Well Read

If you are seeking something warm and fuzzy, Blurry Lines is what you need. This is a complete story of sorrow and joy during the pandemic in 2020. Tayo Emmanuel dedicates the book to survivors, key workers, citizens, and love. Yes, it features COVID-19 as the author manages to keep it in the background while focusing on the other unknowns.

Nathan Araba, a successful doctor based in Lagos, is guarded against romance, having lost his wife and left to bring up two children. He goes to London, to visit his younger brother David and wife, Maria, who had been his friend from University days. David gets a cough which seems minor until he is hospitalized and diagnosed with Coronavirus. David eventually dies.

Things take a dark turn in the Araba household as Nathan now has to stay behind with his two children to take care of David’s funeral, his wife and son, Bruno. Maria is emotionally distraught and withdrawn from the other family members, neglecting her pre-teenage son, Bruno, who is also hurting.  It is this inner turmoil beclouding the entire Araba household that leads the story and the obvious sorrow is the conflict of the novel. Where does joy come in?

A pleasant distraction arrives in the form of Zoe, the next door neighbor who is now the only adult Nathan can have meaningful conversations with during lockdown. The back garden become the playground for everyone except Maria.  Zoe is White, young, vivacious and playful; the opposite of Nathan. Although Zoe lifts his mood and gets on with the children, he rejects any idea of a relationship with her because of the obvious differences. Nathan is Black, middle-aged, conservative and lives in Nigeria and he doesn’t believe in casual relationships. While seeking to douse her pain, Maria throws herself at Nathan in a moment of emotional connection and physical desire.

It is very easy to empathize with Nathan as a male protagonist, as the author reveals the depth of his feelings while he tries to shift from friend to brother-in-law with Maria and as he struggles with making decisions about the multiple challenges he faces: to be a loving parent to his children, a comforter and provider to the family his brother left behind, and an unlikely lover to Zoe.

Flickr/Stephanie Lepoint

Time to say it: there are some folks on social media that are narcissistic. But I’m here to talk about fictional characters with inflated egos. First let’s explain this personality. These things are clear :

·         They have a sense of entitlement

·         A complete lack of empathy

·         Callous exploitative

·         Childhood trauma triggers the condition

And this is purely for entertainment purposes 

1.      The Good Samaritan by John Marr

The first of these is from a book called the Good Samaritan. The main character Laura is truly vain. She sees herself as a heroine of the suicidal. She helps destroy lives and feels it is an honor to do this work. She works at The End of The Line And she does her devilish deeds at home too. Someone is on to her. And she goes to extraordinary lengths to protect her secret

2.      Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Yeah maybe the thrill is over for the Gone Girl, but Mrs. Dunne will remain a staple Unforgettable character. She is self-righteous. Twisted, and manipulative. Shall I go over her deeds? She planned her fake death because her husband cheated on her. She is an unreliable narrator, her parents created this monster. It starts with childhood trauma. And her parents never fail to demonstrate how she falls short with The Amazing Amy books. Her diary filled with fabrications. She demands to be noticed.

3.      Shades of Obsession by J.R. King

Alex Turner gives full disclosure that he is aware of his tendencies. His tone is condescending. He’s a billionaire and ruthless .There’s kinky sex and it’s not a stretch to say it may make you uncomfortable. His condition starts with the death of his mother and from there he planned to rain suffering on Elena. But he becomes obsessed with her and they fall in love. And he spies on her even while he is ruling his empire. His charmed life doesn’t stop him from wishing to control her. To understand what I mean, if you dare, you must read the book.

4.      PsychoAnalysis by V.R. Stone

I’ve been wanting to talk about this book since it took over my life in fall 2017. Psychoanalysis a female serial killer. Sarah admits she enjoys inflicting pain. She has an endless supply of people to torture (coworkers, an ex-boyfriend, and even her mother).  And commits her first murder as a teenager. She hunts men at bars. 

5.Amercian Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis

And there’s American Psycho.  He is a psychopath too which makes him doubly dangerous. Easily claimed to be one of the most controversial novels of the 90s. He is all about designer labels and physical fitness. And you dear reader are being manipulated.  He wants power and domination and will murder to achieve this desire. 

