Book Review: Queen Pin by Jemeker Thompson-Hairston

Tuesday 27 July, 2010 By 5 Comments

Title: Queen Pin: A Memoir
Author: Jemeker Thompson-Hairston and David Ritz
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Publication Date: June 22, 2010
Hardcover: 224 pages
ISBN: 978-0446542883
Genre: Memoir

From the Publisher:

Jemeker Thompson-Hairston paid a heavy price for her involvement in the drug game. Learning from her sources of a federal investigation, Jemeker went on the run. It was love for her young son that brought her back to Los Angeles, even though she knew she would be arrested. A subsequent 12-year sentence would cost her not only her legitimate business and the fortune she’d amassed through the drug trade, but the most precious thing of all: time with her child. But not all was lost. Fortunately, while Thompson-Hairston was serving out her sentence, one pivotal moment helped her turn her life around, setting her on a path to help and inspire others like her.

My Review:

Queen Pin by Jemeker Thompson-Hairston is the true story of Jemeker “Queen Pin” Thompson-Hairston’s life. Queen Pin is not the average memoir but rather a story of how Jemeker went from a homeless child to running one of the largest drug cartels in the 80s and 90s. The narrative begins with Jemeker trying to evade capture by the Feds; yet desperate to see her son’s 6th grade graduation, she ends up being captured. Jemeker then takes the reader back to her childhood and the paths, which lead to her becoming “Queen Pin”, and subsequently being arrested and doing time in federal penitentiaries where her life changed around and Jemeker became an evangelist. Queen Pin is a fast paced book filled with raw emotion and descriptions and the path one woman’s life took from living in a motel to running a drug cartel to becoming an evangelist. Queen Pin is a memoir that I would recommend to adults only and those who do not mind reading about life with drugs as well as God.

About the Author:

Jemeker Thompson-Hairston started the Second Chance Evangelist Ministries (SCEM) in South Central, Los Angeles, to inspire others like her. Her mission is to show children of God that there is always a second chance in life and He will forgive.

Jemeker currently lives in Los Angeles, California.

David Ritz’s most recent bestseller is Tavis Smiley’s What I Know For Sure. He has also collaborated with Etta James, Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, Ray Charles, Laila Ali and B.B. King on their life stories. He has won a Grammy, a Deems Taylor ASCAP award, four Rolling Stone/Ralph J. Gleason book awards and is the co-composer of “Sexual Healing.” He lives in Los Angeles.

I received a complimentary copy of Queen Pin by Jemeker Thompson-Hairston and David Ritz from Hachette. Receiving a copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned novel.

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Teaser Tuesdays-Queen Pin

Tuesday 27 July, 2010 By 34 Comments

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!


“ Friends come and go but your family is forever.  You don’t go against your family, no matter what.”

~Page 32, Queen Pin: A Memoir by Jemeker Thompson-Hairston and David Ritz

My Review

What are you reading?
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Book Review and Tour: Plan B by Steven Verrier

Monday 26 July, 2010 By 5 Comments

Title: Plan B
Author: Steven Verrier
Publisher: Saga Books
Publication Date: March 17, 2010
Paperback: 192 pages
ISBN: 978-1897512302
Genre: Fiction, YA

About the Book:

Life was good to fifteen-year-old Danny Roberts. He was a model student, playing violin in his high school orchestra and earning straight A’s on the fast track to university. But then things went very wrong very fast. The problems started when a teacher wouldn’t let Danny out of class to go to the bathroom – even though he said “I’ve really got to go!”

Danny responded by defying authority for the first time in his life. That shocking act of defiance earned him a suspension, and Danny’s troubles snowballed from there. But Danny isn’t your typical student, and he doesn’t take his lumps lying down. He fights back on his terms as he plots a course through uncharted waters.

My Review:

There are two books with the title Plan B, this one, by Steven Verrier happens to be a young adult novel.    Danny is a bright and courteous student however after the incident in English class, Medford High School views Danny as nothing short of deviant.  Danny and his parents try to speak rationally with the teachers, principal and even the school board to no avail.  Rather than giving up, Danny proceeds to excel at everything he does outside of Medford.  While Plan B has a positive message, several aspects of the novel were unrealistic and for me to delve into them would be providing spoilers. One I can mention is why Danny’s parents chose to keep Danny’s younger brother Dale in the same school that was so horrifically irresponsible and impossible to deal with.   I do not usually read young adult novels so I cannot speak intelligently on how Plan B compares to other young adult novels, however, I would think this novel may be of more interest to boys than girls, however I cannot be certain.

