Book Notes: THAT LONELY SPELL by FRANCES PARK

 The following is an excerpt from a FB post I shared not too long ago. 

For me, reading THAT LONELY SPELL (by Frances Park) was like that point in a phone conversation with an old friend when the two of you stop laughing and dishing the dirt long enough to get quiet and venture into deeper territory.  I even found myself mentally renaming the book THOSE QUIET MOMENTS. ‘Cause really, I can see and hear so many of those essays as conversations, if not on the phone then, perhaps, late at night on a friend or relative’s deck or patio as the once hot grill is cooling and everyone else has gone inside and it’s just the two of you, swatting mosquitoes, listening to the cicadas, and sipping on a cold or chilled glass of something--wine or maybe iced tea.  So you’re sitting there right, when out of nowhere, comes a story, a retelling of an incident or a revelation that ripples through the quiet of the moment, the still of the night--the type which returns to haunt you, sometimes years later and always when you least expect it. 

But before I veer too deep into ramble mode, allow me to share a few specifics with regards to what I enjoyed about the book.  For one, I enjoyed the fact that each essay opened with a photo.  I find images and photos anchoring.  They add texture and give me a better feel for the subject matter and/or the people being discussed.  I liked the fact that most of the essays were short and to the point ‘cause let’s be honest, my attention span ain’t what it used to be.  I appreciated how Parks interlaced her experiences as a Korean American and the daughter of immigrants throughout the work which is described on the back cover as “an elegy to Park’s father, who died when the author was in her early 20s.”  

The essays I enjoyed the most included the following:  “Kiss-Kiss-Kissuni” (a dive into Park’s relationship with her grandparent’s Korean housekeeper that ends with a heavy, unexpected twist); “That Lonely Spell” (a tender tribute to life’s highs and lows); “Finding West Virginia” (a look at unfulfilled longing) and “Hey Judy” (an abrupt end to a childhood friendship that leaves lingering questions).  

There were a number of essays in the collection that moved me in some way, but probably none more than “Hey Judy.”  Having spent a large portion of my youth moving from one air base to another due to my dad’s career in the Air Force, I’ve had several experiences like the one Parks describes in “Hey Judy.”  Moments in time where you either bond or regularly interact with someone only to have them disappear and either leave you wondering whatever happened to them and/or  being stunned by what you later learn of their fate.  Over the course of my life, I’ve also known more than a few seemingly troubled souls, like Judy.  When I shared the details of “Hey Judy” with my husband, his response was, “OMG! I can totally see that as a movie.” Now, for the record, Al has never responded in such an enthusiastic manner to any of my novels, short stories or essays so suffice to say, I was a bit taken aback, lol.  

In all seriousness, I found THAT LONELY SPELL thoroughly engaging and I applaud Frances Park for owning the courage to share so many emotionally-moving chapters of her life.  

Books On My . . . Waiting To Be Read List . . .

Yes, I'm still here (smile). At the moment, I'm tied up with a few other projects. I'm so tied up, I don't even have time to read . . . well, not for leisure, anyway. The other day I was reviewing the list I maintain on my "Goodreads" bookshelf and wishing I could dive into a few of the titles. I'm not really sure where I'd start first, but the following are some of the top selections on my "waiting to be read list" and where appropriate, why the books are on my list.

1) Before I Forget (by Leonard Pitts) Just last week I read a review of this one and said, "Hmm, sounds like a winner." From what I understand it's about a man who has just learned he's in the early stages of Alzheimers and who decides to take his troubled son to meet his father (the boy's grandfather) who is dying from cancer.

2) They Tell Me of a Home (by Daniel Black) I read a quote by this author a day or two ago and it piqued my interest about his work.

3) Shifting Through Neutral (by Bridgett Davis) I've had this book on my shelves for a while. Recently, I bumped it up on my "waiting to be read" list after I spoke with the author's mother-in-law (smile). The mother-in-law is a member of the Beachwood, OH book club who recently read and discussed my novel.

4) The Black Girl Next Door: A Memoir (by Jennifer Baszile) Having experienced being the only African American in a number of different school and social settings, throughout my childhood and teens, I figured I might be able to relate to some of Ms. Baszile experiences.

5) Act Like A Lady, Think Like a Man: What Men Really Think About Love, Relationships, Intimacy and Commitment (by Steve Harvey) When I first heard about this book, I wasn't terribly interested. But when I actually heard a few of Mr. Harvey's opinions and observations, I changed my mind. He made more than a few good points, so I'm willing to hear him out.

6) Ralph Ellison: A Biography (Arnold Rampersad) I've had this book for a while and I'm looking forward to reading it, but I just haven't had the time. Several years ago, I bought, read and enjoyed the two volumes Mr. Rampersad wrote on the life and times of Langston Hughes.

7) A Mercy & Tar Baby (by Toni Morrison) For those who don't know, these are two separate titles by the author, Toni Morrison. A Mercy is her latest and Tar Baby is the only other fiction title by Morrison I haven't attempted/or found time to read, as of yet. I do own both of these books and hope to read one, if not both before the end of the year.

8) The Healing (by Gayl Jones) It's been years since I read anything by Gayl Jones. I must admit, in the past, I found her a difficult read (intensity-wise) But a couple of weeks ago, I read an old NY Times newspaper article about her that made me want to revist her work. A couple of my writing pals had good things to say about The Healing, so I figured I'd give it a try.

9) Fearless Jones, The Man In My Basement and The Right Mistake: The Further Philosophical Investigations of Socrates Fortlow (by Walter Mosley) I've read most of Mosley's "Easy Rawlins" mysteries. But Mr. Mosley has a written a number of books I haven't read. The aforementioned are three I hope to find time for this year.

10) Reel to Real: Race, Sex and Class at the Movies & Rock My Soul: Black People and Self-Esteem (by bell hooks) I used to read a lot of bell's work. In recent years, I've fallen shamefully behind (smile).

11) Sexual Healing (by Jill Nelson) I've enjoyed Ms. Nelson's work in the past and I've been meaning to read this for some time.

12) When Chickenheads Come Home To Roost: My Life as A Hip Hop Feminist (by Joan Morgan) Yes, this is another one that's been out forever that I should have read years ago, but haven't. In case you haven't figured it out, I'm something of a "Hip Hop Feminist" myself (smile).

