6. Black Pain: It Just Looks Like We're Not Hurting

by Terrie M. Williams

started 1/6/08 finished 1/13/08

Terrie M. Williams' story has been an inspiration to many people both professionally and personally. While working as a social worker at a hospital, she met Miles Davis, who was a patient there. Ready for a career change she started doing his public relations. She added other clients including Eddie Murphy and soon The Terrie Williams Agency was very successful. She wrote a book, The Personal Touch: What You Really Need to Succeed in Today's Fast-Paced Business World, that I used quite a lot when I was managing a small business. But what a lot of people didn't know was that she was also suffering from a depression that often immobilized her. A few years ago Williams took a brave step and at one of her many speaking engagements, instead of talking about her business success to chose to come clean about her depression. The feedback she received prompted her to write a book on the role of depression in the African-American community.

In addition to telling her story, Williams has testimonials from others who have experience with depression: Beverly Johnson talks about being a supermodel and having to put on a brave "face", Blair Underwood discusses how his family helped his mother through her depression, and "Mama" DeBarge, the matriarch of the singing DeBarge clan shares how being in an abusive marriage affected her mental health. All sorts of remedies are explored, including therapy and medication. One of my favorite chapters is titled Don't Snap Out of It: Healing in Your Own Time. "Snap out of it", is one of the worst things that you can say to a clinically depressed person.

Why do African-Americans need their own special book on depression? Well, America as a whole is one of the few countries that seems to require its citizens to be happy all the time and be strong enough to deal with anything. This helps to perpetuate the "Strong Black Woman" and "Strong Black Man" stereotypes that make it a taboo to seek help for ourselves. "My ancestors survived slavery, so I can get through feeling a little down". Black Pain goes far to dispel those myths and stereotypes and will help a lot of people get on the road to healing.

5. Only You

by Francis Ray

The latest in the Grayson Family series of novels. (Don't worry. I am almost done with the romance novels. I have phases that I go through.)

I really love the Graysons and their mother's plan to marry off each one of them. This book centers around the last of the siblings, Sierra. She knows that her mother is going to start throwing eligible men in her path, but she focuses instead on building her career in real estate. That is until she meets Blade Navarone, a wealthy real estate mogul who "wins" her in a charity auction. Sierra's only motivation is to land a job selling properties at his latest luxury development. She does and the sparks fly.

Oh, and it wouldn't be a worthwhile romance if their weren't a kidnapping!!

4. Stranger In My Arms

by Rochelle Alers

Another series romance. This is the 12th book in the Hideaway series. The couple featured, Merrick Grayslake (what a great romance book name) and Alexandra Cole, were introduced in earlier books and this is the story of how they got together. Merrick is an ex-CIA agent who lives a reclusive life while working around the globe as a covert operative. While attending his best (and only - he's reclusive remember?) friend he meets Alexandra Cole, an art history graduate student and daughter of a well-known musician. Their romance happens pretty quickly and quietly while Alexandra finishes her studies in Mexico (I love it when romance books leave America). But a particularly dangerous assignment for Merrick may put both of them in danger.

O.F.L.R.B.

(Old, fat lady, retail back)

I am not one to be too caught up in this country's youth driven mania. But I must tell you that if you work in retail, do not get fat or old. It can be detrimental to your health.
I have been absent from my computer for the last 2 weeks (except my e-mail which I read periodically standing up) because of a recurring back problem. Years and years of spending hours on my feet, lifting boxes, and shelving things on bottom shelves has caused me to develop sciatica. Gaining 50 pounds on top of that in the last 10 years doesn't help either.
Usually it stays in my lower back and then disappers after a few days. Sometimes (this time) it stays in my lower back and then moves down my left leg. Sitting down is very painful. You are supposed to keep moving and doing normal activity. Which is fine at work because all I do is walk around our very large store. On my days off though, days that I usually putter around my apartment and read blogs and web surf, there is not a lot of room to roam.
So I ingested a lot of Tylenol and slept alot to avoid the pain. Today I feel a lot better as there is just a small nagging pain behind my knee which tells me that it is almost over.
I have already completed 10 books this month and am currently reading 11 and 12, so I have a lot of posting to do.
No sewing (obviously) yet, but I have some hemming to do today on some RTW pants and some crocheting to finish on some Xmas/Kwanzaa/Birthday/Just Because gifts.

3. Slow Burn

by Brenda Jackson

This is another book that is part of a romance series and is focused on the Madaris family. The Madaris' are a large family with several attractive (according to the descriptions), accomplished, and eligible men. Brenda Jackson has been writing about this family for twelve years. I think now the grandchildren are marrying off! Like Francis Ray's Grayson novels, these brothers are strong, family-oriented professionals. There are no bodice-ripping pirates in these books. They are ranchers, veterinarians, private detectives, real estate developers, etc.

