<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><?xml-stylesheet href="http://www.blogger.com/styles/atom.css" type="text/css"?><feed xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom' xmlns:openSearch='http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/' xmlns:blogger='http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008' xmlns:georss='http://www.georss.org/georss' xmlns:gd="http://schemas.google.com/g/2005" xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8557273101593651036</id><updated>2026-04-06T18:45:51.878-04:00</updated><category term="beauty"/><category term="life"/><category term="makeup"/><category term="music"/><category term="books"/><category term="link love"/><category term="reading"/><category term="nails"/><category term="lipstick"/><category term="self-improvement"/><category term="book review"/><category term="fashion"/><category term="style"/><category term="#sodrereads"/><category term="blog love"/><category term="bloggers"/><category term="relationships"/><category term="hair 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term="community building"/><category term="confetti nail polish"/><category term="date look"/><category term="dating"/><category term="deborah lippman"/><category term="dinner made easy"/><category term="disturbing tha peace"/><category term="eShakti"/><category term="elasta qp"/><category term="entrepreneurship"/><category term="erykah badu"/><category term="evening makeup"/><category term="fall reading list"/><category term="fall/winter fashion"/><category term="fear"/><category term="femmeswithbenefits"/><category term="fendi bag and a bad attitude"/><category term="firmoo glasses"/><category term="five minute face"/><category term="forever 21"/><category term="gab&#39;s hair journey"/><category term="ginuwine"/><category term="girl about town"/><category term="girl groups of the 90s"/><category term="giveaways"/><category term="graftobian"/><category term="hhj"/><category term="hikari cosmetics"/><category term="hourglass cosmetics"/><category term="how-to"/><category term="identity"/><category term="insecurity"/><category term="instagram"/><category term="intimacy"/><category term="inversion method"/><category term="jamla"/><category term="janelle monae"/><category term="janet jackson"/><category term="jill scott"/><category term="keri hilson"/><category term="laura izibor"/><category term="look of the day"/><category term="loss"/><category term="mariah carey"/><category term="mark. cosmetics"/><category term="mixtape"/><category term="mom stuff"/><category term="monifah"/><category term="monthly goals"/><category term="movies"/><category term="moving forward"/><category term="musiq soulchild"/><category term="my life in photos"/><category term="my two cents"/><category term="nicki minaj"/><category term="nunaat garlic magic"/><category term="obsessive compulsive cosmetics"/><category term="on wednesdays we wear pink"/><category term="patti labelle"/><category term="pink"/><category term="plants"/><category term="pollinate media"/><category term="pop culture"/><category term="prayer"/><category term="quotes"/><category term="raheem devaughn"/><category term="real talk"/><category term="recipes"/><category term="red lipstick"/><category term="resiliency"/><category term="rhythm and blues"/><category term="rihanna"/><category term="rimmel"/><category term="robin thicke"/><category term="sammydress"/><category term="scentbird"/><category term="sean paul"/><category term="self-discovery"/><category term="self-love saturdays"/><category term="sheila e."/><category term="simple skincare"/><category term="skin-care    hyperpigmentation"/><category term="skincarerx"/><category term="solange"/><category term="spring beauty"/><category term="stay-at-home-moms"/><category term="street style"/><category term="style on a budget"/><category term="stylish mama"/><category term="summer beauty"/><category term="swatches"/><category term="tamar braxton"/><category term="ten things"/><category term="thanksgiving"/><category term="thrifting"/><category term="tina turner"/><category term="total"/><category term="traditions"/><category term="tyrese"/><category term="vloggers"/><category term="walgreens"/><category term="web series"/><category term="wedding"/><category term="weekend confessions with dre"/><category term="wet seal"/><category term="women supporting women"/><category term="workout"/><category term="youtube"/><title type='text'>So She Writes by Miss Dre | A Beauty + Lifestyle Blog</title><subtitle type='html'>beauty + lifestyle blog by a married mommy of three discussing skin care, makeup, hair care, style, good books, self-improvement, and nostalgia-induced music playlists  </subtitle><link rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.soshewritesbymissdre.com/feeds/posts/default'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8557273101593651036/posts/default?redirect=false'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.soshewritesbymissdre.com/'/><link rel='hub' href='http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/'/><link rel='next' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8557273101593651036/posts/default?start-index=26&amp;max-results=25&amp;redirect=false'/><author><name>Dre</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/16577909247802340552</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='28' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSF7puw4Pt6gIsZIUtA_HhG8ylfZpZx9SuLSkFRMoh01YqxtPqBo4bqAP4Wcdul64EFzG76Li1inizqzSWeQqVmHP-V3SFc0dZAsGLSWakAXV7a753PlTHwtmY7dVN_Q/s113/purple+rain2.jpg'/></author><generator version='7.00' uri='http://www.blogger.com'>Blogger</generator><openSearch:totalResults>480</openSearch:totalResults><openSearch:startIndex>1</openSearch:startIndex><openSearch:itemsPerPage>25</openSearch:itemsPerPage><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8557273101593651036.post-7498797344342493811</id><published>2026-01-15T07:39:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2026-01-15T07:39:01.383-05:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="book feature"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="book review"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="reading"/><title type='text'>BOOK REVIEW | This Ain&#39;t Our First Rodeo by Liara Tamani</title><content type='html'>&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR_v32tyr8Cv4qHcmoaqxdfAp3Zloknfr8a1pVtIaQH-4KpH00fHIXXY3vVm_sNzNsO6v8o6n97IhieRoYCswZX0UJLd0QO42RKXwMsSnFs3hUSBe438iZPYSX8FKLKJXNs7QtJBfWc9nmoeSsHR0cbo-hwt00ajE0Nw_xZ0wJ_Pl3mXizKhRU7r5J2m1j/s1339/This%20Ain&#39;t%20Our%20First%20Rodeo%20Liara%20Tamani.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;book review young adult romance&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; data-original-height=&quot;1339&quot; data-original-width=&quot;1000&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR_v32tyr8Cv4qHcmoaqxdfAp3Zloknfr8a1pVtIaQH-4KpH00fHIXXY3vVm_sNzNsO6v8o6n97IhieRoYCswZX0UJLd0QO42RKXwMsSnFs3hUSBe438iZPYSX8FKLKJXNs7QtJBfWc9nmoeSsHR0cbo-hwt00ajE0Nw_xZ0wJ_Pl3mXizKhRU7r5J2m1j/s16000/This%20Ain&#39;t%20Our%20First%20Rodeo%20Liara%20Tamani.jpg&quot; title=&quot;This Ain&#39;t Our First Rodeo Liara Tamani&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;This Ain&#39;t Our First Rodeo by Liara Tamani 🐎❤️&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Pub Date: February 3, 2026&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;Many thanks to Colored Pages Book Tours, Epic Reads, Netgalley and Liara Tamani for the gifted copies + the opportunity to share this book with you guys 🤠📚&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;SYNOPSIS:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;This Ain’t Our First Rodeo&lt;/i&gt; is a contemporary western love story full of bulls, brawls, and horses. It’s a tender second chance cowboy romance about family, friendship, mistakes, and the blessings of choosing to love anyway. Black cowboys and cowgirls like Josie and Shawn have long helped shape the American West—a legacy that shines in Liara Tamani’s storytelling. Her writing is quick-witted, swoony, and authentic, with characters who are easy to love and hard to forget.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;REVIEW:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;This Ain’t Our First Rodeo&lt;/i&gt; is such an adorable read. Not only do readers watch Shawn and Josie navigate this beautifully complicated love thang, we get a glimpse of the rodeo + cowboy culture. I learned so much! And when reading about the Ranch, I could envision it, smell it, and feel it. Seeing those beautiful horses in my mind made me want to saddle up and ride, too! 🤠&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I also love how we see Shawn and Josie learn each other while also learning more about themselves. Their morals and values are presented to us. Then, we see how life and circumstances affect how they uphold those values.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Shawn and Josie had great chemistry, no doubt. I love how they considered each other. And I smiled inwardly at each warm gesture shared. But, as with most YA romance I read, I was fussing at the book during their &quot;miscommunications.&quot; Overall, I enjoyed this one, y&#39;all ❤️&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I recommend &lt;i&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.amazon.com/This-Aint-Our-First-Rodeo/dp/0063093332/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1TU9S9TPNVFPY&amp;amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9._n5oYMKQRW0877knqbVBMzpxCbXvMJW73seSscwtcAiB72Jndi4lSdx4g6NFdKFMVAA0r3rNdQsUa1QvooKcLn_W5s7gLItzEYu5-8wzrTmaA4tudEGhJzu7SxhAWHTmKv5_5EsPpyEw92UBgAJDkw.IczgZWr7Zd3Fw15kWFwKksNSu4J8WBIgMJOpGKJilVY&amp;amp;dib_tag=se&amp;amp;keywords=this+ain%27t+our+first+rodeo+book&amp;amp;qid=1768480308&amp;amp;sprefix=this+ain%27t+our+first+rodeo%2Caps%2C1582&amp;amp;sr=8-1&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;This Ain’t Our First Rodeo&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/i&gt; to those who enjoy a light love story, appreciate the Rodeo + cowboy culture, and still wonder &quot;what if?&quot; about the cutie you had an encounter with as a teen way back when.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Thanks to Liara Tamani, I am making it my mission to attend the rodeo in Houston at least once. I will also think of Shawn and Josie each time I eat doughnut intestines loaded with strawberries &amp;amp; powdered sugar. ❤️&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #ff3c9a; font-size: x-large;&quot;&gt;WILL YOU BE ADDING THIS AIN&#39;T OUR FIRST RODEO&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #ff3c9a; font-size: x-large;&quot;&gt;TO YOUR READING LIST?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8557273101593651036/posts/default/7498797344342493811'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8557273101593651036/posts/default/7498797344342493811'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.soshewritesbymissdre.com/2026/01/book-review-this-aint-our-first-rodeo.html' title='BOOK REVIEW | This Ain&#39;t Our First Rodeo by Liara Tamani'/><author><name>Dre</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/16577909247802340552</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='28' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSF7puw4Pt6gIsZIUtA_HhG8ylfZpZx9SuLSkFRMoh01YqxtPqBo4bqAP4Wcdul64EFzG76Li1inizqzSWeQqVmHP-V3SFc0dZAsGLSWakAXV7a753PlTHwtmY7dVN_Q/s113/purple+rain2.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR_v32tyr8Cv4qHcmoaqxdfAp3Zloknfr8a1pVtIaQH-4KpH00fHIXXY3vVm_sNzNsO6v8o6n97IhieRoYCswZX0UJLd0QO42RKXwMsSnFs3hUSBe438iZPYSX8FKLKJXNs7QtJBfWc9nmoeSsHR0cbo-hwt00ajE0Nw_xZ0wJ_Pl3mXizKhRU7r5J2m1j/s72-c/This%20Ain&#39;t%20Our%20First%20Rodeo%20Liara%20Tamani.jpg" height="72" width="72"/></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8557273101593651036.post-8009647474078870078</id><published>2025-10-15T16:42:00.001-04:00</published><updated>2025-10-15T16:42:14.746-04:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="life"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="music"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="musical musings"/><title type='text'>Remembering D&#39;Angelo </title><content type='html'>&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyxO6-_wyXBEHcLFgQrXmy2EEXGi2zVHcrwO1Gd6u1LCet07h89WUV_vQGr4IHtpdiPdfykZzxUu5FjNUutk0O7AHe_c86rrHK5n4-6dDBNnmK3oYwwOHyFrXQtWXe9Kbpd2q63Fn19Y84BS_Era6IzgQSjK0Sy8NpJ8Wul2CLLFoOtrdXjZ0RGBw-Jviw/s1799/d&#39;angelo%20voodoo%20album%20cover.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;d&#39;angelo&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; data-original-height=&quot;1799&quot; data-original-width=&quot;1000&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyxO6-_wyXBEHcLFgQrXmy2EEXGi2zVHcrwO1Gd6u1LCet07h89WUV_vQGr4IHtpdiPdfykZzxUu5FjNUutk0O7AHe_c86rrHK5n4-6dDBNnmK3oYwwOHyFrXQtWXe9Kbpd2q63Fn19Y84BS_Era6IzgQSjK0Sy8NpJ8Wul2CLLFoOtrdXjZ0RGBw-Jviw/s16000/d&#39;angelo%20voodoo%20album%20cover.jpg&quot; title=&quot;d&#39;angelo voodoo album cover&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We lost a giant in the music world yesterday, y’all. And I don’t even know if I have the words to express how saddened I, along with many others, are over the loss of D’Angelo.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Every now and then you encounter musicians that are so enmeshed in the music, their aura becomes the art. D’Angelo was one of them ones.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He felt like soul. Felt like sneaking in your aunt’s bedroom to watch that new “Cruisin” video and being serenaded by the saccharine smooth voice belting from the TV screen. Felt like listening to &lt;i&gt;Voodoo&lt;/i&gt; for the first time with your cousin, completely transfixed by the melodies hours after the CD stops whirring in your Play Station. Felt like having a mini concert in another cousin’s living room each time the “Send It On” video played on cable TV.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Experiencing D’Angelo’s music through many pivotal moments in my life feels like a sensual dance some days. Plays out like a spiritual encounter on other days. That’s why every time I hear “One Mo’ Gin,” I mourn a heartbreak from 20+ years ago, but when I hear “I Found My Smile Again,” I’m embraced by a ten-year friendship that comforts me like a wool blanket on crisp winter nights. I will pour libations, set a mood, and get cozy in my beloved plant space playing &lt;i&gt;Black Messiah&lt;/i&gt; with no interruptions, lingering in booming instrumentation and larger-than-life sociopolitical rhetoric. I feel the heaviness of the times and consider solutions within my grasp. And still, after all these years, I still choose D’Angelo’s “Cruisin” over the original. Nothing has ever held me quite like that rendition.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;D&#39;Angelo’s music is truly a gift, wrapped in the most intricate bow and ribbons, that lovers of soul music drink deeply from. I never had the opportunity to see him perform live, but I&#39;m grateful to experience his art in this lifetime. As I shared with another neo-soul artist today, soul music like D’Angelo’s transcends space and time. It touches people he may never meet but will feel his essence all the same. I’m glad to have memories of discovering his music, how it feels to indulge in his music now, and to know the genius that was D’Angelo. I send prayers to his family, friends, and all who have been touched by his life in some way. May he rest in peace 🕊👑&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;I’ll be spinning his music until further notice.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwfIlCPLBU3mbpZzyX4IIjHWWPca7OTtbXVF04iyq3KsuStrarHCTTFcxqwZ3_78U759NqDTjF8kOPqWzn2DCz1Ou5ygf8AOICwGOR74tFaBcq7YbK29EgZW-_G8YSyv4QlM9umHWqqoSx2EhPyGW_X4EdKF1VyPc4jmB9XWRvnXwrvnHNsL5dAUs4VqvY/s1789/d&#39;angelo%20album.