CHOP IT UP: Borrowed Time by Tracy Clark (Cass Raines Chicago P.I. Book #2)

{Spotlight Release} A Killing Fire by Faye Snowden

Hel-looo-oooooooo.  What's up, y'all?  What is everyone over yonder reading?  Trust you're all doing well out there in this summer heat.

All right...

A Light (Spotlight) on author Faye Snowden's book, A Killing Fire.

"As a child forced to witness her father’s crimes, homicide Detective Raven Burns dedicates every waking moment to proving that she is not her father’s child. But when she shoots a suspect who has what turns out to be an unloaded weapon, Raven finds that she must confront both the demons of her past and the stains on her soul in order to stop a killer."

NEW RELEASE ~ Borrowed Time by Tracy Clark (Spotlight on Sisters in Crime)

Gurllllll, Mrs. Clark got me getting off my tail to make (errr, upload) a video.  Anyway, we're back with Clark's former cop turned PI Chicago-based crime fighter, Cassandra (Cass) Raines in Borrowed Time.  Good times, baby.  Good.  TIMES!  Welcome to a second book, Mrs. Clark.  We're rooting for a 3rd.  4th.  5th.  6th.  7th.  Hell, all the way up to 82!

Tracy Clark's Cass Raines Chicago Mystery Series on Amazon 

Mini Amazon synopsis...

"Sitting in cold cars for hours, serving lowlifes with summonses . . . being a P.I. means riding out a lot of slow patches. But sometimes the most familiar paths can lead straight to danger—like at Cass’s go-to diner, where new delivery guy Jung Byson wants to enlist her expertise. Jung’s friend, Tim Ayers, scion of a wealthy Chicago family, has been found dead, floating in Lake Michigan near his luxury boat. And Jung is convinced there’s a murderer on the loose . . . "

What have I been up to lately on my blog Comic Towel?  Check these links out!

1.  GUEST POST: How to Always be on the Lookout for New Inspiration by Kelvyn Fernandes

2. CHOP IT UP: Call Numbers by Syntell Smith 

3.  David Weber's Honor Harrington Series HYPE (Yeah, a Book Haul of Sorts)

CHOP IT UP: Call Numbers by Syntell Smith

I love the public library. Loved the place since I got my first library card in the first grade (and still have it). Spent my childhood begging to go there, and dreaming I had a car to take myself whenever I wanted. I can do so now three or four times a week if I choose, thank you very much. Nevertheless, life is always good when you have access to a public library. Which is why I wanted to read Call Numbers when asked by the author, Syntell Smith, to do so and share my thoughts afterward. And while the library-centric aspect was the titling piece in my decision, other interesting elements were too. For starters, Call Numbers is set in the '90s ('80s baby/'90s kid here). And it carries a cast of knotty characters traversing personal and professional troubles inside a New York (say "hey" to the big city piece and messy drama) public library. So it has the decade, character and setting that rang my bells. And, despite a few grievances, bells it rang.

FauxCast: CHOP (DUB) IT UP ~ High Hand by Gary Phillips

What's up, y'all? I hope everyone is having a blessed 2019. Shootttt. I'm LOVING mine. How about you guys? Yes. Yes. Ye-HAH. I had to do a voice over. I wanted to capture my thoughts about the book RIGHT away. Otherwise, time would slip away and I'll push it over until... well... probably never. Considering I don't think of my videos as reviews (chile, I ain't got that kind of finesse), I figured this casual approach will suit. Actually, that's why I use the slang phrase CHOP IT UP. LOL. I just want to talk about the ish. :) Anyway, thank you all for your support over the years. Hope you have fun and enjoy! And yes. Udder it is. LOL. High Hand by Gary Phillips (Amazon affiliate link).

PART TWO of #ReadSoulLit TAG (A-LICIOUS)

PART ONE of #ReadSoulLit TAG on my blog!

BOOOMMMMNM!  And the walls SHOOKETH!  Hee-hee.  Here's the second half.  Once more, sorry for any inconvenience.

Sorry if the volume is low.  Tag originator issssss... Brown Girl Reading.  I filmed this on the 14th, but thank FreeFormLady for tagging me.  My ass is just behindddddd–per usual.

