Author: Zakiya N. Jamal

Zakiya N. Jamal was born in Queens, raised in Long Island, and currently resides in Brooklyn. In other words, she’s a New Yorker through and through. She holds a BA in English from Georgetown University and a MFA in Creative Writing with a concentration in Writing for Children and Young Adults from The New School. She has been published in Romper, BuzzFeed, People.com, Thought Catalog, and more. Her non-fiction essay about her "Cuban Impostor Syndrome" can be found in the Latinx anthology, Wild Tongues Can’t Be Tamed. You can find her on Twitter at @ZakiyaNJamal.

Book Review: Opposition

Posted on by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews

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Synopsis from Amazon:

Katy knows the world changed the night the Luxen came. She can’t believe Daemon stood by as his kind threatened to obliterate every last human and hybrid on Earth. But the lines between good and bad have blurred.

Daemon will do anything to save those he loves, even if it means betrayal. But when it quickly becomes impossible to tell friend from foe, and the world is crumbling around them, they may lose everything to ensure the survival of their friends…and mankind.

I have been obsessed with the Lux series since the first book so it was bittersweet to see the series come to end but man did Ms. Armentrout end it with a bang. This book was so good I couldn’t put it down for a second. Amazing.

This book begins exactly where Origin left off, with the world falling to pieces. The other Lux have arrived and they’re ready to take over the Earth. They’ve got Dee drinking their “we are great and humans suck” Kool-Aid but thankfully Daemon and Dawson aren’t falling for it. However to stay on the aliens good side they have to play along while trying to figure out how to escape. Meanwhile, Katy, Bethany, Archer, and Luc were left to fend for themselves and try to figure out how they were going to handle the alien invasion.

Forced to make allies with former enemies, not knowing whom they can really trust, and the loss of even more lives makes the conclusion of this series BIG. There’s all out war on Earth and no one is safe and Daemon and Katy’s love is greatly tested.

Opposition had me on an emotional roller coaster. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, not knowing what was going to happen next. Armentrout kept surprising me with all the twists and turns of the novel. She even had me in tears at some points. For a moment there I wasn’t sure who would make it to the end of the book alive.

It was also great learning more about some of the lesser characters. For example we get more insight in Luc’s plans for himself and the people he cares about. We also learn more about Daedalus and (crazy) Nancy. Lastly, we see that not everything is so black and white when it comes to the Luxen and Arum and they’re actually more alike than Daemon cared to admit.

Also this novel is again told in Daemon and Katy’s point of view which I enjoyed because I love hearing Daemon’s thoughts. He’s hilarious but also really sweet. Too cute.

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Overall, this was a great conclusion to an amazing series and I can’t wait to go back and read this whole series all over again. If you haven’t read the series yet I definitely recommend it. Such a good read.

Favorite Line:

Sometimes – and it happened at random moments – I was blown away by the fact that she was mine and I was hers. This was one of those times.

Stars: 5 out of 5. I loved this book from beginning to end. There were definitely some parts that ripped my heart out and I wished some events didn’t occur but overall I thought the book was great and I loved how it ended.

Borrow or Buy: BUY!! Absolutely buy this book. Actually buy the whole series while you’re at it. You’ll definitely want this on your bookshelf.

Other Reviews

Stephanie’s Book Reviews

Escape Inside The Pages

The Obsessive Book Nerd

Internet Exploring

Posted on by Zakiya N. Jamal in Blog

Just to be clear this post is not about Internet Explorer. That’s a browser that should be left in the past.

Instead this post is about something I think many of us are guilty of: exploring the Internet.

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If you’re like me at all you like to surf the web and you like to do so often. Some believe the Internet is only a way for students to procrastinate:

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And although that may be true there’s also many benefits to the Internet.

When exploring the Internet I can literally explore the world. The Internet is a global construct. That means you can actually see, hear, read about, and learn about things, events, and people from all over the world. I know, mind blown right?

For example this summer there was a lot going on in the U.S. and around the world. First, there was everything that was happening in Ferguson, Missouri. If don’t know about this you should really look into because this is a serious issue. I won’t go into all the specifics but in short, a young black man named Mike Brown was gunned down by a police man who had no just cause. This then led to riots and a state of emergency in Ferguson.

