Just to note: "Invisible Man" has absolutely become one of my favorite books. I have never remembered a book after one read as well as I remembered that one, and it is because Ellison is so good at what he does.
"Second Helpings"
I am WILDLY addicted to these books. I never expected to be because they looked so girly and immature, but the journal entries mirror my journal so closely that I can't help but love them! This picks up half a year after the other left off and in true fashion, left me wanting more. Marcus Flutie, you are the love of my life. On to the next..
"Charmed Thirds"
This one spanned the entirety of Jessica's college years, which was both good and bad at the same time. It was a fun way to portray more life experiences, but took away from the detailed accounts of the first two books. It did, however, move into more mature content that is much easier to currently relate to rather than the nostalgic high school issues from the former books.
"Secret Diaries of a Call Girl," Anonymous
FINALLY. I started to read this when I still had some form of downtime, but now I have much less. Belle is witty and takes away the stigmas of the working girl. She actually makes it sound appealing. This book is racy as hell until about 2/3's of the way through when she stops talking less about her sexual encounters and more about her life. It's worth reading though! I appreciate a woman who can talk candidly about sex, even if it is anonymous. P.S. It's really fun to make your guy read all of the dirty and/or funny parts. Trust me, he'll enjoy it.
"Rant," Chuck Palahnuik
Chuck is weird. Anyone who has seen "Fight Club" knows this, but it's that addictive kind of weird. Anyway, he wrote this book in the fashion of interviews with multiple people telling the story of the book's deceased namesake. It took some getting used to, but once you get into the style, it's very good. The twist got me - he finds a way to creep in on even the most suspecting sci-fi/thriller readers. This one makes you think.
"The Rolling Stone Interviews," Various Authors
The title makes the subject matter of the book very obvious. It was good to read about some of my favorite people and some I knew nothing about. My only qualms with this book is that they say they have picked the best interviews. I disagree. There are some notable figures, in music especially, that they left out. I also know I've read much better interviews in RS in the past and present. Overall, it was good, but not the most staggering collection of interviews.
"Invisible Man," Ralph Ellison
This was actually really good. I think everyone should be required to read it. It really does have some good insight about African American life in America. It has so many ins and outs - almost everything Ellison does relates to a deeper thing. It's actually amazing how intricate he gets with connecting details upon details to a much larger issue. It's not too hard to read either! I would definitely say, socially, you should know this book. It enlightens.
"Mama Day," Gloria Naylor
I LOVE Southern writers, novels, etc. This was not only a Southern novel but it was written about an island with unique African American culture. The dialect is perfect. So is the scenery and the voices of the characters are unique. It's really funny and every time I opened the book, I felt like I was on a front porch with my shoes off and the summer air was touching my skin - the imagery is just that good. I'd definitely read this outloud to my kids, racy/scary parts and all. This book touches on all genres. READ!
"Middle Passage," Charles Johnson
I ended up going through this one wildly fast. It was good, but I think I probably missed a lot in my haste to get it done. It's a unique book, though, because it talks about slave trade in a recently emancipated America yet it is done in a modern tone. It's also racy, and I love anything that's racy because well, I am. Haha. The Allmuseri are also a fascinating group of characters.
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