The Secret Life of Bees Review

This was an exciting book for me to get my hands on. One, I was actually getting my hands on it, and two, I'd really enjoyed the movie, and had sentimental connections to it. I thought I might feel the same thing for the story if it wasn't for the way that it was written.

For anyone that might not know, The Secret Life of Bees is the story of a fourteen year old young white girl living in the south in the mid 1960s. She has an abusive father, and a mother that died when she was very young. She runs away to live with some Black women.

In the movie, they tried to make Dakota Fanning seem so sad and hurt in her life. And I felt a little sympathy for her. She has much more maturity than the character Lily. Lily annoys me so many more times than I care to admit, and a lot of it had to do with the racial stereotypes.

Rosaleen wasn't young, beautiful Jennifer Hudson; she was a middle-aged, Mammy-esque figure to Lily. This brat didn't think that Rosaleen was at all intelligent, she would speak for the grown woman, and then after meeting August Boatwright she wants the rough-around-the-edges woman to be more cultured. Yes, that is the word that the writer used. In so many ways, the girl didn't see Rosaleen as a person. I think this might have been in part the style of the story, and not that the author has so narrow a mind, because she hints at the story of Rosaleen.

Lily is a character that falls firmly in the category of dramatico. Every little detail that she hears, she rolls around until she has another reason to feel bad for herself. Now, I'm not going to lie, Lily did have some issues in her life, but she sees herself as the center of the universe. So many times in the story, I want to shake the shit out of her, or backhand her into oblivion and tell her "Your life isn't that fucking bad!" Many (at least the ones centered on in the book) of her issues stem from the fact that the one person she wants in her world, her mother, isn't with her.

The Boatwright Sisters are a group of unmarried eccentric African-American women that keep bees and live in a pink house in South Carolina. There is August, May and June. All of these women are also significantly older than their acting counterparts. At one point, there was an April. but she isn't in the book. None of them had married, and they are known for using a particular picture of a Black Madonna as their emblem. These women are not like Rosaleen; they have beautiful things, and come from money neither of them had seen. August, the eldest of the sisters, is a mystical, intelligent, deep thinking woman; there are many things that hint something mystical underneath, although the author likes to counter this by trying to make it very realistic. June Boatwright is a headstrong cellist and teacher. She doesn't like Lily from the beginning, and has an unrequited lover. May is one of twins, and a sensitive child-like woman that has issues bearing the weight of the world on her shoulders.

There are other characters, including an intelligent, handsome chocolate love interest, but the biggest part of the book is around the relationship between the women.

Now, my problems with the book comes from Lily and her style of writing. She uses many metaphors, but sometimes it can be a bit too much. Then, it's Lily's ideas around Black people. There are times that she seems oblivious to the fact that the Black characters are humans, that they experience the same type of emotions that white people can. It can make me roll my eyes; the fact that this book is written by a white woman is totally obvious in the writing. I'm not sure how to explain it, but that's how it is. She doesn't write like someone like Olivia Cole, but she's alright.

The one thing that the author really spends a lot of interesting time on is the religion that the Boatwright sisters celebrate. It's a hybrid of Catholicism, Mary worship, ancestor worship and some pagan aspects as well. Lily takes this religion into her heart, and it helps heal her. The idea of the mother of Jesus taking the place in her life that she didn't have with her mother is part of her growth into a young woman.

I would honestly recommend this book to someone that enjoys bees, Black women, your Adolescent coming-of-age stories. This is definitely one of those books that you should read before you think of purchasing it.

Some fun upcoming posts:

I'm trying to get back to writing on this blog on a regular basis. I have another book that I'm reading, something that is really raising my eyebrows, but that I'm not going to spoil just yet. There is also some fiction that I want to put up as well.

What I've Been Up To

As of recently, writing on the computer has become a bit of a hassle. I have no laptop, and using my house Mac (and that disgusting chicklet keyboard) makes me want to bash my head against the wall.Right now I'm taking the opportunity to take advantage of a Dell keyboard, and gets to writing, or rather, typing.

I've been working on fiction, but it's been pen to paper. Because I have some stories locked in a coma on my external hard drive, but to access it, I think I need to be on a PC, not a Mac, at least to actually do writing and editing. I'm working on a story whose outline I wrote a long time ago. I'd tried to write this story, actually flesh it out, at least half a dozen times. I've done the first two scenes half a billion times in my head. Now I'm actually making headway.

