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Showing posts from June, 2016

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon (1991)

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Outlander by Diana Gabaldon                 If I were thrown back two hundred years in time, with none of my modern conveniences, well aware of the future that was coming I’m pretty sure I would lose my mind. Claire Randall is in that particular situation and seems to be handling it pretty well. The year is 1945 when the story begins. Claire and her husband Frank are in the Scottish Highlands on vacation. World War II is over. The two have reunited after only seeing each other six times in almost as many years, when she is ripped from this here and now and placed in 1740’s. Still in the Highlands but centuries before her birth. Attacked almost upon arrival and rescued by clansmen who then think her an English spy, her life is a state of constant peril. Then there’s Jamie the young clansmen wanted for murder hiding with the Mackenzie clan that rescued Claire. And this is where the story and the romance really get started.                 Let me start by checking off a few box

Boys Among Men: How the Prep-to-Pro Generation Redefined the NBA and Sparked a Basketball Revolution by Jonathan Abrams

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Boys Among Men: How the Prep-to-Pro Generation Redefined the NBA and Sparked a Basketball Revolution  by Jonathan Abrams                 I am a basketball fan. I was raised a Lakers fan (still am to this day even with the horrible record) and I remember Kobe being drafted. I was at the Staples Center when the Lakers brought home the NBA Championship in 2000. I enjoy the game, always have, and always will. Now I enjoy watching a lot of college basketball and the phrase you hear thrown around often is the “one and done.” I never understood what made the NBA create the age limit of 19 and one year removed from high school. I just recognized Lebron James as one of the last stars to enter the draft straight out of high school. So much has changed in the decade since this rule has been introduced. That’s why I found the idea of this book and this topic so intriguing. It’s also why I was so anxious to get my hands on it.                 Abrams wrote this book with the intention o

Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley (1990)

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Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley                 Set in 1940’s Los Angeles, California, Devil in a Blue Dress is the story of Ezekiel “Easy” Rawlins. He is a black World War II veteran who has just been fired from his job and offered the chance to make some money. All he has to do is find a white girl by the name of Daphne Monet. A very important man is looking for her and willing to pay for information. Easy, who just bought a home and has a mortgage hanging over his head, needs the money. And what’s the harm in asking a few questions while he makes his way around the neighborhood.                 There is a subtlety to this novel that I really enjoyed. The story is uncomplicated and simple but so well told that is captivating and enjoyable. The story starts and ends with Easy who is a great, well fleshed out character. I recognize Easy in people that I have come across throughout my life. He is genuine and he was such a great narrator. No bull shit. Straight to t

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett (1989)

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The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett                  Sometimes I find it difficult to write reviews about books that I really enjoyed reading. How can I convince anyone that this book is really as good as I think it is? It’s an impossible task and yet I am going to try because this book deserves to be read. It deserves to be enjoyed. I started reading this book simply because of word of mouth. I have heard great things about this book. Someone even mentioned it to my husband and I figured I would give it a shot as part of this year’s theme to read a book from every year that I have been alive. This book is my “1989” but seriously it is a behemoth of a novel with close to 1000 pages and it’s about the building of a cathedral. In my mind I was thinking this would be as interesting as watching paint dry. I was wrong.                 Set in the 12 th century and spanning over three decades this historical fiction starts with the hanging of a man and the curse the woman he

Players First: Coaching From the Inside Out by John Calipari and Michael Sokolove

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Players First: Coaching From the Inside Out by John Calipari and Michael Sokolove                 Well, before I even get into the review of this memoir I have to say that I am a huge University of Kentucky Basketball fan so I am immediately biased. I remember when I first really got into watching College Basketball, being at a UK football game against University of Alabama and out walked Coach John Calipari and the 2009-2010 squad, which included John Wall, Demarcus Cousin, Eric Bledsoe and Darius Miller. I am one of those crazy fans that yell at the tv, jump up and down, pace the room and I have even shed tears. I always, always, always look at the bench and watch Coach Cal and judged if my crazy matches his attitude. If I’m mad and he is mad then I know I’m in the right. I have even been known to say “Just let me coach one day!” screaming at the top of my lungs. I am that fan and I make no apologies. Coach Cal is a great coach and I wanted to take this opportunity to reall