Sunday, September 22, 2013

Sunday Shorts #7

Sunday Shorts is a new feature that I am adding to The Little Reading Nook.  I have seen on several other blogs where reviewers feature short stories.

Sunday Shorts is my version. Where I review short stories that I have read.

For the next couple of Sunday's I will be featuring shorts from Blackberry: A Magazine (Issue 1: Skin Deep).


Kyle and the Snake by Ekua Adisa:  

Opening Sentence: I met them at the grand opening of a kava bar called Vanuatu, named for a group of islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean

When I started reading Kyle and the Snake I did not realize that it was creative non-fiction.  I have never read creative non-fiction before and probably should have read the table of contents before starting this story to see what genre it was classified under.

I can't say that I enjoyed Kyle and the Snake because not only was I unfamiliar with the genre I was also unfamiliar with the subject matter.  In the simplest terms, Kyle and the Snake is about the authors experience preforming a spiritual healing on Kyle.  The story contain a lot of jargon that people who are experienced with spiritual healing (crystals, chakra, and stuff) might be familiar with, but as a newbie I was confused.  And my confusion affected my enjoyment on the story.  It was all just a little bit strange to me.

I really wished I could have been able to enjoy this author's retelling of her experience a little bit more but it wasn't the story for me.  


Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Review: Sister Citizen

Author: Melissa V. Harris-Perry
Pages: 378
Genre: Non-Fiction (Women's Studies)
Series/Standalone: Standalone
Version: Paperback
Publication Date: 2011
Publisher: Yale University Press
Source: Private Purchase

Synopsis (GoodReads):
Jezebel's sexual lasciviousness, Mammy's devotion, and Sapphire's outspoken anger—these are among the most persistent stereotypes that black women encounter in contemporary American life. Hurtful and dishonest, such representations force African American women to navigate a virtual crooked room that shames them and shapes their experiences as citizens. Many respond by assuming a mantle of strength that may convince others, and even themselves, that they do not need help. But as a result, the unique political issues of black women are often ignored and marginalized.

In this groundbreaking book, Melissa V. Harris-Perry uses multiple methods of inquiry, including literary analysis, political theory, focus groups, surveys, and experimental research, to understand more deeply black women's political and emotional responses to pervasive negative race and gender images. Not a traditional political science work concerned with office-seeking, voting, or ideology, Sister Citizen instead explores how African American women understand themselves as citizens and what they expect from political organizing. Harris-Perry shows that the shared struggle to preserve an authentic self and secure recognition as a citizen links together black women in America, from the anonymous survivors of Hurricane Katrina to the current First Lady of the United States

Review:

I guest I should start with a little disclaimer.  I am a huge fan of Melissa Harris-Perry (and Rachael Maddow).  I have very few regrets about giving up cable, but two of the biggest regrets that I have are missing out of The Food Network and MSNBC.  So, when I saw that Harris-Perry was coming out with a book, I was excited and I put it up for selection in my book club, hoping that they would pick it. They did and it led to a great group discussion.

On to the review.

 The whole of Sister Citizen: Shame, Stereotypes, and Black Women in America can be boiled down to one simple yet complex question that Melissa Harris-Perry asked on page 20:
What does it mean to be a black woman and an American citizen?
I knew that Sister Citizen was going to be a winner when Harris-Perry opened the book with  showing how Janie Mae Crawford's (protagonist) experience in Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God directly reflects that of Black women in America today. And then later comparing Hurricane Katrina and it's aftermath to the Hurricane that took place in the book.  While also I have to state that while I did not enjoy Their Eyes Were Watching God, Melissa Harris-Perry analysis of it put the whole book in a new perspective.  I didn't get as much out of Their Eyes Were Watching God as she did and now I am disappointed that I didn't enjoy it more.

Melissa Harris-Perry expertly tackles the stereotypes that black women face (The Mammy, The Jezebel, and The Sapphire) and their struggle to fight them.  Harris-Perry illustrates this struggle with a chapter that she titled "Crooked Room".
When they confront race and gender stereotypes, black women are standing in a crooked room, and they have to figure out which way is up. Bombarded with warped images of their humanity, some black women tilt and bend themselves to fit the distortion. 
It can be hard to stand up straight in a crooked room

I can honestly say that there just wasn't much that I disagreed with.  Most of it made since based on my experience as a black woman and an American.

