Reading Slump

I think every reader can relate to this - I am currently in a reading slump **cue the sad music lol**.

I have so many books that I want to read, but I don't have the time or energy lately. When I try to pick up a book, I get through maybe 10 pages (and that is not me at all). I try to chalk this up to the season - it's summertime and I'm out enjoying life, but still...it's taking me forever to finish a book that I would normally have finished in two days. I'll be glad when I get out of this slump!

Hopefully everyone else's summer reading is much more successful than mine has been!

Until we read again...

Review: Here Comes the Sun

Here Comes the Sun by Nicole Dennis-Benn has just been added to one of my all-time favorite books. Dennis-Benn's debut fiction novel was so complex, so rich in story, and so well-rounded that it's hard to believe that this is the author's first book.

Here Comes the Sun is set in Jamaica and it follows the lives of Margot, her younger sister Thandi, and their mother Delores. Margot has been selling her body for years to help her mother make ends meet and in efforts to give Thandi a better education and therefore life. Thandi is not interested in the science that Margot wants her to do so well in. She wants to be an artist. Not only does Thandi struggle in what would make her family happy versus what would make her happy, but she also struggles with her self-image. She uses lightening creams to the extent that she shouldn't even walk outside without an umbrella to protect her from the sun. Finally, the matriarch of the family struggles with the notion that she is not a good mother but in fact has ruined her children's lives. For example, she spends a lot of time coming to terms that selling Margot to a man for $600 at the tender age of 14 was not in Margot's best interest.

While I cannot definitively say that this story is true to the native Jamaican experience, I can say that the story seemed so real. I could feel the characters, their pain, their emotions, their hopes and aspirations - they truly felt real to me. This could be in part due to the fact that the author is a native Jamaican and has probably witnessed first hand what happens on the island outside of the tourist experience. I honestly don't know; but, I do know that there was so much life in this book and in Dennis-Benn's words.

This is not an easy read and it is not for the light of heart. This novel took me out of my comfortable American mindset and forced me to once again realize that life is not to be taken for granted. I know that I can speak for myself and say that I take many things for granted - shelter, food, education, women's rights, and more. When you discover that others go to such extremes such as selling their bodies for an education, it is beyond humbling. This is the power that is in this book. It was an absolutely great read.

Until we read again...

Review: Finding Gideon

If you know me, you know that I am a HUGE fan of Eric Jerome Dickey. Besides Elin Hilderbrand, Kimberla Lawson Roby, and maybe a few others, he is one of the few authors that I closely follow. When one of his books come out, I try to read it immediately. I am that kind of fan of his...

With that being said, I was not that thrilled with Finding Gideon. I'm not sure if it was because it has been years since the last installment of the series came out or what. It's not hard to forget what happened in a series and that is exactly what I did...I completely forgot everything about the Gideon series, except for the fact that Gideon was an international assassin. There were characters that I should have remembered, but I didn't. Midnight was one of those characters. I struggled remembering his backstory. While Dickey did a great job of bringing his readers up to speed as to who Midnight was and his relationship with Gideon (because it was the focus of this story's plot), he did not necessarily do that with many of the other characters.

Another reason why I think I struggled with this book was that it was just difficult to read. Dickey has a way of writing in which he throws several allusions at you at once and you spend so much time trying to keep up with them, that everything just becomes confusing. Dickey is the KING of allusions - I just wish that he paced them out a little.

The plot itself, however, was very interesting. I am trying to figure out how Eric Jerome Dickey does not have a screenplay out there, because he could write the best action film in the world. This book was nothing but sex and action! Those moments in his book were the best. They read like a movie scene - but better than any I have ever seen. The premise of Finding Gideon is that Gideon discovers that his father, Midnight, is actually alive, even though he presumed him dead after he shot him in the face decades prior. Midnight wants to exact revenge and Gideon wants to finish what he started. This feud takes the reader to Brazil, London, and Smyrna, Georgia, as the two men and their posses battle it to the end.

Although this wasn't my favorite book by Dickey, I am still a huge fan. There is so much passion in his work that it is hard not to enjoy his writing. I'll definitely re-read Finding Gideon once I re-read the previous books in the series. In the meantime, if action is your thing, do yourself a favor and pick this book up! You will definitely be entertained!

Until we read again...

Review: I Can't Make This Up

Without a doubt, Kevin Hart has taken over the comedy world by storm within the last few years. He has been in several movies, has done stand-ups, and he has even become a fitness inspiration as a face for the Nike running club. Now he can add author to his accolades.

