#zadie jenkins. » relationships.

[myyenlee]

Celebrating UK Black History Month: Learning Resources, a Read & Watch List, and Content Creation Tools

This year’s UK Black History Month theme, Proud To Be, is about celebrating the Black experience. As a distributed company with employees around the world, including the United Kingdom, we believe that the more perspectives we embrace, and the more we learn about our teammates, the better we are at engaging and helping our global community. 

This October, we encourage individuals and organizations to learn more about Black history, heritage, and culture in the UK. “Black British history is British history. It’s more than a month; it is interwoven in everything,” says Ama, a colleague based in Scotland. “We have changed landscapes in education, law, politics, work, and equality for all within the UK.” Black history is deeply embedded in UK culture, says Ama, from institutions — like the National Health Service — to music, sports, art, media, and popular culture.

Interested in learning more? We’ve compiled a list of staff recommendations:

websites and organizations on WordPress

books, films, and television by Black thinkers and creators in the UK

blogging and website-building tools

Explore these resources this month — or bookmark them for learning and inspiration anytime.

#PoweredByWordPress learning resources

From the official UK Black History Month hub to the website of the Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation, these resources are great starting points for your journey.

Black History Month 2021

All year long, Black History Month publishes news, features, career and education information, and event listings across the UK. Make it your first resource for getting educated and involved.

Black Heroes Foundation

Focused on youth education and development, this London-based community charity raises Black cultural awareness of the general public, educating and uplifting youth in particular. The foundation envisions a world where Black heroes are acknowledged, respected, and celebrated.

Stephen Lawrence Day

The 1993 murder and case of Stephen Lawrence — an 18-year-old from southeast London who was killed in an unprovoked racial attack while waiting for the bus — led to a major shift in the UK in attitudes about racism, the criminal justice system, and the role of the police. The Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation continues to tell Stephen’s story, offers resources for educators and organizers, and works toward creating a just society.

The National Archives

The National Archives is the official archive and publisher of the UK government, documenting over 1000 years of history. Researchers can browse the Black British history section of the website for a guide on social and political history in the 20th century, lots of blog and multimedia content, and records relating to British citizens of African and African-Caribbean descent.

Black History Walks

Partnering with museums, schools, and other institutions, Black History Walks offers a dozen walking tours throughout London, public monthly educational talks, and video courses and resources on Black history. Its diverse programming targets a range of people both in person and online, from students to travelers to businesses.

A read & watch syllabus

Looking for book, TV, and film recommendations about Black history and culture in the UK — or by Black scholars and creators — but aren’t sure where to start? Here are some of our nonfiction, fiction, and film and television picks.

Nonfiction

Black and British: A Forgotten History: Published to accompany the BBC Two series noted in the Film and Television section below, this must-read book by historian David Olusoga examines the shared history between the British Isles and the people of Africa.

100 Great Black Britons: In this book, Patrick Vernon and Angelina Osborne — founders of the 100 Great Black Britons campaign — celebrate Black British history and recognize key Black Britons who have helped to shape Great Britain.

Brit(ish): On Race, Identity and Belonging: A hybrid of history and memoir, Afua Hirsch’s book “reveals the identity crisis at the heart of Britain today” and explores a nation in denial about its imperial past and present.

This Is Why I Resist: Don’t Define My Black Identity: In a book that demands fundamental change, activist and lawyer Dr. Shola Mos-Shogbamimu examines the roots of racism and anti-Blackness and calls for meaningful action.

The Louder I Will Sing: A Story of Racism, Riots and Redemption: In 1985, when Lee Lawrence was a child, his mother was wrongfully shot by police during a raid on their home in Brixton. Published more than three decades later, his memoir chronicles what it was like to grow up as a young Black man in England and how that day influenced his family.

In Black and White: A Young Barrister’s Story of Race and Class in a Broken Justice System: Experiencing a tragedy as a teenager pushed Alexander Wilson to become a barrister — a type of lawyer — so she could make a difference within an unjust system. Her debut book describes her experience as a mixed-race woman in a field lacking in diverse representation.

Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire: In this book, author and hip-hop artist Akala blends biography and personal experience with an examination of race and class across topics — from education to politics and the police to the far right.

Misfits: A Personal Manifesto: This “coming-to-power manifesto” by Michaela Coel — the actress, writer, and creator of I May Destroy You — builds on an inspiring keynote address she delivered at the 2018 Edinburgh International Television Festival about resilience, empathy, storytelling, and growing up in public housing in East London.

What a Time to Be Alone: The Slumflower’s Guide to Why You Are Already Enough: In this illustrated self-help guide, author and influencer Chidera Eggerue, also known as the Slumflower, writes about self-love, empowerment, and creating your own narrative. The book also includes Igbo proverbs from Eggerue’s Nigerian mother.

I recommend David Olusoga’s Black and British: A Forgotten History. It’s a really important book, with new updates on the Windrush scandal and Black Lives Matter from the UK perspective.

—Victoria Jones, UK

Fiction

White Teeth: Published over 20 years ago, Zadie Smith’s debut novel focuses on the lives of two unlikely friends and their families in London. Considered a “modern classic of multicultural Britain,” the book is a window into the immigrant experience.

Girl, Woman, Other: Weaving a dozen narratives about different people across ages, backgrounds, and professions, Bernardine Evaristo examines topics of identity, race, and womanhood in modern Britain.

Love in Colour: This collection of short stories by author Bolu Babalola reimagines ancient love stories and folktales from around the world, from Greek myths to Middle Eastern legends, and centers Black women and strong female characters.

Queenie: This sharp and funny novel by Candice Carty-Williams is about the life of Queenie Jenkins, a mid-twenties British Jamaican woman living in London who’s struggling to find her place in the world.

Such a Fun Age: One night, a supermarket security guard sees a young Black woman, Emira Tucker, in the aisles with a white toddler. The guard accuses Emira of kidnapping, when in reality she’s the babysitter. In this novel, Kiley Reid takes a look at race, class, power dynamics, and privilege.

I’ve greatly valued Zadie Smith’s work. Her novels — especially White Teeth — are well crafted and offer a mix of comedy and realism that often focuses on social class in England. Her essays are things of beauty. She’s worth a read, no matter the month.

Daryl L. L. Houston, USA

Film and Television

Black and British: A Forgotten History: This BBC Two series by David Olusoga, composed of four episodes, looks at the relationship between Britain and people of African origins, slavery, and Black British identity in the 20th century.

Small Axe: In this anthology of five films, 12 Years a Slave filmmaker Steve McQueen brings to life the stories of West Indian immigrants in London from the 1960s to 1980s.

Black Power: A British Story of Resistance: This hour-and-a-half documentary includes interviews with activists involved in Britain’s Black Power movement in the late 1960s. (The BBC’s larger collection of programming for Black History Month is also worth browsing.)

I May Destroy You: Michaela Coel’s recent Emmy-winning drama series is about a promising young writer, Arabella, who is sexually assaulted one night while out with her friends. The show explores consent and trauma, and stars a primarily Black British cast.

Black and Welsh: Cardiff-born filmmaker Liana Stewart brings together people from across Wales to highlight its multiculturalism and to share stories from community members about what it means to be Black and Welsh.

Hair Power: Me and My Afro: Irish writer and broadcaster Emma Dabiri has intimate conversations with both men and women about their hair, digging into how and why Afro and Black hair is an important and complex aspect of the Black experience.

Highlife: This premium reality TV show follows the lives of eight successful, glamorous British West Africans and depicts a different angle of Black life in the UK.

Desmond’s: Originally running from 1989 to 1994, this sitcom was set in a barbershop in Peckham, southeast London, and featured a mostly Black British Guyanese cast.

