Book, Books and more Books!

Hey Folks:

I love them.
Always have and always will. I love the feel of the paper between my fingers and the affect of turning pages. I like the sound of the bind cracking as get to the middle of a brand new book. I also enjoy having to tape the spine together when it's well worn and read over and over again, passed down to family and friends. I love to look at them lined up on shelves displaying my diversity and that of others. I LOVE books!

I have a confession.... I'm cheating on them. Yes, I use them every now and then but now that I know how to use my iPad I have downloaded a great number of books both on iBooks and the Kindle app! Is that bad y'all? When ebooks first made their debut I was DEAD SET AGAINST them but now? Now I can't imagine not having the option! eBooks are easy and CHEAP, light and take up far less space. I do however still like to get a real book in my hands every now and then.

Now that I got that confession out; here is my list of Fall must reads. You know you'll be spending more time on your couch in front of the TV as the weather gets chilly so why not tune off the box and create your own images by reading a good book.

MrsDeveter's Fall MUST Reads:

Wench by Dolen Perkins - Valdez
After reading The Help my friend pretty much told me that I HAD to read Wench. She said that it would evoke some pretty strong feelings in me regarding slavery and the "relationship" that slave women had with their masters. To say I read this book with tears at the corner of my eyes is an understatement. Here is the books synopsis from Amazon.com

Tawawa House in many respects is like any other American resort before the Civil War. Situated in Ohio, this idyllic retreat is particularly nice in the summer when the Southern humidity is too much to bear. The main building, with its luxurious finishes, is loftier than the white cottages that flank it, but then again, the smaller structures are better positioned to catch any breeze that may come off the pond. And they provide more privacy, which best suits the needs of the Southern white men who vacation there every summer with their black, enslaved mistresses. It's their open secret. Lizzie, Reenie, and Sweet are regulars at Tawawa House. They have become friends over the years as they reunite and share developments in their own lives and on their respective plantations. They don't bother too much with questions of freedom, though the resort is situated in free territory–but when truth-telling Mawu comes to the resort and starts talking of running away, things change.

Two Tears in a Bucket & Another Tear by Traci Bee Now that my secret is out about cheating on physical books let me tell you, there are some sweet book prices out there in cyberspace! I stumbled upon this author when surfing my iBooks store and thought that Two Tears in a Bucket sounded pretty good. I typically don't read 'street lit' but this one didn't seem like it had a crazy amount of profanity and sex scenes so I downloaded it for $2.99. Yes a full book for $2.99 and I was so happy that I did. Traci Bee is a wonderful author providing  great story lines. Two Tears in a Bucket and it's sequel provide fast paced stories with page turning plots. When I finished Two Tears in a Bucket I was anxiously awaiting Another Tear to find out the conclusion of Simone and Kevin's love story. Both books were filled with twits and turns that I would most definitely check out on the big or small screen. Here are the descriptions from Amazon.

Two Tears in a Bucket: Betrayed by her cold, callous mother and abused by her alcoholic stepfather, eighteen-year-old Simone Woodard is kicked out of the house like a bag of trash and left to survive on her own. While struggling to create a life for herself, her beauty and innocence captivate Kevin Kennard, a handsome, hazel-eyed felon with an addiction to all things illegal. For the first time in Kevin's life, real love has him rethinking his criminal path. But the action on the street refuses to take a backseat and pull Kevin into his worse nightmare. Simone's world crumbles but an unlikely ally refuses to allow her to wallow in self-pity. Slowly, she becomes the whole, powerful woman she was destined to be. But is her new found strength enough to get her through life's brutal unpredictability?