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;d&#39;angelo&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; data-original-height=&quot;1789&quot; data-original-width=&quot;1000&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwfIlCPLBU3mbpZzyX4IIjHWWPca7OTtbXVF04iyq3KsuStrarHCTTFcxqwZ3_78U759NqDTjF8kOPqWzn2DCz1Ou5ygf8AOICwGOR74tFaBcq7YbK29EgZW-_G8YSyv4QlM9umHWqqoSx2EhPyGW_X4EdKF1VyPc4jmB9XWRvnXwrvnHNsL5dAUs4VqvY/s16000/d&#39;angelo%20album.jpg&quot; title=&quot;d&#39;angelo voodoo album cover&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8557273101593651036/posts/default/8009647474078870078'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8557273101593651036/posts/default/8009647474078870078'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.soshewritesbymissdre.com/2025/10/remembering-dangelo.html' title='Remembering D&#39;Angelo '/><author><name>Dre</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/16577909247802340552</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='28' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSF7puw4Pt6gIsZIUtA_HhG8ylfZpZx9SuLSkFRMoh01YqxtPqBo4bqAP4Wcdul64EFzG76Li1inizqzSWeQqVmHP-V3SFc0dZAsGLSWakAXV7a753PlTHwtmY7dVN_Q/s113/purple+rain2.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyxO6-_wyXBEHcLFgQrXmy2EEXGi2zVHcrwO1Gd6u1LCet07h89WUV_vQGr4IHtpdiPdfykZzxUu5FjNUutk0O7AHe_c86rrHK5n4-6dDBNnmK3oYwwOHyFrXQtWXe9Kbpd2q63Fn19Y84BS_Era6IzgQSjK0Sy8NpJ8Wul2CLLFoOtrdXjZ0RGBw-Jviw/s72-c/d&#39;angelo%20voodoo%20album%20cover.jpg" height="72" width="72"/></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8557273101593651036.post-4303897600523935463</id><published>2025-08-23T22:50:00.003-04:00</published><updated>2025-08-23T22:52:16.369-04:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="book feature"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="book review"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="summer reading list"/><title type='text'>BOOK RECOMMENDATION | Positive Obsession by Susana M. Morris</title><content type='html'>&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb5Thn8lLSY-hv2ChxjEA_JDDq7FX1Ej42I878DWILJx2Sj4nxlekwzd-FO7SBT1wXEsNrkvhnhFC-RM2fSN5JziNV9WykgbtF7ZttdphDp_PRnP2L54F55RCu-irGp3nK4CbKEKYOzOo8mAdRv8VoWdbUV3dmo_QHuVSuUlPMqz0uSq0d4tDRCmTNPQyk/s1378/positive%20obsession.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;octavia butler book&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; data-original-height=&quot;1378&quot; data-original-width=&quot;1000&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb5Thn8lLSY-hv2ChxjEA_JDDq7FX1Ej42I878DWILJx2Sj4nxlekwzd-FO7SBT1wXEsNrkvhnhFC-RM2fSN5JziNV9WykgbtF7ZttdphDp_PRnP2L54F55RCu-irGp3nK4CbKEKYOzOo8mAdRv8VoWdbUV3dmo_QHuVSuUlPMqz0uSq0d4tDRCmTNPQyk/s16000/positive%20obsession.jpg&quot; title=&quot;positive obsession susana m. morris&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;h1 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Positive Obsession by Susana M. Morris | Pub. Date: August 19, 2025&lt;/h1&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I loved Positive Obsession by Susana M. Morris so much! As a fan of Octavia E. Butler and her works, I could not wait to get my hands on this read. I finished it in a manner of days! The author did an amazing job of writing in a way that the reader could see the love + care she had for Octavia E. Butler and her life&#39;s work.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Positive Obsession chronicles Octavia E. Butler&#39;s life from the child who found solace in the local library to the award-winning author gone way too soon. Readers get a glimpse into the highs and lows of Butler&#39;s life, including times she felt like an outcast among peers, fellow authors, and the world around her. Finding a home in literature, and (soon after) the many writings she immersed herself in, Octavia E. Butler learned to write the black woman into the world she wanted to see herself in.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Eventually penning short stories and novels that read more like prophecy than warning, Butler found her place in the literary world. Morris so beautifully weaves stories of her personal life and writing life. As someone who saw Octavia E. Butler as larger than life, the author humanizes Butler, sharing her hopes, fears, and dreams alike. While reading, I found myself leaning in to Butler&#39;s idea of &quot;positive obsession,&quot; in which she persisted with writing, whether inspired or not. I was in awe of her discipline and determination to write the worlds forming in her mind.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I finished this book inspired and excited to read more from Octavia E. Butler. And though the author admits she hadn&#39;t had the chance to meet Butler before her passing in 2006, I believe Butler would be proud of Morris and this book. It reads as if Morris knew Butler personally and was paying her homage.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of Octavia E. Butler and those curious about her work. Many thanks to Netgalley, Amistad, and the author for the copies of Positive Obsession. I thoroughly enjoyed!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: &amp;quot;Source Sans Pro&amp;quot;, sans-serif; font-size: x-large; letter-spacing: 0.5px;&quot;&gt;⭐⭐⭐⭐&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: &amp;quot;Source Sans Pro&amp;quot;, sans-serif; font-size: x-large; letter-spacing: 0.5px;&quot;&gt;⭐&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: &amp;quot;Source Sans Pro&amp;quot;, sans-serif; font-size: x-large; letter-spacing: 0.5px;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #ff3c9a; font-size: large;&quot;&gt;Will you be adding Positive Obsession by Susana M. Morris to your reading list?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8557273101593651036/posts/default/4303897600523935463'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8557273101593651036/posts/default/4303897600523935463'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.soshewritesbymissdre.com/2025/08/positive-obsession-susana-m-morris.html' title='BOOK RECOMMENDATION | Positive Obsession by Susana M. Morris'/><author><name>Dre</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/16577909247802340552</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='28' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSF7puw4Pt6gIsZIUtA_HhG8ylfZpZx9SuLSkFRMoh01YqxtPqBo4bqAP4Wcdul64EFzG76Li1inizqzSWeQqVmHP-V3SFc0dZAsGLSWakAXV7a753PlTHwtmY7dVN_Q/s113/purple+rain2.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb5Thn8lLSY-hv2ChxjEA_JDDq7FX1Ej42I878DWILJx2Sj4nxlekwzd-FO7SBT1wXEsNrkvhnhFC-RM2fSN5JziNV9WykgbtF7ZttdphDp_PRnP2L54F55RCu-irGp3nK4CbKEKYOzOo8mAdRv8VoWdbUV3dmo_QHuVSuUlPMqz0uSq0d4tDRCmTNPQyk/s72-c/positive%20obsession.jpg" height="72" width="72"/></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8557273101593651036.post-2448013263191182887</id><published>2025-07-22T22:15:00.002-04:00</published><updated>2025-07-23T00:25:42.012-04:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="book feature"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="book review"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="summer reading list"/><title type='text'>Book Recommendation | Can&#39;t Get Enough by Kennedy Ryan</title><content type='html'>&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: large;&quot;&gt;Can&#39;t Get Enough by Kennedy Ryan | Pub. Date: May 13, 2025&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;Can&#39;t Get Enough&lt;/i&gt; by Kennedy Ryan was the perfect bow to wrap up the Skyland series.&amp;nbsp; This has become a favorite series of mine and Hendrix did not disappoint!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu6HNqIsQ3of-0ElzUHTldFz0LiqfV0maosMORKzuMqCmQl4YeCzosQPZZ2Yo_RURgJwBTZKk1iGvzRzNDIvF1ENngtvlrv0Ls7saH21y9Bi3TXVN0kFsmWJqjdGYQMSFWeRLSKSYdhvSKAx9vryltS92Bx7SjM_mbeSwcP8b3M9r_iMZM6jKR5Hm7_dCc/s1701/can&#39;t%20get%20enough.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;black romance books&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; data-original-height=&quot;1701&quot; data-original-width=&quot;1000&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu6HNqIsQ3of-0ElzUHTldFz0LiqfV0maosMORKzuMqCmQl4YeCzosQPZZ2Yo_RURgJwBTZKk1iGvzRzNDIvF1ENngtvlrv0Ls7saH21y9Bi3TXVN0kFsmWJqjdGYQMSFWeRLSKSYdhvSKAx9vryltS92Bx7SjM_mbeSwcP8b3M9r_iMZM6jKR5Hm7_dCc/s16000/can&#39;t%20get%20enough.jpg&quot; title=&quot;can&#39;t get enough kennedy ryan&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I connected with Yasmen early in &lt;i&gt;Before I Let Go&lt;/i&gt; as she ventured back to love in a place she thought she lost it. I saw myself in Soledad throughout the pages of &lt;i&gt;This Could Be Us&lt;/i&gt; as she learned self-love was just as important as loving others. So, even before opening &lt;i&gt;Can&#39;t Get Enough&lt;/i&gt;, I had high expectations for Hendrix. She was the best friend who cheered both Yas and Sole on, supporting them in any way possible. I could not wait to see her story unfold.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.amazon.com/s?k=can%27t+get+enough+kennedy+ryan&amp;amp;adgrpid=1330411558590784&amp;amp;hvadid=83151003204224&amp;amp;hvbmt=bp&amp;amp;hvdev=c&amp;amp;hvlocphy=56195&amp;amp;hvnetw=o&amp;amp;hvqmt=p&amp;amp;hvtargid=kwd-83151871993278%3Aloc-190&amp;amp;hydadcr=18218_13771197&amp;amp;mcid=70b7f4dfa79533299c1e2b6ff6e9a792&amp;amp;msclkid=5401f4a261911ea9cabc9c222508d427&amp;amp;tag=mh0b-20&amp;amp;ref=pd_sl_44w4hr44ua_p&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Can&#39;t Get Enough&lt;/a&gt; gives us a glimpse into the life of Hendrix. She&#39;s an entertainment executive who is relentless when it comes to her ambitions. Her high-profile career takes precedence over everything, until she finds herself caring for her aging mother, and falling in love with a handsome tech mogul.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Watching Hendrix juggle work, friendships, love, and caring for her mother really made me feel for her. She was no longer a supporting character in the lives of Yas and Sole. She had her own hardships and hang-ups. I identified with her pain and empathized with her as her mother&#39;s Alzheimer&#39;s began to progress. Losing a parent with dementia and a grandparent with Alzheimer&#39;s, I felt the same fears Hendrix had as I read along. Not knowing if your parent will recognize you from one day to the next makes one grieve said parent before he or she ever leaves us physically. Kennedy Ryan illustrates this so beautifully and with such care in &lt;i&gt;Can&#39;t Get Enough&lt;/i&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And the love interest? Maverick was a dream! I loved the chemistry between Maverick and Hendrix. When they connected, fireworks jumped from the pages. I rooted for them throughout the read. As you can imagine, each love story comes with a bit of conflict. But I&#39;m glad that the factors that could have separated Hendrix and Maverick somehow brought them together even closer.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Overall, I enjoyed &lt;i&gt;Can&#39;t Get Enough&lt;/i&gt;! This small-town North Carolina girl loved getting to know Hendrix and seeing things from her perspective. Kennedy Ryan is becoming one of my favorite authors and she did her thing with this one! Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the electronic copy.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: x-large;&quot;&gt;⭐⭐⭐⭐&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #ff3c9a; font-size: x-large;&quot;&gt;Have you read Can&#39;t Get Enough by Kennedy Ryan yet?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #ff3c9a; font-size: x-large;&quot;&gt;What was your favorite book in the Skyland Series?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8557273101593651036/posts/default/2448013263191182887'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8557273101593651036/posts/default/2448013263191182887'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.soshewritesbymissdre.com/2025/07/book-review-cant-get-enough-kennedy-ryan.html' title='Book Recommendation | Can&#39;t Get Enough by Kennedy Ryan'/><author><name>Dre</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/16577909247802340552</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='28' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSF7puw4Pt6gIsZIUtA_HhG8ylfZpZx9SuLSkFRMoh01YqxtPqBo4bqAP4Wcdul64EFzG76Li1inizqzSWeQqVmHP-V3SFc0dZAsGLSWakAXV7a753PlTHwtmY7dVN_Q/s113/purple+rain2.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu6HNqIsQ3of-0ElzUHTldFz0LiqfV0maosMORKzuMqCmQl4YeCzosQPZZ2Yo_RURgJwBTZKk1iGvzRzNDIvF1ENngtvlrv0Ls7saH21y9Bi3TXVN0kFsmWJqjdGYQMSFWeRLSKSYdhvSKAx9vryltS92Bx7SjM_mbeSwcP8b3M9r_iMZM6jKR5Hm7_dCc/s72-c/can&#39;t%20get%20enough.jpg" height="72" width="72"/></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8557273101593651036.post-5931862315902426958</id><published>2025-04-29T15:17:00.001-04:00</published><updated>2025-04-29T15:17:10.861-04:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="book review"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="life"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="reading"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="suggested reading"/><title type='text'>BOOK RECOMMENDATION: Bibliotherapy in the Bronx by Emely Rumble, LCSW</title><content type='html'>&lt;p&gt;Bibliotherapy: a therapeutic approach that uses literature to support mental health, often alongside other therapy methods.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCdmv38zkDVDmno02RRmJPE4zk7HPEwXzqLSDy1JsYjIfcJYwYstkLaw2JpldM6-lHzhzlf1jJWVDpb-wDyaAqn2e0HHMudhv-bdHCXbdehJB75SOwr6Iu1jcLXq4IoVr3XituvatcYnRvhjhkyzE5W6yvyhHk1v6jIyxcmP6a8lfTXf31TdIIck5bGukW/s1163/bibliotherapy%20in%20the%20bronx%20(1).jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;bibliotherapy&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; data-original-height=&quot;1163&quot; data-original-width=&quot;1000&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCdmv38zkDVDmno02RRmJPE4zk7HPEwXzqLSDy1JsYjIfcJYwYstkLaw2JpldM6-lHzhzlf1jJWVDpb-wDyaAqn2e0HHMudhv-bdHCXbdehJB75SOwr6Iu1jcLXq4IoVr3XituvatcYnRvhjhkyzE5W6yvyhHk1v6jIyxcmP6a8lfTXf31TdIIck5bGukW/s16000/bibliotherapy%20in%20the%20bronx%20(1).jpg&quot; title=&quot;bibliotherapy in the bronx book&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;I became fascinated with the idea of bibliotherapy since following Emely Rumble, LCSW on TikTok a year or so ago. As an avid reader since pre-school and a social work major, I knew one could find healing in books. I had no idea, however, that bibliotherapy was a thing!&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Being a mood reader meant I would rarely read new releases as soon as they dropped. I would hardly ever pick up the latest book everyone was swooning over via social media. But I would find myself knee deep in a random book at 1 AM losing valuable sleep that somehow spoke to whatever I was dealing with in my personal life. Could it be a romance novel? Most likely. Historical fiction? Maybe. Fantasy? Lately, quite possibly. Somehow whatever book I found myself immersed in would be just what the &quot;doctor&quot; ordered. I&#39;ve always felt that books find us at the right time, and after learning more about bibliotherapy, I realize I could have been subconsciously picking fiction reads that helped me navigate life&#39;s problems without the risk of having to show my vulnerabilities to anyone. Perhaps I wasn&#39;t a mood reader at all. Perhaps I am still looking for myself in books as I did as a kid. Maybe I&#39;m not only looking to my books as an escape, I&#39;m looking to my books for answers I&#39;m afraid to ask anyone out loud.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Reading &lt;i&gt;Bibliotherapy in the Bronx&lt;/i&gt; by Emely Rumble, LCSW made me more familiar with the process of bibliotherapy. Not only was I educated on how bibliotherapists make book prescriptions for clients, assessing their needs during intake, I also learned how beneficial bibliotherapy can be! I smiled when I saw mention of some of my favorite books being used in practice and how clients were able to navigate their trauma through the lens of fictional characters. My inner child, who loves &lt;i&gt;Alice In Wonderland&lt;/i&gt; and &lt;i&gt;I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings &lt;/i&gt;rejoiced! The icing on the cake for me was the reflection questions at the end of each chapter that really made me think about the books I&#39;ve read and how they&#39;ve impacted the way I view the world around me.