The Bookbabe Read-a-Thon has begun

In honor of my Grandmother, Alice Marie, I am participating in the Alzheimer Associations Longest Day Fundraiser. The Longest Day of the year is on June 21st, and on this day I pledged to read has many books as possible. And raise money while doing it. So far I’ve only raised 60$ but my friend and fellow Booklover Staci has raises over 200$. Of course, we were under our 550$ goal but any amount for the association is helpful. There will also be more time opportunties to raise money in the coming months.

Guillermo Del Toro and his Creatures

I just wanted to do a quick article featuring Del Toro’s Creatures. His Imagination is astounding. As a lover of horror and gothic art I am drawn to his dark tales. He would be someone I’d love to have a conversation with.

The creature with the eyeballs in his hand gave me nightmares; and if you’ve ever seen the movie then you will know how creept he was. The actors body movements were just unsettling.

Here is the trailer:

The Shape of Water:

Here is the trailer:

I really can not wait to see the later so that I can compare it to the book. Also, I would love to see the costume for the creature upclose. It reminds me of the Creature from the Black Lagoon.

The Book Babe Reviews: The Shape of Water by Guillermo Del Toro and Daniel Kraus

So if any of you paid attention to the past Oscar season you’d know Director Guillermo Del Toro went on to win best picture for the movie based on this book. This is the fourth book by Del Toro I’ve had the priviledge to read. I was introduced to him by way of Pan’s Labrynith; his 2006 creature feature. That movie is seriously good and seriously creepy. Little did I know that a few years later I would discover The Strain Trilogy (which later became a short lived t.v. show). The Strain is all nasty vampires and their plot for world domination - that series is nothing to play with. And I can’t recommend it enough to those that love Sci-fi.

Going into The Shape of Water I had some basic knowledge on what it was based on. Mute woman meets Merman. What I didn’t know was that the this book was about people that live on the margins. People that are rejected by society as a whole. The book is set in 1960’s Baltimore (I loved knowing some of the streets and landmarks mentioned) and if you know anything about the climate in America at that time than you know certain people in our society weren’t treated very well. Think about African Americans and civil rights? And how the disabled would have been treated at that time? And what about Gay people? Well Del Toro gives us a small glimpse into what things may have been like for these folks. All while using a Merman/monster to demonstrate the need to misuse one of God’s greatests creations. And the abuse the creature is subjected to shows us just how quickly empathy can be a non-factor when the torturer is used to abusing people on the fringes; all because they don’t fit a certain mold. And in this on is: White and male. Eliza, is a mute woman. The cause of her muteness is never fully discovered; and however much I would love to know the details of that, it really was a non-factor. Eliza experiences abuses in small ways. Because she can not speak people believe that she is useless, unworthy of respect etc. Its easy for some to count her as dumb. Eliza also knows how easily it is to be victimized. Del Toro alludes us to believe that she may have been date raped. All these little indiginites leave her looking for happiness, she finds it in the little things. Specifically her dazzling shoe collection.

Then there is Giles, an elderly gentlemen. An artist. He seems to be eccentric and distracted. When we meet him he is working on an ad for his former employer. His work is rejected time and time again. We find that Giles is lonely, and if not for Eliza, he may not have had the strength to keep living. Giles is a closest gay man. And during this time in American History being gay is considered indecent; and in some states it is a crime. One of which Giles is arrested for and leads to his arrest and the lost of his job.

And then there is Zelda, she is African American. She works hard and keeps her nose down. She sympatizes with Eliza because she knows what its like to be dejected because of her minority status.

Last but not least we have the monster; a gentle creature, worthy of love and empathy. However, an American comes along and steals him from the Amazon in order to bring him to the states and experiment on him. Eliza and Zelda by happy accident get read in on what is going on with the creature. From the first glimpse of him Eliza is intrigued. She needs to know more - so she begins visiting him. She befriends him, falls in love with him and then later does all she can to ensure his freedom.

I think its important to say these next two words: Fish Sex!
You read that right. Eliza and the merman get down with the get down (🤷🏾‍♀️- sorry not sorry); thanks goodness that the scene was not made weird with really graphic detail but it was still really odd.