I will say that my least favorite section was "God" and that is basically because I felt that she could have been slightly more critical.  I think she throw a soft ball (is that the right terminology?) and that it was the least organized of the sections.  I will say that I did agree with what said about the black church, but I am non-religious.  I think she hit the nail on the head when said:
The church, in the broadest and most plural sense, is a site of struggle for sisters.
I also think the the chapter on Michelle Obama was weak.  I did like how she gave examples of the First Lady trying to "stand straight in a crooked room".  But even after six years with Michelle being in the spotlight, it felt like that chapter was lacking in something (what I don't know).



Final Grade: A

Overall Recommendation:

I would highly recommend Sister Citizen: Shame Stereotypes, and Black Women in America.  My review doesn't do it just but I think I will let this one sit for a while and read it again in a couple of years.  To see if it still rings true (which I am sure it will).

Sunday, September 15, 2013

Sunday Shorts #6

Sunday Shorts is a new feature that I am adding to The Little Reading Nook.  I have seen on several other blogs where reviewers feature short stories.

Sunday Shorts is my version. Where I review short stories that I have read.

For the next couple of Sunday's I will be featuring shorts from Blackberry: A Magazine (Issue 1: Skin Deep).


Rebekah is Pregnant by Debra Stone:  

Move baby, move. Move like before like the alien movie
The first two sentences in Rebekah is Pregnant, shows the reader that Rebekah is having a bit of trouble with her pregnancy.  It's hard to review this story without giving too much away, but as the reader waits with Rebekah in the hospital waiting room, they feel her since of urgency.  While the story is very short through out the whole thing, I had a since of dread.  At each new paragraph I wanted to feel Rebekah's to baby kick and show that everything is alright.

For its' short length Rebekah is Pregnant packs a powerful punch.

*I tried to find a like to the authors blog, website, or twitter account and came up empty.  

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Review: 16 Bars: A Short Story Mixtape

Author: Ran Walker
Pages: 
Genre: Contemporary Fiction (Short Story Collection)
Series/Standalone: Standalone
Version: eBook (epub)
Publication Date: July 2011
Publisher: Caps & Sneakers LLC
Source:

Synopsis (GoodReads):
Ran Walker's first "short story mixtape" pulls together a varied collection of stories about black men and how they are shaped by the relationships they enter. With topics ranging from break-ups to awkward first dates, 16 Bars is a bold, unflinching, and even humorous take on what goes on in the minds of black men when romance enters the picture.

Explanation of Rating:

It's been so long since I read this short story collection that I can't give it a detailed review.  Other than to say that Ran Walker is an excellent writer and I enjoyed each of the five stories (some more that others).  I would definitely recommend this collection and would read more of his work.


Final Grade: B-


Links to Individual Reviews:






Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Teaser Tuesday #7


TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:
  • Grab your current read.
  • Let the book fall open to a random page.
  • Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
  • You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
Please avoid spoilers!
This weeks teasers is from White Teeth by Zadie Smith

A winter morning was the only time worth spending in that basement flat.  Between 5:00 and
6:00 A.M., when the sun was still low, light shot through the front window, bathed the living room in yellow, dappled the long thin allotment ( 7 ft x 30 ft, and gave a health veneer to the tomatoes.

Paperback pg. 319
Don't forget to post a link to your teaser!

I want to read it.

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

March Giveaway Winner


#14 Beth D.

Please contact me at littlereadingnook at gmail dot com before 7am April 6, 2013 to claim your prize.

Monday, March 18, 2013

Review: Purple Hibiscus

Author: Chimimanda Ngozi Adichie
Pages: 307
Genre: Historical Fiction
Series/Standalone: Standalone
Version: Hardcover
Publication Date: October 2003
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Source: Local Public Library

Synopsis (GoodReads):

From the outside, fifteen-year-old Kambili has the perfect life. She lives in a beautiful house, has a caring family, and attends an exclusive missionary school. She's completely shielded from the troubles of the world. Yet, as Kambili reveals in her tender-voiced account, things are less than perfect in her wealthy Nigerian home. Although her papa is generous and well respected, he is fanatically religious and tyrannical at home. He looms over his family's every move, severely punishes Kambili and her older brother, Jaja, if they're not the best in their classes, and hits their mama if she disagrees with him. Home is silent and suffocating.

But everything changes once Kambili and Jaja visit Aunty Ifeoma outside the city. For the first time they experience freedom from their papa. Jaja learns to garden and work with his hands, and Kambili secretly falls in love with a young, charismatic priest.

As the country begins to fall apart under a military coup, tension within the family escalates. And shy Kambili must find the strength to keep her family together after her mother commits a desperate act.

Purple Hibiscus is a stunning debut that captures the fragile beauty of a young woman's awakening at a time when both country and family are on the cusp of change.