Blog and website resources

Lean on these resources, tools, and organizations during UK Black History Month — and beyond — to publish content on your site that’s fitting for your audience, or to connect with and collaborate with others.

Stock illustration libraries like Black Illustrations.

Diverse stock photography sites, including free resources like Nappy, Picnoi, and CreateHER Stock, and premium photo collections at TONL, Eye for Ebony, Mocha Stock, and Raw Pixel. (Disabled and Here, a free stock image library with photos of disabled Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), also publishes an interview series with disabled BIPOC writers and activists.)

Organizations at the intersection of tech and diversity, like UKBlackTech, which supports diverse innovation and equity, transparency, and representation across the UK; and TechUP Women, a tech training program for people from underrepresented communities.

Teaching resources across age groups, including a Black History Month resource pack, a BBC series of short films for primary and secondary school teachers, and The Times Educational Supplement’s Black experiences hub.

Would you like to recommend a website on WordPress, writing or media by a Black thinker or creator in the UK, or another resource? Tell us in the comments.

from Blogging Tips https://wordpress.com/blog/2021/10/04/uk-black-history-month-resources-recommendations-tools/ via http://www.rssmix.com/

[posmatraclegenda]

Наслов: Celebrating UK Black History Month: Learning Resources, a Read & Watch List, and Content Creation Tools, Линк: https://ift.tt/3a6IqFa , Садржај:

This year’s UK Black History Month theme, Proud To Be, is about celebrating the Black experience. As a distributed company with employees around the world, including the United Kingdom, we believe that the more perspectives we embrace, and the more we learn about our teammates, the better we are at engaging and helping our global community. 

This October, we encourage individuals and organizations to learn more about Black history, heritage, and culture in the UK. “Black British history is British history. It’s more than a month; it is interwoven in everything,” says Ama, a colleague based in Scotland. “We have changed landscapes in education, law, politics, work, and equality for all within the UK.” Black history is deeply embedded in UK culture, says Ama, from institutions — like the National Health Service — to music, sports, art, media, and popular culture.

Interested in learning more? We’ve compiled a list of staff recommendations:

websites and organizations on WordPress

books, films, and television by Black thinkers and creators in the UK

blogging and website-building tools

Explore these resources this month — or bookmark them for learning and inspiration anytime.

#PoweredByWordPress learning resources

From the official UK Black History Month hub to the website of the Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation, these resources are great starting points for your journey.

Black History Month 2021

All year long, Black History Month publishes news, features, career and education information, and event listings across the UK. Make it your first resource for getting educated and involved.

Black Heroes Foundation

Focused on youth education and development, this London-based community charity raises Black cultural awareness of the general public, educating and uplifting youth in particular. The foundation envisions a world where Black heroes are acknowledged, respected, and celebrated.

Stephen Lawrence Day

The 1993 murder and case of Stephen Lawrence — an 18-year-old from southeast London who was killed in an unprovoked racial attack while waiting for the bus — led to a major shift in the UK in attitudes about racism, the criminal justice system, and the role of the police. The Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation continues to tell Stephen’s story, offers resources for educators and organizers, and works toward creating a just society.

The National Archives

The National Archives is the official archive and publisher of the UK government, documenting over 1000 years of history. Researchers can browse the Black British history section of the website for a guide on social and political history in the 20th century, lots of blog and multimedia content, and records relating to British citizens of African and African-Caribbean descent.

Black History Walks

Partnering with museums, schools, and other institutions, Black History Walks offers a dozen walking tours throughout London, public monthly educational talks, and video courses and resources on Black history. Its diverse programming targets a range of people both in person and online, from students to travelers to businesses.

A read & watch syllabus

Looking for book, TV, and film recommendations about Black history and culture in the UK — or by Black scholars and creators — but aren’t sure where to start? Here are some of our nonfiction, fiction, and film and television picks.

