I won a copy of this book The Lakeside Cemetery so was excited to finally read it. It has a unique plot and while I enjoyed it, I didn't love it. It reads YA to me because of the juvenile actions and lines of the characters. Although there is nothing graphic, but there is death. There is a lot of repetitiveness in phrases and locations. There are quick transitions in the book as well. I felt a bit too quick so I never quite got vested into anything. I enjoyed the comedy at times, which there was a lot of. Overall, a quick read and enjoyable. 

Mary who wrote Frankenstein is a simple fictional biography about how Mary Shelley came up with the classic Frankenstein.  It is a large book (size, not girth), quick to read and has bright, yet still dark pictures.  Very broody.  Fun, informative read. 

The Broken Kingdoms was written well.  Lots of startling imagery and locations.  For a blind woman Oree gets around very easily and describes things well.  I enjoyed the story and was about ¼ way through before making the connection to the first book in the series.  The comedy cracked me up.  Book has lots of sad parts about loneliness and forgiveness.  I really felt bad for Shiny (still laughing about that name).  NKJ writes a good intricate story. 

Mermaid of Black Conch was very unique and I was engaged the entire time.  The slow pace is adequate and I was able to really get into the story. I do think the beginning fishing trip dragged on a bit long, but fine once book progressed from there.  Story was written very well and the imagery was fantastic.  I could imagine this mermaid in amazing detail.  There were a lot of sexual references, but nothing graphic.  And the similarities to how whites snatched Africans during the slave trade with no remorse was really strong.  I was in my feelings for a bit and was pissed at the fisherman tourists.  There were a lot of things that just didn’t make sense in the book so that is why I gave it 3 stars.  You catch a mermaid, then leave it to go drinking.  You telling everybody that comes up about mermaid, inviting to a party, she walking around village by herself, forgiving a guy that abandoned you when he just pops up.  I’m just like, hugh…But overall, this was a beautiful love story about 2 lonely people (several actually but they are the main ones) that find each other.

If Beale Street Could Talk was a sad story that took too many tangents into the past that made me forget where I was in the story.  I did not like the writing style at all with all the jumping around in time, but it did lead to lots of suspense.  It is written like an essay narrative with lots of exploration into themes of sexism, racism, colorism, prison life, domestic violence, religion, etc.  While those are important themes I was taken out of the story. I also didn’t like the first person POV with Tish being omnipresent. Overall a good story, but I didn’t get the end. 

I didn’t like Jonah’s Vine Gourd.  It jumped around between people, time, and scenes too much and the country dialect threw me too.  I was tempted to not finish several times.  Book had a lot of violence, sinning and smart allic comments that seemed juvenile.  The scene where Ned and Amy fought in the kitchen was crazy.  And the statement that black people need to learn to love their children now because they weren’t allowed to before was so powerful.  I wanted to love this book but did not.   

 The Women of Brewster Place is a true reflection of black females trying to survive a world that don’t care much for them.  Very sad. And also how a black females best ally, but also the enemy, are other black females.  The story was interesting, but it jumps around a lot between scenes, time, and people, which I did not like.  It would have been nice to get the complete story instead of filling in the gaps myself.  And there are a lot of characters to keep track of.  At times, I was lost.  I remember seeing and enjoying the movie decades ago.  Overall, a good short story.  

Brother was a wild ride with a house of horrors with a family of serial killers.  I kept thinking TX Chainsaw Massacre meets Deliverance.  Mama and Ray have some serious problems.  It had a number of shockers and was very suspenseful.  I had my jaw hanging down towards the end because I know something was up.  This is the reason I don’t like living near the country.  This book is violent, and sad.  I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Well done.

Living Dead Girl is a heart wrenching book about all too real situations and makes you want to protect every child you encounter.  The author does a great job of getting into the head of a victim that has been so traumatized that her psyche has been damaged.  This is a sad story, told very well.  Definitely got to be in a particular mindset to read this book.  I am so glad it was short.  Hold your kids tight people. 

Sour Candy was quick, fast paced, and had an interesting plot that sucks you in from the beginning.  Sucks to be this dude. Very suspenseful, and would make a great movie.  I definitely will not be accepting candy from anyone anytime soon. There was lack of explanation of some items that I would have liked info on, but it didn’t detract from the plot.  Great story I thoroughly enjoyed.