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I&#39;m so thankful I found Emely Rumble, LCSW on social media that night. Through the valuable information she has shared online and in &lt;i&gt;Bibliotherapy in the Bronx&lt;/i&gt;, she awakened something in me. She affirmed how important literature can be for the emotional growth and healing of people like me. Something clicked when I began pouring over &lt;i&gt;Bibliotherapy in the Bronx&lt;/i&gt;-- the book recommendations I&#39;ve given and received have not been in vain. The sharing of literature can save lives, if we allow it to. Thank you so much dear sister for an ARC with me + for sharing your work with the world. You are a light and a force! You threw me a lifeline and you didn&#39;t even know it! Congratulations on publishing such an important book in the fields of literature and psychology. 🥳❤️&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5UQO-NiQMCxa8aEGwokkhRd5S9rAlz0c_0O4wciUCOWa6RmfkJlGwMFieDHzdfOMVLoL516ItZphsC8EPuAVvlFnO0HDjvagG-2kEhbuhplDAs5be-sdfIgghuUOtPsQEef-WRxafVu-CHy6qMNS4uAMemM_qlcK6HqkPYU44l9KZi_oR4Bu5N6uH4jkb/s1804/bibliotherapy%20in%20the%20bronx.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;bibliotherapy&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; data-original-height=&quot;1804&quot; data-original-width=&quot;1000&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5UQO-NiQMCxa8aEGwokkhRd5S9rAlz0c_0O4wciUCOWa6RmfkJlGwMFieDHzdfOMVLoL516ItZphsC8EPuAVvlFnO0HDjvagG-2kEhbuhplDAs5be-sdfIgghuUOtPsQEef-WRxafVu-CHy6qMNS4uAMemM_qlcK6HqkPYU44l9KZi_oR4Bu5N6uH4jkb/s16000/bibliotherapy%20in%20the%20bronx.jpg&quot; title=&quot;bibliotherapy in the bronx book&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;If &lt;i&gt;Bibliotherapy in the Bronx&lt;/i&gt; has not been on your radar, please get familiar. If you are a lover of books or know someone who is, you definitely want to get your hands on a copy (or three) of this book. Purchase yours wherever books are sold. I can&#39;t wait until my physical copy gets here. 🙌🏽&lt;/p&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8557273101593651036/posts/default/5931862315902426958'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8557273101593651036/posts/default/5931862315902426958'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.soshewritesbymissdre.com/2025/04/bibliotherapy-in-the-bronx-book-review.html' title='BOOK RECOMMENDATION: Bibliotherapy in the Bronx by Emely Rumble, LCSW'/><author><name>Dre</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/16577909247802340552</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='28' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSF7puw4Pt6gIsZIUtA_HhG8ylfZpZx9SuLSkFRMoh01YqxtPqBo4bqAP4Wcdul64EFzG76Li1inizqzSWeQqVmHP-V3SFc0dZAsGLSWakAXV7a753PlTHwtmY7dVN_Q/s113/purple+rain2.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCdmv38zkDVDmno02RRmJPE4zk7HPEwXzqLSDy1JsYjIfcJYwYstkLaw2JpldM6-lHzhzlf1jJWVDpb-wDyaAqn2e0HHMudhv-bdHCXbdehJB75SOwr6Iu1jcLXq4IoVr3XituvatcYnRvhjhkyzE5W6yvyhHk1v6jIyxcmP6a8lfTXf31TdIIck5bGukW/s72-c/bibliotherapy%20in%20the%20bronx%20(1).jpg" height="72" width="72"/></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8557273101593651036.post-3023183483547025884</id><published>2025-03-22T00:00:00.004-04:00</published><updated>2025-03-22T00:01:47.474-04:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="life"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="life lately"/><title type='text'>15 Things I&#39;m Looking Forward to This Spring</title><content type='html'>&lt;p&gt;SPRING IS FINALLY UPON US, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! We are officially two days into my favorite season, and I am welcoming it with open arms!  Though the Carolina weather is still temperamental, warm days have been playing us close lately. All that&amp;#39;s left to anticipate is the blooming flowers and the dreaded pollen that seems to cover everything. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: white;&quot;&gt;Experiencing nature do its thing reminds me of all the things I admire about Spring-- flowers in bloom, birds chirping in the early morning, brighter colors in the wardrobe, and the longer-lasting sunny horizon. The weather is warm and beautiful, but not overwhelmingly so. Everything just feels so right about the Spring season, and perhaps that&amp;#39;s why it&amp;#39;s always been my favorite. Spring starts to feel like I&amp;#39;m in bloom, too.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1EpqDmwGMT9c2NH7DGK0hOy3yKXrGB1F9_0xT0qjHbLtrhn41MLMGMZ2e1pDm5hiPsgpoAkMNh3xrTJHeS9So_noMw-qzzzRMO3PEEjiRpe-6iOx8ECKda6rMSymW7nAwL2_TCfeVPM7nxGALcMmio_jg8s_5VtPUSS59sO7n6HYxKIf3AHXy5mTMlWF9/s4000/spring%20tulips.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;spring flowers&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; data-original-height=&quot;4000&quot; data-original-width=&quot;2667&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1EpqDmwGMT9c2NH7DGK0hOy3yKXrGB1F9_0xT0qjHbLtrhn41MLMGMZ2e1pDm5hiPsgpoAkMNh3xrTJHeS9So_noMw-qzzzRMO3PEEjiRpe-6iOx8ECKda6rMSymW7nAwL2_TCfeVPM7nxGALcMmio_jg8s_5VtPUSS59sO7n6HYxKIf3AHXy5mTMlWF9/s16000/spring%20tulips.jpg&quot; title=&quot;tulips&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: white; font-family: inherit;&quot;&gt;While updating upcoming posts about beauty, fashion, reading, music and upcoming events, I thought it would be cool to once again share a list of the things I&amp;#39;m most looking forward to this season. Read after the jump to check out the 15 things I&amp;#39;m most hype about.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.soshewritesbymissdre.com/2025/03/15-things-im-looking-forward-to-this.html#more&quot;&gt;Read more »&lt;/a&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8557273101593651036/posts/default/3023183483547025884'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8557273101593651036/posts/default/3023183483547025884'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.soshewritesbymissdre.com/2025/03/15-things-im-looking-forward-to-this.html' title='15 Things I&#39;m Looking Forward to This Spring'/><author><name>Dre</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/16577909247802340552</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='28' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSF7puw4Pt6gIsZIUtA_HhG8ylfZpZx9SuLSkFRMoh01YqxtPqBo4bqAP4Wcdul64EFzG76Li1inizqzSWeQqVmHP-V3SFc0dZAsGLSWakAXV7a753PlTHwtmY7dVN_Q/s113/purple+rain2.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1EpqDmwGMT9c2NH7DGK0hOy3yKXrGB1F9_0xT0qjHbLtrhn41MLMGMZ2e1pDm5hiPsgpoAkMNh3xrTJHeS9So_noMw-qzzzRMO3PEEjiRpe-6iOx8ECKda6rMSymW7nAwL2_TCfeVPM7nxGALcMmio_jg8s_5VtPUSS59sO7n6HYxKIf3AHXy5mTMlWF9/s72-c/spring%20tulips.jpg" height="72" width="72"/></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8557273101593651036.post-7368243299602958246</id><published>2025-02-12T08:39:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2025-02-12T08:39:15.048-05:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="for the creatives"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="music"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="musical musings"/><title type='text'>Cinematic Soul | Sparkle </title><content type='html'>&lt;p&gt; Listening to the &lt;i&gt;Sparkle&lt;/i&gt; soundtrack reminds me of watching the movie at my aunt&amp;#39;s house on VHS, while getting my hair pressed on Saturday night. As the hot comb sat on the stove, I relaxed into the Blue Magic grease-down my aunt administered to my soft curls. The movie played and I pretended to fall into the musical cast, antsy and literally scared of the heat.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOAIWM-hkSDhJGRWGL2VK6-S5TQPEjR7Inn_fVzYgBbEOYZeqm_jFty1H6Xg8atd_tQ2-F6gmgvmNnBcE6SkdFOquTMWlMgCILdav82s2Q9vzkHoBl-BUUPZBvUg0DEMMmW0epVSezY-pHUEESqonWvqUDcfugFf-6hVuE4ovlKcnX_uYdbJ8N8jS8ysmp/s1481/sparkle%20aretha.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;sparkle soundtrack album aretha franklin&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; data-original-height=&quot;1481&quot; data-original-width=&quot;1000&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOAIWM-hkSDhJGRWGL2VK6-S5TQPEjR7Inn_fVzYgBbEOYZeqm_jFty1H6Xg8atd_tQ2-F6gmgvmNnBcE6SkdFOquTMWlMgCILdav82s2Q9vzkHoBl-BUUPZBvUg0DEMMmW0epVSezY-pHUEESqonWvqUDcfugFf-6hVuE4ovlKcnX_uYdbJ8N8jS8ysmp/s16000/sparkle%20aretha.jpg&quot; title=&quot;sparkle soundtrack&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.soshewritesbymissdre.com/2025/02/sparkle-aretha-franklin.html#more&quot;&gt;Read more »&lt;/a&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8557273101593651036/posts/default/7368243299602958246'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8557273101593651036/posts/default/7368243299602958246'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.soshewritesbymissdre.com/2025/02/sparkle-aretha-franklin.html' title='Cinematic Soul | Sparkle '/><author><name>Dre</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/16577909247802340552</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='28' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSF7puw4Pt6gIsZIUtA_HhG8ylfZpZx9SuLSkFRMoh01YqxtPqBo4bqAP4Wcdul64EFzG76Li1inizqzSWeQqVmHP-V3SFc0dZAsGLSWakAXV7a753PlTHwtmY7dVN_Q/s113/purple+rain2.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOAIWM-hkSDhJGRWGL2VK6-S5TQPEjR7Inn_fVzYgBbEOYZeqm_jFty1H6Xg8atd_tQ2-F6gmgvmNnBcE6SkdFOquTMWlMgCILdav82s2Q9vzkHoBl-BUUPZBvUg0DEMMmW0epVSezY-pHUEESqonWvqUDcfugFf-6hVuE4ovlKcnX_uYdbJ8N8jS8ysmp/s72-c/sparkle%20aretha.jpg" height="72" width="72"/></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8557273101593651036.post-6433560191019913162</id><published>2025-02-07T07:25:00.001-05:00</published><updated>2025-02-07T07:25:33.663-05:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="book feature"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="book review"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="books"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="for the creatives"/><title type='text'>Recommended Reading | Gather Me by Glory Edim</title><content type='html'>&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;Gather Me&lt;/i&gt; by Glory Edim was one of my favorite reads of 2024!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSszkatJ_JEv0okllVK50vxIVEAuM-yNU2b8StwKSHF6pk0cI6JrvoYRUhflzRqrxfkP4GMzDwpFKNaMsgnknjunuC7I2sr5GNNPsCFO51m6_jArJPKIeuyxnbELziWxy5nw8K_cI9YI3_DTrr6gv71x5l7WGFVTb-mf8MyMMfXVoXa95zH0Vf2Ki0Y0WD/s1778/gather%20me.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;gather me glory edim review&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; data-original-height=&quot;1778&quot; data-original-width=&quot;1000&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSszkatJ_JEv0okllVK50vxIVEAuM-yNU2b8StwKSHF6pk0cI6JrvoYRUhflzRqrxfkP4GMzDwpFKNaMsgnknjunuC7I2sr5GNNPsCFO51m6_jArJPKIeuyxnbELziWxy5nw8K_cI9YI3_DTrr6gv71x5l7WGFVTb-mf8MyMMfXVoXa95zH0Vf2Ki0Y0WD/s16000/gather%20me.jpg&quot; title=&quot;gather me glory edim&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In &lt;i&gt;Gather Me&lt;/i&gt;, Glory welcomed me into her world from the very start-- describing a kitchen filled with rich spices and Nigerian delicacies. She gave me a written tour of her home and community, filled with books, books, and more books.&amp;nbsp; My eyes grew wide at all the discoveries and vivid descriptions. I was in awe of the way her father weaved stories from the objects around their home and grew sad when he left suddenly for Nigeria.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And as I continued to read, I learned that Glory and I had a few things in common. We both owned the same yellow bible story book that materialized from thin air one day. We both found safety and comfort in the library. And most importantly, we both grew a habit of seeking solace in the written word. Like Glory, I was often reading novels as a kid, hoping to find direction and instruction within the paragraphs.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I found it endearing to read the story of a woman I admired with similar experiences to mine. She too, was trying to find her place in the world around her so often. She was also making room for herself in the books she devoured at the local library. I find it so beautiful that she references the books she was reading during pivotal moments in her life as well. I always say that books find us at just the right time and each instance was a testament to that. The magic of words carry so many of us through the good times as well as the bad and&lt;i&gt; Gather Me&lt;/i&gt; was a poignant reminder of that.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Glory champions for those of us who found safe spaces in libraries, novels, short stories and poems.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Glory, thank you for all the love, honesty and transparency you poured into this book. For all the books you&#39;ve seen yourself in, I&#39;m grateful you&#39;ve allowed me to see myself in parts of yours.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span face=&quot;&amp;quot;Google Sans&amp;quot;, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif&quot; style=&quot;background-color: white; color: #474747; font-size: 16px;&quot;&gt;⭐&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span face=&quot;&amp;quot;Google Sans&amp;quot;, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif&quot; style=&quot;background-color: white; color: #474747; font-size: 16px;&quot;&gt;⭐&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span face=&quot;&amp;quot;Google Sans&amp;quot;, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif&quot; style=&quot;background-color: white; color: #474747; font-size: 16px;&quot;&gt;⭐&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span face=&quot;&amp;quot;Google Sans&amp;quot;, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif&quot; style=&quot;background-color: white; color: #474747; font-size: 16px;&quot;&gt;⭐&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span face=&quot;&amp;quot;Google Sans&amp;quot;, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif&quot; style=&quot;background-color: white; color: #474747; font-size: 16px;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span face=&quot;&amp;quot;Google Sans&amp;quot;, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif&quot; style=&quot;background-color: white; color: #474747; font-size: 16px;&quot;&gt;💫&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span face=&quot;&amp;quot;Google Sans&amp;quot;, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif&quot; style=&quot;background-color: white; color: #474747; font-size: 16px;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of &lt;i&gt;Gather Me&lt;/i&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #ff3c9a; font-size: x-large;&quot;&gt;HAVE YOU ADDED GATHER ME TO YOUR READING LIST YET?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8557273101593651036/posts/default/6433560191019913162'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8557273101593651036/posts/default/6433560191019913162'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.soshewritesbymissdre.com/2025/02/review-gather-me-glory-edim.html' title='Recommended Reading | Gather Me by Glory Edim'/><author><name>Dre</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/16577909247802340552</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='28' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSF7puw4Pt6gIsZIUtA_HhG8ylfZpZx9SuLSkFRMoh01YqxtPqBo4bqAP4Wcdul64EFzG76Li1inizqzSWeQqVmHP-V3SFc0dZAsGLSWakAXV7a753PlTHwtmY7dVN_Q/s113/purple+rain2.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSszkatJ_JEv0okllVK50vxIVEAuM-yNU2b8StwKSHF6pk0cI6JrvoYRUhflzRqrxfkP4GMzDwpFKNaMsgnknjunuC7I2sr5GNNPsCFO51m6_jArJPKIeuyxnbELziWxy5nw8K_cI9YI3_DTrr6gv71x5l7WGFVTb-mf8MyMMfXVoXa95zH0Vf2Ki0Y0WD/s72-c/gather%20me.jpg" height="72" width="72"/></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8557273101593651036.post-8186266404443825560</id><published>2025-02-06T14:15:00.003-05:00</published><updated>2025-02-06T14:15:50.632-05:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="for the creatives"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="music"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="musical musings"/><title type='text'>The Cover Story | The Velvet Rope by Janet Jackson</title><content type='html'>&lt;p&gt;For as long as I can remember, I have been intrigued by Janet Jackson. Her presence is electrifying. Her aura is captivating. And when she enters a space, everyone has always stopped to take notice. She&#39;s always appeared &quot;larger-than-life,&quot; even though she seemed so coy and soft-spoken in interviews.