Review:

Plot: B

Purple Hibiscus is a character drive novel set in the backdrop of political unrest in Nigeria.  It's the kind of novel that I tend to lends towards.  Kambili and her family and the relationship to each other are complex, puzzling and frightening all at the same time.   The bulk of the story deals with how Kambili, Jaja and their mother have been isolated and repressed by  their father and his "strong" religious beliefs.  How his immersion into the Catholic faith denominated every aspect of his life, even at the cost of his relationship with his father who believes in the traditions and faith of their tribe.

While I love the character building in Purple Hibiscus the story was very slow to stop.  The bulk of the novel is exploring the relationship between the family members and the coming of age of Kambili and Jaja.  When the action finally takes place it seems rushed and sudden.  Almost like the author ran out of space and realized that she had to wrap it up.  I wish she would have spent as much time developing the action part of the plot as she did the characters.


Characters: A+

My review of the characters is going to be short and seem somewhat inadequate.  That's because I have nothing really to say about other then that they were very well done.  They fit perfectly in the story.  There motives were clear and never did I think "why is she doing that?"  I understood, everything that they did, partially because their background was thoroughly explored but also because there was so much time spent on character building.

Writing:

Adichie writing was good enough not to make me notice all that much that the story was kind of slow.  I was able to keep reading for longs periods of time and actually didn't want to put the novel down because I wanted to see were it was going.

I enjoyed how she mixed Iboya words and did it in such a way that the reader was able to understand their basic meaning without feeling lost.  She also made the physical environment of Nigeria come alive and I could "see" some of the places that the characters visited.

Explanation of Rating:   

Purple Hibiscus gets and A- because the beginning was slow and the ending was too fast.  All the time spent exploring characters and back stories left little space for a fulling ending.  I finished Purple Hibiscus wishing that  Adichie had spent as much time on the ending as she did on the rest of the story.


Final Grade: A-

Overall Recommendation:

I would recommend Purple Hibiscus to anyone that enjoys strong character driven novels.

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Sunday Shorts #5

Sunday Shorts is a new feature that I am adding to The Little Reading Nook.  I have seen on several other blogs where reviewers feature short stories.

This is the last short for Ran Walker's 16 Bars: A Short Story Mixtape,  and I can say that my little experiment in reading a short story on Sunday was fun and I plan to keep it up.  Next week, I will start shorts from Trouble Down South and Other Stories by Katrina Parker Williams.


Description (GoodReads):

Ran Walker's first "short story mixtape" pulls together a varied collection of stories about black men and how they are shaped by the relationships they enter. With topics ranging from break-ups to awkward first dates, 16 Bars is a bold, unflinching, and even humorous take on what goes on in the minds of black men when romance enters the picture.

On the Eve of Tomorrow:  

An erotic short, Grant finds comfort form a unlikely friend during his last night in Atlanta.
One the Eve of Tomorrow was probably one of the weakest of the short stories in 16 Bars: A Short Story Mixtape to me.  The rhythm was off and by the time that it smoothed out the story was over.  There was more emotions in the other stories and On the Eve of Tomorrow felt void of them.

On the Eve of Tomorrow is labeled an erotic short and I didn't feel that it was all that "erotic".  It had erotic elements but they were brief.

Overall, my least favorite of all the stories in this collection.

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Teaser Tuesday #6


TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:
  • Grab your current read.
  • Let the book fall open to a random page.
  • Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
  • You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
Please avoid spoilers!
This weeks teasers is from A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Solider by Ishmael Beah

I hesitantly walked into the congested box and the boys laughed at me, as I stood there unaware that I had to press the button for the box to start moving.  I had never been in a box like this before.  Where was it taking us?

page 186 (paperback)


Don't forget to post a link to your teaser!

Friday, March 8, 2013

Friday Finds #7

Friday Finds hosted by Should Be Reading ask:

What great books did you hear about/discover this past week? Share with us your FRIDAY FINDS!

I was reading blog and found these books that are coming out soon.

(Clicking on the image will take you to the books GoodReads page)



Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Review: The Lynching of Louie Sam

Author: Elizabeth Stewart
Pages: 288
Genre: Historical Fiction
Series/Standalone: Standalone
Version: PDF
Publication Date: June 2012
Publisher: Annick Press
Source: NetGalley (ARC)

Synopsis (GoodReads):

Fifteen-year-old George Gillies lives in the Washington Territory in the late 1800s, where white settlers have an uneasy relationship with the indigenous people living there. When a local man is found murdered, suspicion falls on Louie Sam, a young member of the Stó:lō tribe. George and his best friend, Pete, follow a lynch mob north into Canada, where the terrified boy is seized and hung.

Racked with doubts, George begins to ask questions. Was Louie Sam really a murderer? As George uncovers the truth, tensions in the town rise, and he must face his own part in the tragedy.