6.  A lot of us diehard fans refer to Toni Morrison as "The Queen".  Which writer do you feel could be the next Queen in African-American Literature?  I believe I answered this wrong.  I slipped into my fanboy mode instead of thinking about what NEW author may slide into the potential "Queen" area.  Or something like that.  But you guys know how I am when I get excited into a thought. ;)

Nonetheless, Mama Day & Linden Hills by Gloria Naylor

7.  What's the last book by an African-American author you read, loved and gave 4 or 5 stars?

Life is so Good by George Dawson

8.  Show some beautiful books by African - American authors?

L. A. Banks & Eric Jerome Dickey

9.  Black History Month is about its people.  What book would you like to read to learn more about African-Americans?

From Babylon to Timbuktu by Rudolph R Windsor

10.  Show what you're currently reading from your #readsoullit TBR.

Gathering of Waters by Bernice L. McFadden

PART ONE of #ReadSoulLit TAG (A-LICIOUS)

Sorry if the volume is low.  Tag originator issssss... Brown Girl Reading.  I filmed this on the 14th, but thank FreeFormLady for tagging me.  My ass is just behindddddd–per usual.

IN-TEE-WAY.  I split the video into two parts because the buster was too longggggg.  LOL.  Sorry for any inconvenience.  For my peace of mind, I just try to keep my videos under ten minutes.  And thank you to everyone who understands and stuff!

Part One set of questions goes as (all links are Amazon affiliate):

1.  What book(s) are you looking forward to reading this February in honor of black History Month?

You can check out my #ReadSoulLit TBR video on my blog HERE! 

2.  Cite and talk about a classic #readsoullit book published before 1970 that you love.

Up From Slavery by Booker T. Washington

3.  What #readsoullit book would you like to see adapted to film?

Jam on the Vine by LaShonda Katrice Barnett

4.  Show and talk about one of your favorite #readsoullit books by a male author.

The Conjure-Man Dies: A Mystery Tale of Dark Harlem by Rudolph Fisher

5.  What #readsoullit new release(s) are you excited about this year?

Borrowed Time by Tracy Clark

Birthday Book Haul ~ PART ONE

Yeah. Yeah. I want books for my birthday. And that’s what I did throughout many avenues. I shopped at Books-A-Million here. Seriously, they have a better bargain selection than Barnes & Noble. Next to that, my local Book-A-Million is right up the street from my house. Whereas Barnes & Nobles is halfway across town. After spending Saturday with my family enjoying some Cajun food and arguing in the middle of Publix over what's the best kind of sandwich spread; company and tow hit up Books-A-Million. Of course because buying books is the first thing one must do when birthday money lands in said lap.

Well. These are the two I came out with. Additionally, I signed up for their membership program. Which is something I haven’t had since I actually worked for the company.

Anyway, Pachinko by Min Jin Lee was always on my reading list. I want all the Korean drama this books has to offer…

"In the early 1900s, teenaged Sunja, the adored daughter of a crippled fisherman, falls for a wealthy stranger at the seashore near her home in Korea. He promises her the world, but when she discovers she is pregnant--and that her lover is married--she refuses to be bought. Instead, she accepts an offer of marriage from a gentle, sickly minister passing through on his way to Japan. But her decision to abandon her home, and to reject her son's powerful father, sets off a dramatic saga that will echo down through the generations. 

Richly told and profoundly moving, Pachinko is a story of love, sacrifice, ambition, and loyalty. From bustling street markets to the halls of Japan's finest universities to the pachinko parlors of the criminal underworld, Lee's complex and passionate characters--strong, stubborn women, devoted sisters and sons, fathers shaken by moral crisis--survive and thrive against the indifferent arc of history."

When They Call You a Terrorist by Patrisse Khan-Cullors & Asha Bandele is also a backlist hopeful read.  One I found for $5.

"Raised by a single mother in an impoverished neighborhood in Los Angeles, Patrisse Khan-Cullors experienced firsthand the prejudice and persecution Black Americans endure at the hands of law enforcement. For Patrisse, the most vulnerable people in the country are Black people. Deliberately and ruthlessly targeted by a criminal justice system serving a white privilege agenda, Black people are subjected to unjustifiable racial profiling and police brutality. In 2013, when Trayvon Martin’s killer went free, Patrisse’s outrage led her to co-found Black Lives Matter with Alicia Garza and Opal Tometi. 

