Let me start this post by saying thank you to those who are following my blog! I hope this blog has informed, inspired, and incorporated useful literature into your lives. This year will be more intense! SOUL Shades Of Unique Literature) will continue to be a platform for all shades of literature with an emphasis on the BIPOC authors and/or characters. SOUL will be expanding in 2025......More details to come!
January: Reset
This is the month to set the tone of the entire year. I'm kicking off this year by promoting self-care. The topic of self-care is how I launched SOUL in January 2024 and thought it was only fitting to continue the journey. I am doing activities from the book A Year of Self-Care: Daily Practices and Inspiration For Caring For Yourself by Dr. Zoe Shaw. (For more information about Dr. Shaw, visit her website https://drzoeshaw.com/) I have to tell you that I am 23 days into the book and I am 100% enjoying the journey! The daily activities are not long and it helps me set the tone for my day. I highly recommend this book to anyone who may need a reminder about self-care daily. Although we are headed to the end of January, it is never too late to start a self-care routine for yourself. Each month is a theme with daily activities to emphasize daily self-care activities. January's focus is "Reset". It is time to reset our thinking, vision, and physical bodies.
Current Read:
I have seen the book No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole on several social media platforms. My next-door neighbor and friend highly recommended it so I decided that this is my January Read. The mystery/thriller genre is one of my favorite genres, so I purchased a printed copy. This book deals with the topic of gentrification and how it affects the people of color who dwell in the neighborhood. I am totally hooked and can't wait for how this ends! If you have read the book, please feel free to give me your opinion. (No spoilers please!)
Audiobook:
I finished the audiobook The Justice by James Patterson. I enjoyed the narration and the plot of the book. If you are an audiobook person and like a fast-moving plot, this 3-hour "read" will keep your attention. Sana Lathan, one of my favorite actresses, gives a wonderful performance as the main character in this thriller. What sets this audiobook apart is that it has a soundscape. The soundscape provides the background sounds that allow the reader to visualize the story being narrated. I highly recommend this short but enjoyable audiobook!
Next Read:
I purchased the book The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois by Honoree Fanonne Jeffers and have yet to complete reading this acclaimed book. I think February is the perfect time to engage myself with this book. I am resetting my reading priorities and will be reading books that have been on my TBR list for far too long! I encourage you to read this book along with me and we can have a live book club discussion at the end of February.
Happy Reading!
My February read is "Tupac Shakur" The Authorized Biography by Staci Robinson. This site won't let me include my image of the book.
Congratulations my friend! 🎊 👏🏾 💐
SOUL has met it's one year mark and has definitely impacted my reading and spiritual life tremendously! I'm enjoying the self- care read and now I'm open to an apple product just to hear Dr. Zoe's podcast. Thanks Sis! I've been hearing lots of good things about James Patterson's books, so I will definitely listen to "The Jusice." I'll wait for you to tell me about "The Love Songs." The Bible is shorter than this book. 😆 I appreciate all you do to expose readers to quality, diversified literature. I plan to read my favorite genre and about my favorite rapper. I adore his relationship with words.
Happy Reading!