Books Part III: Fun Reads :-)

One of my absolute favorite things to do is read, read and read some more. I would live in a bookstore, preferably BusBoys & Poets’ 14th & V location, if I could. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that I got some serious reading done since I’ve been in India. So far, I’ve read roughly 15+ books and I really wanted to talk about them on my blog. I was supposed to start doing this a LONG time ago, but you know how it goes – procrastination got the better of me and I now have to find a way to tell you about these books without making a ridiculously long blog post. In the interest of reader ease, I have opted to put the books I’ve read into several categories to make it more manageable. I wouldn’t say that I have written book reviews here, more of a stream of consciousness with regard to some great books that I have had the chance to get into over the past several months. I hope you see something you like :-)

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Part III: Books I Read Just For Fun

32 Candles: A Novel  by Ernessa T. Carter

I saw this book on the Essence Magazine reading list a few months before I left for my trip and it tells the story of a woman born to a mother who didn’t love her and who has a fairly rough and un-enjoyable childhood. Her biggest problem – she believes that she is ugly and unworthy because that is what she has been told all her life. Long story short, she runs away and “recreates” herself – the path is difficult as the story showed me that simply by changing my surroundings doesn’t mean that a “new me” will automatically surface, you have to deal with your issues or they will follow you and find you. Always. The story reminded me of one of my Joyce Meyer devotional readings that said “Whatever you run from will always be waiting for you somewhere else.” (The Confident Woman Devotional – “No Excuses” September 19). If you’re looking for a coming of age story for adults, this is great one :-) #ilovedit!

Farther Than I Meant To Go, Longer Than I Meant to Stay  by Tiffany L. Warren

Another book I downloaded on my kindle for coming to India, this was an easy read. Focusing on the life of a woman who was not happy with her 36 and single self. She played with fire because she was tired of being alone and she got burned to say the least. This book showed me to make sure I am careful with who I decide to welcome into my heart and my life. The damage can be great. Not a male-bashing novel, this book reveals how important it is to find security in yourself before you seek it out in the world and in this case in the arms of a man. With a quite a few twists and turns, my mouth definitely fell open a few times while reading this one and I recommend it if you’re looking for something fun and quick.  

Losing My Virginity and Other Dumb Ideas  by Madhuri Banerjee  

This one was just for fun ;-) I saw it at the Delhi Book Festival and I had to pick it up because the title brought a smile to my face for some reason. The main character, Kaveri, is a the top of her game professionally, but as she nears the big 3-0, she finds that there’s one major milestone she has yet to cross off of her personal to do list – losing her virginity. Her solution – she makes a vow with herself to lose it by the time her 30^th birthday comes around. As you imagine, a declaration like that can lead to some hasty decisions and unforeseen consequences. The cool thing about this book is that you get to see how a “grown” woman deals with being a rookie in the dating world and it gives perspective to the benefits and potential downfalls of waiting until you get yourself together to start looking for romantic relationships. In a short amount of time, Kaveri learns a lot – about herself, her wants/needs, about men and what she’s looking for in a relationship.

Ain’t No Sunshine  by Leslie DuBois

This book was pleasant surprise. I downloaded it on my kindle because at the time it was free or like 99 cents (it’s 2.99 now lol) and I figured it couldn’t hurt. It’s a short book; I read it in two days because I had to know what happened next. The book is set in 1960s Virginia, so racism is of course on the table, but what kept me reading was the constant physical abuse experienced in Stephen’s home and how his friendship with a neighbor, Ruthie – who is black, helped keep him alive. Yes it’s a love story but as the story unfolds, it’s not what you expect. Trust me. I seriously couldn’t put it down and I am sure a few flies flew in and out of my mouth because my jaw dropped repeatedly while reading this one.