The book as a whole is amazingly vivid and well written. The prose is beautiful and haunting and you find the creature, and the story believable. The ending reminded me a lot of the way Pan’s Labyrinth ended. I thought that all was lost; however, Del Toro shocked me in the end with a very surprising twist. The Shape of Water was a great book about love, empathy and the human condition. If the book is any indictator on how special the movie might be I must say I can not wait to see it. Perhaps I’ll rent it this week and come back and tell you guys all about its cinematic beauty.

Harry Potter Book Swap

Back in January a member of Litsy posted a Book Swap in honor of George/Fred Weasley’s birthday (April 1st). As most people know I am a huge Potter fan so of course I jumped at rhe chance to send off a box. My match was a Ravenclaw; and I can not tell you how difficult it is to find Ravenclaw stuff. (And I’m a Slytherin - apparently she ran into the same problem.) So I did what I do best....I knitted a gift ♥️. Using Shawl in a ball by Lion Brand. I am deeply proud of the shawl I knitted. So much so I am planning another Harry Potter inspired project over the summer.

^ This is what I sent her!

^ this is the swag she sent my way ♥️♥️♥️

New Book on the way

Book Despository sent me a 10% code for my wish list; so I went strolling and decided to pick up the one book that would be most important to my current reading lists. “At the end of the street” has been on my To Buy List for over a year. I’ve heard great things about this book and I am so eager to read it.
Especially, because Recy Taylor’s story is included in this book. Ms. Taylor was raped during the Jim Crow era and took on her attackers. The attackers never saw the inside of a court room and Ms. Taylor died earlier this year never having experienced justice. Her is a synopsis of the book:

Rosa Parks was often described as a sweet and reticent elderly woman whose tired feet caused her to defy segregation on Montgomery’s city buses, and whose supposedly solitary, spontaneous act sparked the 1955 bus boycott that gave birth to the civil rights movement. The truth of who Rosa Parks was and what really lay beneath the 1955 boycott is far different from anything previously written.

In this groundbreaking and important book, Danielle McGuire writes about the rape in 1944 of a twenty-four-year-old mother and sharecropper, Recy Taylor, who strolled toward home after an evening of singing and praying at the Rock Hill Holiness Church in Abbeville, Alabama. Seven white men, armed with knives and shotguns, ordered the young woman into their green Chevrolet, raped her, and left her for dead. The president of the local NAACP branch office sent his best investigator and organizer--Rosa Parks--to Abbeville. In taking on this case, Parks launched a movement that exposed a ritualized history of sexual assault against black women and added fire to the growing call for change (amazon.com).

Stand Back....Another Woke Title To Buy!

Synopsis: A poetic and powerful memoir about what it means to be a Black woman in America―and the co-founding of a movement that demands justice for all in the land of the free.

Raised by a single mother in an impoverished neighborhood in Los Angeles, Patrisse Khan-Cullors experienced firsthand the prejudice and persecution Black Americans endure at the hands of law enforcement. For Patrisse, the most vulnerable people in the country are Black people. Deliberately and ruthlessly targeted by a criminal justice system serving a white privilege agenda, Black people are subjected to unjustifiable racial profiling and police brutality. In 2013, when Trayvon Martin’s killer went free, Patrisse’s outrage led her to co-found Black Lives Matter with Alicia Garza and Opal Tometi.

Condemned as terrorists and as a threat to America, these loving women founded a hashtag that birthed the movement to demand accountability from the authorities who continually turn a blind eye to the injustices inflicted upon people of Black and Brown skin.

Championing human rights in the face of violent racism, Patrisse is a survivor. She transformed her personal pain into political power, giving voice to a people suffering in equality and a movement fueled by her strength and love to tell the country―and the world―that Black Lives Matter.

When They Call You a Terrorist is Patrisse Khan-Cullors and asha bandele’s reflection on humanity. It is an empowering account of survival, strength and resilience and a call to action to change the culture that declares innocent Black life expendable.

Why I can’t wait to read it:
So often Black narratives never see the light of day; especially books about people like Patrisse. Often their stories are told by others, and usually after they have transended this life. I really can’t wait to pick up this book.

