Miss Moon's Book Club: My Soul to Keep by Tananarive Due

My latest pick for Miss Moon's Book Club, My Soul to Keep is a part of a trilogy of novels I had no idea was a trilogy!! LOL

I read the second book, Blood Colony first (not realizing it was a sequel), and happened upon the third book The Living Blood, and after the first three pages, was like "Hey... I know these people!" Once I figured out that My Soul to Keep was the first book, I knew I had to read it to discover the origins of Jessica Wolde's amazing tale. Reading the first book was a bit painful, I admit. I won't get into any spoilers, but it was difficult to read because I already knew so much about what will happen from the later novels.

Synopsis from tananarivedue.com:

JESSICA is a Miami investigative reporter with a beautiful daughter, Kira, and a husband, David, so loving, brilliant, and attentive that she calls him Mr. Perfect. Suddenly, her life takes a terrifying turn. Her best friend is brutally and mysteriously murdered and Jessica discovers an ancient, unimaginable danger that will shatter her life and family -- forever.

DAWIT is an immortal. More than four hundred years ago he and a sect of Ethiopian scholars traded their souls for eternal life. Obeying a vow of secrecy, Dawit has traveled the world as a soldier, a slave, a jazz musician -- never staying anywhere long enough for others to notice that he does not age. As further insurance, with barely a thought he kills any mortal who dares to become too curious about him. For the first time, though, it is Dawit who threatens to break his vow and defy his brothers by keeping his beloved mortal wife and child with him -- forever.

In My Soul to Keep, the worlds of Jessica and Dawit collide with harrowing, unforgettable consequences as Jessica learns firsthand the terrible price for eternal life. The newest novel by Tananarive Due, acclaimed author of The Between, it is a shocking, brilliantly plotted work of suspense and the supernatural that astonishes until the final, remarkable page.

Reading My Soul to Keep did clear up a lot of questions I had about the second and third books, specifically regarding Jessica's relationship with Dawit/David. It was a beautifully written novel, rich with characters you will want to root for and learn more about. I am looking forwarding to re-reading all three novels in order this summer!!

To read an excerpt of the novel, please click here. If you like what you've read, be sure to check it out in paperback!



Have you already read My Soul to Keep? I'd love to hear your thoughts on the novel. Be sure to leave a comment. Also, I hope to make Miss Moon's Book Club an reoccurring trend in the blog. If you have a book you'd like to suggest for a future post, be sure to drop me a line with your recommendation.

Miss Moon's Book Club: 32 Candles by Ernessa T. Carter

I used to be a voracious reader. My nose was always stuck in a book, and the books I considered my Top Five were always in heavy rotation. In the last few years, I've admittedly stopped reading as much as I used to. And I miss the pleasure of curling up with a good book. So I've started taking steps to change that by investing in a new book every month.

Since this blog in many ways reflects my life, I decided to create a new blog posting to talk about the books I've been reading and my thoughts. I call it... Miss Moon's Book Club... Keep in mind it's not an official book club, and you are under no obligation to get the book.. unless you want to, of course!

My first pick for Miss Moon's Book Club is 32 Candles by Ernessa T. Carter. I picked this book up yesterday morning on my way to work... and finished around 11 o'clock last night. It was a definite page-turner!!!

I could wholeheartedly relate to Davie. Her and I are the same age, so I remember watching the old John Hughes Films of the 80s and (despite the fact that the characters didn't look like me) feel and empathize with their teenage angst.

It was also great to read about a heroine who is happily nappy like me and to watch her blossom into herself. The book had some amazing twists and turns and I kept reading eagerly to see if Davie would have her "Molly Ringwald ending".... Will she? Mum's the word from me! LOL



Here's a quick synopsis of the book:

32 Candles is the slightly twisted, utterly romantic, and deftly wry story of Davie Jones, who, if she doesn’t stand in her own way, just might get the man of her dreams. Davie—an ugly duckling growing up in small-town Mississippi—is positive her life couldn’t be any worse. She has the meanest mother in the South, possibly the world, and on top of that, she’s pretty sure she’s ugly. Just when she’s resigned herself to her fate, she sees a movie that will change her life—Sixteen Candles. But in her case, life doesn’t imitate art. Tormented endlessly in school with the nickname "Monkey Night," and hopelessly in unrequited love with a handsome football player, James Farrell, Davie finds that it is bittersweet to dream of Molly Ringwald endings. When a cruel school prank goes too far, Davie leaves the life she knows and reinvents herself in the glittery world of Hollywood—as a beautiful and successful lounge singer in a swanky nightclub. Davie is finally a million miles from where she started—until she bumps into her former obsession, James Farrell. To Davie’s astonishment, James doesn’t recognize her, and she can’t bring herself to end the fantasy. She lets him fall as deeply in love with her as she once was with him. But is life ever that simple? Just as they’re about to ride off into the sunset, the past comes back with a vengeance, threatening to crush Davie’s dreams—and break her heart again. With wholly original characters and a cinematic storyline, 32 Candles introduces Ernessa T. Carter, a new voice in fiction with smarts, attitude, and sassiness to spare.



To read an excerpt of 32 Candles, click here. If you like what you've read, click below to order a copy!

















Have you already read 32 Candles? I'd love to hear your thoughts on the novel. Be sure to leave a comment. Also, I hope to make Miss Moon's Book Club an reoccurring trend in the blog. If you have a book you'd like to suggest for a future post, be sure to drop me a line with your recommendation.