aisle— until an old flame strolls back into her life. Kenya is happily married, but at the same time, her husband’s ex-wife won’t allow them or their family to live in peace. And Lynette’s divorce from her cheating husband has her nervously dating for the first time in well over a decade.
During this difficult period, their friendship will be tested like never before. Yet it is that sisterly love that they will need . . . more than ever.
Me Times gracefully gives this one * * * * * out of * * * * *
They dive so humanity survives …
More than two centuries after World War III poisoned the planet, the final bastion of humanity lives on massive airships circling the globe in search of a habitable area to call home. Aging and outdated, most of the ships plummeted back to earth long ago. The only thing keeping the two surviving lifeboats in the sky are Hell Divers—men and women who risk their lives by skydiving to the surface to scavenge for parts the ships desperately need.
When one of the remaining airships is damaged in an electrical storm, a Hell Diver team is deployed to a hostile zone called Hades. But there’s something down there far worse than the mutated creatures discovered on dives in the past—something that threatens the fragile future of humanity.
Me Time gives this a * * * * out of * * * * *
More than two centuries after World War III poisoned the planet, the final bastion of humanity lives on massive airships circling the globe in search of a habitable area to call home. Aging and outdated, most of the ships plummeted back to earth long ago. The only thing keeping the two surviving lifeboats in the sky are Hell Divers—men and women who risk their lives by skydiving to the surface to scavenge for parts the ships desperately need.
When one of the remaining airships is damaged in an electrical storm, a Hell Diver team is deployed to a hostile zone called Hades. But there’s something down there far worse than the mutated creatures discovered on dives in the past—something that threatens the fragile future of humanity.
Me Time gives this a * * * * out of * * * * *
A way to survive.
A way to serve.
A way to save.
Simi prayed to the gods, once. Now she serves them as Mami Wata—a mermaid—collecting the souls of those who die at sea and blessing their journeys back home.
But when a living boy is thrown overboard, Simi goes against an ancient decree and does the unthinkable—she saves his life. And punishment awaits those who dare to defy the gods.
To protect the other Mami Wata, Simi must journey to the Supreme Creator to make amends. But all is not as it seems. There's the boy she rescued, who knows more than he should. And something is shadowing Simi, something that would rather see her fail . . .
Danger lurks at every turn, and as Simi draws closer, she must brave vengeful gods, treacherous lands, and legendary creatures. Because if she fails, she risks not only the fate of all Mami Wata, but also the world as she knows it.
Me Time Book Club Gives this a * * * * * out of * * * * *
A way to serve.
A way to save.
Simi prayed to the gods, once. Now she serves them as Mami Wata—a mermaid—collecting the souls of those who die at sea and blessing their journeys back home.
But when a living boy is thrown overboard, Simi goes against an ancient decree and does the unthinkable—she saves his life. And punishment awaits those who dare to defy the gods.
To protect the other Mami Wata, Simi must journey to the Supreme Creator to make amends. But all is not as it seems. There's the boy she rescued, who knows more than he should. And something is shadowing Simi, something that would rather see her fail . . .
Danger lurks at every turn, and as Simi draws closer, she must brave vengeful gods, treacherous lands, and legendary creatures. Because if she fails, she risks not only the fate of all Mami Wata, but also the world as she knows it.
Me Time Book Club Gives this a * * * * * out of * * * * *
Sharp-tongued (and secretly soft-hearted) Kiki Banjo has just made a huge mistake. As an expert in relationship-evasion and the host of the popular student radio show Brown Sugar, she’s made it her mission to make sure the women of the African-Caribbean Society at Whitewell University do not fall into the mess of “situationships”, players, and heartbreak. But when the Queen of the Unbothered kisses Malakai Korede, the guy she just publicly denounced as “The Wastemen of Whitewell,” in front of every Blackwellian on campus, she finds her show on the brink.
They’re soon embroiled in a fake relationship to try and salvage their reputations and save their futures. Kiki has never surrendered her heart before, and a player like Malakai won’t be the one to change that, no matter how charming he is or how electric their connection feels. But surprisingly entertaining study sessions and intimate, late-night talks at old-fashioned diners force Kiki to look beyond her own presumptions. Is she ready to open herself up to something deeper?
A gloriously funny and sparkling debut novel, Honey and Spice is full of delicious tension and romantic intrigue that will make you weak at the knees.
Me Time gives this one * * * * out of * * * * *
They’re soon embroiled in a fake relationship to try and salvage their reputations and save their futures. Kiki has never surrendered her heart before, and a player like Malakai won’t be the one to change that, no matter how charming he is or how electric their connection feels. But surprisingly entertaining study sessions and intimate, late-night talks at old-fashioned diners force Kiki to look beyond her own presumptions. Is she ready to open herself up to something deeper?
A gloriously funny and sparkling debut novel, Honey and Spice is full of delicious tension and romantic intrigue that will make you weak at the knees.
Me Time gives this one * * * * out of * * * * *
Disaya Morgan’s infatuation with money knows no limits, and she will do anything to get it. When she is accepted into a New York organization known as The Elite, she is under the impression that she will be a high paid model, but soon realizes that she’s stepped into a world of sex and lies.
She is befriended by Leah, the headmistress of The Elite, and together they make more money than they can spend. Nothing is too erotic for the pair, and Disaya soon finds herself knee-deep in a world where “no” means “yes,” and there is no way out.
She meets Indie and falls hopelessly in love with him while she tries her hardest to keep her lifestyle a secret. But everything done in the dark eventually comes to light. When she loses control of her own hustle, things go horribly wrong, and she learns the hard way that in the game she’s playing, there are no winners.
We give this spicy read * * * * out of * * * * *
She is befriended by Leah, the headmistress of The Elite, and together they make more money than they can spend. Nothing is too erotic for the pair, and Disaya soon finds herself knee-deep in a world where “no” means “yes,” and there is no way out.
She meets Indie and falls hopelessly in love with him while she tries her hardest to keep her lifestyle a secret. But everything done in the dark eventually comes to light. When she loses control of her own hustle, things go horribly wrong, and she learns the hard way that in the game she’s playing, there are no winners.
We give this spicy read * * * * out of * * * * *
Homegoing is the debut historical fiction novel by Ghanaian-American author Yaa Gyasi, published in 2016. Each chapter in the novel follows a different descendant of an Asante woman named Maame, starting with her two daughters, who are half-sisters, separated by circumstance: Effia marries James Collins, the British governor in charge of Cape Coast Castle, while her half-sister Esi is held captive in the dungeons below. Subsequent chapters follow their children and following generations.
The novel was selected in 2016 for the National Book Foundation's "5 under 35" award, the National Book Critics Circle's John Leonard Award for best first book, and was longlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize in 2017. It received the Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award for 2017, an American Book Award, and the Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Literature.
Me Time Book Club gives * * * * * out of * * * * *
The novel was selected in 2016 for the National Book Foundation's "5 under 35" award, the National Book Critics Circle's John Leonard Award for best first book, and was longlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize in 2017. It received the Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award for 2017, an American Book Award, and the Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Literature.
Me Time Book Club gives * * * * * out of * * * * *
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.
ME Times Gives this a * * * * out of * * * * *
ME Times Gives this a * * * * out of * * * * *
Seven days to fall in love, fifteen years to forget, and seven days to get it all back again...
Eva Mercy is a single mom and bestselling erotica writer who is feeling pressed from all sides. Shane Hall is a reclusive, enigmatic, award‑winning novelist, who, to everyone's surprise, shows up in New York.
When Shane and Eva meet unexpectedly at a literary event, sparks fly, raising not only their buried traumas, but the eyebrows of the Black literati. What no one knows is that fifteen years earlier, teenage Eva and Shane spent one crazy, torrid week madly in love. While they may be pretending not to know each other, they can't deny their chemistry—or the fact that they've been secretly writing to each other in their books through the years.
Over the next seven days, amidst a steamy Brooklyn summer, Eva and Shane reconnect—but Eva's wary of the man who broke her heart, and wants him out of the city so her life can return to normal. Before Shane disappears though, she needs a few questions answered...
With its keen observations of creative life in America today, as well as the joys and complications of being a mother and a daughter, Seven Days in June is a hilarious, romantic, and sexy‑as‑hell story of two writers discovering their second chance at love.
We loved it * * * * * out of * * * * *
Eva Mercy is a single mom and bestselling erotica writer who is feeling pressed from all sides. Shane Hall is a reclusive, enigmatic, award‑winning novelist, who, to everyone's surprise, shows up in New York.
When Shane and Eva meet unexpectedly at a literary event, sparks fly, raising not only their buried traumas, but the eyebrows of the Black literati. What no one knows is that fifteen years earlier, teenage Eva and Shane spent one crazy, torrid week madly in love. While they may be pretending not to know each other, they can't deny their chemistry—or the fact that they've been secretly writing to each other in their books through the years.
Over the next seven days, amidst a steamy Brooklyn summer, Eva and Shane reconnect—but Eva's wary of the man who broke her heart, and wants him out of the city so her life can return to normal. Before Shane disappears though, she needs a few questions answered...
With its keen observations of creative life in America today, as well as the joys and complications of being a mother and a daughter, Seven Days in June is a hilarious, romantic, and sexy‑as‑hell story of two writers discovering their second chance at love.
We loved it * * * * * out of * * * * *
Tabitha Walker is a black woman with a plan to “have it all.” At 33 years old, the checklist for the life of her dreams is well underway. Education? Check. Good job? Check. Down payment for a nice house? Check. Dating marriage material? Check, check, and check. With a coveted position as a local news reporter, a "paper-perfect" boyfriend, and even a standing Saturday morning appointment with a reliable hairstylist, everything seems to be falling into place.
Then Tabby receives an unexpected diagnosis that brings her picture-perfect life crashing down, jeopardizing the keystone she took for granted: having children. With her dreams at risk of falling through the cracks of her checklist, suddenly she is faced with an impossible choice between her career, her dream home, and a family of her own.
With the help of her best friends, the irreverent and headstrong Laila and Alexis, the mom jeans-wearing former "Sexy Lexi," and the generational wisdom of her grandmother and the nonagenarian firebrand Ms. Gretchen, Tabby explores the reaches of modern medicine and tests the limits of her relationships, hoping to salvage the future she always dreamed of. But the fight is all consuming, demanding a steep price that forces an honest reckoning for nearly everyone in her life. As Tabby soon learns, her grandmother's age-old adage just might still be true: Black girls must die exhausted.
ME TIME hands this * * * * * out of * * * * *
Then Tabby receives an unexpected diagnosis that brings her picture-perfect life crashing down, jeopardizing the keystone she took for granted: having children. With her dreams at risk of falling through the cracks of her checklist, suddenly she is faced with an impossible choice between her career, her dream home, and a family of her own.
With the help of her best friends, the irreverent and headstrong Laila and Alexis, the mom jeans-wearing former "Sexy Lexi," and the generational wisdom of her grandmother and the nonagenarian firebrand Ms. Gretchen, Tabby explores the reaches of modern medicine and tests the limits of her relationships, hoping to salvage the future she always dreamed of. But the fight is all consuming, demanding a steep price that forces an honest reckoning for nearly everyone in her life. As Tabby soon learns, her grandmother's age-old adage just might still be true: Black girls must die exhausted.
ME TIME hands this * * * * * out of * * * * *
A NEW KIND OF SEX ED. Pussy Prayers is about rekindling the connection to your pleasure center - the space through which you manifest worlds - regardless of the body parts you do or don't have. These pages speak to the unique sexual experiences of Black women and femmes in order to help them heal from trauma and miseducation while learning how to powerfully conjure up a life that is dripping with sweetness - all by getting in touch with the one part of yourself that was divinely designed for pleasure. Here, you'll find stories, sister-girl-talk, and practical, easy-to-do rituals to begin your personal journey of understanding the importance of pleasure, its connection to manifestation, and ways to increase your personal power so you can enjoy #EverydayDeliciousness. BLACK GIRL BLISS is an educational platform dedicated to cultivating the spiritual, sexual, and self-care practices of Black women and femmes.