Your thoughts on the subject aside the Internet played a great role in spreading the word about this, specifically through social media. For example, although I myself do not live in Ferguson my “friends” on Tumblr who do posted photos of protesters, of police tear gassing people, of the marches, of the signs, of the overall pain, anger, and heartache that was being felt there. Though I myself was not there to experience it, through the Internet I was able to see what was really happening (some of which main stream media seemed to neglect but that’s a story for another blog post).

Moving on, the Internet is a global entity therefore allowing us to also see into many global issues. The biggest one currently is the problems in the Middle East and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Ignoring where you may stand on the issue right now it’s amazing how connected you can become to an issue that is so far away from you because of the web. Honestly, I didn’t know much about the conflict when I first heard about it. I just knew it sounded bad and I was glad I wasn’t there.

Then you hear things on the news and you have reporters telling you what’s right and what’s wrong and who’s side you should really be on and things get confusing. Well, cool thing about the Internet is rather than hearing from other Americans what’s going on internationally you can actually hear from people that are there.

Whether it be YouTube news channels or again Tumblr there are literally Israelis and Palestinians who are making their voices heard and telling their side of the story. To me that’s amazing because now one can get more that just one point of view. You can get multiple and that’s pretty cool.

I say this all to say while exploring the Internet try exploring the world too. Although I focused on the bad stuff that’s happening right now there’s also a lot of good stuff happening in the world too.

Via the web you can explore different countries, look at historic buildings, make a list of all the places you need to see before you die, and even learn about things you just can’t learn about sitting in a stuffy classroom. You can watch lectures from professors all over the world that your school might not offer, learn how to cook a traditional Ethiopian meal, or even do something as simple as Skype with your friend who may be across the globe. The Internet allows us to open up our worldview to something bigger and more awesome than we could probably ever imagine. All you have to do is look.

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The Back to School Essentials

Posted on by Zakiya N. Jamal in Blog

*This post brought to you by Brita. All opinions are 100% mine.*

With the start of the new year there’s some necessary essentials every college student needs.

As a senior I’ve actually learned a few things about what you really need to make it through the year. Here are my top ten list of things you need to get when shopping for this school year.

  1. A shower caddy – I don’t care if you’re male or female. A shower caddy is necessary if you’re living in a dorm. It makes it much easier to make sure you have everything you need when you go to the shower and who wants to put their washcloth on the floor while they shave? That’s gross.
  2. Shower shoes– Sticking with the shower idea you definitely need shower shoes. Walking around in a communal shower barefoot is not cute especially when you think of all the germs that are probably lingering around. Get a cheap pair of flilp flops and wear those to the shower, in the shower, and out the shower. You’re welcome.
  3. A backpack– Some underclassmen think having a backpak at college is lame but what’s really lame is carrying around a big purse that’s really heavy and may break because you think that looks cooler than a backpack. Just use a backpack. It’s easier to carry all your stuff and it just makes sense. Also you can get a cool looking a backpack almost anywhere. There’s some at Urban Outfitters, Victoria Secret’s, and other random stores. Backpacks are your friend.
  4. A planner – One of the greatest things about being in college is not having anyone telling you what to do or where you need to be. The downside is there’s no one reminding you to do your homework, study for exams, or when your club meetings are. That’s why it’s great to have a planner. A planner will help you keep everything you need to get done in order so you don’t forget anything. You can keep track of when assignments are due, when your club meets, etc. It’ll make your life 10 times easier I promise.
  5. A computer – I know computers are actually a luxury and not everyone can afford them but if you can you should dfeinitely get one. It’s much better to have your own personal computer especially when you need to finish that assignment at the last minute. It’s also a good way to take notes (as long as you don’t get distracted by Facebook).
  6. Pens, pencils, and highlighters – This may seem cray since you’re in college now but even in college you need these bare essentials. If your professor doesn’t allow you to take notes on your computer these will be especially essential. Never forget it’s okay to take things back to basics.
  7. Refrigerator– The common room fridge is not your friend. Although it sucks the truth is you can label your food and people will still eat it. #rude That’s why it’s great to have your own fridge. You’ll probably have to share it with your roommate but hopefully your roommate will respect your food. Definitely get your own fridge for your room if you can.
  8. Amazon Prime – The great thing about Amazon is as a student you get a free trial of Prime for six months which if you time it right can get you prime on textbooks for two semesters. On average your textbooks are much cheaper on Prime and on those days when you just realized you actually do need that book it’s really convenient to have free two day shipping.
  9. Camera – I know what you’re thinkg, “I have a camera on my phone!” Great but when something awesome amazing happens when enjoying your memorable (and sometimes not) college career you might want better quality than your camera phone. I’m not saying get a high tec fancy camera, but get a small, probably $50 digital camera to carry around. You’ll want to remember these four years. Trust me.
  10. A Brita® water bottle or filter – Last but not least get yourself a Brita® water bottle or filter.Throughout the year you’re going to need water. That’s just a part of life. But rather than constantly buying water bottles (no one has money for that) get a Brita® reusable water bottle or a Brita® water filter that way you’re saving costs on constantly buying water and also saving the planet. Brita® products are available at Target.

