Shades of Memnon by Gregory L Walker

The book is full of adventure with mythological and historical tales. It is great to read a fantasy fiction with a strong African young man as the hero. I found it a bit difficult to understand many of the references. I needed more explanation and historical information.
There are references about the Kamitian legends, the Kushite nations and the different Gods like the great serpent Kam-Atef. I need more knowledge and history to fully appreciate the story. It is an exciting read and explores African history from a unique perspective.

This is an epic Adventure, circa 1200 BC, based on the legends of Memnon.

Quote:
You have fire without discipline. Strength without humility. Knowledge without wisdom. (p79)

The Fire Starter Sessions by Danielle Laporte

This is a different kind of self help book. Danielle’s approach/style is very diverse and I think some of her suggestions are a bit radical.

The exercises are great. This is a workbook that should be read slowly because there is a lot of information to process. There are many questions which you may not be able to answer right away. This is not the kind of book you pick up and read straight through. I think to get the most out of the book you should spend at least one week on each session.

She’s witty, easy to read and engaging. The book tries to shake, challenge and motivate you. The exercises are not easy and are quite demanding. It brings to mind the saying “Baptism by Fire”

Two of my favorite lines from the book:
Day to day makes up a lifetime
When you feel disconnected, give

The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander

It is not an easy book to read; the material is difficult to accept but I think it is very important that everyone reads this book because it affects us all. The book has a lot of sobering facts and I found it to be very informative and insightful. How can one justify putting young men in jail for life for small possession of drugs, while murderers and rapists are given lesser sentences. The book does its best to educate the public of “Mass Incarceration” of African American Males. It is not a coincidence and it is not because young African Americans commit more heinous crimes then young Caucasians.

 http://www.newjimcrow.com/about.html

From Amazon - In the era of colorblindness, it is no longer socially permissible to use race, explicitly, as a justification for discrimination, exclusion, and social contempt. Yet, as legal star Michelle Alexander reveals, today it is perfectly legal to discriminate against convicted criminals in nearly all the ways that it was once legal to discriminate against African Americans. Once you’re labeled a felon, the old forms of discrimination—employment discrimination, housing discrimination, denial of the right to vote, denial of educational opportunity, denial of food stamps and other public benefits, and exclusion from jury service—are suddenly legal.

Fifty Shades Freed by E L James

Books I and II are poorly written but book III is absolutely painful to read.Twilight reads like literature compared to this. I had to ask myself “do I love my blog readers enough to finish this book”. The answer is yes and I take a deep breath and continue.

I want to start the “I hate Anastasia club”!

Ana is twenty-two; she "marvels" at going to bed with a man with two different personalities, she’s petty and stupid. Why did the author make Ana so stupid? Are twenty-two year olds really that stupid?  I'm so sick of Ana "oh I'm not good enough, oh it's so hard to get used to being so rich, oh no another $30,000 bracelet" oh please give me a break!

Grey reminds me of my friend’s two year old sun screaming mine, mine; no one can touch her, look at her or speak to her.

The relationship is very dysfunctional. Why would you want to marry someone you are afraid of and you are always saying "please don't be mad at me"?  

The sex scenes are great but they always F it up by talking and the timing is inappropriate and not realistic at all.  The improper timing of their sexual escapades makes it dirty and sadistic.  It takes the eroticism out of it.

 Overall I am glad to be done. I enjoyed reading the wedding vows in book III; they are beautifully written.