One of the things that I've realized as a writer is that I need to not take my outline as the concrete plan I must follow. An outline has become just that, an outline. And because of the way the story started to flow, I've had to change the order of things, and I've had to add new scenes in. I think I want this story to be more romantic erotica than the teen angst erotica that I was going for, even though it's still a teenage story.

On top of that, I've also been working on doing small things, short pieces and flash fiction. I really enjoy doing flash fiction and the such because it helps strengthen me as a writer. There is a piece I've been trying to write as of late, I can see the character clearly in my head, although I'm not entirely sure of her back story. I know that she's a lesbian, but I'm not going to give away any more. Once I have it ready for outside eyes, I will put it up on here.

That's about it for now. More to come later.

Pimp: The Story of My Life Review

This has to be one of the most fascinating books that I've ever read. Pimp: The Story of my Life, by Iceberg Slim, is the autobiography of a man that was a pimp. Because of moves like "The Mack", "Pimps Up, Hoes Down", and the general pimp culture that seems to permeate everywhere, most people think they know about pimping.

This is just absolutely untrue. Iceberg Slim goes so far beyond just beating a woman. He explains how he actually takes and molds her mind in order to make as much money off her as possible. This is absolutely disgusting to read, and I find him repulsive. However, he knows how repulsive his acts were, and turned his life around.

What really kept me reading the novel was Slim's writing style. He knows how to weave together words and tell a story. He uses such lovely metaphors, and speaks truthfully. This book feels like I was sitting in a park, and began talking with someone about their life. His memory is a steel trap, and the details that he remembers lets me feel like I'm seeing it with him. Sometimes if it wasn't for the extensive vocabulary, and the high priced items, I wouldn't know that this story took place in the 1930s. If there are any issues with the language, the back of the book has a glossary, although I could have sworn a few of the words had multiple meanings.

I don't want to put anything from the book, but I can say that from the first page, he held me captive. I think there is a look inside feature, if not, you're just going to have to look on Amazon, or find a blog that gives previews and spoilers.

This is definitely an adult book with adult themes. It's not for people with multiple triggers, nor is it for people that can't stand to read the objectification of women. He was as icy as his name implies, and it definitely shows in this. I'm actually curious to read more of his work; he's a fascinating person, and going from the world of easy money, easier women, and drugs flowing--to going straight (that is the only thing I'm giving away, and it's not even something I'm giving away because he says it right in the introduction to the book).

12 Years a Slave- A Review of Patsy, Lupita Nyong'o, and the Academy Awards

Now, I really don't do reviews on movies for the most part; movies are not my thing, I can't express fully what they mean the way a true movie critic would. The only part that I can talk about with any real certainty is writing. That's why I'm writing about 12 Years a Slave.

Now, I haven't read the book yet, but I have just seen the Oscars and seen all the epic things that the Academy has bestowed on him. Now, with some of it, it could be because the book was a time piece, or because the awards given to Black characters that were playing slaves, but that's more a topic that this blog covers, remarkably well. She can probably explain it better than I can.

I was first excited about this movie because I heard that it was based on an autobiography, and a true story. Now for me, there's nothing like a true story. I really love them. The last full length one that I read was the autobiography of Frederick Douglass, which was totally epic. Most recently, I've been reading random slave narratives, and my current novel is W.E.B Du Bois' "The Souls of Black Folks". As soon as I'm done, I will write its review. But my review is about 12 Years, or rather, the Oscars giving this movie its due. I just read that 12 Years is the first film with a Black director to win the highest honor in the history of the Academy. For some reason I'm really not surprised that, but I am rather disgusted that he is the first. Why do their have to be firsts. It's just... damn, if he was the first, what of other ethnicity? According to what I just read, the Best Director Winner was the first Latin Male to win. Have they had people win for things like this? I don't think so, and that's even sadder. Then again, I have to remember, other ethnicity people have only been considered humans to the White majority for, oh say, 50 years, give or take. Some can argue that it's not fully the case, with proof...

Damn it, I'm digressing to race again.

I have to keep on track that this blog is about writing, reading, characters and things of that nature. As of right now, I should focus on how Lupita obviously did an amazing job bringing Patsy to life. Or rather, back to life.

When watching the commercial, and recently reading articles earlier, I found out the context behind the scene (I'm not going to give a spoiler, but I will say that it's described in the blog that I posted to earlier), and why she was so emotional. That, and she is portraying a REAL PERSON. Patsy would not be known at all if it wasn't for Solomon Northup writing about her. She would have just been another slave woman lost to history.

