A Bollywood Affair by Sonali Dev
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Loved every moment of this book. I must say, that I was surprised with this book. I thought I would be reading a completely different book. I started reading after I saw that it was on the shortlist for my online book club; I read it in a single sitting. I I don't want to give it away, but you have to fall in love with Mili. While she is a very intelligent woman, she is very traditional and nostalgic; she holds fast to her beliefs and is truly a good person. Samir is also a good person but so conflicted with what and who he is. These two people needed each other in a way that is not apparent until nearly the end.
Western readers are invited into Indian culture but no translations are needed. The cultural references are seamless and are just enough to intrigue and delight but not enough that you feel left out. Truly a wonderful book and thoroughly enjoyed.


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This review is also posted at Amazon.com

His Until Sunrise by Joy Avery
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Love to see Black men portrayed this way. Mason was a good, successful man with issues, which he admitted to. Though Nona was a bit prissy, she was a good sport and did not play hard to get. She asked Mason serious questions, even though she was not expecting for their relationship to be long lasting. I loved their interactions and their chemistry was awesome. I've already downloaded two more books in this series.


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A Storm Is Coming by LaShawn Vasser
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Who TF is Gina? I know everyone who's read this book is wondering the same thing.  Along with with: When is the next book due out?  Braylee is one bad ass chick but Alex has got her number. But right when you think everything has been resolved enough to end the story, a new Chinese connection come thru and we are all blown away!
Again....who is Gina and why wasn't she mentioned until the end of the book? Once Alex found out who is behind the sabotage, he whispered her name like she was either a bad memory or the baddest b*tch he's ever encountered. This book surprised me in the best way. Can't wait for seconds.


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Current reading situation:    A Storm Is Coming    

31 of 32 5 Star reviews on Amazon.com and I just had to read this book. I think this will be my first by this author but based on what others have said, I'm in.

The @RaynardFaux store over on @Storenvy http://t.co/WYjE3pu6wy is tight! #blackcomicschat #Blackartmatters #comics pic.twitter.com/MfOjSdlMZS

— theblerdgurl (@theblerdgurl) July 4, 2015

Facebook posted by me on July 1, 2015 8:07 pm

Irina Renfro, a professor at CBU, stood up in her Early American Lit class and said, "No one knows what it's like to come from a family of slaves." I damn near got up and walked out (and she must have known that). Here I was, the only Black student in this class, which has a syllabus full of the most regional and racist literature in the American canon, and this white, Russian woman wants to tell me how to feel about slavery. She went on to explain that her grandfather was a slave in Russia before the revolution and that in Russia, a family never escapes their social lot. They are always slaves and see themselves as such. She carried the mantle as well.

From that moment, I understood what I was feeling when I saw footage from demonstrations and pictures of former slaves. I swear I could hear the screams of Denise McNair and her friends that Sunday morning; I could feel the stinging water from the hoses and hear the snarls of the police dogs. Those ghosts travel thru time and settle right along with you. This is why Jews, as an example, have such an intense connection to the Holocaust; it is not something they can forget because it it a part of who they are, no matter how much time has past. So, to tell people that they should "get over it" "learn from it" is ridiculous! It is impossible.The struggle of your ancestors did not exist in a vacuum. You don't have to be the person that experienced the tragedy or even know someone who did for you to empathize with them. No one tells you to forget a family member who has passed on, just because it's been a decade since they've died (that would be insensitive). No slavery isn't new. It was in the Bible (we still read that book). But slavery and what remnants that remain, still hurt and instill fear. History is, indeed, events of the past but history is not silent.

So...um....it's been three years since I have posted anything. I have not been hibernating under a rock or even gone on a trip to space. I have been reading  scads of books (do people even still you the word "scads"?) I just stopped being here one day and never came back. There has been a lot to say and not just about books. So, since I have returned, I will change direction and write about whatever happens in  my life----a lot it will still be about books. I know that no one is still watching or reading but it will me me fell better and, since I'm selfish, that's all that really matters. Right? Yep.