Learn more at BlackGirlBliss.com
Me Time gives this a * * * * * out of * * * * *
Learn more at BlackGirlBliss.com
Me Time gives this a * * * * * out of * * * * *
Finding love isn't easy and keeping love is even harder—especially when everyone seems bent on trying to destroy it.
When Washington, D.C., chiropractor Yardley Brown goes to his local bank, it isn't only to make deposits into his account. He has long since accrued some interest in Rayne Waters, a bank employee who's too beautiful to be true—and too beautiful to be single. At least that's what Yardley believes, which is why he has never approached her.
Little does he know that Rayne is anything but taken. Not for want of trying, of course. But after barely surviving a dating disaster with her hairdresser's brother and then falling for a member of her church band, she's on the verge of giving up. That is, until Yardley—discouraged by his own slew of dead-end romances—finally works up the courage to give her a try.
But the true craziness is just beginning, thanks to a cast of characters who seem bent on botching the young couple's relationship. There's Rayne's erratic mother, Yardley's playboy buddies, always trolling for sex, and past lovers who make a habit of popping up to ruin things as only old flames (or previous mistakes) can. Weaving the carnal and the comical in true Zane fashion, Rayne and Yardley's struggle to find love in a world gone mad is a timeless talk about everything that can go wrong in the dating game—and a few things that can go right.
Me Time scores this * * * * * out of * * * * *
When Washington, D.C., chiropractor Yardley Brown goes to his local bank, it isn't only to make deposits into his account. He has long since accrued some interest in Rayne Waters, a bank employee who's too beautiful to be true—and too beautiful to be single. At least that's what Yardley believes, which is why he has never approached her.
Little does he know that Rayne is anything but taken. Not for want of trying, of course. But after barely surviving a dating disaster with her hairdresser's brother and then falling for a member of her church band, she's on the verge of giving up. That is, until Yardley—discouraged by his own slew of dead-end romances—finally works up the courage to give her a try.
But the true craziness is just beginning, thanks to a cast of characters who seem bent on botching the young couple's relationship. There's Rayne's erratic mother, Yardley's playboy buddies, always trolling for sex, and past lovers who make a habit of popping up to ruin things as only old flames (or previous mistakes) can. Weaving the carnal and the comical in true Zane fashion, Rayne and Yardley's struggle to find love in a world gone mad is a timeless talk about everything that can go wrong in the dating game—and a few things that can go right.
Me Time scores this * * * * * out of * * * * *
A promise could betray you.It’s 2008, and the inauguration of President Barack Obama ushers in a new kind of hope. In Chicago, Ruth Tuttle, an Ivy-League educated Black engineer, is married to a kind and successful man. He’s eager to start a family, but Ruth is uncertain. She has never gotten over the baby she gave birth to—and was forced to leave behind—when she was a teenager. She had promised her family she’d never look back, but Ruth knows that to move forward, she must make peace with the past.
Returning home, Ruth discovers the Indiana factory town of her youth is plagued by unemployment, racism, and despair. As she begins digging into the past, she unexpectedly befriends Midnight, a young white boy who is also adrift and looking for connection. Just as Ruth is about to uncover a burning secret her family desperately wants to keep hidden, a traumatic incident strains the town’s already searing racial tensions, sending Ruth and Midnight on a collision course that could upend both their lives.
Powerful and revealing, The Kindest Lie captures the heartbreaking divide between Black and white communities and offers both an unflinching view of motherhood in contemporary America and the never-ending quest to achieve the American Dream.
Me Time gives this * * * * * out of * * * * *
Returning home, Ruth discovers the Indiana factory town of her youth is plagued by unemployment, racism, and despair. As she begins digging into the past, she unexpectedly befriends Midnight, a young white boy who is also adrift and looking for connection. Just as Ruth is about to uncover a burning secret her family desperately wants to keep hidden, a traumatic incident strains the town’s already searing racial tensions, sending Ruth and Midnight on a collision course that could upend both their lives.
Powerful and revealing, The Kindest Lie captures the heartbreaking divide between Black and white communities and offers both an unflinching view of motherhood in contemporary America and the never-ending quest to achieve the American Dream.
Me Time gives this * * * * * out of * * * * *
In the spirit of Amy Poehler’s Yes Please, Lena Dunham’s Not That Kind of Girl, and Roxane Gay's Bad Feminist, a powerful collection of essays about gender, sexuality, race, beauty, Hollywood, and what it means to be a modern woman.
One month before the release of the highly anticipated film The Birth of a Nation, actress Gabrielle Union shook the world with a vulnerable and impassioned editorial in which she urged our society to have compassion for victims of sexual violence. In the wake of rape allegations made against director and actor Nate Parker, Union—a forty-four-year-old actress who launched her career with roles in iconic ’90s movies—instantly became the insightful, outspoken actress that Hollywood has been desperately awaiting. With honesty and heartbreaking wisdom, she revealed her own trauma as a victim of sexual assault: "It is for you that I am speaking. This is real. We are real."
In this moving collection of thought provoking essays infused with her unique wisdom and deep humor, Union uses that same fearlessness to tell astonishingly personal and true stories about power, color, gender, feminism, and fame. Union tackles a range of experiences, including bullying, beauty standards, and competition between women in Hollywood, growing up in white California suburbia and then spending summers with her black relatives in Nebraska, coping with crushes, puberty, and the divorce of her parents. Genuine and perceptive, Union bravely lays herself bare, uncovering a complex and courageous life of self-doubt and self-discovery with incredible poise and brutal honesty. Throughout, she compels us to be ethical and empathetic, and reminds us of the importance of confidence, self-awareness, and the power of sharing truth, laughter, and support.
Me Time Gives this * * * * * out of * * * * *
One month before the release of the highly anticipated film The Birth of a Nation, actress Gabrielle Union shook the world with a vulnerable and impassioned editorial in which she urged our society to have compassion for victims of sexual violence. In the wake of rape allegations made against director and actor Nate Parker, Union—a forty-four-year-old actress who launched her career with roles in iconic ’90s movies—instantly became the insightful, outspoken actress that Hollywood has been desperately awaiting. With honesty and heartbreaking wisdom, she revealed her own trauma as a victim of sexual assault: "It is for you that I am speaking. This is real. We are real."
In this moving collection of thought provoking essays infused with her unique wisdom and deep humor, Union uses that same fearlessness to tell astonishingly personal and true stories about power, color, gender, feminism, and fame. Union tackles a range of experiences, including bullying, beauty standards, and competition between women in Hollywood, growing up in white California suburbia and then spending summers with her black relatives in Nebraska, coping with crushes, puberty, and the divorce of her parents. Genuine and perceptive, Union bravely lays herself bare, uncovering a complex and courageous life of self-doubt and self-discovery with incredible poise and brutal honesty. Throughout, she compels us to be ethical and empathetic, and reminds us of the importance of confidence, self-awareness, and the power of sharing truth, laughter, and support.
Me Time Gives this * * * * * out of * * * * *
Smiddy's Dry Cleaners is a staple in the Jackson, MS community. Although, it wouldn't have survived without the hard work and dedication of Ruth Ann Sumner and San Winters. The ladies have been friends and co-workers for years. Ruth Ann can't find love and yearns for the day her heart will become whole again. San's toxic relationship hinders her from becoming a successful hair stylist. From crazy customers to broken down machines, the ladies have seen it all. But life as they know it will change once a simple act of kindness turns their whole world upside down. In this hilarious and thought provoking drama, the ladies will learn the true definition of live, laugh and love.
Me Time Book Club gives this one * * * * * out of * * * * *
Me Time Book Club gives this one * * * * * out of * * * * *
Courage to Pursue is a guide in which readers will experience how they can conquer the spirit of fear to turn their dreams into a reality. Each part of this book encourages readers to move out of their comfort zone to find the courage they need to succeed. Blackmon takes the readers through a series of points to get them to understand their purpose. She gives tips to the readers about what they should do to be all they can be. This book is full of positive affirmations that will allow readers to believe in themselves over and over again. Blackmon uses her life moments to share with readers how she had to use courage to get where she is right now. She transparently shares with the readers how she refused to allow fear to stop her and encourages them not to allow it to stop them. Readers are prompted to tap into their Five W’s and one H (Who, What, When, Why and How) to understand and develop their own purpose on earth. This amazing book not only inspires, but also helps the reader to develop into the person they have always dreamed of becoming. Blackmon writer’s voice is similar to that of a life coach. It is inspiring, rather than condescending. This touch allows the reader to understand that no matter what they’ve experienced in life, they can still move forward into all God has for them. Lisa has created a unique and classic guide to develop courage in every individual who has lost hope in completing their dreams.
Me Time gives this * * * * * out of * * * * *
Me Time gives this * * * * * out of * * * * *
Like the small towns J. California Cooper has so vividly portrayed in her previous novels, Wideland, Oklahoma, is home to ordinary Americans with big hearts. Among them are newlyweds Irene and Val, who graciously allow their neighbors, Bertha and Joseph, to build a house on their land. Together the couples have three daughters, all who struggle to find love and success in the changing world. But although the years may bring hardship and heartache, they also teach the importance of living one’s life boldly and squeezing out every possible moment of joy.
Me Time Scores * * * * out of * * * * *
Me Time Scores * * * * out of * * * * *
In this straightforward handbook, he gives you the tools and advice you need to demolish the slag weighing you down and become the truly unfu*ked version of yourself. ''Wake up to the miracle you are,'' he directs. ''Here's what you've forgotten: You're a fu*king miracle of being.'' It isn't other people that are standing in your way, it isn't even your circumstances that are blocking your ability to thrive, it's yourself and the negative self-talk you keep telling yourself.
In Unfu*k Yourself, Bishop leads you through a series of seven assertions:
I am willing.
I am wired to win.
I got this.
I embrace the uncertainty.
I am not my thoughts; I am what I do.
I am relentless.
I expect nothing and accept everything.
Me Time Scores this * * * * * out of * * * * *
In Unfu*k Yourself, Bishop leads you through a series of seven assertions:
I am willing.
I am wired to win.
I got this.
I embrace the uncertainty.
I am not my thoughts; I am what I do.
I am relentless.
I expect nothing and accept everything.
Me Time Scores this * * * * * out of * * * * *
Regina Moore and Karen Jackson, lifelong best friends, are living the kind of lives about which most women only fantasize. With beautiful homes, fulfilling careers, and two adoring husbands, their joy could not be greater, their worlds could not be richer. But suddenly, shattering truths about the loving men they thought they knew turn happiness into anguish and rage.
For Karen and Regina, nothing they believed in or cherished can ever be the same as it was. Yet in the painful process of starting over, new doors will open, and two women who once had it all will rediscover the power of honesty and friendship...and learn the true scope and meaning of love.
Me Time Book hands this * * * * out of * * * * *
For Karen and Regina, nothing they believed in or cherished can ever be the same as it was. Yet in the painful process of starting over, new doors will open, and two women who once had it all will rediscover the power of honesty and friendship...and learn the true scope and meaning of love.
Me Time Book hands this * * * * out of * * * * *
After a sudden change of plans, a remarkable woman and her loyal group of friends try to figure out what she’s going to do with the rest of her life - from Terry McMillan, the best-selling author of How Stella Got Her Groove Back and Waiting to Exhale
"McMillan brings her signature wit and wisdom to It’s Not All Downhill From Here." (O: The Oprah Magazine)
Loretha Curry’s life is full. A little crowded sometimes, but full indeed. On the eve of her 68th birthday, she has a booming beauty-supply empire, a gaggle of lifelong friends, and a husband whose moves still surprise. True, she’s carrying a few more pounds than she should be, but Loretha is not one of those women who think her best days are behind her - and she’s determined to prove wrong her mother, her twin sister, and everyone else with that outdated view of aging wrong. It’s not all downhill from here.
