The World According to Fannie Davis: My Mother's Life in the Detroit Numbers

Today's post is on The World According to Fannie Davis: My Mother's Life in the Detroit Numbers by Bridgett M. Davis. It is 320 pages long and is published by Little, Brown, and Company. The cover is a mixture of images with a picture of Fannie Davis in the bottom left hand corner. There intended reader is someone who is interested in memoirs and African American history. There is some mild foul language, no sex, and no violence in this book. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Set against the backdrop of Detroit in the 1960's and 1970's, the story of the life of a one-of-a-kind matriarch whose business in the Numbers made her daughter's dreams come true.
The World According to Fannie Davis is Bridgett Davis's unforgettable coming of age in a family with a secret. The upper middle class splendor in which she and her siblings so happily lived was made possible by her mother's business in the Numbers, the informal lottery that powered African American communities across the United States. A poignant and revealing examination of how one family lifted itself out of poverty and into a completely different life, for good and bad, The World According to Fannie Davis introduces us to an unforgettable matriarch, and her daughter, whose ways of understanding still resonate today.
Offering a daughter's perspective on her larger-than-life mother, Bridgett Davis traces her family's story as part of the Great Migration, showing how her mother and father arrived in Detroit from Tennessee carrying with them not just their own hopes but also those of their families. A child gifted with extraordinary powers of perception and understanding, Davis breaks the code of secrecy around her mother's business and in so doing reveals both her mothers' extraordinary sacrifices as well as her seemingly endless generosity. We come to understand just how keenly Fannie Davis believed in the power of money, and family, to make the world right.
Moving, suspenseful and emotionally rewarding, The World According to Fannie Davis will change the way you understand the lengths a mother will go to provide for her family, and the way those sacrifices resonate over time, offering not just a moving portrait of one American family, but also a new way of understanding Detroit.

Review- A moving memoir of a beloved mother see through the eyes of her youngest child. Bridgett Davis gives a full count of her mother's with help from other family members and gives her mother a moving tribute. I really enjoyed reading this memoir; it is full of interesting details, emotion, and compassion for the subject. Davis pours all her love and longing for her mother into this memoir. We get to see a very special time in Detroit's time before the state lottery was made legal and how Fannie Davis put food on the table and gave her children access to a better life than she had. Davis does snot hold back from her family's life and that honesty gives this memoir the freshest that makes it stand out from others in the genre. I recommend this book.

I give this a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I was given this book as a gift.

Skip Beat!, vol 2

Today's post is on Skip Beat!, vol 2 by Yoshiki Nakamura. It is the second in her long running series and you need to have read the first volume to understand what is going on. It is 184 pages long and is published by Shojo Beat. The cover has Kyoko in the center looking cute and confident. There is no foul language, no sex, and no violence in this book. The intended reader is someone who likes shojo manga, strong heroines, and funny revenge stories. The story is told from third person close of Kyoko the main character. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Kyoko Mogami followed her true love Sho to Tokyo to support him while he made it big as an idol. But he's casting her out now that he's famous! Kyoko won't suffer in silence- she's going to get her sweet revenge by beating Sho in show biz!

After failing her audition, Kyoko has just about given up on her revenge- until Sho shows up at the gas station where she works and doesn't even recognize her! With her desire for vengeance rekindled, Kyoko goes back to the talent agency and gets assigned to the new "Love Me Section". There, she can earn points for good behavior, and if she earns enough, the agency will back her debut! The only problem is that she has to do whatever they tell her to! Will her first assignment be her last?

Review- We start with Kyoko trying to think about her life and what she wants to do now. Sho comes and doesn't recognize her and then we're back in the revenge cycle. So back she goes to LME and becomes the first member of the "Love Me Section". But Kyoko still does not understand what President Lory is trying to teach her. So she makes mistakes but I love Kyoko so much! She has guts, determination, and a drive to succeed. Her first real struggle is a spoiled pop-princess who wants to bring others down around her. She brings out Kyoko rage and then it's on between them. We see more of Ren in this volume and he is a puzzle but I'm cool with him. The humor is the same with Kyoko's over-the-top behavior, the plot is going fast with lots happening, and Kyoko continues to be her awesome self. I cannot wait to read more of her!

I give this volume a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this manga with my own money.

