What's Next?

Drum Roll Please!..........

Our second read is An Accidental Affair. We will be beginning this book on Monday June 4th. This gives you a few more days to go get your book as well as more time to let your friends know that it is not too late to join THE BOOKSHELF!

First Book Finished

That was a great read! My favorite character this go round would have to be Savannah...just because I can envision the Whitney Houston character speaking to me so profoundly as I turned the pages....

That brings me to the topic of should Getting to Happy be made into a movie version for a sequal of Waiting to Exhale? Here's what insiders are saying:

Will there be a film?

Terri's Take!

What do you think?

How Ironic! lol

This picture was on my facebook newsfeed the other day. Thought it was funny since we are reading the sequel, so I wanted to share this with you :)

Wrapping it up!

Tomorrow we will be discussing the conclusion of the book. So begin to think about the ending as well as these additional topics:

• Favorite Characters
• Favorite Storylines
• Likes 
• Dislikes
• Most memorable moments
• Which of the four women are you most like and why?
• Things you will take away from this book
• Any other thoughts?
• Final review and rating (How many stars?) 

One final thing....Think about what our next book will be!

Let your friends know that they still have time to join 

THE BOOKSHELF

 for our second summer read :)

We're Getting to the End...Are We Happy?!!

There has been so much going on with the stories of the four when in the book. This week as we finish up the final chapters let's reflect some, shall we...

Which character's situation did you most sympathize with? Whose behavior do you find most frustrating? Whose storyline do you find most satisfying? This could be anyone in the entire book....

What characters do you think we deserve to learn more about? I would love to delve into the life of Tarik  (boy has he been through it) or even journey with John Jr or Sparrow or Taylor.....

Would you ever consider joining a women's group like Bernadine, Savannah, Robin, and Gloria were once in? What purpose would the group serve?

Savannah asks Jasper, "How do you measure happiness?" (p. 303). What did you think of his and her responses? What does happiness mean to the other characters in the novel? How do you measure happiness?

Let me know how you feel going into the last chapters/conclusion.....

Well they shut me up real Quick!

Oh my little birdie Robin...desperate are we? She was doing entirely too much in her preparation for her date with Dark Angel..Too Too much! And she too busy worrying about all these men instead of paying attention to her wild child who is over here tearing up walls and cars and once again she doesn't even get a pea size of anger towards this little girl wow! Then later Dark Angel never came and saw Russell instead at their supposedly meeting place at Starbucks. For a second I thought Dark Angel was Russell, but Russell is going to wind up on her doorstep soon and she will let him through the door and back into her life. What will it take for women to stop taking no-good men back into their lives over and over and over again?

And my glorious Glo accidentally winded up in a sex store...oh she'll be back.

   She is also considering making Joseph a partner. Do you think that partnering with Joseph is a good choice? Maybe it will take some stress off of her or maybe he will turn out and be super shady and wreck everything that she spent so much time and money on throughout the years hmmmmm

Now skip all of that! What I really want to talk about is Issac! This Nword got the nerve to call Savannah and ask her for "2 or 3 preferably $3000" and get this...on the day they are officially divorced! What in the WORLD?????! And she decides to lend it!!! is it just me? Or is this some crazy ISH? What would you do in this situation?...I know what I would do and it is not pretty whatsoever...oh Savannah! I will pray for you tonight because how much you want to bet that is the last time she will see that money AND that man?

Well Bernie we shall see you in the next round of four!

Predictions

I can not believe it's the secod week on this book and we're half through it!!!! The drama did build up quickly and simmer down right away but I'm sure it will be back..

My predictions are simple:

•     Something is going to be wrong with Dark Knight and Robin's baby daddy Leon is going to get out of jail. They'll be back together in no time. Or the Dark Knight just might not be dark at all and just likes dark meat, if you know what I mean...

• Gloria is going to go into business with Joseph and regret. She'll find out about Marvin's plans for expansion. She'll probably even go back to the "hardware" store and make a purchase.

• There is no telling what will happen on the homefront for Savannah...I'm waiting for GoGo to visit. The story will definitely beef up then.

• When it comes to Bernie, Onika is going to tell John she's gay or its just going to slip out. With her not having any money she will soon have to face her addictions too.

Slowing Down just a tad....

For the chapters between the pages 123-174 the action seemed to slow down and slip into the women's everyday routines. But lets just go over some of the things that occurred...

In ICEBREAKERS...Savannah and Robin meetup at a yoga class. One part had me rolling...They were having usual girl talk and Savannah mentioned Michael (That pudgy guy robin used to mess around with in the movie) Remembering that part in the movie...I could not stop laughing. But other than that Robin began to talk about her experiences with online dating and it seems like shes enjoying it. One last thing I did want to point out was this Savannah says "It seems like the only thing that's pretty much guaranteed when you get married these days is getting divorced."
       How do you feel about marriage these days? Has it changed? In what ways?