About the Author:

Steven Verrier, born in the United States and raised in Canada, has spent much of his adult life living and traveling abroad. Publications include Plan B (Saga Books, 2010), Tough Love, Tender Heart (Saga Books, 2008), Raising a Child to be Bilingual and Bicultural (Hira-Tai Books of Japan), and several short dramatic works (Brooklyn Publishers, USA). Currently he is living with his wife, Motoko, and their five children in San Antonio, Texas.
For more information, please visit his website.


Steven Verrier’s Plan B Virtual Book Tour 2010 began July 6th and will end on July 30th. You can visit Steven’s blog stops at www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com during the month of July to find out more about this great book and talented author!

I received a complimentary copy of Plan B by Steven Verrier from Pump Up Your Book Promotion as part of the tour. Receiving a copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned novel.

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It’s Monday What Are You Reading?

Monday 26 July, 2010 By 29 Comments

It’s Monday What Are you Reading is the perfect way for me to begin my week and allows me to focus on what needs to be read and to see what I have or have not accomplished the previous week. I also enjoy discovering new books by visiting other participants blogs.

I Read and Reviewed (click the title to be taken to the review):

Visit next Monday to see if I managed to accomplish my reading goals.

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The Sunday Salon (TSS 7/25)

Sunday 25 July, 2010 By 3 Comments
The Sunday Salon.com

Life: Summer is flying by!  Thanks to the USPS I learned my driver’s license has expired.  I had no idea.  I seriously thought I had just been there last year.  Anyway I dashed out to get it renewed and paid quite a hefty late fee.  I greatly appreciated the postcard letting me know it had expired, but a postcard alerting me to the impending expiration would have been even nicer.  Our friend had surgery again on Monday and another friend was put in a nursing facility so she can recover from pneumonia.  She also has to decide if she is willing to allow a biopsy for cancer.  She is very stubborn and very active and would prefer not to know and live in the moment.  The weather here remains frightfully hot and humid the storms never seem to bring any relief.

Family Update: Finally my son had his senior pictures taken.  The rain held off and the sun even made a brief appearance.  I look forward to seeing the proofs.  DH took this past week off, so it was a lot of fun having him home with us.  We began another painting project.  We decided since the kitchen hallway, and laundry room were freshly painted why not repaint the living room and family room?  The only hitch is that none of us even remotely enjoy painting.  I have heard people describe painting as calming, meditative, and  soothing, yet none of us have yet to find those feelings when painting.  My least favourite part is having my house turned upside down.  I have never functioned well in clutter and wish we would have begun this project we DH’s vacation did.  Hindsight is 20/20.

Saturday Night: I shall not lie, I watched DVDs of Jeeves and Wooster while my husband and twins started painting.  In my defense, the last two days were dreadful for me and laughter is the best medicine, right?

Read and Reviewed: As usual there were books I had hoped to read but did not, overall I read some truly exceptional books and hope people will take time to look at them.  I read and reviewed 11 books which totaled 3,752 pages. Do not want to wait until Monday to see the entire list? They are all up and as usual I love comments.

So what will I be reading? I am reading Everything Lovely, Effortless, Safe by Jenny Hollowell.

Happy Reading and please feel free to leave comments or suggestions.

Visit the The Sunday Salon.

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Book Review: Elegy for April by Benjamin Black

Saturday 24 July, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Title: Elegy for April
Author: Benjamin Black
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.; 1 edition
Publication Date: April 13, 2010
Hardcover: 304 pages
ISBN: 978-0805090918
Genre: Fiction, Mystery

From the Publisher:

Quirke—the hard-drinking, insatiably curious Dublin pathologist—is back, and he’s determined to find his daughter’s best friend, a well-connected young doctor

April Latimer has vanished. A junior doctor at a local hospital, she is something of a scandal in the conservative and highly patriarchal society of 1950s Dublin. Though her family is one of the most respected in the city, she is known for being independent-minded; her taste in men, for instance, is decidedly unconventional.

Now April has disappeared, and her friend Phoebe Griffin suspects the worst. Frantic, Phoebe seeks out Quirke, her brilliant but erratic father, and asks him for help. Sober again after intensive treatment for alcoholism, Quirke enlists his old sparring partner, Detective Inspector Hackett, in the search for the missing young woman. In their separate ways the two men follow April’s trail through some of the darker byways of the city to uncover crucial information on her whereabouts. And as Quirke becomes deeply involved in April’s murky story, he encounters complicated and ugly truths about family savagery, Catholic ruthlessness, and race hatred.

