What happened to Miss. Simmone By: Alan Light

This book delves into the life of Nina Simone, although not as in depth as expected. This book is a great primer. As someone who wasn't familiar with Miss Simone's work it gave me a great picture of her life and what she's known for the most. We get a good impression of the struggles Miss Simone faced and her behavior at the time. While all-inclusive, it doesn't really answer the question at hand of what happened. There are a lot of assumptions thrown around and not a lot of solid answers. The author has composed the story of an amazing woman. By using song lyrics, journals, letters, and interviews (with Simone and with family and friends), Mr. Light has restored a full account of Simone's rise to stardom and her complex life. She could perform any kind of music, and the accounts tell of her mastery in musical genres as varied as classical piano, jazz, blues, gospel, show tunes, and protest music. The movement behind the scenes is nearly as hypnotic as her music. Readers learn of her stormy relationship with her second husband, Andrew Stroud (whom she married even after he had beaten her severely), along with her later interactions with political leaders in other countries.

At times booklovers can only shake their heads in astonishment at all her accomplishments, while at others they may cry at her self-destructive actions Whether you are a fan of Simone's from her start back in the 1950s, learned about her from protest music in the '60s, or perhaps found her through the presence of her songs in advertisements or flicks such as the 1992 "Point of No Return," you will come away from this book with an outstanding image of the woman behind the music.

The little Paris bookshop By: Nina George

The little Paris Bookshop is a remarkably rational read for as light as it is. The bare basic of this book might be Monsieur Perdu's bookshop and his finally coming to terms with his own past, but there is a remarkable amount of psychology crammed in every other page.

As an avid reader it is always more gratifying to read an author who loves books and is well read themselves.. We all know how satisfying it is to find a book that will suspend or griefs, realities, change our perceptions, lives or simply divert us on a level we were until that moment unaware even existed.

It is easier to have comprehension into the lives of others than it is to grasp our own. Ms. George reverberations that you can learn about a person within 5 minutes of a conversation; with Perdu's inherent perception on what would be a good read that would help others.; of course the same man locked away an complete room in his house for 20 years just to elude reading a letter and the reader will pick up instantaneously on his own serious struggle to self-diagnosis. Logically he will be driven forward when his philanthropy to a neighbor produces an unintentional involvement of sorts that forces him to address his past dissatisfactions and sorrows to heal his-self.

Miranda's research of grandparents love story

Armand and Anna's marraige during the war turned into a fifty year agreement never to speak or see each other again. Miranda wants to know what happened and why it happened well she find out before it's to late? If she finds out the truth well that have any impact on her realationship with her grandparents?

Miranda is in search of answer's in the mystery of why her grandparents haven't spoken to each other in 50 years. The answers she finds not only reveat the why's but also reveals the life her grandparents lived during the war. Across the ocean her bond with her grandmother is just as strong if not stronger. In France Miranda has created a special bond with her grandfather. While in France she has fell in love with her grandparents ruin down house they purchased and then with a great man.

Not only has she learned that her grandmother had a reason for peaking in half sentences and riddles. This book is full of history and life long lessons. Miranda's realationship with her grandmother reminds me of the realationship my gram and I had. A unspoken word or a strong connection between a grandparent (grandmother) and grandchildren (granddaughter) is ust as rare as finding a four leaf clover.

Miranda compares her grandparents to magnets. "They were like the north poles of two magnets, impossible to pust close enough together." Armand receives an invitation from Miranda for her Bat Mitzaih; her responed in a very quick manner which was rare for him. His response is heart breaking "beining in the same room as Anna (Miranda's grandmother) it would cause them to have simultaneous heart attacks and die." Miranda is so set on finding out why her grandparents have not spoke or seen each other in 50 years that she gets a student visa to La Roche not only because; she wanted to find out what happened between her grandparent but also because she fell in love with the house Armand and Anna bought.

Anna and Miranda wrote letters to and from each other. Miranda asking questions about dates and Anna giving bread crumbes of informatnion. Amarand and Miranda would sit, have tea and talk about the war or certian dates that is until she brough up, Anna then he would go off on a rant or shut down until the topic was changed.Miranda had a routine of placing her shoes by the door and constantly thinking of viable hiding places to hide. This routine was somehow related to her granparents but she really didn't understand how or why.

Her non-Jewish father remarking "this will all come down to you, Miranda. You're goint to have to figure out hot to carry it all." Duing a visit with Armand Miranda walked in with a handful of four leaf clovers. She held out the colvvers to him as a little offering but he didn't accept them he recoiled violently, color left his face, he looked horrified and croaked "you're all witches." Spring break Anna informs her children she want to go to Alba to see the house her and Armand bout so many years ago. Miranda offeres to go with her grandmother who is dead set on going to France one last time.