But when an unexpected loss turns her world upside-down, Loretha will have to summon all her strength, resourcefulness, and determination to keep on thriving, pursue joy, heal old wounds, and chart new paths. With a little help from her friends, of course.
Me Time scores this * * * * * out of * * * * *
"McMillan brings her signature wit and wisdom to It’s Not All Downhill From Here." (O: The Oprah Magazine)
Loretha Curry’s life is full. A little crowded sometimes, but full indeed. On the eve of her 68th birthday, she has a booming beauty-supply empire, a gaggle of lifelong friends, and a husband whose moves still surprise. True, she’s carrying a few more pounds than she should be, but Loretha is not one of those women who think her best days are behind her - and she’s determined to prove wrong her mother, her twin sister, and everyone else with that outdated view of aging wrong. It’s not all downhill from here.
But when an unexpected loss turns her world upside-down, Loretha will have to summon all her strength, resourcefulness, and determination to keep on thriving, pursue joy, heal old wounds, and chart new paths. With a little help from her friends, of course.
Me Time scores this * * * * * out of * * * * *
The astonishing untold history of America’s first black millionaires—former slaves who endured incredible challenges to amass and maintain their wealth for a century, from the Jacksonian period to the Roaring Twenties—self-made entrepreneurs whose unknown success mirrored that of American business heroes such as Henry Ford, John D. Rockefeller, and Thomas Edison.
While Oprah Winfrey, Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Michael Jordan, and Will Smith are among the estimated 35,000 black millionaires in the nation today, these famous celebrities were not the first blacks to reach the storied one percent. Between the years of 1830 and 1927, as the last generation of blacks born into slavery was reaching maturity, a small group of smart, tenacious, and daring men and women broke new ground to attain the highest levels of financial success.
Black Fortunes is an intriguing look at these remarkable individuals, including Napoleon Bonaparte Drew—author Shomari Wills’ great-great-great-grandfather—the first black man in Powhatan County (contemporary Richmond) to own property in post-Civil War Virginia. His achievements were matched by five other unknown black entrepreneurs including:
Me Time Book gives this one * * * * * out of * * * * *
While Oprah Winfrey, Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Michael Jordan, and Will Smith are among the estimated 35,000 black millionaires in the nation today, these famous celebrities were not the first blacks to reach the storied one percent. Between the years of 1830 and 1927, as the last generation of blacks born into slavery was reaching maturity, a small group of smart, tenacious, and daring men and women broke new ground to attain the highest levels of financial success.
Black Fortunes is an intriguing look at these remarkable individuals, including Napoleon Bonaparte Drew—author Shomari Wills’ great-great-great-grandfather—the first black man in Powhatan County (contemporary Richmond) to own property in post-Civil War Virginia. His achievements were matched by five other unknown black entrepreneurs including:
- Mary Ellen Pleasant, who used her Gold Rush wealth to further the cause of abolitionist John Brown;
- Robert Reed Church, who became the largest landowner in Tennessee;
- Hannah Elias, the mistress of a New York City millionaire, who used the land her lover gave her to build an empire in Harlem;
- Orphan and self-taught chemist Annie Turnbo-Malone, who developed the first national brand of hair care products;
- Madam C. J Walker, Turnbo-Malone’s employee who would earn the nickname America’s "first female black millionaire;"
- Mississippi school teacher O. W. Gurley, who developed a piece of Tulsa, Oklahoma, into a "town" for wealthy black professionals and craftsmen" that would become known as "the Black Wall Street."
Me Time Book gives this one * * * * * out of * * * * *
A young prostitute comes to Bigelow, Arkansas, to start over, far from her haunting past. Sugar moves next door to Pearl, who is still grieving for the daughter who was murdered fifteen years before. Over sweet-potato pie, an unlikely friendship begins, transforming both women's lives—and the life of an entire town.
Sugar brings a Southern African-American town vividly to life, with its flowering magnolia trees, lingering scents of jasmine and honeysuckle, and white picket fences that keep strangers out—but ignorance and superstition in. To read this novel is to take a journey through loss and suffering to a place of forgiveness, understanding, and grace.
Me Time scores this * * * * * out of 5
On a cold December evening, Autumn Spencer’s twin sister, Summer, walks to the roof of their shared Harlem brownstone and is never seen again. The door to the roof is locked, and the snow holds only one set of footprints. Faced with authorities indifferent to another missing Black woman, Autumn must pursue the search for her sister all on her own.
With her friends and neighbors, Autumn pretends to hold up through the crisis. But the loss becomes too great, the mystery too inexplicable, and Autumn starts to unravel, all the while becoming obsessed with the various murders of local women and the men who kill them, thinking their stories and society’s complacency toward them might shed light on what really happened to her sister.
In Speaking of Summer, critically acclaimed author Kalisha Buckhanon has created a fast-paced story of urban peril and victim invisibility, and the fight to discover the complicated truths at the heart of every family.
Me Time hands this * * * * out of 5
With her friends and neighbors, Autumn pretends to hold up through the crisis. But the loss becomes too great, the mystery too inexplicable, and Autumn starts to unravel, all the while becoming obsessed with the various murders of local women and the men who kill them, thinking their stories and society’s complacency toward them might shed light on what really happened to her sister.
In Speaking of Summer, critically acclaimed author Kalisha Buckhanon has created a fast-paced story of urban peril and victim invisibility, and the fight to discover the complicated truths at the heart of every family.
Me Time hands this * * * * out of 5
In these twelve deeply personal, connected essays, Bernard details the experience of growing up black in the south with a family name inherited from a white man, surviving a random stabbing at a New Haven coffee shop, marrying a white man from the North and bringing him home to her family, adopting two children from Ethiopia, and living and teaching in a primarily white New England college town. Each of these essays sets out to discover a new way of talking about race and of telling the truth as the author has lived it. “Blackness is an art, not a science. It is a paradox: intangible and visceral; a situation and a story. It is the thread that connects these essays, but its significance as an experience emerges randomly, unpredictably. . . . Race is the story of my life, and therefore black is the body of this book.”
Me Time gives this * * * * out of * * * * *
Moving forward and backward in time, Jacqueline Woodson's taut and powerful new novel uncovers the role that history and community have played in the experiences, decisions, and relationships of these families, and in the life of the new child.
As the book opens in 2001, it is the evening of sixteen-year-old Melody's coming of age ceremony in her grandparents' Brooklyn brownstone. Watched lovingly by her relatives and friends, making her entrance to the music of Prince, she wears a special custom-made dress. But the event is not without poignancy. Sixteen years earlier, that very dress was measured and sewn for a different wearer: Melody's mother, for her own ceremony-- a celebration that ultimately never took place.
Unfurling the history of Melody's parents and grandparents to show how they all arrived at this moment, Woodson considers not just their ambitions and successes but also the costs, the tolls they've paid for striving to overcome expectations and escape the pull of history. As it explores sexual desire and identity, ambition, gentrification, education, class and status, and the life-altering facts of parenthood, Red at the Bone most strikingly looks at the ways in which young people must so often make long-lasting decisions about their lives--even before they have begun to figure out who they are and what they want to be.
Me Time Scores this * * * * * out of * * * * *
As his wife turns up in Sipsey, Sugarfoot is in Jemison Beach, Florida, pursuing wealthy Clarice Vanderway. Freddie Dee Varner is trying to wedge her way into his life by tearing him down in order to build him. But when he returns to Sipsey, all hell breaks loose. The scandal that arises from his deception causes the deacons to consider kicking him out of the church, and Clarice Vanderway never wants to see him again. Only Freddie Dee still carries a torch for him and she want him back at all cost.
Me Time Scores this a * * * * out of * * * * *
Me Time Scores this a * * * * out of * * * * *
It’s 1986, the heart of the Cold War, and Marie Mitchell is an intelligence officer with the FBI. She’s brilliant, but she’s also a young black woman working in an old boys’ club. Her career has stalled out, she’s overlooked for every high-profile squad, and her days are filled with monotonous paperwork. So when she’s given the opportunity to join a shadowy task force aimed at undermining Thomas Sankara, the charismatic revolutionary president of Burkina Faso whose Communist ideology has made him a target for American intervention, she says yes. Yes, even though she secretly admires the work Sankara is doing for his country. Yes, even though she is still grieving the mysterious death of her sister, whose example led Marie to this career path in the first place. Yes, even though a furious part of her suspects she’s being offered the job because of her appearance and not her talent.
In the year that follows, Marie will observe Sankara, seduce him, and ultimately have a hand in the coup that will bring him down. But doing so will change everything she believes about what it means to be a spy, a lover, a sister, and a good American.
Me Time Gives this * * * * out of * * * * *
Most people are fearful of change, both personal and professional, because they don't have any control over how or when it happens to them. Since change happens either to the individual or by the individual, Dr. Spencer Johnson, the coauthor of the multimillion bestseller The One Minute Manager, uses a deceptively simple story to show that when it comes to living in a rapidly changing world, what matters most is your attitude.
Exploring a simple way to take the fear and anxiety out of managing the future, Who Moved My Cheese? can help you discover how to anticipate, acknowledge, and accept change in order to have a positive impact on your job, your relationships, and every aspect of your life.
Me Times gives this one * * * * * out of * * * * *
Exploring a simple way to take the fear and anxiety out of managing the future, Who Moved My Cheese? can help you discover how to anticipate, acknowledge, and accept change in order to have a positive impact on your job, your relationships, and every aspect of your life.
Me Times gives this one * * * * * out of * * * * *
A cannon. A strap.
A piece. A biscuit.
A burner. A heater.
A chopper. A gat.
A hammer
A tool
for RULE
Or, you can call it a gun. That’s what fifteen-year-old Will has shoved in the back waistband of his jeans. See, his brother Shawn was just murdered. And Will knows the rules. No crying. No snitching. Revenge. That’s where Will’s now heading, with that gun shoved in the back waistband of his jeans, the gun that was his brother’s gun. He gets on the elevator, seventh floor, stoked. He knows who he’s after. Or does he?
As the elevator stops on the sixth floor, on comes Buck. Buck, Will finds out, is who gave Shawn the gun before Will took the gun. Buck tells Will to check that the gun is even loaded. And that’s when Will sees that one bullet is missing. And the only one who could have fired Shawn’s gun was Shawn. Huh. Will didn’t know that Shawn had ever actually USED his gun. Bigger huh. BUCK IS DEAD. But Buck’s in the elevator?
Just as Will’s trying to think this through, the door to the next floor opens. A teenage girl gets on, waves away the smoke from Dead Buck’s cigarette. Will doesn’t know her, but she knew him. Knew. When they were eight. And stray bullets had cut through the playground, and Will had tried to cover her, but she was hit anyway, and so what she wants to know, on that fifth floor elevator stop, is, what if Will, Will with the gun shoved in the back waistband of his jeans, MISSES.
And so it goes, the whole long way down, as the elevator stops on each floor, and at each stop someone connected to his brother gets on to give Will a piece to a bigger story than the one he thinks he knows. A story that might never know an END…if Will gets off that elevator.
Told in short, fierce staccato narrative verse, Long Way Down is a fast and furious, dazzlingly brilliant look at teenage gun violence, as could only be told by Jason Reynolds.
Me Time gleefully scores this * * * * * out of * * * * *
A piece. A biscuit.
A burner. A heater.
A chopper. A gat.
A hammer
A tool
for RULE
Or, you can call it a gun. That’s what fifteen-year-old Will has shoved in the back waistband of his jeans. See, his brother Shawn was just murdered. And Will knows the rules. No crying. No snitching. Revenge. That’s where Will’s now heading, with that gun shoved in the back waistband of his jeans, the gun that was his brother’s gun. He gets on the elevator, seventh floor, stoked. He knows who he’s after. Or does he?
