Grab a Book & Play Booktivity! discussion

Read any good books lately that fit our monthly theme?

Here's the place to share your opinions / reactions / recommendations.

Our July theme was suggested by Rosa:
Written by a black author.

Be sure to link to the author's page, or other supporting information (like a facebook page, wikipedia, etc)

Enjoy!

4 stars
Gabourey Sidibe is straightforward with the up and downs in her life including people and herself. The book does have some repetitive spots and some may be bothered by the cussing but does not bug me. I admire her open spirit and willingness to share. I also liked the personal pictures here and there throughout the book.

Getting to Happy by Terry McMillan

This book is the sequel to Waiting To Exhale. I thoroughly enjoyed the book (I expected I would not like it) and gave it 4 Stars. It is the story of the lives and love affairs of women as they age.

Pig Candy: Taking My Father South, Taking My Father Home--A Memoir Lisa Funderburg
5 stars


This is the story of a mixed-race daughter getting to know her black father after his diagnosis of terminal prostate cancer. Her father is a head-strong man with deeply rooted southern traditions, hence the title Pig Candy, which refers to a recipe they made when roasting a pig. Part of the book is devoted to her relationship with her father and the relationships they have with family and the people in a small rural Southern town. The other half of the book deals with her taking care of her father in his last days. Very interesting story!

Even the Stars Look Lonesome by Maya Angelou
5 stars


I read this book quite a while ago, probably around the time it was published in 1996, so when I saw it at a garage sale for 25 cents I thought I might like to read it again. It is a short book and can be read in a few hours. Anyone that has heard Maya Angelou speak knows the deep, lyrical quality of her voice. I could hear her speaking as I read the book and it had a cadence that made it move along quickly. Her words are inspirational and are still relevant today. This book is part autobiographical and part inspirational. My favorite all-time quote and one I try to live my life by: People will forget what you said but they will never forget how you made them feel.

The Good House - Tananarive Due
4★
I found it to be a really good, creepy story that could have done without so much explanation…but overall I have to say that I really enjoyed the book…and I loved the house. The story has a family tragedy…a culture that may be reflected as different to some readers… relationships, both good and bad…a missing dog…an old flame…voodoo… and last but not least, a great supernatural element. There’s a lot thrown into the mix with a lot to take in. With almost 500 pages the story becomes a bit of a drag and a little difficult to keep everything straight. As I said before it would have benefited the entire story and plot line if it could have been a little shorter.

Black Klansman: Race, Hate, and the Undercover Investigation of a Lifetime, by Ron Stallworth
3.5*

Ron Stallworth was the first black police officer on the Colorado Springs, Colorado Police Force. While employed in Colorado Springs in 1978, he noticed an ad in the newspaper looking for new members for the Ku Klux Klan in Colorado Springs. He answered the ad by phone, and soon became a member -- perhaps the only black member ever -- of the Ku Klux Klan while his office did an undercover investigation of the group. During times when face-to-face meetings were required, a fellow police officer would stand in for Officer Stallworth.

The book was quite interesting, and he certainly found himself in some bizarre situations, but the book read more like "Exhibit A" than I would have preferred. All in all though, it was so interesting I would suggest it to others who might like to know more about the subject matter.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Sta...

The Travelers by Regina Porter
3*

This story covers a 50 year span in the lives of two connected families. It has multiple points of view and is sometimes hard to follow.

http://www.reginaporterbooks.com/bios...

What is Not Yours is Not Yours by Helen Oyeyemi
3*

This book was a struggle for me. Short stories are never my first pick to start with. Add in Magical Realism and I have to push my way through them. The writing is beautiful, and this author is extremely talented, but I won't be recommending it.

Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo

Here's the story of 12 women, stretching from present-day London across the century and the length of the country. Evaristo gave us a new dimension towards the diversity of today's Britain.

Different lives somehow are woven into each other. Different perspectives need of situation and daring decisions. Fight for themselves and their loved ones. The central characters of the novel originated from countries like Nigeria, Ethiopia, the Caribbean, Scotland tabled as 'BLACK'.

Racial differences and somewhat gender differences are highlighted to understand their confusion, agitation, and struggles for social and equally against the ideologies of society-which links them together not only a woman but as a human. Bernadine Evaristo very well defines the way to raise children and provide direction for their careers and their careers. She tells so much about how we love and how we grieve for ourselves and others. It's quite tricky to keep a hold on every story. But still, you will love to live with each one of them.

Evaristo wrote this novel in a prose-poetry hybrid style that flows and feels right, with the pace, layout of words matched to the character's voices.

The surprise element rests in the epilogue, which has one main character who thinks herself as white is surprised to discover "only 17 percent of her was British". Evaristo celebrates the mix of African and British in all of our DNA; moreover, she captures the shared experiences that make us one "Human Family".

I'll define this literary art as
“12 LIVES~~BORN~~STRIVE~~REBORN~~GLOW”

3 stars
This historical fiction book is the diary of sixteen year old Joshua Loper. He dreams of becoming a Cowboy and his dream comes true. His Father is off somewhere else to find a job and has to leave behind his worried Mother. Joshua Loper talks about some of the situations and obstacles they face plus the interactions between him and the other cowboys while on a cattle drive. The book is based loosely off a real cowboy. Some of the story line is off putting but it does give a very real peek into the life of a Cowboy on a Cattle drive.

I have been enjoying reading this series.

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett


This was an engrossing tale of African American twins in the south, one with dark skin, and one whose skin is light enough to pass for white --- as long as no one knows her family. The writing is extremely good, and I am interested in reading more books by Brit Bennett.