Shamontiel's Bookshelf & Author Interviews
Click Shamontiel's Books to purchase my own books and read Customer Reviews here.
Scroll down to see what authors I've interviewed and what books I recommend.
Scroll down to see what authors I've interviewed and what books I recommend.
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Karen Siplin
Before you check out my other book selections, please check out my interview with my favorite female author, Karen Siplin. What I like about her work is that it's different. I appreciate authors who don't rely on sex scenes, long-winded descriptions of one scene or negative stereotypes to tell a story. Her plots, dialogue, and scenes always get me. I've read all her books at least three times each. If she ever gets around to writing another book, I'm pre-ordering it no matter what it's about. She is my favorite female author.
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E. Lynn Harris
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Michelle Stevens"‘Scared Selfless’ author finds inspiration about trauma at Saybrook University," Saybrook University (TCS), May 1, 2017
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LATEST BOOKSHELF UPDATE: March 24, 2018
Note: A temporary review will be typed in blue below the latest recommended read. Once a new book is recommended, that review will be deleted and the next one will be created.
Note: A temporary review will be typed in blue below the latest recommended read. Once a new book is recommended, that review will be deleted and the next one will be created.
FICTION
Bland, Eleanor Taylor "A Cold and Silent Dying: A Marti MacAlister Mystery"
Carter, Ernessa T. "32 Candles"
Cleage, Pearl "Some Things I Never Thought I'd Do"
Coleman, Andre "A Liar's Tale"
Coleman, Andre "Blackbirds: Volume I"
Curnyn, Lynda "Engaging Men"
Dickey, Eric Jerome "Chasing Destiny"
Dickey, Eric Jerome "Drive Me Crazy"
Dickey, Eric Jerome "Friends and Lovers"
Dickey, Eric Jerome "Tempted by Trouble"
Dickey, Eric Jerome "Thieves' Paradise"
Draper, Sharon "Tears of a Tiger"
Files, Lolita "Scenes from a Sistah"
Flake, Sharon G. "Begging for Change"
Flake, Sharon G. "Money Hungry"
Flake, Sharon G. "The Skin I'm In"
Flake, Sharon G. "Who Am I Without Him? Short Stories About Girls and Boys In Their Lives"
Flynn, Gillian "Gone Girl"
Goines, Donald "Daddy Cool: A Father Out to Revenge His Daughter's Shame"
Goines, Donald "Eldorado Red"
Goines, Donald "Inner City Hoodlum"
Going, K.L. "King of the Screwups"
Grant, Donna "Tryin' To Sleep in the Bed You Made"
Green, Carmen "Atlanta Live!"
Griffin, John Howard "Black Like Me"
Harmon, Byron "All the Women I've Loved"
Harris, E. Lynn "A Love of My Own" (R.I.P. "Memories of E. Lynn Harris")
Harris, E. Lynn "Gumbo: A Celebration of African American Writing" (R.I.P. "Memories of E. Lynn Harris")
Harris, E. Lynn "In My Father's House"
Hayes, Lee A. "Passion Marks"
Herz, Christopher "The Last Block in Harlem"
Hill, Ernest "A Life for a Life"
Hill, Ernest "Cry Me a River"
Hill, Ernest "It's All About the Moon When the Sun Ain't Shining"
Hughes, Langston "The Simple Omnibus"
Hughes, Langston "The Ways of White Folks"
Hunter, Travis "A One Woman Man"
Hunter, Travis "Something to Die For"
Hunter, Travis "Trouble Man"
Johnson, Freddie Lee "Bittersweet"
Johnson, Dana "Break Any Woman Down"
Johnson, Mat "Hunting in Harlem"
Johnson, RM "Dating Games"
Johnson, RM "The Harris Family"
Johnson, RM "Love Frustration"
Johnson, RM "The Million Dollar Divorce"
Jones, Solomon "Pipe Dream"
Jones, Solomon "The Bridge"
NEW! Jones, Tayari "An American Marriage"
I pretty much knew how this book was going to end before it started, but it was still interesting to read. I was relieved that the entire book wasn't prison letters. I would've put it back on the shelf as it was. I never really got into the backstory on the dolls nor did I understand why the wife snatched the angel doll away from a potential customer. The doll story got in the way. But the connection between the married couple, the platonic friend, and the in-laws were all interesting and realistic. I must admit I did spend a significant part of the book wondering "Did he really rape that woman?" I wish that story would've been explored more, primarily because I'm a sucker for a courtroom scene, but that got brushed under the rug. Overall though, good read.