As the elevator stops on the sixth floor, on comes Buck. Buck, Will finds out, is who gave Shawn the gun before Will took the gun. Buck tells Will to check that the gun is even loaded. And that’s when Will sees that one bullet is missing. And the only one who could have fired Shawn’s gun was Shawn. Huh. Will didn’t know that Shawn had ever actually USED his gun. Bigger huh. BUCK IS DEAD. But Buck’s in the elevator?
Just as Will’s trying to think this through, the door to the next floor opens. A teenage girl gets on, waves away the smoke from Dead Buck’s cigarette. Will doesn’t know her, but she knew him. Knew. When they were eight. And stray bullets had cut through the playground, and Will had tried to cover her, but she was hit anyway, and so what she wants to know, on that fifth floor elevator stop, is, what if Will, Will with the gun shoved in the back waistband of his jeans, MISSES.
And so it goes, the whole long way down, as the elevator stops on each floor, and at each stop someone connected to his brother gets on to give Will a piece to a bigger story than the one he thinks he knows. A story that might never know an END…if Will gets off that elevator.
Told in short, fierce staccato narrative verse, Long Way Down is a fast and furious, dazzlingly brilliant look at teenage gun violence, as could only be told by Jason Reynolds.
Me Time gleefully scores this * * * * * out of * * * * *
An intimate, powerful, and inspiring memoir by the former First Lady of the United States
In a life filled with meaning and accomplishment, Michelle Obama has emerged as one of the most iconic and compelling women of our era. As First Lady of the United States of America—the first African American to serve in that role—she helped create the most welcoming and inclusive White House in history, while also establishing herself as a powerful advocate for women and girls in the U.S. and around the world, dramatically changing the ways that families pursue healthier and more active lives, and standing with her husband as he led America through some of its most harrowing moments. Along the way, she showed us a few dance moves, crushed Carpool Karaoke, and raised two down-to-earth daughters under an unforgiving media glare.
In her memoir, a work of deep reflection and mesmerizing storytelling, Michelle Obama invites readers into her world, chronicling the experiences that have shaped her—from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her years as an executive balancing the demands of motherhood and work, to her time spent at the world’s most famous address. With unerring honesty and lively wit, she describes her triumphs and her disappointments, both public and private, telling her full story as she has lived it—in her own words and on her own terms. Warm, wise, and revelatory, Becoming is the deeply personal reckoning of a woman of soul and substance who has steadily defied expectations—and whose story inspires us to do the same.
Me Time easily hands this one * * * * * out of * * * * *
In a life filled with meaning and accomplishment, Michelle Obama has emerged as one of the most iconic and compelling women of our era. As First Lady of the United States of America—the first African American to serve in that role—she helped create the most welcoming and inclusive White House in history, while also establishing herself as a powerful advocate for women and girls in the U.S. and around the world, dramatically changing the ways that families pursue healthier and more active lives, and standing with her husband as he led America through some of its most harrowing moments. Along the way, she showed us a few dance moves, crushed Carpool Karaoke, and raised two down-to-earth daughters under an unforgiving media glare.
In her memoir, a work of deep reflection and mesmerizing storytelling, Michelle Obama invites readers into her world, chronicling the experiences that have shaped her—from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her years as an executive balancing the demands of motherhood and work, to her time spent at the world’s most famous address. With unerring honesty and lively wit, she describes her triumphs and her disappointments, both public and private, telling her full story as she has lived it—in her own words and on her own terms. Warm, wise, and revelatory, Becoming is the deeply personal reckoning of a woman of soul and substance who has steadily defied expectations—and whose story inspires us to do the same.
Me Time easily hands this one * * * * * out of * * * * *
Paul Wall’s marriage is in trouble. In addition to losing his job, he loses all of his self-esteem, and soon his wife, Ginger, is as unhappy as he is. However, when Paul wins millions of dollars in the Georgia state lottery, he concocts a master plan to regain his wife’s love.
A passionate wine-drinker, Paul convinces Ginger to accompany him on a trip to romantic Napa Valley, but Paul keeps his winnings a secret; he wants to win her back on his own merits. Ginger insists her mom, a recent widow, travels with them. Paul then insists his mom, recently divorced, join them. This quartet of characters travels together to California and, with the influx of wine loosening their inhibitions, they end up revealing secrets better left untold.
With controversial ethical dilemmas at its heart, The Truth is in the Wine is a remarkable and riveting novel that will put you in the characters’ shoes, wondering what you’d do next if you had millions of dollars to spend and a marriage and relationships to save.
Me Time would definitely drink a glass of wine to this * * * * out of * * * * *
Jewel is Hollywood royalty: as the teenage star of the TV show "Daddy's Girl," her face is instantly recognizable all across America. Now, though, she wants two things-to get a serious education, and to leave her controlling stage mother behind. Regina is the definitive upper-middle-class African-American girl. Her picture-perfect parents are what she calls "black Ward and June Cleavers" and their goals for her are like a stranglehold. No one can see, though, how far Regina's rebellious side will take her (or how treacherous it will become). Carmen is just trying to get by. A child of the projects whose father is dead and whose mother has vanished, Carmen has been raised by her abusive brother. Columbia is the way for her to get a better life-if she can hold down two jobs and keep her GPA up.
When the three of them meet, their lives are at a crossroad. And as the years progress, from the 1980s to the present day, they are challenged by drug addiction, fame, secrets from the past, sickness, betrayal, and the darkest things women can face. One of them won't survive. But what will be the lasting legacy of their friendship? Better Than I Know Myself is a novel of heartache, triumph, tears, and the unshakeable bonds among women.
Me Time Scores this one * * * out of * * * * *
When the three of them meet, their lives are at a crossroad. And as the years progress, from the 1980s to the present day, they are challenged by drug addiction, fame, secrets from the past, sickness, betrayal, and the darkest things women can face. One of them won't survive. But what will be the lasting legacy of their friendship? Better Than I Know Myself is a novel of heartache, triumph, tears, and the unshakeable bonds among women.
Me Time Scores this one * * * out of * * * * *
Maya seems to have the perfect life. She is a successful real estate agent. She has a handsome fiancé, Steven. She even has a fun and supportive best friend, Toni. Little do her friends realize, however, that Maya is living a lie. Secretly, she’s miserable—and it’s all Toni’s fault.
Toni stole the love of Maya’s life and had the gall to marry him. Although ecstatic to have Ty as her husband, Toni knows their relationship will never be truly free of Maya. Her own feelings of guilt prevent her fully letting Maya go, forcing the two women to play a perverse game of keeping up appearances while they secretly hate each other.
The game becomes very real when an accident leaves Toni’s husband injured and vulnerable—and Maya begins seeing the cracks in Toni and Ty’s relationship. At the same time, her own engagement to Steven is falling apart. Is this Maya’s last chance to get what she truly wants?
In this twisting drama, two very different women finally let appearances fall by the wayside, exposing the jealousy, anger, resentment, and guilt that have been simmering just below the surface. Can Toni survive Maya’s toxic rage?
Me Times hands this * * * * * out of * * * * *
Toni stole the love of Maya’s life and had the gall to marry him. Although ecstatic to have Ty as her husband, Toni knows their relationship will never be truly free of Maya. Her own feelings of guilt prevent her fully letting Maya go, forcing the two women to play a perverse game of keeping up appearances while they secretly hate each other.
The game becomes very real when an accident leaves Toni’s husband injured and vulnerable—and Maya begins seeing the cracks in Toni and Ty’s relationship. At the same time, her own engagement to Steven is falling apart. Is this Maya’s last chance to get what she truly wants?
In this twisting drama, two very different women finally let appearances fall by the wayside, exposing the jealousy, anger, resentment, and guilt that have been simmering just below the surface. Can Toni survive Maya’s toxic rage?
Me Times hands this * * * * * out of * * * * *
Newlyweds Celestial and Roy are the embodiment of both the American Dream and the New South. He is a young executive, and she is an artist on the brink of an exciting career. But as they settle into the routine of their life together, they are ripped apart by circumstances neither could have imagined. Roy is arrested and sentenced to twelve years for a crime Celestial knows he didn’t commit. Though fiercely independent, Celestial finds herself bereft and unmoored, taking comfort in Andre, her childhood friend, and best man at their wedding. As Roy’s time in prison passes, she is unable to hold on to the love that has been her center. After five years, Roy’s conviction is suddenly overturned, and he returns to Atlanta ready to resume their life together.
This stirring love story is a profoundly insightful look into the hearts and minds of three people who are at once bound and separated by forces beyond their control. An American Marriage is a masterpiece of storytelling, an intimate look deep into the souls of people who must reckon with the past while moving forward--with hope and pain--into the future.
Me Times scores this * * * * * out of * * * * *
This stirring love story is a profoundly insightful look into the hearts and minds of three people who are at once bound and separated by forces beyond their control. An American Marriage is a masterpiece of storytelling, an intimate look deep into the souls of people who must reckon with the past while moving forward--with hope and pain--into the future.
Me Times scores this * * * * * out of * * * * *
God's Sacred Feast is the second novel in the series "Chronicles of the Hamlet of Sipsey." Set in the fictitious town of Sipsey, Alabama, in 1965, it continues the drama that shapes the lives of the characters introduced in "The Burden of Sweetberry." While Sipsey is trying to recover from a heartbreaking tragedy, other problems arise. A robbery occurs and an unpopular suspect is charged with the crime. Without knowing whether he's guilty or not, the townspeople declare their hatred of him and convict him in the court of public opinion. Meanwhile, Deacon Branhope "Sugarfoot" Collins, flirts with celibacy after he's brought before the deacon board for being named in an embarrassing scandal. As he struggles to control his actions, he's tempted by lust and fantasizes about a mysterious love. Deacon Johnny Goines, the moral center of the community, is stricken with grief when his youngest child is mortally wounded and he has to go before the throne of grace and beg for mercy. Finally, Sister Jericho, formerly known as Sweetberry, is shocked and her faith tested when Janelle returns home with two strangers and she's faced with the challenge of accepting one and forgiving the other. God's Sacred Feast brings these characters to the welcome table and offers comfort, forgiveness, and redemption to their feisty and flawed souls.
Me Times easily gives this * * * * * out of * * * * *
Me Times easily gives this * * * * * out of * * * * *
Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.
Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil’s name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr.
But what Starr does—or does not—say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life.
Me Time proudly hands this a * * * * * out of * * * * *
Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil’s name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr.
But what Starr does—or does not—say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life.
Me Time proudly hands this a * * * * * out of * * * * *
America’s foremost novelist reflects on the themes that preoccupy her work and increasingly dominate national and world politics: race, fear, borders, the mass movement of peoples, the desire for belonging. What is race and why does it matter? What motivates the human tendency to construct Others? Why does the presence of Others make us so afraid?
Drawing on her Norton Lectures, Toni Morrison takes up these and other vital questions bearing on identity in The Origin of Others. In her search for answers, the novelist considers her own memories as well as history, politics, and especially literature. Harriet Beecher Stowe, Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, Flannery O’Connor, and Camara Laye are among the authors she examines. Readers of Morrison’s fiction will welcome her discussions of some of her most celebrated books―Beloved, Paradise, and A Mercy.
If we learn racism by example, then literature plays an important part in the history of race in America, both negatively and positively. Morrison writes about nineteenth-century literary efforts to romance slavery, contrasting them with the scientific racism of Samuel Cartwright and the banal diaries of the plantation overseer and slaveholder Thomas Thistlewood. She looks at configurations of blackness, notions of racial purity, and the ways in which literature employs skin color to reveal character or drive narrative. Expanding the scope of her concern, she also addresses globalization and the mass movement of peoples in this century. National Book Award winner Ta-Nehisi Coates provides a foreword to Morrison’s most personal work of nonfiction to date.
Me Time scores this * * * * * out of * * * * *
Drawing on her Norton Lectures, Toni Morrison takes up these and other vital questions bearing on identity in The Origin of Others. In her search for answers, the novelist considers her own memories as well as history, politics, and especially literature. Harriet Beecher Stowe, Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, Flannery O’Connor, and Camara Laye are among the authors she examines. Readers of Morrison’s fiction will welcome her discussions of some of her most celebrated books―Beloved, Paradise, and A Mercy.