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizXyUegfgHdFRuaj9WQ-Sr_sU71wLwF8S-3MNDY4MyXhQ2UXcWmHgmNc97u3TPwWeBd10gj-CRqRngVNlk2AdyOeCLk_K7iM_z4RYp8h2xRgfIPT-G3c5Jv4ITEOFv4FWrGolzfhPtEb0H0Ipw5mIUzBW8iX6RkFmapTRHNDEUhATkkwOIzHWi2CfDHqus/s1535/the%20velvet%20rope%20cover%20story.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;velvet rope janet jackson&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; data-original-height=&quot;1535&quot; data-original-width=&quot;1000&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizXyUegfgHdFRuaj9WQ-Sr_sU71wLwF8S-3MNDY4MyXhQ2UXcWmHgmNc97u3TPwWeBd10gj-CRqRngVNlk2AdyOeCLk_K7iM_z4RYp8h2xRgfIPT-G3c5Jv4ITEOFv4FWrGolzfhPtEb0H0Ipw5mIUzBW8iX6RkFmapTRHNDEUhATkkwOIzHWi2CfDHqus/s16000/the%20velvet%20rope%20cover%20story.jpg&quot; title=&quot;velvet rope janet jackson&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;I&#39;ve always been soft-spoken and thought that when I was younger, this would cause me to get overlooked. Janet showed me that I could still be a powerful force, even if I wasn&#39;t the loudest in the room.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Though &lt;i&gt;The Velvet Rope&lt;/i&gt; released when I was in middle school, I grew a deeper&amp;nbsp; appreciation for it in high school. Listening to this CD after school and late into the evenings opened up something inside of me. Outside of that cherry-cola rinse it had me rocking, it urged me to lean into my femininity in a pure, yet intentional way. I was becoming more comfortable expressing myself in whatever way I saw fit-&amp;nbsp; Pixie Cuts. Quick Weaves. Micro Braids. Skirts. Combat Boots. It&#39;s almost as if this album gave me permission to be myself in whatever capacity I wanted- I didn&#39;t have to hide for fear of being seen by the wrong people. I could safely explore what being a young woman was for MYSELF, no matter whose gaze I fell upon.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;The Velvet Rope&lt;/i&gt; in and of itself symbolizes expressing the need to feel special while still maintaining emotional boundaries. Seeing this cover, this portrait, reminds me that I can show up as myself-- in whatever form or fashion, and still be counted. Whether I look you in the eye or not, you&#39;ll still feel my presence.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;[from &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.instagram.com/p/DFtS1nKJZON/?img_index=1&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;cover story&lt;/a&gt;&quot; prompt via&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.instagram.com/blackgirlslovevinyl&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;blackgirlslovevinyl&lt;/a&gt;]&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Q_A3vk-uxtSZc5OOdd9VlHTYBT6BMK9NScrjrOOXl2PFnwvK6gcWKc6eFL85RQcRGpqwPgLLuDwRDMNec96c1oJfqOQunlsV6Ego0LUOQ7FtSpnIjMczv7Q60xvQT_pkmBkKn797g1oNhnnHImRGSSS1bnQNsnP4I2W0SRNP_e5ZtzgWS5CZaImXsjTh/s1709/the%20velvet%20rope%20album.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;velvet rope janet jackson&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; data-original-height=&quot;1709&quot; data-original-width=&quot;1000&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Q_A3vk-uxtSZc5OOdd9VlHTYBT6BMK9NScrjrOOXl2PFnwvK6gcWKc6eFL85RQcRGpqwPgLLuDwRDMNec96c1oJfqOQunlsV6Ego0LUOQ7FtSpnIjMczv7Q60xvQT_pkmBkKn797g1oNhnnHImRGSSS1bnQNsnP4I2W0SRNP_e5ZtzgWS5CZaImXsjTh/s16000/the%20velvet%20rope%20album.jpg&quot; title=&quot;velvet rope janet jackson&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #ff3c9a; font-size: x-large;&quot;&gt;WHAT ALBUMS HELPED YOU FIND YOUR SENSE OF SELF?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8557273101593651036/posts/default/8186266404443825560'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8557273101593651036/posts/default/8186266404443825560'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.soshewritesbymissdre.com/2025/02/cover-story-velvet-rope-janet-jackson.html' title='The Cover Story | The Velvet Rope by Janet Jackson'/><author><name>Dre</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/16577909247802340552</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='28' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSF7puw4Pt6gIsZIUtA_HhG8ylfZpZx9SuLSkFRMoh01YqxtPqBo4bqAP4Wcdul64EFzG76Li1inizqzSWeQqVmHP-V3SFc0dZAsGLSWakAXV7a753PlTHwtmY7dVN_Q/s113/purple+rain2.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizXyUegfgHdFRuaj9WQ-Sr_sU71wLwF8S-3MNDY4MyXhQ2UXcWmHgmNc97u3TPwWeBd10gj-CRqRngVNlk2AdyOeCLk_K7iM_z4RYp8h2xRgfIPT-G3c5Jv4ITEOFv4FWrGolzfhPtEb0H0Ipw5mIUzBW8iX6RkFmapTRHNDEUhATkkwOIzHWi2CfDHqus/s72-c/the%20velvet%20rope%20cover%20story.jpg" height="72" width="72"/></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8557273101593651036.post-5367038271543802115</id><published>2024-11-09T17:07:00.003-05:00</published><updated>2024-11-09T19:26:21.898-05:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="life"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="self-care"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="self-improvement"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="self-love"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="self-love saturdays"/><title type='text'>Self-Love Saturdays | 20 Ways to Love on Yourself This Weekend</title><content type='html'>&lt;p&gt;Some Saturdays are more eventful than others. Some Saturdays are filled with loads of fun and social activity to stimulate us on all levels. These Saturdays fuel us, filling our proverbial cups with the warmth, love, comradery, and excitement we need to sustain us. Then there are other Saturdays. The Saturdays in which we&amp;#39;d rather be left to our own devices. The week has drained us and we find ourselves depleted mentally, emotionally, physically, and maybe even spiritually. Maybe that Saturday feels like today for you.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Perhaps this week has been a rough one for you. Disappointment has hit you like a ton of bricks one too many times. Almost feels like the last blow made all the hurt flow in, nearly drowning you emotionally. It is times like these when we have to dial up our self-care so that we are able to love on ourselves a little more.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;What is self-care?&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;According to the Oxford Dictionary, &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.soshewritesbymissdre.com/2017/01/how-to-create-a-self-care-plan.html&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;self-care&lt;/a&gt; is the practice of taking action to preserve or improve one&amp;#39;s own health. The keyword here is &amp;quot;practice,&amp;quot; meaning it&amp;#39;s something we must continuously and consistently do for our overall health. That includes mentally, spiritually, physically, socially and emotionally. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;But what is self-love, then? &lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;Self-love is a positive regard for yourself and a way to treat yourself with the same kindness and empathy you would show someone close to you. In short, it&amp;#39;s the positive attitude towards self you must embody in order to practice self-care in the best way.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This is why self-care and self-love go hand in hand.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;So how do we apply these things realistically?&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;While I try to make a habit to practice a bit of &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.soshewritesbymissdre.com/2016/02/7-ways-to-practice-self-love-weekly.html&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;self-love&lt;/a&gt; each week, I sometimes forget. Life gets in the way. Deadlines take precedence. Items on the social calendar become obligations. And more often than I&amp;#39;d like to admit, and I&amp;#39;m sure others can agree, I forget to add myself to my to-do list. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;So, if you&amp;#39;ve found yourself at the bottom of your to-do list more times than you&amp;#39;d like lately, this post is for you. It&amp;#39;s easy to experience burnout before we realize we haven&amp;#39;t been pouring into ourselves. But all is not lost. If you&amp;#39;re looking for ways to practice self-care today or this weekend (and beyond), look no further.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Below is a list of 20 practical ways one can show themselves a bit of love and appreciation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_ttkelhuuqS3wsbRwa-vo2_doyDCZr6bpQf1qXcPb3s1NWnNYODsPRzU8Cpv6IQgWIKkEdZX6MRjoDFEaVMadiHHEabySceUgiUt4P-019oCN2o8ONDSITW657dsQI6Ookun8ROQMuNrRl7K-SHOYbh8Q07sYJQcSNk74c1UvdWTPJW1a7nfPgYwkQrJr/s5760/6k4xvamzf7q-alisa-anton.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;ways to practice self-love&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; data-original-height=&quot;3840&quot; data-original-width=&quot;5760&quot; height=&quot;427&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_ttkelhuuqS3wsbRwa-vo2_doyDCZr6bpQf1qXcPb3s1NWnNYODsPRzU8Cpv6IQgWIKkEdZX6MRjoDFEaVMadiHHEabySceUgiUt4P-019oCN2o8ONDSITW657dsQI6Ookun8ROQMuNrRl7K-SHOYbh8Q07sYJQcSNk74c1UvdWTPJW1a7nfPgYwkQrJr/w640-h427/6k4xvamzf7q-alisa-anton.jpg&quot; title=&quot;self-love saturdays&quot; width=&quot;640&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.soshewritesbymissdre.com/2024/11/self-love-saturdays-20-ways-to-love-on.html#more&quot;&gt;Read more »&lt;/a&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8557273101593651036/posts/default/5367038271543802115'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8557273101593651036/posts/default/5367038271543802115'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.soshewritesbymissdre.com/2024/11/self-love-saturdays-20-ways-to-love-on.html' title='Self-Love Saturdays | 20 Ways to Love on Yourself This Weekend'/><author><name>Dre</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/16577909247802340552</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='28' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSF7puw4Pt6gIsZIUtA_HhG8ylfZpZx9SuLSkFRMoh01YqxtPqBo4bqAP4Wcdul64EFzG76Li1inizqzSWeQqVmHP-V3SFc0dZAsGLSWakAXV7a753PlTHwtmY7dVN_Q/s113/purple+rain2.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_ttkelhuuqS3wsbRwa-vo2_doyDCZr6bpQf1qXcPb3s1NWnNYODsPRzU8Cpv6IQgWIKkEdZX6MRjoDFEaVMadiHHEabySceUgiUt4P-019oCN2o8ONDSITW657dsQI6Ookun8ROQMuNrRl7K-SHOYbh8Q07sYJQcSNk74c1UvdWTPJW1a7nfPgYwkQrJr/s72-w640-h427-c/6k4xvamzf7q-alisa-anton.jpg" height="72" width="72"/></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8557273101593651036.post-5818488236870404088</id><published>2024-11-02T15:09:00.000-04:00</published><updated>2024-11-02T15:09:03.145-04:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="book review"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="books"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="for the creatives"/><title type='text'>Recommended Reading | Da Baddest by Katrina Taylor</title><content type='html'>&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4-zlcwBrnuV_14u8YpGTj1Nf4jsUeHDyZextdmUjmFuzmwFlNM-KbOUYSECBAI12DtExlhOna-fKKLxjA3X6WN_Fs_3exAfCYWzWUIwpeb5J21j8apPJlrOQIYxFJ5UO8kvPfGayPU0xsYSQ1SJgel20uBvEWPMjMMcq1FREAR2ZqFVUvDUAr5q5jlCNS/s1359/da%20baddest%20trina.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;da baddest trina rapper&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; data-original-height=&quot;1359&quot; data-original-width=&quot;1000&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4-zlcwBrnuV_14u8YpGTj1Nf4jsUeHDyZextdmUjmFuzmwFlNM-KbOUYSECBAI12DtExlhOna-fKKLxjA3X6WN_Fs_3exAfCYWzWUIwpeb5J21j8apPJlrOQIYxFJ5UO8kvPfGayPU0xsYSQ1SJgel20uBvEWPMjMMcq1FREAR2ZqFVUvDUAr5q5jlCNS/s16000/da%20baddest%20trina.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Da Baddest by Katrina Taylor&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;p&gt;As a huge fan of Trina, diving head first into Trina&amp;#39;s memoir, &lt;i&gt;Da Baddest&lt;/i&gt;, was a non-negotiable. I&amp;#39;ve loved Trina since I heard her rap that feature on Trick Daddy&amp;#39;s Nann in 1998, much to my mother&amp;#39;s chagrin. In my early teens, I admired Trina&amp;#39;s beauty, confidence, assertiveness, and style. And while I usually had to sneak to listen to so much of her music at the time, Trina left an indelible mark on my friends and I (Silver Dollars, Dime Status Dames, y&amp;#39;all remember?). And over the years, my love for the Diamond Princess has only grown in admiration. &lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.soshewritesbymissdre.com/2024/11/review-da-baddest-trina.html#more&quot;&gt;Read more »&lt;/a&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8557273101593651036/posts/default/5818488236870404088'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8557273101593651036/posts/default/5818488236870404088'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.soshewritesbymissdre.com/2024/11/review-da-baddest-trina.html' title='Recommended Reading | Da Baddest by Katrina Taylor'/><author><name>Dre</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/16577909247802340552</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='28' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSF7puw4Pt6gIsZIUtA_HhG8ylfZpZx9SuLSkFRMoh01YqxtPqBo4bqAP4Wcdul64EFzG76Li1inizqzSWeQqVmHP-V3SFc0dZAsGLSWakAXV7a753PlTHwtmY7dVN_Q/s113/purple+rain2.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4-zlcwBrnuV_14u8YpGTj1Nf4jsUeHDyZextdmUjmFuzmwFlNM-KbOUYSECBAI12DtExlhOna-fKKLxjA3X6WN_Fs_3exAfCYWzWUIwpeb5J21j8apPJlrOQIYxFJ5UO8kvPfGayPU0xsYSQ1SJgel20uBvEWPMjMMcq1FREAR2ZqFVUvDUAr5q5jlCNS/s72-c/da%20baddest%20trina.jpg" height="72" width="72"/></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8557273101593651036.post-7647106074662035951</id><published>2024-10-31T22:43:00.000-04:00</published><updated>2024-10-31T22:43:12.641-04:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="book review"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="for the creatives"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="reading"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="suggested reading"/><title type='text'>Recommended Reading | The Chronicles of DOOM by S. H. Fernando </title><content type='html'>&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&quot;The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.&quot;&amp;nbsp; -Albert Camus&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVLuzkoft7vC1hmcCJtRsIZAYjV-89KJ1owllmrQPu5mowbdfEOaCLOWbneDl15D_qRUXeMKTcGNy6x0c6_JdajU2D4dW7ZA1Vn1zaZFlIbDFcoSjydBNYiA2OSIuCSVO7RwJl9WgUOZf4MbPUmqqXQkgMEgpPSaUItkrBZ0kiY3iiohpGs82hlrtK7k8l/s1327/The%20Chronicles%20of%20DOOM.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;rap bio&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; data-original-height=&quot;1327&quot; data-original-width=&quot;1000&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVLuzkoft7vC1hmcCJtRsIZAYjV-89KJ1owllmrQPu5mowbdfEOaCLOWbneDl15D_qRUXeMKTcGNy6x0c6_JdajU2D4dW7ZA1Vn1zaZFlIbDFcoSjydBNYiA2OSIuCSVO7RwJl9WgUOZf4MbPUmqqXQkgMEgpPSaUItkrBZ0kiY3iiohpGs82hlrtK7k8l/s16000/The%20Chronicles%20of%20DOOM.jpg&quot; title=&quot;The Chronicles of DOOM&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Chronicles of DOOM is one of the most well-written bios I&#39;ve ever read. It has easily become a favorite rap biography for me. The author handles the man, the myth, and the legend that is MF DOOM with such admirable care &amp;amp; consideration.