I Have a Shop!

So this is a little different from my usual style of post, but I just wanted to inform you that I have an Etsy shop where I sell necklaces and art. I’m currently reading Start Your Own Etsy Business and it’s really inspiring me to revamp my shop.

I started my Etsy a few months ago to sell the hand-made necklaces I enjoyed making in my free time. After selling many in person, my favorite math teacher suggested I move onto an online platform. In doing so, I’ve discovered so many amazing shops and I started to develop a business mindset. Click the link below if you’d like to check out my shop, and most importantly, have a blessed day!

https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheEducatedArtist 

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Rapid Fire Book Tag

I found this through the blog @ThriceRead

Question 1 : E-Book or Physical Book?

Physical for preference, but I do read E-book ARCs.

Question 2 : Paperback or Hardback?

Hardback, especially if the cover has some kind of design under the sleeve.

Question 3 : Online or In-Store Book Shopping?

I usually get the books that I buy online.

Question 4 : Trilogies or Series?

Trilogies, I usually fall off of a series after a while.

Question 5 : Heroes or Villains?

Heroes all the way!

Question 6 : A book you want everyone to read?

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. It honestly changed my life.

Question 7 : Recommend an underrated book?

This Side of Home by Renee Watson

Question 8 : The last book you finished?

Monster: A Graphic Novel

Question 9 :The Last Book(s) You Bought?

Written in the Stars by Aisha Saeed

Question 10 : Weirdest Thing You’ve Used as a Bookmark?

A purse, don’t ask me how I did it.

Question 11 : Used Books: Yes or No?

I love getting those used books for a penny on Amazon and paying the $3.99 shipping.

Question 12 : Top Three Favourite Genres?

At the moment: Graphic Novels, YA, Humor.

Question 13 : Borrow or Buy?

I get most of my books from the library, so borrow.

Question 14 : Characters or Plot?

Plot, it usually helps me understand the characters more.

Question 15 : Long or Short Books?

Somewhere in between.

Question 16 : Long or Short Chapters?

I don’t have a preference.

Question 17 : Name The First Three Books You Think Of…

All American Boys by Jason Reynolds, March: Book One by John Lewis, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Question 18 : Books That Make You Laugh or Cry?

I love books that make me laugh and cry, those are amazing. Jason Reynolds’ The Boy in the Black Suit is one of those books.

Question 19 : Our World or Fictional Worlds?

Definitely fictional worlds.

Question 20 : Audiobooks: Yes or No?

I like audiobooks when I get them.

Question 21 : Do You Ever Judge a Book by its Cover?

All the time, but I’ll still read the synopsis before actually getting it.

Question 22 : Book to Movie or Book to TV Adaptations?

I haven’t watched too many Book to TV adaptations so Book to Movie.

Question 23 : A Movie or TV-Show You Preferred to its Book?

I can’t think of one.

Question 24 : Series or Standalone’s?

I love a good standalone but I always want a sequel if I really like the characters. I’d still say standalone.

I’m going to tag anyone who wants to complete this tag. Enjoy!

What Does Consent Really Mean? (Book Review)

In this short story, a group of friends is struck with the question of consent when the newest student is rumored to have been raped. Throughout the book, the topic of consent is struck head-on and explained through conversations that feel all too real.

This was a great conversation starter and quick read. I enjoyed the diversity in choice of characters and the inclusion of so many differing opinions on the topic. It’s a great book to read on your own, or with your older (middle school and up) kids.

The expected release date is November 21st, 2017. I read the digital ARC through NetGalley. What Does Consent Really Mean? can be preordered here:

Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty (Book Review)

Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty is the story of the real-life 1994 life and death of Robert “Yummy” Sandifer. He was an 11-year-old boy with a rough childhood. He had just been accepted into the Black Disciples Nation gang and he wanted to prove himself.

After living through this tragedy and with various sources of research, G. Neri pieces together Yummy’s story. In combination with Randy DuBurke’s style, this is a story that you won’t forget.

A poignant recounting of tragic events that should have never transpired to begin with. This novel displays the facts of what happened and what led up to it in the first place. It will leave you feeling conflicted in understanding but never truly knowing the answer to the simple question of “Why?”

The Boy in the Black Suit (Book Review)

The Boy in the Black Suit by Jason Reynolds

I stayed up until 4 in the morning to finish this book, but we’ll get into that later.

The Boy in the Black Suit is a fiction novel written in a first person narrative. In it we follow Matt Miller aka The Boy in the Black Suit aka the kid who’s mother just died. Matt is looking for some part time work to help his father out with the bills when Mr. Ray, a cancer survivor and owner of the local funeral home, offers him a job. Matt has initial misgivings about the gig, but finding it his best option, decides that it couldn’t hurt to give it a chance. Through this job Matt Miller gains far more than just 30 dollars a day, he also finds closure in the aftermath of his mother’s passing.

After reading All-American Boys, a novel co-written by Jason Reynolds, I fell in love with his writing style. It was written in an understandable way, no extra frills or metaphors (though I do enjoy frills and metaphors, too). I felt connected to the characters he wrote, I understood their struggle and where they were coming from. I felt the same way while reading The Boy in the Black Suit.

Matt’s a kid my age put into a situation that no kid my age should have to go through. He struggles with coping and getting used to life without his mother. His struggle is an honest one and it left me in tears more times than I can count. Some from sadness, but many from joy as he recounted memories of his mother, and in that, began moving toward closure.

I enjoyed this story so much that I couldn’t stop reading it, starting at 9 p.m. Thursday night and going on until 4 a.m. Friday morning. I couldn’t put it down, it was just that great. All this to say, I give The Boy in the Black Suit 5/5 stars.

If you’re looking for a YA novel that speaks on real struggles, features many people of color, and will somehow still make you laugh, check this one out. Even if you aren’t looking for those things, give this book a chance, it more than deserves it.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21490991-the-boy-in-the-black-suit?ac=1&from_search=true