Both an absorbing crime novel and a brilliant portrait of the difficult and relentless love between a father and his daughter, this is Benjamin Black at his sparkling best.

My Review:

Set in 1950s Dublin, Elegy of April by Benjamin Black is a rather suitable title for this dark novel, part mystery and part social commentary of the time.    Phoebe Griffin approaches her father, Quirke, who is about to be released from a detox programme, with her concerns about Dr. April Latimer’s strange disappearance.  While Quirke does not think it too odd an adult would go away for a week without telling anyone, he contacts his friend Detective Inspector Hackett to help him poke around and make inquiries about April.  At the same time Phoebe has taken it upon herself to make inquiries as well.   April’s prominent family is not at all concerned their daughter has not been heard from in over a week, but rather put out that they should even be questioned.  The novel is beautifully rich in description and character development, enough so that I wanted to learn more about the characters.  The mystery, the disappearance of April Latimer, seemed to be almost an aside, rather than the main focus of the novel.  The reader learns about Quirke’s time in a detox programme, his desire to buy a car and learn to drive and then about the car itself, an Alvis.  The relationships in the story are equally dark and mysterious and while the ending is a bit of a surprise, it leaves many questions left unanswered.  I would recommend an Elegy for April to those who enjoy Irish literature, dark mysteries or simply looking for a mystery that is far removed from conventional mysteries.

About the Author:

Benjamin Black, the pen name of acclaimed novelist John Banville, is the author of Christine Falls and The Silver Swan. Christine Falls was nominated for both the Edgar Award and Macavity Award for Best Novel; both Christine Falls and Silver Swan were national bestsellers. Banville lives in Dublin.

I received a complimentary copy of Elegy for April by Benjamin Black from Henry Holt and Company Publishers to review. Receiving a copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned novel.

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Book Review: Blind Hope by Kim Meeder and Laurie Sacher

Saturday 24 July, 2010 By 1 Comment

Title: Blind Hope: An Unwanted Dog and the Woman She Rescued
Author: Kim Meeder and Laurie Sacher
Publisher: Multnomah Books
Publication Date: July 20, 2010
Paperback: 208 pages
ISBN: 978-1601422804
Genre: Inspirational/Non-Fiction

From the Publisher:

An unwanted dog. An emotional rescue.
Two lives forever changed.

Laurie’s dreams had been shattered before she came to work at Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch—the ranch of rescued dreams—where broken horses and broken children encounter healing every day. In an attempt to soothe her aching soul, Laurie reached out to save a dog in need. And she soon began to realize that the dog was rescuing her.

An inspiring true story told through the engaging voice of Kim Meeder, Blind Hope reveals poignant life lessons Laurie experienced from her ailing, yet courageous canine friend. Despite the blindness of her dog—and her own heart—Laurie uncovered what she really needed most: authentic love, unconditional trust, and true acceptance, faults and all.

As Laurie and her dog, Mia, both learned to follow the lead of a master they couldn’t see, Laurie discovered the transforming power of God’s grace even for imperfect and selfish people—and she experienced a greater love than she had ever known.

My Review:

A story of unconditional love and faith, Blind Hope by Kim Meeder and Laurie Sacher is about how an unwanted dog was able to change Laurie’s life.  When Laurie first arrived at Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch she was a broken woman, yet appeared to have it all while inside she was close to empty, imprisoned by her obsession with food and her false belief that thinner equals happy, just one of the societal beliefs that guided Laurie in the beginning.  As she began to volunteer at the ranch, she decides to rescue a dog, however the dog in her mind’s eye was nothing like the dog she bought sight unseen.  Laurie is determined to do the right thing and give the underweight, smelly and ugly dog a good home. Little does she know that it will be the dog, which she renames Mia that will save her.   Blind Hope is a beautiful book told as if one is listening in on conversations between Laurie and Kim, which is filled with raw honesty that will make the reader smile, nod in agreement, and tear up a few times.  While the book is short, the messages are powerful.  While the book is quite faith centered, the message of loving unconditionally, being true to oneself, learning self-respect and dignity, being humble and loving are issues many can relate with whether one believes in God or not.  Blind Hope is an inspirational book of the healing power of an unwanted dog and the lessons learned about unconditional love, a concept that appears to be lost in today’s faced-paced, me-centered society.  Mia, a blind and abandoned dog, has a lot to offer and I would recommend Blind Hope to any reader regardless of religious beliefs.