13) The Coldest Winter Ever (by Sister Souljah) Everybody and their mama has read this book. But to be honest, I never had a real desire to read it until the last couple of years or so. I do own a copy, so maybe one day soon . . .

Okay, there are plenty of others, but I think I'll stop there. So, does my list look anything like you thought it might? What, if anything do you think it says about me? (smile)

If you've read any of the titles on my list, feel free to share your impressions of the book. If you haven't read any of the titles on my list, perhaps you could share some of the books on your "waiting to be read" list.

Book & Movie Combos . . .

The idea for this post grew out of a visit I paid to the Bumble's Movie Meme, this past Monday. The Bumble's blog post dealt with books they'd read, which, at some point in time, had been turned into movies. The "best movie adaptations" if you will. Well, I named a couple right off the top of my head. But later, after giving it some thought, I realized I'd read a number of books, which at some point were cast on either the big or the little screen.

Below are the book & movie combinations I've come up with, thus far. As many books as I've read in my lifetime, I'm sure there at least a few others. I thought it might be fun to color code them, so if the listing appears in red, I didn't really care for the book or the movie (smile). If the listing appears in purple, I loved them both. If the listing is in black, I thought both the book and the movie were okay. If you see brown, I enjoyed the movie a lot more than I did the book.

As far as that last item is concerned, I know typically it's the other way around-folks generally enjoy the book more than the movie. But for whatever reason, that seldom happens for me. There are several movies I've enjoyed a whole lot more than the actual books upon which the screen versions were based. Hey, go figure, I'm weird like that (smile).

My list begins with the oldest title first.

1) Their Eyes Were Watching God (by Zora Neale Hurston) the book--1937 / the movie--2005. Yeah, I know, it really is the unpolitically correct thing to admit, but I'm not a big fan of the book or the movie version. I do have mad love for some of Ms. Hurston's other work. The same goes for Halle Berry who played Janie in the movie.

2) A Native Son (by Richard Wright) the book--1940 / the movie 1951 & 1986. This is another one that's liable to get my literary Black card snatched and cut up. Sorry, I didn't like the book nor either of the movie versions. The 1951 version is truly painful to watch.

3) A Raisin In The Sun (by Lorraine Hansberry) A book containing the play came out in 1958. Movies based on the book came out in 1961, 1989 & 2008. When I was a kid, I borrowed (stole) the paperback copy I have of this book from my mother's library (smile). The 1961 screen play, featuring Sidney Poiter and Ruby Dee is my favorite of the three movie versions.

4) One Who Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest (by Ken Kesey) the book--1962 / the movie-1975

5) The Water is Wide (by Pat Conroy) the book --1972 / the movie based on the book was called Conrack and came out in 1974.

6) The Shining (by Stephen King) the book--1977 / the movie--1980

7) The Color Purple (by Alice Walker) the book--1982 / the movie--1985 Okay, I really dislike reading books written in dialect. So, yes, I did enjoy the movie more than the book. Matter of fact, upon its release I saw it at the theatre (with different friends & relatives) on at least 4 different occasions!

8) The Women Of Brewster's Place (by Gloria Naylor) the book--1982 / the movie--1989. 9) Disappearing Acts (by Terry McMillan) the book--1989 / the movie--2000.

10) Devil In A Blue Dress (by Walter Mosley) the book--1990 / the movie--1995.

11) Waiting To Exhale (by Terry McMillan) the book--1992 / the movie--1995

12) How Stella Got Her Groove Back (by Terry McMillan) the book--1996 / the movie--1998

13) A Lesson Before Dying (by Earnest Gaines) the book--1997 / the movie--1999. I believe a couple of Mr. Gaines other books have been made into movies, but sadly, I haven't seen them. I'd like too though, because I loved both the book and the movie.

14) Always Out Numbered, Always Out Gunned (by Walter Mosley) the book--1997 / the movie--1998. Great book and an excellent movie. I know Mr. Mosley has a series with the main character of this book, Socrates Fortlow, but this is the only one I've read, thus far. The movie stars Lawrence Fishburne who is always a joy to watch on screen.

Okay, are there any book & movie combos you'd care to mention? Or, feel free to comment on any of mine, if you'd like.

Signed Copies Of . . . After The Dance . . .

Believe it or not, while I was surfing the net one night, I stumbled upon a site where someone with a signed copy of my novel, After The Dance, was asking $60.00 for it. Huh? LOL! I'm saying, you can buy the durn thing at any bookstore for $15.00 (or less if you go through Amazon) and if you send it to me, I'll sign it and send it back to you for free.

Yes, the offer is, indeed, still open. If you mail me your copy of After The Dance, I'll sign it and pay the postage required to have it mailed back to you. The offer has been extended and will remain open until Friday, December 12, 2008. If you're interested, email me (go to my blog's "view my complete profile" page for the contact info/email address) and I'll tell you where to mail your copies.

Hey, Michelle F. from Memphis, if you're reading this, your copies arrived in my mail today! (smile) Thanks for supporting my efforts. I'll sign the books and get them back to you ASAP. Also, I'm looking forward to seeing you and all of my other Memphis friends, family members and associates in the coming weeks.

Memorable Characters . . . Lasting Impressions . . .

I recently finished a book I already know I'm bound to read again, Blues Dancing by Diane McKinney-Whetstone. I'm a late convert to Ms. McKinney-Whetstone's work, but with two books down and another one waiting for me on my shelves, I'm well on my way to becoming one of her biggest fans. Her characters in Blues Dancing were so well-drawn and full of life, I haven't been able to stop thinking about them.

Plot driven, action-packed, drama-filled stories are fine and dandy, but there's nothing I love more than a truly memorable character, a character capable of occupying a place deep within the recesses of my gray matter-- days, months and years after our original encounter. The following list (in no particular order, mind you) contains some of my all-time favorites. I hope it will inspire you to think about and share some of yours.

1) Verdi Mae & Johnson (the couple from Diane McKinny-Whetstone's Blues Dancing whose jones for heroin alters their lives as well as their love for one another)

2) Sula (the delightfully evil female protagonist from Toni Morrison's novel by the same title)

3) Blue Hamilton ( the brother with the blue eyes from Pearl Cleage's Some Things I Never Thought I'd Do. A good friend and I are still debating the significance/symbolism of those blue eyes, LOL)

4) Laz (the lovable, wool hat-wearing character from Suzan-Lori Parks' Getting Mother's Body)

5) Sophia (from Alice Walker's The Color Purple. My apologies to all of you Miss Celie and Shug Avery fans. Sophia's stubborn defiance wins me over every time.