Jones, Tayari "Leaving Atlanta"
Jones, Tayari "Silver Sparrow"
Martin, Ann M. (Every single "Babysitter's Club" book she's written was beneficial to me as a pre-teen, and I'd stand by them all. I had 81 of her books.)
Mason, J.D. "Don't Want No Sugar"
Mason, J.D. "One Day I Saw a Black King"
Massey, Brandon "The Other Brother"
McCarthy, Susan Carol "Lay That Trumpet In Our Hands"
Mckinney-Whetstone, Diane "Blues Dancing"
Meriwether, Louise "Daddy Was a Number Runner"
Merullo, Roland "American Savior"
Messina, Lynn "Fashionistas"
Messina, Lynn "Tallulahland"
Meyer, Stephenie "New Moon"
Meyer, Stephenie "The Short Second Life of Bree Turner"
Meyer, Stephenie "Twilight"
Miller, Moses "The Barack in Me"
Milne, Kevin Alan "Sweet Misfortune: A Novel"
Monninger, Joseph "Whippoorwill"
Monroe, Mary "God Don't Like Ugly"
Moses, Shelia P. "I, Dred Scott"
Moses, Shelia P. "Joseph, A Novel"
Mosley, Walter "The Last Days of Ptolemy Gray"
Mosley, Walter "The Man in My Basement"
Murphy, Richard "Confessions of a Contractor"
Myers, Edward "Far From Gringo Land"
Naylor, Gloria "The Men of Brewster Place"
Packer, ZZ "Drinking Coffee Elsewhere"
Perkins-Valdez, Dolen "Wench"
Picoult, Jodi "Change of Heart" (Page 1, Page 2)
Picoult, Jodi "Keeping Faith"
Picoult, Jodi "Leaving Time"
Picoult, Jodi "Nineteen Minutes"
Picoult, Jodi "Salem Falls"
Picoult, Jodi "Small Great Things"
Picoult, Jodi "The Tenth Circle"
Ptah, Heru "A Hip Hop Story"
Rhodes, Jewell Park "Douglass' Women"
Rosenberg, Joel C. "The Auschwitz Escape"
Senate, Melissa "The Breakup Club"
Senate, Melissa "The Solomon Sisters Wise Up"
Senate, Melissa "Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?"
Sinclair, April "Coffee Will Make You Black"
Singer, Gammy L. "A Landlord's Tale"
Siplin, Karen "Such a Girl"
Siplin, Karen "Whiskey Road"
Souljah, Sister "The Coldest Winter Ever"
Sparks, Nicholas "Two by Two"
Stovall, Taressa "Proverbs for the People"
Tyree, Omar "Flyy Girl"
Tyree, Omar "Single Mom"
Tyree, Omar "Sweet St. Louis"
Weber, Carl "A Dollar and a Dream"
Weber, Carl "Baby Momma Drama"
Weber, Carl "Married Men"
Weber, Carl "Player Haters"
Weber, Carl "The Preacher's Son"
Youngblood, Shay "Soul Kiss"
Carter, Ernessa T. "32 Candles"
Cleage, Pearl "Some Things I Never Thought I'd Do"
Coleman, Andre "A Liar's Tale"
Coleman, Andre "Blackbirds: Volume I"
Curnyn, Lynda "Engaging Men"
Dickey, Eric Jerome "Chasing Destiny"
Dickey, Eric Jerome "Drive Me Crazy"
Dickey, Eric Jerome "Friends and Lovers"
Dickey, Eric Jerome "Tempted by Trouble"
Dickey, Eric Jerome "Thieves' Paradise"
Draper, Sharon "Tears of a Tiger"
Files, Lolita "Scenes from a Sistah"
Flake, Sharon G. "Begging for Change"
Flake, Sharon G. "Money Hungry"
Flake, Sharon G. "The Skin I'm In"
Flake, Sharon G. "Who Am I Without Him? Short Stories About Girls and Boys In Their Lives"
Flynn, Gillian "Gone Girl"
Goines, Donald "Daddy Cool: A Father Out to Revenge His Daughter's Shame"
Goines, Donald "Eldorado Red"
Goines, Donald "Inner City Hoodlum"
Going, K.L. "King of the Screwups"
Grant, Donna "Tryin' To Sleep in the Bed You Made"
Green, Carmen "Atlanta Live!"