"I had seen changes in her myself, but I had not yet realized it was possible for my grandmother to actually diminish or weaken in any way." That statement made me think of my gram who once was this strong woman that became weak and child like. There is a part in this book were Miranda is helping Anna underdress she wished she was a little gril and her grandmother was invincilbe again. What little little girl who had a close knit bond with her grandmother woulnd't wish for the impossible? Anna sshowed she still cared and loved Armand whe she told Miranda "It's good you'll be close to your grandfather. You can keep and eye on him. He needs you."

Another statement in this wonderful book made me smell and think of my gramps. "He puffed on his pie which made the dining room smell rich and warm." After reading that statement I could see my gramps in his chair watching a John Wayne film, and smoiking his pipe. I could even smeel his tavvacco clear as day. If one statement can envoke all those memories then the author has real talent. Armand and never talked to or about each other to anyone.

So Miranda never knew when her grandparents were married, until she went through some photocopied letters from her grand mother. She came across a letter from Anna to the Swiss Federal Police offices. Can you imagine having to request to have your own money released to you? As one point in this Miranda compares her grandparents story to the faiytale "Little Red Riding Hood." Armand loses his memory of current events but his life during the war and being a translator haunts him and becomes reality all over again. Anna had a motive for Miranda to move to France to be close to her grandfather and that movite is a very sweet one. I will not tell you that motive you will have to read it for yourself. "

Here is a quote from the book that will touch your heart and soul in some way. "I imagined that the galazy of memories that accompanied each name and I hope each one had a person like me attached to it, scrabling to remember, to stitch together a story before it was to late. "

Quotes from the boo: That I found interesting
"That is like shitting on someone's doorstep, ringing the doorbell and asking for toilet paper." (This quote has me in stitches")< /br> "Each of us has our own ways of connecting with the world of the dead." < /br> "A grave is nothing. Just the ground they put your body in."
"Anonyomous drops in the rainstorm of history."
"If you imagine that you are worth more than the others vecause the war has spared you, you are wrong." (very true indeed)
"What do you have to do to make a baby? Open your legs twice in nine months, that what?" (This quote had me laughing for an hour)
"But to raise a child that requires experience and wisdom."

Rainbow In The Cloud: The Wisdom and Spirit of Maya Angelou

Summary Rainbow in the Cloud offers resonant and rewarding quotes on such topics as creativity and culture, family and community, equality and race, values and spirituality, parenting and relationships. Perhaps most special, Maya Angelou’s only son, Guy Johnson, has contributed some of his mother’s most powerful sayings, shared directly with him and the members of their family.(Summary is from Amazon.com)

Maya Angelou shares advice, wisdom, observations and humor within the pages of this book. There are several quotes I've highlighted to share but thought only a few will be shared the rest I will save for later.
The words written upon these pages were a comfort to me. Maya Angelou gives advice on everything but her advice on self-love speaks volumes. I loved this book with every word I read I could hear Maya Angelou speaking the words. This book was inspiring, hit home and I was sad to see the book come to an end. I was inspired by this quote: "Let gratitude be the pillow upon which you kneel to say your nightly prayer. And let faith be the bridge you build to overcome evil and welcome Good!"
Another quote from this book that I hold dear to my heart and soul is this: "One should never let the love of one's child prevent or hinder the vital and necessary work of parenting.
If these quotes have touched you in anyway please go to your local library to check the book out or purchase the book from Amazon or your local book store. I would love to hear your thoughts, comments or quotes that have touched you so please leave a comment below if you have read this book.

Exciting News

Hello and welcome back. I have some exciting news to share with all of you. My addiction to reading has become to much to bear. That is right I am a book junky. I have been reading books and hoarding my book reviews and not it is time I stop hoarding them and start sharing them. That is right I am going to share my current book reviews with all of you.

So you are wondering why just the current book reviews well I figure you would rather get a fresh take on a book then one I did over a year ago. I mean at some time I would love to add all of my reviews but I just want to take it one day at a time. The first book review will be posted on March 1st. I hope you all come back to see the book that I am reviewing. All books will be held until the review sort of like a surprise. If you would like a book to be reviewed just leave me a comment and I will add it to my "To be read and reviewed" list.

Again thank you for coming back to my blog. I hope to see you all again soon and I hope to get to know everyone on some level that visits my blog. This can only happen through comments. So please leave your comments all over the blog if you like or just on posts that catches your eye. Again thank you and see you soon.

Regards,
Karma