Delorys Welch-Tyson’s Ladyfingers is the sequel to her debut novel, Gingersnaps. The novel takes place mainly on the French Riviera. It was told in a bouncing manner from present day to things that occurred months, even years before. There are numerous characters throughout this book.

This book is about women, mainly blonde women that were poor and came into a lot of money. These women all had one thing in common, once they had received the money, they wanted to change everything about themselves even down to their names. They all contacted Arthuretta Bozell, the owner of Ladyfingers. Ladyfingers a prestigious life style makeover service. All the ladies had to read Madame Bozell’s Guide to Elegant and Proper Behavior and Presentation, Town and Country Magazine and a thesaurus. I almost needed a dictionary and a translator to read this book, for it was written in French and English.

There was a web of lies, throughout this book. If it were not for these four stable characters, I do not believe that I could have kept up with this book. David Simon and his wife Desiree Brown Simon, both authors, Amelia Jackson, a singer, and her Belgian lover Jean Claude Fouret, would be who I consider to be the main characters. It was through these four characters that the story came together in the end.

I would recommend this book to a reader that likes to read things twice. The names fly back and forth so much that it is hard to follow. In the last twenty pages of the book is when it got quite interesting. The names that Welch-Tyson has chosen for her books are some dry cookies and this book was dry.

I rated this a 2 out of 5.

Some may begin shaking their heads at me once they read what I am about to state here. I don’t like reading books that dwell on slavery and those type of unfair and cruel treatment to another human being. Part of my reason is because it was in the past well before I was born; and the another part would be because I can’t change it.

Now I said I don’t like to read; I didn’t say I don’t read it. Then there are the books that have big boned, fat, solid, large, or whatever descriptive word is used to describe a character that is not a small person. I don’t understand why they remind others of a Mammie.

On Sunday night, I watched the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, where Jill Scott starred as the main character. It’s based on the detective book series written by Alexander Mccall Smith. I enjoyed it throughly. Mammie never came to mind and I really enjoyed how smart she was.

So I wonder is it my age? Or am I tired of all the characters being beanpoles and sticks with big tits and shapely hips? This is coming from a very slim person. I’m at an average weight right now, but still if I got implants I would be that character. I have nice colored eyes and if I wanted to I can grow my hair down to my back, but what about the other types of women that are in the world? I have really good friends who are shapely and they don’t remind me on Mammie. I currently have a friend who is big and a nanny, but Mammie she is not.

Right now I’m reading The Help by Kathryn Stockett, which deals with nannies and maids. But I see so much more than that in the characters I have read. Yes, I am enjoying the book. Stay tuned for my indept thoughts on this book once I’m finished.

It must be my age or I look at things through a different color glasses.

Soul Fire by Stephanie Dawkins is a breath-taking, fast-paced novel. The characters are vivid and alive as they jump off the page. This story is told through the viewpoint of one of the main characters, Jacqueline Stokes. Jackie is a financial advisor that moves to Atlanta to start her business and get a fresh start in life– period. She meets Braylon Whitney, a professional basketball player, and thinks she has found the man of her dreams. But has she really? Through the ups-and-downs of being in a relationship with a star athlete and a regular everyday business woman, Dawkins’ Soul Fire depicts the struggle of being in a meaningful relationship.

Due to the poor editing of this book, I could not give the top notch rating that I truly believe that this work of art deserves. Also the actual writing of lyrics of songs in the book could have been left out. It really did not make or break the book. Honorable mention would have sufficed to get the point across.

I definitely recommend anyone in a relationship, searching for the true meaning of love, to read this book. I am awaiting her next novel which will be released in June 2007. It is sure to be a hit as is this offering.

This is the very first review I ever did for APOOO. My rating 4 out of 5.

I’ve been reading since forever and I still have some how missed quite a few great books, because I didn’t always have someone to recommend books to me. Now that I’m a part of APOOO (the review team and the online book club) I have been told about and exposed to many authors I would have looked past; new and old.