6) Easy & Mouse (the unlikely partners from Walter Mosley's Easy Rawlins mystery series)

7) Socrates Fortlow (from Walter Mosley's thought-provoking, Always Out Numbered, Always Out Gunned)

8) Pecola Breedlove (the little girl who longed for blue eyes in Toni Morrison's Bluest Eye)

9) Grant Wiggins (aka "The School Teacher") & Jefferson (the reluctant teacher and student from Ernest Gaines' A Lesson Before Dying. Just thinking about them makes me tear up)

10) Walter Lee (from Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun. I've long identified with Walter Lee's desparate sense of longing. Sorry P-Diddy, but Sidney Poitier's portrayal of Walter L. in the original screenplay won't ever be topped)

11) Hazel (the running little girl from Toni Cade Bambara's short story, "Raymond's Run")

Okay, your turn. What characters have made a lasting impression on you?

Some Information & A Couple of Special Offers . . .

THE INFO

My website (lorijohnsonbooks.com) is undergoing a few tweaks and adjustments, so if you visit and discover it down, please check back again later.

THE OFFERS

If you own a copy of my book and you'd like it signed, feel free to send it to me. I'll sign (or personalize) your copy (or copies) of After The Dance and pay the costs involved in having it (or them) mailed back to you. You'll find my email address on my blog's profile page. Email me and I'll let you know where to send your copy or copies. Books, signed or unsigned, do make great holiday gifts (smile). I'll keep this offer open until the first week of December and I'll post periodic reminders.

For my Memphis Peeps or anyone who plans to be in the Bluff City over the Christmas holiday, I have a special offer for you. I'm having two signings at the Brentano's Book Store in Memphis (Oak Court Mall), one before Christmas (Tuesday, December 23, 5pm-7pm) and one after Christmas (Saturday, December 27, 2pm-4pm). The first person to show up at either signing and who purchases TWO OR MORE COPIES of After The Dance (a single copy is only $15.00 plus tax) will receive a FREE AUDIO version of the book. The audio book is regularly priced at $82.75 and the actors do a wonderful job of giving voice to Carl and Faye. So, come on out and do some holiday shopping or else just snag a really nice gift for yourself (smile).

Hand Selling & Pitch Preferences . . .

What turns you off as a consumer? What type of pitch approach works best for you?

Not long ago, I was in a bookstore browsing in the section set aside for"African American" fiction when one of the bookstore employees walked over and asked if needed help finding anything in particular. When I told her no, I was looking, she made an interesting comment. She said, "You know a lot of this stuff is garbage."

Now, had I not agreed, the conversation might have taken an ugly turn (LOL), but since so much of stuff showing up the "African American" fiction shelves these days makes me grimace and shake my head, she got no argument from me. For the sake of full disclosure, let me just add that I'd also had a successful book-signing in this same bookstore the day before this particular conversation took place.

Anyway, the bookstore employee went on to give me a glowing and detailed review of a book by an African American author that she'd absolutely adored. When I asked the middle-aged White woman what had prompted her to read a novel by an African American author and that had something of an "urban" storyline, she'd laughed and said, she felt a certain obligation as someone in the book business to read beyond and outside the realm of "dead White authors."

I nodded, listened and took note, in part because I'd heard/read good things about this same author's work elsewhere. Even though on that particular day, I ended up purchasing a different title, I won't soon forget the bookstore employee's enthusiastic sales pitch and I'm sure at some point, I will check out the novel she recommended.

A number of things generally play into my decision to buy or not buy a book. At the top of my list are factors like recommendations, reviews and excerpts. I pay particular attention to the recommendations of folks whose reading taste are similar to mine. If I keep hearing about a book or seeing mentions of it everywhere, I'll typically go online and take a look at some of the reviews written by both customers and bonafide book critics. If I've never read the author's work before, I generally make an attempt to read an excerpt before I make a final decision.

The bookseller's approach worked well for me because she soft-pedaled her pitch and made an effort to both ascertain my tastes and engage me in polite conversation. What doesn't work so well for me is the hard-sell or what I've come to view as the "hustle man" approach.

Pitch turn-offs for me, include the following:

Shoving a book in my face or hands and saying something along the lines of this, "This here is the bomb! You really do need to buy/ read/check this out today!;

Hounding me, chasing me, or following me around with a book while I'm browsing in a bookstore, at a festival or while I'm out in the grocery store parking lot;

Questioning my intelligence, racial solidarity, spiritual integrity, sanity, willingness to help a brother or sister out, etc.;

Bombarding me with notices (email, snail, etc.) about your latest book, literary endeavor and/or accomplishment, but never attempting to engage me otherwise. I mean, an email just to say hello, how ya doing or a comment on my blog every now and then wouldn't hurt;

Turning up at somebody else's event, uninvited, for the specific purpose of hustling me and the other guests with your literary wares;

Authors who under the guise of marketing and promotion-- boast, brag and otherwise act like they're the best thing to hit the scene since barbecued beans and chicken wings.

I do understand and appreciate that some of the items on my "turn-off" list don't bother others. We're all different and that's a beauty thing (smile). I'm also certain that to some my comments will mark me as a snob or some kind of an elitist. Oh well . . . go ahead and hate me for thinking books deserve better than to be hawked like crack, stolen sneakers or bootleg dvds (LOL). Really, all I'm doing is sharing my preferences and trying to get a better sense for how others go about making that decision to fork over their hard-earned dollars for a book. What say you?

Thursday Thirteen #26 . . . Last 13 Books I've Read . . .

There just isn't the time to read as much as I'd like or even as much as I did only a couple of years ago. These days I'm too busy writing, marketing or skimming other things (like magazines, newspapers or blogs) to even garner the energy it takes to hunker down with a good book. As painful as it is to admit, sometimes I'll go for weeks, without reading a single book and typically, I don't even finish half of the books I start.

But as the following list suggests, when I do find the time and the engery, I'm very much an eclectic reader. Even though I lean decidedly toward literary fiction, I'm pretty open to some of everything. If you'll look closely, you'll find on my list books by women, men, African Americans, Canadians, dead authors, etc. You will also find a bit of poetry, a couple of essay collections, a mystery, a childrens' book and a love story, penned by none other than yours truly (smile).

