Eccentric Booksense

noreply@blogger.com (Blackeros) — Fri, 24 Jul 2015 00:05:00 +0000

A Bollywood Affair by Sonali Dev
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Loved every moment of this book. I must say, that I was surprised with this book. I thought I would be reading a completely different book. I started reading after I saw that it was on the shortlist for my online book club; I read it in a single sitting. I I don't want to give it away, but you have to fall in love with Mili. While she is a very intelligent woman, she is very traditional and nostalgic; she holds fast to her beliefs and is truly a good person. Samir is also a good person but so conflicted with what and who he is. These two people needed each other in a way that is not apparent until nearly the end.
Western readers are invited into Indian culture but no translations are needed. The cultural references are seamless and are just enough to intrigue and delight but not enough that you feel left out. Truly a wonderful book and thoroughly enjoyed.

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This review is also posted at Amazon.com

noreply@blogger.com (Blackeros) — Wed, 15 Jul 2015 01:06:00 +0000

His Until Sunrise by Joy Avery
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Love to see Black men portrayed this way. Mason was a good, successful man with issues, which he admitted to. Though Nona was a bit prissy, she was a good sport and did not play hard to get. She asked Mason serious questions, even though she was not expecting for their relationship to be long lasting. I loved their interactions and their chemistry was awesome. I've already downloaded two more books in this series.

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noreply@blogger.com (Blackeros) — Tue, 07 Jul 2015 00:59:00 +0000

A Storm Is Coming by LaShawn Vasser
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Who TF is Gina? I know everyone who's read this book is wondering the same thing. Along with with: When is the next book due out? Braylee is one bad ass chick but Alex has got her number. But right when you think everything has been resolved enough to end the story, a new Chinese connection come thru and we are all blown away!
Again....who is Gina and why wasn't she mentioned until the end of the book? Once Alex found out who is behind the sabotage, he whispered her name like she was either a bad memory or the baddest b*tch he's ever encountered. This book surprised me in the best way. Can't wait for seconds.

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noreply@blogger.com (Blackeros) — Sun, 05 Jul 2015 05:12:00 +0000

Current reading situation: A Storm Is Coming

31 of 32 5 Star reviews on Amazon.com and I just had to read this book. I think this will be my first by this author but based on what others have said, I'm in.

noreply@blogger.com (Blackeros) — Sat, 04 Jul 2015 01:43:00 +0000

The @RaynardFaux store over on @Storenvy http://t.co/WYjE3pu6wy is tight! #blackcomicschat #Blackartmatters #comics pic.twitter.com/MfOjSdlMZS
— theblerdgurl (@theblerdgurl) July 4, 2015

noreply@blogger.com (Blackeros) — Fri, 03 Jul 2015 23:52:00 +0000

Facebook posted by me on July 1, 2015 8:07 pm

Irina Renfro, a professor at CBU, stood up in her Early American Lit class and said, "No one knows what it's like to come from a family of slaves." I damn near got up and walked out (and she must have known that). Here I was, the only Black student in this class, which has a syllabus full of the most regional and racist literature in the American canon, and this white, Russian woman wants to tell me how to feel about slavery. She went on to explain that her grandfather was a slave in Russia before the revolution and that in Russia, a family never escapes their social lot. They are always slaves and see themselves as such. She carried the mantle as well.

From that moment, I understood what I was feeling when I saw footage from demonstrations and pictures of former slaves. I swear I could hear the screams of Denise McNair and her friends that Sunday morning; I could feel the stinging water from the hoses and hear the snarls of the police dogs. Those ghosts travel thru time and settle right along with you. This is why Jews, as an example, have such an intense connection to the Holocaust; it is not something they can forget because it it a part of who they are, no matter how much time has past. So, to tell people that they should "get over it" "learn from it" is ridiculous! It is impossible.The struggle of your ancestors did not exist in a vacuum. You don't have to be the person that experienced the tragedy or even know someone who did for you to empathize with them. No one tells you to forget a family member who has passed on, just because it's been a decade since they've died (that would be insensitive). No slavery isn't new. It was in the Bible (we still read that book). But slavery and what remnants that remain, still hurt and instill fear. History is, indeed, events of the past but history is not silent.

noreply@blogger.com (Blackeros) — Fri, 03 Jul 2015 23:17:00 +0000

So...um....it's been three years since I have posted anything. I have not been hibernating under a rock or even gone on a trip to space. I have been reading scads of books (do people even still you the word "scads"?) I just stopped being here one day and never came back. There has been a lot to say and not just about books. So, since I have returned, I will change direction and write about whatever happens in my life----a lot it will still be about books. I know that no one is still watching or reading but it will me me fell better and, since I'm selfish, that's all that really matters. Right? Yep.

