Cardyn Brooks's Blog, page 20

HunkerDown-Enabled Binge Reading

Greetings to all from the odd and challenging new world of isolation and social distancing—or as innate recluses call it, everyday life.

Seriously though… Gratitude, support, and prayers for all of the essential workers from medical professionals to cleaning staff, people in the food supply chain, store clerks, mass transit and postal workers, truckers, mail carriers, and everyone who is obligated to leave their homes and families each day while the rest of us stay safe at home. Your sacrifices and suffering in service to the greater good of humanity is appreciated.

On an entirely frivolous note, following the Maryland stay-at-home order has provided me with the opportunity to indulge in gluttonous consumption of my favorite brain candy—books. First, the 20+ borrowed from the public library. (Truthfully, at the time that quantity seemed excessive in the context of what was supposed to be a two-week shutdown.) Second, e-books from OverDrive and NetGalley (because the anticipated two weeks of shutdown has rolled out to two months and counting).

So many satisfying reads and gifted storytellers. My #COVID19shutdownReads are sorted according to the dominant type of reading satisfaction delivered.

Plus, ARC reads and reviews for more titles are live for April and May issues of InDtale.com (exclamation marks added by editorial staff) and RomanceDailyNews.com.

Non-fiction
 • Call to Action: How to be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
 • DIY: The Small Business Start-Up by Peri H. Pakroo

Fiction
 • Contagion Thriller: Resistant by Rachael Sparks
 • Heartbreaking Intrigue: A Reason to Believe by Diana Copeland
 • Rom-Com w/Substance: Yours in Scandal by Lauren Layne
 • Switcheroo Partners: Forbidden Promises by Synthia Wiliams, The Love We Keep by Toni Blake
 • Bold Oddballs: Anyone But a Duke by Betina Krahn, Her Scandalous Pursuit by Candace Camp
 • Cowboy Military Veterans: Lucky Chance Cowboy by Teri Anne Stanley, Cowboy Christmas Homecoming by June Faver
 • Adventurous Journeys: Whispers of Shadow & Flame (#2) by L. Penelope, Silk and Song by Dana Stabenow, A Longer Fall by Charlaine Harris
 • Secrets: All About Evie by Cathy Lamb, Hidden Truths by Christina Dodd, Undercover Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams
 • Small-town Charm: A Highlander in a Pickup by Laura Trentham, Mermaid Inn by Jenny Holiday, Wild on My Mind by Laurel Kerr
 • Series: Lost Creed (#4) & Desperate Creed (#5) by Alex Kava, A Murderous Relation* (#5) by Deanna Raybourn
 • Paranormal/Supernatural Fun: Awaken the Dragon by A.C. Arthur, Bears Behaving Badly* by MaryJanice Davidson, The Goddess Gets Her Guy by Ashlyn Chase, Hitched to the Alien General* by Mina Carter
 • Hot & Emotional: The Sweet Spot by Kimberly Kaye Terry, A Girl Like Her*(#1), Damaged Goods (#1.5), Untouchable (#2) & That Kind of Guy (#3) by Talia Hibbert, Handle with Care, Making Up & Hooking Up by Helena Hunting
 • Danger: The Secrets She Keeps by HelenKay Dimon, Shelter for Koren by Susan Stoker, Risk It All by Katie Ruggle, Ruined with You by J. Kenner, Lethal Redemption by April Hunt, Extreme Honor by Piper J. Drake, Calling on Quinn by Blue Saffire, The Beast of Beswick by Amalie Howard, The Bachelor by Sabrina Jeffries

 *particular favorite

 Stay safe,
 Cardyn 

#HunkerDown Reading

Resistant by Rachael Sparks
Spark Press 2018
Sci-fi surrealism

Is this author clairvoyant? Or as a scientist has she extrapolated a possible future based on current facts? In Resistant, it's 2041 and fifteen percent of the human population is dead from being infected by an antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Sound eerily relevant? Sure, COVID-19 is a virus, but the template for this imaginary manmade catastrophe bears striking similarities to the world's present-day reality.

Die-off survivor and microbiology student Aurora “Rory" Stevigson lives with her climatologist father Byron Stevigson on an apple farm in Massachusetts. Their grief over the loss of Dr. Persephone Tyler-Stevigson shadows their playful father-daughter rapport as they struggle to heal themselves while also helping others in their isolated community. When a mysterious man who introduces himself as Navy appears, everything Rory believed about her life becomes questionable, which puts her in danger. Her survival and the safety of everyone she loves send her on the run. Dodging assorted unscrupulous authorities, unethical scientists, and Mother Nature forces Rory and Navy to rely on each other. The push and pull of their suspicions and attraction combined with their humorous, often combative, exchanges create a multifaceted courtship that's believable even within its accelerated timeline.