Condemned as terrorists and as a threat to America, these loving women founded a hashtag that birthed the movement to demand accountability from the authorities who continually turn a blind eye to the injustices inflicted upon people of Black and Brown skin. 

Championing human rights in the face of violent racism, Patrisse is a survivor. She transformed her personal pain into political power, giving voice to a people suffering inequality and a movement fueled by her strength and love to tell the country―and the world―that Black Lives Matter. 

When They Call You a Terrorist is Patrisse Khan-Cullors and asha bandele’s reflection on humanity. It is an empowering account of survival, strength and resilience and a call to action to change the culture that declares innocent Black life expendable."

Anyway, plenty more birthday book hauls down the line.

#ReadSoulLit TBR Add-To

2019 #ReadSoulLit ~ Corrections ~ Black Gold by Anita Richmond Bunkley

I am determined as all get-out to read Anita Richmond Bunkley’s 1994 book, Black Gold.  So much so that I ordered my own copy off Ebay–after my library check-out expired before I got to it.  Well, to be exact, I couldn’t renew the check-out because some other individual in my city decided she/he wanted to read it too.  That was not going to stop me, though.  Anyway, this is probably my most anticipated read off my 2019 #ReadSoulLit TBR.  

And I can't exactly tell you why.  Only that we're talking black landowners in Texas during the 1920's fighting to preserve their oil fields.  Or something close to that degree.  The point is that the book is drenched in saga-style feels.  That–of course–equates to drama.  Who doesn't love drama?  Let’s get into this!

Hallelujah!  I got my book!

  

2019 #ReadSoulLit Monday Readings & Gelato - Life is So Good by George Dawson and Richard Glaubman

"In this remarkable book, George Dawson, a slave’s grandson who learned to read at age 98 and lived to the age of 103, reflects on his life and shares valuable lessons in living, as well as a fresh, firsthand view of America during the entire sweep of the twentieth century. Richard Glaubman captures Dawson’s irresistible voice and view of the world, offering insights into humanity, history, hardships, and happiness. From segregation and civil rights, to the wars and the presidents, to defining moments in history, George Dawson’s description and assessment of the last century inspires readers with the message that has sustained him through it all: “Life is so good. I do believe it’s getting better."

2019 #ReadSoulLit TBR & Things of That Nature

Sooooo.  Links and such to consider...

Currently Reading...

1.  J. D. Robb/Eve Dallas fans and readers, I haven't forgotten about her latest release of Connections in Death (blog "exclusive").   

#ReadSoulLit-centric...

2.  #ReadSoulLit hosted by Didi over at Brown Girl Reading

3.  #ReadSoulLit Goodreads Group

2019 #ReadSoulLit Read-Along ~ Unforgivable Love by Sophronia Scott

Channels & Such Mentioned:

1. [#ReadSoulLit] = Brown Girl Reading   

AND the subsequent GOODREADS GROUP  

2. [Black-a-Thon] = Bowties & Books  

Book Mentioned:

3. [BookOutlet] Unforgivable Love by Sophronia Scott  

4. [Amazon] Unforgivable Love by Sophronia Scott (Affiliate Link)  

"In this vivid reimagining of the French classic Les Liaisons Dangereuses, it’s the summer when Jackie Robinson breaks Major League Baseball’s color barrier and a sweltering stretch has Harlem’s elite fleeing the city for Westchester County’s breezier climes, two predators stalk amidst the manicured gardens and fine old homes. 

Heiress Mae Malveaux rules society with an angel’s smile and a heart of stone. She made up her mind long ago that nobody would decide her fate. To have the pleasure she craves, control is paramount, especially control of the men Mae attracts like moths to a flame. 

Valiant Jackson always gets what he wants—and he’s wanted Mae for years. The door finally opens for him when Mae strikes a bargain: seduce her virginal young cousin, Cecily, who is engaged to Frank Washington. Frank values her innocence above all else. If successful, Val’s reward will be a night with Mae.    

But Val secretly seeks another prize. Elizabeth Townsend is fiercely loyal to her church and her civil rights attorney husband. Certain there is something redeemable in Mr. Jackson. Little does she know that her worst mistake will be Val’s greatest triumph."  

