This was decent and interesting. I'm more familiar with her sister Alix.This was decent and interesting. I'm more familiar with her sister Alix....more
This was medium ok. I enjoyed much of the story, but it wasn't as engaging as I wanted. I found this was a bit bogged down in tropes. I'd 3 5 Rounded Up
This was medium ok. I enjoyed much of the story, but it wasn't as engaging as I wanted. I found this was a bit bogged down in tropes. I'd read more by this author for sure....more
This was interesting. I'm not well versed enough on the history 9f this period to judge the accuracy of the history offered in this text. This is a quicThis was interesting. I'm not well versed enough on the history 9f this period to judge the accuracy of the history offered in this text. This is a quick, interesting, and light historical book....more
This was excellent and a bit weighty. What I love about this series ultimately is its style. The setup for this series is cozy mystery-esque or maybe cThis was excellent and a bit weighty. What I love about this series ultimately is its style. The setup for this series is cozy mystery-esque or maybe cozy mystery adjacent...more
This was fantastic. This series is a fun cross between cozy mystery and police procedural. I like that these start off like an episode of Law & Order wThis was fantastic. This series is a fun cross between cozy mystery and police procedural. I like that these start off like an episode of Law & Order with the crime. The book then introduces the subjects, the potential suspects, and eventually, the story is tied to Emma's detective agency.
I started this series by reviewing the 4th book for NetGalley, and I'm now making my way through the series in order.
This featured a cold case, almost, of a missing successful clothing designer the night before her big show. This novel introduced the Cuban doctor teaching & working in Ghana who sometimes assists her cases as well as a young Ghanaian forensics expert who I also was familiar with from the fourth book in this series.
This featured the usual engaging cast of characters, interesting tidbits about Ghanaian culture, and a reveal I didn't guess.
This is a great series and should appeal to readers of cozy mysteries and police procedurals. Also, folks who like the format of Law & Order TV show....more
I found my way to this series when I reviewed the 4th book for NetGalley. I loved Emma so much that I decided to read the rest of the series.
This firsI found my way to this series when I reviewed the 4th book for NetGalley. I loved Emma so much that I decided to read the rest of the series.
This first book in the series did not disappoint. This gives Emma's backstory before joining the detective agency at the center of the series. We see a bit of Emma's family life and get a feel for her character. This is set up almost as a cross between cozy mystery and police procedural. This has random humorous bits and characters that tend to people cozy mysteries. You also have a cast of regulars at the detective agency. The police procedural portion is always both interesting and revealing. This features a missing American widower, father, and grandfather who has returned to Ghana many years after his youth in the Peace Corp.
I love, love, love the author's respect for the beauty of Ghanaian women...more
3.5 Stars Rounded up This was a truly unique story, and I enjoyed multiple aspects of this narrative. This is definitely a creepy and dark story, perf3.5 Stars Rounded up This was a truly unique story, and I enjoyed multiple aspects of this narrative. This is definitely a creepy and dark story, perfect for spooky season. I love that this is set in an all Black town with history. I love that the creepy aspect has to do with Black folks and not racism directly. In many ways, this town was formed as a refuge from the racism in the rest of the US. At the same time, over time, this town has warped into its own horror.
This has many relatable elements even though it's set in a dark but magical space. Osira's struggles with her mother were relatable to many mother and daughter power struggles. Even the dynamic with her siblings was quite relatable to many family dynamics. In many ways, even the restrictive society felt relatable.
The writing in this story is excellent and engrossing. I was always deeply invested in Osira's well-being no matter how confusing the story got. The closing 30 percent of this story is just confusing for me. I enjoy the bizarre aspects, but this ends in a weird place for me.
Joniece Abbott-Pratt's narration of this story was perfection. Her voice has the perfect matter of fact tone that increases the deeply creepy aspects of this story. Definitely consume this as an audiobook.
Thank you to Yvonne Battle-Felton, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. All opinions and viewpoints expressed in this review are my own....more
This sweet children's audiobook is narrated by the author, Tameka Fryer Brown, beautfully. This has a soft soundtrack laid beneath the audiobook narraThis sweet children's audiobook is narrated by the author, Tameka Fryer Brown, beautfully. This has a soft soundtrack laid beneath the audiobook narration that enhances the listening experience. There's soft instrumental music and sound effects like children laughing.
This all about how a younger child is growing up and praises their accomplishments. Like what a good helper they are or how resilient their spirit is. This is a love letter from a mother to their child. It's full of compliments, affirmations, and love. It is a very sweet and loving story.
Thank you to Tameka Fryer Brown, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. All opinions and viewpoints expressed in this review are my own....more
This was interesting on multiple levels, but the 1st half is really just random tidbits on paganism across various cultures worldwide. The informationThis was interesting on multiple levels, but the 1st half is really just random tidbits on paganism across various cultures worldwide. The information was interesting but was quickly followed by unrelated but also interesting information. It did not feel cohesive. I kinda felt I was listening to an anthology of paganesque worldwide practices. It was interesting but chaotic.
This is basically a 'bible' of spells, practices, histories, medications, essays, and other writings on the topic of Lunar importance in worldwide pagan belief systems.
This definitely has value and adds to the conversation on witch or pagan beliefs and practices worldwide focusing on the moon. I just think this needed to be more ordered in the dispensing of this knowledge.