Each character—primary and secondary—projects an authentic, distinctive complexity. Resistant is a Sci-fi mystery, thriller, romance, and more. Narrative pacing that gains momentum with each added puzzle piece makes this engaging story a one-sitting read.


How To Be An Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
One World/Penguin Random House 2019
Non-fiction memoir

This unflinching, self-revelatory memoir challenges readers to declare themselves as racist or antiracist. There is no middle ground. The emotional intimacy and confessional tone of the author's revelations about his personal journey through racist ideology effectively provokes deep, uncomfortable thoughts, making it a more viscerally grueling read than Stamped From the Beginning because the consequences of dynamic versus passive action feel more immediate. Dismantling entrenched systemic, institutionalized, policy-driven inequity requires deliberate, intentional assertive strategy and execution. Success demands stamina combined with hope. 

Some passages convey the fervent zeal of a recent religious convert, where passionate discourse occasionally threatens to cross the border into haranguing territory. There are a few statements that seem dismissive of people's well-intentioned motives combined with definitions at the start of each chapter that include the words being described in the explanations that present minor distractions from the overall compelling intensity of this call to action. .

How To Be An Antiracist merits multiple readings. With an introduction, eighteen chapters, acknowledgments, notes, and index that individually and collectively challenge readers to dig deeper into the source and context of their personal biases, this material offers an ideological roadmap. The path is summarized on page 226 where the author encapsulates his experience in researching and writing his earlier book, Stamped From the Beginning:
A mission to uncover and critique America's life of racist ideas turned into a mission to uncover and critique my life of racist ideas, which turned into a lifelong mission to be antiracist.

Becoming An Antiracist would have been an equally accurate title.


The Polyamorists Next Door by Elisabeth Sheff
Rodman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. 2014
Non-fiction

First comes love/Then comes marriage/Then comes the baby in the baby carriage. The words to this ancient chant reflect numerous cultural assumptions and expectations. The Polyamorists Next Door deconstructs them, expands, reassembles, and debunks them. Respectful examination of polyfidelity, polysexuality, radical honesty, and other concepts push beyond the rigid boundaries of conventional monogamy to provide insights into the benefits, vulnerabilities, and risks of relationship configurations that don't conform to a cis-gendered template.

Dr. Sheff discreetly shares relevant details of her private life in measured proportion to the specifics of the lives of her study participants and the history of earlier fundamental scientific research on polyamory. The author’s writing style is very accessible for readers who aren't academics. The introduction and part one explain core principles, basic terms and ideas in addition to three major waves of polyamory in the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries. Some terms that seem pejorative such as “polluter" were coined by researchers who conducted earlier studies and are used by this author as referential context, not judgement.

Part two focuses on polyamorous families with children, which provides anecdotal and statistical data about the application of the theories discussed in part one. Bedrock tenets of self-growth and rejection of jealousy, and persistence and the ability to tolerate (as in successfully negotiate through) conflict are recurring themes. Also, expanding ideas in defining authentic intimacy as found on page 279:
A cultural component of polyaffectivity is removing sexuality as the hallmark of “real" intimacy… then nonsexual relationships can take on the degree of importance usually reserved for sexual or mated relationships… friends and chosen family members can be as or more important than a spouse or sexual mate. 

Acknowledgements, an introduction, two parts—“Understanding Polyamorous Relationships" and “Polyamorous Families with Children"—a conclusion, two appendices, notes, a bibliography, and an index provide multiple references and resources for further study. “Loving More" magazine, A Bouquet of Lovers by Morning Glory Zell-Ravenheart, numerous websites, and mention of a national poly conference are named throughout this provocative text that advocates for healthy relationships for all, no matter how they’re configured.
  

Real American Dirt, a Chef, Cowboys & Sleuths (w/Fur Babies)

Reviewer’s note: The two books by Reyna Grande were read in anticipation of attending her panel discussion with American Dirt author Jeanine Cummins at the #GaithersburgREADS event on March 31, which is cancelled for now with the intention of rescheduling.

