"Little Bee" by Chris Cleave

Chris Cleave is a Novelist and a Journalist. He lives in London with his wife and three kids. His second novel, “Little Bee,” is a New York Times #1 Bestseller. After reading this book, I can truly understand why it is a bestseller.

I had never heard of Chris Cleave. When I saw the title on the Bestsellers List, I really had no interest in reading it. However, I heard so many good things about it so I decided to give it a try. I am so glad that I did. This novel blew me away.

Little Bee is a teenage girl from Nigeria who finds herself in an immigration detention center in London. She has experienced so much pain and suffering during her short life. The atrocities that Little Bee and her family have had to endure are almost unimaginable. Cleave paints this picture very well. He is masterful at keeping the reader on the edge of his seat. During the entire first half of this novel I understood that something terrible had happened in Little Bee’s life – but what was it? I eagerly turned every page to find out what happened.

On the other hand, Little Bee is connected to the O’Rourke family in London. They met on a beach in Nigeria. The O’Rourkes were on vacation, but it was no vacation for Little Bee and her sister. The events that occurred during that meeting at the beach changed their lives forever. Again, Cleave builds suspense and keeps the reader wondering about what those events were.

This novel is more than just suspense, though. This story stirred emotions in me. It caused me to ask myself, “What would I have done?” It made me question how far I would be willing to go to save the life of a fellow human being. How do you really know what you’ll do until you are in that situation?

Cleave helps readers explore how we are all connected as human beings. No matter where we live in the world, we are all connected. We belong to the human family and we can help each other. What a heartwarming thought! “Little Bee” is an entertaining, thought-provoking story that anyone would enjoy.

Exciting New Opportunity!

I have some exciting news to share.  Recently I was contacted by the Editor-in-Chief of the Cincinnati Defender, an online newspaper.  The Editor had read one of my book reviews.  She invited me to contribute book reviews to her publication.  The site receives over 80,000 unique visits a month.  So, this is a great opportunity to spread the word about my bookstore.  I accepted the invitation and now I am the Book Reviews Editor for the Cincinnati Defender.  You can read my bi-weekly book reviews column at http://www.cincinnatidefender.com/.     

“Now What Do I Do. An Entrepreneur’s Guide to Getting to the Next Step with Social Media” by Tiffany Odutoye

Tiffany Odutoye is the Founder and Chief Visionary Officer of Virtual Partner, LLC and the Founder of Talk Social Networking.  She does strategy, research, and analysis with a niche in Social Brand Equity via social media.  She has shared her expertise in her book, “Now What Do I Do. An Entrepreneur’s Guide to Getting to the Next Step with Social Media.”

Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn. The list goes on. We’ve all heard the buzz about “social media.” All the talk leads many to wonder, “How can I benefit from social media?” As an entrepreneur, I wondered the same. I was especially interested in how social media could help me grow my business. Odutoye does a great job explaining how to do just that.

In order to really benefit from social media, you have to do more than just sign up for an account. This is a fact that most people realize. But what do you do next? Odutoye outlines the crucial next steps. First, this book helps entrepreneurs to set goals they would like to achieve through social media. Next, it’s time to choose which social networking site would work best for them so that they can maximize their time. It also helps business owners to connect with their target audience.

I found this book to be extremely helpful. It is concise, easy to read, and very informative. I especially appreciated the FAQs and the Appendix. Odutoye discusses some very common questions about social media such as, “What is social media?” This section provides a review of the topics discussed in the book. The Appendix contains very valuable tools that can be used for social media marketing.

I would recommend that every business owner read this book. After I read it, I realized how important social media marketing is in business. Everyone should be using social media effectively and this book will certainly help to accomplish that goal. More information on this book can be found at www.talksocialnetworking.com.

"Be U" by Mary Mary

Mary Mary is an R&B, urban gospel group that is known for inspirational music. The two fleshly sisters, Erica and Tina Campbell, grew up in Inglewood, California. They began singing in a local church choir. That was only the beginning. Their talent led them to become three-time Grammy award winners. Several of their hits can be heard on the radio across the country. Some of their popular hits are “Get Up” and “God in Me.” In addition to singing, Mary Mary has launched a new phase of their career – writing. This talented duo has carried on their inspirational message in a new book – “Be U.”

The new book, just released in April 2010, conveys this inspirational message:

Be Honest.

Be Beautiful.

Be Intentional.

Be Strong. Be You!

The goal of this book is to motivate young women to be the “U” that God created you to be. What a powerful, inspirational message! In a world where people are constantly trying to be someone they aren’t, this message is right on time. Women especially need to be proud of who they are. It’s okay to be you. You are wonderful.

This book helps women to see themselves as God sees them – beautiful. Everyone is beautiful in God’s eyes. True beauty lies within. True beauty comes from our heart; not what we look like on the outside. Each individual is unique. Natural beauty and uniqueness are emphasized throughout this book. Mary Mary encourages their readers to celebrate the joy of being a woman.

I really appreciate the message that Mary Mary is spreading. I think that everyone who reads this book will walk away feeling inspired and uplifted.

The 2010 Komen Columbus Race for the Cure

Springtime is such a busy, exciting time for me.  Spring cleaning, yardwork, and of course - The Race for the Cure.  I look forward to all of these things with eager expectation.  I love this time of year.  Everything comes alive and so do I!

The Race for the Cure is scheduled for Saturday, May 15 at 8:00 am.  Are you ready?  I began my training about two weeks ago and I am working hard to improve my time this year.  My goal is to run a 9-minute mile.  Yes, I said it.  I have told the world my goal and now I am committed!

The race is approaching fast.  Now is the time to get ready.  For training tips, you can visit http://www.runnersworld.com/.  I highly recommend this site.  I have used it for years as a guide for my training program. 

Team registration will close on Friday, April 23.  To register for the race, go to http://www.komencolumbus.org/.  My team's name is Team Nia.  Everyone is invited to join my team.  Not only is this a chance to contribute to a worthy cause, you can also work on your personal fitness goals.  Register today!