In You Need to Watch Dr. Phil.... Savannah has a conversation over the phone with her mother. Now if you remember from the movie her mother is very opinionated. In this chapter it is clear that Savannah misses Issac and her mother is not understanding why she is leaving a good man and even states "it ain't no fun being old and lonely."
    How do you feel about mothers and their opinions on your relationship. The saying goes "Mama knows best." But is that always the case? Especially when they may not know the entire story? Are you willing to stay in a unhappy relationship because you don't want to grow old and lonely?
     *and a sidenote...a coworker offers their home in Paris to Savannah, but she turns down the offer. I think she should go...it will get her mind off of everything that is going on with her in her life and she may meet a hot Parisian man to raise her spirits again hmmmm

In Four-Way...All four of the girls are talking on the phone, catching up with one another. They are trying to decide on what they should do together since they haven't spent time together as a group in a while. In this chapter, Gloria seems a little bit more involved although she kind of fell asleep on the phone lol The chapter ends with Bernie lying to the girls about how she will stop taking Xanax. She definitely needs another stress reliever before things get real critical.
     How do you handle your stress? What suggestions or advice would you offer to Bernie to get her through these tough times?

Finally, In Soap Opera Digest...Little miss 14 year old Taylor decides she is so grown that she could drive her father's car to Bernie's house. While there she expresses that she is not happy living with her dad John because he is never home and now doesn't have a mother around. She rather live with Bernie and begs her to take her in. Bernie is unsure about this is at the moment and explains to her that it isn't as easy as she makes it seem. At the conclusion of this chapter we learn that Bernie is in some major financial issues and have outstanding balances on all of her credit cards and can not receive any loans and then she pops a pill!
     Do you think its best that Taylor goes to live with her? What are the pros and cons of that potential situation? What is she going to do about her money situation?

Hoping it picks back up in these next chapters in our Week two of GETTING TO HAPPY :)

"Getting to Happy" Book Schedule #2

Week of Monday May 14!

Monday

   Grocery Shopping 

   The First One's Free

    (pgs 197-219)

    WE ARE NOW HALFWAY THROUGH THE BOOK-

post your predictions for the second half :)

Tuesday

    Things Couldn't Be Better

    140/90

    (pgs 220-241)

     *Discuss pgs 175-219

Wednesday

    I Need a Fucking Vacation

    Returns

    (pgs 242-264)

Thursday

    Play Areas

    Blockbuster Night 

    (pgs 265-295)

    *Discuss pgs 220-264

    SIDE NOTE: *This has nothing to do with the book.......But SCANDAL FINALE is          

    coming on today! Too excited! Don't Forget to tune in!!!

Friday

   I'd Rather Work at Walmart

   Stick a Fork in Me: I'm Done

   (pgs 296-315)

Saturday 

    Is That Your Final Answer?

    Thank You

    (pgs 316-338)

    *Discuss pgs 265-315

Sunday 

    Blind Date

    Recovery Road

   (pgs 339-360)

The Story Continues to Build....

I am really liking  this book! It's great because I've watched Waiting to Exhale tons of times with my mom and aunts...but what I am having trouble doing in my head is depicting what Issac looks like. If the sequal is made, who do you think would play Issac? I'm caught between the following people but he has to be old....I'm caught between Richard T. Jones, Rockmond Dunbar, or Tyler Perry. Yes. I said Tyler Perry!!! He would have to look similar to how he did in A Family That Preys though...This business co-siging business with Savannah and Issac is reminiscent to Cynthia and Peter from the Atlanta Housewives...I'm just saying!

What is going to lift Gloria's spirits? Poor Loretta Devine..ooops I mean Gloria!

After reading about the little rendevous to the aquarium, it kinda made me want to go too!

Now John, John, John...tsk tsk. No he didn't show up to his ex-wife's house trying to get some sympathy. Bernie is a good woman because she didn't throw anything in his face or say "karma's a bleep. Instead she's now going to play mommy to her 1st ex-husbands love child...smh!

This story just keeps building and getting better but I want to know what's going on with Robin and that little wild child.

Discussion: The First Four Chapters

In the first four chapters we are reintroduced to the lives of Savannah, Robin, Bernadine, and Gloria. What happened to the four women since we last heard from them New Year's Eve about 15 years ago is more than one can describe....below are just a few of the issues that have arisen for the women

Savannah

• Married but not happily married
• Husband may be a porn addict
• Could be soon housing her 18 year old nephew
• She asks herself a great question: If I dropped dead today, what leagacy would I leave? Would I have done the things that I have wanted to do?
• Now ask yourself that same question, despite whatever you're going through (even if it's not as big/troublesome as Savannah's) what legacy are leaving?

