BOOKS . . . PAST, PRESENT & FUTURE READING LISTS

I recently finished two books, WISE BLOOD by Flannery O'Connor and NO TIME TO DIE (A Mali Anderson Mystery) by Grace F. Edwards.

The latter, a mystery, was something new and out of the norm for me. I purchased NO TIME TO DIE at a Friends of the Library book sale while still living in Memphis. Actually, I acquire a lot of my books that way--library book sales, bookstore discount tables, etc. The cover on this one--a pensive looking African American woman wearing a hat slanted over her brow and with the "world famous" Apollo signboard in the background--drew me in. The inside flap's description of a Black female sleuth's search for a serial killer in Harlem further intrigued me. Even so, the book, like so many others, sat unread on my shelves for years. My thirst for something different is what recently led me back to the title. I'm not a big fan of mysteries, but, all in all, it was a nice diversion as well as a fascinating and truly horrific look into the life of an African American serial killer.

WISE BLOOD is a book I first read several years ago. As much as I enjoy Flannery O'Connor's short stories, her novel just didn't do a heck of a lot for me. Although I found the book rather disturbing, I didn't outright hate it. I think more than anything, I just didn't understand it. Funny how the passage of time can alter one's perspective. I'm still not in love with the novel, but I do understand it a bit better. Perhaps maturity, patience and a small portion of wisdom are to thank for my new level of enlightenment. To be honest though, the only reason I decided to re-read the text was because it appeared on a local book club's list. If nothing else, it's the type of book that makes for an interesting discussion.

The book I'm currently reading is, ALL AUNT HAGAR'S CHILDREN, a collection of short stories written by Edward P. Jones. This is the first time I've read any of Jones' work and already I'm a fan. As I stated on black girl lost in a book's blog, I feel like I really do know these characters . . . I've met them somewhere . . . if not in this life, then perhaps in some other. The first story in the collection, "In The Blink Of God's Eye" read like one of my grandmother's tales of Johnson Sub (the 40 plus acres in Memphis, TN my daddy's people once owned and called home). This book is, for me, truly a treat and I find myself re-reading sentences, paragraphs and passages if only to savor their sweetness once again. In Jones' work I am able to experience a bit of what drives me to read and write in the first place--the indescribable joy (and music) of a story well-told. I also feel in Jones' work an appreciation of the Black Southern Experience that sadly, far too many "colored folks" (yeah, I said it . . . meant it too) from NY, LA and the Midwest appear to lack.

The books I'm probably gonna read next include, among others, another Edward P. Jones title for sure. I'm thinking his first short story collection, LOST IN THE CITY, will probably be my choice. I've heard lots of positive comments about the collection and since when given a choice between a short collection and a novel, I generally opt for the stories, it's pretty much a done deal.

I'm also interested in taking a look at REDBONE:Money, Malice and Murder in Atlanta by Ron Stodghill. Initially, I was kind of turned off by the title. Just to give you some background, a guy I knew during my college years tagged me with the nick-name "Dirty Red." So, as you might imagine, something about the term conjures quite a bit of negative imagery for me (LOL). Anyway, I stumbled upon an excerpt one day, that changed my mind about reading the book. Based on the writing alone, I'm willing to give the book a try, even though the Amazon reviews I skimmed appeared to lean toward the negative.

The other title on my list of "future" reads is a book I started last year, but never read beyond a couple of pages, WHAT I KNOW FOR SURE by Tavis Smiley. I didn't put the book down for lack of interest, I just got busy and sidetracked by other things. I'm still very much interested in knowing more about the "makings" of Mr. Smiley and since my old book club in Cleveland is taking on the book, I figured I'd buckled down and join them.

So, what are you all reading? What have you read that you'd recommend? What's still sitting unopened on your nightstand, on your bookshelf or at your local bookstore that you'd like to read? Also, any comments on my reading lists are welcome.

CLINTON, LEADERSHIP, ADORATION & BLACK FOLKS (A Few Reflections via Randall Robinson)

Bill Clinton He purchased our affection with gestures . . ."our support should not be so easily obtainable." (Randall Robinson)

Randall Robinson is somone whose work I've been intending to read for years now. I remember watching an interview with him on some cable network, shortly after his book, THE RECKONING: WHAT BLACK FOLKS OWE EACH OTHER (2002) was released. Quite a few of his thoughts and relections made me stop, think and go, "Hmmm."