Griffin, John Howard "Black Like Me"
Harmon, Byron "All the Women I've Loved"
Harris, E. Lynn "A Love of My Own" (R.I.P. "Memories of E. Lynn Harris")
Harris, E. Lynn "Gumbo: A Celebration of African American Writing" (R.I.P. "Memories of E. Lynn Harris")
Harris, E. Lynn "In My Father's House"
Hayes, Lee A. "Passion Marks"
Herz, Christopher "The Last Block in Harlem"
Hill, Ernest "A Life for a Life"
Hill, Ernest "Cry Me a River"
Hill, Ernest "It's All About the Moon When the Sun Ain't Shining"
Hughes, Langston "The Simple Omnibus"
Hughes, Langston "The Ways of White Folks"
Hunter, Travis "A One Woman Man"
Hunter, Travis "Something to Die For"
Hunter, Travis "Trouble Man"
Johnson, Freddie Lee "Bittersweet"
Johnson, Dana "Break Any Woman Down"
Johnson, Mat "Hunting in Harlem"
Johnson, RM "Dating Games"
Johnson, RM "The Harris Family"
Johnson, RM "Love Frustration"
Johnson, RM "The Million Dollar Divorce"
Jones, Solomon "Pipe Dream"
Jones, Solomon "The Bridge"
NEW! Jones, Tayari "An American Marriage"
I pretty much knew how this book was going to end before it started, but it was still interesting to read. I was relieved that the entire book wasn't prison letters. I would've put it back on the shelf as it was. I never really got into the backstory on the dolls nor did I understand why the wife snatched the angel doll away from a potential customer. The doll story got in the way. But the connection between the married couple, the platonic friend, and the in-laws were all interesting and realistic. I must admit I did spend a significant part of the book wondering "Did he really rape that woman?" I wish that story would've been explored more, primarily because I'm a sucker for a courtroom scene, but that got brushed under the rug. Overall though, good read.
Jones, Tayari "Leaving Atlanta"
Jones, Tayari "Silver Sparrow"
Martin, Ann M. (Every single "Babysitter's Club" book she's written was beneficial to me as a pre-teen, and I'd stand by them all. I had 81 of her books.)
Mason, J.D. "Don't Want No Sugar"
Mason, J.D. "One Day I Saw a Black King"
Massey, Brandon "The Other Brother"
McCarthy, Susan Carol "Lay That Trumpet In Our Hands"
Mckinney-Whetstone, Diane "Blues Dancing"
Meriwether, Louise "Daddy Was a Number Runner"
Merullo, Roland "American Savior"
Messina, Lynn "Fashionistas"
Messina, Lynn "Tallulahland"
Meyer, Stephenie "New Moon"
Meyer, Stephenie "The Short Second Life of Bree Turner"
Meyer, Stephenie "Twilight"
Miller, Moses "The Barack in Me"
Milne, Kevin Alan "Sweet Misfortune: A Novel"
Monninger, Joseph "Whippoorwill"
Monroe, Mary "God Don't Like Ugly"
Moses, Shelia P. "I, Dred Scott"
Moses, Shelia P. "Joseph, A Novel"
Mosley, Walter "The Last Days of Ptolemy Gray"
Mosley, Walter "The Man in My Basement"
Murphy, Richard "Confessions of a Contractor"
Myers, Edward "Far From Gringo Land"
Naylor, Gloria "The Men of Brewster Place"
Packer, ZZ "Drinking Coffee Elsewhere"
Perkins-Valdez, Dolen "Wench"
Picoult, Jodi "Change of Heart" (Page 1, Page 2)
Picoult, Jodi "Keeping Faith"
Picoult, Jodi "Leaving Time"
Picoult, Jodi "Nineteen Minutes"
Picoult, Jodi "Salem Falls"
Picoult, Jodi "Small Great Things"
Picoult, Jodi "The Tenth Circle"
Ptah, Heru "A Hip Hop Story"
Rhodes, Jewell Park "Douglass' Women"
Rosenberg, Joel C. "The Auschwitz Escape"
Senate, Melissa "The Breakup Club"
Senate, Melissa "The Solomon Sisters Wise Up"
Senate, Melissa "Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?"
