Review: The Kwame Sutra by M.L. Elrick and Jim Schaefer

I bought this one after hearing about it a few months ago on the news.



About the book:

“The Kwame Sutra,” is “a one-stop shop for all of Kwame’s best BS,” says top-rated morning radio show host Drew Lane. This new book from Pulitzer Prize-winning reporters M.L. Elrick and Jim Schaefer captures Kwame Kilpatrick as no one ever has. In his own words, including never-before-published quotations, the former mayor of Detroit reveals himself in many ways: Liar, Lothario and, yes, leader.

Through public pronouncements, candid asides, unscripted outbursts and secret text messages, “The Kwame Sutra” provides a 3-D portrait of Detroit’s youngest elected mayor, from his stunning rise to power to the self-induced, cataclysmic crash that landed him in the Wayne County Jail. It’s all here, in graphic detail, in the man’s own words, in one handsome volume.

My Review:

I live in the Detroit Metropolitan area, so Kwame is still ALL OVER THE NEWS! He can't go a week without being involved in some kind of story, it's kind of crazy but it has left us with some interesting quotes.

This book was written by two reporters in Detroit. They have gone through interviews in both TV and newspaper media to find the greatest quotes from the now infamous Kwame Kilpatrick. Some of the quotes make you think "What was he thinking?" and others make you think "Did he really say that?"

I know everyone makes mistakes, I am far from perfect. But it's not as interesting to read what I say as it is to read quotes from someone who is mildly famous now. It was entertaining, but I probably wouldn't read it again. I'm kind of sick of hearing about Kwame and wish that the news would find something new to talk about.

To learn more about The Kwama Sutra please visit kwamesutra.com

The Kwame Sutra: Musings on lust, life and leadership, from Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick

Guest Blog: Author Robert Wacaster

It's Talking Tuesday again, and today I have a guest blog from author Robert Wacaster. Today Robert is talking about life as an author.



Hi, my name’s Robert, and I’m a critic. Well, not really, but I’m sort of moonlighting as one. And now I’ve asked Jennifer to be one, too! How horrible of me! When I think of a critic, I think about a balding guy sitting in front of a movie screen going on and on about how he hated some movie. I’ve never really liked critics much. But there are more than just movie critics. There are critics for books, art, music, food, and probably any other creative thing you can think of to do! I ended up being kind of a critic because I wrote a few books. Ok…I wrote three books. I “self published” the books. That just means I didn’t go through a big publisher, I just kind of put them out myself. And now, I need to find a way to get my books noticed.

I came across a site called goodreads.com and registered there as an author for my first book. It was about working casino security (Adventures in Casino Security), and is sort of what you might call a “black comedy.” I ended up writing a romance novel next, and then a military book. I ended up finding other self published people like myself online and we started getting together, agreeing to read each other’s books, and then review them! How fun! I not only get my books read, but I also get to read other people’s books, and criticize them! We all got together to help each other out though, not tear up each other’s books. Here comes the problem now. My fellow authors have emailed about it behind the scenes, but never out in the open: It’s like a big, dark, ugly, secret! And what is it, you may ask?

What if I don’t like the other author’s book? We all got together to help each other and so far, I’ve like most of the other books I’ve read! But what happens when I come across that one author who’s writing is just AWFUL? I don’t want to slam someone who was nice enough to swap books to review! But then, I’m not really giving an honest review if I say I like their book, am I? Oh, the horror, the horror! Here’s a funny point: I don’t think Jennifer has written a book. Well, not one that I know about anyway. So she’s agreed to read my book (I need to remind myself to mail it!) and review it for me. But what if she doesn’t like it? It’s full of profanity! There are nasty people in the book! The characters fight and scream!

