Book Review: Comeback Season by Cathy Day

Comeback Season by Cathy Day is a good read for any thirty-something woman who has found herself questioning her choice of career over love. While the main character in the novel longs for a real relationship and a family, she finds herself alone in Pittsburgh facing a dismal dating scene. For many women, the heavy use of football analogies may be overwhelming and hard to follow, but the connection is easy to see as the the protagonist’s ups and downs in love are compared to the highs and lows of her favorite team. While the book is heart-warming, at times, and easy to relate to, less focus on football and more of a focus on a compelling plot would have been two great improvements to the novel.

Book Review: Time to Write by Kelly L. Stone

After beginning my adventures in blogging and becoming much more serious about producing a novel, I found myself stuck in a rut. During this time, I turned to my first love (reading) and began this blog to record my thoughts and reactions to my readings.

Browsing along the shelves in Barnes & Noble, I found the book Time to Write by Kelly L. Stone, which served as a catalyst to renew my writing spirit. Time to Write does not serve as a “how to write” this or that piece kind of book; Ms. Stone instead focuses on the reason that many writers have trouble writing; they simply can’t find the time to.

The book is a small size, very handy for throwing in a purse, bag, or briefcase and it covers topics ranging from how to find & schedule time to write daily, in writing blocks, or in other schedules of time that are detailed in the book, along with how to find inspiration in everything from conversations on the street to past experiences. Ms. Stone discusses how to turn children into “idea machines” rather than distractions and the importance of having your own “writing space” set aside and designated as your time to write.

Whether your reason for writing is personal, to become published, or to boost your business, Time to Write can serve as an excellent guide to help you learn how fit time into your busy schedule to write. Stone also enhances her commentary with quotes and advice from published writers, many of whom maintained families and/or professional careers when they became writers.

Visit www.kellylstone.com for more details on the author and her books.

Review by Debra Johnson of debrajohnson.wordpress.com

Novel Review: Passin’ by Karen E. Quinones Miller

The latest novel by Essence Bestselling Author Karen E. Quinones Miller is entitled Passin‘. As the title implies, the fiction novel centers around a fair-skinned, blue-eyed young black woman who, initially for career reasons, decides to pass for white. She moves to New York and starts a new career, takes on love interests, and successfully fools her co-workers and friends until an unexpected event challenges her lie.

The author does an excellent job of providing social commentary through the character’s dialogue with each other and developing the lead character’s transition from cultural experimentation to a lifestyle change.

Nikkie, she lead character who passes for white is forced to question her own motives as she reaps the benefits of passing, while losing the her place in the black community. Is it really worth it? Will Nikkie get caught? Normally, I give away the whole plot in my reviews, but this is definitely a book that requires you to read it on your own, think about it on your own, and come up with your own conclusion.

I would also suggest doing some research of the “passing” phenomenon, popular doing times of more open discrimination against black, but still going on in present times, as in the case of Nikkie in Passin‘ which takes place in present-day New York. I first learned of passing as a little girl when I watched Halle Berry in Alex Haley’s Queen, and more recently upon reading Our Kind of People by Lawrence Graham. With simple internet research, I learned about some very high-profile cases of blacks who were light enough to pass for white. The whole phenomenon is intriguing and the way that Miller presents it is witty and entertaining.

I would definitely recommend this novel, along with two other novels that I have read by Karen Quinones Miller: Using What You Got and Uptown Dreams. Miller is the author of several other works. For more information, visit her website or click on this link to purchase the book.

Thanks to You!

I am so happy to be helping people through this blog. I have always loved reading and this blog motivates me to read even more. More reviews will be coming up this week! I am committed to posting on my personal blog debrajohnson.wordpress.com on Mondays and I will be figuring out a good day to post regularly to this blog, but there will definately be two or more new reviews this week, probably Comeback Season by Cathy Day, The Insider’s Guide to Your First Year of Law School, and Law School Confidential.

