Friday, April 22, 2016

PRINCE






























Enough reading. Time to listen.








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Thursday, April 7, 2016

#ThePeopleVsOJSimpson



I, along with just about every one else, was mesmerized by every minute of The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story.  Kudos all around to the people who were involved in the making of this TV gem, with a special shout out to Jeffrey Toobin who wrote the book that the series is based on.  I'm long enough in the tooth to have watched the actual proceedings in real time.  FX did a fantastic job of bringing us down memory lane. It was called The Trial of the Century for good reason. This was an important moment in our history, unlike, say, a Gap Kids ad daring to have a white kid leaning on a black kid's head in one of the pictures, or some random white guy with "the audacity" to wear his hair in dreadlocks. No need to whip yourself into a frenzy over such trivial matters back in the mid-90's. OJ Simpson's murder trial was legitimately a Very Big Deal that brought critical issues to light for inspection by society. Polar opposite reactions to the verdict by many blacks and whites was all too real, no faux outrage required. People too young to have experienced it first hand were gifted with an impressive simulation over the course of several weeks rather than a whopping 8 months. Below are some of my thoughts stated on Twitter as the series unfolded, along with commentary from others.  Now I need a new TV show to fall in love with while waiting for more OJ Simpson documentaries.  Hopefully not another program that will be over with far too soon.  Any suggestions?


















Interesting documentary so far but OJ's sense of black pride or lack thereof probably has nothing to do with him being a cold stone killer.







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Wednesday, March 2, 2016

#StopTrump - Before it's too late


























Enough is enough.














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Saturday, February 13, 2016

Beyoncé Think Piece







Feminists want Bey 2b feminist. Natural hair cheerleaders want Bey as their leader. #BLM civil rights activists want Bey to be woke as hell. The list of causes that people want to recruit Bey as face/body/soul for goes on and on, but what her fans want Beyoncé to be doesn't magically transform her into what she simply isn't.

Bey is none of these things. She's a performer & great self promoter who wants max $ success. No time for or interest in your passions.

Fortunately for Bey, her fans are happy to fill in blanks. She gives an inch and is credited with a mile. She reps whatever u want her to.






Just enjoy the music, the videos, the intoxicating live performances. Let that be enough. And if you can't beat them, join them?



Or do I?




Additional observations of mine about Beyonce and Beyonce-mania:


















Without even reading this article, my own personal theory is that Beck pulled off the feat by putting out a superior album. But I only say that because unlike some people, I believe that's quite possible for someone to do.




AND NOW FOR SOME BOOK REVIEWS.

A Drink Before the War (Kenzie & Gennaro, #1)A Drink Before the War by Dennis Lehane
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Dennis Lehane's debut novel that introduced us to private investigators Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro is an example of him doing what he does best. He brings readers to the gritty streets of Boston where bad people do bad things and the good guys do all they can to make things right. If the line between good guys and bad guys gets a little blurred, such is the nature of life. That doesn't change what's right and what's wrong. The examination of racial tensions and unrepentant bigotry is a worthy effort within the confines of a crime genre novel. I've read novels Lehane subsequently wrote prior to reading his first effort, so I know that A Drink Before the War demonstrates raw talent destined to grow from book to book.

View all my reviews

The AxemanThe Axeman by Ray Celestin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a thoroughly entertaining read populated with interesting characters and intriguing situations right out of history books. But most appealing of all to me was the setting. New Orleans shortly before the onset of Prohibition. This book has the Mafia, vice, jazz musicians, voodoo, racial tensions, interracial love in defiance of the times, crooked politicians, determined police detectives, intrepid private investigators, and as you may have guessed from the title, a serial killer running amok. And let me not forget the predecessor hurricane to Katrina thrown in for good measure. It delivered what the cover copy promised. I can't ask for any more than that.

View all my reviews

NOS4A2NOS4A2 by Joe Hill
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book delivered and proved the old adage that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Stephen King's son has proven capable of giving his old man a run for his money. Taking the merriest of holidays and turning ho ho ho's into a tale of horror was a stroke of genius. Hear Jingle Bells in late November or December and it brings smiles to the faces of those who celebrate Christmas on December 25th. Heard in June and it's straight up creepy because it so obviously does not belong. I wouldn't be surprised if it was this particular event that planted the seed which became NOS4A2. Regardless, Joe Hill's novel is a well executed tale inhabited by characters who are easy to relate to. It features a protagonist who is able to conjure up a bridge with her mind that can take her wherever she wishes to go. We all wish at some point that we had a super power, whether it be invisibility or x ray vision or superhuman strength or the ability to take flight. In NOS4A2 we meet a woman who can find whatever is missing, wherever it may be. But taking too many trips in search of lost things comes at the risk of losing her mind. Or having everyone believe that is what's happening to her. This spooky, inventive story has me anxious to read more of Joe Hill's work, and to take down my Christmas decorations ASAP. Anybody can make Halloween scary but Mr. Hill appears capable of freaking out readers 365 days a year.