About the Authors:

Kim Meeder is the cofounder and director of Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch, an organization that rescues abused and dying horses and pairs them with children in need. Kim’s first book, Hope Rising, propelled the ranch to win the national Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Award and launched her extensive public/motivational speaking schedule at schools, churches, and governmental conferences across the United States. She and her husband, Troy, have been married for twenty-five years and live in Central Oregon. The size of their family fluctuates each year with the number of horses and kids that they rescue.

Laurie Sacher is a team leader at Crystal Peaks Youth. Laurie graduated from Point Loma Nazarene University in 2003 and taught English as Second Language in Spain before returning to her native California roots to pursue her passion for kids and animals. When she isn’t working at the ranch, Laurie enjoys running with her dog, snowboarding, hiking, horseback riding, and spending time in coffee shops with friends.

I received a complimentary copy of Blind Hope by Kim Meeder and Laurie Sacher from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned novel.

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Book Review: One Season of Sunshine by Julia London

Friday 23 July, 2010 By 2 Comments

Title: One Season of Sunshine
Author: Julia London
Publisher: Pocket
Publication Date: June 29, 2010
Paperback: 416 pages
ISBN: 978-1416547099
Genre: Fiction

From the Publisher:

Should some questions be left unanswered?

Adopted as an infant, Jane Aaron longs to know the identity of her birth mother and why she gave her up. Her only clue is the name of the small Texas town where she was born, so she’s come to Cedar Springs for answers.

Handsome ad executive Asher Price lost his wife, the beautiful, mysterious Susanna, in a terrible car crash eighteen months ago. When he hires Jane as the nanny for his two children, sparks fly. Jane finds herself falling in love with both Asher and his children, but begins to suspect that Susanna was not the perfect mother and wife the family portrays her to have been.

As Jane gets closer and closer to finding out the truth about both her own and Susanna’s past, devastating secrets begin to emerge that may be more than anyone can bear. Will the truth bring Jane and Asher closer together or tear them apart forever?

My Review:

Belonging and identity are central themes in Julia London’s novel One Season of Sunshine. Jane Aaron was raised in a warm and loving home and now as an adult she yearns to find answers to who her birth mother was and why she chose to give her up for adoption. Jane’s quest brings her to Cedar Springs, Texas and into the lives of widower Asher Price and his two children Levi and Riley. While One Season of Sunshine is a fairly predictable novel, it is a rather enjoyable one with well-developed characters with a bit of romance mixed with mystery in which Jane must sort out. I am not adopted and I could not understand the extreme lengths Jane went through and what she put her family through in her quest to find the birth mother who chose to give her up for adoption when she was a baby. I did feel for the Price family and for Susanna, whose death the reader learns about in the beginning of the book, quite possibly because I understand what it is like to be close to someone with bi-polar disorder and how dreadful it can be for all involved. All in all, London writes an intriguing novel, raising many questions that would make for excellent discussions in a book discussion group. I would recommend One Season of Sunshine to anyone looking for a good book to read over the summer or as a choice for a book discussion group.

About the Author:

Julia London is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of numerous historical romance and women’s fiction novels. She is a four-time finalist for the prestigious Romance Writers of America’s RITA Award for excellence in romantic fiction. A native Texan, Julia lives in Austin.

I received a complimentary copy of One Season of Sunshine by Julia London from Simon & Schuster to review. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned novel.

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Book Review and Tour: Beachcombers by Nancy Thayer

Friday 23 July, 2010 By 8 Comments

Title: Beachcombers
Author: Nancy Thayer
Publisher: Ballantine Books; 1 edition
Publication Date: June 22, 2010
Hardcover: 368 pages
ISBN: 9978-0345518286
Genre: Fiction

About the Book:

Abbie Fox hasn’t seen her father or two younger sisters in almost two years, during which she’s jetted around the world and experienced life, if not love. But now Lily, the baby of the family, is sending Abbie urgent emails begging her to return home to BeachcombersNantucket. Their middle sister, Emma, has taken to her bed, emotionally devastated after the loss of her high-powered stockbroker’s job and a shockingly unexpected break-up with her fiancé. Also, Lily is deeply worried that Marina, the beautiful, enigmatic woman renting their guesthouse, has set her sights on the sisters’ widowed father, Jim. The Fox girls closed ranks years ago after the haunting, untimely death of their mother, but seeing their dad move on with his life forces each of them to take stock.