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Well-researched, The Chronicles of DOOM gives readers a course study in MF DOOM, complete with insider info from all who came to witness his musical genius. S.H. &quot;Shiz&quot; Fernando meticulously walks us through each project and collaboration of our time&#39;s most elusive rapper with such great detail. He shares his influences and inspirations, as well as his quirks and habits. While many of us fans know MF DOOM by his villain-like rap persona, The Chronicles of DOOM humanizes him in such a beautiful and absolute way.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For fans of MF DOOM and fans of the rap genre in general-- The Chronicles of DOOM is a must-read. Please add it to your reading list if you haven&#39;t already. Pull out your DOOM albums, queue up your playlists, and enjoy the ride that is this amazing book. It hit shelves this past Tuesday and is now available everywhere books are sold!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;⭐⭐⭐⭐&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Many thanks to Astra House, Netgalley, and the author for my digital + physical copies of The Chronicles of DOOM. Through you all, I was able to get an early glimpse of this GEM that further immortalizes one of my favorite rappers of all time. You are most appreciated 📚❤&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: large;&quot;&gt;WILL YOU BE ADDING THE CHRONICLES OF DOOM&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: large;&quot;&gt;TO YOUR READING LIST?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8557273101593651036/posts/default/7647106074662035951'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8557273101593651036/posts/default/7647106074662035951'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.soshewritesbymissdre.com/2024/10/recommended-reading-chronicles-of-doom.html' title='Recommended Reading | The Chronicles of DOOM by S. H. Fernando '/><author><name>Dre</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/16577909247802340552</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='28' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSF7puw4Pt6gIsZIUtA_HhG8ylfZpZx9SuLSkFRMoh01YqxtPqBo4bqAP4Wcdul64EFzG76Li1inizqzSWeQqVmHP-V3SFc0dZAsGLSWakAXV7a753PlTHwtmY7dVN_Q/s113/purple+rain2.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVLuzkoft7vC1hmcCJtRsIZAYjV-89KJ1owllmrQPu5mowbdfEOaCLOWbneDl15D_qRUXeMKTcGNy6x0c6_JdajU2D4dW7ZA1Vn1zaZFlIbDFcoSjydBNYiA2OSIuCSVO7RwJl9WgUOZf4MbPUmqqXQkgMEgpPSaUItkrBZ0kiY3iiohpGs82hlrtK7k8l/s72-c/The%20Chronicles%20of%20DOOM.jpg" height="72" width="72"/></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8557273101593651036.post-143107116954808419</id><published>2024-09-25T06:30:00.004-04:00</published><updated>2024-09-25T06:30:00.132-04:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="life"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="life lately"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="lists"/><title type='text'>15 Things I&#39;m Looking Forward To This Fall </title><content type='html'>&lt;p&gt;FALL IS FINALLY HERE! &lt;span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: white;&quot;&gt;Are you as excited about the changing seasons as I am? While it hasn&amp;#39;t completely cooled off here in North Carolina, remnants of summer are slowly slipping away. Leaves are falling from the trees and nature is beginning to show off her most cool and rustic hues. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: white;&quot;&gt;Seeing nature transform right under my feet reminds me of the things I love the most about fall--sweater weather, festivals, family gatherings, and all the cozy hobbies I enjoy at my leisure.  It is the one season I enjoy spending time in the cool outdoor temps and indoors wrapped up because of the cool temps. I can show up for the world around me by day and cozy up in my favorite blanket with my warm beverages and get lost in a good read by night. Honestly, what&amp;#39;s not to love about the fall season? &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: white;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDuaJzhCH64YkbuCXYoxbYNpBKk0gPlJ_srK69pEkZM8UHQpTlVhRadxwfJpYAl6m7OV7da5d1Vkgqw4u9EyRWd1VFpJRqvFbJqEcxC2hrDLPvTtgmiR9mxkc3QUQn7tr29Hc3eucWJng5p6o5kGKFD16OYs3xKCEWQYJNJu4Do97lMbhbSAfs3knPReCC/s1500/carmen-laezza-fall.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;fall season&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; data-original-height=&quot;1500&quot; data-original-width=&quot;1000&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDuaJzhCH64YkbuCXYoxbYNpBKk0gPlJ_srK69pEkZM8UHQpTlVhRadxwfJpYAl6m7OV7da5d1Vkgqw4u9EyRWd1VFpJRqvFbJqEcxC2hrDLPvTtgmiR9mxkc3QUQn7tr29Hc3eucWJng5p6o5kGKFD16OYs3xKCEWQYJNJu4Do97lMbhbSAfs3knPReCC/s16000/carmen-laezza-fall.jpg&quot; title=&quot;things to do in fall&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: inherit;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: white;&quot;&gt;While updating upcoming posts about beauty, fashion, reading, music and upcoming events, I thought it would be cool to once again share a list of the things I&amp;#39;m most looking forward to this season. Read after the jump to check out the 15 things I&amp;#39;m most hype about.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.soshewritesbymissdre.com/2024/09/15-things-im-looking-forward-to-this.html#more&quot;&gt;Read more »&lt;/a&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8557273101593651036/posts/default/143107116954808419'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8557273101593651036/posts/default/143107116954808419'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.soshewritesbymissdre.com/2024/09/15-things-im-looking-forward-to-this.html' title='15 Things I&#39;m Looking Forward To This Fall '/><author><name>Dre</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/16577909247802340552</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='28' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSF7puw4Pt6gIsZIUtA_HhG8ylfZpZx9SuLSkFRMoh01YqxtPqBo4bqAP4Wcdul64EFzG76Li1inizqzSWeQqVmHP-V3SFc0dZAsGLSWakAXV7a753PlTHwtmY7dVN_Q/s113/purple+rain2.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDuaJzhCH64YkbuCXYoxbYNpBKk0gPlJ_srK69pEkZM8UHQpTlVhRadxwfJpYAl6m7OV7da5d1Vkgqw4u9EyRWd1VFpJRqvFbJqEcxC2hrDLPvTtgmiR9mxkc3QUQn7tr29Hc3eucWJng5p6o5kGKFD16OYs3xKCEWQYJNJu4Do97lMbhbSAfs3knPReCC/s72-c/carmen-laezza-fall.jpg" height="72" width="72"/></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8557273101593651036.post-825792371635637946</id><published>2024-09-24T22:12:00.001-04:00</published><updated>2024-09-24T22:12:39.340-04:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="books"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="reading"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="suggested reading"/><title type='text'>Recommended Reading | All The Black Girls Are Activists by EbonyJanice Moore</title><content type='html'>&lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;All The Black Girls Are Activists&lt;/i&gt; by EbonyJanice Moore is a MUST-READ! This book is necessary for black women looking to make change in today&amp;#39;s social and political climate. We are not our grandmothers or even our mothers, but we are equipped with their tools and a new wave of feminism. Often, when we discuss creating change we look to the older generations for answers and leadership. This book reminds me that there are women my age out here in the trenches making waves NOW. When we speak of activism, today&amp;#39;s journalists, with the likes of EbonyJanice, should be mentioned loudly!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjeT9dmaVEje52cZqAiKmB7fJpvpy0fe3GLMa-456BghmY4W2_yCG-y7vCuppX20MGV1k5_W5Ft4LB4VYE54lTeUYFXPXh8xgcvlAW77BAm6cTY5MZM6pqEei1nKoqJi3aGRic4opUoQ-eWRyt6v_mOJ4aBASk-AYaTSyKTTtK0dxfR5zcpOOYlwgZIJ0Q/s1546/All%20The%20Black%20Girls%20Are%20Activists.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;womanist book recommendation&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; data-original-height=&quot;1546&quot; data-original-width=&quot;1000&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjeT9dmaVEje52cZqAiKmB7fJpvpy0fe3GLMa-456BghmY4W2_yCG-y7vCuppX20MGV1k5_W5Ft4LB4VYE54lTeUYFXPXh8xgcvlAW77BAm6cTY5MZM6pqEei1nKoqJi3aGRic4opUoQ-eWRyt6v_mOJ4aBASk-AYaTSyKTTtK0dxfR5zcpOOYlwgZIJ0Q/s16000/All%20The%20Black%20Girls%20Are%20Activists.jpg&quot; title=&quot;all black girls are activists&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.soshewritesbymissdre.com/2024/09/all-black-girls-are-activists.html#more&quot;&gt;Read more »&lt;/a&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8557273101593651036/posts/default/825792371635637946'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8557273101593651036/posts/default/825792371635637946'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.soshewritesbymissdre.com/2024/09/all-black-girls-are-activists.html' title='Recommended Reading | All The Black Girls Are Activists by EbonyJanice Moore'/><author><name>Dre</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/16577909247802340552</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='28' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSF7puw4Pt6gIsZIUtA_HhG8ylfZpZx9SuLSkFRMoh01YqxtPqBo4bqAP4Wcdul64EFzG76Li1inizqzSWeQqVmHP-V3SFc0dZAsGLSWakAXV7a753PlTHwtmY7dVN_Q/s113/purple+rain2.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjeT9dmaVEje52cZqAiKmB7fJpvpy0fe3GLMa-456BghmY4W2_yCG-y7vCuppX20MGV1k5_W5Ft4LB4VYE54lTeUYFXPXh8xgcvlAW77BAm6cTY5MZM6pqEei1nKoqJi3aGRic4opUoQ-eWRyt6v_mOJ4aBASk-AYaTSyKTTtK0dxfR5zcpOOYlwgZIJ0Q/s72-c/All%20The%20Black%20Girls%20Are%20Activists.jpg" height="72" width="72"/></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8557273101593651036.post-5968850562183177551</id><published>2024-09-13T22:32:00.001-04:00</published><updated>2024-09-13T22:32:36.034-04:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="life"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="music"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="so I made you a mixtape"/><title type='text'>Night Drive | A Mixtape</title><content type='html'>&lt;p&gt;When is the last time you took a night drive with no destination in sight? Did you do so to clear your head? To relieve stress? Or just to get away from your current location or current state of mind?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;No matter your reason for venturing away for a spell, adding music to the mix always enhances the experience of late-night driving without aim. It can be a form of distraction when you need to clear your mind. It can also be mood-altering if you&#39;re looking for a pick-me-up. Perhaps you&#39;re like me and the melodic tunes illuminate the settings all around you while traveling. In this case, curating the right songs can make the ride seem magical. Others can stimulate your senses in a way to keep you up and alert, anticipating your next stop. And some songs make you think of your special someone, especially if your night drive could eventually lead you to that person.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;What would your night drive list sound like? The key to creating this particular playlist would be choosing songs that match your mood and your destination. If driving to clear your mind, you might want to create an experience that is the opposite of the stressful situations you are driving away from.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For the smooth tunes + r&amp;amp;b lovers like myself, here&#39;s the last night drive playlist I created a while back. I hope you enjoy!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRj0vQZxEjy6XBMl5gqoYF-YQNMxLtk3bNv_45H-Xf5ZDyx7WfrdH5ZGk2pu2Qt9AayUEa5aNBgI7lvh-o_5axrPFVN0SH6W8BTa_KaeJFFVxQAK1FMF10oXdS69rKU8NQxtBPF4J4_6g2/s1400/night+drive.png&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;night drive playlist&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; data-original-height=&quot;1400&quot; data-original-width=&quot;1400&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRj0vQZxEjy6XBMl5gqoYF-YQNMxLtk3bNv_45H-Xf5ZDyx7WfrdH5ZGk2pu2Qt9AayUEa5aNBgI7lvh-o_5axrPFVN0SH6W8BTa_KaeJFFVxQAK1FMF10oXdS69rKU8NQxtBPF4J4_6g2/s16000/night+drive.png&quot; title=&quot;night drive spotify playlist&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;QUEUE THE&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0dCxK5Odoj8iN0Sw0YPnoA?si=baa6a1aeb6d14cda&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&quot;Night Drive&quot;&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;PLAYLIST:&amp;nbsp; This is for those late nights when you wanna vibe while riding out for a few with no particular place to go.&amp;nbsp; Click the image above to open the playlist up in a new window.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp; 
 &lt;iframe allow=&quot;autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture&quot; allowfullscreen=&quot;&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;380&quot; loading=&quot;lazy&quot; src=&quot;https://open.spotify.com/embed/playlist/0dCxK5Odoj8iN0Sw0YPnoA?utm_source=generator&quot; style=&quot;border-radius: 12px;&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt; 
  &amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p&gt;Loving these Spotify playlists? Let me know in the comments if you want more here on the blog. And be sure to give me a&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://open.spotify.com/user/missdre910&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;follow&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;if you&#39;re on Spotify, too. I love making mixtapes and sharing music with my good boos over there.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #ff3c9a; font-size: x-large;&quot;&gt;ARE YOU AN R&amp;amp;B MUSIC FAN?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #ff3c9a; font-size: large;&quot;&gt;WHAT&#39;S ON YOUR &quot;NIGHT DRIVE&quot; PLAYLIST?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8557273101593651036/posts/default/5968850562183177551'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8557273101593651036/posts/default/5968850562183177551'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.soshewritesbymissdre.com/2024/09/night-drive-mixtape.html' title='Night Drive | A Mixtape'/><author><name>Dre</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/16577909247802340552</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='28' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSF7puw4Pt6gIsZIUtA_HhG8ylfZpZx9SuLSkFRMoh01YqxtPqBo4bqAP4Wcdul64EFzG76Li1inizqzSWeQqVmHP-V3SFc0dZAsGLSWakAXV7a753PlTHwtmY7dVN_Q/s113/purple+rain2.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRj0vQZxEjy6XBMl5gqoYF-YQNMxLtk3bNv_45H-Xf5ZDyx7WfrdH5ZGk2pu2Qt9AayUEa5aNBgI7lvh-o_5axrPFVN0SH6W8BTa_KaeJFFVxQAK1FMF10oXdS69rKU8NQxtBPF4J4_6g2/s72-c/night+drive.png" height="72" width="72"/></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8557273101593651036.post-261355175151286385</id><published>2024-09-13T21:53:00.004-04:00</published><updated>2024-09-13T21:53:41.986-04:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="book feature"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="book review"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="suggested reading"/><title type='text'>RECOMMENDED READING | The Secret Keeper of Main Street by Trisha R. Thomas</title><content type='html'>&lt;p&gt; If you haven&amp;#39;t read The Secret Keeper of Main Street by Trisha R. Thomas yet, I implore you to grab it up ASAP. It&amp;#39;s the perfect read to get wrapped up in this upcoming fall season. You say you&amp;#39;re a fan of southern comfort and mystique? This one serves up a healthy helping of both!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjad2vYhhj-_Zohyz20AyIYoRnCz0V-4QJboz2TGojirwpd5Mem_yPpJkFALdMYJQXbAk97uIIStOZPzjRGye2fu348eRN0WPCjvXMbmYXzq0Qlx0ieqFox-7liOWWhcidORAu0JCbiflx6dHbNB2kl1bPAxNeWWSPk66a1tLvYUMVDnxliNUiJ8CxGzHOb/s1517/secret%20keeper%20of%20main%20street.