Cultivating You, Inc. Summer of Giveaways!

Cultivating You, Inc. is not offering in-person or virtual programs this summer due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, we are committed to nurturing talent through the written word. We will be hosting two book giveaways a month from June through August. The giveaways are to help curb summer slide, build home libraries, and spark discussion. Giveaways will include current topics, new releases, student recommendations, and a mystery selection.  

Review: In the Shadow of Blackbirds by Cat Winters

Cat Winters. New York: Amulet Books, 2013. 410 pp.
Rating: Striking

"They've closed down the city to try to keep the flue from spreading. They quarantined the soldiers sooner than the rest of us, but now it's the churches, theaters, moving picture houses, bathhouses, and dance halls—all closed."

    "Schools?" I asked with hope in my heart.

    "Closed." (15)

The year is 1918, World War I is raging, and the Spanish influenza is spreading rapidly claiming the lives of men, women, and children without prejudice. During the midst of this harrowing time, sixteen-year old Mary Shelley Black's life is turned upside down. She finds herself on a germ-packed train fleeing her beloved Oregon home—the only home she's ever known—to her aunt in San Diego, California after her German father is accused and arrested for treason. Mary Shelley arrives in San Diego to discover her young, widowed aunt working in a shipyard, her sweetheart dead, and her image used to entice grieving individuals to spirit photography by her love's unscrupulous brother. Being a young lady of science, Mary Shelly is skeptical of the spirit world, but will her position shift when she's thrust into its mystical wonders.

Review: Scarlet (The Lunar Chronicles #2) by Marissa Meyer

Marissa Meyers. New York: Feiwel and Friends, 2013. 454 pp.
Rating: Striking + 🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙

Note: I started writing this review as soon as I finished reading the book on December 7, 2013; however, I never finished writing it. Last month I decided to reread Scarlet, my favorite book of TLC, because I needed something familiar, something I liked, something that wouldn't take up more space than the already jumbled thoughts currently swirling in my mind. I needed a good friend. Not only did this rereading bring me peace, but it also prompted me to finish the review I started seven years earlier. Although many years have passed, I'm leaving the review as I started it. 

In Scarlet, the second installment of The Lunar Chronicles Series, Cinder's story surges forward. Readers sojourn from New Beijing to Rieux, a small province in the French countryside, and there are introduced to Scarlet Benoit, the fiery, red-haired granddaughter of a former European Union pilot. Scarlet is unconvinced that her grandmother's disappearance is intentional though the police and townspeople believe otherwise. While Scarlet grapples with her grandmother's disappearance, Cinder is attempting to break out of prison to elude extradition back to Luna and Queen Levana's malicious plans.

Mini Review: Scarlett Undercover by Jennifer Latham

Jennifer Latham. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2015. Ebook.

Rating: Worthy

Goodreads Summary: Meet Scarlett, a smart, sarcastic, kick-butt, Muslim American heroine, ready to take on crime in her hometown of Las Almas. When a new case finds the private eye caught up in a centuries-old battle of evil genies and ancient curses, Scarlett discovers that her own family secrets may have more to do with the situation than she thinks -- and that cracking the case could lead to solving her father's murder.

Scarlett Undercover was my first read featuring a Muslim American protagonist. Not knowing much, rather anything, about Islam, I thought the author did a good job writing about it. Latham neither slams nor pushes it. It is merely a part of who Scarlett is and her world. The book started off slow, but picked up around thirty-five percent. Prior to reading this book, I had never heard of the Solomon Knot or the myth surrounding King Solomon. I enjoyed the myth and must do more research on it. I didn't like Scarlett, but neither did I dislike her. She was a tolerable protagonist. I liked her spunk, but she crossed the line toward disrespectful often; plus the "gum shoe detective" lingo got old fast. Scarlett's and Decker's romance was sweet and cute. Closing with them was a nice way to end the novel.

**Complimentary e-galley provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.        

Review: Into White by Randi Pink

Randi Pink. New York: Feiwel and Friends, 2016. pp. 275
Rating: Don't Bother + 🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙

LaToya Williams attends a majority white high school in Montgomery, Alabama. Outside of her older brother, LaToya is without friends at school and in her affluent suburban neighborhood. After an extremely humiliating experience at school, LaToya prays to trade her black skin for that of white. Upon waking the next day, LaToya discovers that her prayer has been answered.  Now LaToya has to learn to navigate life as white, blond, and privileged. Not to mention, maintain the appearance of her pre-transformation self around her family who are unable to see the "new" LaToya. 