To Be a Knitter: The Book Babe reviews The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacob

To be a knitter? According to Darwin; a character in a Kate Jacob’s The Friday Night Knitting club, knitting is as anti-feminist as you can get. It’s old fashioned and way...way...not cool. Which is probably I am such a fan of the practice. In Jacob’s novel we follow the lives of Georgia and Dakota Walker as well as all the characters that make up Georgia’s Tribe. Their yarn shop, Walker and Daughter is just one little place in the sprawling city of New York. The yarn shop has more than just pretty skeins of yarn, and lovely needles. It is also a place for women to come together to talk about their lives and relax and be themselves. Originally the shop was just a shop until Dakota came up with the idea of sharing her delicious home made baked goods with some of the women that always seemed to come into the shop on Friday nights.
With the help of Anita, Georgia’s close friend/benefactor and mother figure, Dakota convinces her mother to start the Friday Night Knitting Club. The club consists of a television producer (Lucie), doctoral student (Darwin), part-time employee and hand bag designer (Peri) and book editor (K.C.). Each of these women come to the group with their own set of issues. Lucie is single, and ready to start a new chapter in her life. So she decides to have a baby - without a father in the picture. Anita, is a woman in her seventies, who is trying to find herself after the death of her husband. Darwin, is the most perplexing character of all, she’s a women’s studies major working on her doctoral thesis. She is trying to understand what it means to be a woman in todays day and age. Peri, is a young woman who is trying to make it in New York. K.C., is the character I most related to, she is in her prime - and suddenly decides to change careers. Also, she is a really horrible knitter. Then we have the non-knitting characters just thrown in....Catherine, Georgia’s high school best friend , who betrayed her years earlier and seems to be looking something. Then there is James, Dakota’s father and Georgia’s ex, he abandoned them around the time Georgia found out she was pregnant. He is back in the city and wants to smooth things over with Georgia and wants to finally get to know his daughter.
This book is a real character study in the complexity of women’s lives. From Catherine’s need to deal with being the trophy wife to a man with to much money and who can’t keep his penis to himself. To Darwin, struggling with a miscarriage and cheating of her husband. And then there is Georgia, trying to balance running a business, being a single mom and deal with her feelings for James. Each woman within this book is someone that you can see in yourself and that is the beauty of the novel. Their complexity makes them extremely relatable. Jacob was also able to carry out a storyline faux pas that could make a reader scream; especially at the beginning of a series. However, this book was so good I am willing to come back for the second book, Knit Two.

Favorite Character : Darwin - she is so ME. She is brainy and awkward, but so endearing. Her friendship with Lucie was charming and made me long to go beg being bestie to have a baby.
Favorite Scene: The Scene between Dakota and her Great Grandmother; it made me cry. And It reminded me of the power of a grandmother’s presence and love.

Oh and another thing to love....all that knitting. Plus the print book has a pattern for a scarf and a recipe for muffins. So you get a sweet and a craft. It’s really a win win.

I gave the audiobook five out of five stars on Goodreads.

My favorite Quotes:

Happy Belated Birthday, Toni Morrison.
Nobel Laureate and author of Beloved, The Bluest Eye and Tar Baby.

Quotes from the mind and works of Toni Morrison:

Mr. Grey will see you now....Part 2! The Bookbabe reviews Darker by E.L. James

Well....well...well... I almost feel like we have been here before. Another E.L. James book, another book about the lovable and deeply flawed Christian Grey. Like so many other readers I’ve already read the first three original novels and then James first book from Christian’s perspective. So when Darker was released In December I could not resist taking Christian home with me again. And I must say out of all of the books I really enjoyed this one the most. Fifty Shades Darker (Ana’s perspective) while good was a bit annoying. All that “inner goddess’ stuff etc. Ana was one of the most annoying female characters I have read in the romance genre. Christian was the main attraction. So reading this book, written in his POV is definitely awesome. There was a lot more detail here. A lot of questions that were somewhat left out of Ana’s version are answered. We get to see Christian grow and overcome his fears. We also get more details about his childhood and his relationship with Elena. I think that romance novels written from the male perspective might be more interesting. I actually discovered this while reading J.R. Ward’s novels; such as The Bourbon King’s and The Blackdagger Brotherhood series.
In Darker, we might up with Christian Right after Ana has left him. Christian is feeling, for the first time, what its like to have a broken heart. He wants to do anything he can to get Ana back. And he does..slowly. Ana, in this book, comes off as strong and confident. She knows she is not going to put up with Christian’s secretive nonsense and she tells him so. In order for them to move forward he has to allow her in. The beauty of this book is that Christian sets aside so much of himself to allow her in. He allows her to inch closer to him personally. From what we know of Ana this slow crawl is frustrating but she is willing to go the distance. James really excelled at the self discovery journey that Christian went through in Darker.
Of course in the book we are introduced to all of the other characters but we get to see them again from Christian’s perspective. Finally get a better picture of the love those around him have for him. Sadly, for most of the book Christian is down right oblivious to it. Another thing I Loved about this book....was while there was sex, and some of it was graphic. The sex is not as over the top as some of the other stuff in James previous works. The book has some steamy scenes but It’s definitely more action, and more character development. I think Darker is the second best book I’ve read so far this year. I can not wait to see what she does with 50 Shades Freed. I gave Darker 4/5 stars on goodreads.