I Can't Make This Up: Life Lessons by Kevin Hart is a memoir of Hart's life and basically how he has gotten to where he is today. He grew up in Philadelphia with his mom and brother and he didn't have many aspirations for himself until after he graduated school and someone told him that he was funny. It was then that he thought that he could make a career out of telling jokes.

As Hart details his upbringing, he drops some nuggets of wisdom along the way. For example, he said repeatedly that if it weren't for his humble upbringing, that he wouldn't be as successful as he is today because he would not have worked as hard and would have taken each opportunity presented to him for granted. Another of his life lessons was that you can't control what happens in life but that you can control your response and your outlook (something that I struggle coming to terms with!). This was a key theme in his life.

Although all of this sounds very serious and sobering, Kevin Hart managed to keep his book light. Although you're reading about the time his father got axed in the head for some ambiguous reason, you're not left feeling sad, disgusted, or in shock...it is more of a "WHAT!" Even when Hart discusses in detail his strained relationship with his ex-wife, you won't feel anger or disgust for either...you will laugh and say "WHAT!" He truly couldn't have made anything of this up! (Read the book and you'll understand! lol). I don't remember if Hart said this, but with each of these moments, he reinforced the thought that you just have to laugh at life and not to take it so seriously.

I can honestly say that I appreciate Kevin Hart so much more after reading his book. For the last year or so, he has just been annoyingly everywhere! But, now that I see how long it took him to get where he is, I get it. Even when  he was making it and making money, he faced many setbacks  - financially, in his relationships, and with his family, to name a few - setbacks so deep that he questioned everything. This was a very inspirational and motivational book (which I was not expecting) and it has given me the "umph" to keep pushing towards what I want in life.

**SIDENOTE** Don't read the print version of this book...listen to his audiobook, which is read by Hart himself. You will thank me later!

Until we read again...

Half Year Reading Check-In

How is everyone managing their reading goals so far? I made a goal to read 65 books this year and so far, I have read 42! 13 more books to go! Here's a list of my absolute favorite books that I have read this year...

1. Small Great Things - Jodi Picoult
2. The Sleepwalker - Chris Bohjalian
3. The Shack - William P. Young
4. Flowers in the Attic - V. C. Andrews
5. The Eli's Cheesecake Cookbook - Maureen Andrews
6. Big Little Lies - Liane Moriarty
7. Born a Crime - Trevor Noah

Without a doubt, I highly recommend any of these 7 books - I don't know anyone who would be disappointed reading them. 

How many books have you all read so far this year? Are you on track to meeting your reading goals for 2017? Follow me on goodreads - it's pretty cool to keep up with what everyone is reading on the social site. 

Until we read again... 

Barnes & Noble Membership Benefits

For all of my bibliophiles out there, you should seriously consider purchasing a Barnes & Noble membership card, especially if you frequently purchase books. For only $25 a year, you receive a ton of perks, which are listed below...

1. Free shipping on online orders with no minimum order. This is YUGE! It takes the guilt out of online shopping for me because I can save money on gas and I still receive my books in a reasonable amount of time (1-3 business days). I recently bought three books for $13.88 from B&N and did not pay a lick for shipping! 
2. In-store savings. This is also a huge thing for me. Books can be expensive! Especially hard-cover books. With the membership, I receive 40% off on hardcover bestsellers (hello Elin Hilderbrand), and any other books that I purchase, I receive 10% off of those. 
3. Additional savings. Throughout the year, I will receive coupons to use in-store and online. These range from an additional 20% off one item, a percentage off of select items, and discounts on food from the cafe. 

It's easy to see that you receive a lot of benefit for only $25! This year alone, I've probably saved at least $50 by using my membership card! Quite recently, I discovered that they offer a kids club membership, in which you can save money on books as well. For every $100 spent on a kids book, you receive a $5 reward. I spend a lot of money on children's books throughout the year, so this works well for me. 

I'm not a huge fan of store membership programs but the B&N membership just makes sense for me and my family. We frequent the bookstore a lot and it saves us a lot of money. Does anybody else have a B&N membership? How is it working out for you? Are there any other membership programs that work well for you in saving money on books? Drop a comment below!

Until we read again...

Summer Reading Kickoff

Our local library hosts a summer reading kickoff event every year for the kids to get them excited to read. It's a pretty awesome event. They hire a children's performer who plays music, sings, gets the kids dancing, and has lots of bubbles (you can never go wrong with bubbles). In between the fun, he will encourage the kids to read. This year's theme for summer reading is to build a better world, so he was diligent in stressing this point. At one point, he told the kids that if they read and learn as much as they could, they could make a difference in the world - they could even become the president! Like I said, it is a pretty awesome event and very encouraging.

How's everyone's summer reading coming along? Hopefully, it is just as fun as ours is!

Until we read again...