Review: Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles #1) by Marissa Meyer

Marissa Meyer. New York: Feiwel and Friends, 2012. 392 pp.
Rating: Worthy

Note: I started writing this review as soon as I finished reading the book on February 20, 2013. Although many years have passed, I'm leaving the review as I started it. I did complete the Lunar Chronicles Series, so that in itself is an indication of my relationship with this book.

Cinder is a science fiction rendering of Cinderella. Set in New Beijing after the fourth World War where gasoline cars are antiquated relics, hovercrafts are a means of transportation, money is exchanged through an ID chip embedded in one's wrist, and cyborgs are commonplace. The protagonist, Cinder, is a cyborg; a mix of human with a splash of machine. Ashamed of her mechanical parts, Cinder encases her arms in gloves at all times. Under the guise of gratitude for renewed life, cyborgs are being drafted as test subjects to discover a cure for Letumosis, the Blue Fever, which is ravaging New Beijing and other earthen colonies. Living under the constant threat of being condemned to plague research, Cinder works as a mechanic at the New Beijing weekly market suffering the enslavement and derision of her stepmother. 

Review: Tyler Johnson Was Here by Jay Coles

Jay Coles. Hachette: New York, 2018. E-book.
Rating: Decent

Trigger Warning: Police Brutality, Profanity: F-bombs 

Goodreads Summary: When Marvin Johnson's twin, Tyler, goes to a party, Marvin decides to tag along to keep an eye on his brother. But what starts as harmless fun turns into a shooting, followed by a police raid.

The next day, Tyler has gone missing, and it's up to Marvin to find him. But when Tyler is found dead, a video leaked online tells an even more chilling story: Tyler has been shot and killed by a police officer. Terrified as his mother unravels and mourning a brother who is now a hashtag, Marvin must learn what justice and freedom really mean.

If I were to judge this book by its cover alone, I would give it a raving five stars. Sadly, that is not the case. There were a few things I liked about the book and plenty I did not, actually, down-right hated. So, for this review, I'm deviating from my normal review style and using a bullet format.

Mini Review: I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

Jandy Nelson. Brilliance Audio, 2015.
Rating: Striking

I'll Give You the Sun is a story of family, sibling rivalry, grudges, loss, disappointment, art, love, forgiveness, and magic. It is the story of a competition gone wrong. At times, the language can be too flowery, but for the most part it is beautiful. I was a little lost in the beginning as to what was actually happening since I was listening to the audiobook. However, if it had not been for the audiobook, I would've given up after the first few pages and missed out on a gem of a story. I plan to reread the book in a physical format so I may enjoy with my eyes that which I previously enjoyed with my ears. 

Review: Peas and Carrots by Tanita S. Davis

Tanita S. Davis. Alfred A. Knopf: New York, 2016.  279 pp.

Rating: Decent

I debated whether to write a review for this book mainly because the writing is unremarkable and it was just an okay read to me; however, in subject matter this is a narrative that needed to be written. Oftentimes when we think of foster children, our minds are automatically wired to visualize children of color despite the stark reality that children of all races and ethnicities flow in and out of foster care trapped within an imperfect system. This story had to be written if only to demonstrate that black families foster more than just black children. It's important that I reiterate this because a few months back, a friend asked a question that I took exception to. For a brief moment, she shedded her friend cloak for that of a stranger. "How are you going to respond when someone asks you why you chose a white child when there are so many black children in the system?" is the question she posed to me.

To understand this question, you must know that I'm a single Black woman with no biological kids who is now fostering a white teenage girl. There is so much I could say in response to her question, but the bottom line is that ALL children need love, a loving home, and a safe living environment. Period. End of discussion.

Months later my friend confessed that finally she understood that it wasn't about race, but about a child who yearned for a stable, loving home and a woman who has always wanted to be a mother and has an abundance of love to give.

With that said...on to the book review.

This Darkness Mine by Mindy McGinnis - Book Trailer

I'm so excited for this book! "Phantom Heart" the short story beginnings of Mindy McGinnis' upcoming novel, This Darkness Mine," appears in the anthology, Among the Shadows:13 Stories of Darkness and Light. I was thrilled to learn that the story had been expanded into a full-length novel. I read Among the Shadows last fall. Although I liked "Phantom Heart," the story ended just as soon as it seemed to really begin. I need a good psychological thriller in my life right now. I cannot wait to get my hands on this book! 