Another Tear: Kevin Kennard gazed into the precious face of his newborn son, the offspring of the intoxicating love he shared with his wife, Simone. Closing his eyes, Kevin whispered a prayer of thanks. Life had given him a second chance at happiness far greater than anything he'd fathomed from inside the concrete walls of his prison cell. While Kevin and Simone bask in their familial bliss, those scorned by their union collect the pieces to their shattered hearts and plot the couple's demise. Darkness hovers the Kennards when their newborn baby becomes the target for revenge. A tidal wave of fatal events stifles the sanctity Kevin and Simone have come to cherish. Kevin had promised those he loved that his gun-toting days were a thing of the past. But with nothing else to live for, he journeys to find the person responsible for the devastation reeked in his world. Someone will pay for what they've done to his family, even if it cost Kevin his own life. In the award winning novel, "Two Tears in a Bucket," Kevin and Simone reminded us how powerful and lasting the bonds of love can be. But can it weather, Another Tear?

All Up In My Business & Mind Your Own Business by Lutishia Lovely

Lutishia Lovely is one of my favorite authors. Her books are always fast paced, realistic and interesting reads with fascinating plots. The "Business" series is well written and intriguing with more twists and turns than the Cyclone! In this series Lutishia introduces us to the Livingston clan; a wealthy African American family located in Atlanta who own the Taste of Soul restaurant chain. The business is thriving and all seems well... but honey there are other things besides soul food cooking in this series. There is jealousy, competition and adultery brewing and oh is the pot good. I highly recommend reading both books back to back! Here are the synopsis' from Amazon.

Mind Your Own Business: With brothers Malcolm and Toussaint Livingston at the helm, business at Taste of Soul is thriving and the family seems to have it all. But jealousy and competition threaten to tarnish their picture-perfect image. Toussaint is a risk-taker, determined to expand the restaurant chain at a record pace, but levelheaded Malcolm insists on challenging Toussaint's goals. And at home, there's more heating up than grits and collard greens. Malcolm is growing weary of his marriage and his ever-expanding brood of children. His brother's Casanova lifestyle looks more and more appealing. But Toussaint's playboy days aren't as carefree as Malcolm thinks. Toussaint's met his match in interior designer Alexis St. Clair, a woman who refuses to become just another dish on this player's mating menu. But if Toussaint has his way, the happenings in both the boardroom and the bedroom are all about to change. . .

All Up in My Business: Life is good for the Livingston's. Business is booming, Taste of Soul is launching a West Coast division, and Bianca Livingston and her brother, Jefferson, are vying to head it up—which means their long simmering rivalry is about to boil over... Having completed a culinary course in Paris—along with a hot love affair—Bianca feels more than ready to take the reins in L.A. Her parents' insistence that she marry a man of their choosing only fuels her ambition. Jefferson is hoping the position will free him to be with the secret L.A. love his family would never approve of. But the two soon realize that between their meddling cousin, Toussaint, and the return of an enemy bent on crushing the Livingston empire, they aren't the only ones in this competition. And when company money mysteriously starts disappearing, they'll find it's hard to run a business when no one can mind their own...

I'm rounding this list out with a great selection from the Christian fiction genre.

The Blood Done Signed My Name by M. Ann Ricks
Lately I've been seeing a lot of book trailers! I think this is a fabulous idea; people are visual and if you can put together a compelling clip to showcase literature - I say go for it. M. Ann Ricks did just that with her latest book; click here to view the trailer. The Blood Done Signed My Name asks the question; do the sins of the father and mother visit their sons and daughters? Honey Lamb is the descendant of a man who committed an unthinkable crime against his family that caused his blood line to suffer tremendously. Praise God however that although that may be true the blood of the Son cleanses. Here is the authors synopsis

The Blood Done Signed My Name: Honey Lamb, the main character, is a descendant of an unfortunate legacy of molestation, addiction, murder and bad decisions. During her entire life, she believed that the unhappiness she experienced was somehow bequeathed to her. Experiencing more than her share of misery at the hands of her mother, the source of all her woes, Honey believed she’d overcome her checkered past when she married Mason. Unfortunately, Honey makes a decision that may have ruined her life. Not realizing God places people in our lives for His purpose, she reluctantly embarks upon a journey that will open her heart to a divine inheritance. From one chapter to the next, her life unfolds into an awakening and acceptance of how to change with the help of God and those around her.

Whether in paperback, hardcover or ebook please support these authors by purchasing these books.

Until next time,
MUAH!