If we learn racism by example, then literature plays an important part in the history of race in America, both negatively and positively. Morrison writes about nineteenth-century literary efforts to romance slavery, contrasting them with the scientific racism of Samuel Cartwright and the banal diaries of the plantation overseer and slaveholder Thomas Thistlewood. She looks at configurations of blackness, notions of racial purity, and the ways in which literature employs skin color to reveal character or drive narrative. Expanding the scope of her concern, she also addresses globalization and the mass movement of peoples in this century. National Book Award winner Ta-Nehisi Coates provides a foreword to Morrison’s most personal work of nonfiction to date.
Me Time scores this * * * * * out of * * * * *
Lucy Price is living the American dream. She has been married to her successful husband and businessman, Edward Price for a year and couldn’t be happier until she learns that Eddie is a dangerously ruthless man, heavily involved in illegal activities that threaten not only her marriage, but her life. Eddie abruptly disappears, but not before warning Lucy that if she wants to keep breathing she'd better keep her mouth shut. Six months later, word of her husband surfaces when she learns that he is presumed murdered in a small Texas town, apparently killed by his “wife”, Marlowe Price.
Marlowe is no stranger to trouble. An outcast in her own community for being one of those "hoodoo women," who can curse you or cast you under her beguiling spell, Marlowe is shunned at every turn. Six months ago, a whirlwind romance in Mexico led Marlowe to marry the man she thought she’d spend the rest of her life with. For Marlowe and Eddie, there is no such thing as trouble in paradise. But late one night, when Marlowe witnesses her husband putting the body of a dead man in the trunk of his car, the illusion comes crashing down around her and she knows she has to move fast before the devil comes calling once again.
Now, Lucy and Marlowe must come together to find out where and who Eddie really is, and help each other through the threat he poses. There's nothing more dangerous than a woman scorned...except for two women scorned who are willing to put their pasts behind them and band together to take one bad man down...
Me Times scores this one * * * * out of * * * * *
Marlowe is no stranger to trouble. An outcast in her own community for being one of those "hoodoo women," who can curse you or cast you under her beguiling spell, Marlowe is shunned at every turn. Six months ago, a whirlwind romance in Mexico led Marlowe to marry the man she thought she’d spend the rest of her life with. For Marlowe and Eddie, there is no such thing as trouble in paradise. But late one night, when Marlowe witnesses her husband putting the body of a dead man in the trunk of his car, the illusion comes crashing down around her and she knows she has to move fast before the devil comes calling once again.
Now, Lucy and Marlowe must come together to find out where and who Eddie really is, and help each other through the threat he poses. There's nothing more dangerous than a woman scorned...except for two women scorned who are willing to put their pasts behind them and band together to take one bad man down...
Me Times scores this one * * * * out of * * * * *
Women need to know their power! If you are a fan of Waiting to Exhale and can stand to mix in a little Zane then Pink Pussy, Pies and Peanut Butter is a fun and empowering book for a woman like you. Pink Pussy was written by Florida Writers Association's Literary Award Winner Yolanda M. Tucker to empower women to think about sex and how it affects their lives and the lives of those around them. Most women who read this book will long for the sisterhood and friendship these five women embrace while fighting life's struggles to become the powerful, successful women they choose to be. Dealing with life's ups and downs, these women share their stories about how their pink pussies get them into trouble with a Capital T. They share their bad dates, the crazy men in their lives and some of the craziest stuff imaginable over apple, blueberry, peach, peanut butter cream and cherry pie. With wine of course!
Me Time gives this * * out of * * * * *
Me Time gives this * * out of * * * * *
Set within a contemporary black community in Southern California, Brit Bennett's mesmerizing first novel is an emotionally perceptive story about community, love, and ambition. It begins with a secret.
"All good secrets have a taste before you tell them, and if we'd taken a moment to swish this one around our mouths, we might have noticed the sourness of an unripe secret, plucked too soon, stolen and passed around before its season."
It is the last season of high school life for Nadia Turner, a rebellious, grief-stricken, seventeen-year-old beauty. Mourning her own mother's recent suicide, she takes up with the local pastor's son. Luke Sheppard is twenty-one, a former football star whose injury has reduced him to waiting tables at a diner. They are young; it's not serious. But the pregnancy that results from this teen romance—and the subsequent cover-up—will have an impact that goes far beyond their youth. As Nadia hides her secret from everyone, including Aubrey, her God-fearing best friend, the years move quickly. Soon, Nadia, Luke, and Aubrey are full-fledged adults and still living in debt to the choices they made that one seaside summer, caught in a love triangle they must carefully maneuver, and dogged by the constant, nagging question: What if they had chosen differently? The possibilities of the road not taken are a relentless haunt.
In entrancing, lyrical prose, The Mothers asks whether a "what if" can be more powerful than an experience itself. If, as time passes, we must always live in servitude to the decisions of our younger selves, to the communities that have parented us, and to the decisions we make that shape our lives forever.
Me Times Proudly hands this one a * * * * * out of * * * * *
"All good secrets have a taste before you tell them, and if we'd taken a moment to swish this one around our mouths, we might have noticed the sourness of an unripe secret, plucked too soon, stolen and passed around before its season."
It is the last season of high school life for Nadia Turner, a rebellious, grief-stricken, seventeen-year-old beauty. Mourning her own mother's recent suicide, she takes up with the local pastor's son. Luke Sheppard is twenty-one, a former football star whose injury has reduced him to waiting tables at a diner. They are young; it's not serious. But the pregnancy that results from this teen romance—and the subsequent cover-up—will have an impact that goes far beyond their youth. As Nadia hides her secret from everyone, including Aubrey, her God-fearing best friend, the years move quickly. Soon, Nadia, Luke, and Aubrey are full-fledged adults and still living in debt to the choices they made that one seaside summer, caught in a love triangle they must carefully maneuver, and dogged by the constant, nagging question: What if they had chosen differently? The possibilities of the road not taken are a relentless haunt.
In entrancing, lyrical prose, The Mothers asks whether a "what if" can be more powerful than an experience itself. If, as time passes, we must always live in servitude to the decisions of our younger selves, to the communities that have parented us, and to the decisions we make that shape our lives forever.
Me Times Proudly hands this one a * * * * * out of * * * * *
Sherryn Allbright is the envy of her peers. She is a wife, mother, and successful business woman, but her life turns topsy-turvy when a woman leaves a child on her doorstep, claiming her husband is the father. Denial is useless, for the boy resembles Reece too closely not to be his offspring.
Sherryn is ready to end their marriage and blames Reece's problems on his old neighborhood—a Kingston ghetto. If he'd sever ties there, he wouldn't be caught up in baby-mother drama.
When the boy's mother is murdered, Reece becomes the prime suspect and things go haywire for the Allbrights, whose lives will never be the same.
Me Time Scores this * * * * * out of * * * * *
Sherryn is ready to end their marriage and blames Reece's problems on his old neighborhood—a Kingston ghetto. If he'd sever ties there, he wouldn't be caught up in baby-mother drama.
When the boy's mother is murdered, Reece becomes the prime suspect and things go haywire for the Allbrights, whose lives will never be the same.
Me Time Scores this * * * * * out of * * * * *
Lies. Adultery. Betrayal. Murder. Hattie Durham committed some Unthinkable Sins in her lifetime, but now, she’s gone, leaving her three sons and their wives behind to deal with the fallout.
THE SONS…
Junior wants to escape his past as he learns the truth about how his mother died. But will his need for revenge and his own past sins come between him and the family he loves?
Carl has been carrying a terrible secret alone all these years and can’t bear the weight anymore. Can he keep it together with his family’s help or will the burden break him?
Jerome is blessed with everything a man could want – influence, power, and a destiny to fulfill. But when life deals him an unexpected blow, will the family have his back or will they fall apart around him?
…AND THEIR WIVES
Donetta finds her self-confidence growing along with her doubts about her husband’s fidelity. Are their marriage vows enough to keep her in the family now that she has what it takes to make it on her own?
Trudy senses the strain on the family in the wake of her mother-in-law’s death. Will she able to help keep the ones she loves from self-destructing or is her own life in danger?
Susan managed to escape an uncertain past, leaving behind a few bodies in her wake. Will her dreams of love and success finally come true or ultimately be overshadowed by Hattie Durham’s death?
Me Time hands this * * * out of * * * * *
THE SONS…
Junior wants to escape his past as he learns the truth about how his mother died. But will his need for revenge and his own past sins come between him and the family he loves?
Carl has been carrying a terrible secret alone all these years and can’t bear the weight anymore. Can he keep it together with his family’s help or will the burden break him?
Jerome is blessed with everything a man could want – influence, power, and a destiny to fulfill. But when life deals him an unexpected blow, will the family have his back or will they fall apart around him?
…AND THEIR WIVES
Donetta finds her self-confidence growing along with her doubts about her husband’s fidelity. Are their marriage vows enough to keep her in the family now that she has what it takes to make it on her own?
Trudy senses the strain on the family in the wake of her mother-in-law’s death. Will she able to help keep the ones she loves from self-destructing or is her own life in danger?
Susan managed to escape an uncertain past, leaving behind a few bodies in her wake. Will her dreams of love and success finally come true or ultimately be overshadowed by Hattie Durham’s death?
Me Time hands this * * * out of * * * * *
A family’s darkest secrets are about to be revealed.
Jerome Durham is an up-and-coming black politician who faces a dilemma when his elderly mother starts showing signs of dementia.
Until now, the family and friends of elderly Hattie Durham have known her to be a God-fearing, law abiding Christian woman. But as her aging mind starts to unravel, Hattie begins confessing to a litany of sins she’s committed throughout her lifetime. During several conversations, she tells stories that describe emotional incidents she went through in her life, unconsciously giving the reasons for the terrible things she did in her later years.
Jerome does not know if his mother’s confessional is driven by guilt or revenge, or just an unfortunate random consequence of her illness, but he’s not sure he can wait to find out.
Me Time scores this one * * * out of * * * * *
Jerome Durham is an up-and-coming black politician who faces a dilemma when his elderly mother starts showing signs of dementia.
Until now, the family and friends of elderly Hattie Durham have known her to be a God-fearing, law abiding Christian woman. But as her aging mind starts to unravel, Hattie begins confessing to a litany of sins she’s committed throughout her lifetime. During several conversations, she tells stories that describe emotional incidents she went through in her life, unconsciously giving the reasons for the terrible things she did in her later years.
Jerome does not know if his mother’s confessional is driven by guilt or revenge, or just an unfortunate random consequence of her illness, but he’s not sure he can wait to find out.
Me Time scores this one * * * out of * * * * *
The book titled “Same Kind of Different As Me” is an emotional true story that peaks your interest early and keeps you intrigued throughout the entire book. It is narrated by the two main characters Ron and Denver and each character narrates every other chapter to allow the reader to understand each person’s point of view. The story takes place in Fort Worth Texas. There are many themes throughout this book, but the main focus is not to judge someone before you get to know them and learn about what they have been through and experienced in life. There are three authors of the book, Lynn Vincent, Denver Moore and Ron Hall. Denver and Ron are also the two main characters in the book. The book is about Denver, a black man who escaped modern day slavery and lived in poverty roaming Texas. He meets a wealthy couple, Ron and Deborah, who volunteer regularly at the mission for homeless where Denver goes every once in a while, for a meal. After an unexpected event that takes place in Ron and Deborah’s life, the relationship between the two characters starts changing. The story is about Ron and Denver’s journey of friendship, faith and trust. In spans the topics of race and religious barriers. I really enjoyed this book because it was very heart wrenching and kept me wanting to keep reading. I would recommend this book to almost anyone; however, the target audience is readers who enjoy emotional true stories. Christians who want to grow in their faith would also enjoy the book, and it is a quick and easy read that keeps the reader wanting to turn the page.