noreply@blogger.com (Blackeros) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 00:19:00 +0000

So, 2012 is here and I am still here as well. Glad to have kept on this side of the veil. That being said: what have I resolved to do this year differently than in 2011. Well....read more books, fall in love, allow myself to be loved, and feel good everyday. Last night, I read the most interesting, eye-opening, and funny as hell blog post from bitches gotta eat (http://bitchesgottaeat.blogspot.com/) and I swear we must be sisters of the spirit or something. I will be happy each day. I will be healthier than I was the day before. I will be loved and allow myself to be loved. I will try to read Don Quixote (all of it this time). I have also told the people over at Goodreads.com that I will read 400 books this year. This page and my Goodreads profile will bear witness to this....

And away we go....

Favorite Reads of 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Blackeros) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 23:27:00 +0000

This year I challenged myself to read at least 200 books. Now for some bibliophiles this is a paltry number but I thought it be realistic. I have always been an avid reader but I never thought about how to track the many books that I'd read in any given year. I have become quite active with Goodreads.com and also with sharing my thought about books with others here on this page (not that too many people care about what I have to say). Since beginning the challenge, I have read books by some of my favorite authors, people I have never heard of and some that I haven't read in a long time. Part of the reason that I have been exposed to so many different authors is the Kindle. In November 2010, I gave one to myself as an early birthday present and it was one of the best gifts I have even received. I have access to books on my wish list and books by authors unknown to me; some of which I have become fans of. even with the Kindle, however, the best books I have read this year have been in print form: The Shack, Jane Eyre, One Day and The Help. Funny how these books were ones that I had been putting off reading because of their popularity and mass appeal. Most of the books that I read are of the many romance genres, so it no surpirse about why I loved all of these books. Each book was based on a different romacntic principle but it was the powerful emotions, truth of words, and beuty of language that have kept thse books in mind throughout this year.

I read The Shack after seeing a co-worker reading it and hearing her praise the message that could be found there. Ironically, this was a person whom I had had a few tense words with on more than one occasion. I don't think I will ever stop talking about who I met in this book.

When I was in high school, I looked at the tome that was Jane Eyre and decided that I would take a shorter route to reading this book. Even in college and after, I tried again to attack this book. No go. Finally, I relented when I found out that there was a new movie adaptation of the novel coming out (Spring 2011) I relented and downloaded a copy to my Kindle. What I found was one of the most romantic novels ever written and I wanted to kick my high school self in the toukas for not reading it back then.

I saw the trailers for One Day, I knew I had to see this movie. And then to my dismay, I recalled that this was also a book that I refused to read (I don't even know why). But since I have a serious girl crush on Anne Hathaway, I knew that I would have to read the book before being able to see the film version. I have real issue with seeing a move based on a book that I haven't read ; another symptom of being a bibliophile. Such beauty of language, humor and one of the best love stories I have read. One review I read on the book remarked that it wasn't that romantic because there wasn't the expected HEA. Oh, what fools these mortals be.

Truth be told, I had no real desire to read a book, written by a white woman, about Black servants living in Mississippi during the Civil Rights era. My phantom memories of the period have kept me guarded and wary of what the other side thinks. I read this book after getting the recommendation from one of my high school teachers. The Help has been elevated, for me, to the level of The Color Purple in terms of womanist fiction. I can't really say if that was Stockett's intention but that the way I read it. Often our exposure to the discussion of race in fiction is focused on the male or family experience; The Help is a unique look at how it affects woman in particular. Another book that shall have permanent shelf space.

As the new year comes, I already have an eye out for books that will be coming out by my favorite authors but I am also awaiting what I will find in the stacks. Books that I have looked over and forgotten or maybe never even discovered. Already I have The Read Tent, A Reliable Wife, Things Fall Apart collecting friendly dust in my bedroom. And since books don't expire, no doubt I will find some others just as deserving of a new reader.

noreply@blogger.com (Blackeros) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 01:35:00 +0000

Holiday Fantasy: Finding the Right Key\'Round Midnight\Blind Faith by Adrianne Byrd

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I really thought I was going to love all three of the novellas in this volume. Byrd, Hill and Perrin are some of my favorite authors, but sad to say, only one of there three really made it worth while to read. Finding the Right Key by Adrianne Byrd was hot, funny and I wished it was a full length book; Round Midnight by Donna Hill was a nice, slightly sexy story; and Blind Faith was cute but weird and unfulfilling.