In October of 2006, when I received an invitation to review for APOOO, I jumped at the chance. Not every book was worth reading and not every book I read would be something everyone should pick up. However, I enjoy sharing my thoughts, good or bad, on books that I have read.

I will be going back to my past reviews and sharing them here. You never know, I may just introduce you to an author you would not have picked up.

Last week when I went to the library to return some books, I found out that my local library is one of the ones that received a budget cut of $250,000. To make sure that they didn’t fire anyone they went ahead and cut seven positions and raised the fines and cost for various things within the library. Worst of all they will not be bying as many book as they used to.

Let me say that my local library is the one of the worse libraries ever. Why? Because they have slim pickings in the new books, in African Americans section, hell in everything.

This is so depressing. I was trying to cut back on the amount of books that I purchase, but it’s hard when there is really no place to get them but the stores.

If you are lucky to have a nice size, well stocked library, let them know how much you appreciate them by going there and borrowing books at least twice a month. Don’t wait until there hours and funding is cut before you do some thing. By then it may be too late.

As we all know already I am a chronic reader of written works. So we can also agree I’ve seen my share of editing misshaps.

There are three publishing houses that o can think of where their editing department needs to be revamp. I’m not going to name names, but with all the money the authors are bringing in for them. these companies should take a moment to make sure that these books are on point. I’m not asking for perfection, but if I’m spending my money on a book I would hope that the obvious mistakes are taken care of before the books are sent out to the public.

It’s one thing to have an advance reading copy, where the final draft is not signed off on as yet, but to have the fianl draft it’s a bit annoying.

Now self published authors really don’t have a choice but to have their own works edited. But I find some of these books while very good, they lack so badly in the editing area that it becomes a chore to read. Reading for me should not feel like a job. It’s a pasttime that I enjoy and I don’t want distracting mistakes to make me regret picking up a book.

What can we do to ensure that th editing be done correctly? Have you ever found yourself wanting to go back to the store to ask for a refund because of all the errors you have come across?

Life got away from me last week. It’s still full speed ahead like the hare of the tortoise and the hare. Here I am being the tortoise taking my time looking at everything.

It’s been a while since I have updated my reading list for the challenge. Yes I have been reading but not much off of my list. So far this year, I’ve read 17 books. That’s a good number considering that I haven’t been reading like I normally do.

If you are still on point congrats you are almost there. I still have faith that I will get to the finish line successfully.

These are the books I’ve read outside of my challenge list in the last few weeks.

Ramblings: A Blogged Book: Volume One by Angelia Vernon Menchan 4.5/5
This Side of Heaven by Karen Kingsbury 5/5
The Girl with the Golden Shoe by Colin Channer 3/3
The Children of Children Keep Coming by Russell L. Goings 4.5/5
Go, Tell Michelle: African American Women Write to the New First Lady by Barbara A. Seals & Peggy Brooks-Bertram
Temptation.com by S.B. Redd 3.5/3
The Ultimate NO NO by Tamika Newhouse
Spend My Life with You by Christie Joh’nell

Now to update my reading challenge list.

1. Something Like Beautiful by asha bandele 3/3

2. Eat, Drink, and Be From Mississippi by Nanci Kincaid 3.5/3

3. Where The Line Bleeds by Jesmyn Ward (gave up on it as I was stuck at a 2)

4. Belle by Beverly Jenkins 5

5. Bring on the Blessings by Beverly Jenkins

6. What Doesn’t Kill You by Virginia DeBerry and Donna Grant

7. First Comes Love by Shana Burton 3.5/4

8. In Love With a Younger Man by Cheryl Robinson 3.5/3

9. The List by Sherri Lewis

10. The Somebody List by Stacy Hawkins Adams

11. Never Say Never by Michele Cameron 4.5/4

12. Moments of Clarity by Michele Cameron 4.5/5

13. I’m Gonna Make You Love Me by Gwyneth Bolton

14. My Brother Is A Baller by Dorrie Williams-Wheeler 3.5/3

How are you doing? Have you started planning your next list of books for the second quarter?

Yes!
I received an evite to attend Essence Best Selling Author, Sherri Lewis’s book release party; which was this past Saturday. I really had a great time.