Robin

• Is raising a 15 year old free spirit
• Seeking online dating and possibly an interracial relationship
• Struggling with her dreams being unfulfilled
• Wants to be married and in place where she loves her job
• Online dating are you willing to try it? What would be deter you from dating outside your race? What dreams have you yet to accomplish or even tackle?

Bernadine

• Remarried and it faultered too this time because of polygamy?!?!  (you have to read about this craziness)
• Just found out her daughter is a lesbian
• Plighted by perscription drug addiction and in jeopardy of having no money!!!
• Why is money the key stress builder for individuals? Would you turn to a drugs, food, or another addiction to hide your problems? How would you deal with your child or loved one telling you the truth about their sexuality?

Gloria

• Enjoying her family life to the fullest, now with grandchildren
• Expanding her salon
• Just found out her husban of 15 years was murdered
• The happiest of all four of the women
• When we're at our happiest or our lives seemed to be where we want them the unexpected happens. How do you think Gloria will deal with the loss of her husband? Who killed him? In our world today innocent lives get taken like Marvin's way to often. What will cease violence within our communities

                 ********I promise my post will never be this long again!*********

"Getting to Happy" Book schedule :)

Week of Monday May 7

Monday

    The Deep End

    Making the Cat Walk Backward

    (pgs 1-35)

Tuesday
    Shake, Rattle & Roll
    Fourteen Years
    (pgs 36-72)

Wednesday
    Love Don't Live Here Anymore
    If I Sit Still Long Enough
    (pgs 73-98)
     *Discuss pgs 1-72

Thursday
    Coming Clean
    Thunderstruck
    (pgs 99-122)

 Friday
    Icebreakers
    You Need to Watch Dr. Phil
    (pgs 123-146)
    *Discuss pgs 73-122

Saturday
    Four-Way
    Soap Opera Digest
    (pgs 147-174)

Sunday
     You Can Never Be Too Sure
     Good Vibrations
     (pgs 175-196)
     *Discuss pgs 123-174

Getting to happy by Terry McMillan is our first read! so get your book soon because we begin on Monday! Book schedule comes out on Sunday...so check back in with us Tomorrow! Here's a little overview of what you'll find in "Getting to Happy."

An exuberant return to the four unforgettable heroines of Waiting to Exhale—the novel that changed African American fiction forever.

Terry McMillan's Waiting to Exhale was more than just a bestselling novel—its publication was a watershed moment in literary history. McMillan's sassy and vibrant story about four African American women struggling to find love and their place in the world touched a cultural nerve, inspired a blockbuster film, and generated a devoted audience.

Now, McMillan revisits Savannah, Gloria, Bernadine, and Robin fifteen years later. Each is at her own midlife crossroads: Savannah has awakened to the fact that she's made too many concessions in her marriage, and decides to face life single again—at fifty-one. Bernadine has watched her megadivorce settlement dwindle, been swindled by her husband number two, and conned herself into thinking that a few pills will help distract her from her pain. Robin has an all-American case of shopaholism, while the big dream of her life—to wear a wedding dress— has gone unrealized. And for years, Gloria has taken happiness and security for granted. But being at the wrong place at the wrong time can change everything. All four are learning to heal past hurts and to reclaim their joy and their dreams; but they return to us full of spirit, sass, and faith in one another. They've exhaled: now they are learning to breathe.

Pool of Books

 We have chosen our pool of books and here they are....

1.      Getting to Happy-Terry McMillan
   2.        Cuckoo-Richard Wright
   3.         Holy Rollers-ReShonda Tate Billingsley
   4.        The Family Business-Carl Weber
   5.        Keeping the Secret-RM Johnson
   6.        An Accidental Affair-Eric Jerome Dickey
   7.        Black-Tracy Brown
   8.       The Lipstick Clique- David Weaver
   9.        Vanishing  Acts- Jodi Picoult
   10.     Faith-Michelle Larks
   11.    The Real Thing-J.J Murray
   12.     I heard that Song Before-Mary Higgans Clark
   13.     By Invitation Only – Alexis Maybank
   14.    Escape from Camp 14 – Blaine Harden
   15.    The Singles- Meredith Goldstein
   16.    Ada’s Rules-Alice Randall
   17.    Why I Love Black Women- Michael Eric Dyson
   18.    Power & Beauty –T.I. Harris
   19.    The Wealth Cure- Hill Harper
   20.    True You – Janet Jackson
   21.    Mistress Inc –Niobia Bryant
   22.    The Final Four- Paul Volponi
   23.    The Outsider- Richard Wright
   24.    The Rules of Attraction – Bret Easton Ellis
   25.   *Bonus: Letter to My Daughter- Maya Angelou
   
   

Welcome!

Just want to make the first post! Book list and schedule coming soon!