They know what they are doing and don’t trust anyone. Notice the pattern of violent tendencies in the entries. And I question whether these writers set impossible standards for unforgettable characters. They are unreliable narrators which are critical to the plot. Also, I loved all these books

Do you know any characters who are narcissists? Opinions are welcome

We are in agreement that Friends was a hit show. The writing is witty and clever. But with the talk of Hollywood’s sexual predators it fair to single out this behavior on a beloved program. One could argue it was the 90′s but the content remains relevant

Photo by Patrick Denker/Flickr

1. Ross tries to kiss his cousin

The One With Monica’s and Ross’ cousin

The sibling's cousin Cassie comes to stay. And Ross fantasizes about her tossing back her hair. He finds innuendo in things she says. He mumbles under his breath how slow their children would be. And on that fateful night, he thinks that she is throwing signals that she wants him. He goes for the kiss in an embarrassing display of foolishness.

And on top of this Joey has reservations about doing a nude scene

2. Monica tricks Chandler into having sex with her 

The One With Rachel’s sister. Interesting how that wasn’t in the summary. 

She’s sick and he’s not into it. It counts because he didn’t give his consent. He was grossed out. But Monica hates to lose so she rubs vapor rub on her body in front of him to produce the desired effect.

3.The One With George Stephanopulous 

It goes likes this: his pizza is delivered to Monica's apartment.   The girls spy on George Stephanopolous. And watches his lady friend take some pizza. How would this look if guys were doing it? Creepy. They compare notes on what he’s like in bed. They drink and continue to watch him. And yearns for him to drop the towel

4. Phoebe Bites Her Crush’s Bum

The One With Ballroom Dancing

Phoebe is attracted to her client. It’s a violation to do anything unprofessional. Monica encourages her to go for it. She gets a pedicure. Instead of fighting temptation she bites his butt. Thankfully there were consequences: she gets fired and finds out he is married.

5. Rachels Kisses Her Future Boss

The One with the Inadvertent Kiss

Ms. Green nerves get the best of her and she pecks her potential boss. She cops an attitude Then she has the nerve not to accept responsibility and almost goes as far as blaming the victim. 

On top of this, she accidentally gropes his genitals after he offers her a job. 

6. Rachel’s Crushes On a Customer

Rachel immediately objectifies her new customer. Joey tells her to ask him out. She invites him to a basketball game. and she turns him down. He has a nephew that loves the Knicks and takes both the tickets.

7. Ross Wants to Prove He Can Flirt

The one Where Ross Can’t Flirt is probably the pinnacle of his weirdo shenanigans. He tries to woo the cute pizza guy when she’s only trying to do her job. It’s awkward for everyone involved. So after Ross fails why did Rachel still get the number from the woman who was clearly not interested 

And another one....

I am going to mention Joey reveals himself to Monica. This is her first interaction with him. He comes into her apartment and proceeds to get naked

Photo Flickr courtesy of Kich Anfoly

Whether a bad character is a womanizer, manipulative, or a psychopath they bringa certain element to the story. It compels a reader to soak in the story to see what deeds this person will do. Grab these books and get ready to experience shock or anger. 

1. The World is Full of Divorced Women by Jackie Collins

Mike is a serial cheater with zero integrity. The same goes for his redeemable qualities. He got caught sleeping with one her friends. I am glad his wife Cleo gave him the boot. one could argue that technically he is not a villain, but he couldn’t let her go. Most of all he doesn’t learn from his mistakes.  She was supposed to be ok with him not keeping it in his pants. One character who needs to die alone. He has no self-respect

2. Secrets of a Side Bitch by Jessica N. Watkins

The aforementioned  side bitch and that title is too good for her. Her name is Simone. Being a side piece is a running theme in her life. Let me count the ways she is a devilish woman. She is a scheming narcissistic entitled beotch.  Now I don’t like to spoil things but it is necessary to prove my point.  She gets folks to do her bidding. And by bidding I mean murder and is responsible for the majority of drama in the story. She is materialistic, fake and basic. There are a series of these books that will keep you entertained

3.The Sound of Rain by Gregg Olsen 

Another running theme of picking the wrong man.Thankfully Homicide Detective Nicole got out of this one. And she didn’t fall in love. Nick's sins include framing someone for murder. It seemed like he was just a jerk until his past and present are exposed.He badmouthed her successfully ruined her career. When his lies were discovered he throws her under the bus. But there is more than one terrible character in this story and it broke my heart.

4. Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter

What I read was another cautionary tale about not really knowing the man you share a life with. Sisters Claire and Lydia are estranged. The disappearance of their sister causes their separation.  at first, Claire's husband is killed is another tragedy. his type of porn is snuff. Btu Claire investigates further and it’s worse. His dark side and cruelty. I’ll just say it ; he’s a rapist 

5. Behind Closed Doors by  B.A. Paris

This book truly chilled me. And hit a little too close to home. Behind Closed Doors is the story of a seemingly perfect married couple. The beautiful home and wonderful marriage. The husband Jack is actually an emotionally and verbally abusive psycho. She found out too late. Atfet they are married he keeps her trapped. And starved. Nothing to keep her occupied but her thoughts. He engineered their first introduction. Carefully selecting her as his victim because she is the only caretaker for her mentally challenged sister. He uses this and other  information she has told him to mentally torture her, the story remains fresh and haunting in my memory 

6.The Baby in The Window by Alretha Thomas

This bad character is a child named Renee. Renee is 15, jealous and calculating. The story goes her father Nick and stepmom Cass are trying to make a baby. Renee’s motivation is to stop this conception and destroy their marriage. Her dirty deeds; making it look like her stepmom chopped off all her hair, made it appear as if Cass was having an affair with a co-worker, and putting feces on her clothes. The troubled child needs more than a hug

7. Angry Enough to Kill by S.J. Dunn

This is a bit more complex story of who’s the monster. I mention this book because a story like this is overlooked. It is a revenge tale.It changes in front of your eyes. Loring Jeremias and her friends decide that some payback is in order for the child predators. She has her eye on a serial killer..And the despicable man enjoys on torturing his victims. He also knows Loring is after him and it won’t go unpunished.

 My average day I could have any of these albums on heavy rotation. These are my personal picks. I find these albums impeccable. I didn’t choose one genre because I can’t limit myself.  Slack has a huge collection and these musicians represent sounding unique. Let me take you through my audio journey.  I picked these at random and there are much more to choose from.

1. Phantogram Nightlife   Fulk disclosure she is my woman crush. Take one listen to this masterpiece and you won’t regret it. The beats are genius. You will move and be moved. The creative juices flow into six tracks. It felt me wanting more but I wasn’t deprived of the energy.

Breakout song: Nightlife It hits me with an epiphany about bad relationships.  I remember listening to the song during a breakup and I didn’t feel alone. 

2. Them Crooked Vultures self-titled (2009). 

This debut album for lack of a better word is mind-blowing. there are gems in every track. This is what happens when three rock superheroes come together.The layers are seamless. Here’s Magic. It exists. I pray they return. And look no further when you need to smash a workout.

Breakout song: Caligulove

3. M83 Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming.

I love the title that tells you what to do. And it demonstrates what ‘s in store. The mastermind behind this work created something epic. Yes, it’s a bold claim. But the album delivers. Your brain  is soaked with pure bliss

Breakout song- Splendor I swear I try not to weep listening to this beautiful creation 

4. Dru Hill Enter the Dru

Here it is 2017 and this 1998 piece is still relevant. There’s nothing like great harmonizing. One could argue that there are other similar R&B that can stand the test of time. I mention the group because I can’t forget them. 

Breakout song: What Do I Do With the Love

5. Calvin Harris Ready For The Weekend 

I didn’t appreciate electronic until I found Slacker radio. Mounds of energy. There are no errors. A great club banger. Those days are over but who says you can’t party at home. A swirl of emotions

Breakout song- Flashback. I must confess this record makes me happy. 