While visiting Cleveland in July, I met a young Black woman who'd only recently started reading books that weren't written by African Americans. She said when she'd bring home the non-African American titles, some of her friends & family members would tease her about her reading selections. My jaw dropped when I heard that. The thought that anyone might actually limit themselves to a certain type of book, based on someone else's opinion astounds me. Why limit yourself or care. The world is full of all kinds of books. When it comes to reading, just like eating, the joy for me is sampling a little bit of this and a little bit of that.

Anyway, the following list is in no particular order, but I believe it's a fairly accurate accounting of the books I've read (from cover to cover) over the past year or so.

1) Trading Dreams At Midnight (Diane McKinney Whetstone)

2) Savoring The Salt: The Legacy of Toni Cade Bambara (Linda J. Holmes & Cheryl Wall, editors)

3) Family Bible (Melissa J. Delbridge)

4) I Wish I Had A Red Dress (Pearl Cleage)

5) Diary of A Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules (Jeff Kinney)

6) No Time To Die (Grace F. Edwards)

7) The Last Days of Dogtown (Anita Diamant)

8) Wise Blood (Flannery O'Connor)

9) Moral Disorder: And Other Stories (Margaret Atwood)

10) After The Dance (Lori Johnson)

11) Weather Central (Ted Kooser)

12) D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths (Ingri & Edgar Parin d'Aulaire)

13) Deep Sightings and Rescue Missions: Fiction, Essays and Conversations (Toni Cade Bambara)

What was the last book you read? Have you read any of the titles on my list?

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here! The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted! View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

THURSDAY THIRTEEN #23 . . . 13 PLACES TO ACQUIRE BOOKS . . .

Any book lovers in the house? The following is a list of places where I've acquired books. Where do you aquire most of your books? Where are you least likely to acquire a book?

1) A Chain Bookstore (s) (Borders, Barnes & Noble, etc.)

2) Amazon.com

3) Borrow from Library

4) Street Corner Vendor

5) Small Independent Bookstore

6) Yard Sale / Garage Sale

7) Used Bookstore

8) Library Used Book Sale

9) Friend and/or Family Member

10) Drug Store

11) Grocery Store

12) Book Club Membership

13) Dumpster / Trash / Discard Bin

If you'd like to suggest a few other places, be my guest . . .

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others' comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

WHAT ARE YOU READING? (A Lori Johnson Q & A)

Q: What was the last book you read?
A: A memoir by Melissa J. Delbridge entitled Family Bible.

Q: Is Delbridge an African American author?
A: No, she's a middle-aged White woman who grew up in Tuscaloosa, Alabama and who currently resides in North Carolina.

Q: What made you want to read her work?
A: I read an excerpt from her memoir in Poets & Writers magazine. Her voice and her sense of humor jumped out at me. I like "southern" authors with unapologetically "southern" voices, like Rick Bragg, Ernest Gaines, Flannery O'Connor and Eudora Welty.

Q: Did you enjoy Family Bible?
A: Very much so. It was honest, funny, thought-provoking. The type of book you don't want to put down. I'd read her again in a heart-beat.

Q: So what's next on your reading list?
A: I just started Savoring The Salt, a collection of essays, reflections and writings on the legacy of Toni Cade Bambara, edited by Linda Janet Holmes and Cheryl A. Wall.

Q: Are you an admirer of Bambara's work?
A: Yes, but that's an understatement. I'm in awe of her work. Her collection of short stories, Gorilla, My Love is a literary masterpiece, in my humble opinion. I'd go as far as to say it ought to be required reading, particularly for African American adolescents. As a matter of fact, I plan on introducing my own son to some of the stories in Gorilla, My Love over the summer.

Q: What do you like most about the stories in Gorilla, My Love?

A: Again, first and foremost, it's all about the "voice." In Gorilla, Bambara captures the rhythms and the nuances of the African Amercian urban vernacular in a way that is almost magical. She breathes life into these characters by granting them the freedom to tell their own stories in their own voices.

Also, I love how the characters in Gorilla, My Love, most of them young Black girls and women, are cast as defiant, non-conforming and fearless, sheroes, rather than somebody's long-suffering victim. Rather than running from or being overcome by life's challenges, they confront them. And the truth spoken by these characters is most often delivered straight with no chaser, like, for instance, in "Raymond's Run," when the little girl known as Hazel observes that "girls never really smile at each other because they don't know how and don't want to know how and there's probably no one to teach us how, cause grown-up girls don't know either."

Q: So, what was the last fiction title you read?
A: You really want to know? A Diary of A Wimpy Kid: Roderick Rules by Jeff Kinney.

Q: Isn't that a kid's book? Why would you read something like that?
A: Why not? (LOL) Actually, I bought it for my son. But on thumbing through it, I recognized it as the kind of book I would have enjoyed as a youngster. It was a fun, light-hearted, entertaining read. I guess you could say it spoke to my inner child. To be honest, I wouldn't mind writing something like that myself, one day (smile).

So tell me, if you feel like sharing, what are you reading? What have you read? What do you plan to read next?

AFTER THE DANCE by Lori Johnson . . . AT A BOOKSTORE, RETAIL OUTLET AND / OR LIBRARY NEAR YOU . . .

UPDATE / BREAKING NEWS For those of you who'd rather leave the reading to others, an AUDIO version of After The Dance will soon be available. Yes, that's right--I'm talking CDs, cassettes and via download. Is that cool or what? (smile)

BOOK CLUB MEMBERS For those of you interested in a deeper discount, the book will soon be available through the Black Expressions Book Club. Visit their site for details.

Also, if your book club meets in any of the following areas: Charlotte, Winston-Salem, Durham, Memphis or Cleveland and your members plan to read and discuss the book, please let me know. I'm opening to attending/participating in discussions of the book in person, by arrangement and at no expense to your club OR via teleconference if you live outside of those areas.

REVIEWS Comments about the book have been wonderful, thus far (smile). You'll find links to a few of the reviews in this blog's upper, right hand corner. A couple of the reviews also appear in the novel's listing on Amazon. Feel free to add your own impressions of the novel in Amazon's comment section.