Nonfiction

Black and British: A Forgotten History: Published to accompany the BBC Two series noted in the Film and Television section below, this must-read book by historian David Olusoga examines the shared history between the British Isles and the people of Africa.

100 Great Black Britons: In this book, Patrick Vernon and Angelina Osborne — founders of the 100 Great Black Britons campaign — celebrate Black British history and recognize key Black Britons who have helped to shape Great Britain.

Brit(ish): On Race, Identity and Belonging: A hybrid of history and memoir, Afua Hirsch’s book “reveals the identity crisis at the heart of Britain today” and explores a nation in denial about its imperial past and present.

This Is Why I Resist: Don’t Define My Black Identity: In a book that demands fundamental change, activist and lawyer Dr. Shola Mos-Shogbamimu examines the roots of racism and anti-Blackness and calls for meaningful action.

The Louder I Will Sing: A Story of Racism, Riots and Redemption: In 1985, when Lee Lawrence was a child, his mother was wrongfully shot by police during a raid on their home in Brixton. Published more than three decades later, his memoir chronicles what it was like to grow up as a young Black man in England and how that day influenced his family.

In Black and White: A Young Barrister’s Story of Race and Class in a Broken Justice System: Experiencing a tragedy as a teenager pushed Alexander Wilson to become a barrister — a type of lawyer — so she could make a difference within an unjust system. Her debut book describes her experience as a mixed-race woman in a field lacking in diverse representation.

Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire: In this book, author and hip-hop artist Akala blends biography and personal experience with an examination of race and class across topics — from education to politics and the police to the far right.

Misfits: A Personal Manifesto: This “coming-to-power manifesto” by Michaela Coel — the actress, writer, and creator of I May Destroy You — builds on an inspiring keynote address she delivered at the 2018 Edinburgh International Television Festival about resilience, empathy, storytelling, and growing up in public housing in East London.

What a Time to Be Alone: The Slumflower’s Guide to Why You Are Already Enough: In this illustrated self-help guide, author and influencer Chidera Eggerue, also known as the Slumflower, writes about self-love, empowerment, and creating your own narrative. The book also includes Igbo proverbs from Eggerue’s Nigerian mother.

I recommend David Olusoga’s Black and British: A Forgotten History. It’s a really important book, with new updates on the Windrush scandal and Black Lives Matter from the UK perspective.

—Victoria Jones, UK

Fiction

White Teeth: Published over 20 years ago, Zadie Smith’s debut novel focuses on the lives of two unlikely friends and their families in London. Considered a “modern classic of multicultural Britain,” the book is a window into the immigrant experience.

Girl, Woman, Other: Weaving a dozen narratives about different people across ages, backgrounds, and professions, Bernardine Evaristo examines topics of identity, race, and womanhood in modern Britain.

Love in Colour: This collection of short stories by author Bolu Babalola reimagines ancient love stories and folktales from around the world, from Greek myths to Middle Eastern legends, and centers Black women and strong female characters.

Queenie: This sharp and funny novel by Candice Carty-Williams is about the life of Queenie Jenkins, a mid-twenties British Jamaican woman living in London who’s struggling to find her place in the world.

Such a Fun Age: One night, a supermarket security guard sees a young Black woman, Emira Tucker, in the aisles with a white toddler. The guard accuses Emira of kidnapping, when in reality she’s the babysitter. In this novel, Kiley Reid takes a look at race, class, power dynamics, and privilege.

I’ve greatly valued Zadie Smith’s work. Her novels — especially White Teeth — are well crafted and offer a mix of comedy and realism that often focuses on social class in England. Her essays are things of beauty. She’s worth a read, no matter the month.

Daryl L. L. Houston, USA

Film and Television

Black and British: A Forgotten History: This BBC Two series by David Olusoga, composed of four episodes, looks at the relationship between Britain and people of African origins, slavery, and Black British identity in the 20th century.

Small Axe: In this anthology of five films, 12 Years a Slave filmmaker Steve McQueen brings to life the stories of West Indian immigrants in London from the 1960s to 1980s.