Me Time gives this * * * * * out of * * * * *
Me Time gives this * * * * * out of * * * * *
The Burden of Sweetberry is set in Sipsey, Alabama, in the early 1960's. Sweetberry Armstrong has lived her life depending on men. She left home as a teenager with soul singer, Eddie Simpson, hoping to live the high life in New York City. When that life ends with a tragedy, Sweetberry returns to Sipsey sick and penniless. With no skills and a child to take care of, all she has is her beauty and sensuality, and they become her bargaining chips with men. Josiah Hess, a respectable married man and deacon of the church, falls in love with Sweetberry. His compassion for her situation compels him to offer that if she'll stop bedding down with other men, he'll take care of her. Sweetberry agrees to this arrangement, and they begin a long term affair in the presence of the community, the church, and even his wife. A child is born to Sweetberry during this affair. Then Luther McGill comes to town. A big shot and a braggart, he is immediately attracted to Sweetberry. His wooing of her over the other women in town emboldens her and she begins a relationship with him. Believing Sweetberry's interest in Luther McGill to be a passing fancy, Josiah Hess doesn't challenge it. But Luther's control of her and his disdain for the deacon set off a series of events that end with Josiah Hess killing him on the church ground. Living with the aftermath of this tragedy sends Sweetberry into an abyss of demons and darkness and a fierce struggle for a life of redemption. The Burden of Sweetberry depicts features of the southern African-American culture common for this time including humor, style of speaking, worship, and songs of praise. Me Time proudly hands this one * * * * * out of * * * * * .
Two years ago, to everyone's surprise, Dillon Whitfield Black, the secret son of Reverend Curtis Black, boldly moved back home, married a woman named Raven, decided he was going to become a minister, and then founded a church right in the center of his living room. Today he's pastor of a 1,000-plus-member congregation, and new members are joining weekly. Sadly, behind closed doors, Dillon is far from being a saint. Dillon has become more like the man his father was thirty years ago-consumed with money, power, and lots of women. His family may have let bygones be bygones, but they continue to keep their distance.
Not Alicia, though. This daughter of Curtis Black joins Dillon's congregation, leaving her father's church behind. The family has forgiven Alicia for marrying Levi Cunningham, the former drug dealer she had an affair with, but once Alicia realizes they will never fully accept Levi, she decides to see her family less and less. She and Levi are truly happy, however, guilt from her betrayal of Phillip and its aftermath casts a shadow over their wedded bliss.
But when Raven decides she wants a higher position in the church and Alicia hides a devastating secret, the entire family is affected in ways they don't see coming. In the end, no one will be able to trust anyone . . . and for very good reason. Me Time awards this one * * * * out of * * * * *
Not Alicia, though. This daughter of Curtis Black joins Dillon's congregation, leaving her father's church behind. The family has forgiven Alicia for marrying Levi Cunningham, the former drug dealer she had an affair with, but once Alicia realizes they will never fully accept Levi, she decides to see her family less and less. She and Levi are truly happy, however, guilt from her betrayal of Phillip and its aftermath casts a shadow over their wedded bliss.
But when Raven decides she wants a higher position in the church and Alicia hides a devastating secret, the entire family is affected in ways they don't see coming. In the end, no one will be able to trust anyone . . . and for very good reason. Me Time awards this one * * * * out of * * * * *
Tristen sighed heavily. He and his cousin Toby couldn t have been more different. He was Ricky to Toby s Dough Boy. He silently wished that he could be as strong and as vocal as Toby. Tristen Graham had worked his entire life toward achieving his academic goals. He d studied hard and graduated from M.I.T. at the top of his class. At 22 years old he stepped into a high paying executive position at one of the most prestigious software companies in Texas. Now that he s inside, racism, favoritism and a tight knit good old boy network threatens to derail all that Tristen has worked for, until he decides to fight back the only way he knows how........with his brain.
Me Time Scores this pick * * * * * out of * * * * *
Me Time Scores this pick * * * * * out of * * * * *
Riley MacPherson has spent her entire life believing that her older sister Lisa committed suicide as a teenager. It was a belief that helped shape her own childhood and that of her brother. It shaped her view of her family and their dynamics. It influenced her entire life. Now, more than twenty years later, her father has passed away and she's in New Bern, North Carolina, cleaning out his house when she finds evidence that what she has always believed is not the truth. Lisa is alive. Alive and living under a new identity. But why, exactly, was she on the run all those years ago? What secrets are being kept now, and what will happen if those secrets are revealed? As Riley works to uncover the truth, her discoveries will put into question everything she thought she knew about her family. Riley must decide what the past means for her present, and what she will do with her newfound reality. Told with Diane Chamberlain's powerful prose and illumination into the human heart and soul, The Silent Sister is an evocative novel of love, loss, and the bonds among siblings. Me Time gives this * * * out of * * * * *
Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor black tobacco farmer whose cells—taken without her knowledge in 1951—became one of the most important tools in medicine, vital for developing the polio vaccine, cloning, gene mapping, and more. Henrietta's cells have been bought and sold by the billions, yet she remains virtually unknown, and her family can't afford health insurance. This phenomenal New York Times bestseller tells a riveting story of the collision between ethics, race, and medicine; of scientific discovery and faith healing; and of a daughter consumed with questions about the mother she never knew. Me Time hands this one * * * * * out of * * * * *
From Attica Locke, a writer and producer of FOX’s Empire, this sophisticated thriller sees lawyer Jay Porter—hero of her bestseller Black Water Rising—return to fight one last case, only to become embroiled in a dangerous game of shadowy politics and a witness to how far those in power are willing to go to win.
Fifteen years after his career-defining case against Cole Oil, Jay Porter is broke and tired. That victory might have won the environmental lawyer fame, but thanks to a string of appeals, he hasn't seen a dime. His latest case—representing Pleasantville in the wake of a chemical fire—is dragging on, shaking his confidence and raising doubts about him within this upwardly mobile black community on Houston's north side. Though Jay still believes in doing what's right, he is done fighting other people's battles. Once he has his piece of the settlement, the single father is going to devote himself to what matters most—his children.
His plans are abruptly derailed when a female campaign volunteer vanishes on the night of Houston's mayoral election, throwing an already contentious campaign into chaos. The accused is none other than the nephew and campaign manager of one of the leading candidates—a scion of a prominent Houston family headed by the formidable Sam Hathorne. Despite all the signs suggesting that his client is guilty—and his own misgivings—Jay can't refuse when a man as wealthy and connected as Sam asks him to head up the defense. Not if he wants that new life with his kids. But he has to win.
Plunging into a shadowy world of ambitious enemies and treacherous allies armed with money, lies, and secrets, Jay reluctantly takes on his first murder trial—a case that will put him and his client, and an entire political process, on trial. Me Time hands this * * * out of * * * * *
Fifteen years after his career-defining case against Cole Oil, Jay Porter is broke and tired. That victory might have won the environmental lawyer fame, but thanks to a string of appeals, he hasn't seen a dime. His latest case—representing Pleasantville in the wake of a chemical fire—is dragging on, shaking his confidence and raising doubts about him within this upwardly mobile black community on Houston's north side. Though Jay still believes in doing what's right, he is done fighting other people's battles. Once he has his piece of the settlement, the single father is going to devote himself to what matters most—his children.
His plans are abruptly derailed when a female campaign volunteer vanishes on the night of Houston's mayoral election, throwing an already contentious campaign into chaos. The accused is none other than the nephew and campaign manager of one of the leading candidates—a scion of a prominent Houston family headed by the formidable Sam Hathorne. Despite all the signs suggesting that his client is guilty—and his own misgivings—Jay can't refuse when a man as wealthy and connected as Sam asks him to head up the defense. Not if he wants that new life with his kids. But he has to win.
Plunging into a shadowy world of ambitious enemies and treacherous allies armed with money, lies, and secrets, Jay reluctantly takes on his first murder trial—a case that will put him and his client, and an entire political process, on trial. Me Time hands this * * * out of * * * * *
Sometimes sexual healing isn't enough... Fresh out of an abusive marriage, 25-year-old Bonnie Jones is on a mission to recapture the youth she feels her ex-husband, Keith, stole from her. With her young daughter, Zion in tow, Bonnie has to rebuild her life from the ground up. She finds solace in her poetry journal, cuddling with Zi, and the ability to leave her pain on the stage at the weekly open mic poetry readings. > When she has an itch that needs scratched or longs for companionship, she has her choice of partners to help soothe her suffering. Her one condition: they don't spend the night. After Bonnie falls asleep, her demons have their way with her. Eventually, they begin to invade her waking hours and no amount of writing, sex, or time with Zion can keep her from having to face them. Me Time gives this * * * * * out of * * * * *
Ephram Jennings, the son of a backwoods preacher, has been in love with the beautiful Ruby Bell ever since childhood. But Ruby has been so badly used by the men in her small African American town of Liberty, Texas, that she flees for New York City as soon as she is able, in search of the mother who abandoned her. When Ruby’s best friend dies, Ruby returns home, only to succumb to the bad memories that haunt her still. Once sharply dressed and coiffed, she now wanders the streets with ripped clothing and vacant eyes. But Ephram still sees her as the lighthearted girl with pigtails, running free in the woods. And so he begins his long, sweet courtship, bringing her a homemade cake, cleaning her filthy house, and always treating her with kindness. At long last, out from under his overbearing sister’s dominion, he feels himself come alive. But the church folks in town view their relationship as the work of the devil and seek to bring Ephram back to God and to cast out Ruby. In her first novel, Bond immerses readers in a fully realized world, one scarred by virulent racism and perverted rituals but also redeemed by love. Graphic in its descriptions of sexual violence and suffering, this powerful, explosive novel is, at times, difficult to read, presenting a stark, unflinching portrait of dark deeds and dark psyches. Me Time proudly gives this * * * * * out of * * * * *
For one night, a couple checks in to an upscale hotel. The pair seem unlikely companions, from opposing strata of society, but their attraction is palpable to all who observe them—or overhear their cries of passion. In the course of twelve hours, con games, erotic interludes, jealousy, violence, and murder swirl around them. Will they part ways in bliss, in sorrow, or in death?
Filled with all the hallmarks of an Eric Jerome Dickey bestseller—erotic situations, edge-of-your-seat twists and turns, and fun, believable relationships--One Night will delight Dickey’s existing fans and lure countless new ones. Me Times gives this one
* * * * out of * * * * *
Ivoe Williams, the precocious daughter of a Muslim cook and a metalsmith from central-east Texas, first ignites her lifelong obsession with journalism when she steals a newspaper from her mother’s white employer. Living in the poor, segregated quarter of Little Tunis, Ivoe immerses herself in printed matter as an escape from her surroundings. She earns a scholarship to the prestigious Willetson College in Austin, only to return over-qualified to the menial labor offered by her hometown’s racially-biased employers.
Ivoe eventually flees the Jim Crow South with her family and settles in Kansas City, where she and her former teacher and lover, Ona, found the first female-run African American newspaper, Jam! On the Vine. In the throes of the Red Summer—the 1919 outbreak of lynchings and race riots across the Midwest—Ivoe risks her freedom, and her life, to call attention to the atrocities of segregation in the American prison system.
Skillfully interweaving Ivoe’s story with those of her family members, LaShonda Katrice Barnett’s Jam! On the Vine is both an epic vision of the hardships and injustices that defined an era and a moving and compelling story of a complicated history we only thought we knew. Me Times hands this * * * * out of * * * * *
Ivoe eventually flees the Jim Crow South with her family and settles in Kansas City, where she and her former teacher and lover, Ona, found the first female-run African American newspaper, Jam! On the Vine. In the throes of the Red Summer—the 1919 outbreak of lynchings and race riots across the Midwest—Ivoe risks her freedom, and her life, to call attention to the atrocities of segregation in the American prison system.