Recently, while cleaning out a folder, I ran across a scrap of paper on which I'd scribbled a few of the sentiments Robinson had expressed on that particular program. Robinson's comment about Clinton (see above) struck me, not only because it was a view I shared, but also because I hadn't heard any other African American liberal or moderate, worthy of respect, express such. My notes on the Robinson interveiw also included the following two gems:

Leadership "Leaders are assigned for the convenience of people who dominate you."

Adoration "The school teacher we don't respect like we used to--the wealthy bandit, we adore."

Robinson's view on adoration is one that has serious implications, I think, not only in the world of politics, but also, increasingly, in the field of entertainment. But then again, I guess that really should come as no surprise. Historicially and across the board Americans appear to have a warped fascination with outlaws, gangsters and thugs.

From yesteryears' large than life Jesse James, Billy the Kid, Bonnie and Clyde and Al Capone to today's John Gotti, and his fiction-drawn cronies, Tony Montana (Scarface) and Tony Soprano we do seem to love us some ruthless, money-grubbing bad boys and gals. And don't let me forget all of the pimps and drug-dealers, the rouge preachers and politicians and the thieving CEO's who've taken up the mantle and become the real American Idols. Yeah, there's some thug-love out there, for real y'all . . .

But anyway, the following are a couple of other books by Randall Robinson that I hope to read one day and may, perhaps, be of some interest to some of you:

THE DEBT: WHAT AMERICA OWES TO BLACKS (2001) and

QUITTING AMERICA: THE DEPARTURE OF A BLACK MAN FROM HIS NATIVE LAND (Reprint 2004).

If you've read any of Mr. Robinson's books, feel free to express your opinion (whether good or bad) about what you read in the OSM's comment section. Also if you agree or disagree with his reflections about Clintion, leadership and/or adoration, please don't hesitate to share your views.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS . . . Books You Want To Read (Or You've Tried To Read) But Can't Seem To Finish . . .

I'm sure I'm not the only one who has a large pile, bookshelf full or hidden stash of unread books. The majority of those books are probably titles you fully intend to read, but just haven't found time for yet. You probably also have quite a few that are just for "show" or reference, if you will--books you look at or flip through, every now and again, but don't feel the need to read from cover to cover. And then there are always those books that you honestly don't know how in the heck found their way into your possession and that you wouldn't read unless your life depended on it.

But how many of you are willing to 'fess up to owning books that you want to read, that you've tried to read and that your know durn well you oughta read, but for whatever reason, you've failed everytime you've attempted to do so?

Well, what follows, I'm NOT proud to say, are the top 3 on my List of Unfinished Books.

1) Great Expectations (Charles Dickens)

As I mentioned over at the BookSeller Chic's blog, I've been trying to read this book since I was a kid. Seriously, the first attempt was like in the 9th or 10th grade. The second attempt was probably 3 0r 4 years later, when my brother was assigned the book in school. I've even tried watching the doggone movie . . . hmm, never made it through that either. As much as I truly do enjoy the way this book begins, I'm not sure why I can't seem to make it more than halfway through the story before I toss it aside. Must be some sort of weird, psychological block. Or could be, it's just too doggone long.

2) The Invisible Man (Ralph Ellison)

Yes, I know this is a truly shameful confession. What self-respecting, supposedly well-read, Black woman, writer-wanna-be, over the age of 35 hasn't read THE INVISIBLE MAN? Ahh . . . me. Yes, I do understand the beauty, the depth and the significance of the work. Believe me, I've tried to make myself finish it and will, no doubt, try again one day. But there's something about the story that just won't grab and hold my attention. I'm not sure, but ADD is a good possibility . . .

3) The Salt Eaters (Toni Cade Bambara)

Once again, y'all . . . I am so ashamed. As much as I adore GORILLA, MY LOVE, you'd think THE SALT EATERS would be an easy read for me to tackle. Not so. Every 7 years or so, I pick up this book and vow to read my way to the end, only to give up somewhere in the middle. I think the problem is, I just don't "get it." Okay, this last time ( 2 years ago or so) I came a little closer to understanding it than in previous years, but apparently not enough to wanna keep plowing through. Other than THE SALT EATERS, the only other book I've ever felt compelled to slam against a wall is Flannery O'Connor's WISE BLOOD. But even the latter I managed to finish and without wanting to choke somebody.

