If you are like me then you love to cuddle up on the couch to a good book! I am truly one of the old school originals that still love turning the pages of a paperback book as I get lost in the storyline. Here are my 5 favorites that are not only good reads but are also great to read more than once.
Way of the Peaceful Warrior
This has to be one of my all-time favorites. I have read this book so many times it is unreal. It follows the story of Dan Millman in the ups and downs of life from his college years to adulthood and how he navigates learning the lessons that life has to offer through good and bad times. He has a "mentor" that guides him through this journey forcing him to either change and grow or stay the same. It is a book on the mental and emotional state of our well being derived from things we pick up along the way in life, and how they affect us in our day to day living and interactions with others. I will admit that it has a lot of hard to believe moments, but if you can get out of your own perception of what is real and what is absurd, you will surely enjoy the abundance of nuggets that can be applied to your life and personal well being. I wouldn't necessarily say don't look at the movie first but I will say that it is highly likely that if you do, you won't read the book and that is where the real gold is.
2. Never the Bride
This has to be one of the few books I have that if I need a laugh I can read this book over and over again and it cheers me up every time! The title is correct but very misleading. LOL The story is about a young woman who is in love with the idea of love and marriage but has gone through many ups and downs in her dating life that aren't so fairytale-like. In an angry turn of events, she somehow gets God's attention and considering the fact that she doesn't believe in a God makes this story all the more interesting. I will leave you with this to not give the story away...would you date God? This is another one to those books, heck I think all of the ones on this list are, that if you get turned off by what you THINK the book is about, you could really miss out on something that is really special. It does have a spiritual concept to it, I mean look at the hint I gave you, but it isn't uber-religious with bible verses nor is it on the other end of the spectrum where it is following this woman around as she goes to 50 million weddings where she is the bridesmaid. Give it a chance, 2 to 3 chapters, and see what you think. I think you will be pleasantly surprised and smiling with the good feeling that only a book like this can bring. The word charming comes to mind. Happy reading!
3. More Than Enough
This book is a book that has a ton of highlighted sentences and folded back pages for me to return and digest the content in deeper thought. It follows Elaine Welteroth as she climbs the ladder in the media and fashion industry. This book explores what it is like working and living in spaces that weren't necessarily created with non-white people in mind. She at one point in her career made history by being only the second black editor-in-chief in Condé Nast history. This is perfect if you are a non-white person that finds yourself in situations that weren't created with you in mind and how to navigate your way through that world. I have worked and lived in predominantly white spaces all of my life and it is always "interesting" to see how things are set up for some but not others. Being the only African American staff member or one of the few causes some establishments to come face to face with a first time realization that the system in place has to be restructured in order to include you. I also noticed in this book that although it gave a lot of examples of women of color, there still weren't many that looked like me. This shows me that although fashion and media are finally starting to include people of color, women of my dark complexion with strong African features are still excluded. It is all a process, with that being said, I can still celebrate those who are pushing past the red tape! For my caucasian audience, I believe that there is a lot that you can glean from this book as well. It is great for the person that wants to learn what it is like for someone to move in the space that you find normal and see it from a different perspective to understand those you share your space within your work life and/or personal life. I would say that this is an eye-opening and educational read on social dynamics and the part we play in it. Enlightening would probably be a good word to describe it.
4. The Bookseller
Uggghhhh, what a beautiful method of storytelling! Oh my gosh, I fell in love with this book, the concept of the story, and how it unfolds. Just emotionally amazing! We follow Kitty as she navigates two separate lives, one in the real world and one in the dream world but what happens when you're torn between the pros and cons of both worlds and no longer know which one you prefer. So good...trust me, so good.
5. My Soul to Keep
In writing up this review I learned something new myself. I NEVER knew that this was a series! I'm going to keep this short because it turns out that she wrote two more books following this one to create an African immortals series! Say whaaattt! Okay listen, this is some Love Jones meets Twilight and if you don't know what either or both of those are, I can't help you and this book isn't for you, but baaabyyy if you do know what I'm talking about, this book if for you. Lawd this one brought out all of my southern roots, let me go on Amazon to see if I can find these other books. Note: There are some really creepy looking books with this same and/or close to the same title, make sure you get the one by this author.
Welp, that is it for my Bookshare for now. Until next time, Be well! FLL
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