64. Gunn's Golden Rules

Life's Little Lessons For Making It Work
by Tim Gunn (w/ Ada Calhoun)
Publication Date:  September 7, 2010

If you are watching Project Runway this season and especially the team challenge* recently, you know that there is another side to Tim Gunn.  His admonishment to the losing team about letting a team member control and bully them may have seemed harsh to some people, but when you read this book you will realize that Gunn has a brutally honest side and isn't afraid to show it.

In essence, this is a modern day etiquette/life coaching book that has 18 principles you can apply to any situation in your life. The difference between this and an Emily Post or a Dr. Phil tome is that Gunn peppers each lesson with very personal stories from his personal and work lives.

What I Liked:  I'm sure Tim Gunn frowns on the word gossip, but the dishy stories he included about such fashion notables as Anna Wintour and Diane von Furstenburg are hilarious and telling.  I also liked that he included lots of his own background, allowing us to see a side of him that Project Runway doesn't show.

What I Disliked:  Nothing really. I pretty much loved every word.

*Sidenote: This is my favorite episode of the season. Lots of drama. I've already watched it twice and may watch it again today if time allows.

63. Getting To Happy

by Terry McMillan
Publication Date:  September 7, 2010

I am not a fan of sequels. I rarely like them as movies. I definitely don't like them as books.  I wasn't always this way. Years ago, if I really enjoyed a book, I wanted it to go on forever and ever. Well written characters make you feel that you want to know everything that happens in their lives until they all die.  Also, there was a time when there wasn't nearly as much fiction by African-American authors being published, so when I got my hands on one and found characters that I knew and could relate to, I just didn't want to let go.

Nowadays, of course, the publishing field has opened up quite a bit and there is lots of fiction out there that I am eager to get my hands on.  Because of that, it has been easier to be done with a book when I'm finished with it, appreciate it for what it is and move on.  I don't need to obsess over what happened next.  Waiting to Exhale was published during my "need for a sequel" phase, but because Ms. McMillan did such a great job creating well-rounded characters with rich experiences, that I never wondered what happened to Savannah, Bernadine, Robin and Gloria.

Getting to Happy, picks up 15 years later from where Exhale left off.  The four women are still very close friends, but life has sometimes gotten in the way of them connecting as often as they would like. They have settled (sometimes literally) into marriages, careers, and the  lives of their children, but they are still the funny, sarcastic and strong women that you know and love.  I don't want to give any specific plot points away, because I think this book should be enjoyed with no preconcieved ideas.

What I Liked:  Having read Exhale at least 3 times, I felt like I re-connected with the characters almost immediately, as they still have the same voices.  The issues that those of us of a certain age (40's, 50's) are explored really quite well and you don't feel hit over the head with messages about getting older.  There are some shocking revelations made about people you met in the first book that surprised me and I was happy about it.

What I Disliked: There was one relationship that happened a little to easy for my taste, but I also know that we aren't teenagers anymore and the courting process is much quicker at our age! We don't have a lot of time for chit-chat and games. At this point we know what we like and what we'll put up with. :) (Am I getting too personal, here? LOL)

Sidenote #1:  While reading this book, the voices that I heard were the voices of the actresses who appeared in the movie version of Exhale.  Gloria was Loretta Devine.  Bernadine was Angela Bassett.  Robin was Lela Rochon.  Savannah was....not Whitney Houston.  For some reason that voice was Terry McMillan herself.  Not sure why.

Sidenote #2:  Loretta Devine is a customer at my job when she is in town (usually on a Tyler Perry project) and she is as nice and delightful as you would imagine her to be.  I can't say the same for some of the other actresses that came through while they were here filming for colored girls...

62. Broke, USA

From Pawnshops to Poverty, Inc. - How the Working Poor Became Big Business
by Gary Rivlin

Unfortunately, I had to return this book to work before I could finish it, but I really liked it.  The subtitle sums up everything.  All of the businesses that rise up where poor people congregate: check-cashing stores, title loans, pawnshops, rent-to-own furniture stores, etc., are discussed. And, yes, for those of us who haven't had to use these services (yet), it seems like these places are designed to take advantage of the people who patronize them.  But this book gives you the other side of the story as well, interviewing the proprietors and managers who aren't always the greedy boogiemen we've made them out to be. One of the men said that you can think what you want about those places, but after working in other industries where people were not so nice, the customers of his check-cashing store are always happy to see him and leave smiling. I can't say that of the retail store where I work.

There is also quite a bit of coverage of the sub-prime mortgage industry and how it became so prevalent.  Most interesting were the stories of the people who noticed it happening first and have been working tirelessly for the last 15 years as whistleblowers and lobbying Congress to gain attention to this catastrophe.  The Atlanta connection was really strong in these chapters as well.