The Distance Between Us by Reyna Grande
memoir
Washington Square Press, 2012

A Dream Called Home by Reyna Grande
memoir
Atria Books, 2018


The Distance Between Us begins with a map showing the border of the lower forty-eight United States and the northern Mexican states. It appears deceptively benign. For this author the more than two thousand miles separating Iguala, Guerrero from Los Angeles, California represent generational divides overflowing with dreams deferred and associated through spiraling cycles of economic oppression, despair, and cruelty. Alienation of affection from self and others builds momentum in the family’s psyche and manifests in their daily lives in ways that are subtle and explosive. Unpredictable swings of being with and without her mom and two grandmothers as a young child in Mexico in the constant presence of her siblings while longing for the fantasy of their always absent father is the focus of Book One. Book Two moves to Grande’s time with her father in the United States. Both parts speak to the audacity of hope in the midst of daunting, chronic disadvantageous circumstances. This first installment of the author’s memoir ends with her move from L.A. to attend the University of California at Santa Cruz. It mentions details related to the end of her father’s life. Although many of the black and white images include the author’s parents, it’s the second installment of her memoir, A Dream Called Home, that reveals the most information about Juana and Natalio Grande as individuals, and explores the emotional and economic inheritances passed down to the author and her siblings.

Where The Distance Between Us offers readers a powerless child’s point of view of a harrowing existence,  A Dream Called Home starts with Grande as a fledgling adult, then moves through her evolution into wise woman. She pursues clarity about herself as an individual in the context of her family and academia in Book One; parenthood, the professional world and publishing in Book Two. Themes of reconnecting join the two parts. At this phase of the author’s life circumstances force her to reconsider and expand her beliefs about her mother, her father, her two grandmothers, and her siblings. New truths dissolve the oasis of her childhood wishes and challenging personal experiences generate a deeper understanding of herself and her elders that clears away condescending judgement to replace it with admirable compassion.

Forthright honesty that spares neither the author, her family members nor her readers from the disturbing details of her experiences resonates into a layered complexity of emotional friction and contradictions. Her narrative voice is profound yet brisk in the tradition of the most compelling adventure stories. Her personal saga begins in The Distance Between Us as the chasm that separates the instability of her childhood and the potential outcomes for her future. It continues in A Dream Called Home in which she comes to recognize that she’s carried her foundation within her since her birth. Now that she’s broken the dominant unhealthy patterns in her life, it’ll be even more enlightening to read about the next phase of her extraordinary journey.

[observation: Squeamish readers may want to skip or skim the passage in which Grande explains the reason for her extreme aversion to spaghetti.]
https://reynagrande.com/books/


A Cowboy to Remember (Cowboys of California #1) by Rebekah Weatherspoon
contemporary romance
Kensington/Dafina Books, February 2020


Rebekah Weatherspoon is an author whose writing style hooks a reader’s interest on the first page regardless of the premise. In A Cowboy to Remember Evie Buchanan is riding a wave of professional success. She’s a respected chef, cohost on a popular morning show, and a social media darling. Yes, the holidays make her feel sad and lonely, but she’s developed coping strategies. Taking a moment to regain her emotional equilibrium at a work party leads to an incident with cascading effects on her health and her future. Childhood bestie Zach Pleasant and his brothers reenter her life, which changes everything.

This second-chance love story delivers complicated family dynamics, intergenerational conflict, and an organically inclusive spectrum of all kinds of people, especially self-confident women and privileged people of color. Grief, forgiveness, and personal growth in addition to compromise and recognizing who and what matter most in a fulfilling life are some of the prominent themes. Establishing healthy priorities and making leaps of faith also dominate Evie and Zach’s charming, sexy love story about the gifts of rediscovery when seeing someone through fresh eyes and greater maturity. A Cowboy to Remember is a strong start to what promises to be a satisfying series.

http://www.rebekahweatherspoon.com/books/


Mimi Lee Gets a Clue by Jennifer J. Chow (Sassy Cat #1)
contemporary mystery
Berkley Crime, March 2020


Has the stress of opening her own pet grooming salon driven Mimi Lee into hearing voices—from the cat her younger sister rescued from a shelter? That’s only one of the questions earnest, socially awkward Mimi is forced to answer as she strives to prove her innocence when circumstances make her the prime suspect in a murder investigation.

Shady dog dealings, wealthy ladies who carry their fur babies in handbags, posers, hustlers, workplace competition, and the obligations of family loyalty add substance to this quirky mystery romp. Interethnic intimacy and tension tug on threads about immigrants (Mimi’s mother’s “Manglish” might feel problematic to some readers) and first-generation birthright U.S. citizenship as a source of cultural identity angst. This cast of individually distinctive characters is broad in its representation of people of various ages, social classes, levels of privilege and marginalization in addition to ethnicity. Mimi Gets a Clue ends with the implication of more clumsy, charming adventures to come. Bring it.

https://jenniferjchow.com/

#Smashwords Annual Sale during #EbookWeek20

Dodging Eros, Through Past, Present and Pleasure (Extra Stories) by Cardyn Brooks is FREE!