So, those are my 3. Anyone else feel like 'fessing up?

BOOKS . . . SO, WHAT ARE YOU READING?

I seldom read one book at a time. I'd like to think it's because I'm easily bored, as opposed to attributing it to some sort of obsessive-compulsive or attention deficient disorder . . .

Believe it or not, I'm currently reading (or thumbing through) a total of 9 books. The titles on my list include:

1) MORAL DISORDER (Margaret Atwood) Category: Fiction, Short story collection; Why: I'm a fan of both short story collections and Ms. Atwood's work; Source: Purchased at Park Road Books in Charlotte, NC; Notes: I almost put this one down in disgust after reading the first two stories. But I'm glad I kept reading. I'm a couple of stories short of finishing the collection.

2) WHAT I KNOW FOR SURE (Tavis Smiley) Category: Non-fiction, Autobiography; Why: My interest was piquied after stumbling upon a C-SPAN interview of him talking about his life; Source: Purchased at Urban Knowledge Bookstore in Memphis, TN; Notes: Most folks seem to either really love Smiley or really hate him. I've always been somewhere in the middle. After the C-SPAN interview, I had a greater respect for him and a desire to learn more;

3) PUBLICIZE YOUR BOOK (Jacqueline Deval) Category: Non-fiction, Reference; Why: I'm in the process of forming my own strategy for AFTER THE DANCE; Source: Purchased at Barnes & Noble in Charlotte, NC; Notes: Great source of information for the new author. I highly reccommend;

4) A HAND TO GUIDE ME (Denzel Washington) Category: Non-fiction, Essays; Why: I almost bypassed this one. On first glance, I thought it was just another celebrity biography. Thank goodness it's not. As the subtitle indicates, it's a book about those who inspired various leaders and entertainment personalities; Source: Purchased at Borders, Charlotte, NC; Notes: Proceeds from the book go toward the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

5) THE LEGEND OF QUITO ROAD (Dwight Fryer) Category: Fiction, Novel; Why:

Dwight is a friend and a fellow Memphian. I've been planning to read his book for some time now; Source: Purchased at Barnes & Noble in Charlotte, NC; notes: I try to limit the number of fiction titles I'm reading at one time. So, I'll really get into this book after I've finished Atwood's Moral Disorder;

6) BLACK, WHITE AND JEWISH (Rebecca Walker)

Category: Non-fiction, Autobiography; Why: It's something I've been planning to read for years. When I noticed it on the bookstore's discount table, I didn't have a reason to put it off any longer. Source: Purchased at Barnes & Noble in Richmond, Ohio; Notes: I'm finding Ms. Walker's perspective as the bi-racial, only child of author Alice Walker even more interesting than I thought it would be.

7) TURN UP THE HEAT (G. Garvin) Category: Non-fiction, Cookbook; Why: I'm always looking for new recipe ideas and I'm a big fan . . . okay, groupie of G. and his show on TVOne; Source: Christmas gift from the hubby; Notes: As G. likes to say, "It's all about cooking the healthy Soul way, baby!"

8) HOME: THE BLUEPRINT OF OUR LIVES (Sen. John Edwards)Category: Non-fiction, photos & essays; Why: I saw a Life Magazine write-up about the book; Source: Christmas gift from the hubby; Notes: It's a nice coffee-table book.

9) LETTERS TO A YOUNG ARTIST (Anna Deavere Smith) Category: Non-fiction; Why: I bought this last year for a friend's graduating granddaughter and ended up buying one for myself; Source: purchased at Borders in Beachwood, Ohio; Notes: It's a neat book for a "young" artist. It also has me wondering if Ms. Smith has ever considered doing something similar for us "old" artists.

How does one read 9 books at one time? In bits and pieces. I literally keep books all over the house--living room, kitchen, study, next to the tub and next to the bed. Also, not being terribly interested in television helps. I'm sure there's someone who does this, besides me, right? (smile) In any case, feel free to share your own reading habits and/or list.