6. Lorde Pure Heroine  I am not even gonna question why she gave this work the title. She’s all good in my eyes. I salute her for sharing her thoughts. Her music is incredible. It feels personal and vibrant

Breakout song: Glory and Gore

7. Disclosure Settle  Sam Smith on “Latch” is quite simply an eargasm. And now for some alliteration; Fresh, fantastic and fine.

Breakout song; “Help Me Lose My Mind. Holds a special place in the heart. and there it shall remain 

There you have it. What albums do you enjoy?

I am not a political person. But I am opinionated. I am here to share my thoughts about President Chump. Now I know some will either agree or disagree. I will not beg to differ anyone’s perspective. Keep in mind I am two of the groups Trump holds in low regard: black and a woman.  He may be rich but he’s surely not happy. 

I gotta disagree with the Anthony Weiner entry. If sending your genitals over the internet and getting caught, well he isn’t the one male that should be shut down. I was offended by a few in my past.

This exercise was not easy. I tried to avoid doing it. I had to force myself because it will make me a better writer in the end. And it what I signed up for. It’s nice to know some actual work needs to be done in a course. It’s was fun. Allow me to share. In case you’re interested this is part of my day; developing my ideas  to become a better writer

You’ve Been Warned by James Patterson and Howard Roughan

Fish out of Water : A struggling photographer who needs to make a living, is sidetracked by a secret affair

Looming Conflict Forbidden love

Hook: An aspiring photographer has the skills to become a success but is juggling her nanny job while her photos are becoming distorted amid recurring nightmares

Universal theme acceptance

 Again For the First Time by Raven St. Pierre

Fish out of water two strangers agree to get married after two weeks

Looming conflict Luke’s past and  Lissette’s infertility

Hook. When two strangers meet under contrived circumstances can they truly fall in love

Universal theme; Love

I need to add that this is one of the best books I read in 2017 so far

 Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk

Fish Out of water: Tyler loses all his possessions in a fire and must start over

Looming conflict. Project Mayhem brings more members forming clubs and rising disagreement between himself and his alter ego

Hook: An insomniac who spends his time going therapy groups for those with illnesses.

Universal Theme: survival 

 Amelie

Fish Out of Water: A shy and make a bold move to Solve the mystery of the man who is sending her notes

Looming conflict: Amelie is great at creating possibilities for romance and resolution but she is closed off in finding herself

Hook: Amelie is an orphan helping people find each other but she can’t find her perfect match

Universal Theme: Acceptance, Faith

 Vigilante by 

Fish Out of Water: A doctor who can’t get along with others meets a friendly optimistic social worker

Looming conflict: Doctor by day vigilante by night. A loner meets a woman and falls in love who shows him revenge is not always the answer.

Universal theme: Honor, love, trust

I realize some of these aren’t high concept but these works deeply affected me

Does anybody out there want to add their thoughts?

Given that I loved Netflix originally for their library of international films; I was skeptical that I would view it much when it switched its focus. I also avoid watching some shows of out spite. The following ones I can’t resist. Here are my shows in no particular order

1. Jessica Jones

The content on this show is nothing short of stellar. A strong flawed female lead who will give you those hands. Sarcasm in spades. I mean yass don’t miss work for it but make it a priority. And there’s a villain you would not want to cross path with never not on no day.

2. Stranger Things

I pride myself on loving the 80s. Do I really need to sing its praises? All I know is that it became my addiction for a week. My feelings were hurt that it lasted only eight episodes. Millie got her richly deserved the award. Winona Ryder’s acting was a winning performance.

3. Love

This observation of the dating world is realistic. I was pleasantly surprised that Mickey’s ex was a regular looking guy rather than a clueless stud. I love the irony that Gus chucked out a copy of When Harry Met Sally. What does love have that’s different? I am still in the anger phase of my breakup so I am not seeking warm and fuzzy. This one is hilarious and awkward.