Review: Compulsion (Heirs of Watson Island #1) by Martina Boone

Martina Boone. New York: Simon Pulse, 2014. Ebook.
Rating: Decent

Goodreads Summary: Three plantations. Two wishes. One ancient curse.

All her life, Barrie Watson had been a virtual prisoner in the house where she lived with her shut-in mother. When her mother dies, Barrie promises to put some mileage on her stiletto heels. But she finds a new kind of prison at her aunt’s South Carolina plantation instead--a prison guarded by an ancient spirit who long ago cursed one of the three founding families of Watson Island and gave the others magical gifts that became compulsions.

Stuck with the ghosts of a generations-old feud and hunted by forces she cannot see, Barrie must find a way to break free of the family legacy. With the help of sun-kissed Eight Beaufort, who knows what Barrie wants before she knows herself, the last Watson heir starts to unravel her family's twisted secrets. What she finds is dangerous: a love she never expected, a river that turns to fire at midnight, a gorgeous cousin who isn’t what she seems, and very real enemies who want both Eight and Barrie dead.

Review: The Education of Margot Sanchez by Lilliam Rivera

Lilliam Rivera. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2017.
Rating: Decent

Goodreads Summary: Pretty in Pink comes to the South Bronx in this bold and romantic coming-of-age novel about dysfunctional families, good and bad choices, and finding the courage to question everything you ever thought you wanted—from debut author Lilliam Rivera.

THINGS/PEOPLE MARGOT HATES:

Mami, for destroying my social life

Papi, for allowing Junior to become a Neanderthal

Junior, for becoming a Neanderthal

This supermarket

Everyone else

After “borrowing” her father's credit card to finance a more stylish wardrobe, Margot Sanchez suddenly finds herself grounded. And by grounded, she means working as an indentured servant in her family’s struggling grocery store to pay off her debts.

Review: The Cure for Dreaming by Cat Winters

Cat Winters. New York: Amulet Books, 2014.  352 pp.
Rating: Striking 

"Think of your future sons and daughters. Think how much better your childhood would have been if your mother had accepted her place in the world and ignored her selfish dreams." (60)

Oh, the cover, the cover! (squeals loudly) Love, love, love! I'm lucky to have scored a poster of the cover during TCfD Book Tour. The imagery is fantastic! The cover sets the atmosphere of what lies between the pages. The cumbersome garments, the strings tied around Olivia's skirt, and the buttons of her boots represent the bondage, the stagnant station of womanhood—the result of being born of the fairer sex. 

Where is a woman's place? Is it inside or outside the home? Is it both? What is a woman's role in the world and who decides her fate? 

Review: Rising From the Ashes: The Chronicles of Caymin (The Dragonmage Saga #1) by Caren J. Werlinger

Caren J. Werlinger. Corgyn Publishing, 2016. 295 pp.

Rating: Worthy + 🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙

Fantasy isn't my go to genre. Truthfully, it's never really been on my radar. Not because I despised it, but because I hadn't been introduced to it. Many times as I read blog posts or hear readers talk about beloved fantasy stories, I feel that I've missed out on many great books during my formative years. While others were discovering and feeding their love of fantasy in middle and junior high school, I was re-reading, for the umpteenth time, the books that adorned my bedroom bookshelf. It wasn't because I loved them so much, but because I simply didn't know what else to read.  Now with each fantasy novel I complete, the shovel drops another load filling in the hollow pit of my non-fantasy reading life. Soon though, this book hole shall be jam-packed!

Review: Glow (Sky Chasers #1) by Amy Kathleen Ryan

Amy Kathleen Ryan. New York: St. Martin's Griffin, 2011. 307 pp.
Rating: Striking

Trigger Warning: Non-Consent

**Note: I started writing this review a few days after reading the book in December 2014, so my review will retain all feelings and reactions written in my notes at the time I read the book. I'm on a serious mission to clear out my draft folder and complete the dozens of book reviews that I've started over the last few years. Also, this review contains slight spoilers.** 

What if you've never seen the sun, felt the wind blow across your face, been drenched in the rain, or stared at the immense blue sky? What if the only home you have even known is an egg-shaped vessel that has spent over forty years plowing through the depths of outer space destined for a new world? What if you were responsible for ensuring the continuation of the human race? What if future generations could trace their lineage back to you? What if your allies suddenly appeared without notice? What if, concealed by the cloak of friendship they steal from you what they most need? 