Review:

Plot: 

Somehow,  missed the part of the description at NetGalley that stated that The Lynching of Louie Sam was inspired by a true story.  I bring this up not because it read like an historical account of actual events (translated dull) but because it read like a  well researched fictional novel.  Stewart did an excellent job of integrating  the attitudes of the settlers and their concerns as well as touching on the attitude of the Natives in the overall story without making it seem out of place.

The first thing that caught my attention about The Lynching of Louie Sam was the premise.  I have never come across the any kind of story (fiction or non-fiction) that dealt with the lynching of an Indigenous person and the murdering having taken place in Canada.

Now, while the novel dealt with these issue, it was about George coming of age and having to answer questions about himself and the people that he thought he knew.  It was interesting to watch George deal with the event and to realize that Louie Sam's murder might have been caused by a false allegation.


Characters:

I enjoyed George Giles as a character.  He was well rounded and "real".  I could see a little boy feeling the way that he did about things and wanting to know the truth about what happened.  But at times, I had to remind myself the George was 15 years old.  Sometimes his character came off as being younger.  From some reason when I first started reading the book I thought that he was about 11 or 12  years old.  This was a problem that persisted throughout the book.  It was at time hard to believe that a kid of George's age could be so naive and unobservant.  I had a hard time trying to reconcile the fact that George did not understand certain unstated social "rules" while other children his age and younger did.

George's best friend Peter on the other hand felt like a 15 year old.  I felt really bad for Peter, he was dealt a rough hand and was dealing with it the only way that he knew how.  He was kind of a prefect contrast to George.  Peter was the more "worldly" of the two.

Writing:

The writing was about average.  I found the Lynching of Louie Sam to be an interesting read and Stewart's writing was able to keep me in the story.

I can say that in the month between reading the book and writing the review, I can't remember much about her writing style.  That could be either a good thing or a bad thing.

Explanation of Rating:    

Overall, The Lynching of Louie Sam was a satisfactory read.  I think what drag the grade down for me was George's character and the confusion about his age.  I had to remind myself too many times that George was 15 years old and not 12 years old.  It doesn't seem like a big thing but subject matter that is dealt with in the book it is important.  While the writing was solid, it wasn't quite as strong as I would have like it to been.  The research and historical facts is what saved The Lynching of Louie Sam from being a C+/B- book.

Final Grade: B

Overall Recommendation:

I would recommend The Lynching of Louie Sam to anyone that enjoy Historical Fiction and would like to read about the early settlers in the Washington region.  I found the historical setting by itself fascinating and well worth the read.

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Teaser Tuesdays #5


TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:
  • Grab your current read.
  • Let the book fall open to a random page.
  • Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
  • You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
Please avoid spoilers!
This weeks teasers is from A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Solider by Ishmael Beah

The morning after the lieutenant's speech, we proceeded to practice killing the prisoners the way the lieutenant had done it.  There were five prisoners and many eager participants.

page 124 (paperback)
Don't forget to post a link to your teaser!

I want to read it.

Sunday, March 3, 2013

Sunday Shorts #4

Photo credit: the bbp / Foter / CC BY 

It has been awhile since I have done a Sunday Short and I miss it.  A short story is a bittersweet for me.  Part of me is happy that I can complete the story in such of small time frame.  But another part of me wants to draw it out, wants to know the characters and their motivation more.

I am still reading shorts from 16 Bars:  A Short Story Mixtape by Ran Walker.  I just realized that there is one more story and then I will be done with 16 Bars... I already miss it.

Description (GoodReads):

Ran Walker's first "short story mixtape" pulls together a varied collection of stories about black men and how they are shaped by the relationships they enter. With topics ranging from break-ups to awkward first dates, 16 Bars is a bold, unflinching, and even humorous take on what goes on in the minds of black men when romance enters the picture.

Dancing in My Dreams:  

Dancing in my Dreams shows what Kyle is willing to go through to keep love alive.
This was a powerful story.  Not that the writing was any different than that of the previous stories but because of what Kyle was willing to deal with to be with Serena.  I know there was going to an unexpected twist but I didn't think it was going to be that.  Walker through me for a loop with that one, but I have to applaud him on making Kyle such a stand up guy.

One of the things that I enjoy most about each of the stories in 16 Bars is that each story has a theme song.  I have been familiar with most (if not all the songs) but Chaka Khan's "Through the Fire" was the prefect theme song for this story.

I didn't really care for the end.  It was a nice pretty bow type ending (even though it wasn't happy).