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noreply@blogger.com (Blackeros) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 03:03:00 +0000

Sweet Destiny by Rochelle Alers

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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noreply@blogger.com (Blackeros) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 03:00:00 +0000

Cowboy Casanova by Lorelei James

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Based on the description of this book, I thought that this would be the sexiest of the Rough Rider series...not so. Surprisingly, Cowboy Casanova was one of the more emotionally charged books of the series. Ben McKay has been keeping his dating and sexuality away from the prying eyes of the huge McKay family and anyone who has anything to do with them. He's a Dom and knows that he'll be harshly judged for his lifestyle. And he is. Being the quiet middle child, Ben has always felt that he has been on the outside and needed to find some part of his life that he can control and in his world as a Dom, he's at the top of the food chain.

Ben meets with an unexpected challenge in Ainsley Hamilton. She gets invited to the sex club where Ben frequents and they are instantly attracted. Ben pushes Ainsley to her sexual and emotional limits with his control of her. But for the first time, Ben wants something different and he doesn't know what to do about it. As much control as he exhibits, Ben is still quite vulnerable to his family and the few people he counts as friends.

As hot as this book is, it did not singe the edges of my Kindle as I had expected. Of the series, All Jacked Up, Tied Up, Tied Down and Branded as Trouble made me want to blush while reading them; Cowboy Casanova seemed tame by comparison. Still a good book and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Glad to see some old faces and be introduced to some new ones as well.

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#nowreading

noreply@blogger.com (Blackeros) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 01:51:00 +0000

noreply@blogger.com (Blackeros) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 01:35:00 +0000

Winning the Wallflower: A Novella by Eloisa James

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In anticipation of The Duke is Mine (12/27), Eloisa James has penned a wonderful novella about one Lucy Towerton's engagement to the most eligible and inappropriate bachelor in London: Cyrus Ravensthorpe. Lucy has been on the shelf for three years and when Ravensthorpe approaches her father, a marriage contract is signed and Lucy delivered. Cyrus has had a rough life living on the outside of polite society all due to his mother, the daughter of a duke, marrying the most famous barrister in England. So Cyrus plans to make himself a respectable marriage to a wallflower to gain his family’s entrance back into the ballrooms of the Ton. Lucy, however, has a few different ideas after her dire financial straits straighten themselves out in the form of an inheritance and now she is one of the most sought after heiresses of the Season. The engagement comes to an end but not before Lucy gets her kiss and Cyrus gets his comeuppance. Lucy is no shrinking violet (flower reference intended) and makes Cyrus change his mind about why he wants her to be his bride.

I love (can’t say Lucy right here) the chemistry that these two have. Like most James’ characters, these two enjoy some of the wittiest banter that can found in romantic fiction. Also, I love that her heroines find a better way to manage their own lives and demand that the men in their lives come up to scratch. Wonderful segue into The Duke is Mine which will be available 12/27. Pay close attention to Olivia and Rupert…you’ll be seeing them again.

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noreply@blogger.com (Blackeros) — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 00:12:00 +0000

Wyoming Tough by Diana Palmer

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another surprise by Diana Palmer. I have had along and varied affair with Diana Palmer's books. I don't like all of them but I keep reading them. This book was a surprise because I finally met a female character who wasn't playing the victim but woman trying to take charge of her life. Morie wants to learn all she can about ranching and her father is not going to let her anywhere near branding or riding fence lines, so she leaves Texas and heads to Montana and gets a job on a ranch run by three brothers. While she doesn't immediately fall for the boss, Mallory, you can see it coming. Morie is one tough cookie and I like that about her. Good story.

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noreply@blogger.com (Blackeros) — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 17:27:00 +0000

All Caught Up by Sophia Shaw

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sexy read about a matchmaker finding the perfect mate for a client....turns out that she is the perfect woman. The cover alone is reason enough to take a chance on this book.

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noreply@blogger.com (Blackeros) — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 17:21:00 +0000

Capital Wives by Rochelle Alers

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was a little skeptical about this book in the beginning and then I was wishing that the book could go on for a few more chapters. As a avid watcher of the Housewives reality series I was worried that this book would piggyback off of some of those subject lines. What I found was a fresh take on the lives of some pretty powerful women in D.C. Bethany, Deanna and Marisol find themselves connected by their powerful husbands and manage to forge real friendships.

Bethany is the mistress turned wife. She has the life she set out to have but something is missing. Her stepdaughter is wreaking havoc in her household, she's gaining weight and her older, but devoted, husband seems to be clueless to it all.

