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Thumper
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, December 02, 2003 - 06:46 pm: | 
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Hello All,
I hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving. I had a good one. I've been reading books left and right lately. As I mentioned before, I read Gloria Mallette's The Honey Well in one day. Then I picked up Carl Weber's new one Player Haters. That one was another day read. I loved-ed it. The mood was still with me, so I ventured off the beaten path and read two of the three Artemis Fowl books. Those books are WONDERFUL! Earlier this year I had heard that they were better than the Harry Potter books, so I had decided to get them for my niece for Christmas. I hadn't read or know anyone who had read the Artemis Fowl books. This weekend I decided to give them a perusal. I was blown away. Today, I just started Buffalo Gordon on the Plains. This novel is the second in a series featuring a Buffalo solider name Nate Gordon. I've been wanting to read more novels about black soldiers since we read Johnny Buffalo by Dan Smith and Where I'm Bound by Allan Ballard, two excellent novels. So far so good on Buffalo Gordon on the Plains.
I've got some new CDs. Music for grown folks. Both CDs are superb. I got Isley Meets Bacharach! Ron Isley singing Burt Bacharach songs. Beautiful, simply beautiful. Strongly recommend it. Then I got Aaron Neville's new on Nature Boy: The Standard Album. Another beautiful, beautiful CD. See, this is what I'm talking about, music by people who know what they're doing. |
Crystal
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, December 03, 2003 - 12:21 pm: |
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Hello Thumper. Happy Holidays Everyone! I’ll be making rum balls and cookies in a couple of weeks.
I just read Trouble Man by Travis Hunter. My first time reading him. It was ok I guess. Like most of these whole lot of baby mama/baby daddy drama books but from a man’s perspective. I doubt if I’ll look for more. I’m not in my full reading mode right now. The recent transit strike (4 weeks!) cut deeply into my reading time and I haven’t gotten back in the groove yet.
I’m having a hard time thinking of a book to get my son for Christmas. Usually it’s the latest Walter Mosley book but he’s already read it (is Fear Itself the latest?). I’m thinking maybe a couple of those books by black women mystery/detective writers – Eleanor Taylor Bland or Paula Woods. I don’t think he’s read them. Any other suggestions?
He recently asked me about EJD … but I just can’t bring myself to do that.
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Madame X
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, December 03, 2003 - 03:24 pm: |
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I'm half way through Property by Valerie Martin -- a bit bland - but I'm hanging in there. Would love to hear from those who completed the journey. |
Thumper
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, December 03, 2003 - 06:41 pm: |
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Hello Crystal,
If your son like mysteries, I would recommend Glenville's Too Beautiful To Die. I would also introduce him to the wonderful world of Stephen Barnes. There's the alternative history series that I love with Lion's Blood and The Zulu Heart, or some of Barnes' other novels, Blood Brothers, and Iron Shadows. |
Soul Sister
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, December 04, 2003 - 09:01 am: |
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Hey All,
Happy Holidays and all that jazz -- I must admit that it is nice to "live" on one's own - -I too wish I were a kid again - so that I could really savor the flavor of complete freedom - oh well - ain't gonna happen --- but it is fun to wish
Madame X - I read Property and considering a white woman wrote this story about slavery from a white woman's perspective it was intriguing to see how many unresolved issues white men and woman have regarding gender discrimination --
The "outcome" of the relationship between Sarah and Manon --- was not to my liking - but in retrospect you can read a great deal into the "shared burden" women have as a result of men in general and white men in particular.
I suppose the historian and neo-Black nationalist in me has a probelm with the "outcome" and would have preferred real victory - I suppose all stories don't have happily ever after's since they did not start with once upon a time - ya dig? - smile
As for murder mysteries -- I love Laura Rowland - she writes about a Samuri archivist police detective in the 1680s Japan - she has 8 novels out that can be read independantly -- I cannot tell you which is my favorite -- possibly Bundori or Way of the Traitor or Shinju - heck I bought them all and really have been satisfied -- a friend of mine really liked Grace Edwards -- Do or Die - happy hunting - smile
Let me know what you think -- I would love your opinion
Peace
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Carey
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, December 04, 2003 - 08:03 pm: |
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Hello Crystal
If your son likes Moseley you can't go wrong with Guy Johnson's epic tale, Standing At The Stratch Line.
Have you ever thought about turning you son onto books about blacks in the civil war? Thump mentioned such a book in one of his posts. The book is called "Where I'm Bound" by Allen B. Ballard. The author stopped by and chatted with us one evening. I think your son will enjoy it, I did. |
Crystal
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, December 05, 2003 - 06:39 pm: |
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Thanks peeps!
I ordered To Beautiful To Die for him. Bundori for me (cause I can’t let amazon send stuff to the house without there being something for me!), and Standing at the Scratch Line for both of us (it’s been on my list for quite a while now). I also ordered Cookwise for him – it’s a cookbook that goes into the science of cooking. Since he likes to cook I thought I’d better help him not kill anybody.
My shopping is pretty much done!
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Madame X
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, December 06, 2003 - 03:50 pm: |
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Soul Sister - thanks for sharing your views on Property -- and after completing the novel - yes, I understand the shared burdens we as black women and white women bear -- although I still feel (now and during slavery time) that the black woman's burden was and is heavier. I did not like the end of the book and was wondering why it was Valerie did not return to there one moment of intimacy (pg. 76) I think that she should have expanded on that -- how can a slave masters wife suckle her "property" and it be cast off to never, never land??? That act should have brought the two women together or driven them further apart. Their relationship remained much the same -- but that's just my opinion.
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Soul Sister
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, December 08, 2003 - 10:28 am: |
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Madame,
On some level - I understand that nature of your question -- however, I do not think that there was any "love affair" between Sarah and Manon. Meaning that they were not friends prior to that scene nor would anything in their lives make them friends -- clearly that is the ugliness of slavery that the author is trying to convey - to me.
I really do not think that white and black women in the antebellum south could really be friends - unless there was a situation or condition that drew that relationship -- my beliefs are grounded in the women's club movement of the late 19th century - - black club women were concerned about the race and gender - while white women were primarily concerned about gender
Since there was no "shared" historical reality - -for black women as slaves vs. white ethnic/black women indenture servants vs. white women legal limitations-- there could never be a true "meeting of the minds" and this issue of different historical realities is evident throughout the 20th century - look at Ida B. Wells, Mary Bethune, the civil rights movement and most recently the lesbian liberation efforts - there are clear examples of racism and classism.
Long story short -- I believe that the relationship between Sarah and Manon is a forced reality however, Manon choose not to be close - to anyone -- plus I don't believe she knew how - on the other hand Sarah had no choice remember she was Property.
You know I could go on -- and on - but I will stop here -- thanks for chatting with me about this book -- and I am glad that I was not alone in hating the ending.
Peace |
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