More Than Enough by C. X Brooks is only $.99!

https://www.smashwords.com/books/category/1/newest/1
(Remember to deactivate the adult content filter.)

Celebrating All Kinds of Love

Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am 
Directed by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders
Magnolia Pictures documentary
2019


Toni Morrison’s voice as the primary narrator of this kaleidoscopic collage of her life and her work stands out as the featured soloist in a chorus of exceptional voices. Angela Davis, David Carrasco, Farah Griffin, Fran Lebowitz, Hilton Als, Oprah Winfrey, Paula Giddings, Richard Danielpour, Robert Gottlieb, Russell Banks, Sonia Sanchez, and Walter Mosley convey their admiration for her genius literary artistry and her friendship.

More than two hours are filled with insights about her family history, creative influences, writing process, dynamic feminism regarding pay equity; snippets of interviews with Dick Cavett and others. Voice cameos, atmospheric music, and a smorgasbord of artwork caption, score, and illustrate the richness of this phenomenal woman’s complexity.

From 1993 after the announcement of her Nobel Prize for Literature, there’s a video clip of her response to a news reporter’s question about what she’s saying that they [readers] want to hear” “I think I write well. And I think I have a distinctive voice…”

Every second of “Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am” supports the truth of her understated reply.

When Oprah Winfrey says, “And she was loved!” from the conclusion of Song of Solomon, it resonates as a fitting benediction.

Also, all of the deleted scenes are must-sees.



Advertisements for Love Series by Vanessa Riley
The Bittersweet Bride, The Bashful Bride, The Butterfly Bride,
The Bewildered Bride
Entangled Publishing 2018 – 2019
historical romance


With the Advertisements for Love series Vanessa Riley continues the tradition established by Beverley Jenkins of portraying the Black experience as a multifaceted spectrum in historical romance fiction. More specifically, this series focuses on the Blackmoor and mulatto enclaves in the Spitafields section of London, England, where economic and intellectual privileges generate advantages and dangers for racially ambiguous people, especially girls and women.

Each story’s title accurately conveys its overall tone. Theo and Ewan’s love has soured due to lies and callous treatment in The Bittersweet Bride. Reticence about revealing themselves and being vulnerable dominates Ester and Arthur’s love story in The Bashful Bride. Frederica and Jasper’s more extended courtship through an evolving friendship is the most lighthearted entry of the series in The Butterfly Bride, which chronologically precedes The Bewildered Bride. Ruth and Adam’s story is the most directly emotionally fraught in terms of past and present suffering in the romantic connection between the two lovers. As individuals and as a couple, they experience the most physical violence and traumatic aftermath. Each saga shines as a stand-alone, but reading them in chronological order provides additional narrative momentum.

Overlapping themes of sociopolitical, economic, racial, class, and gender implications are masterfully entwined with a strong sense of the physical geography of London and its suburbs. Sadly, the themes about discrimination, oppression, and abuse of power resonate as applicable to present-day struggles for equality and social justice two hundred years later. The author’s notes regarding her research enrich the cultural context and tempt readers to pursue a deeper study of the 1800s.



After the Wedding by Courtney Milan
historical romance


Who is worthy of love?

“Everyone” seems like the obvious answer, but not in England in the late 1860s. According to most of society, Lady Camilla Worth is expendable, shuffled from one inhospitable residence to the next. Despite their aristocratic heritages, she and Adrian Hunter are treated as tools and pawns destined to be used and sacrificed for the advancement of greedy, powerful men. Circumstances beyond their control force Camilla and Adrian into a shotgun wedding that eventually offers each of them their heart’s desires with clever spins on themes from The Gift of the Magi. Gender, ethnicity, social class, relationship status, and political implications provide a rich broader context for this tender love story about two outsiders who move from being strangers to allies to friends to lovers during a whirlwind adventure. This homage to the audacity of hope in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds against triumphant results celebrates people who consciously choose to love with their whole hearts, despite the many significant risks of doing so.