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;black authors&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; data-original-height=&quot;1517&quot; data-original-width=&quot;1000&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjad2vYhhj-_Zohyz20AyIYoRnCz0V-4QJboz2TGojirwpd5Mem_yPpJkFALdMYJQXbAk97uIIStOZPzjRGye2fu348eRN0WPCjvXMbmYXzq0Qlx0ieqFox-7liOWWhcidORAu0JCbiflx6dHbNB2kl1bPAxNeWWSPk66a1tLvYUMVDnxliNUiJ8CxGzHOb/s16000/secret%20keeper%20of%20main%20street.jpg&quot; title=&quot;secret keeper of main street&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.soshewritesbymissdre.com/2024/09/review-secret-keeper-main-street.html#more&quot;&gt;Read more »&lt;/a&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8557273101593651036/posts/default/261355175151286385'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8557273101593651036/posts/default/261355175151286385'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.soshewritesbymissdre.com/2024/09/review-secret-keeper-main-street.html' title='RECOMMENDED READING | The Secret Keeper of Main Street by Trisha R. Thomas'/><author><name>Dre</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/16577909247802340552</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='28' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSF7puw4Pt6gIsZIUtA_HhG8ylfZpZx9SuLSkFRMoh01YqxtPqBo4bqAP4Wcdul64EFzG76Li1inizqzSWeQqVmHP-V3SFc0dZAsGLSWakAXV7a753PlTHwtmY7dVN_Q/s113/purple+rain2.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjad2vYhhj-_Zohyz20AyIYoRnCz0V-4QJboz2TGojirwpd5Mem_yPpJkFALdMYJQXbAk97uIIStOZPzjRGye2fu348eRN0WPCjvXMbmYXzq0Qlx0ieqFox-7liOWWhcidORAu0JCbiflx6dHbNB2kl1bPAxNeWWSPk66a1tLvYUMVDnxliNUiJ8CxGzHOb/s72-c/secret%20keeper%20of%20main%20street.jpg" height="72" width="72"/></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8557273101593651036.post-3045289439772887815</id><published>2024-08-01T22:06:00.001-04:00</published><updated>2024-08-01T22:06:51.666-04:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="book feature"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="book review"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="summer reading list"/><title type='text'>Book Review | Did Everyone Have an Imaginary Friend (Or Just Me?) by Jay Ellis </title><content type='html'>&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKLtaecVGXYvcXQwSPkpi_B4IORGVLdQf4g-g3c30Dvn4U3Hh5J03paQB04ASmBOJ-VLdHrtqrTz0qolwuLT7FA7g9Jo9JW1EW7x3EYt4BTYbHgRDZ2YhwRTKfRXt7_h8tJd2IvVDC5aytjYQxc7EAMaQa12XV_dvKIqsTRNyMnvgDkjAoki3S5GSSRKy0/s1244/imaginary%20friend%20jay%20ellis.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;celebrity memoir&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; data-original-height=&quot;1244&quot; data-original-width=&quot;700&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKLtaecVGXYvcXQwSPkpi_B4IORGVLdQf4g-g3c30Dvn4U3Hh5J03paQB04ASmBOJ-VLdHrtqrTz0qolwuLT7FA7g9Jo9JW1EW7x3EYt4BTYbHgRDZ2YhwRTKfRXt7_h8tJd2IvVDC5aytjYQxc7EAMaQa12XV_dvKIqsTRNyMnvgDkjAoki3S5GSSRKy0/s16000/imaginary%20friend%20jay%20ellis.jpg&quot; title=&quot;imaginary friend jay ellis&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Reading &lt;i&gt;Did Everyone Have an Imaginary Friend (or Just Me)?&lt;/i&gt; by Jay Ellis was such a treat! The moment I saw the cover adorned with references from my own coming-of-age (Dwayne Wayne, the pager, and the floppy-disk), I knew this book would be one I could relate to.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Jay Ellis makes it known in the beginning of the book that it isn&#39;t a memoir. He even reminds us later in reading that he hasn&#39;t &quot;lived enough&quot; to consider this book a memoir. That has no bearing on how solid these childhood stories are. I was entertained from beginning to end, even scared a few times (especially during that melee at the movie theater). Ellis recounts stories of growing up with his imaginary friend, Mikey, so vividly, I pictured a precocious little boy running alongside him through every adventure shared.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;While readers won&#39;t find much about the onset of an acting career for Jay Ellis within these pages, we do see that his bright imagination was an inspiration from the start. Isn&#39;t that the stuff creatives are made of? I can remember claiming to have an imaginary friend through the early years of elementary school, but nothing as close and consistent as Mikey. Mikey went to pre-school with Jay, wreaking havoc. He moved across states with Jay, as he was a military kid who changed schools quite a bit. And he even caught the blame for many bad decisions Jay made throughout his younger years. With each essay, I looked forward to reading what Mikey would get Jay into next.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.amazon.com/Everyone-Have-Imaginary-Friend-Just/dp/0593243196/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&amp;amp;dib_tag=se&amp;amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.tREbqJ5eTAk3yXKvWQsnbTGyxBXoo-RIPzEb5PDnSfGdzL8vv7Vbuylw25J74TN6WEFEoJMxiAM_mGNSEVOEfw0FnJKJv0OkF8fPzQccvZXBSQFIZBC2uyoVcR_gm2xaYazbe8xzANBjRpTSv-4wAg.GDIjCYlerGH4VrxSw0XvwpVrWQCzy6FH0ZyN9ORYV2o&amp;amp;qid=1722564220&amp;amp;sr=8-1&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Did Everyone Have an Imaginary Friend (or Just Me)?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/i&gt; is an exciting gift for those of us who have found safe spaces in imaginary friends and/or wild imaginations. Jay&#39;s stories lure you in and keep you excited for &quot;the good part,&quot; wondering how Mikey will show up and how much damage he will cause. Even as Mikey begins to fade away and Ellis gets older, we see how much of an affect an imaginary friend has had on Ellis.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Also, seeing that celebrities with a star as bright as Jay&#39;s still get anxious about sharing their work was affirming. We all feel that same vulnerability when sharing parts of ourselves that can easily be dismissed, ridiculed, or shamed. Jay Ellis, I am glad that you shared your &quot;imaginary friend&quot; story during the pandemic. It is the reason I was able to experience such a beautiful book that I won&#39;t soon forget. I hope you continue to write and share even more of your stories + creative works.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Many thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for an eARC of &lt;i&gt;Did Everyone Have an Imaginary Friend (or Just Me)?&lt;/i&gt; by Jay Ellis. All thoughts and opinions shared are my own.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;4 Stars&lt;/p&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8557273101593651036/posts/default/3045289439772887815'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8557273101593651036/posts/default/3045289439772887815'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.soshewritesbymissdre.com/2024/08/review-imaginary-friend-jay-ellis.html' title='Book Review | Did Everyone Have an Imaginary Friend (Or Just Me?) by Jay Ellis '/><author><name>Dre</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/16577909247802340552</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='28' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSF7puw4Pt6gIsZIUtA_HhG8ylfZpZx9SuLSkFRMoh01YqxtPqBo4bqAP4Wcdul64EFzG76Li1inizqzSWeQqVmHP-V3SFc0dZAsGLSWakAXV7a753PlTHwtmY7dVN_Q/s113/purple+rain2.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKLtaecVGXYvcXQwSPkpi_B4IORGVLdQf4g-g3c30Dvn4U3Hh5J03paQB04ASmBOJ-VLdHrtqrTz0qolwuLT7FA7g9Jo9JW1EW7x3EYt4BTYbHgRDZ2YhwRTKfRXt7_h8tJd2IvVDC5aytjYQxc7EAMaQa12XV_dvKIqsTRNyMnvgDkjAoki3S5GSSRKy0/s72-c/imaginary%20friend%20jay%20ellis.jpg" height="72" width="72"/></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8557273101593651036.post-6913971919228860045</id><published>2024-05-09T00:25:00.002-04:00</published><updated>2024-05-09T01:51:09.661-04:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="reading"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="suggested reading"/><title type='text'>Recommended Reading | The Unboxing of a Black Girl by Angela Shanté</title><content type='html'>&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgyAhyW5hCoCjiTBwQV7HKsrpr2esmJ7Kj-Yz-ojrjHftD-GvgSDi0lz-vzaHSPiCqUX5FyN2sKqyLr8RMQNj0Be7MFRzT8FzocVB5HVvfrr857VhAlcVyWneObUpNexP4pozv6lidk9EE9HtsfsDjFXxWC_KSSEyTquvkK257Vd1JwtgzBlSI3Vhj1aPO/s1778/the%20unboxing%20of%20a%20black%20girl.jpg&quot; style=&quot;clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;poetry for black women&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; data-original-height=&quot;1778&quot; data-original-width=&quot;1000&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgyAhyW5hCoCjiTBwQV7HKsrpr2esmJ7Kj-Yz-ojrjHftD-GvgSDi0lz-vzaHSPiCqUX5FyN2sKqyLr8RMQNj0Be7MFRzT8FzocVB5HVvfrr857VhAlcVyWneObUpNexP4pozv6lidk9EE9HtsfsDjFXxWC_KSSEyTquvkK257Vd1JwtgzBlSI3Vhj1aPO/s16000/the%20unboxing%20of%20a%20black%20girl.jpg&quot; title=&quot;the unboxing of a black girl book&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Published Date: May 6, 2024&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;The Unboxing of a Black Girl&lt;/i&gt; by Angela Shanté is a beautiful, and sometimes heavy, account of a black girl&#39;s coming-of-age. The author delicately shares her life unfolding through her experiences, teachings from others, and her unique view of the world around her.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Reading about how black girls get forced into boxes just by existing was an affirming experience. In many instances, I found myself relating to so much of what she shared. Some of the poems even felt as though she wrote them just for me. Those Alanis Morrisette and Fefe Dobson references were just too specific! Any young girl enjoying something perceived to be outside of her &quot;culture&quot; or &quot;box&quot; will know what I mean when they read this.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I was also captivated by the ways in which the author shed those proverbial boxes. Black girls are not a monolith, but society tends to see us as such. And though we are often forced to assimilate, with the threat of being overlooked or ostracized, we find our way out of those boxes. Angela Shanté illustrates this so gracefully with her words.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Another thing that stood out to me in the reading was the footnotes accompanying the poems. If there is something the author speaks of that one is unfamiliar with, she went the extra mile to make readers familiar outside of the margins. That&#39;s not something I see a lot, but I did appreciate that.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;The Unboxing of a Black Girl&lt;/i&gt; by Angela Shanté is truly a gem. It&#39;s an ode to the black girls finding their way out of the boxes they&#39;ve been placed in their whole lives. Many thanks to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;4.5 Stars&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #ff3c9a; font-size: large;&quot;&gt;WILL YOU BE ADDING THE UNBOXING OF A BLACK GIRL TO YOUR READING LIST?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8557273101593651036/posts/default/6913971919228860045'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8557273101593651036/posts/default/6913971919228860045'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.soshewritesbymissdre.com/2024/05/review-unboxing-of-a-black-girl-book.html' title='Recommended Reading | The Unboxing of a Black Girl by Angela Shanté'/><author><name>Dre</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/16577909247802340552</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='28' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSF7puw4Pt6gIsZIUtA_HhG8ylfZpZx9SuLSkFRMoh01YqxtPqBo4bqAP4Wcdul64EFzG76Li1inizqzSWeQqVmHP-V3SFc0dZAsGLSWakAXV7a753PlTHwtmY7dVN_Q/s113/purple+rain2.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgyAhyW5hCoCjiTBwQV7HKsrpr2esmJ7Kj-Yz-ojrjHftD-GvgSDi0lz-vzaHSPiCqUX5FyN2sKqyLr8RMQNj0Be7MFRzT8FzocVB5HVvfrr857VhAlcVyWneObUpNexP4pozv6lidk9EE9HtsfsDjFXxWC_KSSEyTquvkK257Vd1JwtgzBlSI3Vhj1aPO/s72-c/the%20unboxing%20of%20a%20black%20girl.jpg" height="72" width="72"/></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8557273101593651036.post-2624409460113891129</id><published>2024-03-20T22:50:00.002-04:00</published><updated>2024-03-20T22:50:50.963-04:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="book review"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="books"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="for the creatives"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="hip-hop"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="reading"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="suggested reading"/><title type='text'>Recommended Reading | The Upcycled Self by Tariq &quot;Black Thought&quot; Trotter</title><content type='html'>&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #666666; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: white; font-size: 14px;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&quot;From one of our generation’s most powerful artists and incisive storytellers comes a brilliantly crafted work about the art—and war—of becoming who we are.&quot;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI1fOevQmSmDx1Z0hxh7hX8M9JA54RlqJY-MfuZyp5uQtRibGKOB-fjHxiem5yjR5vwj8Rm1WBzmq-hkqcH1Sqe0JyTUdU1dkAMzI8ZHGfUuMASpERGogNhhyphenhyphen409q1_eaPbG8fr9kHSG5OAiXv3dfsFSwz6SC-P9DPn_PXyW-BOt9kpLA59x9hsrTIjlzw/s1778/the%20upcycled%20self.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;upcycled self tariq trotter&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; data-original-height=&quot;1778&quot; data-original-width=&quot;1000&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI1fOevQmSmDx1Z0hxh7hX8M9JA54RlqJY-MfuZyp5uQtRibGKOB-fjHxiem5yjR5vwj8Rm1WBzmq-hkqcH1Sqe0JyTUdU1dkAMzI8ZHGfUuMASpERGogNhhyphenhyphen409q1_eaPbG8fr9kHSG5OAiXv3dfsFSwz6SC-P9DPn_PXyW-BOt9kpLA59x9hsrTIjlzw/s16000/the%20upcycled%20self.jpg&quot; title=&quot;the upcycled self tariq trotter&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Publish Date: November 14, 2023&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As a hip-hop fan and avid listener of The Roots, I was very excited to read &lt;i&gt;The Upcycled Self&lt;/i&gt; by Tariq Trotter. While I had sifted through stories about the group from Questlove&#39;s books, I looked forward to reading personal accounts from Tariq Trotter. &lt;i&gt;The Upcycled Self&lt;/i&gt; did not disappoint!&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know more about Trotter through the stories he told. I felt as though I was walking down the streets with him as his beautiful words painted pictures of Philadelphia. It was a treat getting to learn more about him through his descriptions of his loved ones and those he was most influenced by. And I appreciated the vulnerability he possessed when sharing early stories about &quot;the fire,&quot; his mother, and parts of himself I&#39;d never heard him speak candidly about before.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;The Upcycled Self&amp;nbsp;&lt;/i&gt;was a treat for me as I know it will be for fans and others as well. The only thing I wished for was that the book was longer. I found myself wanting to know more about this brilliant man I&#39;ve grown to adore through verse and style over the years.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;⭐⭐⭐⭐&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Special thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing for the eBook!&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNtOwfJnG2EjiK1tDb_shzJjMWNLxv75pPiylX4e-aLg_pj_Il_VES_J6UE_stuL2stg4cTOOc2bxlZ3FLl9q3lCQpPDWd4ZXZir2tgb-zVY693F1G2v8xvRNk5A0BBwubWm-h_fzjl-KU4j7_0xfF9w3wSUAoN81wa8qED4qCkzYO6zqyZC0nNErhJtyZ/s1778/the%20upcycled%20self%20tariq%20trotter.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;upcycled self tariq trotter&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; data-original-height=&quot;1778&quot; data-original-width=&quot;1000&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNtOwfJnG2EjiK1tDb_shzJjMWNLxv75pPiylX4e-aLg_pj_Il_VES_J6UE_stuL2stg4cTOOc2bxlZ3FLl9q3lCQpPDWd4ZXZir2tgb-zVY693F1G2v8xvRNk5A0BBwubWm-h_fzjl-KU4j7_0xfF9w3wSUAoN81wa8qED4qCkzYO6zqyZC0nNErhJtyZ/s16000/the%20upcycled%20self%20tariq%20trotter.jpg&quot; title=&quot;the upcycled self tariq trotter&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #ff3c9a; font-size: x-large;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Will you be adding The Upcycled Self to your reading list?