I Didn't Ask To Be Born : (But I'm Glad I Was) by Bill Cosby

Charlie Chaplin. Groucho Marx. Richard Pryor.

Over the past century, few entertainers have achieved the legendary status of William H. Cosby Jr. His successes span five decades and virtually all media, remarkable accomplishments for a kid who emerged from humble beginnings in a Philly housing project.

And the world's most beloved funnyman is back with I DIDN'T ASK TO BE BORN, his first humor book since the best selling Cosbyology. Cosby brings us more of his wonderful and hilarious insights into the human condition.

Sample chapters include:



 Missing Pages: Bill Cosby owns eight Bibles, all written in English. They were published at different times. One of them in 705. Another one was printed in 1709. One came over on the Santa Maria. They're all very old but none are autographed. One thing these Bibles have in common is the fact that he's convinced there are missing pages.The Morphamization of Peanut Armhouse: When Peanut's mother calls him to dinner and he refuses to leave the softball field, a young Bill Cosby witnesses a sight that haunts him to this day. If (But not by Rudyard Kipling): If Native Americans knew then what they know now, America would be quite a different place. Too Late For Me But Perhaps Not For You: How Bill Cosby handles a teenage daughter who refuses to clean her room.Cosby's millions of fans will be excited and delighted to pick up this truly brilliant book from a comedic legend.

Goodreads Summary

This novel is hysterical, to sum it up in one word.  It will be hard to write a review without giving anything integral to the hilarity of the novel away.  The reader gets to see a younger Bill Cosby, who is funny even at a young age.  He instills his natural personality into this fairly short nonfiction book. 

Bill Cosby literally anticipates what the other person would say to him, say, in a talk show and manages to provide funny one liners.  The first chapter of the book opens with a conversation between him and who he calls the "perfect talk show guest."  They go back and forth about a simple, silly topic-a town called North in South Carolina...leading to much confusion.  He then moves on to even funnier memories, closing with a story about his grandchildren and the ever elusive Santa Claus.  There are little illustrations scattered throughout the book, right where they will be the funniest.  This book is recommended to teens/young adults/adults alike.

5 Stars

Targets of Opportunity by Jeffrey S Stephens

THE ENEMY HAS A THOUSAND WAYS TO STRIKE. WE HAVE JUST ONE WAY TO RETALIATE. HIS NAME IS JORDAN SANDOR.
In Targets of Deception, which suspense master Robert K. Tanenbaum called “a fast-paced thriller,” Jeffrey Stephens introduced CIA agent Jordan Sandor, whom bestselling author Steve Alten praised as “terrific.” Now Sandor is back, playing for bigger stakes and facing deadlier challenges.
Whisked from his Manhattan town house to a gabled CIA safe house in Virginia, Sandor faces off with a top terrorist agent from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. In exchange for protection from his own side, Ahmad Jaber is offering the CIA explosive information: word of a secret, unholy alliance forged among operatives in the Middle East, a ruthless South American, and Kim Jong-Il’s North Korea. Jaber claims not to know specific details, only that the strike will target the heart of America.
The fanatics stage a stunning diversion in the Caribbean, mercilessly downing a passenger jet and unleashing an assault on a French intelligence installation. Sandor, however, has already moved in a different direction. Leveraging Jaber’s infor-mation, he assembles a small strike force to penetrate North Korea. The team knows they will not all return, but the intel they gather will be vital to American security. What they ultimately discover plunges Sandor into a frantic race against time, struggling to defeat a shadowy figure—a master terrorist with a plan of destruction so perfectly disguised that even with the new knowledge he has gathered, Sandor cannot guess where or how he will strike.
As a storm rages in the Gulf of Mexico, word comes that two submarines have penetrated U.S. waters. With the U.S. military hampered by the hurricane, Sandor turns to a few daring U.S. Navy SEALs to duel with the enemy they cannot see . . . for now they know only that there are two nuclear weapons aimed at a target of opportunity whose destruction would change the world order forever.
Brilliantly conceived, electrifyingly paced, Targets of Opportunity captures a terrifying twenty-first century reality: terrorists can—and will—try as many times as they need to attack the United States. For the brave men and women who defend our country, failure is not an option.