My favorite Quote:
... from there our relationship disintegrated  and our love, once a ripe fruit bubbling with the sweetest nectar I had ever tasted, withered slowly on the vine from neglect.  (Kindle Version: Location 717)
I know it is said but it is beautiful.

Sunday Post #9




The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer.
~this meme was inspired in part by - In My Mailbox~
It's a chance to share News.
A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up for the week on our blog.
This is your news post, so personalize it. Include as much as you want or as little.
Be creative, it can be a vlog or just a showcase of your goodies.

I don't believe that it has been 8 weeks since I have done a Sunday Post.  Not much has happened on the blog since the last on back in January.

Current Giveaway (Ends April 1, 2013 @ 12:00am):

(Clicking picture will take you to giveaway page)

What Happened Last Week:
  • Teaser Tuesday:  was brought to you  by  Love in the Years of Lunacy by Mandy Sayer
  • Wednesday: Review of The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man by James Weldon Johnson (which for some reason is very popular page view count wise)
  • Friday Finds: Four new books added to my TBR List
  • Reflecting on February:  Where I admit publicly how horrible I was at completing my reading goals for  February.
What's Happening This Week:
  • Sunday:  Sunday Shorts from 16 Bars by Ran Walker
  • Monday: Review of  The Lynching of Louie Sam by Elizabeth Stewart
  • Tuesday:  Teaser Tuesday from A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah
  • Friday: Friday Finds
Happy Reading,
MoniqueReads

Friday, March 1, 2013

Reflecting on February

The Month of February can be describe in one simple word:

FAIL!!!

Yes, it was a month filled with fail for me, both reading wise and some other person goals that I had for myself.  I really need to learn how to stop procrastinating.  It is holding me back in so many areas.


Reviewed in February:
Read But Not Reviewed in February:
  • The Lynching of Louie Sam by Elizabeth Stewart
Yep.  That is right.  I read a grand total of 2 books in February.

FAIL!!!
Started But Not Completed:

  • A Piece of Cake: a Memoir by Cupcake Brown
  • Love in the Years of Lunacy by Mandy Sayer
  • A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah
All three of which I started in February.  
FAIL!!!

Completed Challenges for 2013:
  • None
Challenges Still in Process:
  • 1% Well Read - Completed 0 out of 10 Books (0%)
  • The Pulitzer Project  - Completed 0 out of 5 Books (0%)
  • TBR Challenge  - Completed 1 Book
  • Nerdy Non-Fiction Challenge - Completed 0 out of 10 Books (0%)
  • Finishing the Series Reading Challenge  - Completed 0 out of 3 Series (0%)
  • 2013 Reading Challenge - Completed 4 out of 50 Books (8%)
Reading Plans for March:
  • Finish What I Have Started: 
    • A Piece of Cake: a Memoir by Cupcake Brown
    • Love in the Years of Lunacy by Mandy Sayer
    • A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah
  • Finish Review Request:
    • Butterfly Winter by W.P. Kinsella
    • The Boy Who Said No: An Escape to Freedom by Patti Sheehy
    • The Water of Sunlightby Eugenia O'Neal
    • Maya's Notebook: A Novel  by Isabel Allende
    • King of Cuba: A Novel by Cristina Garcia
Yes, I know that is a tall order but I have to do it.

Friday Finds #6

Friday Finds hosted by Should Be Reading ask:

What great books did you hear about/discover this past week? Share with us your FRIDAY FINDS!

Just a random assortment of books that I found this week.

(Clicking on the image will take you to the books GoodReads page)




March Monthly Giveaway

Enter to win the a copy of Little Bee by Chris Cleave.
      
My review is here.

Rules:

  1. This giveaway is for the a copy (gently used copy of Little Bee by Chris Cleave.  *please note that there is a water stain on some pages but they don't affect ink or the ability to read the book*
  2. Giveaway is open to address located in the of the United States only (sorry I can only ship books to addresses located in the United States).
  3. Winner will receive a copy of the Little Bee by Chris Cleave
  4. All entries most be through the Rafflecopter widget below.
  5. Winners will be announced on this blog (The Little Reading Nook) and Twitter (@MoniqueReads) on April 2, 2013 at 7am (EST), only. No emails will be sent.
  6. Winner has 48 hours (April 4, 2013 at 7am (EST)) to contact me via email (thelittlereadingnook at gmail dot com) or via direct message on Twitter (@MoniqueReads) to claim their prize.  If I don't receive an email or (direct message) from the winner, another winner will be chosen.
  7. Winner will be announced via twitter and on the blog.
  8. I think it goes without saying but no cheating (one entry per family and household).
Giveaway is open from 12:00 AM (EST) on March 1, 2013 until 12:00 AM (EST) April 1, 2013