[2] New Black Cozy Mystery Series ~ Mayhem & Mass by Olivia Matthews

These Kids Are Getting Books For Christmas...

CHOP IT UP: Mayhem & Mass by Olivia Matthews

"A Los Angeles transplant, Sister Louise “Lou” LaSalle feels right at home in Briar Coast, New York. After all, her beloved nephew, Chris, works at the college founded by her congregation. But while Sister Lou has always played by the rules, she’s about to have her faith in herself tested—by murder . . 

Sister Lou expects some pushback when she invites her friend, Maurice Jordan, to be the guest speaker for the St. Hermione of Ephesus Feast Day presentation. The theology professor is known far and wide for his controversial views. What she’s not prepared for is finding him dead in his hotel room, bashed over the head. 

When the local deputies focus on the members of her congregation as suspects, Sister Lou takes matters into her own hands. Against Chris’s wishes, she teams up with a cynical local reporter to delve into Maurice’s life. The unlikely partners in crime-fighting uncover a litany of both devotees and detractors. And though it might take a miracle to find the killer, Sister Lou vows to carry on until justice prevails . . ."

7 HEAD TILTING THINGS I GOT OUT OF MAYHEM & MASS

1. The victim was murdered in a hotel room. Yet, not one time did anyone suggest anything about checking the cameras for who entered his room. This is 2017, right?

“’There wasn’t any sign of a struggle.’  Fran sat back in her seat.  A faraway look entered her eyes as she seemed to recall the scene in Maurice’s room.  ‘He must have let the person into the room.  The perp hit him when his back was turned.’”

2. The culprit was obvious. And it’s all telling in the repeated emphasis on hair color. Only two individuals share the same hair color. This is vague. But my point is that there is little challenge for those diving into this book to beat Sister Lou to the culprit.

CHOP IT UP: The Plot is Murder by V. M. Burns

"The small town of North Harbor on the shores of Lake Michigan is about to have a new mystery bookstore. But before the first customer can browse its shelves, the store’s owner is suspected of her own murder plot . . .   

Samantha Washington has dreamed of owning her own mystery bookstore for as long as she can remember. And as she prepares for the store’s grand opening, she’s also realizing another dream—penning a cozy mystery set in England between the wars. While Samantha hires employees and fills the shelves with the latest mysteries, quick-witted Lady Penelope Marsh, long-overshadowed by her beautiful sister Daphne, refuses to lose the besotted Victor Carlston to her sibling's charms. When one of Daphne's suitors is murdered in a maze, Penelope steps in to solve the labyrinthine puzzle and win Victor.  

But as Samantha indulges her imagination, the unimaginable happens in real life. A shady realtor turns up dead in her backyard, and the police suspect her—after all, the owner of a mystery bookstore might know a thing or two about murder. Aided by her feisty grandmother and an enthusiastic ensemble of colorful retirees, Samantha is determined to close the case before she opens her store. But will she live to conclude her own story when the killer has a revised ending in mind for her?"

I promise I’m not trying to sound like a book snob when I write what I have to write. Hell, I don’t believe I could write a book any better. So I don’t want to sound ostentatious when I say The Plot is Murder was weak. It's one of those books you wished someone had let you at months before the final edit. Still, my resounding observation is this: the book reads like someone attempting to write a contemporary cozy mystery. While attempting to write a 1930's English mystery. Simple as that.

CHOP IT UP: Brown Girl in the Ring by Nalo Hopkinson

Brown Girl in the Ring by Nalo Hopkinson

So let’s summarize this three star read.  

Brown Girl in the Ring takes on a futuristic urban Toronto where the rich and wealthy have fled the inner city to keep away from the dangerous and troubled others.  This moves leaves the violent and murderous power over the city, in all their recklessly and unsympathetic glory.  To the determinant of the remaining downtrodden and disenfranchised innocents, they are stuck in the ugly walls and rules of the new Toronto.  

In enters Ti-Jeanne, a young mother grappling with newfound motherhood and living with a hyper-shamanistic grandmother.  Said shamanistic grandmother has roots deep in Caribbean traditions, including the kind geared toward wielding magic spells.  And it's Ti-Jeanne's grandmother who drills her on the importance of carrying on their family's cultural and magical traditions, as well as suffocating Ti-Jeanne with her overprotective and overburden concerns.