Black Power: A British Story of Resistance: This hour-and-a-half documentary includes interviews with activists involved in Britain’s Black Power movement in the late 1960s. (The BBC’s larger collection of programming for Black History Month is also worth browsing.)

I May Destroy You: Michaela Coel’s recent Emmy-winning drama series is about a promising young writer, Arabella, who is sexually assaulted one night while out with her friends. The show explores consent and trauma, and stars a primarily Black British cast.

Black and Welsh: Cardiff-born filmmaker Liana Stewart brings together people from across Wales to highlight its multiculturalism and to share stories from community members about what it means to be Black and Welsh.

Hair Power: Me and My Afro: Irish writer and broadcaster Emma Dabiri has intimate conversations with both men and women about their hair, digging into how and why Afro and Black hair is an important and complex aspect of the Black experience.

Highlife: This premium reality TV show follows the lives of eight successful, glamorous British West Africans and depicts a different angle of Black life in the UK.

Desmond’s: Originally running from 1989 to 1994, this sitcom was set in a barbershop in Peckham, southeast London, and featured a mostly Black British Guyanese cast.

Blog and website resources

Lean on these resources, tools, and organizations during UK Black History Month — and beyond — to publish content on your site that’s fitting for your audience, or to connect with and collaborate with others.

Stock illustration libraries like Black Illustrations.

Diverse stock photography sites, including free resources like Nappy, Picnoi, and CreateHER Stock, and premium photo collections at TONL, Eye for Ebony, Mocha Stock, and Raw Pixel. (Disabled and Here, a free stock image library with photos of disabled Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), also publishes an interview series with disabled BIPOC writers and activists.)

Organizations at the intersection of tech and diversity, like UKBlackTech, which supports diverse innovation and equity, transparency, and representation across the UK; and TechUP Women, a tech training program for people from underrepresented communities.

Teaching resources across age groups, including a Black History Month resource pack, a BBC series of short films for primary and secondary school teachers, and The Times Educational Supplement’s Black experiences hub.

Would you like to recommend a website on WordPress, writing or media by a Black thinker or creator in the UK, or another resource? Tell us in the comments.

[bravelives-archive]

assassin’s  creed  muses  tags.   part  ii. 

[lotsofdogs]

10 Books I Recently Read and Loved

Fellow bookworms, I finally have my followup post from last summer’s roundup of favorite recent reads for you!

I’ve had visions of sharing biannual roundups of my favorite books on the blog so my recommendations can be found in one place but after Ryder was born, this vision fizzled out because I couldn’t keep my eyes open at the end of the day and fell asleep reading ALL of the time. Then, I somehow ended up in a book funk and read a bunch of not-so-great books back-to-back. Finally I found my reading rhythm again and while I’ve shared many of the books I’ve read and loved in random Things I’m Loving Friday posts, I’ve received requests from you guys in the past to share periodic roundups of books I’ve loved to make my book recommendations easier to find.

The ten books I’m highlighting below are all books I loved and would highly recommend. They’re all a little different and cover everything from political thrillers and breezy reads to thought-provoking memoirs compelling novels and I hope you find at least one book to add to your must-read list! As always, I’d love to hear about some of the books you’ve read recently that you loved because you guys deserve the credit for recommending some amazing books to me throughout the years.

And just FYI, you can always find a constantly-updated list of books I’ve read and loved on the Books page of my blog!

10 Books I Recently Read and Loved

THE QUEEN OF HEARTS BY KIMMERY MARTIN

Add this book to your must-read list if you are a fan of medical dramas or enjoy shows like Grey’s Anatomy, though this book has more depth to it than the usual episode of Grey’s.

The book follows the lives of Zadie and Emma, two best friends who met in their early 20s when they were in med school. Now successful doctors with families they love and adore, a blast from the past in the form of a former chief resident, Dr. Xenokostas, reappears in their lives when he accepts a job at the hospital where Emma works and brings with him pain, secrecy, regret, guilt and the ability to potentially cause a long-lasting friendship to unravel.