But because of Mr. Northup's writing, she's actually a person, she is fleshed out, she is given flesh again, and her pain now something that can be seen, and we all know how important sight is for people nowadays. She is more than just some text, or a slave narrative spoken by someone. We were able to see something akin to what she went through, the torture that was all too frequent for slave women. Ms. Nyong'o gave her flesh again (I feel calling her Lupita is far too personal, considering I'm just a blogging fan).

It's not often that someone is really made a person again, especially in something like a movie, but this seems to be a stand out movie. Now, considering that I haven't read the stories of Mr. Northup, nor have I seen the movie yet, this is totally biased just because of my excitement. Its' things like these that are small victories, as a woman, as a writer, especially when the screen play adaptation WON another of the big Academy Awards. That's so fucking brilliant.

After I watch the movie, and read the book, this will be updated with parts two and three.

I'm so very excited. This is brilliant

Watership Down Review

And here I go, writing ten thousand years later. But it's here. My first book review of 2014, and it's for another children's/young adult novel.

I've recently finished reading Watership Down (this website is a great resource for pictures of the real places mentioned in the book), a tale of rabbits struggling for their survival. Now, this is a book that many different people will like; if you like rabbits, you'll enjoy this, if you like adventure books, you'll like this, if you like suspense (yes, there are times where this book becomes quite the page turner), you will like this.

The plot revolves around two brother rabbits, after one has a premonition of a disaster. That's all that I can really say without revealing anything really important from the plot. I'm not a person that likes to give spoilers, so that's why this blog post is going to be rather brief. It's all about the different rabbits they encounter, the few human interactions, and the premonitions that have an incredible impact on how the rabbits view their world, and how important it is for them to push the limits to become the best rabbits possible.

Now, if you like young adult books, books like "Wind in the Willows", then this will definitely be something that you want to read. It's a lovely page turner.

This is a short ass review, because the book is very much what it is. It's amazing, and you just need to read it; if it doesn't catch you than it's probably not the book for you, and if it does, enjoy the journey.

New Year, New Literary Challenges

Hello blog in 2014!

I have not forgotten about anything, and I'm still working on that writing exercise project (yes, it's running way late, but I'm still doing it, and in this case, that's what counts), and I'm reading a new book. I'm not going to mention the book here, because hopefully in the next few days when I'm done, I will have a post about it. I'll give a hint: it's another children's classic about animals. Okay, that's big enough.

I had temporarily lost my outline book, but my sister found it for me, and now that it's found, I'm determined to know where it is at all times. I'm going to do a lot of writing this year; it was also my resolution last year, but I have the most positive feelings about getting things done this year, and I'm really proud of what I will possibly be able to accomplish.

First things first, I will put some fiction on here. I feel like I've promised that before, and it turned out to be something that I absolutely should not have put online, but you live and learn.

I have a goal this year to be published, whether that means self, or finding a real publishing house.

I want to write and read everyday, and not spend so much time on my social networks and YouTube, especially if it doesn't have anything to do with bettering myself.

What else...? I'm not sure what else, but as I know it, I will let it be know here.

This is a new year, of promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep. Yep, I just stole that line, and I'm not even going miles before I sleep, unless it's a metaphor that I'm too tired to understand right now.

2014 is going to be AWESOME.

Fiction Challenge

I have to admit something: I've been neglecting my writing. The things that I need to work on, one particularly long and daunting piece in particular, have made me wimp out. But I've decided that I will no longer wimp out, and that I haven't been putting in the time necessary for me to become a good writer.

I just got the somewhat brilliant idea to do a bit of a fiction challenge for myself, to see if I could write one piece of fiction a week; this is not going to be my only writing, but at least one piece a week for me to put up here, so that I can hold myself up to a different standard and judge. As much as I usually write erotica, I'm going to try to write more than just that.

And I haven't stopped reading: I've currently decided to read the book "Don Quixote", which I didn't realize had so much going on inside it. I'm already 3% in to the book, and I haven't gotten past the translators notes. There are a few different translations, but I think that the one that my story is, is something a bit more recent, although I'm not so sure. I'm worried that I won't understand it as well as I should, but I also think that I can understand it if I teach it to myself, and I take my time to fully understand.

I will read shorter things throughout reading "Don Quixote", so I will still have book reviews to write on a timely schedule. The biggest thing is that the schedule is timely. My biggest problem, my giant to slay, if I'm going down "The Warrior Girls" route, is the giant Procrastination. It's really messed me up in life, and makes me shirk my responsibilities. I can't continue to have it happen, so I'm going to keep myself on a schedule.

That's it for now, although there will be a lot more of me seen in the near future.