4. Dear White People

I’ll be honest: I didn’t think there would be much material to work with from the movie. I am glad I was wrong. In a word perfect. More adjectives sharp, passionate, and insightful. You gotta love Coco’s character development. It doesn’t make it difficult for it to be my habit. Something good is always happening

5. Marvel’s Luke Cage

Always going to a dark place.  The connection between Misty Knight and he is electric. This Marvel creation represents the chocolate brothers. He is constantly at war for honor and trying to keep his neighborhood safe. I see the running theme is survival or courage. you be the judge. I submit to watching all the action.  It’s an all out war every episode. 

6. Skins

I am guessing I am not the target demographic. My curiosity came from watching a Watchmojo countdown that mentioned it. Big things happen on this show. I am not talking teen angst shenanigans. Ir portrays real teens with partying and drug use. Season 3 broke my heart with a tragic death. It wasn’t for shock value. Skins have some serious moments as well as light ones. And it showcases Nicholas Hoult at his finest. 

7. The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

The introduction of this titular character played by Ellie Kemper gave the underdog a new voice. She refuses to lay down and play the victim.  It deserves high praises for its writing alone. There’s always a spring in her step. Titus Andronmedon is a larger than life character. I say the theme here is faith

What do you think? Have any shows to add that you binge on?

1.Sword & Scale

I am fond of true crime. I can’t explain why but this blog will give the faint of heart nightmares. If you dare to read it, I caution you that extreme violence is  described. I like that it posts underreported stories. Is it twisted that I am familiar with some of the stories I read?There are podcasts too. I have not roamed there but I am willing

Her is one about the Michigan Craiglist Killer:

http://swordandscale.com/the-michigan-craigslist-killer/

2.Vulture

This one came to me by accident. I suddenly started getting their emails. They write pretty interesting stories about movies and pop culture. A noteworthy article was about  the black women of Fifty Shades Darker movie. If you have the time to check it out:

http://www.vulture.com/2017/02/an-ode-to-fifty-shades-darkers-black-women.html

3.Tablespoon

Boy do I get hungry when I visit this site. I am new to it. My sister put me on to it.I want to became a crazy coupon lady and they have those every week. I also enjoy cooking and I receive daily emails with ideas. The most recent meal I made for dinner was Steak Burrito Bowl. I was short on time and had to swap it for ground turkey

http://www.tablespoon.com/recipes/steak-burrito-bowl/428fedc0-33cb-465d-9e43-6880a8746274

4.OneGreen Planet

If loving the environment or animals is your thing you may be already familiar with this site. Full disclosure: I am not a vegan but I adore the animals. I am interested in their rights. I am also curious about organic foods. I don’t claim to be a hardcore green advocate but I am working on it. A notable mention would be this:

http://www.onegreenplanet.org/environment/pipeline-ruptures-and-the-environment/?utm_source=Green+Monster+Mailing+List&utm_campaign=27882c8787-NEWSLETTER_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_bbf62ddf34-27882c8787-105916653

5. Cracked

I admit this one is hit or miss. I enjoy the hilarious articles that usually discuss what I am thinking. Also a weakness is they recycle old articles and I would like to see updated ones. This is a another pop culture rendering. The writing is spot on for me. You be the judge

http://www.cracked.com/blog/4-scenes-from-books-that-were-too-f2A2A2Aed-up-movie/

Hello all. There comes a time when I read something and internally rant. These four books are the reason. Now these titles made me angry for different reasons. Three of the entries are series. I couldn’t bear to continue after the first because the story wasn’t drawing me in. I am providing thoughts on adult content so I offer my apologies if you are offended.

1.Status by Jordan Belcher

I admit it was a decent premise-A young woman Tyesha  who is obsessed with sharing her life on social media. She has a child, a no-good man, and a stalker. How this played out for me left a bad taste in my mouth. There was no character development. I don’t know what the author really thinks of woman but he portrays his protagonist as a typical baby mama fighting over a man who will sleep with her friends. Also the structure the poor grammar and inconsistent tense is cringeworthy

It’s a series so be prepared fro the shenanigans to continue . I chose not to read anymore after the first