I’m going back to Indiana…

I’m going back to Indiana…

Posted November 22, 2015 by Akilah in Uncategorized / 2 Comments

…metaphorically speaking, of course. So, I have tried and tried and tried and TRIED to make this blog interesting and a place I want to post. I have tried so hard, and it is just not working for me. At all. I just can’t relax into it. So I’m going back to my roots. From now on, I’m going to be posting back at my old blog, which I’ve had for over 13 years. I don’t want to lose touch with anyone who is reading/following me here, so please follow me at my (new) old space: http://keenai.livejournal.com/ I was going to explain in more detail why I’ve decided to move back, but it took me a million years to write this short snippet, so you can see part of the issue right there.

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Fave Quotes (So Far) from Books Read in 2015

Fave Quotes (So Far) from Books Read in 2015

Posted November 17, 2015 by Akilah in Memes / 6 Comments

1. From Not Otherwise Specified by Hannah Moskowitz I’m really trying not to hate people for being pretty.   2. From The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron Life is meant to be an artist date.   3. From The Conch Bearer by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni Weeping is not bad. It clears out the heart so there is room in it for growth.   4. From The Friendship Riddle by Megan Frazer Blakemore “Modesty. Respect. Humility.” This was Ms. Broadcheck’s mantra for Lucas. They’d been working on it all year, but he didn’t seem to get it. Once he told her that he just didn’t feel comfortable lying, even if it made people feel better.   5. From As If!: The Oral History of Clueless… by Jen Chaney Donald Faison: That was my go-to when I wanted to be with a girl. I’d say, “Come over and let’s watch Clueless.” Absolutely. Clueless was the […]

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I am neurotic, or a Zero Draft Thirty update

I am neurotic, or a Zero Draft Thirty update

Posted November 9, 2015 by Akilah in Real Life / 0 Comments

I was telling my friend how neurotic working on my screenplay draft was making me revealing me to be, and she said I should blog about it. So. Here we go. To recap: I did The Artist’s Way. I discovered that maybe I was blocked because I don’t want to write books but want to write TV. I decided to use NaNoWriMo to work on a pilot script even though that’s for novel writing. I discovered Zero Draft Thirty and pledged to do that instead. Now that that’s out of the way: my neuroses. I have been working on my script almost every single day. It is terrible–as it bloody well should be. It’s a zero draft (or, as I teach my students, a shitty first draft). I have silenced the inner critic! I have let go of resistance! Well, kind of. See, the thing is I get really distracted […]

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Audiobook Review: Till You Hear from Me

Audiobook Review: Till You Hear from Me

Posted November 4, 2015 by Akilah in Adult Lit, Audiobooks, Book Reviews / 0 Comments

Reading this book was almost like being home again. I mean, yes, it’s set in Atlanta and not the DC area, but all the black people in this book. Ah, I was just rolling around in blackness. Granted a bit more militant blackness than I usually rolled with back in the day, but a lot of blackness nonetheless. Yes, I miss that on occasion. It was nice to get right into it is what I’m saying. Miss Iona may be one of my new favorite characters. She is so awesome. I love her. Love, love, love, love. On the other hand, there is Wes, my new most hated character. I think he is worse than Dolores Umbridge. I mean, the hate I have for him is deep and abiding. The book mentions that he’s amoral more than once, and I think that’s pretty apt. He is the worst. THE WORST. […]

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It’s Monday! What are you reading? / Monthly Wrap-Up

It’s Monday! What are you reading? / Monthly Wrap-Up

Posted November 2, 2015 by Akilah in Memes, Real Life / 2 Comments

  This week, I finished: The Worst Witch by Jill Murphy (children’s lit, chapter book) – super cute and not as dark as the movie Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon (YA) – started out strong but the ending annoyed me so so so so so so so much Awkward by Svetlana Chmakova (middle grade, graphic novel) – extra super cute with the best newspaper reporter ever As If!: The Oral History of Clueless… by Jen Chaney (adult, non-fiction) – FINALLY. The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender (adult) – this one will stay with me for a while, in a good way That puts my total books read for the month at 13. I am back in business, y’all. The school year has finally gotten its foot off my neck. Other books read this month: Till You Hear from Me by Pearl Cleage (adult, audiobook) Ghetto Cowboy by […]

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Recommendation Wednesday: The Artist’s Way

Recommendation Wednesday: The Artist’s Way

Posted October 28, 2015 by Akilah in Adult Lit, Nonfiction, Recommendation Wednesday, Book Reviews, Real Life / 1 Comment