Skillfully interweaving Ivoe’s story with those of her family members, LaShonda Katrice Barnett’s Jam! On the Vine is both an epic vision of the hardships and injustices that defined an era and a moving and compelling story of a complicated history we only thought we knew. Me Times hands this * * * * out of * * * * *
In her debut, Perkins-Valdez eloquently plunges into a dark period of American history, chronicling the lives of four slave women—Lizzie, Reenie, Sweet and Mawu—who are their masters' mistresses. The women meet when their owners vacation at the same summer resort in Ohio. There, they see free blacks for the first time and hear rumors of abolition, sparking their own desires to be free. For everyone but Lizzie, that is, who believes she is really in love with her master, and he with her. An extended flashback in the middle of the novel delves into Lizzie's life and vividly explores the complicated psychological dynamic between master and slave. Jumping back to the final summer in Ohio, the women all have a decision to make—will they run? Heart-wrenching, intriguing, original and suspenseful, this novel showcases Perkins-Valdez's ability to bring the unfortunate past to life. Me Times gives this one * * * * out of * * * * *
Ariel Vaughn is high powered attorney and a partner at her firm, dating one
of the most eligible bachelors in New York City, who is also a powerful judge
firmly on the political path. She's living the high life, but her sex life has
hit a low point. Once a tiger in the sheets, his interest has cooled
considerably, and she's wound so tight she's about to explode. But when a hot
young escort introduces her to The Black Door and her best friend encourages her
to try it out, she finds a fantasy playground for women--full of every sexual
temptation a girl could dream of. It is there that she meets a man who turns her
out physically, mentally and emotionally. But when her sexual fantasy life
starts to spill into her real life, everything starts to spiral out of control.
In this sensual, erotic novel, Ariel stands to lose everything that means
something to her for that next, sweet fix. Me Time scores this one * * * out of * * * * *
What if you could not remember the last 10 years of your life? Pregnancies and births, marriages and deaths, friends and enemies? This is what happens to Alice, who after a fall, wakes up believing that she is 29 years old, happily married, and due to have her first baby soon. Reality is, that she is closer to 40, with 3 children and a failing marriage. So begins the story of Alice as she has finds out what has happened in the past 10 years of her life from those who are around her, and discovers that the Alice of 29 years had morphed into a very strong, capable mother, with opinions and actions that don't always endear her to those around her. Can past wrongs be undone? Will she come out of this a better person?
This book was highly entertaining, with a story that also makes you think about what your own last 10 years have been like (and all the events that took place in those years). The character of Alice is very interesting and well developed, as is all the other people in the story, especially her sister, Elisabeth and grandmother Frannie.
I kept reading this book, not wanting to put it down as I was so engrossed to see how it would all turn out - it holds your interest the whole time, and despite it being an out of the ordinary case of amnesia, it still comes across as a believable story line, handled very well by this author. Me Time scores this one * * * out of * * * * *
This book was highly entertaining, with a story that also makes you think about what your own last 10 years have been like (and all the events that took place in those years). The character of Alice is very interesting and well developed, as is all the other people in the story, especially her sister, Elisabeth and grandmother Frannie.
I kept reading this book, not wanting to put it down as I was so engrossed to see how it would all turn out - it holds your interest the whole time, and despite it being an out of the ordinary case of amnesia, it still comes across as a believable story line, handled very well by this author. Me Time scores this one * * * out of * * * * *
Marriage should be based on love, right? But does it seem as though you and your spouse are speaking two different languages? New York Times bestselling author Dr. Gary Chapman guides couples in identifying, understanding, and speaking their spouse’s primary love language—quality time, words of affirmation, gifts, acts of service, or physical touch.
By learning the five love languages, you and your spouse will discover your unique love languages and learn practical steps in truly loving each other. Chapters are categorized by love language for easy reference, and each one ends with specific, simple steps to express a specific language to your spouse and guide your marriage in the right direction. A newly designed love languages assessment will help you understand and strengthen your relationship. You can build a lasting, loving marriage together.
Me times gives these * * * * out of * * * * *
By learning the five love languages, you and your spouse will discover your unique love languages and learn practical steps in truly loving each other. Chapters are categorized by love language for easy reference, and each one ends with specific, simple steps to express a specific language to your spouse and guide your marriage in the right direction. A newly designed love languages assessment will help you understand and strengthen your relationship. You can build a lasting, loving marriage together.
Me times gives these * * * * out of * * * * *
From 1915 to 1970, this exodus of almost six million people changed the face of America. Wilkerson compares this epic migration to the migrations of other peoples in history. She interviewed more than a thousand people, and gained access to new data and official records, to write this definitive and vividly dramatic account of how these American journeys unfolded, altering our cities, our country, and ourselves.
With stunning historical detail, Wilkerson tells this story through the lives of three unique individuals: Ida Mae Gladney, who in 1937 left sharecropping and prejudice in Mississippi for Chicago, where she achieved quiet blue-collar success and, in old age, voted for Barack Obama when he ran for an Illinois Senate seat; sharp and quick-tempered George Starling, who in 1945 fled Florida for Harlem, where he endangered his job fighting for civil rights, saw his family fall, and finally found peace in God; and Robert Foster, who left Louisiana in 1953 to pursue a medical career, the personal physician to Ray Charles as part of a glitteringly successful medical career, which allowed him to purchase a grand home where he often threw exuberant parties.
Wilkerson brilliantly captures their first treacherous and exhausting cross-country trips by car and train and their new lives in colonies that grew into ghettos, as well as how they changed these cities with southern food, faith, and culture and improved them with discipline, drive, and hard work. Both a riveting microcosm and a major assessment, The Warmth of Other Suns is a bold, remarkable, and riveting work, a superb account of an “unrecognized immigration” within our own land. Through the breadth of its narrative, the beauty of the writing, the depth of its research, and the fullness of the people and lives portrayed herein, this book is destined to become a classic. Me Time Scores this * * * * out of * * * * *
With stunning historical detail, Wilkerson tells this story through the lives of three unique individuals: Ida Mae Gladney, who in 1937 left sharecropping and prejudice in Mississippi for Chicago, where she achieved quiet blue-collar success and, in old age, voted for Barack Obama when he ran for an Illinois Senate seat; sharp and quick-tempered George Starling, who in 1945 fled Florida for Harlem, where he endangered his job fighting for civil rights, saw his family fall, and finally found peace in God; and Robert Foster, who left Louisiana in 1953 to pursue a medical career, the personal physician to Ray Charles as part of a glitteringly successful medical career, which allowed him to purchase a grand home where he often threw exuberant parties.
Wilkerson brilliantly captures their first treacherous and exhausting cross-country trips by car and train and their new lives in colonies that grew into ghettos, as well as how they changed these cities with southern food, faith, and culture and improved them with discipline, drive, and hard work. Both a riveting microcosm and a major assessment, The Warmth of Other Suns is a bold, remarkable, and riveting work, a superb account of an “unrecognized immigration” within our own land. Through the breadth of its narrative, the beauty of the writing, the depth of its research, and the fullness of the people and lives portrayed herein, this book is destined to become a classic. Me Time Scores this * * * * out of * * * * *
Mackenzie Allen Phillips's youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a
family vacation, and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found
in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later, in this
midst of his great sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from
God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend. Against his better judgment
he arrives at the shack on wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest
nightmare. What he finds there will change his life forever.
Me Time Give this one * * * * * out of * * * * *
family vacation, and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found
in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later, in this
midst of his great sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from
God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend. Against his better judgment
he arrives at the shack on wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest
nightmare. What he finds there will change his life forever.
Me Time Give this one * * * * * out of * * * * *
John Grisham takes you back to where it all began.
One of the most popular novels of our time, A Time to Kill
established John Grisham as the master of the legal thriller. Now we return to
Ford County as Jake Brigance finds himself embroiled in a fiercely controversial
trial that exposes a tortured history of racial tension.
Seth Hubbard is a wealthy man dying of lung cancer. He trusts no one. Before he hangs himself
from a sycamore tree, Hubbard leaves a new, handwritten will. It is an act that
drags his adult children, his black maid, and Jake into a conflict as riveting
and dramatic as the murder trial that made Brigance one of Ford County’s most
notorious citizens, just three years earlier. The second will raises many more
questions than it answers. Why would Hubbard leave nearly all of his fortune to
his maid? Had chemotherapy and painkillers affected his ability to think
clearly? And what does it all have to do with a piece of land once known as
Sycamore Row? Me Time scores this * * * * * out of * * * * *
One of the most popular novels of our time, A Time to Kill
established John Grisham as the master of the legal thriller. Now we return to
Ford County as Jake Brigance finds himself embroiled in a fiercely controversial
trial that exposes a tortured history of racial tension.
Seth Hubbard is a wealthy man dying of lung cancer. He trusts no one. Before he hangs himself
from a sycamore tree, Hubbard leaves a new, handwritten will. It is an act that
drags his adult children, his black maid, and Jake into a conflict as riveting
and dramatic as the murder trial that made Brigance one of Ford County’s most
notorious citizens, just three years earlier. The second will raises many more
questions than it answers. Why would Hubbard leave nearly all of his fortune to
his maid? Had chemotherapy and painkillers affected his ability to think
clearly? And what does it all have to do with a piece of land once known as
Sycamore Row? Me Time scores this * * * * * out of * * * * *
Life is close to perfect for the Reverend Curtis Black and his wife, Charlotte--except their son Matthew and his girlfriend, Racquel, are about to become parents at the tender age of eighteen. Even though Curtis and Charlotte wish Matthew could focus on Harvard instead of fatherhood, they are determined to welcome their new grandson with open arms. But for Charlotte, welcoming her future in-laws is another story. Try as she might, Charlotte can't stand Racquel's mother, Vanessa--and the feeling appears to be mutual.
When the tension between Charlotte and Vanessa finally erupts, the stress sends an already-fragile Racquel into early labor. Everyone is quick to blame Charlotte, including Matthew and Curtis. That her own husband would side with someone else infuriates Charlotte and strains the relationship they've only recently been able to repair. Her one ally is Racquel's father, but that brings problems of its own.
Me Time gives this one * * * * out of * * * * *
When the tension between Charlotte and Vanessa finally erupts, the stress sends an already-fragile Racquel into early labor. Everyone is quick to blame Charlotte, including Matthew and Curtis. That her own husband would side with someone else infuriates Charlotte and strains the relationship they've only recently been able to repair. Her one ally is Racquel's father, but that brings problems of its own.