This audiobook is narrated by Morgan Dalla Betta and Krysta Gonzales. They both did a job keeping this somewhat loose text flowing and interesting.
Thank you to Casey Zabala, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. All opinions and viewpoints expressed in this review are my own. ...more
This audiobook was made available for me to listen to and review by Andrew Lipman, Tantor Audio, and NetGalley.
I'm unfamiliar wi3.5 Stars Rounded Down
This audiobook was made available for me to listen to and review by Andrew Lipman, Tantor Audio, and NetGalley.
I'm unfamiliar with this time period in the history of the Indigenous Peoples of the Americas. As a result, I am unable to judge the accuracy of the historical information shared. I have an audiobook copy and not a digital copy, so I am unsure if this history accurately portrays the sources used. Since this was published before I requested the audiobook I did try Hoopla & Libby for a library copy of the digital book so I could verify the sources used but neither library had a copy of the digital book. Hoopla does have the audiobook for any interested. That said, the sources mentioned in the text check out and seem to be used accurately. The author is a professor, and so his resources in this field are probably accurate or at the least based on the latest research. The text indicates this to be so, and I am unable to verify independently otherwise.
This was a treasure trove of information on the Wampanoag peoples in the early stages of European colonization. I learned so much about living situations, family settings, women's roles in society, children's roles and activities, family life, and just wow. I was so thoroughly engrossed in these details. I had no idea so much information was available to researchers. I truly need a digital copy of this book so I can mine the resources for more information. I need more than what this book offers.
This is structured in such a way that the reader really learns about early colonization of the Americas by multiple European colonizing peoples. This is important because this period in European history, with which I am very familiar, is frought with complicated history and inter-country struggles. That said, some of the information given on European nations at this time is slanted.
The author takes great pains to point out that the Wampanoag engaged in slavery adjacent practices and pointed out Arabic and other European slavery adjacent practices at this time. I don't like this. This author is the descendant of the Europeans who committed this genocide in the Americas; less than 3% of the current US population is Native American, and about 5% of Canada is First Nations. Indigenous peoples in these nations live on Reservations & Reserves, they aren't allowed political power, and their population is not represented in the federal government of either colonizing nation at population percentage rates. In many respects, they live in 'ghettos' in which they don’t have access to clean water and food is not affordable. They live under apartheid. We simply don't use those words to describe their treatment because it would reflect badly on our respective countries. They aren't the only marginalized group in North America treated this way, but considering this is their land, it's especially heinous.
I take issue with the author pretending that Captain John Smith who was briefly captured while he was a mercenary soldier and comparing that to Squanto's capture and expulsion to Europe. Squanto did not hire himself out as a soldier, nor was he fighting a war when he was captured. His captors stole him when he was engaged in regular trade. If John Smith had been stolen from the London wharf while unloading his ship, maybe that would compare. What was done to Squanto and other Indigenous Peoples of the Americas was something that Europeans would never consider doing to other European nations. Such behavior would be considered cowardly, anti-christian, and deeply shocking. Other European nations would've declared war on a European nation that was moving in this manner in Europe. This behavior was only considered okay because it was done to non-Europeans. Early racism is why these horrible practices were carried out, and greed is why they became normalized. Historians need to say this explicitly and not waste time trying to negate the genocidal behaviors of their klancestors. This pretense that everyone was behaving badly is a very colonialist viewpoint. Squanto and the Wampanoag deserve better.
This audiobook is narrated by David Colacci. David did a decent job with this. His tone was educational but not droning or boring. It's fairly good for an information dense text like this.
Thank you to Andrew Lipman, Tantor Audio, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. All opinions and viewpoints expressed in this review are my own....more
This audiobook was made available for me to listen to and review by Odie Henderson, Tantor Audio, and NetGalley.
This audiobook is narrated by the authThis audiobook was made available for me to listen to and review by Odie Henderson, Tantor Audio, and NetGalley.
This audiobook is narrated by the author, Odie Henderson. Having the author narrate their own work can sometimes go wrong. Not in this case, though. I loved hearing Odie's own excitement and emotion as he narrated this fun book.
This is for folks who know and love these movies as well as for folks who've not watched a single movie and aren't entirely sure what blaxploitation movies are. This is a fun and fundamental education about this era in film, told in a nostalgic tone.
I grew up in the 80s, so I missed the opportunity to see these movies in the theatre. Like the author, I grew up patronizing first family or individually owned video rental stores and then Blockbuster once they put the smaller places out of business. Unlike the author, my parents and family did not rent or talk much about blaxploitation films. My first exposure to the blaxploitation genre was in high school. I had a teacher who was a fan, and I think I rented and watched Shaft. I grew up in Detroit, so I'm somewhat surprised that I didn't have more exposure.
This book takes you behind the scenes of this era; the movies, the actors, and the filming itself. I truly loved this. This made me miss my late father tremendously as he was a huge movie buff, and I bet he saw these films in the theatre. After Eddie Murphy did that Netflix Dolomite movie, my husband and I laughed all through the original movie. These movies represent an era, and I enjoyed this history tremendously.
I grew up watching Spike Lee Joints, and I want to point out that these blaxploitation films proved that a Black audience existed and paved the way for filmmakers like Lee. I also want to say that this covered early Black filmmakers like Oscar Micheaux, this is a thorough history of Black Cinema.
Thank you to Odie Henderson, Tantor Audio, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. All opinions and viewpoints expressed in this review are my own....more
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