Monday, February 18, 2019

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.


Wednesday, February 13, 2019

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!
  

Monday, February 11, 2019

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."

Friday, February 8, 2019

Tuesday, February 5, 2019

Connections in Death - J. D. Robb & Eve Dallas TIME!


"Homicide cop Eve Dallas and her billionaire husband, Roarke, are building a brand-new school and youth shelter. They know that the hard life can lead kids toward dangerous crossroads―and with this new project, they hope to nudge a few more of them onto the right path. For expert help, they hire child psychologist Dr. Rochelle Pickering―whose own brother pulled himself out of a spiral of addiction and crime with Rochelle’s support.

Dust jacket/Flaps

Lyle is living with Rochelle while he gets his life together, and he’s thrilled to hear about his sister’s new job offer. But within hours, triumph is followed by tragedy. Returning from a celebratory dinner with her boyfriend, she finds Lyle dead with a syringe in his lap, and Eve’s investigation confirms that this wasn’t just another OD. After all his work to get clean, Lyle’s been pumped full of poison―and a neighbor with a peephole reports seeing a scruffy, pink-haired girl fleeing the scene.


Inside flap.  A New York map marked with all the 1st murders from each book

Now Eve and Roarke must venture into the gang territory where Lyle used to run, and the ugly underground world of tattoo parlors and strip joints where everyone has taken a wrong turn somewhere. They both believe in giving people a second chance. Maybe even a third or fourth. But as far as they’re concerned, whoever gave the order on Lyle Pickering’s murder has run out of chances…"


A puzzle.  Can you solve where the next book's murder will take place?

Connections in Death by J. D. Robb (Amazon affiliate link)

Total Pageviews