The Tales of Uncle Remus: The Adventures of Brer Rabbit (Julius Lester) Book Review

2017 Reading Challenge

3. The Tales of Uncle Remus: The Adventures of Brer Rabbit by Julius Lester
    Topic: book you loved as a child

Synopsis:
Whether he is besting Brer Fox or sneaking into Mr. Man's garden, Brer Rabbit is always teaching a valuable lesson. These classic tales are full of wit, humor, and creativity, and Julius Lester brings an added contemporary sense to these forty-eight timeless stories.

My Review:
I have loved to read as long as I remember, well since I learned how to read. I had many books that I loved as a child, but I went with this one for the reading challenge. I originally received this book when I was seven from my aunt and uncle. It was a favorite then and now.

It was nice to revisit Brer Rabbit and the rest of the delightful cast of characters. The forty-eight stories are black folklore tales passed on from generation to generation. They're great short stories for any race, however. I, once again, enjoyed the array of hilarious adventures of Brer Rabbit and his friends. Like most folklore tales and fairy tales, each story comes with a valuable moral or lesson. What I also liked is that it includes both color and black and white pictures throughout the book to bring the stories to life. What kid, or adult for that matter, doesn't like that?

What book was a favorite of your when you were a child?

Happy Reading and Keep on Writing!

❤Meg❤

Missing Melissa (Alretha Thomas) Book Review

2017 Reading Challenge

1. Missing Melissa by Alretha Thomas

Synopsis:
Twenty-two years old with a journalism degree from UCLA and a promising entry level position at a television station, Madeline Patterson is ready to take on the Universe. Raised by two loving parents, adored by her grandmother, protected by her dog, Pepper, and supported by her best friend—Madeline has it all. There’s only one thing missing—literally missing—her identical twin, Melissa.
When Madeline and Melissa were three-years-old, their mother was carjacked in broad daylight while taking them to a doctor’s appointment. She was able to get away with Madeline in tow, but the assailants left the scene before she could rescue Melissa. A long and massive search ensued, but Melissa was never found and is believed to be dead. However, a dream Madeline has on her twenty-second birthday, wherein Melissa appears to her as a grown woman pleading for help, convinces her Melissa is still alive. Against her parents’ wishes, Madeline vows to find her twin. However, in doing so, she unknowingly stumbles upon a series of startling clues that point to her parents’ possible involvement in Melissa’s disappearance. Paralyzed by fear, Madeline doesn’t want to face what could possibly be the ugly and grim truth about her parents. However, her desire to find Melissa propels her forward—but nothing could prepare her for what she discovers.

My Review:

A great mystery filled with surprising twists and turns. Fresh out of college, Maddie is entering the workforce as a promising journalist. It's what she's always wanted, except there's a piece of her life that's missing: her twin sister, Melissa. When they were just three, Melissa went missing and has been presumed dead. Nineteen years later, Maddie starts having dreams of her sister. Everyone else thinks it's strange, but Maddie can't help but wonder if Melissa's been alive all this time. It prompts Maddie to have the police re-open the investigation against the wishes of her family. What she doesn't expect to find are family secrets that may open up new wounds. Is Melissa alive or dead? With many twists and turns along the way, this story will keep you guessing until the very end.

Happy Reading and Keep on Writing!

❤Meg❤

April Updates

First, I chose not to do the April A to Z Challenge this year. I had so much going on in March and the beginning of April. I knew I wouldn't have been able to put a lot of effort into the posts as much as I would have liked to. And since there's no linky list, it would have been harder for me to keep track during the first few days of the challenge.

The reason why I was so busy was I decided to do the show this year. I've been involved with community theatre for ten years now. Last year, I chose to do stage crew instead of acting. This year, we did Beauty and the Beast. It's a childhood and lifelong favorite of mine (and no, I haven't seen the live action movie yet) and I wanted to be a part of it. March was filled with rehearsals as the show was at the end of March and the beginning of April. We just closed this past Sunday, as we do two weekends. I had a lot of fun, but there were definitely some struggles and rough times during the course of these past three months. Our tech week, or as we actors call it hell week, was during the week of March 27. It was a really intense week with a lot of frustration and tears due to last minute changes to certain dances, multiple times. One dance was literally changed right after dress rehearsal (which is the night before opening night) and I was one of those in it. In the end, it was all worth it and the show was spectacular. Out of our six shows, four sold out. On Sunday, there were tears in our eyes when we sang Beauty and the Beast in the finale - sad that it was over with an amazing cast who gave it our all every night.

I will be writing about my theatre life in a post on my other blog right after I finish my long at series. I do have two posts already up, which will be linked down below. My third post will be out soon.

This year, I have read eight books so far and the book reviews for them will be up soon as well.

Meg's Long QT Journey Series:

The First Seizure

Second Time's the Charm (Or Not)

❤Meg❤