Me Time gives this one * * * * out of * * * * *
Reimagining the Greek Gods of Olympus and placing them on modern Earth, this urban fantasy novel focuses on Plato Jones, who, after a stint with the Olympic Bureau of Investigation, is through with the Gods and their political games. While at first glance the Gods of Olympus are as different from one another as salt is from sugar, and despite their bickering, they share a universal bond, a thread of commonality that unites them: they’re all jerks. Against Plato’s protests, he’s drawn into a murder investigation where the murderer’s targets are the Gods themselves. Plato has cracked some tough cases: exposing cheating spouses, capturing treasonous heretics, and hunting three-headed dogs, but this time he’s in over his head. How can he solve a crime that’s impossible to commit? And what chance does Plato—a mere mortal—have against something powerful enough to kill a God? Me Time Gives this one * * * * * out of * * * * *
Terri McMillian entertains readers with another family drama involving a mother who has to deal with everyone else’s issues, while neglecting her own personal desires. Who Asked You? direct readers attention to issues present in many families today: drug addiction, homosexuality, and denial of personal shortcomings. Despite her less fortunate state, Betty Jean is the matriarch of her four adult children, two opinionated sisters, and best friend. BJ’s time and budget were already stretched working full-time as a hotel housekeeper and caring for her ailing husband. Yet, her drug addicted daughter, Trinetta, abruptly decides to leave her two small boys for BJ to raise. Little did she know that Ricky and Omar would fulfill her life in more ways than she could ever imagine. This book is written with humor and undeniable emotion in true McMillian fashion. Me Time scores this * * * * out of * * * * *
Perfect Peace is about a mother’s desperate acts to have a daughter, and the emotional life of a young man with a very heartbreaking childhood. Emma Jean is deeply scarred from the mental abuse and neglect that she suffered as a child by the hand of her mother. She wants to birth a baby girl so that she can love her in the way that her mother never did. At the birth of her seventh and last child, Emma Jean is disappointed to find out that she’s had another boy. She is so blinded by her desperation that she passes off her son as a girl. Everything is going as planned until Emma Jean finally decides to tell Perfect on her eighth birthday that she really is a boy. Paul Peace struggles as he lets go of the pampered life of being the only girl in the family, to becoming just another one of the Peace boys. Daniel Black’s novel will move your heart and disrupt your emotions. Me Time Gives this * * * * * out of * * * * *
Silver Sparrow is a riveting tale narrated by two sisters, Dana and Chaurisse, whose father James is married to both of their mothers at the same time. James does his best to keep his marriage to Dana’s mother Gwen a secret by eating dinner with them a couple of nights a week and sleeping over a few times a year. Meanwhile, Chaurise and her mother Laverne are living happy, filling lives unbeknownst of James’ side family. Dana always settles for Chaurisse’s second best as James’ strives to keep Dana and Gwen a secret. Throughout the years, Dana and her mother furtively watch and compare themselves to Chaurise and Laverne. As the girls grow older, Dana decides to befriend Chaurise so that she can find out more about James’ other life. Chaurise enjoys having a friend so much that she ignores Dana’s strange behavior. After James treats Dana like he doesn’t know her once he learns of the girls’ friendship, Gwen decides that it is time for Chaurisse and her mother to learn the truth about James. Tayari Jones’ novel is fact in so many lives today, compelling readers to discuss it with others. Me Time gives it * * * * * out of * * * * *
The Handmaid’s Tale is told in a futuristic era of when a Christian regime overthrows the U.S. Government. During this time, only the elite government officials have civil liberties. The new government has reverted to a simpler way of living to include the form of money, the way of shopping, the color of clothing that is worn, and even the liberty to read. Only useful individuals are forced to remain in the Republic of Gilead, while others are exiled. Margaret Atwood writes about handmaid Offred’s time with her third family. Offred serves as one of the concubines who are placed with a Commander and his wife, as the regime strives to repopulate the republic with their offspring. It is difficult for Offred to adjust from having the freedom to live and love as she pleases, to living with the minimal essentials. Offred seeks to use her “extra” extramarital affairs with the Commander and his chauffeur to satisfy her desires. She learns that there may be a way out of Gilead to a future of freedom. Her secret affairs are very risky, making her cautious of who to trust. This fictional novel is a timeless classic that has been stated to portray images of today. Me Times gives this one * * * * out of * * * * *
We Need New Names is a story about 10 year-old Darling and her friends who live in a shanty called Paradise, in South Africa. Before being forced to live in poverty and the men left for work, they lived in nice homes, with separate rooms, and went to school. In Paradise, they spend their days stealing guavas, playing games, and trying to figure out how to remove the baby from Chipo’s belly. However, Darling knew that it wouldn’t be long before she would leave Paradise, and move to America to live with her aunt. Once she gets to America, Darling realizes that it is not at all what she imagined. She sometimes forgets her friends, feels as if she is losing herself, and really misses home. Darling longs to visit her native country, but faces several obstacles if she decides to make the visit. NoViolet Bulawayo pens a very interesting tale that will open your eyes to some of the real issues facing South Africa. Me Time gives this book * * * * out of * * * * *
The year: 1998. The place: high school. Teen pregnancy: on the rise. As for me: not a chance. That's what I thought. No one talked about it, unless it was someone else's child. But no one dare think of the matter in comparison with their very own child. Examples were based on do as I say; not as I do. You should give much thought to what comes out of your mouth. I say that because deferring a problem to others and being blind to what is going on in your face doesn't make matters better. I say that only to tell from where I came, from once being "Bad". And just maybe, what I say will help detour some young persons, especially young at-risk ladies, from the wrong path in which they may be traveling.
Me Time scores this no stars
In White Lines, Tracy Brown takes readers on the rollercoaster ride of Jada’s life as a drug addict. The story begins as teenage sisters Jada and Ava stand up for themselves against their mother Edna's boyfriend. Their mother's need for a man causes her to neglect her daughters. Jada’s life spirals down hill as she finally stands up against her mothers boyfriend for the physical, verbal, and sexual abuse of her and her sister. When Ava leaves the home, Jada finds comfort in drugs. She never imagined that smoking marijuana would lead to years of struggling with cocaine addiction. Jada goes through the lowest of lows to feed her addiction. Just when readers begin to think that Jada has her life together, she falls back into the pits of addiction. After struggling for over a decade, Jada overcomes her addiction and becomes a success story for her family and friends. Me TIME gives it * * * * out of * * * * *
When the Night Whispers is a paranormal romance novel between a mortal and an immortal spirit. Savanna Welles pins a tale about a lonely divorced mother who instantly falls for her next door neighbor. Jocelyn comes from a line of women who strive to be stronger than her great grandmother Caprice. Just like Caprice, Jocelyn neglects her family and priorities for a man that drains the life out of her. When Jocelyn met Asa, she couldn't believe a man as handsome and as wealthy as him would be interested in her. Asa introduces Jocelyn to a way of living that she has never experienced before. She is so mesmerized by him that she misses some key clues in proving that he is not from this world. During the time of her love affair with Asa, Jocelyn researches Caprice's past. She figures out that Asa is the same demon that tore Caprice away from her family. With the help of her best friend Luna, she is able to send Asa on a journey out of this world. "Me Time" gives it * * * * out of * * * * *
After 5 years, Amy and Nick Dunne’s marriage seems as if it is not going to survive. Their marriage is tested when both become unemployed New York writers. They live off of the inheritance from Amy’s parents’ popular book series, Amazing Amy. As Nick’s mothers’ illness grows worse, Nick decides that he and Amy will uproot from New York, and move to the economically challenged city of Carthage, Missouri. The move greatly affect their marriage and Amy proves just how wickedly Amazing she is when she becomes the “Gone Girl” on their 5th Anniversary. This novel by Gillian Flynn is filled with thrills and unexpectancy. Nick is the prime suspect for her disappearance. In his efforts to find his wife, Nick learns who Amy really is; yet he realizes how much he admires her and how much his life depends on being with her. "Me Time" rates this * * * * * out of * * * * *
Black Girl Lost is another novel by the ghetto realist, Donald Goins. Goins pens a tale of young love between a black teenage girl lost to a life of stealing, drug dealing, and love with her school mate drug dealer. Sandra was left to fend for herself in the street because of her alcoholic mother’s neglect for her well being. Chink is this school’s drug dealer and the ugliest boy in school, who also had a rough childhood. Lacking unconditional love at home, the teens develop a strong bond. Sandra found life and peace in Chink, knowing that they would forever be there for each other. Their life of drug dealing leads to rape, murder, and death. Through it all, this ghetto beauty and beast have each other’s backs until the end. "Me Time" scores this one * * * * * out of * * * * *
The bond of love brings Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele back together in Fifty Shades Darker. Secrets are exposed and the underlying reason for Christian’s dominant behavior and his masochistic desires are revealed. The story unfolds as Christian allows Ana to touch the areas where he was scarred from his childhood. Furthermore, Christian's ex-submissive threatens both his and Ana’s life, while Ana’s boss Jack Hyde sexually harasses her. Christian comes to her rescue; yet, our hearts throb in anxiety as Christian’s life becomes endangered. Part two ends with Christian and Ana’s engagement and Jack Hyde seeking vengeance. "Me Time" also gives this a * * * * * out of * * * * *
Christian Grey has Fifty Shades of Personality. Grey is a very handsome and wealthy business guru and Anastasia Steele is a "Plain-Jane" college senior accustomed to the simple things in life. They meet and are quickly intigued with each other. Grey and Steele are from two different worlds, yet these opposites attract. Grey warns her several times that he is not for her dues to several issues he hasn't dealt with. Nevertheless, Ana continues to lure towards him. In addition, there is something about Ana that mesmerizes Grey. This causes him to go outside of his limits. Grey introduces Ana to a whole new sexual world that instantly makes her uncomfortable. Yet, they compomise for each other as Ana tries to get use to Grey's sexual demands. She realizes that he is too emotionally disturbed and traumatized by his past. This emotional instability is more than she can handle. Although Ana walks aways from Christian at the conclusion of Part One, readers are left to believe that this is not the end of this love affair. "Me Time" gives it * * * * * out of * * * * *
She Ain't the One is a tale of passion and fatal attraction. Carl Webber and Mary B. Morrison bring two of their main characters together in this steamy twist of lust. Recently divorced Jay went to the club looking for a one night stand and newly single Ashlee went to the club looking for a fresh new atmosphere. Jay spots Ashlee and things develop quickly in their relationship. Ashlee told herself that she was not looking for love, yet she falls in love Jay. But the seemingly love at first sight scenario takes a turn for the worst when Jay's ex-mistress reappaers. Ashlee turns into a crazy woman and Jay soon discovers that his new love Ain't the One! "Me Time" gives this one * * * out of * * * * *
In The Reverend's Wife, readers wonder how much a marriage can endure. Kimberla Lawson Roby writes a tale of a man scorned. Rev. Curtis Black and his wife Charlotte have both been unfaithful in their marriage, but Charlotte had done more than the reverend to take. The Reverend says that he has forgiven his wife, but he really doesn't understand the word forgiveness. It appears that the Reverend is taking the opportunity to escape this marriage so that he can be with someone else. Yet Charlotte is determined to do what she has to do to win back her husband's love. This tale of deceit, betrayal and irony makes you question if any marriage can withstand all that the Rev. Curtis and Lady Charlotte Black has experienced. While reading this you will ask if these two will reconcile, part ways or both live to have the opportunity. "Me Time" scores this one * * * out of * * * * *
Deloris Phillips graces us with an emotional read in The Darkest Child. The novel is set in a segregated city in Georgia and is told by Tangy Mae. Tangy Mae is the darkest and smartest of her mother's ten children. All of them have different farthers as a result of her mother Rozelle subjects her children to a harsh life because of her own past discretions. Rozelle's biggest fear is that her children will leave her. She tries to control them with her distubing and conniving ways. Besides being dirt poor, Tangy and her siblings have been trained to fear their mother. They worked, stole and prosituted to take care of her. With Tangy being the smartest, Rozelle constantly threatened to pull her out of school because deep down she feared that she would not take care of her. Tangy's struggle is heartfelt and remarkable, yet she makes it out from under her mother's curse. This novel will stir your emotions and leave you wanting to read more. "Me Time" gives this one * * * * out of * * * * *
Saints & Sinners is a juicy novel written by Reshonda Tate Billingsley and Victoria Christopher Murray. These two writers bring their main characters together in a novel about two preacher's wives who are competing to be the head of a national religious organization. These First Ladies are naturally scandalous and devious. They go to extreme lengths in trying to defame each other's character, while trying to impress the organization's current first lady Cecelia. Rachel and Jasmine are so busy trying to destroy each other that they have their eyes wide shut about the very person they are trying to impress. This church drama will leave you thinking if you know a Rachel or Jasmine! "Me Time" gives this * * * * out of * * * * *
In Angie L. Jennings first novel, we are introduced to a character that most female readers may relate. Sharon "Twist" Downs experiences so much at such a young age. She struggles with trying to find out who she is, while juggling relationships and careers. Due to underlying issues, Twist makes a lot of mistakes that impressionable, young ladies make when it comes to men. As she works through these issues with her psychologist, she realizes all she wants is to be loved and fullfilled by the men in her life. She never takes the time to find out who she truely is and what she truely wants. With this being Jennings first novel, it appears that this is the background of a character who we might expect to see in future novels. "Me Time" gives it * * * out of * * * * *