"They must want something from us,"..."or they wouldn't be here."  (4) 

Now, imagine being torn away from your family and placed with another under the guise of a rescue mission. 

Review: How Wendy Redbird Dancing Survived the Dark Ages of Nought by Lyn Fairchild Hawks

Lyn Fairchild Hawks. Self-Published, 2013. pp. 268.
Rating: Decent + 🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙


Trigger Warning: Sexual Abuse/Rape

Some months back, a couple of weeks after I'd finished this book, a student who was new to the youth group remarked that she always wears a jacket because she's constantly cold. I then asked if she was anemic and she said that it was her security blanket...that it protected her from many things. Being extremely thin, I wondered if she was self-conscious of her body or was she possibly hiding/shielding herself from somebody or somebodies; however, we were interrupted before I could question her further. Not only did this conversation call up images of Linus from Peanuts dragging his blue blanket—which could morph into various objects when needed, such as a lasso or shepherd's head covering—everywhere, but it also caused me to think of Wendy Redbird Dancing with Michael Jackson, greasy hair, and kohl eyeliner as her security blankets.

Review: Titans by Victoria Scott

Victoria Scott. Scholastic, 2016.
Rating: Worthy + 🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙

Goodreads Summary: Ever since the Titans first appeared in her Detroit neighborhood, Astrid Sullivan’s world has revolved around the mechanical horses. She and her best friend have spent countless hours watching them and their jockeys practice on the track. It’s not just the thrill of the race. It’s the engineering of the horses and the way they’re programmed to seem so lifelike. The Titans are everything that fascinates Astrid, and nothing she’ll ever touch.

She hates them a little, too. Her dad lost everything betting on the Titans. And the races are a reminder of the gap between the rich jockeys who can afford the expensive machines to ride, and the working class friends and neighbors of Astrid’s who wager on them.

Review: Interrupted: A Life Beyond Words by Rachel Coker

Rachel Coker. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2012. 247 pp.
Rating: Worthy

In rural Tennessee, ensconced in a world of Emily Dickinson, mythology, and piano lessons, thirteen-year old Alcyone "Allie" Everly cares for her cancer-stricken mother. Without a friend, save the irksome Sam Carroll, the boy who's always around, Allie is confined to her mother's introverted, fantasy world; until disaster strikes tearing it apart. Allie is then shipped off to Maine to the home of Beatrice Lovell leaving everything she knows behind only hours after the funeral. Forewarned by her mother to, "...look out for yourself and don't let your guard down. Don't ever forget your roots or your common sense," Allie subconsciously creates thick walls barring anything of her new life to creep in, especially her adoptive mother. Yet, it isn't until Sam's unexpected arrival in Maine that Allie's defenses begin to unravel. 

Review: '89 Walls by Kate Pierson

Kate Pierson. Minneapolis: Wise Ink, 2015. pp. 264.
Rating: Decent + 🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙

Goodreads Summary: College is not in the cards for Seth. He spends his minimum wage on groceries and fakes happiness to distract his mom from the MS they both know will kill her. It’s agony to carry around a frayed love note for a girl who’s both out of his league and beneath his dignity. 

Quinn’s finishing high school on top. But that cynical, liberal guy in her social studies class makes her doubt her old assumptions. Challenging the rules now, though, would a) squander her last summer at home, b) antagonize her conservative dad, and c) make her a hypocrite.

Review: Mary: The Summoning (Bloody Mary #1) by Hillary Monahan

Hillary Monahan. Los Angles: Hyperion, 2014. pp.248 
Rating: Decent + 🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙

Goodreads Summary: There is a right way and a wrong way to summon her. 

Jess had done the research. Success requires precision: a dark room, a mirror, a candle, salt, and four teenage girls. Each of them--Jess, Shauna, Kitty, and Anna--must link hands, follow the rules...and never let go. 

A thrilling fear spins around the room the first time Jess calls her name: "Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary. BLOODY MARY." A ripple of terror follows when a shadowy silhouette emerges through the fog, a specter trapped behind the mirror.