Truth

Today's post is on Truth by Julia Karr. It is the second in her XVI trilogy. It is 299 and is published by Speak Publishing. The cover has a picture of a girl with the title over her face. The intended reader is someone who read the first novel, likes dark dystopian worlds, and strong female characters. The story is from first person close of the main character Nina. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Nina Oberon had a normal life.
That was before her normal was shattered.
Before she discovered the truth about her family...
And now that she's sixteen, she sports the same Governing Council-ordered tattoo of XVI on her wrist. The one that all sixteen-year-old girls are forced to get. The one that announces to the world that she is easy prey for predators.
But Nina won't be anyone's stereotype. And so when she joins up with a small force within the Resistance, she knows that they will have to put an end to one of the most terrifying secret programs the GC has ever created.
Because the truth always comes out.
And the consequences can be deadly.

Review- This is a dark book in a dark world that sometimes feels too real to me. Nina knows too much about her world now and is terrified by it and she should be. The leaders of the Governing Council are watching her and they want her to go away. So most of the plot of this book is Nina trying to stay one step ahead of the GC and their plots. That is main thrust of the plot but we get to see how scary the world of XVI really is as Nina is one now and has to deal with it. She has some close calls with boys and men who want to rape her and she knows that she has no protection. Those moments were the most terrifying parts of the book. I'm that they are not too much of the book, just there to remind the reader, so the plot and characters were not overwhelmed by the terror of rape. We end with Nina being pulled out of the country but still no idea about any of this can be fixed. Hopefully the next book will be out soon.

I give this book a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

A Serial Killer’s Daughter: My Story of Faith, Love, and Overcoming

Today’s post is on A Serial Killer’s Daughter: My Story of Faith, Love, and Overcoming by Kerri Rawson. It is 325 with notes and is published by Nelson Books. The cover has at the top pictures of the author and her father with the bottom ¾ being a newspaper with the title as a headline. There is some foul language, no sex, and discussion of violence in this book. The story is told from the first person perspective of the author. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- What is it like to learn that your ordinary, loving father is a serial killer?
In 2005, Kerri Rawson heard a knock on the door of her apartment. When she opened it, an FBI agent informed her that her father had been arrested for murdering ten people, including two children. It was then that she learned her father was the notorious series killer known as BTK, a name he’d given himself that described the horrific way he committed his crimes: bind, torture, kill. As news of his capture spread, Wichita celebrated the end of a thirty-one-year nightmare.
For Kerri Rawson, another was just beginning. She was plunged into a black hole of horror and disbelief. The same man who had been a loving father, a devoted husband, church president, Boy Scout leader, and public servant had been using their family as a cover for his heinous crimes since before she was born. Everything she had believed about her life has been a lie.
Written with candor and extraordinary courage, A Serial Killer’s Daughter is an unflinching exploration of life with one of American’s most infamous killers and an astonishing tale of personal and spiritual transformation. For all who suffer from unhealed wounds or the crippling effects of violence, betrayal, and anger, Kerri’s Rawson’s story offers the hope of reclaiming sanity in this midst of madness, rebuilding a life in the shadow of death, and learning to forgive the unforgivable.

Review- An interesting and moving story about a woman rebuilding the life she thought she knew. Kerri Rawson was just living her life as best she could. She has had some hard knocks in life and had struggled with depression and grief. But with therapy and her faith Rawson had worked to have a life she loved. When her father was caught everything about her life and past was thrown into question. Every little detail about her father and her experiences with him suddenly become different, every time he lost his temper over little things, every time he was paranoid about locked doors, and every time he almost crossed line into abuse was now to be viewed in a different light. Rawson had to relearn herself, her family, and her father in this new light and her faith was her new guiding light. This is not a book about the BTK killer and his crimes or victims, this book is about one woman’s search for herself and making peace with the past so that she can have a present and future.