SIGNINGS

Look for me in

Memphis on Saturday April 12th, 2008

11:00 - 1:00 at Barnes & Noble Booksellers (6385 Winchester Blvd) **open to the public**

and

3:00 - 5:00 at Davis-Kidd Booksellers--Bronte Bistro (387 Perkins Road Ext) **invitation only**

I'll post details of my other signings as we move closer to those dates.

LAST WORDS Buy the book y'all or check it out from the library. If you enjoy it, share it with a friend. If you hate it, pass it along to one of your enemies. Either way it goes, I appreciate the support (smile).

I WISH I HAD THE TIME . . . BUT AT LEAST, SOMEBODY IS READING . . .

From Lori's Picture Collection

At the moment, the fellas in my life, at least the ones with whom I currently reside, are out reading me. The tyke you see in the picture above is now quite a few years older. From the looks of things, he's even recently acquired his very first zit. Poor baby (smile).

But between his Sports Illustrated For Kids and college basketball mags, the young'un has been reading The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas and poetry by Claude McKay from The Portable Harlem Renaissance Reader. No, none of the aforementioned is required reading for a class or an assignment from his dear old mother (smile). Actually, I told him The Three Musketeers might prove a bit challenging for him and recently he agreed. But to his credit, he hasn't given up and tossed the book aside just yet. I, most certainly, would have at his age. The other book, The Portable Harlem Renaissance Reader is something the boy's dad (the hubby) picked up for him last year at a Black Book store we visited on a spur of the moment trip to Durham. Now why the boy's sudden interest in Claude McKay's poetry is anybody's guess. Hey, he's just strange like that and he lucked up and gott nerds for parents, is what I figure.

For inspiration, the hubby is currently reading Your Best Life Now: 7 Steps To Living At Your Full Potential by the always smiling Joel Osteen, who I playfully refer to as the "Kool-Aid" man and for pure pleasure the hubby has been reading The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. The latter title is actually one I'd probably read if I had the time. One the book's inside flap, a Black Swan is described as "a highly improbable event with three principal characteristics: It is unpredictable; it carries a massive impact; and after the fact, we concoct an explanation that makes it appear less random and more predictable, than it was. The astonishing success of Google was a black swan; so was 911." Forgive me, but yes, that sort of thing really does speak to my inner nerd (LOL). But for now, I'll just content myself with listening and asking questions when the hubby comments on what he's read thus far.

If I were reading something other than the weekend edition of the local newspaper or a few pages from the latest Essence or Poet's & Writers Magazines, I'd probably be tackling Toni Morrison's Tar Baby, a hardback copy of which I recently picked up--though where I can't recall at the moment. It's one of the few older titles by Morrison that I haven't read. Also, on my list is I Got Thunder: Black Women Songwriters On Their Craft edited by LaSonda Katrice Barnett, a book the hubby got me at my request this past Christmas. Arnold Rampersad's Biography of Ralph Ellison, a book I bought at the Black Store we visited in Durham, is another title I would be reading had I the time.

So what about you? What are you reading? Or what would you be reading if you had the time? Also, if you dare, what type of literature are the folks in your house into these days?

A LINK TO THE NEW WEB SITE . . . DRUM ROLL PLEASE . . .

Advance Praise For

AFTER THE DANCE by Lori Johnson

"AFTER THE DANCE is a fast-paced delight with a plotline so intriguing and dialogue and characters so real, I had to keep reminding myself that I was reading fiction. It is an easy read with NO dull moments. I was hooked from the first page to the last. This is a five star new story from a five star new author!"

--Mary Monroe, New York Times bestselling author

"Surprisingly well-written. But I'm not sure if I want my church members reading this."

--Bobbie Mae Johnson, Lori's Mama and Cummings Street Missionary Baptist Church member

Okay, I'm tripping (LOL). Even though both quotes are indeed legit, only the first will appear on the 2nd edition of the book's cover. Anyway, I have a few additional equally nice quotes that I'll save for a later date.

Click on the link below if you'd like to check out the new web site.

If you feel like reading, the site also includes an excerpt of the work. I hope to add an Amazon "buy this book" tag to the site in the coming days.

www.lorijohnsonbooks.com

PART II: A FEW THINGS THAT KINDA OF GREW ON ME IN 2007 . . . (Literature)

Pearl Cleage's I Wish I Had A Red Dress

Make no mistake, I was reading this author's work long before she received the Oprah Winfrey stamp of approval and subsequently found herself being catapulted onto an even larger stage and before an even bigger audience.

Yeah, I probably first took note of Pearl Cleage's work via the essays/articles she used to write for Essence Magazine. Years ago, when I worked at the Memphis/Shelby County Public Library, had access to books galore, plus the free time necessary to read them, I devoured a couple of Ms. Cleage's books--Mad At Miles: A Black Woman's Guide To The Truth and Deals With The Devil And Other Reasons To Riot among them. I was drawn to and shared sister Pearl's, down-home, common sense, "Black womanist" perspective and approach to life. Of course, I later read and loved What Looks Like Crazy On An Ordinary Day well before Opie's people, the critics and all the other folks in the know "discovered" it.

So, I figured it would be more of the same when I first picked up I Wish I Had A Red Dress, which originally came out in 2001. I'm not exactly sure when I purchased the book , but it was years ago and at a library book sale, if I'm not mistaken. I do recall rushing home with it and diving right in, fully anticipating and expecting the thought-provoking enjoyment her work had brought me on every other occasion.

On that first attempt, I think I might have read all of 3 chapters, a total of 10 pages before I tossed the book, scratched my head and said, "Well, I don't know, Ms. Pearl. I am not feeling this at all. What's up with the Sewing Circle or rather Circus? Isn't that something tired, old ladies do? And, no, you did not start Chapter Two with an, umm, Good Lord, a 'self-pleasuring' sence? What the heck was that all about?!" (LOL)

Ever so often in the years afterward, I'd pluck the book from the shelves, flip through it and put it back. But something about that cover (the one with woman in a swirling red dress) and that title kept calling me back. So near the end of last year, I grabbed the book again and said, "I'll be dag if I don't at least get to Chapter 4." Lo and behold, I don't know what happened, but I couldn't put the durn thing down.

I fell in love with the book, the characters and all of the words of wisdom Ms. Pearl so expertly and strategically scattered throughout the story. After I finished reading, I went back with a pencil and just started underlining passages, among them, the one that's become my own personal mantra, particularly when I start to doubt or question myself, is: "What would a free woman do?" Don't you absolutely, positively love that?!!