Sinclair, April "Coffee Will Make You Black"
Singer, Gammy L. "A Landlord's Tale"
Siplin, Karen "Such a Girl"
Siplin, Karen "Whiskey Road"
Souljah, Sister "The Coldest Winter Ever"
Sparks, Nicholas "Two by Two"
Stovall, Taressa "Proverbs for the People"
Tyree, Omar "Flyy Girl"
Tyree, Omar "Single Mom"
Tyree, Omar "Sweet St. Louis"
Weber, Carl "A Dollar and a Dream"
Weber, Carl "Baby Momma Drama"
Weber, Carl "Married Men"
Weber, Carl "Player Haters"
Weber, Carl "The Preacher's Son"
Youngblood, Shay "Soul Kiss"
NONFICTION
50 Cent and Greene, Robert "The 50th Law"
Altman, Susan "The Encyclopedia of African-American Heritage"
Anderson, Maggie "Our Black Year: One Family's Quest to Buy Black in America's Racially Divided Economy"
Ardis, Angela "Inside a Thug's Heart"
Asante, Molefi Kete "Erasing Racism: The Survival of the American Nation"
Bahr, Iris "Machu My Picchu: Searching for Sex, Sanity, and a Soul Mate in South America"
"Barack H. Obama: The 44th President of the United States" (Conde Nast Special Editions)
Bell, W. Kamau "The Awkward Thoughts of W. Kamau Bell: Tales of a 6' 4, African American, Heterosexual, Cisgender, Left-Leaning, Asthmatic, Black and Proud Blerd, Mama's Boy, Dad, and Stand-Up Comedian"
Bollinger, Michele and Dao X. Tran "101 Changemakers: Rebels and Radicals Who Changed US History"
Boyd, Herb "The Harlem Reader: A Celebration of New York's Most Famous Neighborhood, From the Renaissance Years to the Twenty-first Century"
Braxton, Toni and Michelle Burford "Unbreak My Heart: A Memoir"
Brown, Bobby and Nick Chiles "Every Little Step: My Story"
Campidonica, Anthony C. "Outsmarting the System: Lower Your Taxes, Control Your Future, and Reach Financial Freedom"
Carlos, John Wesley and Dave Zirin "The John Carlos Story: The Sports Moment That Changed the World"
Charlamagne Tha God "Black Privilege"
Cline, Elizabeth L. "Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion"
Crowder, David and Andrew Bailey "Creating Web Sites Bible" (2nd Edition)
Earl, Sari "Benjamin O. Davis Jr. : Air Force general & Tuskegee Airmen leader"
Ebong, Ima (edited) and A'Lelia Bundles (foreword) "Black Hair: Art, Style, and Culture"
Ellis, Shaun and Monty Sloan (photography) "Wolves: Capturing the Natural Spirit of these Incredible Animals"
Folan, Karyn Langhorne "Don't Bring Home a White Boy: And Other Notions That Keep Black Women From Dating Out"
Gibson, Tyrese and Rev Run "Manology: Secrets of Your Man's Mind Revealed"
Golden, Marita "It's All Love"
Gorman, Hogan "Hot Cripple"
Harper, Hill "The Conversation: How Men and Women Can Build Loving, Trusting Relationships"
Harrison, Sam "Idea Spotting: How to Find Your Next Great Idea"
Haygood, Wil "The Butler: A Witness to History"
Henson, Taraji P. "Around the Way Girl"
Hughes, Langston "Langston Hughes and the Chicago Defender"
Jean, Wyclef "An Immigrant's Story: Purpose"
Kerman, Piper "Orange Is the New Black: My Year In a Women's Prison"
Krensky, Stephen "Biography Barack Obama ~ A Photographic Story of a Life"
Livingston, M.D., Gordon "Too Soon Old: Too Late Smart, Thirty True Things You Need to Know"
Lyons, Dan "Disrupted: My Misadventure in the Start-Up Bubble"
Merritt, Jennifer and Roe D'Angelo "13 Things Rich People Won't Tell You: 325+ Tried and True Secrets to Building Your Fortune No Matter What Your Salary"
Morris, Monique W. "Black Stats"
Noah, Trevor "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood"
Norwood, Mandi "Michelle Style: Celebrating the First Lady of Fashion
Ro, Ronin "Have Gun will Travel: The Spectacular Rise and Violent Fall of Death Row Records"
Simmons, Rev Run and Justine "Take Back Your Family: A Challenge to America's Parents" Page 1, Page 2
Souza, Pete "Obama: An Intimate Portrait"
Stodghill, Ron "Where Everybody Looks Like Me: At the Crossroads of America's Black Colleges and Culture" (Note: The Higginbotham-Brooks part went on way too long. Skip those parts.)
