The Reading Diva

Congratulations to all of the National Book Award nominees ! The Man Booker Prize shortlist was announced this week. The New York Times has created a fellowship in the memory of David Carr. Maya Angelou's art collection sold for over $1 million . Looking for some new African-American female authors to read?   Kalisha Buckhanon has some recommendations . Legendary basketball star and author Kareem Abdul Jabbar is now trying his hand at fiction with a new book about Sherlock Holmes' brother . Beverly Jenkins was featured in a recent Book Riot podcast . Shout-out to romance writer Christine Jones, who started a new blog and podcast about African-American romance called  Girl, Have You Read . A woman wrote a book about hiking in the wild  and it's not called Wild. Girl on The Train author Paula Hawkins  may be coming to a city near you ! A new publishing company has been started by a daughter of one of the Koch brothers . Yes, those wealthy broth...

Many people are awaiting Tuesday's release of Harper Lee's Go Set A Watchman , which is the "sequel" for To Kill A Mockingbird.  PBS will be showing the American Masters episode chronicling Harper's life tonight and will include an update about the new book.   Here is a picture of Harper receiving a finished copy of the book.  And you can read the first chapter here . Relax in Paradise James Tate . Congrats to the Andrew Carnegie Award winners ! Congrats to  Chimamanda Ngzoi Adichie, who is expecting a little one ! Congrats to Lawrence Hill, who was honored with the Order of Canada . The huge news that is coming out of my home state is that the Confederate Flag is FINALLY off the Statehouse grounds. THANK GOD. This recent interview of Percival Everett (who is releasing a short story collection) and his thoughts on the Confederate Flag were…interesting. Speaking of the flag coming down, poet Nikky Finney wrote a passage to commemorate this day. ...

Congrats to Jacqueline Woodson for being named Young People's Poet Laureate ! Congrats also go out to Ali Smith for winning the Baileys Women Prize ! Flannery O'Connor was recently honored with her own USPS stamp . Be on the lookout for a signed copy of To Kill A Mockingbird that is missing from Blue Bicycle Bookstore. Maybe the book will show up in the auction where Harper Lee's letters are being sold . Judy Blume gave some advice to the people of the Internet. Why is there another 50 Shades of Crap Gray book coming out? Showrunner Shonda Rhimes will be releasing her memoir in November . Also working on their memoirs are Gabourey Sidibe and U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell . Speaking of possible memoirs, publishing insiders are wondering how much a Bruce Caitlyn Jenner memoir would be worth . Wendell Pierce's book about Katrina and New Orleans' recovery now has a cover . Pharrell's book for children also has a cover (with lots of happy...

Relax in Paradise Ruth Rendell , Josh Ozersky and Marcia Brown . Congratulations to Alice Notely for winning the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize ! Ashley and Jaquavis aren't my cup of tea, but their hustle game is impeccable . Roxane Gay got to talk to Toni Morrison ! Here is an podcast about the new book The Fishermen . Here is a nice review of Pleasantville.   And one on Ordinary Light . Thank God the Internet wasn't around when Marvin Gaye dated and married his second wife .  He would have been the R. Kelly and Tyga of the 1970s. The Mindy Project may be over on Fox, but at least Mindy Kaling can celebrate her new book . ABC show Resurrection, which was based off the Jason Mott book (and not the British TV show), has been canceled .  I think I may put my thoughts into why in another post. The Warmth of Other Suns is being developed as a drama for FX . The Magicians is also being developed for television . So is the Bone Street Rumba series . Reese Wit...

Congratulations to all of the Triangle Award and Edgar Award winners!  Congrats also go to Marion Coutts for winning the Wellcome Book Prize ! The Broadway musical Fun Home, which is based off an autobiography ( that caused much controversy at one of the local colleges two years ago ), was nominated for 12 Tony Awards. More than 90 authors are protesting PEN American Center giving a free speech award to Charlie Hebdo .  But Salman Rushdie feels that the authors should get over it . Publishers Weekly has come out with their Summer Reads book list for 2015!  So has Huffington Post . Angela Fournoy's The Turner House was reviewed in the New York Times ! And Roxane Gay reviewed God Help the Child for The Guardian. Speaking of Toni Morrison, if you were like me and missed her speak during her short book tour this week, here is video of her event in New York City on Monday . And this chick got to meet Toni .  I'm jealous. Here are some new stories abo...

The last few weeks has been a roller coaster.  My grandaunt passed away last Friday, while I was still mourning the loss over a classmate who died suddenly.  I was also fighting something that was going on in my nasal passages (the doctor said a virus, I say it was allergies).  On top of that, the shooting of Walter Scott happened and when the video came out, the whole incident blew up.  I hate that my hometown will now be associated in the same vain as Ferguson, New York City, Los Angeles, Cleveland and Sanford. Thank God local and state law enforcement took quick action on this or it would have been a ton of chaos on the streets.  Ironically, news of the first video came out when I was having dinner with Lisa from Reads for Pleasure (who was in town on vacation), who lives not far from Ferguson.  And it has been a busy month with work and sorority events. I also decided earlier this week that I was not going to go t...

