What is everyone reading?

[mosaicbooks 2]

Just started Class Warfare: Inside the Fight to Fix America's Schools by Steven Brill. He looks at the state of public schools, and the sides aligned to help students, teacher's unions, and politicians. So far students lose.

[MissRMP 1]

I most recently read Think and Grow Rich - A Black Choice by Dr. Dennis Kimbro. Even though the book was released years ago this is my first time reading it. I had already Think and Grow Rich by Napolean Hill, so I was curious about Bro. Kimbro's approach to the classic book.

Kimbro drops some nice gems in the book. One of my favorite quotes from the book is this:

"The average person stumbles upon at least four ideas a year, any of which, if it were acted upon, might render vast wealth."

[Melanie 0]

I'm reading A Wild Sheep Chase by Japanese author Haruki Murakami -- it's been fun to read and I'm almost finished. I love finishing a good book. It makes me keen to start reading another one.

[Ollie S Skar 0]

I'm reading Red Tail Heart: The Life & Love of a Tuskegee Airman. It's historical fiction and romance. With George Lucas' movie about the Tuskegee Airman due out in January, I thought this book would be a good companion read. So far, so great! There haven't been too many great African-American male characters in fiction lately (at least ones likely to endure for generations). Roy Lankster, the Airman and central character in Red Tail Heart, may just be the one. B&N reader reviews have described the book as life changing. I'll see if I agree.

OSK

[anika99 11]

Getting ready to read The Blackbird Papers by Ian Smith.I have read only good reviews about this book so i had to check it out.Here is a link to a review Thumper gave awhile back http://aalbc.com/reviews/the_blackbird_papers.htm.

[Maxine Thompson 0]

I'm reading the ebook version of Cannibal Nights: Pacific Stories by Kianna Davenport.

[Good2go Publishing 1]

Silk White Author of Tears of a Hustler Trilogy

Tears of a Hustler PT 3

http://www.amazon.com/Tears-Hustler-PT-Silk-White/dp/0578084740/ref=tmm_pap_title_0

[Good2go Publishing 1]

Angela is a renowned assassin "only" known by the name "the Teflon Queen". Her lethal grace, steady shot, and unmatched accuracy have made her the absolute best and most sought after killer in the game. But when the killer without a conscience is faced with an unknown emotion.... LOVE. Her whole perception is thrown off course and in a profession where second guessing can mean life or death ....will the queen reign supreme or be overthrown?

Kindle Edition Now Availalbe

http://www.amazon.com/The-Teflon-Queen-ebook/dp/B005WE12B0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1318843006&sr=8-2

[anika99 11]

I just started reading 'Blood On The Leaves' by Jeff Stetson...So far,so good.

http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Leaves-Jeff-Stetson/dp/0446527068

[LondonsSecret 0]

London's Secret by sexy vixen author Ella Roberts is a supernatural adventure thriller tipped to be the next Harry Potter: it's short, it's explosive and it ends on a cliffhanger. Ella tells the story chapter-by-chapter on Youtube.com/TheRunLondonsSecret or you can read the e-book FREE at LondonsSecret.blogspot.com - spread the word!!!

[Crystal 4]

Troy – thanks for the Pessimistic Reading List in your newsletter. I’ve read The Night Manager by John le Carre and The Attack by Yasmina Khadra from the list. The Night Manager is a spy story which I try to avoid for exactly the reason this book is on the list. I don’t want to read about all the bad stuff the so-called ‘good guys’ are doing in the name of patriotism. Still, the main character is interesting. He’s an English spy trying to stop ‘the worst man in the world’, an arms dealer, because he’s done his woman wrong. Steal a bunch of guns, sell them to some third-world baddies for a lot of money and live the rich life. Sound familiar?

I really enjoyed The Attack. I found it thought provoking with parallels with our own Black in the Land of White story. It’s the story of a suicide bombing in Tel Aviv. Although the blurb says it’s a balanced novel it is definitely pro-Palestinian to me. What a mess they’ve got going on over there! On the storyline - ole boy didn’t know his wife at all. Here he is walking around with his head in the middle-class, suburban clouds thinking everything was cool and he was in tight with the Jews and then BOOM [pun intended]. Then he finds out what his own people really think of him. Poor thing was clueless because he went around with his nose either up in the air or up his own butt.