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Review: The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man by James Weldon Johnson

Pages: 149
Genre: Literary Fiction
Series/Standalone: Standalone
Version: ePub
Publication Date: 1912
Source: Library

Synopsis (GoodReads):

James Weldon Johnson's emotionally gripping novel is a landmark in black literary history and, more than eighty years after its original anonymous publication, a classic of American fiction.
The first fictional memoir ever written by a black, The Autobiography of an Ex-Coloured Man influenced a generation of writers during the Harlem Renaissance and served as eloquent inspiration for Zora Neale Hurston, Ralph Ellison, and Richard Wright. In the 1920s and since, it has also given white readers a startling new perspective on their own culture, revealing to many the double standard of racial identity imposed on black Americans.
Narrated by a mulatto man whose light skin allows him to "pass" for white, the novel describes a pilgrimage through America's color lines at the turn of the century--from a black college in Jacksonville to an elite New York nightclub, from the rural South to the white suburbs of the Northeast. This is a powerful, unsentimental examination of race in America, a hymn to the anguish of forging an identity in a nation obsessed with color. And, as Arna Bontemps pointed out decades ago, "the problems of the artist [as presented here] seem as contemporary as if the book had been written this year."

Review:

This is a really hard review for me to write there is just so much to say about the book and I have no idea where to start.  And if I said all that I wanted to say, this review would end up a term paper instead of a simple review.

Simply stated The Autobiography of An Ex-Colored is about a mulatto man that can pass as white.  But the story is much deeper and more complex then just skin colored.  Set in the early 1900's Weldon touch on a lot of issues dealing with racial prejudice and cultural identity.  It's very interesting to watch the the narrator try to reconcile his racial background (black) with his appearance and upbringing.  At one point in the story a "friend" of the narrator makes a comment that narrator was raised as a white man and should live his life as such, that it would be much easier for him to do so.  There is a since that the narrator never really fits in anywhere, partially because of the ambiguity of his appearance and also because he really has no family or close ties.  He ends up drifting through life with nothing to hold him down to one place or tie him to one group (race, family, friends, etc).

Something that I find interesting about The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man is that the issues presented in the book are still relevant today probably even more so, given the fact that the U.S. has a black (mixed) president.  It is amazing how after 113 years very little has really changed in the regards to race and culture in the US.

The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man is not a "light" read when it comes to subject matter.  But Weldon was able to pull me in and make me want to flip to the next page.  I was surprised by how expertly he dealt with each topic and situation in such a sort book.  I think part of the reason is because that it is done in memoir form so the reader gets the feeling that they are listening to an old man reflecting on his journey through life and questioning some of the decisions that he made.


Final Grade: A

Overall Recommendation:

The Autiobiography of an Ex-Colored Man is a must read

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Teaser Tuesday #4


TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:
  • Grab your current read.
  • Let the book fall open to a random page.
  • Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
  • You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
Please avoid spoilers!
This weeks teasers is from Love in the Years of Lunacy by Mandy Sayer

They'd been on the trek several days when Farthing and Marks guessed that Charlie and Blue were, as they joked, "playing bottoms with one another."  There were several telltale signs: a hand on a shoulder, one straightening the other's hat, the traded glances.

page 213 (PDF version)


Don't forget to post a link to your teaser!

I want to read it.

Monday, February 25, 2013

The Vampire Huntress Legend Series Giveaway


Enter to win the first three books in The Vampire Huntress Legend Series by L.A. Banks.

      

Rules:


  1. This giveaway is for the first three books in The Vampire Huntress Legend Series (Minion, The Awakening, and The Haunting) by L.A. Banks
  2. Giveaway is open to residents of the United States only (sorry I can only ship books to addresses located in the United States).
  3. Winners will receive a copy of the first three books in The Vampire Huntress Legend Series by L.A. Banks
  4. All entries most be through the Rafflecopter widget below.
  5. Winner has 48 hours to contact me via email (thelittlereadingnook at gmail dot com) to claim their prize.  If I don't receive and email winner, I will pick another winner (same rules apply).
  6. Winner will be announced via twitter and on the blog.
  7. I think it goes without saying but no cheating (one entry per family and household).

The Giveaway will open at 12am on February 20th and close February 28th at 12am.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Black History Month Blog Giveaway Hop

Because I am completely lazy, I just copied and pasted from Alysia site My Little Pocketbooks.
 photo Screenshot2013-01-24at90219AM_zpsa28aefdd.png

When does the giveaway start?
February 20th - 27th

What is the Purpose of this giveaway hop?
To give black authors, books and those who support them time in the spotlight.