Unfortunately, despite showing innate abilities to communicate with Caribbean gods and goddess, Ti-Jeanne is reluctant to take part in her grandmother's beliefs.  Until Ti-Jeanne’s baby’s father comes seeking her help.  He works for a crime boss who shuttles drugs and harvests human organs for the rich and, having been caught sniffing some of the supplies, must now bring his boss a human heart fit for a politician looking for a transplant.  Though he's not a murderer, it's either the life of the transplant victim or his own. 

Suddenly Ti-Jeanne is forced to confront her family’s roots in servicing gods and goddesses to keep him, her baby, and her family protected from the organized evil knocking at their door.  And her family's connections to this evil runs much deeper than water.  It's all blood.

So first, what I did enjoy took place in the "inactive" areas of the book. Or the beginning’s relationship-heavy slices.

I loved the time Hopkinson’s spent in laying out Ti-Jeanne and her struggles as a character. Her being a mother was an issue. Her coming to terms with her walk-out mother was another. And, as well, she had issues with her baby’s father, Tony, who was back in her life. Hopkinson took care to spend time revisiting their past relationship as lovers. She also spent time going into its downfall due to Tony’s drug addiction. The issue of Ti-Jeanne not informing Tony how her baby was theirs complicated matters. And Tony himself was well-drawn, as he fought with loving Ti-Jeanne while working for a crime boss. And it's this boss who had him by the balls every step he took. So, needless to say, their drama had my undivided attention.

Book Raiding Reading TBR

I only read two books in September.  One was–undoubtedly–the latest J. D. Robb release, Leverage in Death.  The other was Tracy Clark’s Broken Places–which I wrapped on the 11th of the month.  And that’s it.  Nothing read since the 11th.  And that’s mainly because Shadow of the Tomb Raider came out the following day and it has consumed my life.  Both in good–considering I’m a long-time fan and veteran of the Croft–and wrong ways.  Nonetheless, a game such as this pulled me entirely away from my first passion: books.  However, I’ve already read about 60 books this year, so I think it’s okay for me to take it easy from here on out if I choose to.

But I just can’t do it like that.  I have to read.  I MUST be reading.  I covet and crave books.  Even when I’m not actively reading a book, I’m pausing to touch a book and rifle through the pages just for comfort.

So I decided to make myself an Book Raiding TBR.  I choose unread books from my shelves that’ll cover 5 areas that I love most about the Tomb Raider series (both old and rebooted).  One: Crafty Female Lead.  Two: Sprinkles of Mythology.  Three: Survival Adventures.  Four: Ancient Musty Tombs.  Five: History and Relics.  This TBR will work.  And it will stick.  And it will bring me back to reading daily.

Stalking Ivory (Jade Del Cameron African Mysteries #2) by Suzanne Arruda

On a photography assignment in the northern territory of Mount Marsabit, American adventuress Jade del Cameron and her friends hope to film the area's colossal elephants. Instead, they discover the mutilated remains of four elephants and a man. Although the authorities suspect Abyssinian poachers and raiders in search of ivory and slaves, Jade has her own suspicions. Could it have been Harry Hascombe, her nemesis and unremitting suitor? Soon the Kikuyu boy accompanying her is captured by slave traders. Ultimately, it will take all of Jade's mettle to rescue her guide from slave traders, protect the animals, and expose another kind of beast.

As of today (October 1st) I’m already 140 pages away from the end of the first book on my Book Raiding TBR, Stalking Ivory by Suzanne Arruda.  Last time I read a book in this series was as far back as 2014.  More or less moved by that entry [Mark of the Lion], I haven’t picked up anything by this author since.  However, last year I did purchase the following three books for potential future reading.  And here I am finally jumping back into African safaris during the 1920’s with Arruda’s bold and sharp war vet (does being a nurse in WWI count as a vet?) turned photographer Jade Del Cameron.  Though Arruda’s plotting often comes across as “random” and “rash,” I’m having fun.  I can definitely see this series sticking around after all.

Sisters in Crime Spotlight | Broken Places by Tracy Clark