Congratulations to the winners of the Anisfield-Wolf Awards ! BuzzFeed is launching an emerging writers fellowship . Will you be in the DC area soon? Sign up to take part in the Maya Angelou stamp dedication . Speaking of Maya, Tavis Smiley is developing a Broadway play based on his new book that discusses his friendship with the legendary poet. Here's a review of Stuart Scott's memoir . Here we go again: Amazon and Harper Collins are negotiating a new contract .  And it may get ugly. Waiting for Empire to come back?  Here are some book recommendations from the New York Public Library and Book Riot . Wish I would have been able to attend the Terry McMillian/Bernice McFadden talk in NYC and the Bocas Literary Festival in Trinidad and Tobago. Paul Beatty has gotten a lot of press for his new book The Sellout.  Here is an article from The Root . Speaking of The Sellout, this essay compares the book to Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp A Butterfly . T...

As some of you know, my job allows me to travel all over the great state of South Carolina, exhibiting for the website I work on.  And this week, I found myself exhibiting at the South Carolina Association of School Librarians  Annual Conference.  And they had authors...and book signings! So I got a chance to meet Sharon Flake at the conference yesterday. It was great to have something different to do during the humdrum that is exhibiting. Relax in Paradise Terry Pratchett. Congratulations to all of the winner of the National Book Critics Circle Awards ! Also congrats to the nominees of the Baileys Women's Prize , Pen Faulkner Awards  and Triangle Awards ! Speaking of school libraries, James Patterson is donating over $1 million to them! And this comes at a good time after a report that not all school libraries are equal . A no-no at the library: making a sex tape . People were so concerned about Harper Lee that the state of Alabama was looking in ...

Tomorrow is not only Valentine's Day, but it also marks the fifth blog birthday of this blog!!  Thanks for all of the love you have shown me and this blog for the last five years and here's to many more!! Relax in Paradise David Carr . Congratulations to all of the NAACP Image Award winners !  Scroll pass the TV, movie and music winners. And congratulations also go out to the Black Caucus of the ALA Literary Award winners and honorees ! More congrats go to Harold Holzer, who won the Lincoln Prize . Congrats also go out to nominees of the Folio Prize ! Oprah has made her selection for her book club....and it's Ruby by Cynthia Bond . Super Sad True Love Story is being developed for a possible TV show . Ava DuVernay is not only working on the Queen Sugar show, but is directing the pilot of a show based on James Patterson's first book . Showtime is developing a show based on You by Caroline Kepnes. Harper Lee's lawyer insists that the author is ...

  By the time your read this, there is a good chance that I've finished this book, but I'm going to tell you about it anyway. My Friday Reads is Into the Go-Slow by Bridgett Davis . It's 1987 and Angie's life has been stuck in neutral since her older sister Ella died in Nigeria three years earlier.  After college graduation, she decides to go to Nigeria to trace her sister's last days and finds herself in the meantime.  I decided to bump this book to the top of my reading list after the Blerd Book Club decided to make it their January section.  I've enjoyed it, but since I'm close to the end, the route it has taken the last few pages I've read has me scratching my head.  I look forward to the discussion about the book on February 8. Relax in Paradise Margaret Bloy Graham , Tadeusz Konwicki , and Colleen McCullough . Publishers Weekly has a list of the most anticipated book adaptations (on the big screen) of 2015. Sim...

I know many of you watched the Bobby and Whitney movie on Lifetime last week.  And you probably saw the commercials for With This Ring .  Did you know it was based on a book called The Vow ? I didn't until this week. Did you also know that Baggage Claim was also based on a book ?  Let's hope that Hollywood is starting a trend where African American books become TV and featured movies.  Let's also hope that With This Ring is better than the Aaliyah and Brittney Murphy movies. Neither one of them deserved that, even if they're no longer here. Relax in Paradise John Bayley . Congratulations to all of the National Book Critics Circle and  Edgar Award nominees! Mitchell S. Jackson received the Ernest Gaines Award last night.  And here is a story about the man who the award was named after. An investigation has started into whether poet Pablo Neruda was poisoned . Here is another list of books to look forward to in 2015. The Barnes and No...

Corduroy was always one of my favorite children's books. Time Magazine just named it one of their 100 Best Children's Books of All Time. Relax in Paradise Miller Williams ,   Michelle Serros ,  Robert San Souci  and Lee Israel . Looking for new books to read in the new year?   Here you go !  And here you go again ! And here are some YA books to look forward to.  And Lisa at Reads For Pleasure announced her colorful lit alert for the quarter. Mark Zuckerberg has started a book club on Facebook .  Can he become the next Oprah with his book club selections ?  And when is Oprah going to select her next book? Nicholas Sparks is known for his romantic tales.  Looks like his personal life isn't as romantic as his books. Can someone please tell Ben Carson that plagiarizing is a bad idea , especially if you are thinking about running for President? Ron Rash is lucky because two of his books recently became movies.  Here's ...

