BellaOnline Forums Books and Music African American Literature What books are you reading?

I plan on going to the library soon and checking out some good books, so I thought I would get some ideas here. So, what's everyone reading? And, is it worth checking out?

The million dollar divorce is a good read. It was very hard to put down. Check it out.

I finished The Million Dollar Divorce last month -- and I thought it was a pretty crazy read! It was interesting, but I didn't understand the husband's motivations at all. It worked for the plot, but I could not understand what could drive someone to be so cold-hearted! He (Kenny) blamed her (Monica) for everything, and I just couldn't believe that!

I'm also reading, or I have recently read:

Bling (by Erica Kennedy, I think), Gotham Diaries, Such a Girl (by Karen Siplin), Miss Black America (by Veronica Chambers), The Best Kept Secret (Kimberla Lawson Roby), and Drive Me Crazy (Eric Jerome Dickey). I forget the names of some of the authors!

I just finished reading Other Men's Wives by Freddie Lee Johnson III. It's about a Black man who adores his wife- until he finds out that she is cheating on him. How he find out is cold-blooded but who she's cheating with is worse. I didn't like how simplistic the author made the dichotomy between the main character and his wife. But I did like the mystery of it all. And, it's one of those rare books with a realistic ending.

I'm re-reading Beautiful. And Ugly Too by M.K. Asante, Jr. and I'm reading Shaking The Tree by Meri Nana-Ama. Both really good reads -- go get em.

I like the best "Country Lover"

Has anyone read The Man Who Lived Underground by Richard Wright? It is an awesome story in the book Black Voices.

Hey Doctor Maria,

Whoa... I just read how Wright came about this story.
This is written as a parallel between what actually
happen to a man by the name of Herbert C. Wright?

He lived in a sewer of Los Angeles for over a year.
He was eluding the police, then captured.

I have to read this. You said, "this is an awesome
story." So you have already read it?

If so, would you please come back and tell me more?

Vicki L. Forte'
Bellaonline
Crime Editor <img src="/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

I'm currently reading "The Multicultiboho Sideshow" by Alexs D. Pate. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I'm reading 'the little book of farting' by Alec Bromcie. It's true*. I'm always reading, I'm really brilliant at it too, I'm quite an intellectual, in fact only last month a finished another book, 'How to Chat-up Babes' I mean, erm, 'the da vinci comb' by oh I've had enough of this.
What I meant to say was that I love books. In fact 'avid book reader' is my middle name. Ask anyone, even my ex wife Harriet 'give me the goddam cheque' kapinski.

*look it up if you don't beleive me

I'm rereading "Their Eyes Were Watching God". Zora Neale Hurston is my all-time favorite author.

And I just picked up "What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day" by Pearl Cleague.

A new release that I hope that you all will consider reading this month . . .

MY LIFE IS ALL I HAVE by V. Anthony Rivers, the New Intoxicating Story of Unconditional Love with Staggering Consequences

For the past five years, California based writer, V. Anthony Rivers, has published true-to-life stories that depict his deep understanding of people and the idiosyncrasies of life. Now in his latest novel, My Life Is All I Have (Strebor Books International, March 2006, Paperback, $13.00) Rivers takes readers on a vivid journey into the life of an angry and defensive young woman who makes decisions to change her life at all cost. These decisions bring consequences that ultimately affect her and the lives of those closest to her.

Leesha Tyler wants out of �The Jungle,� a Los Angeles neighborhood known for its crime, poverty, and rampant drug and gang activity. With the death of the only person whose unconditional love gave her hope, Leesha is left alone with her estranged mother and her mother�s trifling live-in boyfriend. The only two people who make life bearable in �The Jungle� are Scottie and Trey. Even her close relationship and feelings for them, do not take away the pain and feelings of inadequacies that plague her daily. As her relationship with her mother deteriorates and other untimely events occur, anger and desperation to be free of everything and everyone in �The Jungle� fuels her. It seems the only thing holding her back from freedom is money; she needs lots of it as quickly as possible. It will be her chance encounter with a guard in front of a bank that puts in motion her plan to commit armed robbery. The consequences of this plan are surprising and will change the course of her life towards what she want most of all � freedom.

Published by Zane�s Strebor Books International, My Life Is All I Have, told in raw first-person is filled with the kind of empathy, and pathos readers will have for someone like Leesha Tyler and recognize most about communities and places like �The Jungle.� This story is an exact blend of contemporary fiction and street-lit flair that is sure to solidify V. Anthony Rivers� reputation as a rising star to watch for in the world of contemporary African American literature.

About the Author
V. Anthony Rivers is the author of Daughter By Spirit and Everybody Got Issues. He has also contributed to various anthologies including: Sistergirls.com, Chocolate Flava, Truth Be Told and the forthcoming, Love Is Never Painless, a collection of novellas edited by Zane. A native of Los Angeles, California, he currently resides in Van Nuys, Ca. Mr. Rivers is available for online events, interviews, and book discussion conference calls. To learn more about him and his writings, visit him online at www.vanthonyrivers.com

My Life Is All I Have is available nationwide where books are sold!

MY LIFE IS ALL I HAVE
V. Anthony Rivers
Strebor Books, March 2006
$13.00, ISBN: 1593090579