Are You Happy with your Life? My review of Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

“Are you happy with your life?” What a sinister question that can be…depending on whose asking. But what if you are asking yourself this question. But what If that you is not really you as you know yourself but a person from an alternative universe. This is what happens to Jason. In his normal life he is a community college Physics professor. He is married to the woman of his dreams, has a beautiful son. And a easy going, beautiful life. He is happy. He believes his wife is happy. But as his alternative self asks: Is he really happy with this life? Well his alternative self gives him a chance to find out when he decides that he wants to swap lives. In the alternatives life, Jason is a well known, well accomplished scientist. He never married, never had children and he is cold to everyone in his life. What happens is a wild ride through alternative lives in order to get back to his family. Jason must see his wife, and son again and most of all he needs to find a way to get his alternative self out of their lives.
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch was one hell of a read and it was a very thought provoking book. As I read it I begin to think what would like to be in Jason’s shoes? Could I be happy in that life? What would that life be like? Do I really want to know? Well, let me tell you this….If I had to deal with he same obstacles Jason did in his book then let’s just say I am better off not knowing.
What I loved about this book was that it was believable; what if science was advanced enough to allow us to see alternate universes. And what If when we stepped into those universes they were tailored directly to who we are as a person? The prospect is down right frightening; especially when you find out in the book that Jason can change each universe he enters simply by thought. If he thought he was going to witness his worse nightmare when he opened a door into the next universe than he did. Another thing that I loved about this book was the prose. It was easy and free and flowed quickly. Crouch did not bog you down with to much scientific jargon- which could have been easy to do. Dark Matter is a book that I would definitely recommend to those in love of sci fi that is in need of something different. And a book that will keep them guessing. I have Dark Matter 4/5 stars on Goodreads.

First Impressions Are Everything: My thoughts on The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (Five Chapters in)

I usually do not believe the hype of most new books but I did on this one. The Hate U Give is definitely not what I thought it would be. I expected it to be a safe, gentle book dealing with police brutality and the realities of African American life in a major city. I did not expect the first five chapters to be as raw and earth shifting as they were.
In this book we are introduced to Starr, a young African American teen living a typical American life in a bad neighborhood. Her parents have done all they can to protect her from the realities of the neighborhood that they live in. This includes sending her to a predominantly white private school that's almost an hour away from her home. Starr is not as sheltered as some may think; she has seen several things that no kid should. Things that would change most of us for the rest of our lives. Starr’s life shifts again when she goes to a party with her half sister and on the way home is witness to a police involved shooting. I am expecting this book to be a bit of a raw if not rude awakening for many that read it. Especially in the times that we live in. Just in 2017, 712 people have died at the hands of police. According to the Washington Post (link below) mental illness played a role in 1 in 5 of these deaths.
The Hate U Give presents us with a very important dilemma: Do POC (people of color) really have different experiences in America? Or is this all just hype? And when do we are a society say enough is enough; and will we be willing to put ourselves on the line to make sure real equality happens? Can some in our society ever truly acknowledge that race is a bigger issue then what we ever imagined it to be?
As a Person of color I definitely believe that Angie Thomas is tackling a subject that will make many uncomfortable but it a story that needs to be told nonetheless. I am looking forward to finishing this book.

For info on what inspired The Hate U Give Check out this video of Angie Thomas discussing the book:

Deadly Force Information:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/number-of-fatal-shootings-by-police-is-nearly-identical-to-last-year/2017/07/01/98726cc6-5b5f-11e7-9fc6-c7ef4bc58d13_story.html?utm_term=.1fa82493b089

Shiny New Book.....

Hey Lovelies I just recieved a beautiful new autographed copy of Jodi Meadows latest book Before She Ignites.

Can you see why I am so intrigued by this book ? Its YA (young adult), features dragons and the main character is a woman of color. Finally we are getting a sci fi YA character of color. I am really looking forward to curling up with this in the next few weeks. I will be sure to leave a first impressions post on here and on Litsy.

Here is the synopsis of the book:

Mira has always been a symbol of hope for the Fallen Isles, perfect and beautiful—or at least that’s how she’s forced to appear. But when she uncovers a dangerous secret, Mira is betrayed by those closest to her and sentenced to the deadliest prison in the Fallen Isles. Except Mira is over being a pawn. Fighting to survive against outer threats and inner demons of mental illness, Mira must find her inner fire and the scorching truth about her own endangered magic—before her very world collapses. And that’s all before she ignites (From Amazon).

Here is a fan made book trailer I found as well:

Now this is love....

Here is a clip of one of my favorite scenes from the book:

Just Live....Live Well! The Bookbabe reviews Me Before You by Jojo Moyes.

