Day 7 – Current Read

My current reads are keeping me glued to the pages.  The Last Thing You Surrender by Leonard Pitts, Jr is the Read Soul Lit 2020 Read Along pick.  It is captivating everybody.  So glad to discover another interesting black American writer that I hadn’t read before.  I’ll definitely be combing the rest of his backlist, starting with Freeman which I’ve heard a lot of good about.  It’s not too late to join us in reading and discussing it on Goodreads  It’s called ReadSoulLit Readalong 2020 – The Last Thing You Surrender. Those first fifty-five pages knocked me on my ass! The accuracy of his descriptions are downright accurate and undeniably moving.  It’s as if the reader is there.  It’s a 500-page novel that reads very quickly, so those that have difficulty reading long books you won’t have any trouble getting through this one. I’ve already started trying to cast the characters in my mind for a movie or a Netflix series.  Who do you see playing Luther?  How about Kofi Siriboe from Queen Sugar?

The second book I’ve just started is called Seeds of Deception by Arlene L. Walker.  This book came across my Instagram timeline last year and its cover attracted me immediately.  With it’s striking cover and storyline pitch I was sure this one would be for me.  I’ve only just started but it’s promising first line has got me very curious.  “If poverty was slavery, then wisdom was wealth.” (Seeds of Deception, p. 1). This book contains a family secret, Cherokee Indians and their former African slaves, and a protagonist called Spit Louie McClendon.  Sounds like a winner to me.  Will keep you posted on what I think about this one.  Check out the video below of Leonard Pitts, Jr talking about race and The Last Thing You Surrender.

Day 8 – Delightful Dish & Book

Today’s book post was Tar Baby by the Queen Toni Morrison who I still can’t believe is gone.  Tar Baby was one of the first few novels I read by Morrison and one that I remember sparked much conversation in my college course on black women writers.  Tar Baby was our 2018 ReadSoulLit Readalong.  And our live discussion was lit.  We had so many ideas about the ending, discussing the characters, the setting, etc. For such a short book Tar Baby is dense with ideas and meaning.  One of the best scenes in this novel is the dinner scene.  Morrison really said a lot in that scene and it’s one I could read over and over.  As for the food in the picture, it’s a simplistic meal, a bit of grilled chicken and some Swiss chard and mushrooms cooked in garlic and olive oil – a sain meal low in calories.  I’m trying to eat healthier in 2020 and beyond…..

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