Strauss, Neil "The Truth: An Uncomfortable Book About Relationships"
Tatum Ph.D., Beverly Daniel "Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?"
Timbaland and Veronica Chambers "The Emperor of Sound: A Memoir"
Toure "Who's Afraid of Post-Blackness?: What It Means to Be Black Now"
Turner, Tina and Kurt Loder "I, Tina: My Life Story"
Wade, Dwyane "A Father First: How My Life Became Bigger Than Basketball"
Whitaker, Mark "Cosby: His Life and Times"
X, Malcolm "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" (Chicago Tribune op/ed piece: Page 1 and Page 2)
Youssef, Bassem "Revolution for Dummies: Laughing Through the Arab Spring"
HEALTHY FOOD/FITNESS
"101 Best Vegan Foods"
Hudson, Jennifer "I Got This"
Leneman, Leah "The Tofu Cookbook"
Obama, Michelle "American Grown"
Parkes, Sally "The Yoga Healing Bible: Finding the best postures, meditations, relaxation techniques, and breathing exercises for complete physical and spiritual balance"
Shelf, Angela "The Ethnic Vegetarian"
Snyder C.N., Kimberly "The Beauty Detox Foods"
Straten, Michael van "The Omega 3 Cookbook"
Sussman, Vic "The Vegetarian Alternative: A Guide to a Healthful and Humane Diet"
Hudson, Jennifer "I Got This"
Leneman, Leah "The Tofu Cookbook"
Obama, Michelle "American Grown"
Parkes, Sally "The Yoga Healing Bible: Finding the best postures, meditations, relaxation techniques, and breathing exercises for complete physical and spiritual balance"
Shelf, Angela "The Ethnic Vegetarian"
Snyder C.N., Kimberly "The Beauty Detox Foods"
Straten, Michael van "The Omega 3 Cookbook"
Sussman, Vic "The Vegetarian Alternative: A Guide to a Healthful and Humane Diet"
COMEDY/COMEDIANS
DeGeneres, Ellen "The Funny Thing Is"
Goldberg, Whoopi "Is it just me? Or is it nuts out there?"
Halpern, Justin "Sh*t My Dad Says"
Halpern, Justin "I Suck at Girls"
Hart, Kevin "I Can't Make This Up: Life Lessons"
Harvey, Steve "Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man: What Men Really Think About Love, Relationships, Intimacy, and Commitment"
Kaling, Mindy "Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)"
Kaling, Mindy "Why Not Me?"
Lopez, George "Why You Crying? My Long, Hard Look at Life, Love and Laughter"
McGruder, Aaron "A Right to Be Hostile: The Boondocks Treasury"
McGruder, Aaron "Public Enemy 2: An All New Boondocks Collection"
Murphy, Charlie "The Making of a Stand-Up Guy"
Wolf, Josh "It Takes Balls: Dating Single Moms and Other Confessions"
Youssef, Bassem "Revolution for Dummies: Laughing Through the Arab Spring"
Goldberg, Whoopi "Is it just me? Or is it nuts out there?"
Halpern, Justin "Sh*t My Dad Says"
Halpern, Justin "I Suck at Girls"
Hart, Kevin "I Can't Make This Up: Life Lessons"
Harvey, Steve "Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man: What Men Really Think About Love, Relationships, Intimacy, and Commitment"
Kaling, Mindy "Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)"
Kaling, Mindy "Why Not Me?"
Lopez, George "Why You Crying? My Long, Hard Look at Life, Love and Laughter"
McGruder, Aaron "A Right to Be Hostile: The Boondocks Treasury"
McGruder, Aaron "Public Enemy 2: An All New Boondocks Collection"
Murphy, Charlie "The Making of a Stand-Up Guy"
Wolf, Josh "It Takes Balls: Dating Single Moms and Other Confessions"
Youssef, Bassem "Revolution for Dummies: Laughing Through the Arab Spring"
©2008 Shamontiel L. Vaughn| All rights reserved