Crystal

[BiauncaWilliams 6]

Just finished reading Red Badge of Courage (Crane). I'm moving to For Whom the Bell Tolls (Hemingway). I love reading the classics!

[Anonymous 73]

I just finished reading "The Trifling Times of Nathan Jones" by Moses Miller. It was on the best seller list on amazon. It's about two boys who were both orphaned on the same night due to a tragic event at the hands of a crazed drug addict. Their lives go in two different directions and the main character has to embark on the fight of his life, using his talents in martial arts, to protect those that he loves.

The book is fast paced with lots of action. I enjoyed the read, although there were times when I felt the descriptive language was repetitive. I found myself thinking, "If a bullet 'whizzes' past this guy's head one more time..."

I also started reading it without realizing that it was the first in a series. I was so mad when the book abruptly ended that I wanted to stab something with a plastic fork. I don't do too well with sequels. I have the attention span of a gnat. Nevertheless, it was a good book filled with fight scenes, romance, and vividly interesting characters.

Now that I've gotten my "fix" of drama and chaos, I'm going to try "One Drop..." by Bliss Broyard next. Someone mentioned it on this post and I read the synopsis. I think I'll give it a go.

p.s. I'm also waiting for my order of "Go the F*** to Sleep" by Adam Mansbach (which was recommended on another post) so that I can get my comedy fix on.

[Cynique 2,307]

Now that's my kind of a review, writergirl! Concise and to the point, telling a perspective reader all that needs to be known without spoiling the plot line.

[martinio2 0]

I started to read

DAUGHTERS OF THE REVOLUTION

By Carolyn Cooke ebook version.

[NavyMomCJ 1]

In the middle of reading Life is Short but Wide by J. California Cooper. Multi-generational novel that starts in the Depression. Haven't read one of her works in a while; like reconnecting with an old friend.

Also reading The White Queen by Philippa Gregory. Picked this book up from a co-worker. Engaging historical novel about the battles for the British monarchy in the 15th Century.

First book of the New Year will be I Dreamt I Was in Heaven by Leonce Gaiter. Got it after reading a review on AALBC. Another historical novel about a little-known piece of history--the multi-racial Rufus Buck Gang in the American West. Looking forward to reading that.

[mzmina 5]

I'm reading "Black Orchid Blues," by Persia Walker. The opening page hooked me and made me laugh.

She was describing West 133rd Street between Seventh and Lenox Ave and the *character* of the streets.

"Only a few weeks earlier two cops had gotten into a drunken brawl...one black, one white...They'd pulled out their pistols and shot each other

I knew I was in for a fun ride in NYC during the Renaissance era.

Most of the story is narrated by the reporter who witnessed a shoot-out and kidnapping in a nigt club. The person kidnapped is the club's transvestite entertainer. If you have problems with lifestyles you may not like this novel. I think it done with exceptional writing.

Minnie E Miller

http://www.millerscribs.com

I'm also reading "Buying Time," by Pamela Samuels Young. I'm not too far into this one, but a brief synopsis says it's about greed, blackmail and murder. BTW, Ms. Young is an attorney. It works for me.

[CarlWeber 0]

The Family Business Book Trailer.

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@IamCarlWeber

[Anonymous 73]

I just finished reading "Slave Narratives: A Folk History of Slavery...Arkansas Narratives, Part 7" and I was completely drawn in by this book.

I didn't read it all in one sitting. Rather, I read it over the course of about four-six weeks. I read it in between other books and other projects. Sometimes I would read two passages and then have to put it down for a couple of days. Other times I would read on and on for hours. I noticed that I read slowly. I found myself stopping and imagining...

The more I read the more I began to piece together a picture of what slavery and reconstruction times were like for those who were in the thick of it. Sometimes I laughed and other times I cried. Still other times I just got downright disgusted and angry and didn't even want to read further.