I absolutely loved reading The Queen of Hearts and my fellow Charlotte-area friends may also enjoy the fact that this book takes place in the Queen City.

THE SEVEN HUSBANDS OF EVELYN HUGO BY TAYLOR JENKINS REID

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo was the first book I flew through after Ryder was born and it reignited my love for reading after the newborn baby reading hiatus. It caught my eye because I was on the lookout for a novel that would be a bit of a departure from the suspenseful murder mysteries I gravitated toward over the summer. I followed a blog reader’s recommendation and LOVED this book!

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo begins when Monique Grant, a talented but relatively unknown young writer, is selected by iconic actress Evelyn Hugo to write her biography. It’s the opportunity of a lifetime and one Monique is determined to do well. As Evelyn begins to tell her story to Monique, we learn all about her life, including the details behind her marriages and secret loves. The book is filled with scandal in a way that doesn’t feel cheap or cheesy and I feel like it is only a matter of time before this one is scooped up and made into a movie.

EDUCATED BY TARA WESTOVER

When I asked for memoir recommendations on the blog earlier this year, Tara Westover’s Educated was mentioned a few times and for good reason. The book is captivating, complicated and fascinating. I enjoyed reading Tara’s story very much and would absolutely recommend it for anyone looking to dive into a compelling memoir for their next read.

Tara Westover’s memoir documents her life as a child in the mountains of Idaho where she was raised by survivalist parents opposed to traditional education and follows her journey to receiving her PhD from Cambridge, despite having never set foot in a classroom until she was 17 years old. Tara’s story is one of complicated family ties, a young girl’s thirst for knowledge, abuse, loyalty, discovery and incredible resilience.

WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING BY DELIA OWENS

It’s been a long time — years, probably — since I started and finished a book in one night but it happened with Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. I read this book until 2 a.m. and couldn’t stop thinking about this novel for days after I finished reading. (And yes, it was a book that made it worth sacrificing precious sleep!) Where the Crawdads Sing was recommended to me by one of my best friends and a handful of you and it was an absolutely wonderful read with beautiful writing, an intriguing plot and interesting characters.

The book follows the life of Kya Clark, an intelligent and resilient girl knows to locals as the “Marsh Girl,” a young woman as mysterious and intriguing as she is elusive. Kya grew up in the marshland of North Carolina with an abusive family and eventually survives on her own at an incredibly young age thanks to her knowledge of the marsh she calls home and her resourcefulness. Used to living on her own, Kya is surprised when she finds herself intrigued by two local men as she grows up and opens herself up to love and heartache, despite her natural inclination to remain isolated from others. After one of the men, Chase Andrews, is found dead, locals immediately begin to suspect the “Marsh Girl.”

The Secret Life of Violet Grant by Beatriz Williams

Having previously read and loved A Hundred Summers by Beatriz Williams, I turned to Amazon to check out some of her other novels and The Secret Life of Violet Grant immediately caught my eye. I finished reading this book last night and absolutely loved the main character, Vivian, because she really is a character. She’s funny, kind of ridiculous, intelligent, unconventional and her voice is amusing and fun.

The book follows Vivian Schuyler, a recent college graduate and member of a wealthy New York City family, as she works at a magazine and goes against the Schuyler family grain. Vivian’s life takes a turn when a package containing her aunt’s suitcase from 50 years ago — an aunt thought to have murdered her husband before she mysteriously disappeared — shows up on her doorstep.

The book goes back and forth from following Vivian’s life in 1964 and the life of her disappearing aunt Violet Schuyler Grand, a scientist who moved to Europe, entered into a disastrous marriage with a notable scientist and went missing. Vivian is determined to figure out what happened to Violet and her curiosity takes her on a road that unveils secrets, mysteries and relationships that have a direct impact on Vivian’s life today.