The Penny Finder by Aressa V. Williams
ISBN: 0-9786965-0-6


In this contemplative and semi-autobiographical poetry collection, the self-identified word-weaver creates an intimate verbal tapestry in three parts. Tender Times celebrates the simple pleasures that observing nature offers: the movement of light in “Sun Balls Dancing” and earth as life’s ultimate school in “Learning Naturally” where Nature’s tranquil classroom is a gentle, authentic teacher. This first part highlights the bubble of youth and innocence before they’re impacted by society’s impositions, digital and other sensory bombardments.

Part two, Hills and Valleys, offers readers emotional upheavals related to personal trials, tribulations, traumas, and their aftermath. D.C. landmarks are cast as sign posts reconfigured, erased or now gentrified. “To Live” and “Summers Ago” encapsulate the range of focus from intimate vulnerability to nostalgic whimsy. The nostalgia provides a smooth transition into part three of Path Mates, which honors specific individuals by name, by position, and by association to the poet. “You’re the Reason Why…” is haunting in its polar opposition to the despair in 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher. “Son Day” echoes the core insecurities of parents who worry about providing everything that their children need.

Rainbows, sunlight, angels, and other symbols of promise, hope, and divinity appear in all three parts. Yet in each part a different facet of these recurring themes gets revealed. The Penny Finder encourages readers to pay conscious attention to each moment and each person in their lives in order to recognize the wealth of experiences waiting to be appreciated.



Eight Kisses, Eight All-New Tales of Hanukkah Romance
Edited by Mindy Klasky and Lori Ann Bailey
Peabridge Press  November 2019


Thematically linked to the eight nights of Hanukkah, this anthology offers readers an enticing assortment of holiday romance—from the sweetness of childhood friends reunited as adults in “Hanukkah Kisses” by Erin Eisenberg to steamy encounters and spicy language in “Frisky Connections” by Michelle Mars. There’s a historical set in Scotland in the early 1800s that launches this collection of mostly contemporary stories. Meet-cutes, dating apps, second-chance loves, whirlwind romances, and long-time loves between characters of all ages establish relationships with shared faith, interfaith, and interracial (interethnic since we’re all members of the human race) connections.

Eight Kisses celebrates the power of love through remembering and sharing one’s origins, family heritage, cultural traditions, and history of triumphing despite desperate odds. It highlights the importance of being fully present in each moment of one’s life. Plus, the stories offer an engaging mix of humor, conflict, adversity, emotional and physical intimacy.

Birds & Bees... Not STIDs

February is the month for exploit—I mean—celebrating love!
Romance fiction does that 24/7/365, which is awesome.

What’s NOT awesome?

Far too many contemporary hetero romance novels still include scenes similar to the following:
Things are getting hot and heavy. Clothes are coming off, then they realize no one has any condoms.

He says,” I’m clean.”

She says, “Me, too. And I’m on birth control. I’m safe.” (Or “I’m protected.”)

My thoughts as a reader: No you’re not!

[This author’s confession: I’m a reformed offender in the general category of scientific fact versus fiction regarding medical accuracy in sex scenes. Ex. as in physical evidence of virginity.]

Even acknowledging that it’s fiction with expectations of creative license and a reader’s suspension of disbelief doesn’t make any variation on the core message of this factually untrue exchange acceptable this far into the 21st(!) century. Sexual activity involves risks. Safer sex practices* mitigate them. Rates of sexually transmitted infections and diseases have generally been increasing, not declining, in recent years in the U.S. with a trend toward steeper rates of infection among young adults and senior citizens. [CDC]
(Surprise! AARP membership and sexy times are not mutually exclusive.) 

Here are two books** that can help people make informed decisions about their sexual activities and their overall medical health as proactive collaborators with their healthcare professionals. (And yes, unfortunately, easy, equitable access to affordable, high-quality healthcare is not—yet—a universal truth.)

*Thanks to uberlube.com for the free samples, and their site’s suggestion for users to test the compatibility the lube with toys, etc.

**No matter how accurate, books are not substitutes for consultation with and treatment by scientifically informed, accredited, licensed and board certified medical professionals.



Sex for Dummies, 4th Edition
By Dr. Ruth K. Westheimer with Pierre A. Lehu
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.  October 2019


On page 39 Dr. Ruth states that “good sexual functioning is the primary purpose of this book.” It delivers. A brief overview of the scientific studies conducted by Masters, Johnson, and the author’s mentor, Dr. Helen Singer Kaplan segues into explanations of basic anatomy, terminology, and instructive anecdotes. All of the information is presented in manageable blocks of related details that flow on the page as if spoken by Dr. Ruth directly into the reader’s ear. Although early on Sex for Dummies acknowledges its heterosexual focus, throwback heteronormative assumptions are noticeable. This observation on page 122 is one of them: “…finding out about an unintended pregnancy can be one of the loneliest and scariest moments of an unmarried woman’s life.” Marital status alone doesn’t dictate a person’s attitude toward an unintended pregnancy. Commentary about date rape and abortions, porn, and prostitution may also generate robust debate. Icons, illustrations, side bars, subheadings, and an appendix full of suggested resources, combined with Dr. Ruth’s pragmatic approach to healthy sex as an essential element of life presents medical information in an accessible way.