This book was not at all I expected it to be. I thought it would be an easy, quick romance. Instead I got laughs, romance and a ton of unexpected tears. Mind you I am reading this before seeing the movie and years after it was published. I only know of one friend that has read it; and she is not the type to ever post spoilers or ruin a plot for me. I only knew that the story was a romance and that it involved a man suffering from a spinal cord injury. Me Before You centers around Louisa Clark and her experiences with wheelchair bound William Traynor. Will was injured when a car hit him. Louisa is a young woman living a small life. She goes to work, comes home, spends time with her boyfriend Patrick and is just trying to get by. When she loses her job she finds herself at the door of the Traynor’s. Who are in need of someone to help them care for their son. Louisa takes the job and on her first day has the feeling that Will will never like her. He’s rude and mean and incredibly bossy. As the months wind down on her is month contract Louisa’s life begins to change; she and Will become close and before you know it they are both in love. However, Will’s plans to end his life could derail the love they share and change the lives of all those around them.
Upon reading this book I knew going in what the ending was; I knew that the book dealt with assisted suicide and the right to die. I was interested in seeing how the author would handle this delicate topic. The end result was a well written, well developed novel about love and loss.
At the same time I could see why disability advocates took issue with the novel. No matter how well developed the story was it seemed like the author romanticized the topic. Of course, some will disagree with me on that but I'm just calling it as I saw it. However, that did not stop me from loving the book. Mainly because I loved Will’s way of coaxing Louisa to live a big life. To live her life to the fullest.
I read this three weeks after the death of my grandmother and some of its themes seemed to be things I could hear her saying to me had she been able to communicate them at the end of her life. Which is why I believe this book will be an all time favorite of mine going forward. Another thing that I loved about this novel is that Moyes characters are flushed out, well developed. You really can connect to Louisa and will and you can see a part of yourself in their story. I definitely saw a lot of myself in Louisa. Me Before You would definitely be a book I would recommend to anyone looking for a lovely story on the importance of living in the moment and loving the life you have. I gave Me Before You five stars of Goodreads.

Quotes I loved:

“Believe me, when you've done shifts at a chicken processing factory, working in Guantanamo Bay for six months looks attractive.”

“And I cannot for the life of me see how you can be content to live this tiny life. This life that will take place almost entirely within a five mile radius and contain nobody who will ever surprise you or push you or show you things that will leave your head spinning and unable to sleep at night.”

“Just live….live well.”

....It begins with A Discovery of Witches

Hello Bookies....I'm back! And just in time for the annual real time reading of A Discovery of Witches. The purpose of this reading is to allow readers to be fully immersed in the story by reading it on the date in which each event happens. Whats even better is that the author and fans interact together by posting photos and having discussions about the book. Deborah Harkness (the author) has been known to post photos of the wine she is drinking, and links to music that inspired the scenes. It's down right awesome. I hope you will join my as I re-read my way through Matthew and Diana's adventures to unlock the secrets of Ashmole 782. Below is the calendar of readings and their corresponding dates; I truly cannot wait to post my thoughts and photos as I read!

Sometimes You Just Need to Buy the Book....

As usually when things get crazy I wander into a bookstore. I picked up three new books. Here they are:

Mules and Men:
Mules and Men is the first great collection of black America's folk world. In the 1930's, Zora Neale Hurston returned to her "native village" of Eatonville, Florida to record the oral histories, sermons and songs, dating back to the time of slavery, which she remembered hearing as a child. In her quest, she found herself and her history throughout these highly metaphorical folk-tales, "big old lies," and the lyrical language of song. With this collection, Zora Neale Hurston has come to reveal'and preserve'a beautiful and important part of American culture.

The Devil's Cut:
At first, the death of William Baldwine, the head of the Bradford family, was ruled a suicide. But then his eldest son and sworn enemy, Edward, came forward and confessed to what was, in fact, a murder. Now in police custody, Edward mourns not the disintegration of his family or his loss of freedom . . . but the woman he left behind. His love, Sutton Smythe, is the only person he has ever truly cared about, but as she is the CEO of the Bradford Bourbon Company’s biggest competitor, any relationship between them is impossible. And then there’s the reality of the jail time that Edward is facing.

Lane Baldwine was supposed to remain in his role of playboy, forever in his big brother Edward’s shadow. Instead he has become the new head of the family and the company. Convinced that Edward is covering for someone else, Lane and his true love, Lizzie King, go on the trail of a killer—only to discover a secret that is as devastating as it is game-changing.

As Lane rushes to discover the truth, and Sutton finds herself irresistibly drawn to Edward in spite of his circumstances, the lives of everyone at Easterly will never be the same again. For some, this is good; for others, it could be a tragedy beyond imagining. Only one thing is for certain: Love survives all things. Even murder.

In Search of Our Mother's Gardens:
In her first collection of nonfiction, Alice Walker speaks out as a black woman, writer, mother, and feminist, in thirty-six pieces ranging from the personal to the political. Here are essays about Walker's own work and that of other writers, accounts of the civil rights movement of the 1960s and the antinuclear movement of the 1980s, and a vivid, courageous memoir of a scarring childhood injury. Throughout the volume, Walker explores the theories and practices of feminists and feminism, incorporating what she calls the "womanist" tradition of black women.
"This is one of the healthiest collections of essays I have come across in a long time. . . . What [Walker] says about the black woman she says from the depths of oppression. What is said from the depths of oppression illuminates all other oppressions."-New Statesman

Alice Walker is the author of seven novels, three collections of short stories, three collections of essays, seven volumes of poetry, and several children's books. Her novel The Color Purple won both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award, and her work has been translated into more than two dozen languages. Born in Eatonton, Georgia, Walker lives in northern California.

*Mules and Men and In Search of Our Mothers Gardens are part of The Lemonade Syllabus.*