My favorite scene from the book:

The Scene where Christian allows Ana to touch him was powerful to me. Its a real turning point for him I believe; right now there is no going back. He is baring his soul to the only person able to really hurt him.

Below are some of the quotes I loved:

Cassandra Clare, Manga and Shadowhunters....Pure Magic

I am not a fan of comics, manga or graphic novels all that much. However, I am not above reading one if it means I can revisit a story I once loved. Last year, I read two (March by John Lewis and Kindred by Octavia Butler)and I liked them. But venturing into the shadowhunter world this way was a little different then I expected. I have read all three of the Infernal Devices novels - and they’re some of my favorites; so I really knew I would love this adaptation. And I did. So here are my thoughts:

What it got right:
The adaption really kept the spirit of the characters; Will especially comes off just as reckless and funny as he does in the books. Jem (my Book boyfriend from way back) is still the silent, gentle warrior that you meant in the long form novel. And Tessa is still strong willed, opininated and lovely. I am happy that the characters were lively and easy to connect too. The story line was as you expected and all of the major themes of the book weren’t missed.

What could have been better:
I would have loved for the comic to be in color. Especially since the first few pages of the booo are in color. I think that would have added a litrle more depth to the entire book. Also, Magnus....ugh...I didn’t like him in this book. He didn’t seem like the “over the top” warlock we are so used to. Also, Church (the cat) is introduced but remains unnamed. For what ever reason this annoys and and I truly hope Church will get some much needed love in the next comic.

All and all I really loved this short, quick look into the Shadowhunter world. I can not wait to read the next two (both of which are just sitting on my shelf waiting). I am going to give this book 5/5 stars on Good reads.

The new Harry Potter Game is almost here....

You can pre-register here ! http://www.harrypotterhogwartsmystery.com

American Classic Lit: To Kill A MockingBird by Harper Lee

I was about 27 or so when I first experienced the movie To Kill a Mockingbird. I don’t know why I decided to watch it - I just had a desire to see it. I had friends that had been “forced” to read the book in Highschool or college and were very indifferent to it. However, I had never read the American Classic or seen the movie. I knew what it was about (roughly) and I kind of had no desire to read it. Then 2018, a really cold night and the desire for a classic read convienced me to dust off my old, second hand paperback copy of the book.
I settled in with the book the other day and slipped into the lives of Jean Louise (Scout) and Jeremy (Jim) and Atticus Finch. I must say that the story is pure and innocent and funny. There is so much to love about the story. So much more detail the movie just left out. I’m about 80 pages in now and I really can’t wait to see what other nonsense Jim and Scout get into.
I know that eventually I will come to the heart and lesson of the story that is so broadly featured in the film. But for now I am enjoying the lovely stroll through Jim and Scout’s Childhood. This book makes me crave games of tag and adventures with my cousins in our grandparents back yard. How simple life was as a kid; and then life happens. I have a feeling tis will be a book I will come back to from time to time to be reminded of the simpler things in life.

The Hit List: Books I Plan to read this year!

My Reading Goal: 80 Books
My Hit List
Young Adult:
Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas
Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake
The Assassin’s Blade by Sarah J. Maas
One Dark Throne by Kendare Blake
Kalona’s Fall by P.C. and Kristin Cast
King’s Cage by Victoria Aveyard

Classic Literature:

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontė
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Tess of the D’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Emma by Jane Austen
Great Expectations by Charles Dickinson
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Non Fiction:

The Girls of the Murder City by Douglas Perry
The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
Nigger by Randall Kennedy
I am Malala by Malala Yousafzai
The Woman Who Would Be King by Kara Cooney
Rest in Power by Sybrina Fulton
We were Eight Years in Power by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Between the World in Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Inspirational Reads:

Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell
How to here by Rob Bell
What is the Bible by Rob Bell
The Power of I am by Joel Osteen
Sci Fi:
A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon
The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley

Romance:

Lover Unleashed by J.R. Ward
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
Transference by Ava Harrison
You Give Good Love by J.J.Murray
I’ll Be your Everything by J.J. Murray
Darker by E.L. James

General Fiction:

Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
The Man in the High Castle by Phillip Dick
The Mothers by Brit Bennett
Balm by Dolen Perkins - Valdez
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
Of course several of these books may fall by the wayside; however, It is my intention to read as many of these as possible. But I also, want to make sure my reading as diverse as possible.