Needless to say, this book sent me on an emotional roller coaster ride - and I'm not even sure if I'm off. I still feel a little rocky.

I think everyone should read at least one of these narrative volumes. There are several out there. I kind of stumbled upon Part 7 of the Arkansas Narratives, but it worked out well and it peaked my curiosity because all of my family is from Arkansas, and that's where I was born. I found myself scouring the pages for a "master" bearing my maiden name. Aint that some mess? Like what good is it going to do me to know about the owner of my ancesters? As I neared the end of the book it hit home that I will likely never know my people's real last name...If I wanted to research this thing, all I could hope to find is the owner's name. And that kicked off a whole slew of emotions and questions...."Well what does it matter? Why should I care? What's in a name anyway? Even if I knew my people's real last name, would I feel more complete? Would I?" I don't know.

So anyway, I totally got lost in this book. As you can see, I'm rambling. Whew! Mindblowing.

Five stars out of Five is my vote.

[Cynique 2,307]

Interesting, writergirl. You are certainly a welcome contributor to the aalbc forum, particularly because you give a personal touch to the posts wherein you express yourself so well. Slavery was such a blemish on America's history, wasn't it?

It was recently called to my attention that conspicuous in its absence from the 10 Comandments is the forbidding of one person keeping another one in bondage. This kind of begs the question as to where Americans of West African descent would be today if there had been no slave trade. It's like slavery was all a part of grand plan that went wrong. Too bad our forefathers could not have immigrated to the Promised Land the way Europeans did. Too bad also that being indentured sevants was not an option for them. Then maybe there wouldn't be this slavery hang-over that contributes to the negative things about our present life style and its mentality. What doesn't kill you has been touted as being that which makes you stronger. Slavery didn't kill its survivors, and while this may have something to do with making Blacks stronger, it also played a part in damaging our spirit.

[Anonymous 73]

Just started "The Sexy Part of the Bible" by Kola Boof.

[Anonymous 73]

Okay...I finished "The Sexy Part of the Bible" yesterday...but I needed a moment before I could comment about it. The main character in this book, Eternity, literally haunted me! I dreamed about her story and I'm not kidding.

The author went "H.A.M." on this book and I've never read anything quite like it. There are phrases and ideas from the book that keep replaying over and over in my mind. For example "all black people hate each other"..."we who go with the landscape"..."without our real mother we cannot be born"..."too black to represent Africa"...and "Africa has been cloned"...are just a few.

At the end of the day, I loved this book. I would recommend it if you want a great read with an interesting story line and realistic insight into things that we don't talk about on a day to day basis, like how we view ourselves and how we really feel about each other. (When I saw "we," I mean those of us that are of African descent...you know black folk all around the world.) What you may find, through Eternity's eyes, is a brutal type of honesty that will probably make you cry and will probably hurt your feelings, but in the end, you'll find yourself glad that she said it all and held no punches.

Check out the synopsis & go from there. If you read it, or if you have already read it, I'd love to hear what you thought of it. I think I might be in need of a discussion, or a drink, or therapy. Amazing job Kola Boof!

My vote: 5 stars out of 5

[Kola Boof 15]

Oh wow.

What a fabulous review. I'm so glad you liked it.

I am now writing my next book, "She Wiped It On the Wall." Which is a totally different story about black women

and religion. It's less controversial but just as powerful, I think you will love it.

Don't forget to leave a review on Good Reads or Amazon.Com for me sister.

tima usrah (through fire comes the family)

KOLA BOOF

[Michelle Tamiko Hardy 3]

I am currently reading "When Food is Love" by Geneen Roth. I can't put it down for some reason, but then when it's good,... Are you really expected to?

[Anonymous 73]

@ Kola Boof, done (Goodreads)! Looking forward to "She Wiped It On The Wall" since black women & religion just so happen to be two of my hot button topics.

[Cynique 2,307]

Black women and religion are hot button topics of mine, too, Writergirl.

