The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells was published in 1897. It is a dystopian sci-fi about an alien war invasion in London.
The protagonist is a male who is subjected to the invasion and is therefore a reliable source to tell the story of what happened in the invasion.
This story affects a wide array of characters, but mostly we see the story through the eyes of the protagonist and his days-long battle to try to survive this off-putting invasion.
What I found most interesting was the description of the aliens. They were mechanical, giants, and unable to leave the pit they landed on at first. Through a series of events, the aliens become more intelligent and can so forth, do more things, which becomes troublesome for the English society.
I didn’t really appreciate the localized aspect of the plot. A big part of the book takes place in the pit where protagonist is, and otherwise, not much happens, as people flee from town to town.
The book is focused on the hysteria the invasion causes but not on the war itself, which felt like a cheat, when the title of the book is suggestive of a war.
Apart from the stretched-out plotline and lack of eventful activity, I found the attention to detail amusing and a big part of why this book was able to keep me at its wing.
The War of the Worlds Author: H.G. Wells Publisher: William Heinemann (UK), Harper & Bros (US) Original Publication date: 1897
Contributor: Shelly Lora. Loves to write and enjoys reading books.
Issa Rae’s The Misadventures of an Awkward Black Girl is just that — frequently funny with encounters about her preteens years and how she made it in college as a well-oriented black girl. We learn about her former insecurities about her blackness and her mistrials of trying to make it as the “cool kid” she finally becomes in college — at least part of herself does as she gains popularity in the boy’s department and learns about music. Sheltered as a child, she wasn’t allowed to get anything without a parental advisory sticker on it, inhibiting her sexual knowledge and also her ability to flash her proficiency in the music her friends so heavily associated with being black.
The title of the book is not only about her awkwardness but an honorable mention for her well-received web series by the same name: The Misadventures of ABG. She creates the series during an unlucky streak she hits in New York before realizing that she needed to figure out her purpose and moved to L.A. to bring her idea for the series to life. The series was a huge success that took off her career, although we hear little about it. However, she goes into some detail about her prior successes into adulthood that were anything but small. At 11 years old, her script was picked up by The Cosby Show to air.
The Misadventures of an Awkward Black Girl was heartily humored and decently displayed the indecency of her character as she struggled to find herself. It is more of a trip down memory lane than a book that leaves you with some serious advice. The advice she does give feels trivial as she fills up the pages on how to approach the many “different types of blacks” she divides into subcategories. She gives examples such as the “Awkward Black” and the “Strong Black,” and she either sympathizes with them or doesn’t. In my opinion, her advice felt too subjective and was hardly anything we could gain any real value from. In this way, the book fell short.
However, the book was an honest representation of her coming to terms with herself as an “awkward black girl,” a phrase which here finalizes her lifelong desire to be the idolized version of the misrepresented black girl (the one who doesn’t get as much attention in the media). On more than one occasion, she mentions her desire to put an end to social stigmas and the stereotypes we see on television, which she finally comes to realize she had to resolve within herself too. We can see here why she does the work she does, as it was something that was always the center of her attention. Here story is a coming-of-age story built on bravery, and if you brave it through, it is sure to get some laughs out of you.
The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl Author: Issa Rae Publisher: Simon & Schuster Publication date: July 2016
Contributor: Shelly Lora is an aspiring writer and novel reader.
Dinty Moore compiles a list of advice for writers using quotes by other writers/speakers/inspirational gurus as a point of reference. Each chapter starts off with a quote and is followed by a short excerpt dictating to the writer how they could incorporate that quote’s advice into their writing.
Moore was asked how his following of Buddhist teachings influenced his writings and this sparked his interest for writing this small book. He says that it was not his meditation practices that shaped his writing, but his writing that helped him follow a life of meditation and mindfulness.
His advices tell us to be aware of our writing by listening to our thoughts and observing, but he also constantly reminds us to not hold on too tightly to our ideas of what our writing should look like. He says that the best writing is sometimes the one that happens when we let go and let the writing take a course of its own. These mindfully designed writing prompts are sure to make you more aware, not only of your thoughts but to life around you. Probably what he was getting at was when he said that the writing influenced his real life mindfulness and not the other way around.
The book starts and ends reminding us that anyone can write as long as they are passionate about the creative and revision process. To compliment that passion, one must work at it by being mindful of what they see, hear, and hence, translate to the open slate. This is the work of a mindful writer.
The Mindful Writer Author: Dinty W. Moore Publisher: Wisdom Publications Publication Date: April, 2012
Contributor: Shelly Lora. Passionate since birth, writing since adulthood.
Books We've Read 