Short Story Review: “Sleeping” by Katherine Weber

Imagine baby-sitting a baby and never seeing the child? This is the situation that Harriet faces in “Sleeping” by Katherine Weber. This eerie short story chronicles the adventure of a young girl named Harriet who, despite being inexperienced with children, receives an offer from Mr. Winter to baby-sit an infant named Charles.

Basically, the Winters give Harriet instructions not to look in on the baby or do anything for the child at all. While the Winters are gone to the movies, Harriet becomes naturally curious and tries to peek in on baby Charles. She finds the door to his room to be locked.

After the Winters return home, they still don’t check in on the so-called baby. Mr. Winters asks Harriet if she understands. She doesn’t really, but in a way she does.

This short story is beautifully written, using simplistic symbolism that forces the reader to question what’s really going on in the Winters’ home. The last name of the young couple, Winter, calls up images of a barren, cold, childless home. It is apparent that Mrs. Winters has lost her baby Charles; by what means, it is unclear. It is clear that the Winters are dealing with their loss by pretending to still have a baby and to need a baby-sitter, when, in fact, they don’t. They pay Harriet well and she arrives home safely, but she will likely never forget the strange baby-sitting experience.

Katherine Weber skillfully captures the reader attention through her dramatic, yet simplistic writing style and I look forward to reading more of her works in the future.

Short Story Review: “The Karate Kid” by Gary Soto

“The Karate Kid” is the story of a young boy, Gilbert, who wants to protect himself from a bully. Inspired by the classic movie Karate Kid, he finds stands up against the class bully, only to be badly embarassed in front of his classmates, including a girl that he likes very much.

Instead of letting himself continue to get beat up by Pete the Heat, the “not so bright fourth grader,” Gilbert decides to take karate classes. He enrolls in the classes, but his teacher is lousy and lazy, accusing the kids of being disrespectful while practically ignoring them and putting no heart into his teacher. The instructor, Mr. Lopez, closes the karate school due to “bad business” and Gilbert is relieved. He has found karate to be painful, difficult, and useless in helping him defend himself against Pete the Heat.

When Gilbert’s mother offers to send him to a new karate school, he tells her that it’s not necessary, and that he she will never hear about him getting beat up again. The reader can assume that this does not mean that he no longer got beat up, but that he simply no longer told his mother about it.

The title of the short story, “The Karate Kid,” turns out to be ironic because the reader learns that Gilbert is not a fighter in any sense of the word. His skills at fighting are lacking and he has no “fighter” in him because he does not press on to become skilled enough at karate to fight back. In fact, he loses interest in karate altoghther, preferring to stick to reading comic books which, “didn’t hurt.”

There are several themes throughout this short story; the theme of childhood memories as Gilbert’s mother is motivated to pay for the classes due to her own unrequitted ballet dreams. There are themes of fighting, winning, and losing. The fighting represents Gilbert’s stuggle to prove himself, for his friend Raymundo it may symbolize letting a friend down (when he does not help Gilbert, calling him a menso) and for Pete the Heat it symbolizes a way for him to hide his own weaknesses.

One can write a whole character analysis on Mr. Lopez, the lackluster instructor who aids in dashing Gilbert’s dreams of becoming a great fighter.

Gary Soto is a short story master and I have been reading many more of his works in Baseball in April and Other Stories while my 8th grade students have taken an interest in his short stories about love.

Novel Review: Steve the Penguin by Mahlena Rae Johnson

Yesterday I was lucky enough to get my hands on a copy of a funny new novel entitled Steve the Penguinby Mahlena-Rae Johnson. I related to the book so well and found it so interesting that I did something that I haven’t done in quite a while; I finished the 189-page book in less than 24 hours! The heroine of Steve the Penguin is the likable, yet sarcastic 27-year-old single gal Bianca. Johnson manages to balance light-hearted comedy, romance, and social commentary in a refreshingly interesting way. Bianca’s thoughts on ethnicity, love, work, and sex mirror many of the things that people want to say, but, like Bianca, don’t always say aloud. Bianca is socially conscious yet socially insecure, full of ambition but at times full of self-doubt, and just like every other single twenty-something woman waiting for her Steve the Penguin to come along.