I give this book a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

Fushigi Yugi: The Mysterious Play, Volume 15: Guardian

Today's post is on Fushigi Yugi: The Mysterious Play, Volume 15: Guardian by Yuu Watase. It is 183 pages long and is published by Shojo Beat. The cover has the two main characters on it facing facing the reader with excitement. The intended reader is someone who likes historical fantasy, high fantasy, romance, and shojo stories. There is mild foul language, mild sexuality, and violence in this story. The story is told from third person close of the main characters. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Guardian of Taka's Memories
Miaka must re-enter The universe of the Four Gods and collect the seven magic stones that contain her soulmate Taka's memories... or else risk losing him forever! Taka's has always been the one who protected Miaka, so will she be able to handle this new responsibility? And there's something unsettling about the new exchange student at Miaka's high school..

Review- So much happens in this volume I hardly know where to begin. Miaka and Taka was still working on where to look next for Taka's memories and the bad guy is on the move. He has started at Miaka's school to be close her and he can control minds of others so that's fun for everyone. Yui is totally on Miaka and Taka's side and is doing everything she can to help them. Back in the The Universe of the Four Gods they are fighting with the demon god and he is slowly winning a place in palace. So much happening! In the end Taka gets another memory, Hotohori meets his son, and the bad guy is making his moves and we are getting close to the end with only three volumes left a I am very curious about how Watase is going to end it all.

I give this volume a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this manga with my own money.

The Westing Game

Today's post is on The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin. It is 182 pages long and is published by Puffin Books. The cover is black with a house, in the center, made of money and fireworks going off behind it. The intended reader is someone who likes mysteries. The story is told from third person close of the characters. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- A bizarre chain of events begins when sixteen unlikely people gather for the reading of Samuel W. Westing's will. And though no one knows why the eccentric, game-loving millionaire has a chosen a virtual stranger- and a possible murderer- to inherit his vast fortune, one things' for sure: Sam Westing may be dead.. but that won't stop him from playing one last game!

Review- This is a very slow whodunit story. Sixteen very different people are invited to come and hear Sam Westing's will and discover that they are his heirs but one of them killed Sam Westing. The plot sounds interesting but it is so slow and the characters never really seem to take off, so that I struggled to read and engage with this book. I pushed on through but I'm not sure that I really enjoyed it. I like to have strong, interesting characters but none of the characters in this book fit this. They are there and they do things like try and discover who killed Sam Westing but they are two dimensional and just a little boring. The plot has lots of twists and could be really engaging but it just falls flat because of the lack of characters. It is considered a classic so that is your thing, then give this a try but if you want a character driven Clue-esque mystery then try something else.

I give this book a Two out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

Skip Beat!, vol 1

Today's post is on Skip Beat!, vol 1 by Yoshiki Nakamura. It is the first in her long running series. It is 184 pages long and is published by Shojo Beat. The cover is pink with yellow flowers on the bottom and Kyoko in the center looking cute and confident. There is no foul language, no sex, and no violence in this book. The intended reader is someone who likes shojo manga, strong heroines, and funny revenge stories. The story is told from third person close of Kyoko the main character. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Kyoko Mogami followed her true love Sho to Tokyo to support him while he made it big as an idol. But he's casting her out now that he's famous! Kyoko won't suffer in silence- she's going to get her sweet revenge by beating Sho in show biz!
Kyoko knows she's not plain and uninteresting, mno matter what Sho says. With the help of a little makeover, Kyoko's ready to exact her revenge. But first she needs to land an audition, and she sets her sights on the agency where Sho's lead rival works. Her persistence pays off, but her broken heart turns out to be a disadvantage. Kyoko has lost the will to love anybody, let alone fans she's never met. Can the agency see past this problem to Kyoko's true star potential?

Review- In this series opening we get quite a ride! Kyoko has basically run away with her childhood first love, Sho, to Tokyo because he wants to break into show business. Kyoko is working to support him as Sho works to get famous. Kyoko is sweet and loves Sho so much that when she discovers that he was just using her, she loses it. Swearing revenge Kyoko decides to become more famous than Sho but where does she start? This volume was a wild ride from thinking that Sho was hard working and okay to learning that he is a real jerk and seeing Kyoko retake her life and go in a different direction from where she ever thought she would go. I loved it and I love Kyoko, I want to see her own Sho at his own game and then some! Most of this volume is plot and character set-up with the reader learning about Kyoko, Sho, and some about Sho's rival the actor Ren Tsuruga. I am curious about where Kyoko is going to go from here and how she is going to get revenge but maybe she will get something more important, like find herself and what she wants from life.

I give this volume a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this manga with my own money.