Deanna seems to be leading a charmed life as a popular event planner with the lawyer husband. But soon her husband's infidelity (and hers) comes to threaten their marriage.

Marisol is the most likeable one of the trio. Even after marrying into Washington royalty, Marisol stays true to herself but little things are showing her that her husband is not who he seems to be. He's been lying to her from the beginning and it only takes an outsider one meeting to recognize that something is very wrong.

I am very fond of Rochelle Alers writing and this book is one of her best single title novels. A thoroughly enjoyable book that will leave you looking for additional pages. I just wish there was more. Hopefully?

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Indigo by Beverly Jenkins: E-book Release

noreply@blogger.com (Blackeros) — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 02:09:00 +0000

Beverly Jenkins has made so many of her fans VERY happy. Indigo is being released as an e-book. OMG! This is was the first historical novel featuring African-Americans as its main characters that I had ever read and I have been hooked on Ms. Beverly's books since then. I'm so excited to read (again) about Underground Railroad conductor, Hester Wyatt and Galen Vachon. Hester is a former slave and Galen comes from a wealthy Black family who has never shared in that particular shame. Their story is so heart-breaking ( I can remember crying while reading this). Truly one of the best romance novels I have ever read.

Ms. Beverly liberally peppers her books with historical facts and events, not just the setting as found with some historical novels, which helps modern readers connect with a both rich and painful past. I so cannot wait for this book to be released.

Current paperback pricing for this book is $19.95 at Amazon.com. I believe the ebook pricing will be $4.99 (don't hold me to it). Also by Beverly Jenkins: Night Hawk (2011), Night Song (1994) , Topaz (2007), Before the Dawn (2001).

noreply@blogger.com (Blackeros) — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 02:03:00 +0000

Call Me Irresistible by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Quite a delicious read.

Here was another one of those books, by an author I love, that I slept on. I couldn’t bring myself to read this book for a long time after hearing about the anticipation and reading, more than a few, reviews from other readers. Call Me Irresistible was not a book that I would recommend to every reader and only because it is not a standalone title. If you missed Fancy Pants, First Lady, Glitter Baby, and Lady Be Good, then you might want to leave this book alone for a while. I have read all of these books and still need to go back and reacquaint myself with the characters (all of which will be found in CMI).

The book starts with a wedding, featuring Ted Beaudine (Fancy Pants), Meg Koranda (Glitter Baby), and Lucy Jorik (First Lady). The Book ends with a wedding, featuring Ted Beaudine, Meg Koranda , and Lucy Jorik . Though at the second wedding, the actress playing the bride has been changed. After Lucy leaves Ted at the altar, the town of Wynette blames Meg for breaking the heart of its golden boy, Ted Beaudine. As much as I found the adoration of Ted, there were too many holes in the story for me to rate this as a really fantastic book. Maybe it was assumes that I was up to date on my SEP novels and would be able to remember all of the characters and the connections to this book. I couldn’t remember if Ted, Lucy and Meg had been such well-developed characters in other books that I should have been able to recall them in this book.

Anyway, after the disaster at the altar Ted allows himself to lay his troubles at Meg’s feet and treat her like dirt for a good portion of the book. And whatever Ted does, the people of Wynette are doomed to follow and they, too, treat Meg like old cat litter. At some point, Ted gives in to his attraction to Meg (which no one saw coming) and decides that he likes her enough to at least, have sex with her; though by this time, Meg is already sure that she is super attracted to her nemesis. Meg endures menial jobs, a stalker and a billionaire with eight hands. The best part of this book and what saves it for me is the banter between Meg and Ted. This is the delicious part and worth of all the uncertainty of not knowing characters that you think you should know. Of course, there is HEA (after all, this is romance).

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noreply@blogger.com (Blackeros) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 21:16:00 +0000

Until There Was You by Kristan Higgins

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

OK. So, I might be back in love with Kristan Higgans. I loved this book. A neurotic hero who is borderline obsessive compulsive is not common in romance, but it works here. Liam Murphy is a guy with some serious issues and it's refreshing to see how he deals with them. And Posey Osterhagen is the ugly duckling that never quite made it to swan status. She is the adopted daughter of some pretty tall, Germanic people and finds herself lacking. At some in their youth, Posey overheard Liam say some pretty nasty things about her and she has been scarred by his words ever since. But now, widowed Liam has moved back and Posey finds it hard not to fall for him all over again.