Who can join in this?
This hop is open to any blogger who wants to participate in the giveaway hop. If the site is adult rated, please indicate it in your linky name. (ex. blog name *adult*)

Why join this hop? 
One to raise awareness of black authors and black topics in books. Two, to promote diversity in mainstream literature. Three, because we are giving a prize to one lucky blogger.

Say what!  Blogger Prize?!
$10 Amazon gift card or a $10 book from The Book Depository will go to one lucky blogger.  When you link your blog that will be your number for the giveaway.  Blogger Winner will be picked by Random.org

So what are the Rules? 
Please read all the giveaway rules
1. Before the giveaway starts, please post about the giveaway.  Create a post about the giveaway to encourage more people to sign up. You are more than welcome to cut and copy this post.
Your giveaway must have no more than two required entries for your readers. Please make it easy.
2. The prize has to be a book by a black author, or about black characters, or regarding black history. Gift cards are welcomed as well. No EXCEPTIONS!
3. Please link your blog to the Linky at Reflection of a Bookacholic or My Little Pocketbooks site.
4. Please include the blog giveaway image in your post as well as in your side bar.
Linkys that do not meet these requirements will be removed on the second day of the hop.

What is a black book?
Any of the following count  
1. Written by a black author (from any country)
2. Main character is black (from any country)
3. More than one supporting character is black (and from any country)

Do I have to be black to participate?
No not at all! Everyone is welcomed to join us.

Is there a Button?
Please resize the button for your needs. 
 photo Screenshot2013-01-24at90219AM_zpsa28aefdd.png

If you have any questions not listed here feel free to contact Alysia at littlepocketbooks@gmail.com or Alexis atreflectionsofabookaholic@gmail.com


Sidenote:  I am really excited about excited about this giveaway Blog Giveaway Hop... The books (yes multiple  that I am planning to giveaway I have been wanting to giveaway for a while.  This hops gives me a reason to do it and I found a site that has them on sale.  I will posting the books that I am planning to giveaway on Friday but the entries won't be accepted until the 20th.

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Review: Leaves by Michael Baron

Pages: 207
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Series/Standalone: Standalone
Version: ePub
Publication Date: 2010
Publisher: The Story Plant
Source: Providence Book Promotions

Synopsis (GoodReads):
Welcome to Oldham, CT, a small town rich in Colonial heritage while being utterly contemporary. Situated along the Connecticut River Valley, Oldham bursts with color every fall, as the leaves on its trees evolve into an unmatched palette of scarlet, orange, purple, yellow, and bronze. For more than three decades, the Gold family has been a central part of Oldham in the fall, its Sugar Maple Inn a destination for "leaf-peepers” from all over the country, and its annual Halloween party a stirring way to punctuate the town’s most active month. 
But this year, more than just the leaves are changing. With the death of their parents, the Gold siblings, Maria, Maxwell, Deborah, Corrina, and Tyler, have decided to sell the Sugar Maple Inn, and this year’s Halloween party will be the last. As October begins, the Golds contend with the finality that faces them, and the implications it has for a family that has always been so close. For some, it means embracing new challenges and new love. For others, it means taking on unimagined roles. And for others, it means considering the inconceivable. Complicating it all is a series of "hauntings” that touch each of the Gold siblings, a series of benign interventions that will remain a mystery until October draws to a close. 
Filled with romance, tension, and unforgettable family drama, Leaves is the first in a series of novels about a world and a family that readers will want to make their own.

Review:


Plot Grade: A-

The overall plot to Leaves is not unique. Basically, Leaves is the story what happens to a family once both parents are gone (in this cases deceased).  While the plot is not unique, I think Michael Baron handle the subject masterfully.  It did not read like the same old story and even though it was technically a family drama, the drama wasn't so over the top that readers could not relate to what was happening.  I enjoyed how Baron handled the family dynamic, in the hands of other writers this same story might have come of dull and I might not have been able to finish it.  But Baron was able to weave the past and the present in such a way that the story of the Gold was entertaining.

Characters: C+

The hardest element of Leaves for me was the characters.  There were just so many of them and while it was  easy to tell them apart and get to know their stories.  It was hard to adjust at times.  One minute, the reader is in the kitchen with Deborah and the next the reader is playing the guitar with Corrina.  I understood why Baron wrote the story in alternating characters (all within the same chapter) but it did not help with the flow.

While, I like all the characters and enjoyed their stories, I had a hard time connecting with them.  Mainly because there was five of them and secondly because so little time is spent with each character.  It would have completely changed the Leaves to read Leaves from the point of view of only one character but at times I wished that their were smoother transitions from character to character.