&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8557273101593651036/posts/default/2624409460113891129'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8557273101593651036/posts/default/2624409460113891129'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.soshewritesbymissdre.com/2024/03/recommended-reading-upcycled-self-by.html' title='Recommended Reading | The Upcycled Self by Tariq &quot;Black Thought&quot; Trotter'/><author><name>Dre</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/16577909247802340552</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='28' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSF7puw4Pt6gIsZIUtA_HhG8ylfZpZx9SuLSkFRMoh01YqxtPqBo4bqAP4Wcdul64EFzG76Li1inizqzSWeQqVmHP-V3SFc0dZAsGLSWakAXV7a753PlTHwtmY7dVN_Q/s113/purple+rain2.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI1fOevQmSmDx1Z0hxh7hX8M9JA54RlqJY-MfuZyp5uQtRibGKOB-fjHxiem5yjR5vwj8Rm1WBzmq-hkqcH1Sqe0JyTUdU1dkAMzI8ZHGfUuMASpERGogNhhyphenhyphen409q1_eaPbG8fr9kHSG5OAiXv3dfsFSwz6SC-P9DPn_PXyW-BOt9kpLA59x9hsrTIjlzw/s72-c/the%20upcycled%20self.jpg" height="72" width="72"/></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8557273101593651036.post-554694480852044579</id><published>2024-02-28T07:00:00.004-05:00</published><updated>2024-02-29T17:37:09.120-05:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="book feature"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="books"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="suggested reading"/><title type='text'>Recommended Reading | A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams</title><content type='html'>&lt;p&gt;A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams is such a beautiful book to behold in both the month of love AND a leap year!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFWFfyI4PN1igzx6fPHIALHs4jr9HxQxnE2tdSmVa-AzHXJtSjbxVqksvTlmwh6g-M_ZGypnDi_bM4TpPSeB8lI7KrHVZG_ryeTs3txpLRnfr3za2BdEMOXm9e-2q3Z5LnuNX78rjzbx-ef1yI0FK3D-fIfTDlVWwbKNRx-XQBj13GRY9CFfDRtHgVFg-t/s1530/Ricki%20Wilde%20(1).jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; data-original-height=&quot;1530&quot; data-original-width=&quot;1000&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFWFfyI4PN1igzx6fPHIALHs4jr9HxQxnE2tdSmVa-AzHXJtSjbxVqksvTlmwh6g-M_ZGypnDi_bM4TpPSeB8lI7KrHVZG_ryeTs3txpLRnfr3za2BdEMOXm9e-2q3Z5LnuNX78rjzbx-ef1yI0FK3D-fIfTDlVWwbKNRx-XQBj13GRY9CFfDRtHgVFg-t/s16000/Ricki%20Wilde%20(1).jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;p&gt;This book introduces us to unconventional Ricki Wilde, the youngest of 4 sisters, and the black sheep of the family. While the other three sisters follow the proverbial rules to a &amp;quot;T&amp;quot; and each contribute to running the family funeral business, Ricki longs to do her own thing. Doing her own thing leads this Georgia Peach to Harlem to open her own florist shop and bask in the rich history of the Harlem Renaissance.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.soshewritesbymissdre.com/2024/02/book-review-love-song-for-ricki-wilde.html#more&quot;&gt;Read more »&lt;/a&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8557273101593651036/posts/default/554694480852044579'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8557273101593651036/posts/default/554694480852044579'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.soshewritesbymissdre.com/2024/02/book-review-love-song-for-ricki-wilde.html' title='Recommended Reading | A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams'/><author><name>Dre</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/16577909247802340552</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='28' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSF7puw4Pt6gIsZIUtA_HhG8ylfZpZx9SuLSkFRMoh01YqxtPqBo4bqAP4Wcdul64EFzG76Li1inizqzSWeQqVmHP-V3SFc0dZAsGLSWakAXV7a753PlTHwtmY7dVN_Q/s113/purple+rain2.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFWFfyI4PN1igzx6fPHIALHs4jr9HxQxnE2tdSmVa-AzHXJtSjbxVqksvTlmwh6g-M_ZGypnDi_bM4TpPSeB8lI7KrHVZG_ryeTs3txpLRnfr3za2BdEMOXm9e-2q3Z5LnuNX78rjzbx-ef1yI0FK3D-fIfTDlVWwbKNRx-XQBj13GRY9CFfDRtHgVFg-t/s72-c/Ricki%20Wilde%20(1).jpg" height="72" width="72"/></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8557273101593651036.post-3758414721540015510</id><published>2024-02-27T07:00:00.101-05:00</published><updated>2024-02-29T23:48:48.331-05:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="book feature"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="books"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="for the creatives"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="inspiration"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="interviews"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="reading"/><title type='text'>AUTHOR Q&amp;A | BRITTNEY MORRIS, AUTHOR OF THE JUMP</title><content type='html'>&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #ff3c9a;&quot;&gt;“All I ever wanted to do was escape into this magical world where for once I don’t have to act a certain way because I’m Black, and where I don’t have to answer certain questions because I’m the Black authority in the room, and where if I do something that’s not stereotypically Black, I’m different.” ― Brittney Morris, Slay&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Representation matters: in the literature we read, the movies we watch, and even the video games we play. And I am grateful that in present times, our youth can see so much of themselves in the entertainment they consume. I am constantly in awe of authors who introduce us to characters and plots that we can so easily relate to. One author in particular, Brittney Morris, masterfully weaves together stories and characters that readers can FEEL. She consistently creates characters that stick with us long after the read is over.  &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Today, I share an author Q&amp;amp;A with said esteemed author, Brittney Morris. Here, she discusses what inspires her stories, video-game writing, advice to aspiring authors, and briefly touches on the paperback release of The Jump. Read below to learn more about Brittney Morris.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;INTRODUCTION TO BRITTNEY MORRIS&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: inherit;&quot;&gt;Brittney Morris is the bestselling author of &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.soshewritesbymissdre.com/2019/09/review-slay-by-brittney-morris.html&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;SLAY&lt;/a&gt;, The Cost of Knowing, Marvel&amp;#39;s Spider-Man: Miles Morales - Wings of Fury, and The Jump. She also writes video games and has contributed to projects such as The Lost Legends of Redwall, Subnautica: Below Zero, Spider-Man 2 for PS5, and Wolverine for PS5. Brittney is an NAACP Image Award nominee, an ALA Black Caucus Youth Literary Award winner, and an Ignite Award Finalist. She has an economics degree from Boston University and spends her spare time reading, playing video games, and not doing enough yoga. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKRR2A2gOioJgnBFVuLuZPKY-OPo1HBCrnlZsBDUU7x9u4UdjiSwRNKXVK9D03ZV11dPlO2rGzTG8_M_7u6AlB3Bb0DJ_koRgJRLaRLto8kDwaufPRObHI1x1AHjS2Z_OJ3xmw-x0PoxeWNk0iSYei5Z_3C7t-7tY9EzoYlKGuLTZmjU-WJoYyni4W_UdE/s2360/Brittney%20Morris%20Author%20Headshot%20Far%20Away%20Portrait.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; data-original-height=&quot;2360&quot; data-original-width=&quot;2000&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKRR2A2gOioJgnBFVuLuZPKY-OPo1HBCrnlZsBDUU7x9u4UdjiSwRNKXVK9D03ZV11dPlO2rGzTG8_M_7u6AlB3Bb0DJ_koRgJRLaRLto8kDwaufPRObHI1x1AHjS2Z_OJ3xmw-x0PoxeWNk0iSYei5Z_3C7t-7tY9EzoYlKGuLTZmjU-WJoYyni4W_UdE/s16000/Brittney%20Morris%20Author%20Headshot%20Far%20Away%20Portrait.jpg&quot; title=&quot;BRITTNEY MORRIS AUTHOR&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.soshewritesbymissdre.com/2024/02/interview-author-brittney-morris.html#more&quot;&gt;Read more »&lt;/a&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8557273101593651036/posts/default/3758414721540015510'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8557273101593651036/posts/default/3758414721540015510'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.soshewritesbymissdre.com/2024/02/interview-author-brittney-morris.html' title='AUTHOR Q&amp;A | BRITTNEY MORRIS, AUTHOR OF THE JUMP'/><author><name>Dre</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/16577909247802340552</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='28' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSF7puw4Pt6gIsZIUtA_HhG8ylfZpZx9SuLSkFRMoh01YqxtPqBo4bqAP4Wcdul64EFzG76Li1inizqzSWeQqVmHP-V3SFc0dZAsGLSWakAXV7a753PlTHwtmY7dVN_Q/s113/purple+rain2.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKRR2A2gOioJgnBFVuLuZPKY-OPo1HBCrnlZsBDUU7x9u4UdjiSwRNKXVK9D03ZV11dPlO2rGzTG8_M_7u6AlB3Bb0DJ_koRgJRLaRLto8kDwaufPRObHI1x1AHjS2Z_OJ3xmw-x0PoxeWNk0iSYei5Z_3C7t-7tY9EzoYlKGuLTZmjU-WJoYyni4W_UdE/s72-c/Brittney%20Morris%20Author%20Headshot%20Far%20Away%20Portrait.jpg" height="72" width="72"/></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8557273101593651036.post-4332577111815649361</id><published>2024-02-08T10:03:00.003-05:00</published><updated>2024-02-08T10:06:47.931-05:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="music"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="playlist"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="so I made you a mixtape"/><title type='text'>Just to See You Smile | A Playlist</title><content type='html'>&lt;p&gt;As many of you may know from reading here for a while: I am of the generation of making a &quot;mixtape&quot; for everything. And with so many music streaming services available at our fingertips, it&#39;s been easier than ever to make a playlist for any occasion. Add to that modern convenience, the fact that I&#39;m a &quot;make me a playlist so I know it&#39;s real&quot; type of lady. Not only am I a person who loves for someone to send me music, I&#39;m a person that loves sending music to others.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sending music to friends, family, and others we share a closeness to, is a love language. Making the perfect playlist for those people is also a labor of love. It takes time, focus, and a bit of knowledge about the people we&#39;re sharing music with to make the perfect playlist for them. My goal for making someone a playlist is usually to put them on to music I feel they would enjoy, or simply to make them smile. I can&#39;t tell you how many times hearing a particular song has brightened my entire day. And since that is a feeling I love experiencing, it&#39;s one I love to extend to others. While it does take a bit of effort, seeing someone smile while enjoying their personalized playlist makes it worthwhile.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Looking at my latest posts, I realize it&#39;s been a while since I&#39;ve posted a playlist for you guys to enjoy. So, I decided today that I would share a playlist to make you smile. Yes, YOU. Hopefully the vibes from this particular playlist bring about some positive feelings, make you reminisce on something nostalgic, or simply make you smile with the knowledge that I made this just for you.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBvvvIVXhdUABwqB3WlFehJI1ng2UDTAXDmTR9pUb2EE8a9Zn5ZILANmyuArVhUALwlQTscAKmNQaQF9ZbmKYO07BayRKE0u-6L5oc6A6Nsn5J3753VFHypA5g7gmLIQyiZNnxGHWcwJaBcYkEGP_X-Kg4ReCk5TD1iJgw5y4yMZx8kSRpi08dXpuACg/s1400/20230310_204000_0000.png&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; data-original-height=&quot;1400&quot; data-original-width=&quot;1400&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBvvvIVXhdUABwqB3WlFehJI1ng2UDTAXDmTR9pUb2EE8a9Zn5ZILANmyuArVhUALwlQTscAKmNQaQF9ZbmKYO07BayRKE0u-6L5oc6A6Nsn5J3753VFHypA5g7gmLIQyiZNnxGHWcwJaBcYkEGP_X-Kg4ReCk5TD1iJgw5y4yMZx8kSRpi08dXpuACg/s16000/20230310_204000_0000.png&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;QUEUE THE&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://open.spotify.com/playlist/04zjcIV7toW6b6rsOcz1LK?si=3b7fc906254f40dc&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&quot;Just To See You Smile&quot;&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;PLAYLIST:&amp;nbsp; This is one of those playlists created for no other reason but to evoke positive feelings. Perhaps there&#39;s a song listed that shows appreciation. Maybe there&#39;s another that makes you feel empowered. Hopefully a couple of them make you feel inspired. Either way, I hope it adds a bit of joy to your day. Click the image above to open the playlist up in a new window.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;iframe allow=&quot;autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture&quot; allowfullscreen=&quot;&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;352&quot; loading=&quot;lazy&quot; src=&quot;https://open.spotify.com/embed/playlist/04zjcIV7toW6b6rsOcz1LK?utm_source=generator&quot; style=&quot;border-radius: 12px;&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p&gt;Loving these Spotify playlists? Let me know in the comments if you want more here on the blog. And be sure to give me a&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://open.spotify.com/user/missdre910&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;follow&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;if you&#39;re on Spotify, too. I love making mixtapes and sharing music with my good boos over there.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #ff3c9a; font-size: x-large;&quot;&gt;WHAT SONGS DO YOU LISTEN TO THAT INSPIRE HAPPINESS, LOVE, OR JOY?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;b style=&quot;color: #ff3c9a; font-style: normal;&quot;&gt;FOLLOW ME ON:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.instagram.com/sodrewrites/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;INSTAGRAM&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;|&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/SoDreWrites&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;TWITTER&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;|&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/soshewritesbymissdre/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;FACEBOOK&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;|&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.pinterest.com/sodrewrites/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;PINTEREST&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;| &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.tiktok.com/@evrybodyluvzdre&quot;&gt;TIKTOK&lt;/a&gt; |&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.bloglovin.com/blogs/so-she-writes-3128840&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;BLOGLOVIN&#39;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #ff3c9a; font-size: large;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8557273101593651036/posts/default/4332577111815649361'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8557273101593651036/posts/default/4332577111815649361'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.soshewritesbymissdre.com/2024/02/just-to-see-you-smile-playlist.html' title='Just to See You Smile | A Playlist'/><author><name>Dre</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/16577909247802340552</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='28' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSF7puw4Pt6gIsZIUtA_HhG8ylfZpZx9SuLSkFRMoh01YqxtPqBo4bqAP4Wcdul64EFzG76Li1inizqzSWeQqVmHP-V3SFc0dZAsGLSWakAXV7a753PlTHwtmY7dVN_Q/s113/purple+rain2.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBvvvIVXhdUABwqB3WlFehJI1ng2UDTAXDmTR9pUb2EE8a9Zn5ZILANmyuArVhUALwlQTscAKmNQaQF9ZbmKYO07BayRKE0u-6L5oc6A6Nsn5J3753VFHypA5g7gmLIQyiZNnxGHWcwJaBcYkEGP_X-Kg4ReCk5TD1iJgw5y4yMZx8kSRpi08dXpuACg/s72-c/20230310_204000_0000.png" height="72" width="72"/></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8557273101593651036.post-5673696515758114259</id><published>2023-11-30T12:06:00.003-05:00</published><updated>2024-02-08T10:10:02.447-05:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="book review"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="books"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="suggested reading"/><title type='text'>Recommended Reading | Rhythm &amp; Muse by India Hill Brown</title><content type='html'>&lt;p&gt;Rhythm &amp;amp; Muse, by India Hill Brown is described as &quot;Cinderella meets Cyrano&quot; in this pitch-perfect YA rom-com that is a celebration of Black joy, first crushes, and putting your heart on the line for love.