P-Cow! How's the cruise?

Oh, it's a total page turner! That's why I waited, with much impatience, to read it till I was home, so I could have absolutely uninterrupted time to suck it down.

And, like Hec, I've been thinking about you on your cruise, and am eagerly awaiting update!

"Suites" - that's very interesting.

I've only heard flat used in the verbal descriptions of buildings - like a 4 flat or a 3 flat. But the apartments themselves aren't called flats - they're called apartments.

I always thought it was a bit odd that "paying all kinds of rent for a flat that would flatten the Taj Mahal" was a lyric in a show that was very much set in New York (Guys and Dolls. And feel free to keep that earworm. I certainly have).

If I've read Mojo Conjure Stories (anthology) and and Midnight Robber, which Nalo Hopkinson should I read next? I haven't read them recently, so if it's a sequel, I'll go back (to paper...ack!) and catch up, but I'd prefer not to.

Also, has anyone here read Marlon James? My sister "forced" one of his books on me (John Crow's Devil--it's pretty good, but I haven't finished it...it's been forever), but she's a major fangirl. Accosted him into conversation for half an hour at a lit festival, and would not let him escape. If she had revealed she'd cut off his foot, at that point in the story, I wouldn't be surprised.

I heard an interview with Marlon James a few years ago, about a novel about women slaves on Haiti planning a revolt. I never got around to tracking down the book, but he (and it) sounded fascinating.

I had not heard of Marlon James before, but I'm going to have to check out "The Book of Night Women;" an interview gave a excerpt and he states Morrison and Atwood as influences -- two of my favorite authors. It looks quite interesting.

I re-read Beloved once a year, every year, for the harsh beauty of it. I sorely wanted to teach it to my seniors, but was told by by my Black superintendent (who told me she has never read "Beloved") that it was "too controversial" for my inner-city, 98% Black students. However, "Native Son" was just fine....I boggled. NS is an important book, but IMO, Beloved is far superior a piece of writing. Inhave to wonder if she had read Native Son, either.

And how can a person say a book is too controversial when one has not READ it? I cannot grok.

And how can a person say a book is too controversial when one has not READ it? I cannot grok.

It's been a long time since I read Beloved, but I would assume that the killing of the baby would be the sticking point there.

No, I think it was the sexual content, truly. My super was very conservative. But Native Son has rape, mutual male masturbation and graphic murders in it, so...

Erin, I taught Beloved to college students and yeah, some of the students were shocked by the sex in it. It's probably just me, but I find it disturbing that more people find sex upsetting than graphic murder.