This book changed my life. I mentioned in my musings on what I might do for my artist date that I was working through the book because I assigned it to my creative writing class and thought it might be a good idea to know what, exactly, I was asking them to do. I really wasn’t prepared for the impact this book would have on me. The two biggest tools of the book are completing the morning pages and going on the artist date. That’s where I found the impact and the transformation. Well, those two tools and the reading deprivation during Week 4. Basically, how the book works is that each week you read a chapter, write the morning pages, take yourself on an artist date, and complete some (or all) of the tasks at the end of the chapter. Repeat until the book is complete. Twelve chapters = […]

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Real Life Monsters: Top Ten Terrifying Realistic Reads

Real Life Monsters: Top Ten Terrifying Realistic Reads

Posted October 27, 2015 by Akilah in Memes / 3 Comments

I do not do horror or vampires or zombies. However, I have read some realistic fiction that has disturbed me/creeped me out to varying degrees. So, without further ado, this week’s Top Ten Tuesday (links go to my reviews):     1. Miss Nelson Is Missing! by Harry Allard & James Marshall — I find the fact that sweet Miss Nelson was replaced (and let’s be real, probably eaten) by super mean Miss Swamp totally terrifying. Okay, so Miss Nelson probably just dressed up as Miss Swamp, but that makes it even more creepy. (I read this in elementary school and still remember the plot. See? Terrifying.) 2. Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott — If I were counting down, this would probably be at the top of the list. This book CREEPED ME ALL THE WAY OUT. 3. The Circle by Dave Eggers — Okay, so The Circle seems […]

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It’s Monday! What are you reading?

It’s Monday! What are you reading?

Posted October 26, 2015 by Akilah in Memes / 0 Comments

This week, I finished: Till You Hear from Me by Pearl Cleage (adult, audiobook) Ghetto Cowboy by G. Neri (middle grade) Gone Crazy in Alabama by Rita Williams-Garcia (middle grade) Red: A Crayon’s Story by Michael Hall (children’s picture book) I liked them all, but I absolutely loved the last two.   This week, I reviewed:   As of today, I’m reading: As If!: The Oral History of Clueless… by Jen Chaney — Yes. Still. Some more. I am almost finished, though! Here, have a GIF to distract you from the fact that I’ve been reading this since the summer. Also, I just finished the section on remembering Brittany Murphy, and it had me in my feelings. RIP, Brittany.   The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender — I started this on audio but switched to the Kindle version. The author narrates it herself and is decent, but […]

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Audiobook Review: Smek for President!

Audiobook Review: Smek for President!

Posted October 21, 2015 by Akilah in Audiobooks, Children's Lit, Middle Grade Lit, Book Reviews / 2 Comments

Bahni Turpin is a delight. She’s the narrator for this book, and I love the way she did Tip’s voice. Tip sounds exactly the way I expect a 13-year-old who has saved the world with the help of her alien best friend to sound: a little world-weary but still uncertain. Also, the Boovs were awesome. I loooooved the way she voiced them. This book was a lot of fun. I listened to it on the way to and from work on the bus, and I was often smiling or laughing along. The characters are great. Tip and J.Lo are, of course, the best, but the other characters they encounter on the way are all memorable and well-drawn. Including Dan Landry, that jerk. This book deals with some heavy topics (loss, grief, rebellion, politics, displacement) with humor and grace. I absolutely LOVED the political commentary in the book. The New Boovworld […]

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It’s Monday! What are you reading?

It’s Monday! What are you reading?

Posted October 12, 2015 by Akilah in Memes / 8 Comments

In an effort to engage more with other bloggers and to talk a little bit more about the books I read, I have decided to start participating in this weekly meme hosted by Sheila @ Book Journeys. There’s also a children’s lit one for people who focus on books from those categories hosted by Jen Vincent at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee Moye from Unleashing Readers. I’m seeing a lot of cross-posting in my future, basically. This past week, I finished: The Birthday Ball by Lois Lowry (middle grade, audiobook) I Love You, I Hate You, Get Lost by Ellen Conford (YA, short stories) The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron (adult non-fiction, self-help) Creating Unforgettable Characters by Linda Seger (adult non-fiction)   As of today, I’m reading: As If!: The Oral History of Clueless… by Jen Chaney — Yes, still. Here’s a fun quote from it since I have no idea when I’ll […]

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