She wanted the military book. So if she doesn’t like that one, maybe I’ll try pushing the romance on her? Ok, maybe she won’t like that one either? Geez Jennifer, you are one hard woman to please! How about the casino book? It’s horribly formatted, and contains the words “he said” and “she said” way too many times! Oh my goodness, now I need to go and puke in the toilet! (Ok, give me a second to calm down here)

On the other hand, the military book I’m sending her (Frigate: November) has gotten pretty good reviews from the people who have read it so far. Maybe Jennifer won’t be so harsh on me? Maybe…she’ll actually like the book? She might even like my style enough to want to read the romance (A Writer’s Love Story)? Wow. I guess I should think positive, shouldn’t I?

My name’s Robert, and I’m a WRITER! But also a semi-nice critic! Drop me a note on goodreads.com, or find me on facebook.

Feel free to check out my three books, and their reviews:

Adventures in Casino Security

A Writer’s Love Story

Frigate: November

Thank you Robert so much for your post. I'm glad I'm not the only one that worries about writing reviews for books that I don't like (thankfully I've not come across too many that I don't like). And I swear I'm really not that hard to please, just give me a good story and my jammies!!! I also liked the visuals of a movie critic... Now I may not be able to sleep with that vision haunting me :-)

As Robert stated he is sending me a copy of Frigate:November to review so once I have that in my hands I'll be sure to post the review as soon as possible.

So thanks for reading and go check out Robert's books. Let us both know what you think!

Review: Unfaithfully Yours by Anthony C. Patton

I won this book on Library Thing for review.



About the Book:

Valerie Johnson and Athena are two very different women. Or are they? Valerie is a business executive who married her high school sweetheart, Stanley. Fifteen years later, they have two kids and live in the suburbs, wondering where the time has gone. Athena is the hottest pop diva in the world, successful and independent. Fifteen years later, she is lonely at the top, wondering why she did not marry her truelove, Brad. Things get interesting when Brad makes a Jay Gatsby return and a case of mistaken identify brings Stanley and Athena together for a midnight rendezvous. In the end, love has the last laugh.

My Review:

Unfaithfully Yours was a bit odd at first. The story is written in a different format: not a normal novel, not a normal screenplay. It was somewhere in between the two. I felt like I was "reading" a movie (That doesn't really make sense, but that's the only way I can describe it). It took a little to get used to the format, and while I didn't dislike the format I didn't love it either. It was kind of take it or leave it for me.

This one was a quick read, it took me about two hours, which is about the time it would take to watch a movie. The story doesn't take really long to get going, I found a decent pace at the beginning that just flowed through the book. It didn't get real intense and faced paced, but it didn't get boring either.

The characters were decently developed. The plot was good. There were a few times I laughed. The dialog and actions of the characters were a bit odd at times, but they were believable.

This book was just ok for me. Everything was just kind of in the middle... The plot was ok, the characters were ok, it was just ok. It definitely wasn't a bad book, but it didn't captivate me the way a great book does.

I couldn't find any info on the author or the publishing company, so if you're interested in learning more about Unfaithfully Yours or to purchase a copy please visit Amazon.

Review: Guest House by Barbara K. Richardson

Let me thank Barbara Richardson for sending me a review copy.



About the Book:

This debut novel follows the unusual road two loners take toward home. Can real love close the distance?

Driving home from work on a summer afternoon, Melba Burns witnesses a nightmare collision. The wreck ends her pursuit of success at any cost—Melba parks her car, quits her job and stops driving. She retreats into her beloved old farmhouse, yearning for a simpler peace.

But peace and Melba’s new roommate, JoLee Garry, have never met. A shallow, self-absorbed stunner, JoLee magnetizes messes and trouble. She brings boyfriends, booze and a tag-along son with her—a series of unexpected guests who transform Melba’s solo life into something different, daring and richer.

This fast-paced, contemporary novel moves between Portland, Oregon and Atomic City, Idaho, the absolute center of nowhere. GUEST HOUSE explores the grace that comes from daring to intervene in a stranger’s suffering. It will appeal to those who have forgotten the power that comes from living simply, and to anyone in their middle years whose life has been hijacked by love.