If you are a child of the 80s and love to read (like yours truly), you most likely remember the Book It! program from Pizza Hut.  You know the one where you are rewarded a personal pan pizza if you read so many books/pages per month.   Book It! is celebrating their 30th anniversary  and now there is an alumni program where adults can celebrate and get a free personal pan pizza!  Woo-hoo!! Congratulations to all of the 5 Under 30 Honorees  and the Kirkus Prize finalists ! Finished reading Gone Girl? Here are some books (that are similar) to read . What happens when your book gets a shoutout by Stephen Colbert? Amazon and Hatchette find a way to ignore their beef... when it come to Paul Ryan . #rollseyes Speaking of Amazon and Hatchette, authors are trying to get the Department of Justice involved in the dispute. The oldest independent bookstore in the Twin Cities is closing . The new book We Are Not Ourselves has been optioned to become a movie...

Relax in Paradise Graham Joyce . Congrats to all of the short-list nominees of the Booker Prize! Here is the 20 most beloved books of all time... according to Facebook . In light of what happened last week when a review about a book about slavery wasn't received well , what happens when book reviews don't go so well ? Former NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly has a book deal . YA author Jane Quin-Harkin says that 80s teen lit never gets old . We are three weeks away from the Gone Girl movie and author Gillian Flynn interviews Rosamund Pike (who plays Amy) for Glamour . Judge Judy is offering her new book for free. There is a new project that will adapt novels to become television series. Don't be surprised if the Lambly (also known as Mariah Carey's fans) come after Nick Cannon for leaving her name off a children's book they were suppose to write together. A teen secretly publishes his mother's manuscript , which boosts her writing career. Please...

Received another book in the mail over the weekend, which means it's time for another edition of Mailbox Monday! I received this autographed copy of A Pinch of Ooh La La from author Renee Swindle after winning it on Facebook. Is this a book you would like to read?  Hit me up on the comments section!  And if you need more convincing, read Read For Pleasure's review of the book!

Happy National Library Week!  Here are stories from CNN and NPR commemorating this awesome week. Relax in Paradise Gabriel Garcia Marquez ,   Tanji Dewberry and Gregory White Smith. Congratulations to all of the award winners and nominees! We have the Library of Congress Prize , the Go On Girl Award , the Carnegie Medals and the Pulitzer Prizes . I wouldn't pay this much money for an iPad with every single last bell and whistle, much less pay $1100 for an e-reader .  And who buys Sony e-readers anyway? The relationship between libraries and publishers regarding e-books are improving, but still have a long way to go . Written Magazine did an interview with Pearl Cleage regarding her new book.  And here's an article from Shelf Awareness. I was sad that I had to miss Eric Jerome Dickey during his time in South Carolina Wednesday (I either need him come on the weekend or visit Charleston. PLEASE!).  But before he came to Sumter and Columbia,...

Monday was the 102nd birthday of Dorothy Height.  And as you can see from above, she was honored with her own Google Doodle.  She was an activist for civil and women's rights, the long-time leader of the National Council of Negro Women and worked on the national staff for the YWCA .  And did I mention that she was the 10th National President of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc ?  And if you want to read about her incredible life, her autobiography Open Wide The Freedom Gates will be a great start. Relax in Paradise Lawrence Teacher and Ken Forsse . Congrats to all of the nominees for the RITA Awards  and the winners of the Anisfield-Wolf Awards . Here are 30 classic books to inspire African-American kids . Whoever wrote this article about five books by five Black authors that should be made in movies :  THANK YOU!!  But I would need a 32 Candles movie before an Awesome Girl's Guide movie. Two Black authors will see their books become m...

Several months ago at the National Conference on Health Disparities (the conference that sent me to St. Thomas), I heard from several panelists regarding human trafficking for labor and sexual purposes.  The one that touched me the most was hearing from Lisa Williams, who is the founder of Living Waters and Circle of Friends in Atlanta.  For the last several years, Lisa has helped girls escape sex trafficking, violence and street life.  Everyone was moved when she discussed the human sex trade among young girls and what they go through. All of this started to come back while I was reading  Anybody's Daughter by Pamela Samuels Young . The Image Award-winning books is about a 13-year-old girl who is kidnapped and winds up in the human sex trade.  Her uncle, along with his girlfriend (who is the main character), tries to find her.  It's sad that what is happening to girls around the world is not fiction.  I am reading this book for my book club and ...

So an awesome thing happened Sunday night. ABC's new show Resurrection premiered to good ratings.  So why is it mentioned on this blog?  Well, Resurrection is based off of The Returned by Jason Mott .  And it's a pretty good book.  The rights for the book was sold (by Brad Pitt's production company) before the book was released.  And it's pretty cool to see a book written by an African-American male adapted into a network television show with an African-American male lead (in Omar Epps).  And did I mention that the show is filmed in Georgia?   Check out the website for the show and the first episode .  P.S. for those who watched the show first and plan to pick up the book: the show goes in a different direction than the book. Just be prepared. Relax in Paradise Joe McGinniss . Congratulations to all of the National Book Critics Circle Award winners ! The Goldfinch is being developed for film by the people who brought the Hunger Games to ...