Our Bodies, Ourselves, 40th Anniversary Edition
The Boston Women’s Health Collective and Judy Norsigian
Atria Books  October 2011


Originally conceived at a time when the bikini approach (Dr. Tara Narula’s phrase) to treating women’s medical health was the norm, Our Bodies, Ourselves supported a holistic philosophy upon which this fortieth anniversary edition continues and expands. It’s a comprehensive user’s manual for female human bodies. Based in scientific fact, this text does not judge; it provides essential information to encourage people to make thoughtful choices based on their specific circumstances. There’s a hierarchical ranking of sexual activities from most to least risk that may generate some debate among medical professionals.

Although it addresses an exhaustive range of medical considerations and phases of life, Our Bodies, Ourselves does not eliminate the need for regular in-person consultation with legitimate medical professionals. This text does offer readers information that helps facilitate a deeper understanding of one’s body or partner’s/partners’ bodies, and effectiveness in conversations between patients and medical practitioners. It encourages people to become informed consumers of and advocates for their overall healthcare.

Outsiders to the Rooms Where It Happened: Two-State Solution Edition

Legacy of Empire by Gardner Thompson
Britain, Zionism and the Creation of Israel
political history
Saqi  February 2020 (U.S.)


With meticulously researched and annotated details worthy of the most strenuously vetted academic text deconstructed from the Ottoman Empire forward, Legacy of Empire satisfies the intellectual cravings of serious sociopolitical historians and curious everyday citizens. Maps, illustrations, photographs, a timeline, nine chapters, a bibliography, an index, and acknowledgements provide factual structure for a compelling narrative that fills in layers of overlapping and competing personal beliefs, religious ideology, shifting political interests and military objectives.

The introduction examines the differences between anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism. These distinctions substantially impacted the reasoning and motivations of the men who mandated changes to the map of the world before, during, and after the two world wars. In providing context for the unique traits of The Jewish Question relative to other circumstances of subjugated people, the author states this puzzling opinion on page xii:

For the most part, previous British imperial decision-making along such lines had been shrewd and realistic… And not all colonialism caused trauma among the colonized. 

Although there’s overwhelming documentation in the historical record to refute this odd claim, the remainder of the text stays true to its stated goal of being a multifaceted, impartial study of the many complicated factors that contributed to the current political quagmire and territorial friction between Israeli and Arab people in Palestine.

Legacy of Empire primarily addresses the question of “How did we get here?” regarding the failure of a peaceful two-state solution for the Israelis and the Arabs. It also considers colonialism more broadly as an entrenched sociopolitical ideology and economic strategy for amassing power, wealth, and resources. Political versus cultural and spiritual definitions of identity, mainstream assimilation, political expediency, personal biases, competing concepts of nationhood, ignorance, and more contribute to sorting those who rule from those who are ruled; oppressors from oppressed; privileged and exploited.

If at its core colonialism is governance without representation, then there are parallels between The Jewish Question connected to the attempted exclusion of Arabs from Palestine as indigenous people, The Indian Question, The African Question, and The Irish Problem with Edwin Montagu as a 20th-century Cassandra.

Legacy of Empire examines Britain’s culpability as originators of the Israeli-Arab conflict in Palestine who through ignorance and arrogance created a problem for which they abdicated responsibility when an easy solution became impossible to achieve. By the time the author states on page 275 that “Their legacy was a continuing conflict between two communities they had done so much to bring to mutual antagonism,” the facts presented establish strong support for this conclusion.

https://saqibooks.com/books/saqi/legacy-of-empire/


[collage components: commons.wikimedia.org, EarthDirect, ucc.org] 

Nutcrackers, Puppies and Mayhem

Not the Girl You Marry by Andie J. Christopher
Contemporary New Adult romance
Berkley  November 12, 2019


After a somewhat hostile meet-cute, successful event planner Hannah Mayfield and aspiring investigative political journalist Jack Nolan each find themselves caught in an ethical dilemma. Once readers embrace the core premise of premeditated deceit executed with clear intentions of making amends, Not the Girl You Marry is an otherwise entertaining and thoughtful meta contemplation about the pitfalls of dating in the 21st century.