All of the characters had distinctive voices and stories.  The only character that I found inconsistent was Corrina.  In the eyes of her siblings she is a control freak that rules that family.  But when the story is told from her "point of view" I just didn't see behavior in her day to day interactions with others to support that characterization.

Writing: A

There is not much to say about Baron's writing other than he has skills.  There was never a point where the story dragged or I was bored and felt like I should skip a few paragraphs or pages.  In fact, I was engaged the whole time.  One element that I really enjoyed was "hauntings"  only two of them would be considered "big deals" the others were sort of like small hallucination that they characters could have easily imagined.  They did not seem out of place with the story and helped to move the story forward while at the same time providing insight into the characters and their background.

Explanation of Rating:
     
Overall, I enjoyed Leaves by Michael Baron.  It was the story of a family going through a rough transition without being over the top and dramatic (no soap opera here).  The characters were realistic and likely but the fact that their were five of them prevented the true connection.  As a family the Golds were great but overall the lack of connection sort of dragged down the overall grade.

Final Grade: B-


Overall Recommendation:

I would not hesitate to recommend Leaves by Michael Baron.  In fact, I think I would not have a problem with reading other books by him in the future.  At the end of the book Baron mentioned writing follow-ups or sequels for Leaves, featuring some of the characters and what happens to them.  I probably wouldn't read it because I felt that the story had a prefect ending, loose strings and all.

Disclaimer:  I reviewed a free copy of Leaves by Michael Baron in exchange for an honest review in connection with Providence Book Promotions.  All opinions stated above are my own.

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Teaser Tuesday #3


TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:
  • Grab your current read.
  • Let the book fall open to a random page.
  • Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
  • You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
Please avoid spoilers!
This weeks teasers is from Leaves by Michael Baron
Deborah nodded her head slowly, "That's just the thing. I think this might be the new normal.  What if all the tension is a symptom?   What if now that my father and mother are gone - and soon the inn will be as well - we don't have any reason to stay connected?"

~page 127 (ePub version)

Don't forget to post a link to your teaser!

I want to read it.

Sunday, February 10, 2013

Sunday Shorts #3

Photo credit: the bbp / Foter / CC BY 

Sunday Shorts is a weekly feature here at The Little Reading Nook.  Were I review short stories that I have read (normally on a Sunday).  It is my way of diving into the world of short stories and trying to introduce others to them also.

I was catching up on my The Colbert Report watching and came across a segment where Stephen Colbert interviews George Saunders about his upcoming anthology.  While I have never read anything by George Saunders, I think the interview provides a great explanation of the short story.



Now on to this weeks Sunday Shorts.

is the third Sunday, that I am reviewing a short from Ran Walkers 16 Bars:  A Short Story Mixtape.

Description (GoodReads):

Ran Walker's first "short story mixtape" pulls together a varied collection of stories about black men and how they are shaped by the relationships they enter. With topics ranging from break-ups to awkward first dates, 16 Bars is a bold, unflinching, and even humorous take on what goes on in the minds of black men when romance enters the picture.

16 Bars:  

"16 Bars" takes us through a college professor's dilemma of participating on a student's mixtape.
16 Bars is a great example of what George Saunders was trying to explain to Stephen Colbert.  It's a short segment in the life of Professor Dennis and the opportunity that one of his students to spit 16 bars on a mixtape.  Readers get a glimpse into Professor Dennis past and is relationship with hip-hop and rap.  As well as his present family life.

Like the other stories in 16 Bars, this story is also in first person.  It's a great choice because it gives the reader to get to know Professor Dennis and to hear in his own words some of the anxiety he feels about proving himself to his students.  That same students that laughed at him when he told them about his past experience as being an MC.

When the story was over and I read the last sentence, I was disappointed. Not in the story but in the fact that I wanted to know what happened next.

Eight Million:  
"Eight Million" brings together two people who thought (and hoped) they would never see each other again.
Eight Million is a very short story and took me less than five minutes to read but in that five minutes I got a lot of background about the main character and the woman that he had thought that he would never see again.  What I like about this story the most is that there is no a lot of details given but the reader gets the point.  I understood why each of these people had hoped that they would never see each other again.  

Friday, February 1, 2013

Friday Finds #5

Friday Finds hosted by Should Be Reading ask:

What great books did you hear about/discover this past week? Share with us your FRIDAY FINDS!

I am highlighting books that have been sitting in my Google Reader for over 6 months just waiting for me to give them a second look and a spot on my TBR List.  This week I have found 4 books that fit the bill.

(Clicking on the image will take you to the books GoodReads page)



What have you found this week?