Basically, the story centers around a young widowed and lonely social worker, who serves as a guide and a mentor to a group of lost and/or struggling, teenage girls and their babies. When the widow, Joyce Mitchell, is introduced by her best friend, who just so happens to be a minister, to a tall, dark stranger named Nate Anderson, of course sparks start flying all over the place. But before Joyce and Nate can properly hook up and do their own private little thing, they have to help the young ladies of Joyce's 'Sewing Circus' work out their issues with self-esteem, bad baby daddies and the like. At the same time, Joyce also has to work out her own unresolved issues with trust and grief. Some of my favorite characters in the book were "The Smitherman Twins" who reminded me of the loveable, old sisters from "Having Our Say."

Anyway, some of the other passsages I underlined in my copy of I Wish I Had A Red Dress include:

1) ". . . I don't think a group of people can survive if the women don't even have enough sense to raise their children."

2) "I'm a big fan of stating your intentions up front and clearly as possible. Saves a lot of confusion and wasted time later . . ."

3) "I think that for some men, using the word "free" and "woman" so close together seems such an obvious oxymoron that they assume it must be the setup for a funny story."

4) "The advantage of faith in moments of crisis and transition is that when the rest of us find ourselves swimming in guilt, fear, confusion and second-guessing, the true believer simply goes with the flow."

5) "If I could pick, I'd probably choose this one all over again, even though being black and female in a place that doesn't bring a whole lot of love to either group is probably not the most luxe life I could come up with."

6) "Is 'her p*$$y curves to my d!#k' really a compliment? And how can he tell, since it's a known fact that a vagina can snugly accommodate everything from a junior tampon to a baby's head . . ."

7) "Sister believes that the beginning of wisdom is to call all things by their proper names, so she's a fiend for the conscious use of language."

There were others, of course, but seven is always a good place to stop (smile). In any case, I recommend you pick up a copy of the book and see if you aren't moved to underline a few of your own favorite passages.

So again, to those of you who feel like sharing, have you ever had a similar experience with a book? You started out not being able to 'get into it,' but something happened. Time, perhaps? Your own personal growth? Life experiences? And blam! You picked up that very same book, months, even years later and you couldn't put it down? Tell us about it.

AFTER THE DANCE . . . BY . . . LORI JOHNSON . . .

Well, there it is . . . the cover for my first novel . . . After the Dance. What do you think? I'd hope to showcase it on my web site first. But you know, things don't always work out the way you'd like (sad smile).

Oh, by the way, copies of the book are currently availabe for pre-order from Borders and Amazon, among others. Of course, you could also wait until the books make their official debut in stores in April of 2008.

If you are a bona fide reviewer and you'd like an advanced review copy, go to my profile page (look under my picture in the right hand corner), send me a request by email and I'll see if I can't hook you up. But you've gotta be a bona fide reviewer with a verifiable track record and not just somebody out looking for a freebie (LOL). Not that I'm totally opposed to freebies because I just might give a few away via a contest or two. We'll see.

Personally, I'm extremely pleased with the book cover art. I've long heard the horror stories about authors who hated their covers so much they broke down and cried or threw hissy fits when they first laid eyes on them. I'm happy to say that wasn't the case for me.

Interestingly enough, the good folks over at Dafina/Kensington actually asked me what I'd like to see on the cover. I mentioned a scene that takes place in downtown Memphis. It's raining and the couple are slow-dancing by the riverside. The way I envisioned it, the couple appeared in silhouette. And most of important of all, the Hernando-Desoto Bridge with its distinctive arching M's (for M-town or Memphis) was clearly visible. I even sent them a few photos of the bridge, so they'd have a better idea of what I was talking about. And Lo and behold, if Ms. Kristine Mill-Noble (Kensington's artistic director) and crew didn't absolutely NAIL IT! Not only do you have to love it when folks do right by you, if you have the least bit of hometraining, you doggone well oughta acknowledge it too. So again, THANKS Kristine.

Now, I may leave this up for a while. Not only because I like looking at it (LOL), but I need to take care of a few other projects. But in my absence, please feel free to comment. I'll be back soon to (among other things) tell you a little bit more about the book and why I think some of the fellas in particular will enjoy it even though it is very much a love story.

So until then . . . Peace & Blessings Y'all . . .

(Written while listening to, among other things "After The Dance" by Marvin Gaye and "Baby I'm For Real" by the Originals).

POPULAR LIT (PART III) . . . My "I'll Gladly Pass" List . . .

. . . Faulkner . . . Talk about coincidences. This past weekend, totally unprompted and out of the blue, a friend sent me an email, in which she raved about her love of Faulkner's "As I Lay Dying." As my dear, smart-mouthed son might say, "Well, I'm happy for her (smile)." Sadly and truthfully, Faulker has never done a whole lot for me. I have yet to feel the magic when I immerse myself in his work.

Sometimes I wonder had I taken more English/Lit courses in college, if might feel different about Faulkner and some of the other dead authors, whose works fail to move me. I'm saying, isn't College Lit where they hammer out a portion of your brain and replace it with loads of academic jargon and a bunch of other ivory-tower creations designed to keep you walking the straight, narrow and predictable paths of political correctness? No? Okay, my bad . . .

Anyway, the next author on the list of folks I'm supposed to like and regard with high-esteem, but dont--is guaranteed to draw shrieks and much pulling of hair (whether real, store-bought, processed or au natural) from certain quarters of the African American literary establishment. But here goes anyway . . . Richard Wright.

Black Boy. Native Son. Ah, no thanks. Keep it. Not for me. Really, I don't see the beauty. The angst, yeah, but not the beauty. Never have. Probably never will. To be fair, it's been years since I've read Black Boy. I should (and at some point will) probably read it again, because age has a way of changing things--perspectives in particular.

But I don't think there's any chance of me ever liking Native Son. The movie version of the book, starring Richard Wright as "Bigger Thomas" pretty much killed that for me. It's hard for me to watch that movie without either winching in pain or laughing (when and where I'm not supposed to). Very seldom do I ever say something is horrible, but truly, for me, the movie version of Native Son is just that. Were I ever forced to choose, I'd rather waste an hour of my life watching Flav Flav's ig'nant behind.