Each character’s family circumstances and dating history act as both filters and mirrors that reveal their struggles in establishing integrity of self, and finding the people and places where they’re recognized, valued, and welcomed. As often found in mainstream romance fiction, generalized statements about men and women clank as outdated along with viewing singlehood as a fate that’s worse than death. Funny pop culture references to hipsters and Marie Kondo resonate as authentic to present-day social influences. Relatable themes about being type-cast in life according to narrow expectations shaped by ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, professional occupation, social class, and other superficial traits explore the layers of an individual’s identity.

In particular, Hannah’s deep friendship with Sasha and their candid conversations about their dating challenges reveal the tenacity of entrenched ideas about good and nice women versus bad and bitchy ones, and the trickle down effects of this limiting dichotomy. Recent news reports of registered sex offenders on dating apps, and Gabrielle Union’s being labeled as a “difficult” woman for challenging the corporate culture at America’s Got Talent make Not the Girl You Marry a timely read.

Hannah and Jack’s story offers lots of laughs and real emotional depth. All of the characters are multifaceted and nuanced. Family dynamics shift and crystalize in believable ways. Reading the author’s note provides additional emotional context for this candid homage to the heartaches and gifts of otherness.



Puppy Love & Puppy Christmas (Forever Home #1 & #2) by Lucy Gilmore
Contemporary romance
Sourcebooks Casablanca  May 28, 2019 & September 24, 2019


The Vasquez sisters mean business, as in training service dogs for humans in need. In Puppy Love, deceptively sweet Sophie has to conquer the blowback of her own childhood trauma in order to help stoic Harrison Parks overcome his ongoing emotional and medical challenges. Their courtship is awkward and poignant, funny and provocative. Sometimes the narrative pace drags under the weight of Sophie’s and Harrison’s angsty ruminations, but their brooding portrays relatable anguish associated with their circumstances. Themes of celebrating sisterhood, various familial configurations, and professional callings based in honorable public service offer irresistible emotional layers. Only the dismissive glossing over of the source of Harrison’s childhood trauma leaves a slight aftertaste of dissatisfaction.

Glimpses of pragmatic oldest sister Lila in the very good Puppy Love generate anticipation for her unconventional love story with Ford in the superb Puppy Christmas. Along with Lila, a delightful child, her nurturing father, and a dedicated puppy hook readers into cheering for them as complicated individuals and as a future loving family. Secondary characters of neighbors, coworkers, and extended family members are as distinctly rendered as the featured characters. In this second entry in the Forever Home series the author has honed the narrative pacing, and the portrayal of the many gifts of sisterhood to include a broader community of quirky, resourceful women. With a nod to a particular scene in The Truth About Cats and Dogs and other story threads that celebrate earnest oddballs and outsiders, Puppy Christmas is an utterly charming story about recognizing and valuing oneself.

The only downside to this series is that book three, Puppy Kisses, isn’t scheduled for release until June 2020.

From The Black Count to Black Panther: Page to Screen, Reality and Fantasy

[Black Power African continent image from IMGBIN.com]


Black Comic Book History by Demetrius Sherman
Bonus: Super Heroes Who Protect Africa
2019


Bummed that Black Panther II isn’t scheduled for release in theaters until 2022? Black Comic Book History eases that impatience. Before #WeNeedDiverseBooks and #1000blackgirlbooks, Alexandre Dumas created The Three Musketeers, journalist Orrin C. Evans published All Negro Comics, and Morrie Turner was the first black cartoonist whose work was syndicated in mainstream newspapers. Unfamiliar with those names and achievements? You’re not the only one. Demetrius Sherman uses the introduction and seven succinct chapters as a survey of the evolution of black characters in visual media from the 1700s to present day. His research includes images of vintage comics panels and newspaper articles along with sociopolitical context and his personal commentary. Though brief, this informative volume entices readers to pursue more details about Matt Baker, the first black artist in mainstream comics, and others whose names and accomplishments have been underrepresented.