I learned something new about Sherri being in attendance. She can sang; not sing but sang. What a way to get the positive energy flowing. She didn’t sing but a little taste of His Eyes on the Sparrow. I wonder who told her it’s one of my all-time favorite songs?

After she had our full attention, did a reading of the first chapter of her newest release, The List.

Sherri acknowledged some key people in her circle of friends and family. Her sister, Joyce, is one of her PR people, she is also her editor. She said that her sister will read every version of every story and tell her like it is. Her aunt and cousin, who surprised her by driving down from Arkansas to surprise her and be with her at her book release party. Her mother, father, and god sister were also in attendance.

She said nice things about all her family members, but one thing that stood out was what she said about her dad. She said he reads all her books as well. Then he tells her what he thinks, but The List he couldn’t quite finish. The reason is because it’s a bit more girly than he needs. However, he said if he was a young man, single, and looking for a woman The List would be the book he would read because of the information given.

Sherri also had a panel in which there were two women and two men. They discussed if ans why they believed women needed to have a list. While they all agreed that women should have a list, one of the guys said that he has a list as well. His list is of the things he will not accept in a woman. I’m not sure if I agreed with that kind of list.

I think what impressed me the most was the other authors who came out to support Sherri. Authors, Rhonda McKnight, Tia McCollars, Ashea Goldson, Dee Stewart (who is also Sherri’s other PR person), and one other author’s whose name I didn’t catch. While I’m sure she has many other author friends who support her she was supporting them as well. She gave out their books as door prizes. Sherri also encouraged us to purchase their books.

Lastly, even though, she has quit her job aas the physician at the women’s prison, she still wants to be able to bring books to those women. So if you can afford to purchase an extra book and send to your local prison, do so. That was the other thing she asked us to do; buy an extra book so she could bring it to the ladies who would barter their cartons of cigarettes to have a new book.

What’s on your list?

Below is an essay I wrote for my English class. The professor had given us the topic of United States Presidents. While everyone else was thinking very serious and using topics that would require research, I looked at it from a satirical aspect. I got a very good grade on it. You read it and let me know what you think of my bizarre thinking. By the way I wrote this paper two weeks ago, not years ago.

Our future depends on the actions we do today. The only thing we can control is the way we execute the actions we would like to be remembered for. The reaction of others is out of our control. Knowing that an outcome of some sort is expected due to an action performed makes me wonder, did Abraham Lincoln wind up on the penny because he wrote and implemented the Emancipation Proclamation. Abraham Lincoln is worth more than a penny for his altruistic act.

Whenever you hear stories about Lincoln, the fact that he lived in a log cabin is always included. His family struggled. They knew what it was like to have land taken away because they could not afford it. In a way Lincoln knew what it was like to be an African American without the skin color. African Americans could not afford many things mainly a free life. I’m not certain that his reason for writing the Emancipation Proclamation was due to the connection he felt to the slaves, but he did write it.

It was believed by members of Lincoln’s cabinet that he issued the proclamation as a strategic move to take away the slaves from the Confederacy as an attempt to bring them over to the Union side of the Civil War. The reason behind his decision to implement the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring all slaves in the Confederacy to be set free, does not matter. The outcome of his actions might have resulted in him being placed on the penny. That does matter. The irony of the color, of the metal, and the color at times used to describe the hue of African American’s skin is uncanny.

African Americans did not have much either, but they valued life and fought to have equality. During most of his life Lincoln and his family also did not have much, but he also valued life and equality. To become the sixteenth president of the United States, and then to be placed on the coin that is worth the least, makes me think. I think about what people really believed about his tactics to invoke freedom and equality among the people he was governing. Thoughts of him being unworthy to the people who pick and choose the person who would be a symbolic icon on our money, linger in the back of my mind. Could the Emancipation Proclamation really be why Lincoln ended up on the copper penny? A better way of life is priceless. Lincoln would have been better off not being remembered on a coin if the satire of it all would mean his gesture would be worth one cent versus being priceless.