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBjoc0h2N_uyMOL3wGTBvrVn0bIAgJDS94oTEQxs39ZWeE4vESdqrYMC4T-49hsiqeuL6-3l6SO0oeXcojWR1j57o8Nf1drX3lQBcZ9i1q5X8gNXCXHHbw-3C16WZLvgJKZiE8LXW1lUcPOBf4Lxf7yFcKEqBN_G-qr3V3KL9MsdLS0xQozdfMjBrRJqiq/s1407/rhythm%20and%20muse.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;ya romance by bipoc authors&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; data-original-height=&quot;1407&quot; data-original-width=&quot;1000&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBjoc0h2N_uyMOL3wGTBvrVn0bIAgJDS94oTEQxs39ZWeE4vESdqrYMC4T-49hsiqeuL6-3l6SO0oeXcojWR1j57o8Nf1drX3lQBcZ9i1q5X8gNXCXHHbw-3C16WZLvgJKZiE8LXW1lUcPOBf4Lxf7yFcKEqBN_G-qr3V3KL9MsdLS0xQozdfMjBrRJqiq/s16000/rhythm%20and%20muse.jpg&quot; title=&quot;rhythm &amp;amp; muse india hill brown&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p&gt;When a daydreamer falls for someone, it happens first in his head. Then, unfolds in a perfectly synchronized rhythm, if timed correctly. The only downside to this proverbial falling, is that the daydreamer may trip and fall with nothing substantial to catch him, if he doesn&#39;t wake up from his daydream. That&#39;s been the case for me and many other daydreamers I know. And I&#39;m pretty sure Darren, our MC, can attest to this.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Rhythm and Muse by India Hill Brown introduces us to high-school overall good kid, Darren. Darren checks all the good-guy boxes and never colors outsides the lines. He thinks before he speaks or reacts, and often overthinks so much, he misses the opportunity to take action. But the thought of trying on a &quot;love thang&quot; with his crush Dillie D has him stepping outside his comfort zone in ways he wouldn&#39;t have imagined before.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Meet Delia, aka Dillie D, according to her podcast listeners. Delia is a free-spirited young woman who knows what she wants and doesn&#39;t hold her tongue when it comes to expressing those wants. She hosts a podcasts most teens &amp;amp; college students in the local area tune into each week without fail. But one thing that seems to elude her is that connection from a special someone, since her boyfriend broke her heart last year. Pouring all her time and energy into her podcast proves to be quite the distraction until she has the bright idea to run a contest for her listeners to find the perfect jingle for her show. This contest brings our MC Darren and Delia together in a serendipitous way that I&#39;m gonna spare you the details for, because I need you to go read this for yourself! Will Darren be able to get out of his head long enough to get the girl of his dreams? Will he seize the opportunities laid before him to be recognized for his talent? 👀&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I won&#39;t overshare here, but I will share one of my &quot;musings&quot; from Rhythm and Muse I wrote in my while reading:&amp;nbsp;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #ff3c9a;&quot;&gt;Beautiful things can happen when you get out of your head to enjoy the rhythm of the present moment around you every now and again. ❤&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;This quote personally conveys the message I received from this book, and I am grateful for the reminder.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I rated this one 4 stars only because teenage angst stresses me out sometimes. I think Darren being in his head so much affected his connections tremendously, and it started to wear on me a bit. I wish I could have seen his relationships develop more organically, outside of his thoughts &amp;amp; fantasies. Overall, I enjoyed the read and hope you check it out as well.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Major thanks to Netgalley and Quill Tree Books for the eARC!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;⭐⭐⭐⭐&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIfpk2haRjj93G5vvPv4UA8ZoUctMtLYS9BnmoGhT9cnINXENcdUi_xBcra5xT7fDp1uVLZF-86z8Sl35JT34ESBG9UVqt6wNIk6l4hf8IPA528YlddIJAa14IQqQoD4NwrBCegCiUn-17K9-wUhZ2BYlsPtGzfxKkfPBIK30bmgUY-YBo-WvgaAv6i7Rk/s1778/rhythm%20and%20muse%20india%20hill%20brown.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;ya romance by bipoc authors&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; data-original-height=&quot;1778&quot; data-original-width=&quot;1000&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIfpk2haRjj93G5vvPv4UA8ZoUctMtLYS9BnmoGhT9cnINXENcdUi_xBcra5xT7fDp1uVLZF-86z8Sl35JT34ESBG9UVqt6wNIk6l4hf8IPA528YlddIJAa14IQqQoD4NwrBCegCiUn-17K9-wUhZ2BYlsPtGzfxKkfPBIK30bmgUY-YBo-WvgaAv6i7Rk/s16000/rhythm%20and%20muse%20india%20hill%20brown.jpg&quot; title=&quot;rhythm &amp;amp; muse india hill brown&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #ff3c9a; font-size: x-large;&quot;&gt;WILL YOU BE READING RHYTHM &amp;amp; MUSE?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #ff3c9a; font-size: x-large;&quot;&gt;WHAT&#39;S THE LAST YOUNG ADULT ROMANCE YOU READ?&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #ff3c9a; font-size: x-large;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;b style=&quot;color: #ff3c9a; font-style: normal;&quot;&gt;FOLLOW ME ON:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.instagram.com/sodrewrites/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;INSTAGRAM&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;|&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/SoDreWrites&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;TWITTER&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;|&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/soshewritesbymissdre/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;FACEBOOK&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;|&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.pinterest.com/sodrewrites/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;PINTEREST&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;|&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.tiktok.com/@evrybodyluvzdre&quot;&gt;TIKTOK&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;|&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.bloglovin.com/blogs/so-she-writes-3128840&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;BLOGLOVIN&#39;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8557273101593651036/posts/default/5673696515758114259'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8557273101593651036/posts/default/5673696515758114259'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.soshewritesbymissdre.com/2023/11/recommended-reading-rhythm-muse-by.html' title='Recommended Reading | Rhythm &amp; Muse by India Hill Brown'/><author><name>Dre</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/16577909247802340552</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='28' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSF7puw4Pt6gIsZIUtA_HhG8ylfZpZx9SuLSkFRMoh01YqxtPqBo4bqAP4Wcdul64EFzG76Li1inizqzSWeQqVmHP-V3SFc0dZAsGLSWakAXV7a753PlTHwtmY7dVN_Q/s113/purple+rain2.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBjoc0h2N_uyMOL3wGTBvrVn0bIAgJDS94oTEQxs39ZWeE4vESdqrYMC4T-49hsiqeuL6-3l6SO0oeXcojWR1j57o8Nf1drX3lQBcZ9i1q5X8gNXCXHHbw-3C16WZLvgJKZiE8LXW1lUcPOBf4Lxf7yFcKEqBN_G-qr3V3KL9MsdLS0xQozdfMjBrRJqiq/s72-c/rhythm%20and%20muse.jpg" height="72" width="72"/></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8557273101593651036.post-687007487614458546</id><published>2023-10-20T16:15:00.001-04:00</published><updated>2023-10-20T16:15:49.231-04:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="life"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="music"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="playlist"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="so I made you a mixtape"/><title type='text'>Teenage Dream | A Playlist</title><content type='html'>&lt;p&gt;The late 90s and early 2000s were an interesting time to be a teenager. Well at least for me, it was. This time, for me, was a culmination of trying on different personas, trying to figure out which one felt more comfortable-- switching hairstyles, accessories, and sometimes even peer groups, trying to find my way. The slightest newfound emotion would take over me in waves. Heartbreaks felt like the end of the world. The ending of friendships were (and still are) more heart-wrenching than break-ups. But finding new friends that shared similar interests and getting into my first choice school seemed to make things infinitely better, for the time back then. Ah, to be young. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I&amp;#39;ve been reminiscing on teenage years a lot recently, especially with my daughter graduating high school and entering college this year.  Watching her navigate the high school/college transition, friendships, relationships, developing a school/work balance, and managing newfound emotions had me one part nervous, two parts nostalgic, and one part empathetic, to say the least. And while we are so very different, our glaring similarities show up almost every day, it seems.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;In many ways, watching my children grow up reminds me of how much growing up I&amp;#39;ve done as their mother. I was practically a kid myself, learning how to properly care for them and nurture them the best way I knew how. Seeing them as human beings with their own unique personalities, perspectives, and attitudes towards certain things has taught me to parent them with grace. It wasn&amp;#39;t that long ago that I was processing internal battles and braving the world as a misunderstood teen in similar ways. Paying attention to the way in which they define themselves takes me down memory lane quite a bit these days. So much so, that I&amp;#39;ve started making playlists to create a bit of a timestamp of what my teenage years felt like for me.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;If you&amp;#39;ve been here for a while, you already know how much music colors everything I do. I have a playlist for every vibe, mood, experience, memory, and feeling, no matter how fleeting. Reminiscing on simpler times is no different. So for today&amp;#39;s playlist, I&amp;#39;d like to share the musical time machine I hopped into, titled &amp;quot;&lt;a href=&quot;https://open.spotify.com/playlist/05PsvFq6dkhOo8nZHrQAQs?si=b09c1ac4e7b4473f&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Teenage Dream&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;quot;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1rOVl3IpqU1F5uDLy7A81iMTCaqhpZJA7LcU5IJGd4Kr_wxoXjFCCGlTYlQpDb8d8ARktHPNO-1t7QQct5x4AMXcssZhyS50U_9kp9OUJ6wqnYsU1WN-ya7deryKG3OXW2fmHv22OU3r-/s1400/teenage+dream+album+cover.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; data-original-height=&quot;1400&quot; data-original-width=&quot;1400&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1rOVl3IpqU1F5uDLy7A81iMTCaqhpZJA7LcU5IJGd4Kr_wxoXjFCCGlTYlQpDb8d8ARktHPNO-1t7QQct5x4AMXcssZhyS50U_9kp9OUJ6wqnYsU1WN-ya7deryKG3OXW2fmHv22OU3r-/s16000/teenage+dream+album+cover.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.soshewritesbymissdre.com/2023/10/teenage-dream-playlist.html#more&quot;&gt;Read more »&lt;/a&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8557273101593651036/posts/default/687007487614458546'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8557273101593651036/posts/default/687007487614458546'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.soshewritesbymissdre.com/2023/10/teenage-dream-playlist.html' title='Teenage Dream | A Playlist'/><author><name>Dre</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/16577909247802340552</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='28' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSF7puw4Pt6gIsZIUtA_HhG8ylfZpZx9SuLSkFRMoh01YqxtPqBo4bqAP4Wcdul64EFzG76Li1inizqzSWeQqVmHP-V3SFc0dZAsGLSWakAXV7a753PlTHwtmY7dVN_Q/s113/purple+rain2.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1rOVl3IpqU1F5uDLy7A81iMTCaqhpZJA7LcU5IJGd4Kr_wxoXjFCCGlTYlQpDb8d8ARktHPNO-1t7QQct5x4AMXcssZhyS50U_9kp9OUJ6wqnYsU1WN-ya7deryKG3OXW2fmHv22OU3r-/s72-c/teenage+dream+album+cover.jpg" height="72" width="72"/></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8557273101593651036.post-8899361748241745192</id><published>2023-09-20T07:00:00.005-04:00</published><updated>2024-02-08T10:10:50.198-05:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="beauty"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="beauty reviews"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="hair care"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="protective styles"/><title type='text'>30&quot; BUSS DOWN  | FEATURING WOWANGEL HD LACE WIGS</title><content type='html'>&lt;p&gt;If you&amp;#39;re like me and love a good wig, you&amp;#39;ll want to read all about this high-quality, HD Lace Frontal Wig I&amp;#39;ve been wearing as a protective style lately. &lt;i&gt;While this post is a paid partnership with WOWANGEL Wigs, all thoughts and opinions about the hair + experience are my own. To read more about my disclosure policy, click &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.soshewritesbymissdre.com/p/disclosure-privacy.html&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggmfrU-I0yuEFp6PQrPpemehH56EFisEAXIlXPC8zjHMTRdzuSdj6vz1zWbx_7j1t0XyWrJQUM1MiBo9YRsKYZ8jstZgRtj9QEAMXrwxIdgaz6atNoL4GhDzgnNU7NnH5zn-DkWrClH3NuG9qguQBIN49ca-yuxRuarBkHZzpLRfeECNnbH0vf074xwjO2/s1778/wowangel%20wig%20on%20sodrewrites.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;wowangel wigs&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; data-original-height=&quot;1778&quot; data-original-width=&quot;1000&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggmfrU-I0yuEFp6PQrPpemehH56EFisEAXIlXPC8zjHMTRdzuSdj6vz1zWbx_7j1t0XyWrJQUM1MiBo9YRsKYZ8jstZgRtj9QEAMXrwxIdgaz6atNoL4GhDzgnNU7NnH5zn-DkWrClH3NuG9qguQBIN49ca-yuxRuarBkHZzpLRfeECNnbH0vf074xwjO2/s16000/wowangel%20wig%20on%20sodrewrites.jpg&quot; title=&quot;wowangel wig with miss dre&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;It&amp;#39;s no secret that we love a high-quality wig around here. Since growing out my &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.instagram.com/p/CPZhFzoraWP/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;natural tapered cut&lt;/a&gt;, I&amp;#39;ve been wearing braids and wigs to protect my natural hair from the elements. And as much as I love wearing lace front wigs, all of them are not created equally. Some don&amp;#39;t have the parting space I need. Others don&amp;#39;t have the density to rock the full look I usually go for. And I&amp;#39;m not always able to find a nice, HD lace that melts perfectly around my hairline with minimal effort. However, after rocking high-quality HD Lace Wigs from the likes of WOWANGEL Wigs, I have become hooked! Read below the jump to learn more about my experience with the latest 30-inch Buss Down I&amp;#39;ve been wearing lately.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.soshewritesbymissdre.com/2023/09/30-buss-down-featuring-wowangel-hd-lace.html#more&quot;&gt;Read more »&lt;/a&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8557273101593651036/posts/default/8899361748241745192'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8557273101593651036/posts/default/8899361748241745192'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.soshewritesbymissdre.com/2023/09/30-buss-down-featuring-wowangel-hd-lace.html' title='30&quot; BUSS DOWN  | FEATURING WOWANGEL HD LACE WIGS'/><author><name>Dre</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/16577909247802340552</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='28' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSF7puw4Pt6gIsZIUtA_HhG8ylfZpZx9SuLSkFRMoh01YqxtPqBo4bqAP4Wcdul64EFzG76Li1inizqzSWeQqVmHP-V3SFc0dZAsGLSWakAXV7a753PlTHwtmY7dVN_Q/s113/purple+rain2.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggmfrU-I0yuEFp6PQrPpemehH56EFisEAXIlXPC8zjHMTRdzuSdj6vz1zWbx_7j1t0XyWrJQUM1MiBo9YRsKYZ8jstZgRtj9QEAMXrwxIdgaz6atNoL4GhDzgnNU7NnH5zn-DkWrClH3NuG9qguQBIN49ca-yuxRuarBkHZzpLRfeECNnbH0vf074xwjO2/s72-c/wowangel%20wig%20on%20sodrewrites.jpg" height="72" width="72"/></entry></feed>