Near the end of Black Comic Book History on page 44, the author hopes “… Hollywood and the comic book industry will leave the offensive stereotypes in the past.” That hope resonates with the Disney Plus streaming service’s current public relations and branding challenges regarding its disclaimer about racist movie stereotypes in its offering of “classic” films. Demetrius Sherman’s book tracks how much the comic book industry, and its migration into film, have grown and expanded to become more inclusive. It also hints that this growth is an ongoing process.


https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Demetrius+Sherman&i=stripbooks&ref=nb_sb_noss



The Black Count by Tom Reiss
Broadway Books  September 2012


This exhaustive, long overdue biography of General Alexander Dumas (father of the novelist; grandfather of the playwright) offers a historical overview of France, the international geopolitics of Europe and the U.S. and the slave trade before, during and after the French Revolution. The Black Count is constructed in three parts and the sections about military requisitions, battles, and fallout read like swashbuckling adventures.

T.R.'s meticulous scholarship and research pack this true tale with interesting facts and details that flesh out common characters in history like Napoleon, Admiral Nelson, and Marie-Carolina (Marie-Antoinette's sister) in new ways. Every middle- or high-schooler (adults, too) would benefit from being required to read it to make the study of history and politics and civil rights more enthralling.
[Of the 400+ pages, approx. 330 are text; the other pages are reference info.]

Moving Forward. Looking Back.

The Persistence of Memory, Book 2: All Our Yesterdays
Karen Janowsky
Adult speculative fiction with romantic elements
Mill City Press  February 2019


Book One: Déjà vu started with a recent history set in scenes of violent sensory immersion. Book Two: All Our Yesterdays begins as an acoustic Homeric delivery of the ancient origin story and end-times tale of the legend of Ishtar.

What do sentient beings remember?
How do they remember?
Why do they remember?
Where do they store those memories, and when—and how—do they apply the lessons learned from those memories to their lives?

Although Book Two is more of a romance than Book One without sacrificing its action hero intensity, it uses Nina and Daniel’s firmly established personal relationship to explore themes about the importance of having an ethical moral compass in battling philosophical extremism and religious zealotry within the context of their emotional intimacy, and as members of the World Intelligence Security Endeavor. WISE suffers its own internal chain of command and battle weariness issues. The ironically named Concordance Group is only one of their many violent and determined adversaries.

Challenges and crises bombard Nina and Daniel and their friends. The unsatisfactory personal conflict scenario between Nina and Daniel in Book One gets revisited in surprisingly profound ways in Book Two, when Daniel realizes on page 98: This was not Nina’s problem, but his.
How refreshing.

In an odd internal debate passage the crime of attempted sexual assault seems to be equated with unprofessional behavior during the aftermath of a deadly field operation, which may intend to highlight one of the issues in legal persecution of sexual assault crimes compared to reprimands given, or not, for non-criminal infractions against workplace protocols.

Once again, this gifted storyteller blends genres, timelines, generations, nationalities, religions, mythologies, and universes to weave an intricate saga that embodies organic inclusion as it entertains and engages readers on multiple levels.

http://www.karenjanowsky.com/buy-the-book/


Red Archer
H. L. Brooks
YA erotic supernatural romance
Weatherhill  June 2017

In Red Archer, now eighteen-year-old August digs deeper into her family heritage while her relationship with 100-plus-year-old werewolf Faolan evolves. Although readers are reminded more than once that August’s non-human species experiences puberty around eight or nine years old, making August biologically a full-fledged adult, the volatility of her emotions and the narrowness of her life experiences are consistent with a fledging human adult. That makes it difficult not to notice that her goals, her priorities, her life choices are all dominated by her focus on her romantic relationship with Faolan, which creates philosophical tension for the featured couple and for readers.

In Red August, the first book in this provocative series, she’s smart enough to graduate early from high school. Not seriously pursuing at least one academic, professional or artistic interest feels like a missed opportunity before the obligations and responsibilities of adulthood fill her schedule. Their euphoric honeymoon phase of rainbows and incendiary sexual compatibility is authentically rendered in lush descriptions and emotionally intimate dialogue. Double standards in May-December couplings based on gender and sexual orientation are briefly discussed. The legitimacy of all forms of healthy romantic relationships regardless of configuration is also reinforced. Once again, the deep connections between August, her mother, grandmother, and other powerful women anchor the narrative.

This second book expands its focus to include more details about the entrenched factions of species purists versus those who are open to assimilation and integration. Fanaticism and warmongering threaten the safety of everyone August and Faolan love in the U.S. and Scotland. H. L. Brooks describes Scotland with vibrant prose that conveys affectionate familiarity as two lovers explore their family legacies. Old ghosts come back to haunt them in unexpected ways that threaten to devastate their relationship, leaving them vulnerable to unforeseen temptations.

Although not a conventional cliffhanger, the ending sets up interesting possibilities for the third installment of this dynamic saga.

http://www.weatherhill.pub/publications.html