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. 

Fifty Shades Darker by E L James

More of the same. The story picks up exactly where it left off and it should have been a continuing chapter not a new book. The dialogue is so redundant and painful to read but I wanted to know how the story unfolds. It is boring reading the same conversation over and over again between Ana and Christian.

Christian-“Oh Ana you’re so beautiful I want to be inside of you all the time.”

Ana –“I can’t believe this super rich, super gorgeous, super beautiful man with super gray eyes want me.”

We find out a little bit more about Christian but the writer is stretching the story. Ana is so annoying, reading her character is like listening to scratches on a blackboard. You just want it to stop.

It’s best to just skip to the sex part. The story takes place only over a few; well maybe three to four weeks and they've had sex how many times. I’m thinking sex addict; well sex is the only way he knows how to express his feelings...really?

Some of the sex scenes are fun and there are some pretty good ideas for experimentation but the story is exhausting.  I had to put my super speed reading powers into motion.

Fifty Shades of Grey by E L James

Because there is so much buzz about this book, I took extra care in reading it. Paying attention to the details and how I felt every step of the way. It is a sexually charged love story.

My first reaction is; impressed. I like the detailed descriptions. The author has me intrigued and interested in Mr. Grey. I can already feel Ana’s excitement and fascination, but the sex is a bit raw for me. The anticipation I felt in the beginning of the book quickly turns to discomfort by the middle of the story. And yes the book is poorly written.

The book begins to lose my interest once Ana turns on the low self-esteem and the self pitying dialogue of “I’m not pretty enough”. When Grey starts to speak during sex, I have to laugh out loud. I can’t keep a straight face, and think, who says that during sex.

How many times does E.L. James have to tell us that he runs his fingers through his hair? Yes we know he has beautiful grey eyes and yes he is so gorgeous. It is disturbing that Ana is so completely obsessed with him. And why is she always murmuring and whispering. Why can’t she talk like a regular person? I get really annoyed with her by the end of the book. In the beginning Mr. Grey sounds intriguing and sexy but by the end he sounds sleazy and a bit yucky.

The book is entertaining, erotic, fun, and comical and dares to explicitly explore BDSM. I found it hard to take some of it seriously, but I enjoyed most of the book, especially the email exchanges.

According to Wikipedia “The series has sold around 20 million copies worldwide, with book rights having been sold in 37 countries, and set the record as the fastest-selling paperback of all time, surpassing the Harry Potter series.” 

Lilies of the Field by William E. Barrett

This is the first book I remember reading as a teenager and it is the reason why I fell in love with reading. I remember completely being transported to another time and feeling as if I was right there with the characters. It was the simple and straight forward style that captivated me.

This is a story about race and faith. Homer Smith is a black ex-GI living life on the open road until he stops at a farm in Arizona and sees four women working on a fence, and later realizes they are nuns from Germany. Homer had no idea that this stop would change his life forever.

The mother superior is convinced he has been sent to them by God to help them build a new chapel. She asks him to do a small roofing repair job. He enjoys the friendliness of the nuns and decides to stay overnight. When he is done, Smith tries to get the mother superior to pay him so he can leave by quoting Luke 10:7, "The laborer is worthy of his hire." Mother Maria Marthe, asks him to read another Bible verse from the Sermon on the Mount, after all she had a bigger plan in mind for him, "Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin. And yet I say unto you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.”

You Can Heal Your Life by Louise L. Hay

“The thoughts we think and the words we speak create our experiences.” Louise L Hay 

This book has a lot of powerful and positive messages, great affirmations and many radical ideas. Louise not only believes there is a direct correlation between what you think and your illnesses, but she absolutely believes that you can heal your body with the right thoughts. She believes that “Forgiveness” can cure many of our diseases. She has specific thought patterns for different problem. Example: Fat Belly – I nourish myself with spiritual food, and I am satisfied and free. There are many versions of the book but I really enjoyed the 2007 release because of all the beautiful pictures. I think it’s very interesting to remember that our thoughts truly affect our bodies.

Louise is known as one of the first to have written a book about how your thoughts affect your physical health.  Her first book “Heal Your Body” was published in 1976.

Spirit Junkie by Gabrielle Bernstein

Gabrielle pulls out the lessons that touched her most from “A Course in Miracles” and explains how they helped her change her life. She brings these lessons to the 20 something and older audience to help us understand how the ego is wrecking our lives. She focuses on the power that is in you (she calls ~ing) and how you have to learn to listen and understand your inner voice. She focuses on developing your spiritual relationship to a higher power in order to realize who you really are instead of letting the ego pull you in all different directions. Connect to your spirit.

She shares her difficult journey with the readers and guides you on ways to overcome your fear. The book includes several meditations and affirmations to help you every step of the way. www.Gabbyb.tv

Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith

I've never thought of President Lincoln and Vampires in the same sentence. This book has an interesting concept and the author is very creative in blending fact and fiction. I almost want to believe in vampires and I think the author might be calling certain people vampires. Not just the vampire described as the undead but people who actually suck the life out of others. It was very easy for me to think of people that reminds me of vampires.

Grahame-Smith cares about slavery and the importance of the Civil War. He is very clever. Unfortunately I don’t know enough about Abraham Lincoln to differentiate enough fact from fiction. I do admire the style in which the author reminds us of the sacrifices that were made to make America a free country.

The book completely surprised me with the depth and seriousness it brings forward on Abraham Lincoln’s mission to abolish slavery. It will be interesting to see what they do with the movie version.