#whatareyoureading

NEW READING (S) ALERT 🩷📚

NEW READING (S) ALERT 💜📚

💜 The Best Man Unfinished Business: By: Malcolm D Lee

Growing up TGIF on ABC was a thing for my family watching Hanging with Mr Cooper, Full House, Boy Meets World and of course Family Matters. I couldn’t wait to see Steve Urkel turn into Stefan Urquelle lol. Now that I’m older my 4-year-old and I still binge-watch Family Matters now and then. Family Matters is essential in a black family household among many other 80s and 90s black sitcoms. Hey, these days I’ll take Steve Urkel's love that he had for Laura. But I know it was just a show.

When my brother told me that Jaleel White wrote a memoir I had to read it but I honestly debated based on the reviews I saw: he is arrogant in the book, they see why Family Matters ended, etc. But like I said Family Matters was big in my childhood and I didn't want that messed up, cause a book can do that as I've seen from reading Porsha Williams' book. I just see a gold digger in her now and even more so with this divorce settlement. But I'm not going with what they say cause a lot of people really hate on Urkel in real life and I'm be the judge for myself on Jaleel White's memoir… So let me begin 🤍📖 I’ll be back!

-“Laura, I know I’m not worthy of you but I just can’t help loving you. It’s like wanting to touch a star— you know you’ll never reach it, but you’ve just gotta keep trying.”

-Steve Urkel (Family Matters)

I’m give this book a 6.5 out of 10 I am a little in different on reading this book. I can see why reviews read he is arrogant or self absorbed. But I can also see really hurt and wounds he has from his life as Steve Urkel. And this is me saying this and I’m not even finish with the book, I haven’t made it to the photos he inserted in the book. I know I couldn’t be a child actor and probably not even an adult actor. The business is not only messy and dirty but without even known it or asking for it your personal life as well. So many people took advantage of him, as we call it these was jealous and envious of him and it wasn’t even kids it was grown adults. I’m not even finish reading the book; not even to the photos to the half way mark of the book, and already how many people have hurt him as a child and he not even know it’s hurt at the time. He been used for basketball games and then can’t even play in a high school basketball game cause he was on tv (crazy work & they should be ashamed if they have morals). He was just doing his job as his parents planned so he can one day pay for college while just wanting to be a teenager off screen. Which yes is most childhood actors but his parents kept him grounded and reminded him it was a job he was Jaleel at the end of it all respect, grades and working hard was still morals for him. They ain’t play nothing lesson lol, But let me keep reading and see if my views change. And, Hey a fun fact (cause I didn’t know) Family Matters was a spin off of Perfect Strangers based on Harriette Winslow (Jo Marie Payton aka Suga Mama).

To Chapter 7 and I think I’m regretting reading this book. But we shall see let me keep reading!!

Okay it’s 10:49pm on September 10th, 2025 and baby I could have read another book for the month of August! I pushed through til the end and yes I still give this book at 6/6.5 out of 10. He states in the last chapter of his book he could be stuck on shoulda, coulda, woulda but sir you are and thats just what this book is. A lot of putting people out there for what he felt they did wrong to him from the start of Family Matters til now I’m say. I will not take from him that he was stuck in the role of Urkel or some of the things he shared in the book was wrong cause they were. Taking advantage of a child’s fame for your own personal or family gain is very bold. The title fits the story line and the anger he let out in the book, he is very bitter and hurt from his experience of begin Urkel. Ummm does this give a different out look on him, not really I hope he truly heal cause that can be another reason its stopping him from been nothing more than Urkel. Cause yes a lot of people see him as Urkel but he need to accept the good Urkel was not a bad guy, and these days a guy that some of us wish we knew, had around us or even wish they could of been.

I wish more positive experiences, reflects and memories were shared. This was just a tell all of what you did to me Memoir. I would have probably enjoyed more of learning his life and how Urkel became and grew into a household name even though we already know that if you are a true Family Matters fan. Would I suggest this book to a friend, I’m sorry NO. Would I read this book again, NO. Is this one of my top books for 2025, NO. Wasn’t a bad but book but definitely wasn’t what I expected it to be and how it was described to be. I just hope that he one he truly let go and embrace that its how life works its good, bad, ugly and sometimes worse but dont let it make him or take that much control over him.

I'm Back (For Real This Time)…

Marshay’s Reading Is BACK 🩷📚

- “Our doubts are traitors and cause us to miss the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt.”