In true Higgans fashion, the secondary characters are awesome. Posey is surrounded by her gay brother-in-law, her jock best friend Kate, her German parents, and Vietnamese brother. I loved this book.

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noreply@blogger.com (Blackeros) — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 01:29:00 +0000

The Next Always by Nora Roberts

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Something about the working man characters of Nora Roberts. Recall the Quinn’s of Chesapeake Bay and the Gallagher’s of Ireland; these are men who are hardworking, loyal, and handsome and just plain, good. The Montgomery’s of BoonsBoro, Maryland are much the same type of men. I can’t lie: this book was a bit slow for me coming out of the starting block. I might have been expecting the grab of Chasing Fire or the instance of romance in Vision in White. I wasn’t sure why I would be going with this book and laid my Kindle the side several times before I began to fall a bit for Beckett, Ryder, and Owen. As a reader, you will fall for the men in this series rather than the women (even the little men). Apparently, Beckett Montgomery has been walking around BoonsBoro for the better part of his life, waiting for the one woman he could not have---Clare Murphy Brewster. I don’t think he even realized that he had been waiting for her until her had her. There’s a serious love connection going on here but the real romance is not Beckett and Clare…it’s the Inn BoonsBoro that the Montgomery’s are building that makes this book so delicious.

While I was reading and discovering this book, I became like the lady from 30 Rock: I want to go to there. This Inn is themed and feature rooms based on literary characters: Elizabeth and Darcy, Nick and Nora, Oberon and Titania, etc. I was instantly in love and enjoyed reading about this place this place that I secretly hoped was a reality. Roberts has this way of making the setting a major character of her novels and the first book is always just the hook you need to draw you into waiting more than six months for the second installment. I think The Last Boyfriend comes out in May of 2012 (really!) Again, with the anticipation. A good book for a cup of tea, a blanket and a chilly day.

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noreply@blogger.com (Blackeros) — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 18:58:00 +0000

Deadly Desires by Ann Christopher

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Great book but not a standalone title. Deadly Pursuits should be read first in order to understand who the characters are and their motivations. Apparently, Kira Gregory has been helping DEA Special Agent Dexter Brady to bring her drug kingpin husband down. Agent Brady has been holding back his feelings for the criminal's wife but once Kareem Gregory is dead, nothing can hold him back any longer. However. Kira has a few more skeletons in her closet that will make Dexter question his judgement.

Since I just met Kira in this book, I have to withhold judgement of her. She is the wife a drug kingpin but claims not to have known what her husband was doing for most of their marriage. Though she is a strong female characters, I need to find more about her in order to like her. Once I have gone back to read Deadly Pursuit, I might have to revisit and change my opinions of this book.

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The Qwillery: 2011 Blogversary Giveaways!

noreply@blogger.com (Blackeros) — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 17:34:00 +0000

The Qwillery: 2011 Blogversary Giveaways!: I started The Qwillery as a general blog on October 1, 2008. In the last 3 months of 2008, I posted 19 times. In 2009, the number increased ...

noreply@blogger.com (Blackeros) — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 02:14:00 +0000

Only Us: A Fool's Gold Holiday by Susan Mallery

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Awww. I love a good love story, especially at Christmas.

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noreply@blogger.com (Blackeros) — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 01:37:00 +0000

Bring Me Home for Christmas by Robyn Carr

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Let me begin by saying that I love the Virgin River series and when Denny Cutler first arrived there, I was dying to hear the rest of his story. However, after reading Bring Me Home for Christmas, I think I could have waited. I did not feel as if this story fit in with the rest of the series: the characters that avid followers have come to love have become peripheral, no real build of emotion and tension. Almost as if the relationship between Denny and Becca was a forgone conclusion and nothing else needed to be added. One of the things that I have come to love about this series is the secondary stories and lead-ins to future books; I got none of that here. This could have been a standalone novel.

The book is basically about the girl that got away. Denny left Becca to return to Iraq and she moved on without him. After a few years, she has begun to date a law student and it’s leading to marriage but before a proposal can be made, Becca decides to piggyback with her brother on a guys-only hunting trip. Really? Denny doesn’t know she’s coming and all the old feelings come right back. Throw in a broken ankle, a rival, and close quarters and the couple is once again, a couple. Denny decides to quit working at the farm and follow Becca back to San Diego. Did I mention that he quit his job? This doesn’t seem like the same Denny that we’ve been reading about.

I just couldn’t make the connection with this book. After having read all of the previous novels in this series, I guess it was time for the law of averages to kick in. I think I would have liked this book if it had been a single title; definitely not Virgin River material.

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