Knitting is my newest Super Power

The past three months have been filled with trying to keep myself busy and whole. Since August I have had a tough time getting back into rhe rhythm of things - so I decided to come up with a new craft. So knitting it was. It took me a few hours and now I am a knitting fool. I have managed a triangle shawl, and a few cowls. I am currently working on three projects. One for my boss, another for my god child and one for myself. Check out the photo’s below (yarn info included below as well)!

This yarn.....my oh my...I am in love. I am going to order a few more of these skeins (since Wool and the Gang now has free shipping).

This denim (yup you read that right) yarn is chemical and dye free. I am knitting it on a size 8 (40 inch) circular knitting needles. This gorgeous yarn is 8.50$ a skein. I must admit that I adore working with this material. It knits up fast and absolutely lovely. (BTW this project is for me lol)

This is the fourth time I have worked with lushious yarn. This is Heartfelt Hertiage (Stitch Studio by Nicole) an A.C. Moore brand. I have made several cowls with this material and I am in love with it. Its heavy and warm. And silky and knits quick. This fun and funky colorway is called Bluebird.
The color is my God daughter (8) Madison’s favorite color. This little scarf will be absolutely perfect for her. And I have a funny feeling it will
be much loved and worn with joy.

This yarn is 100% Acrylic, super bulky and is being knitted on size 13 bamboo needles. (Which are my favorite.)

I will share the finished products on my blog as soon as possible.

Thankful, Grateful and Blessed!

Thanksgiving is a lot of things; chief among them is that its a time of reflection. A time to really sit down and think about the blessings that have come your way the past few months. This year Thanksgiving is vastly different for me. It’s my first holiday without my grandmother - and her absence is deeply felt. She is missed daily. Over the past month I have been dealing with a lot. An increase of hours at my second job, people’s mercurial moods, and my mothers health. It’s been a stressful few weeks but I have refused to give in to it. I’ve kept God firmly in sight. I’ve been reassured about his promises and his love. And even though I am sad today I am thankful. I am thankful for family, and having the chance to connect with my uncle. I am thankful for my fathers continued good health. I am thankful for good friends. I am thankful for all of the fond memories of my Grandmother. God continues to smile upon me today and everyday. I hope that today you are taking time not only for football and turkey and family but for praise and thanksgiving. Have a blessed and Happy Thanksgiving.

What I’ve been doing the past few weeks.

Knitting....Knitting.....Knitting
The past two months have been a time for me to re-evaluate a few things and prepare myself for the future. I’m reading of course...but I am also Knitting (and working a second job). I’ve had my ups and downs these past few months. I have felt stress come from all sides. Work, home, family, etc. Knitting has been a new form of mediation for me. I can’t wait to come home some nights just to pick my needles - turn on some music or an audiobook and just listen ans knit. Knitting has been a fun craft to learn and I have several projects planned. I can’t wait to start a very bookish inspired crafts. And maybe a few of them will be featured as giveaways.

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

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.*

Sometimes you just have to buy a book!

It Can't Happen Here is a cautionary tale about the fragility of democracy, an alarming, eerily timeless look at how fascism could take hold in America. Written during the Great Depression when America was largely oblivious to Hitler's aggression, it juxtaposes sharp political satire with the chillingly realistic rise of a President who becomes a dictator to save the nation from welfare cheats, rampant promiscuity, crime, and a liberal press. Now finally back in print, It Can't Happen Here remains uniquely important, a shockingly prescient novel that's as fresh and contemporary as today's news.

It's America in 1962. Slavery is legal once again. The few Jews who still survive hide under assumed names. In San Francisco the I Ching is as common as the Yellow Pages. All because some 20 years earlier the United States lost a war, and is now occupied jointly by Nazi Germany and Japan.