Highly recommend it.

Quick Romances

59. Control
by Kayla Perrin

A young waitress' dream comes true when she meets and marries a wealthy, older, businessman whom she truly loves. Life with him exposes her to the finer things in life while also helping to make her goal of owning her own flower shop a reality.  But years of his controlling behavior soon become hard to take as well as the appearance of a handsome stranger who is hard to resist.

 60. Can't Get Enough of You
by Bette Ford

Jenna Gaines returns to her hometown of Detroit after working on Wall Street, to teach at her alma mater.  She is thrilled to be home.  However, also home (and enrolled as a student) is her former college sweetheart and fiance who has retired from the NBA and is starting on the next phase of his life. How long can she avoid him when he knows so much about her? Especially as she begins the search for her long lost brother and sister.

61.  Only Hers (The Taggart Brothers)
by Francis Ray

When her job as a nurse in St. Louis becomes too stressful, Shannon Johnson hopes a vacation at a cabin in Texas she inherited from a patient will be just what she needs.  However the owner of the ranch next door (and nephew to the deceased patient) is convinced she has ulterior motives and is there to steal his land.

58. Substitute Me

a novel
by Lori Tharps

A young, White, professional mother and wife, Kate, places an ad for a nanny for her baby when she must return to work from an extended maternity leave. She is looking for a "substitute me", someone who will care for her child as well as she does.  She hires Zora, a 30 year old African-American women who is still trying to decide what to do with her life, much to her successful family's dismay. Even though Kate's husband, Craig, isn't too keen on the idea of having a Black nanny, it turns out to be a great match as Zora takes on more duties like cooking (she is professionally trained) and housekeeping.

Everything goes pretty smoothly, but Kate's demanding job requires that Zora spends more and more time at the couples' home and it becomes tricky when certain secrets come to light.

WHAT I LIKED:
I liked the Zora character a lot. Her lack of direction and inability to focus on a career really resonated with me as I sometimes feel the same way. Even though being a nanny was not her long-term goal, she put every effort in to do the best job she could and I admire that sort of work ethic.

WHAT I DISLIKED:
The dialogue at times was written really dry. It made it hard to stay excited about reading the book because it felt like something was missing. Still can't quite put my finger on it.  Also, I wasn't very happy with the ending, it felt like it wrapped up really quickly. This wasn't a great book, though it wasn't a bad book. It was kind of okay.

56. Zebratown

The True Story of a Black Ex-Con And A White Single Mother In Small Town America

by Greg Donaldson

The subtitle sums it all up, doesn't it? Charles is an ex-con from Brooklyn who spent quite a bit of time in the prison system. While in the Elmira facility he would look out the window at the town of Elmira and imagine it as a perfect place to settle upon his release. He hopes that it will be easier to stay out of trouble there than back home in Brooklyn. 

Kathy, his soon to be girlfriend, is like a lot of young, white women in Elmira and the surrounding areas. They struggle to build good lives for themselves and their children, but at the same time they are drawn to the mystery and danger that surround the young Black men that move to the area.

WHAT I LIKED ABOUT THE BOOK:
This isn't an attempt to solve a problem or teach a lesson. It just follows two people as they try to overcome the obstacles that life gives them. Very clear and interesting. Like watching a documentary.

WHAT I DISLIKED ABOUT THE BOOK:
Nothing really. I did dislike some decisions made and some people involved, but that has nothing to do with the writing or the book itself.

57. Taste of Honey

Stories
by Jabari Asim

A novel told in the form of connected short stories about an African-American community on the verge of change in the late '60's. The Jones' family is the main focus: Reuben, the artistic father, Pristine, the mother who holds it all together, Schomburg, the oldest son who is flirting with the new radical Black nationalist movement, and Crispus, the youngest son who features prominently in most of the stories.

WHAT I LIKED:
The writing is beautiful and captures accurately the voices, actions, and diversity of the Black community at that time. It not only talks about some of the racial and anti-war upheaval that happened then, but also touches on domestic violence and police brutality.

WHAT I DISLISKED:
The ending was a tad bit predictable, but well-written, so I forgave it.

...not that I'll ever use it...

Trying to set up mobile blogging.

July Romance Roundup - #37 - 55

July was a rough month for me. I had a birthday and I lost a family member who I should have been closer to. Emotional times all around. So what do I do when I feel that way? In addition to reaching for chocolate (which thankfully I didn't consume a lot of), I also reach for books that will assure me a happy ending. Yes, I read all of these - they only take a couple hours apiece.

No synopsis' this time. I just didn't have the energy. But they are all good! Especially Brenda Jackson & Adrianne Byrd...