And this last one? Heck, I may as well go ahead and turn in my Sister-Girl card now . . . because it's more than likely gonna come back stamped REVOKED! as soon as I fix my lips to say anything negative about this person.

But to be clear, I don't dislike all of this author's work--just the one she's most famous for. Okay brace yourselves now. You ready? The title is . . . is . . . Their Eyes Were Watching God . . . (ducking, shielding my eyes and hanging my head in shame).

I can hear it now. "Oh, but the hummingbird . . . the rich symbolism . . . the love story . . . " Yeah, I know. Sorry, none of it moved me. Not in the least.

Here's the deal--I've owned the book, Their Eyes Were Watching God, since the mid-to late '80s. Nope, I didn't buy it. It was given to me. A number of times over the years, I've pulled the text from the shelves, started reading it, found myself growing extremely irritated and within a couple of pages, found myself tossing the book back onto the shelves.

Part of the/my problem with the work is the dialect. I hate reading books written in dialect, especially that which is intended to represent the way rural, Black Southerners speak. I almost passed on The Color Purple for the same reason. Though, I must say, in keeping with the lonely, politically-incorrect course I've charted for myself, I enjoyed the movie much more than I did the book. Oh, what did I think about the movie version of Their Eyes? Plenty. But I'd best save it for another time (smile).

Let there be no mistaking though, Zora Neale Hurston, the tilted-hat-wearing, Black woman, writer, anthropologist and all-around character . . . Oh, I ADORE her! And the collection of African American folktales she packaged under the title Mules & Men is my kind of reading . . . even though, I'd dare say, like most "good" social scientists, Zora Neale made most of that mess up (LOL)!

On a more serious note, the sad thing for me, as it pertains to Zora Neale is that I didn't even learn of her existence until my final semester of grad school. Had I not been a student of anthropology, a Black female with Southern roots, who had an interest in writing fiction, this might not have mattered . . . But you know, it's been years and I still tear up every time I think about it.

In any case, what's your book? You know, the one everybody and his or her Grandmama praises till the cows come home, but you'd rather take a karate chop to the throat before you read it again? Come on, don't be scared! Fess up! I've already taken most of the hard blows for you . . .

Written while listening to Jaguar Wright's "Free" "Timing" "Told Ya" "So High" "Been Here Before" and "Cell Bock" from her cd entitled, Divorcing Neo 2 Marry Soul.

POPULAR LIT (PT II) . . . More On "Unpopular" Opinions . . .

On one of our treks through Atlanta this past summer, we stayed a couple of nights with an old friend of the family. Our friend is a professor of Sociology at one of the liberal arts colleges in the the area and, like my son, is also a big Sci-Fi fan. She was in the middle of complimenting my boy on a couple of books he'd brought along, when my son's lack of zeal for the popular boy wizard's world suddenly reared its big head in the conversation.

I listened while my well-intentioned friend took it upon herself to convince my son of the merits of the Hogwarts crew and watched as my son sat and politely nodded. In keeping with his home-training, the boy never said anything flip or sarcastic (he only does that with me & his his Dad), but I could tell by the look on his face he was thinking the equivalent of, "Yeah lady and after you get through singing Harry's praises, I still won't be reaching for Potter anytime soon."

The look on my boy's face, I'm sure, was nearly identical to the one that surfaces on my own when people try to twist my arm into liking some piece of literature that has been deemed by them and others in the know as the best thing since . . . heck, the Ten Commandments or the Emancipation Proclamation.

For the record, I'm not in the habit of publicly bashing or bad-mouthing contemporary authors. Of course, if you are a regular reader of this blog, it goes without saying that I don't extend the same type of hands off treatment to actors, musicians, preachers, politicians and other such folks who make it their business to be all up in the limelight. Sorry, I simply don't consider any of the aforementioned my peers or colleagues and thus entitled to the same type of professional courtesy and/or respect.

Yes, I do think a lot of work out there, particularly some of the literature currently being produced by mainstream African American authors, stinks like ten day old, boiled cabbage. But personally, I see little to gain by pointing a finger at those folks. I'm all too happy to leave that sort of thing to the critics, book reviewers and academic types who get paid and make names for themselves doing so.

Besides, authors who appear to delight in ripping and trashing the work of other authors, writers and everyday hacks, typically come off, to me, as looking mean-spirited, petty or outright jealous. Hey, one person's ten day old, boiled cabbage, is another person's manna from heaven. I'm saying, if it's good to you and it doesn't make you wanna upchuck, have at it.

On the other hand, there are several authors, who, though long dead, are still being heralded and praised for their literary genius, but whose work I don't mind admitting, I'll gladly take a pass on, like for instance . . .

Well, if you REALLY want to know, you'll have to check back later for PART III (smile). In the meantime, feel free to add your comment and/or opinion to "The Mix". . .

WHAT I LIKE ABOUT . . . BARACK OBAMA . . .

What I like about Barack Hussein Obama extends beyond his charisma, his candidacy or his politics. I read his first book, Dreams From My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance, well before he announced he was running for our nation's highest office. Matter of fact, I can remember saying in the book club in which I belonged at the time, "If there is to be a "Black" president in my lifetime, if will more than likely be Barack Obama."

My favorite section in Dreams From My Father is one entitled, "Origins." In it, Senator Obama speaks candidly about his family, his unique upbringing and his feelings about his racial/ethnic heritage. While writing about his college years, he mentioned a young woman he called, "Joyce." He described her as a "good-looking woman who had green eyes, pouty lips and honey-colored skin." He talked about the day he asked Joyce if, by any chance, she planned on attending the upcoming Black Students' Association meeting.

He said Joyce looked at him funny, shook her head and told him, "I'm not black. I'm multiracial." Then she went on to tell him about "her father, who happened to be Italian . . . and her mother who happened to be African and part French and part Native American and part something else." Then Joyce, who Obama described as being on the verge of tears at that point, went onto tell him that Black people were always trying to make her choose, while White people were willing to treat her as a person.

What Obama conclued about the experience, made me smile, if only because I've often thought/felt the same when I've encountered people like Joyce . . .