I'm amused at how you and Kola seemed to have bonded. Why? Because she is the poster girl for self promotion and you, - who I've had to figure out just recently released a book, yourself, - have refrained from the hype, seemingly reluctant to plug "The Velvet Closet" You are modest to a fault, girlfriend. I am outing you.

[Anonymous 73]

lol @ Cynique ----> covering my face in embarrassment! <----------

It is true...if there ever was a course in self-promotion I would surely fail miserably!

[Crystal 4]

OMGoodness WriterG, I had the same reaction to this book. I was reading it during the holidays and wasn’t able to give it my full attention as it deserves so I’m going to read it again. The cloning of Africa has stuck with me though along with some thoughts on our men and how we love them. One of my favorite things about Kola’s writing is how she describes the beauty of Black women. Beautiful in our own right not just a parallel of european standards.

Kola, woman you’ve done it again.

Then I read Mama Ruby. You too Ms. Mary [may I call you Mary?]. You almost got me in trouble again on the bus. When I got to the part about a certain regular visitor to the neighborhood professional I let out a loud ‘OMG’ and folks started easing away from me. Mama Ruby has been one of my favorite characters since The Upper Room and now I remember why. Now I’ve got to re-read The Upper Room too.

Thanks Ladies! You both helped me through the holiday dramas.

Crystal

p.s. WriterG - glad to add you to my list. Good investigating Cynique!

[Kola Boof 15]

Thanks so much, Crystal.

Yes, you really should read it over. It's a very nuanced & deep book.

[Anonymous 73]

Just started Ruth's Redemption by Marlene Banks. So far so good!

[Crystal 4]

I’m reading the VIPs by Scott Poulson-Bryant. It starts off with 4 childhood friends called together years later and being asked the question “which one of you bastards is my father?” Yeah, like the book/movie Lace, which the author credits.

DRAMA testosterone style. It’s a fun read that would be good as a vacation book.

Crystal

[Anonymous 73]

The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson.

...follows the story of 3 families as they take part in The Great Migration from South to North. Non fiction, but reads like a darn good piece of fiction. So far I love it.

[Milton 59]

I'm in between novels, trying to decide which to read next. So in the meantime I'm reading Warfare in the Sokoto Caliphate. It's research for a book I'm working on.

[Milton 59]

The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson.

...follows the story of 3 families as they take part in The Great Migration from South to North. Non fiction, but reads like a darn good piece of fiction. So far I love it.

Great book. I enjoyed it very much because it's a reflection of my family's history.

[Anonymous 73]

Started The Bluest Eye today, and barely made it out of the prologue before saying "Oh so *this* is why she's one of the great ones!"

I am already loving the writing style, and I know I'm going to like this book. Can't believe I waited so long to pick this one up! Better late than never though.

[Anonymous 73]

Welp...a quarter of the way through The Bluest Eye, I realized that the characters sounded vaguely familiar. A little further, and I remembered...

I've read this book before, and the experience was traumatic...not because it was a terrible book (it was a great book), but rather because I had to read it & discuss it in mixed company. This book was something I had to read in a high school literature class. I want to say I was probably a freshman or sophomore. I hated trying to "explain" the many different things going on in this book to my white classmates (although there were only a few of them). They never seemed to get it, or to even try. Even the teacher (who was white) was somewhat patronizing in her teaching of "what the author is trying to say." In the end, the reading experience ended up tossed into the back of my mind with the rest of the stuff I'd rather forget.

Then it happened again in college when the literature assignment was Beloved. Again, same thing, only this time there were like 18 white kids to our 2 blacks in the class. And we 2 clung together and defiantly dared anybody to offend us during the discussion of this book. That experience was a little better than the high school one, although I still didn't feel comfortable "explaining" the color issue - light vs dark, and things of that nature.

Nevertheless, revisiting Morrison at this new stage in my life has been a good thing. I'm glad I'm taking the time.

[Troy 2,317]

Check out what a few celebrities have been reading recently: http://aalbc.it/celebrity-reads

[Pioneer1 806]

I'm reading 2 books right now:

1. A collection of essays by Emerson

2. Russell Simmons' book "Do You".

I didn't know the brother practiced Yoga.