Goodreads Summary

This book is packed with action and fits the thriller genre perfectly.  Sandor goes from having a normalish day to squaring off with a top terrorist agent...one who has valuable information and is willing to trade for protection.  Sandor has always been quick-witted, it doesn't take him long to figure out a way to make the deal to his benefit.  He elects to send a team to North Korea, it is a high risk situation that will likely result in death, but Sandor knows the situation is far too important to sit back and do nothing. 

The plot gets more complicated as Sandor discovers previously unknown details relating to terrorist strikes.  There is an evil antagonist in this novel, one that remains in the shadows-hidden even from the reader.  Sandor is forced to make tough decisions and think quickly, faster than he ever has before.  The action takes off from there. 

This book is great for thriller, action, and intrigue/mystery enthusiasts.  The book's ultimate plot is "nuclear", so to speak.  The main character, Sandor, is a character who is easy to admire.  He is intelligent, daring, and extremely brave.  The secondary characters are all interesting and the reader will like meeting the majority of them.  The events are super fast-paced and the plot is terrific, the reader will be following Sandor who is on a ticking time bomb mission.  This book is terrific for adults.

5 Stars

Awesome Giveaway On Another Blog

http://www.spadeshighreads.com/2011/09/giveaway-800-followers-celebration.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+spadeshighreads%2FDkvf+%28SpadesHighReads%29 Check out this awesome blogger, she recently reached 800 followers and is generous enough to share with her followers!  There are many prize packs up for grabs and the books are terrific!  She has a gift card for International readers.  There will be two winners, so what are you waiting for? Go enter!

10 Days of Giveaways!

Yay!  10 days of giveaways for my followers :)  I love you guys.  These giveaways will run from September 5-15 with giveaways of ebooks and physical copies and swag. 
To enter leave your GFC name and an email.  Extra points for being an email subscriber and/or tweeting the giveaway.

First up:
Rhapsody for Lessons Learned or Remebered

byGeorgia Ann Banks-Martin

Georgia Banks-Martin walks us through an art gallery. We view art, which she has processed and questioned, through her lens: Lawrence, Monet, Van Gogh, Beardon, Sargent, Degas, to name a few of the artists. She challenges the reader to face slavery, grief, and joy, to feel the weight the South bears, to examine art across centuries for lessons. These poems revive what has been omitted in our history books—individual life stories. She uses sound, music and voice to make imagery pulse in these ekphrastic poems. In her poem “Railroad Station,” after a Jacob Lawrence: “Those leaving the towns where father and mother/labored in fields without being offered a yard of thread spun/from the cotton they pulled, have assembled./Packed: Hopes of work, three bedroom homes/water heated in water tanks, classrooms.” As memories populate her poems, so does the theme of hope permeate her book; in Death Dancing, after a Max Slevogt: “I wish memories could be buried as easily as bodies.” Rhapsody for Lessons Learned or Remembered is a book you will read again and remember as you stand face to face with art.

Julene Tripp Weaver, author of No Father Can Save Her

Goodreads Summary

Even if poetry is not your thing, this poetry is worth a second look.  The author will take the reader on a kaleidoscopic journey of slavery, pain, and happiness.  The author shows the reader pictures that she has processed and thought over.  The detail in the author's words is unmistakable, the reader will appreciate the care the author took in creating her poems.  The reader will enjoy seeing through anothers' eyes.  The author's love for the works of art are clear in the poems, that emotion really adds to them.  There is plenty of imagery in her words, the reader will not need to strain to understand the author's purpose.  This poetry may not be for everyone, but it is worth a second look.

excerpt: "Soon star-like buds will appear / on the fence born of a vine that during / the first week of fall had continued climbing / hoping the sun wouldn't turn its back, / the wind would only stroke still green leaves, / allowing them a few more hours, / before rain, twisting, tearing, / tumbling through unpaved alleys -- / the shedding of seeds." -- from "Remembering an Autumn Day".

4 Stars

Enter to win a paperback copy (US/CAN only)...don't worry International, there are quite a few giveaways coming for you.  Leave your GFC or Networked bloggers name and email.  Thank you!

Rhapsody for Lessons Learned or Remembered by Georgia Ann Banks-Martin, on tour from July 18th-September 15th, 2011 with NURTURE Virtual BOOK Tourz™ at: http://nurtureyourbooks.com/vbtblog/?p=1172