The Reading Diva

I love to read. I wish I could advise more people to read. There’s a whole other world in books. If you can’t afford to travel, you travel mentally through reading. You can see anything and go any place you want to in reading. Happy (Belated) Birthday Michael!!  Relax in Paradise Seamus Heaney . This week was the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington.  NPR  has recommended some books about the Civil Rights Movement  for your reading pleasure. Elmore Leonard's son may finish his last novel. Will there be more J.D. Salinger books ? Publishers Weekly announced their indie books picks for the fall .  The only that caught my attention was the one about Matthew Shepard.  Speaking of fall, Entertainment Weekly posted 14 books they are looking forward to . And Kirkus has announced their best bios released in the fall . Jesmyn Ward honors Trayvon Martin, her deceased brother and other black males in this Chicago Tribune...

Tomorrow, the Book Club Groupies (the book club formally known as the Literary Divas of the Lowcounty) will be discussing The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat .  This book is not about Diana, Mary and Florence , but about Odetta, Clarice and Barbara Jean.  They have been friends for more than 40 years and are experiencing the highs and lows that come with being older. And they also eat every Sunday at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat.  I read this book several months ago and truly enjoyed it.  Can't wait to see how the other members felt about it. Relax in Paradise Elmore Leonard and Albert Murray . Alice Walker was re-invited back to the University of Michigan . Lifetime has ordered a pilot from Nicholas Sparks . Ann Brashares is coming out with a new YA book .  No traveling pants this time. I knew that my U.S. House Representative was writing his memoir .  What I didn't know was that USC Press was publishing it. Good news/bad news for Barnes and N...

Do you know the feeling when you read a book and it's way better than you thought it would be?  This is what I though about Dream Girl Awakened by first-time author Stacey Campbell. Dream Girl Awakened is a book about three women who wonder if the grass is greener on the other side.  Aruba is married to James, who has just quit his fifth job in seven months (yes, he is beyond trifling).  She wants a better man and has her eyes on her friend Victoria's husband, Winston. Victoria is a pampered wife, who pretty much spends her day spending her husband's money.  But when Winston pulls away from the marriage, will she be able to save it before it's too late? And let's talk about Tawatha. Tawatha, Tawatha, Tawatha. She has four children by four different men and barely making it. And has her sights on being James' new wife.  How far will she go to make sure that James puts a ring on it? As I said before, this book exceeded all of my expectations.  The...

After more than 30 years in the music business, Prince continues to amaze us. He continues to churn out songs and tours frequently.  He even came to my hometown two years ago!  When he decided to join Twitter last week , many fans (including myself) were shocked because he is VERY anti-Internet (good luck looking for a Prince video on YouTube). Journalist and pop culture critic Toure's latest book, I Would Die 4 U: Why Prince Became An Icon  (named after the song that was in Purple Rain) examines Prince's life and how it reflects in his songs.  And is able to do all of this in less than 200 pages. Toure breaks down Prince's songs into three categories: autobiographical, sexual (duh) and spiritual.  Some of his songs do overlap in these categories, in which Toure does give detailed analysis through out the book This book is also sprinkled with autobiographical information and has interviews with former band members, superfans (such as Questlove) a...

So this picture pretty much looks like Charleston right now.  And will be for the next several days. Forbes just recently announced the World's Top-Earning Authors. Fellow blogger ZoraToniMaya highlight new releases that she is looking forward too.  I had two on my radar, but I will check out the others as well. The PEN Award winners were announced this week. In time for Anchorman 2, Ron Burgundy will be releasing his autobiography . Stay classy, book readers. Not every YA book has a short road to theaters . David Baldacci is the latest author to test his waters in the YA genre . Lionsgate has purchased the movie rights to Kate Atkinson's Life After Life. I am Team Obama, so you know that I don't like it when authors compare the president to Hitler . ETA: Three more links! Alice Walker was disinvited from the University of Michigan for her views on Israel. What is the problem with New Adult books ? Awesome news of the week: Lambda Literary has ...

The New York Public Library has a new exhibit  where people can relive their favorite children's books. The Scholastic Book Club is returning as the Scholastic Reading Club .  This book club, the Troll Book Club and several book sales at school took a lot of my mother's money back in the day. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has bought the Washington Post . If you want to know why you can't get Zane as an ebook at your public library, this is (a CliffNotes version of) why . Here are the 25 best websites for literary lovers , according to someone at Flavorwire. Here are 40 books you should read before you are 40 , according to someone who works for Oprah/Huffington Post. I've read three, started on one and have one that I own, but haven't read. At least I have 5+ years to finish this book. Lori Tharps came up with 10 books you should read before this summer ends .  And I've read four of them! And if you haven't read Substitute Me , please do so. Now. ...

My Friday Reads is Ghana Must Go .  It started out slow (at least to me) at first, and now it's picked up. I hope to be done with it soon (especially that the book was due back to the library yesterday and I can't renew it). Kelly Clarkson bought Jane Austen's ring but the Brits don't want her to have it . A man from my hometown has to pay Fern Michaels $75,000 for defamation . While Spike Lee is raising money for his new project on Kickstarter, his wife Tonya and her production partner have acquired movie rights to five books, including ones by Lois Lowry and Walter Dean Myers. A court case that involved the identity of Robert Galbraith (AKA J. K. Rowling) has been settled.  She's still winning. With your help, we can help producers make Pearl Cleage's Babylon Sisters into a movie ! The National Book Club Conference started today.  The timing of this year's event didn't work out, since it was stuck between Delta's National Convention...