First Lines Friday

First Lines Friday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.

• Grab your current read(s).
• Share the first line(s).
• Include the title and author.

"In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I've been turning over in my mind ever since."

~ The Cambridge Centennial Edition of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Year-End Hold 'Em

• Be intentional. ✔️ My acts and thoughts were with purpose.
• Match energy. ✔️ Did not overextend or under-deliver.
• Genuinely smile. ✔️ It is okay to have bad days; appreciate the good days.
• Improve quality of life. ✔️ Lost 40 lbs. Eating healthier. Closed rings.
• Dedicate time to self-care. ✔️ Professional massages and nails every 3 weeks.
• Allow rest and rejuvenation. ✔️ Nap daily. Read 30 min before bedtime.
• Attract love, health and happiness. ✔️ A work in progress. 🗣️MUSTAAAAAAARD

First Lines Friday

First Lines Friday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.

• Grab your current read(s).
• Share the first line(s).
• Include the title and author.

"The tires spun out as they cut the corner."

~ The Handler by L.T. Ryan

Join the Sistahs Be Readin' Book Club on Patreon!

Lit Tidbits: Pithy Picks XVII

Hey, Bookhearts! Pithy Picks are a bookish meme created to help you quickly find books that are worth your time and coins. Today's pithy reviews are non-fiction.

Title: The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck

Author: Mark Manson
Published: January 2016
Pithy Review: We know the cliché not to judge a book by its cover. But this is a book I judged by its title. I have seen it referenced over the years. Noticed the bright orange dustjacket on the hardcover in stores. Bought a copy on sale and let it collect dust on my bookshelf. Then a Bookheart mentioned wanting to read it and we did a buddy-read. LISTEN...I highlighted to my heart's content. I took notes. I studied how not to give a f*ck unapologetically and respectfully. I applied what I learned. This nonfiction book is more than self-help; it is self-need for grown ass adults.
Recommend or Nah? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Invisible

Author: Michele Lent Hirsch
Published: February 2018
Pithy Review: If you follow me on social media or had the pleasure of reading my blogmoir posts, then you know I was recently diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder. I joined a support group/book club where we read books about living with chronic illness and how it affects our relationships, work and life in general. This nonfiction book focuses on young women—the primary demographic for many illnesses. It covers topics from body issues to work inequalities to worries about romantic partners and how to be supported rather than ignored. It is worth checking out!

Quote: "I was now more acutely aware that at any minute, your body could stop functioning and that maybe it would be good to make sure every moment was meaningful." ~ pg. 243
Recommend or Nah? ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: What Doesn't Kill You
Author: Tessa Miller
Published: February 2021
Pithy Review: Similar to the pithy review above, I read this nonfiction book as the selection for my support group/book club. Very relatable! The author took my thoughts and feelings, put them to print and shared with the masses. I highly recommend it for women dealing with chronic pain, illness, recent diagnosis or as part of a support system. Three in five adults suffer from a chronic disease. So if this book does not directly apply to you, there is a loved one that you can recommend it to. 
Quote: "I didn't know then that my life had changed forever. That I'd be able to divide my experiences into before I got sick and after I got sick. The following weeks, months, and years brought short and long hospital stays, good and bad doctors, countless medications, many side effects, multiple diagnoses..." ~ pg. 9
Recommend or Nah? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

More or Less Maddy

"Before you started feeling great, how long were you feeling depressed?" ~ 33%

Maddy Banks is a stressed-out freshman at NYU. Schoolwork, exams, a breakup and navigating life in the city is a lot to deal with at once. It is normal to feel overwhelmed. But Maddy's low is devastatingly low causing her to take an antidepressant. She spirals high that results in a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. Maddy struggles to adjust and create a new balance in relationships, mood, identity and dreams for the future. 

Lisa Genova has the blessed ability to put into words the effects of a medical condition. She tackles the hard topics, the lesser known, the difficult to discuss, the complicated to explain. She masterfully writes from the perspective of loved ones and the person directly diagnosed. In More or Less Maddy, she brings to light the phases of a bipolar episode, accurately describing depression and mania. As a loved one of a close relative diagnosed with bipolar disorder, I recognized many of the signs. I got a glimpse into the thoughts accompanying a manic state.

More or Less Maddy is not an easy read. There are chapters that will make you flinch, ooze empathy and open your heart to hope. I appreciate Lisa Genova bringing awareness to mental illness. As a Harvard-trained neuroscientist, she knows what she's talking about and putting it into fiction form for us to digest. We need more books by her and more authors like her!

Happy Early Pub Day, Lisa Genova! More or Less Maddy will be available Tuesday, January 14, 2025.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie

Title: More or Less Maddy
Author: Lisa Genova
Published: January 2025
Pages: 368
Edition: Galley
Genre: Mental Health Fiction
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤 

Short Story Sunday: One Christmas Eve

Short Story Sunday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.

• Read a short story.
• Share your review/recommendation below.
• Include the title and author.

"Gee, Christmas was pretty. All tinsel and stars and cotton. And Santa Claus a-coming from somewhere, dropping things in stockings." 

One Christmas Eve is a short story by Harlem Renaissance writer Langston Hughes. It is about a Black maid named Arcie making ends meet as a single mother just to enjoy the night before Christmas with her young son, Joe. It begins with her slaving away at a wealthy white family's home preparing supper while they inconsiderately shop until the stores almost close. After being paid less than expected, Arcie rushes to pick up Little Joe to explore the Christmas cheer downtown.

Even though it is a Christmas story, themes of racial and economic discrimination is abundantly clear. The commercialized image of Santa Claus as a jolly white man full of happiness and good cheer is quite the opposite viewpoint from Little Joe's eyes. The Santa depicted in One Christmas Eve is far from kind-hearted. 

This short story is not your classic holiday read that brings readers joy. It is a harsh reminder of what Christmas was like for Blacks in the early 1930s. Set aside ten minutes to read it. One Christmas Eve can be found online.

Title: One Christmas Eve

Author: Langston Hughes
Published: Early 1930s

Edition: Online

Genre: Holiday

Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤

First Lines Friday

First Lines Friday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.

• Grab your current read(s).
• Share the first line(s).
• Include the title and author.

"A thousand lights glittered, incandescent stars twinkling in celebration. Golden champagne, the potable required by the night, flowed endlessly into fluted crystal. Mirth floated above harps and flutes, blended with conversation. Dazzling couples circled the parquet in elegant steps."

~ Power of Persuasion by Stacey Abrams writing as Selena Montgomery