- William Shakespeare

Social Media is one hell of a drug, but self doubt is even a bigger one. Sadly it’s something that I do a lot feeling like with everything that I know I'm great is not enough or good enough; from my monthly reading blog to the way I do home decor and to so much more that I love and would like to put out there. But 2025 one of my many goals was to step out on faith, be bold and brave that no matter how much doubt is in my head I am to COMPLETE EACH & EVERYTHING I set my mind, heart, time and funds too!! So I have said it many of times I’m Back and now I'm saying I’M BACK, but back to stay! 🩷 Marshay’s Reading is BACK!! 🩶📚

I reviewed my past postings (yes just my two little reviews) and learned how I think I can make my reviews better, but also blog about them. Counting doing a rating scale 1-10 of each book (from 10 of course highly recommend). Opening up a books suggestions of any genre, also adding the books my daughter and I read together and so much more. Hopefully I can get my book blog some where and one day it goes some where (even if it reaches 10 people I’m grateful and it went some where) but right now let me just focus on completing my monthly reading blogs. 🩷 The monthly of August so far I’ve been reading the biography of Jaleel White (but we know him as Urkel) and even brought back an elementary or junior (for me) classic Harry Potter the first book. So please rejoin me through this journey and let’s complete these 2025 Goals; Only 4 Months and 3 Weeks til 2026 🩶

Also don't forget to join me and if you have read one of my monthly readings let me know your thoughts and let’s discuss! 🩷

- “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.”

Happy new year! I cannot believe that it is 2024 already. Where has 2023 gone? I know I failed at a lot of different resolutions that I was ultimately planning on doing in 2023 so I guess 2024 is going to be the year I actually do what I am planning to do.

Last year, however, I did plan to read 10 books by the end of 2023 because clearly, I've never read 10 books in a year (how dreadful). Well, that changed drastically last year after I finally joined a virtual book club. This particular book club is different than any other book club in the sense that not everyone reads the same book. I know, strange, but this is fantastic for a person like me who does not like to be tied to reading one book for an entire month. I find this group refreshing as you get to hear about other books everyone else is reading plus other genres and in December, you pick the book you thought was great and do a white elephant exchange. I seriously love it.

Anyways, I ended up reading 22 books last year and I was so proud of that. The shortest book read was Galatea by Madeline Miller at 20 pages and the longest was Resistance Women at 640 pages. I've enjoyed reading most of them and would like to share my list with you guys.

Lore Olympus volume 3 by Rachel Smythe (webtoon)

Lore Olympus volume 4 by Rachel Smythe (webtoon)

Resistance Women by Jennifer Chiaverini

Lore by Alexandra Bracken

Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi

A Better Man by Louise Penny

Permission to Feel - Marc Brackett Ph.D

Under the Whispering Door - TJ Klune

The House on the Cerulean Sea - TJ Klune

Galatea - Madeline Miller

The Hazel Wood - Melissa Albert

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo - Taylor Jenkins Reid

Refugee - Alan Gratz

Salt to the Sea - Ruta Sepetys

Restart - Gordon Korman

Magic Steeped in Poison (book 1) - Judy Lin

A Venom Dark and Sweet (book 2) - Judy Lin

It Ends With Us - Colleen Hoover (don't recommend. Trigger warning)

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow - Gabrielle Zevin

Bear Town - Fredrik Backman

Us Against You - Fredrik Backman

Finding Cinderella - Colleen Hoover (this one is better)

I read a variety of different books and they're all very unique to their own. I particularly did not enjoy Colleen Hoover's books, just because a lot of her stories it seems have trigger warnings that other authors disclose in their synopsis sections, yet she did not. My coworker was the one who recommended it to me, but reading it just prompted major red flags of relationships that would normally be bad, but in her book It Ends With Us (romance novel), almost glorifies them/justifies what is going on, but as a woman I believe it's very degrading and terrible to justify a male character's actions, when clearly they need some professional help and having this poor female character just being strung along and then throwing in a love triangle and then having the male counterparts fighting.. I don't know. It was a very messed up story. It started out cute, but then as you read it just got worse and worse. In all honesty, I just tried to finish it for the sake of finishing the book. I did want to give the benefit of the doubt to the author and tried a different story and that was better. I don't think I'd actively search for her books to read in the future though.

My reading goal this year is to get through 24 books for 2024. So far I am reading The Winners by Fredrik Backman. I've really fallen in love with this author's writings since I read A Man Called Ove. His characters have a lot of depth to them and he does write about heavy and tragic things, but his storytelling is spectacular.

If you have any books that just blew you a way, please leave them in the comments section so I can add to my TBR list. :) I hope you all have an amazing year and hopefully I can stay on track here as well haha.