THE PRESIDENT IS MISSING BY BILL CLINTON AND JAMES PATTERSON

If you enjoy political suspense books, add this one to your reading list! Recommended to me by both my mom and my dad, I had a feeling The President is Missing would be a winner from the beginning and it was fantastic! This book was so good that I kept getting mad at myself when I would be too tired to keep reading at the end of the night.

The President is Missing is captivating from the beginning as a threat on the United States looms over the head of the President. As the story unfolds, a traitor in the cabinet is revealed and the President must do his best to protect his country from the most serious form of cyberterrorism while simultaneously questioning those around him as he tries to figure out who he can trust within the White House.

ALL THESE BEAUTIFUL STRANGERS BY ELIZABETH KLEFOTH

This book is what CW TV shows are made of — rich, beautiful teenagers, secret clubs, boarding school,backstabbing, disappearing people and mystery. All These Beautiful Strangers sucked me in right away and was a serious page-turner.

The book centers around the mystery surrounding the disappearance of Grace Fairchild, wife of real estate mogul Alistair Calloway, and mother of two daughters, Seraphina, now 15, and Charlie, now 17 years old. Charlie Calloway currently attends Knollwood Prep, a prestigious boarding school, where she receives an invitation to join the A’s, an extremely exclusive secret society. Membership within the A’s is contingent upon the completion of The Game, an intense and often dangerous scavenger hunt that may end up revealing more about the past and the disappearance of Charlie’s mother than Charlie ever imagined as her past and present begin to collide.

ONE DAY IN DECEMBER BY JOSIE SILVER

After a few back-to-back more serious reads, I was on the lookout for a an easy, breezy read and this one fit the bill. One Day in December is the wintery version of a beach read and I enjoyed curling up with this book at the end of a long day.

The book begins with Laurie feeling the most intense jolt of love when she sees a man from her seat on a bus window in the middle of winter. She feels frozen but also battles the intense urge to get off the bus when the man locks eyes with her… and then it’s too late and the bus rolls on. A year passes with Laurie looking for her beloved bus guy until one day her best friend Sarah introduces Laurie to her new boyfriend, Jack. Laurie cannot believe it when the new boyfriend Laurie’s heard Sarah rave about also happens to be the very man Laurie fell in love with at first sight from her bus seat one year earlier. One Day in December follows the next 10 years of Laurie and Jack’s lives through fierce friendship, heartbreak, missed opportunities, growth and change as they strive to find happiness.

Becoming by Michelle Obama

I read Michelle Obama’s memoir over Christmas and enjoyed learning more about her life from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her time in the White House as the First Lady of the United States. I admittedly was interested in hearing some behind-the-scenes stories about the presidency, the Secret Service and the inner-workings of the White House and while Michelle touches on those things briefly in her memoir, her book is a more about her journey and her growth from a small, intelligent little girl in Chicago into a lawyer, mother, First Lady and powerful advocate.

THE FIRST PATIENT BY MICHAEL PALMER

The First Patient by Michael Palmer is an interesting and intriguing political and medical mystery. The book follows Dr. Gabe Singleton and takes off when Marine One lands on the doctor’s rural Wyoming farm. The President of the United States and Gabe’s former roommate at the Naval Academy, Drew Stoddard, asks Gabe to come with him to Washington, D.C. to be his personal physician after his previous doctor mysteriously disappears.

After Gabe agrees to help his friend, he flies to the White House and soon witnesses the president in the middle of what appears to be a mental breakdown, complete with hallucinations and other odd behaviors. It doesn’t take long for Gabe to suspect that the President’s condition may not be attributed to natural causes and Gabe soon finds himself searching for answers, a process that proves more challenging and life-threatening than he ever imagined.

Question of the Day

What books have you absolutely loved lately that you think everyone should read? 

[Read More ...] https://www.pbfingers.com/10-books-i-recently-read-and-loved/