The main character, Bianca, travels back home to St. Thomas from LA for her high school reunion, where she meets up with old acquaintance, relieves the past, and asks herself what the 17-year old Bianca would think about the now 27-year old Bianca.

Steve the Penguin is definitely a witty, charming, must-read. I recommend this book to anyone out there searching for Mr. or Mrs. Right, or anyone who has enjoyed The Devil Wears Prada, Sex in the City reruns, Girlfriends, pop culture or “pop politics” in general, and anyone out there who has ever “dreaded their high school reunion.”

An added feature to this book is the you get to stay connected to the main character, Bianca, through her blog.For more information on this great new novel or to purchase a copy, visit www.stevethepenguin.com.

New Look For The Blog

I’m trying out new looks for this blog, so if you are a returning reader you will definitely notice some changes over the next few days. I like this theme, but I don’t want it to be too similar to my personal blog- http://debrajohnson.wordpress.com

Is it just me or are magazines boring?

I like to read.  Naturally, I read magazines, books, newspapers, online articles, blogs, the writing of my students, and pretty much anything else that I can get my hands on. However, I have noticed that magazines are just plain boring these days. I mean, how did magazines become pages full of advertisements with articles stuck somewhere in the middle. There are multiple page advertisements, inserts, “beauty” or “lifestyle” or “technology” sections that are full of overly-priced items that the editor’s think, or pretend to think, that you should buy even though some of the products serve the same purpose as the product advertised on the last page.

Even the articles are becoming advertisements for the people who write them. They’ll have feature writers whose product, book, or website seems to be the main focus of the article. I don’t know about anyone else, but I want to read magazines to learn something about the world or about myself, not to hear about this lame artist’s newest project or this entrepreneur’s newest venture.

Also, I’ve noticed that many magazines don’t need to be published every month. They are repeating almost the exact same information from the exact same writers every month. What a waste of paper. I wonder when we as a society are going to start demanding that this waste of paper end and that magazines go online and, in order to make money as they must, simply utilize online subscriptions or individual purchases of each issue rather than waste tons of paper each year. I have one magazine subscription- Essence magazine- and I would not mind logging in to read it online rather than having piles of magazines accumulate in my home. I wonder if anyone else feels this way……Nevertheless, I will start adding reviews on which magazines to skip, which ones to browse, and which ones to buy.

Book Review: The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream by Barack Obama

Whew! It’s difficult to find a lot of time to read lately, but I have picked up a copy of Barack Obama’s The Audacity of Hope. For anyone who may not be aware, Illinois Senator Barack Obama is currently vying for a chance to become the Democratic Candidate for the 2008 Presidential Election. I decided to read the book after Senator Obama won a Grammy this year for reading the book on tape. The most interesting detail about this book is the fact that Obama seems surprisingly aware of the negative perceptions that people do and will express about him and his political career. In the same way that he is able to critique himself, he is also able to see the world around him quite clearly, in a way that many people who have traveled the world and who come from a unique background are able to do.

So…who should read this book? Anyone who is not sure who they want to vote for should definitely read this book- not so that they will end up supporting Obama, but so that they may get a better sense of just how wide of a scope of issues there are out there to read and think about, from the tense, distrustful relationships between politicians, to raising a family, the America dream, foreign relations, and gay rights. Whether you agree with the positions set forth in the book or not, they are certainly worth discussing.

Who will not enjoy this book? Anyone who believes that there is too much focus on “the working man” and the “underprivileged” will find it difficult to tolerate the extremely liberal positions and the focus on unity and giving someone a “hand up.” Also, after reading this book it will be difficult for one to make the argument that there is no substance in Obama’s hope message when, in fact, the whole book covers the topic in substantial detail.

I suggest picking up a copy or borrowing one from someone and reading a chapter or two, or even reading the prologue right there in the bookstore. It is not necessary to read the entire book in order to get a sense of the main thesis of the book.