"This being human is a guest house,” Rumi says, “Every morning a new arrival…” Arrivals come and go in Melba Burn’s life: JoLee Gary who can’t shake her addictions, her husband Gene Garry, who won’t give up on love, and Matt Garry, their unwanted son who will stop at nothing until he has found his own way home.

My Review:

WOW! This was a great book. I truly didn't want it to end.

The writing was so easy to read, it just flowed beautifully. The characters were all so well developed. The story was quite a journey of highs and lows. This story touches on almost all human emotions; love, hate, betrayal, fear, jealousy, loneliness, power, and everything else.

When I say I didn't want the story to end I truly mean it. I could have just kept right on reading about Melba, JoLee, Gene, Matt, Bill, and everyone else. I became so attached to all of them. Even though they weren't all the best of people they were all so real. I could relate to all of what they were thinking, feeling, and experiencing.

I just got so lost in this book. It was so real, I felt as if I was becoming a part of the story.

I don't want to give up my copy, but per author's request I will be passing it along. Even more than I want to keep it, I want to share it with others.

Great book!

To find out more about Guest House please visit Barbara Richardson's website.

As I stated I will be passing this one along. First I want my mother to read it. Once I get it back from her I will pass it along to one of my readers. So please keep your eyes open for a future post with more details.

Guest Blog: Author Robert Parry

Hello, I have another guest blogger today. Author Robert Parry has been kind enough to share with us some information on his book ‘Virgin and the Crab’.



Here's what Robert has to say:

I would like to thank Jennifer for asking me to post a few words about my novel ‘Virgin and the Crab’ here today. ‘Strange title, great novel’ somebody described it recently – which I think is fair comment (I particularly like the ‘great novel’ bit of that statement). For those who agree with the ‘strange’ bit, however, a look at the sub-title might shed a little more light on things: ‘Sketches, Fables and Mysteries from the Early Life of John Dee and Elizabeth Tudor.’

England’s Elizabeth is a person who needs little introduction to history enthusiasts. But what about John Dee? Well, he is the principle character of the story – which takes us through one of the most turbulent, cruel and unsettling decades of English history, from around 1547 to 1558 when the nation had no less than five different monarchs – from Henry VIII, Edward VI and Jane Grey to Mary I and finally Elizabeth I. Turbulent times, to say the least.

John Dee was one of the most remarkable men of his age, a brilliant mathematician, astronomer and geographer and almost certainly a spy. He advised on just about every great voyage of discovery undertaken during the Elizabethan age. He boasted one of the most extensive libraries in Europe at the time, far greater in volume than that of Oxford university, for instance. And he might even have had a hand in the invention of the telescope many years before it first appeared in Holland and Italy and was subsequently adopted for use by Galileo in 1607. He was an alchemist and a devoutly spiritual and religious man who believed in the existence of angels. Perhaps most importantly, as a prominent Cambridge scholar, he became tutor to many of the royal children at Court – including at various times, Edward VI, Jane Grey, Robert Dudley and most likely Elizabeth herself. He was friends with Roger Ascham and John Cheke, two more of the royal tutors, and also with William Cecil, Elizabeth’s closest governmental and legal adviser for almost all of her life. Dee was at the very hub of Elizabethan society.

I hope my story might help raise the profile of this most interesting and talented man who may have played a pivotal role in helping Elizabeth through one of the darkest and most dangerous periods of her life.

Let’s conclude this brief article with another look at that title ‘Virgin and the Crab.’ An explanation! The ‘Virgin’ is Elizabeth, who had the star sign of Virgo, while the Crab is Dee who had the star sign of Cancer, the crab. Their shared interest in the stars and in all things astrological is an important sub-plot to the story. Together, the Virgin and the Crab made a formidable combination and the effects of their friendship remain with us still to this day, reflected in so many of the glorious achievements of England’s golden age.


Thank you again to Robert. I think this sounds like a very interesting read. I've never heard of John Dee, but it's usually the people in history that we know nothing about who have the most interesting stories. And strange is a good thing, keeps us on our toes.

If you would like more information about Virgin and the Crab please visit the Virgin and the Crab website.