Over the course of the summer, the sisters’ lives grow as turbulent as the unpredictable currents encircling Nantucket. When Abbie encounters an incredibly appealing married man, she breaks her own rules in the name of love, fearing all the while that she’ll regret it. Meanwhile, type-A Emma learns a new definition of success, and strong-minded Lily must reconcile her dreams with reality. Even Marina, who has come to Nantucket to forget heartbreak and betrayal, faces an astonishing turn of events that will find her torn between fate and freedom. At summer’s end, these unforgettable women will face profound choices—and undergo personal transformations that will surprise even themselves.

My Review:

Beachcombers by Nancy Thayer is a funny, sad, warm, and uplifting story of one special summer on Nantucket. Jim Fox is struggling to make ends meet and his youngest daughter Lily does not know how to handle things when Emma moves back home after her investment firm downsized and her fiancé dumped her for another broker in the firm. Lily frantically reaches out to her oldest sister Abbie to take care of everything just as she has since the death of their mother. Naturally, Abbie flies home from her Au Pair job in London to assist and it is not long before she devises a way to get Emma out of bed and all of them earning some money. Jim too has ideas, his first being to lease out the Playhouse for six months to tourist Marina Warren a 40-year-old recently divorced, jobless, and deeply hurt, she has come to Nantucket to heal. Thayer weaves together the lives of Marina, Jim, Abbie, Emma, and Lily along with glimpses into the brief life of Danielle Fox along with a diverse and lively group of people who either live on or are visiting Nantucket for the summer. Beachcombers is a novel that is easy to get wrapped up in and wish to be a part of the joys and sorrows that fill the lives of the characters. My favourite characters were Abbie and Marina for their strength and maturity and their ability to see beyond the superficial in young 22-year-old Lily. While I have never been to Nantucket I felt as though I could visualize every part of Nantucket through Thayer’s beautiful, detailed descriptions. Thayer has a way of making her characters and their surroundings spring to life. Beachcombers is a wonderful, life-affirming, witty, and deeply enjoyable novel. I would recommend Beachcombers to anyone looking for a charming, feel-good book this summer.

About the Author:

Nancy Thayer is the New York Times bestselling author of Summer House, Moon Shell Beach, The Hot Flash Club, The Hot Flash Club Strikes Again, Hot Flash Holidays, The Hot Flash Club Chills Out, and Between Husbands and Friends. She lives on Nantucket. You can visit Nancy Thayer’s website.


Nancy Thayer’s BEACHCOMBER VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR JULY ‘10 will officially begin on July 6th and end on July 30th. You can visit Nancy’s blog stops at www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com during the month of July to find out more about this great book and talented author!

I received a complimentary copy of Beachcombers by Nancy Thayer from Pump Up Your Book Promotion as part of the tour. Receiving a copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned novel.

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Book Spotlight: Forget You by Jennifer Echols

Thursday 22 July, 2010 By 7 Comments

Title: Forget You
Author: Jennifer Echols
Publisher: MTV
Publication Date: July 20, 2010
Paperback: 304 pages
ISBN: 9978-1439178232
Genre: Fiction, YA

*No rating due to DNF

From the Publisher:

WHY CAN’T YOU CHOOSE WHAT YOU FORGET . . . AND WHAT YOU REMEMBER?

There’s a lot Zoey would like to forget. Like how her father has knocked up his twenty-four- year old girlfriend. Like Zoey’s fear that the whole town will find out about her mom’s nervous breakdown. Like darkly handsome bad boy Doug taunting her at school. Feeling like her life is about to become a complete mess, Zoey fights back the only way she knows how, using her famous attention to detail to make sure she’s the perfect daughter, the perfect student, and the perfect girlfriend to ultra-popular football player Brandon.

But then Zoey is in a car crash, and the next day there’s one thing she can’t remember at all—the entire night before. Did she go parking with Brandon, like she planned? And if so, why does it seem like Brandon is avoiding her? And why is Doug—of all people— suddenly acting as if something significant happened between the two of them? Zoey dimly remembers Doug pulling her from the wreck, but he keeps referring to what happened that night as if it was more, and it terrifies Zoey to admit how much is a blank to her. Controlled, meticulous Zoey is quickly losing her grip on the all-important details of her life—a life that seems strangely empty of Brandon, and strangely full of Doug.

About the Author:

Jennifer Echols is the author of several Romantic Comedies, as well as many other young adult novels. She currently lives in Birmingham. Visit her on the web.

I received a complimentary copy of Forget You by Jennifer Echols from Simon & Schuster to review.  Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned novel.

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