In Barack Obama's own words: "That was the problem with people like Joyce. They talked about the richness of their multicultural heritage and it sounded good, until you noticed that they avoided black people. It wasn't a matter of conscious choice, necessarily, just a matter of gravitational pull, the way integration always worked, a one-way street . . . Only white culture could be neutral and objective . . . Only white culture had individuals. And we, the half-breeds and the college-degreed, take a survey of the situation and think to ourselves, "Why should we get lumped in with the losers if we don't have to?" (From Dreams From My Father, pages 99-100)

In part, what I like about Senator Obama is that he appears to have made a conscious decision to cast his lot with those perceived as "the losers." It amuses me that so many (both Black and White) appear to take issue with Obama's choice to identify himself as an African American and align himself with the African American community. One has only to read his book, Dreams From My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance to understand that Obama fully appreciates all of the various elements that helped make him who he is. In fact, I'd dare say, even more so than his African father, the book is about how his White, mid-western bred mother helped shape and influence his African American identity. I view how Barack Hussein Obama has elected to define himself as both an act of love and one of defiance.

For me, the real beauty of Obama is, one, that he readily and proudly embraces ALL that he is, as well as ALL to which he is connected--his White American mother, his Black African father, his White relatives from Kansas, his Black relatives from Kenya, his Indonesian step-father, his half-White, half-Indonesian sister, his South-Side of Chicago reared African American wife and their two little girls. And two, Obama steadfastly refuses to embrace a solely negative and stereotypical view of what it means to be Black . . . African American . . . or . . . a person of color.

(Written while listening to Lupe Fiasco's "Kick, Push"; "I Gotcha"; "He Say, She Say"; and "Day Dreamin'" from the cd entitled Lupe Fiasco's Food and Liquor).

AFRICAN AMERICANS & TENNIS . . . MORE QUOTES . . .

I subscribe to the NY Times online, but as of late, I've been much too busy to read them. While deleting some of the clutter in the mail box, I stop and read over some of the article titles in the Times Sunday Book Review, dated July 22, 2007. I noticed a review on a book entitled, CHARGING THE NET: A History of Blacks in Tennis from Althea Gibson and Arthur Ashe to the Williams Sisters.

The book, which is edited by Cecil Harris and Larryette Kyle-DeBose, consists of 65 interviews and presents an indepth look into the lives of Black tennis stars.

A couple of the quotes in the article, written by Toure, jumped out at me.

Leslie Allen, who participated in the sport in the 80's said the following: "I'd go to a tournament where the family wanted to house the No. 1 seed. But when that family found out that the No. 1 seed was me, then suddenly the housing disappeared."

The editors (Harris and Kyle-DeBose) made the following observations: "The unspoken but persistent vibe that you are not welcome, that others would be happier if you went away, a vibe that black tennis players have sensed on the main tour for decades, makes it difficult to find the rhythm and comfort zone needed to perform at your best."

I'm not a major follower of tennis, but this book sounds like one I'd enjoy reading. I was surprised by some of the details the article shared, particularly, as far as some of the personal difficulties faced by so many of the better known tennis stars. Also,I'm intrigued by the thought that so many African Americans, whose names I've never heard, not only played, but excelled in the sport (smile).

FOR ALL OF THE BOOK SNOBS AND THEIR CRONIES--The Book Snots, The Book Nazis and The Book Police . . .

I don't get BOOK SNOBS, in particular those who feel obliged to tell others WHAT and HOW they OUGHT to be READING. You know the type of people I'm talking about? The ones prone to shaking their larger than average heads, looking down their long, narrow noses (or wide and slightly flared nostrils) and uttering "tsk, tsk, tsk" if what you're currently reading doesn't make their list of "worthy" reads? The ones who treat reading as if it's some sort of fierce, life or death competition, and in turn have desginated themselves as both team captains and keepers of score? Yeah, you know who and what I'm talking about.

So, could somebody please tell me why these folks just don't get it? IMHO telling folks what they OUGHT TO or OUGHT NOT be reading is impolite and arrogant at best, and at its worst, fuels the type of lock-step mentality that leads to the banning and even outright burning of books marked by the "powers that be" as inappropriate.

Even though my own preferences in literature tend to lean toward "literary fiction" and I have an admitted bias for books that reflect the African American experience, I am, for all practical purposes, an eclectic reader. The books on the shelves in my own personal library will attest to the fact that I read a bit of everything--Margaret Atwood, James Baldwin, Octavia Butler, Jackie Collins, Hemingway, Kafka, Terry McMillan, Toni Morrison, Eudora Welty, Zane . . . Believe me, the list goes on and includes everything in between. And that's just for fiction.

At the risk of making a right proper A$$ out of U and ME (lol), I ASSUME most people read, as I do, for pleasure and/or enlightenment. I have no problem accepting that what pleases and entertains me and/or expands my knowledge base could very well gag or bore plenty of others.

Some of my closest and dearest friends live off a steady diet of romance novels. I can't stand formulaic romance, not to be confused with a good love story (smile). While I might, on occasion, tease my friends about their reading selections (as they do me) I don't judge or condem them for their choices.

I could be wrong, but it seems to me that assigning specific and fixed weights and values to books leads to the "everything I read is great" and "everything you read is crap" school of thought. Sorry, I simply can't get with that type of "holier than thou attitude" when it comes to books. As if owning an appetite for the "so-called" classics or the NY Times Best Sellers, or the Oprah Book Club Pics or even the Pulitzer Prize Winners will automatically recuse one from being either an idiot or an ax-murderer.

Sure, there's a lot of stuff out there I won't read (like all of that hustler, pimp, ho, thug & gansta) lit or I read very little of (most of that I don't wanna be a freak, but I can't help myself type of stuff) or that which I for the most part consider a right hot mess (nope, not even gonna go there). And yes, there are quite a few books through which I've struggled, but only after determining ON MY OWN and FOR MYSELF that the book was worth the effort.

The world is too big and life much too short to get stuck plowing through pages of material that bring you absolutely no joy, particularly if you're only doing so because someone with a MFA, PhD or a talk show labeled it a "classic" or a "must-read." Besides, unless the person doing so is your parent (and you're still a minor, living up in their house), your teacher, professor or possibly your employer, they really don't have any business dictating what and how you read in the first place.

So for all you BOOK SNOBS out there . . . when you stumble upon someone who shares your reading preferences, by all means, go ahead and applaud. You have every right to celebrate. But please, when you bump into someone whose taste in lit and/or reading habits you consider "beneath" yours, try not to castigate, verbally assassinate or straight-up perpetrate, all right?! (LOL)