View all my reviews

American Gods (American Gods, #1)American Gods by Neil Gaiman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Intriguing premise. The various gods who have been worshiped by mankind over the centuries are real. When belief of them is at its height, when they are being prayed to and sacrifices are regularly made in their honor, their powers are at peak. As the years pass into modern times and memories of the old gods fade, they become shadows of their former selves. New gods are continually created because there are always new things that men believe in and live for and sometimes kill for. But plenty of the old gods, usually masked as common people walking among us, are still around. If enough of them band together, perhaps the ancient gods can vanquish the newer ones in a war. A man named Shadow, who toes the line between the world of man and gods, is enlisted in the cause. There are many books I've greatly enjoyed that I no longer recall many details about. Something tells me that American Gods is one of those books that for reasons I scarcely understand will stick with me.

View all my reviews
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Thursday, February 11, 2016

LOVE STORIES


BUT ENOUGH ABOUT PEOPLE LIKE THAT. THIS BLOG POST IS FOR TRUE LOVERS.




























BEWARE THE FRIEND ZONE - ESPECIALLY ON VALENTINE'S DAY




It was almost as if she had willed him into existence, into standing before her at the precise moment she was willing to accommodate him, arriving not a minute too early or too late. ~ from MATTERS OF CONVENIENCE


Perhaps all love stories no matter how varied are essentially the same. We each search for the person put here specifically for us and play a guessing game with whoever comes along. One of them will be the one we were waiting for. In the midst of uncertainties this inarguable truth sustains us, even if it isn’t true. ~ from MATTERS OF CONVENIENCE



They all believed back then that love lasted forever. By now they surely knew as did he that forever was a treacherous myth, though probably a necessary one. ~ from PATCHES OF GREY




So he decided to suffer from selective amnesia. Forgotten would be the sound of Janet’s laughter; the feel of her lips against his skin; the way her hair spread out over his chest as they lay in repose; the look on her face as they made love; the sound of her voice when she said he was her sun and moon and stars. Only by deleting heaven from his memory did he have a chance to survive on earth. ~ from PATCHES OF GREY




The genesis of their love was physical attraction, and his complexion had lured her the same as hers undoubtedly pulled him. It was not his blackness that she fell in love with, but it was a part of him, and therefore, a part of what she loved. ~ from PATCHES OF GREY



Was love ever easy for anyone? If less complicated, would this make it less appreciated? Perhaps love was difficult for good reason. Perhaps everything on God’s green earth was the result of a flawless plan, even that which seemed most muddled. ~ from PATCHES OF GREY






LOVE TAKES SO MANY SPLENDID FORMS

 NY Public Library Mapped the Best Love Scenes from Books Set in NYC


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Saturday, January 30, 2016

ALL THINGS BLACKNESS



There are a few things I'd like to confirm for you since we get an extra day of Black History Month in 2016.  They will also apply when we go back to a 28 day February.  Also, feel free to follow links to the supporting testimony that pictures and prose below will bring you to.



Yes, BLACK LIVES MATTER and THE STRUGGLE CONTINUES so sometimes it is necessary to take to the streets and remind the world.


Yes, BLACK GIRLS ARE MAGIC.





Yes, BLACK IS BEAUTIFUL.




Yes, I fully believe in and celebrate BLACK EXCELLENCE.






Yes, NATURAL HAIR IS GOOD HAIR.





Yes, WE NEED DIVERSE BOOKS.  I repeat, WE NEED DIVERSE BOOKS.





Yes, BLACK VOTES ARE CRITICAL.





Yes, BLACK COOL NEVER GOES OUT OUT STYLE.





YES, I don't care if you think I'm hotep or conscious or a cornball brotha or whatever. And it's none of my concern if you only celebrate BLACK HISTORY MONTH in February. I embrace it, and black icons such as those depicted directly above for a drop in the bucket of praiseworthy examples, 365 days per year - every year.


Peak Blackity Blackness courtesy of Marvel and Hollywoodland






But let us never forget that long before Wakanda there was Zamunda, courtesy of a movie directed by John Landis of all people.




 









@mudhousebooks #blackhistorymonth #childrensbooks #booktok #blackbooksmatter #blackbooksoftiktok ♬ Instrumen Piano Sedih - kucing tetangga



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Monday, January 4, 2016

By Any Means Necessary?












They agree to review electronic & print ARCs IF/WHEN provided by major publishers, as if those are the only books that may be any good.



I'm sure that author saw such comments one too many times & said F it. Stick Penguin logo on letterhead & suddenly book is review worthy.





























I envy Instagram models. They don't need a corporate stamp to get hits. Just post pics & if they look good, or if they don't, feedback comes















Amazon’s New Review Rules


Best of luck in 2016 and beyond to all of the writers out there who are doing all they can to live that life.
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