Slow Burn is the story of Slade Madaris (yes, he has a twin brother Blade), who falls for Skye Barclay when she comes to town to find her biological younger brother. It turns out that the boy has been adopted by Slade's cousin and his wife (featured in the first book in the Madarais Friends & Families series, Tonight & Forever). Skye's adoptive parents and her fiance disagree with her decision to find the boy and cut off communication with her. She and Slade explore their mutual attraction, but danger looms when her ex-fiance shows up in town.

The Madaris series is being re-issued this year and you can find more info here.

2. Irresistible You

by Francis Ray

I used to heavily imbibe in romance novels. But this past year for some reason I wasn't in the mood for them. In the last couple weeks or so, maybe because of winter doldrums (or my advanced singledom), I started to crave them again. Like I have said before, sometimes you just want to be assured of a happy ending.

Irresistible You is a part of the Grayson series by Francis Ray. This series follows the Grayson's of New Mexico and their cousins the Falcons of Texas. The matriarch of the Grayson family, Ruth, decided that she wanted to marry off her four sons and one daughter one by one and started to subtly orchestrate their love lives. The best part is that by the second or third book they start to catch on to what she is doing and after seeing the first two sons succumb the rest are running scared. So she starts to parade decoy suitors in front of them while they really fall in love with someone that they believe they chose for themselves, but that was her plan all along.

This book is especially interesting because Pierce Grayson is the last of the four brothers and the notorious playboy of the group so he is especially paranoid about any woman that his mother introduces him to! But of course he is not ready for Sabra Raineau, a Broadway actress in town to help his mother with a theatre production at the university where she works.

The other Grayson books are: Until There Was You, You and No Other, and Dreaming of You. Ruth also helps her sister-in-law marry off her children in the Falcon series: Heart of the Falcon, and Break Every Rule.

Stay tuned for more, cuz I can knock these books out in a few hours.

Health Resolutions 2008

In addition to the standard medical & dental check-ups, I want to do the following:

• Lose 50 lbs by the end of the year. Women's Health magazine (one of my favorites; I am a magazine addict) has put out a book called the Perfect Body Diet. I read through it (as I do all diet books) and while I decided that it wasn't for me, I did take the test to determine what my ideal weight should be. According to my height (5'9") and body frame (medium; determined by measuring my wrist), I should be 145 lbs. Yes, that means that I am currently 195 lbs. There! I said it! Talk amongst yourselves.
• Exercise. I don't have an exercise habit at all. The only reason that I am not substantially heavier is because I don't drive and walk to and from the train and I walk a lot during the day at my job. I currently subscribe to the following health & exercise magazines: Shape, Fitness, Self, and Women's Health. I have lots of exercise dvds. I just don't do it. I must start. I am working on a viable, simple plan.
• Practice yoga. The physical and spiritual aspects appeal to me.
• Cut back on sugar. I am a sugar addict and rarely does a day go by without it. I have already started eating more fruit to give me the sweet taste without the blood sugar issues.
• Drink more water. Compared to most Americans, I already drink a lot. I am not getting 8 glasses, though.
• Eat more fresh vegetables. Again, compared to most Americans, I eat a lot, but more won't hurt.

I think these are goals that are attainable. I am giving myself a whole year to lose the weight!!

1. The Friday Night Knitting Club

by Kate Jacobs

started 12/30/07 finished 1/5/08

I am not a knitter, but nobody writes good novels about crocheting, so.... Anyways, yarn is yarn, right? I haven't really felt like like reading anything lately what with the holidays winding down and the New Years changes in my mind. I picked up a lot of books and put them down without finishing them until this one caught my eye.

Georgia Walker is a single mother raising her biracial preteen daughter Dakota above the yarn shop she owns, Walker and Daughter, on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. After a few customers began hanging around the shop wanting pointers on their knitting projects, an informal club was born. The women who form the group are of all different abilities: Anita - the wealthy widow and master knitter; Peri - the part-time employee and handbag designer who gives up law school against her West Indian parents wishes; KC - recently laid off from her job in publishing and never manages to finish anything; Darwin - the not-so-perfect Chinese daughter who visits the group while writing a paper on outmoded women's traditions; and many more.

Each of these women is changed dramatically during the book because of and in spite of the club. The ending was sort of unexpected and quite moving. And the yarn descriptions are mouth watering!! If you are not a knitter, but love books about the strength of women friendships then you will be satisfied. There are even websites to support the book: Walker and Daughter and The Friday Night Knitting Club.