 

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Most Marketable Skill: Networking

Posted on by Zakiya N. Jamal in Blog

*This post is part of Webucator’s Most Marketable Skill Campaign*

An online learning company called Webucator recently contacted me, asking me to participate in their Most Marketable Skill Campaign. I think people say this all the time but honestly networking is so important when trying to get a job. I know from personal experience that networking is not the easiest thing to do (it’s the worst) but it’s also just a really good way to get your foot in the door for a job you want.

When it comes to networking people always think it’s about finding someone in your field that you can suck up to so that they’ll hire you. That’s not the case and that’s why people shy away from it so much.

Truthfully networking is pretty easy especially if you know where to start. First, you don’t necessarily have to seek out one specific person in your field and stalk them until they meet with you. That’s not the most efficient way to network. The best way is to go to a career fair, conference, or through your schools career center and talk to people.

For myself, last summer I went to my school’s career website and looked at alumni who had English majors, worked in journalism, or just did something that I thought sounded cool. I wasn’t entirely sure what I was looking for but I knew I wanted to talk to someone that worked in a field I found interesting. That’s how I met someone who worked at People magazine. She agreed to meet with me and encouraged me to apply for a summer internship, which I did. After going through a rigorous internship process I got the job and worked for them this past summer and it was a great step in my career process.

What I learned from that experience and other experiences I’ve had is the most important thing about networking is keeping in touch. You might meet someone that’s awesome or work for someone that’s awesome but after you leave it’s like, “What now?” Well first of all you should always email them and say thank you. It’s always a good idea to leave things on the right foot because it’s never genuine if the only time you talk to them is to find out about job openings.

Secondly, you don’t have to reach out every day or even every week. When you feel you haven’t spoken to them in a while reach out but don’t fill their email up with spam. They probably get enough emails as it is.

When emailing it can be tricky figuring out what to say but it can be something as simple as just a hello or an idea you had for their business that you think might interest them. For example, if I think of a story that I think would be great for People I can email someone I once worked for and suggest it. Of course they might say no and that’s fine. It happens but at least now they’re more likely to remember you when a job opens up. Also if you’re nearby to the person don’t be afraid to ask them to grab coffee and chat. It’s especially great if you offer to pay. Who wouldn’t want a grande ice coffee mocha for free?

I won’t deny that networking can be difficult sometimes. No one wants to beg someone for a job and it’s hard to know when you’re reaching out too much or not enough. My best suggestion would be to think about if some high school freshmen was emailing you for guidance. How many times would they email you before you got annoyed? What number of emails what make you think of them as more of an annoyance than a cute admirer? Use that number to know when you’re doing too much.

Just try your best to stay in touch with the contacts you make because you never know when it could lead to something amazing. If you’re already good at networking and need to work on your resume or other computer skills, Webucator has a free Microsoft training course of the month to help make individuals more marketable to employers.

Switched at Birth Recap: “And Life Begins Right Away”

Posted on by Zakiya N. Jamal in TV

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Usually I try to go in order of what happens in the episode but I just can’t today because nope, nope, nope, absolutely not. Bay is NOT going to jail for Daphne. What in the world is this BS? I’m sorry but no.

First of all I get the whole they’re really sisters now and Bay loves Daphne enough to be this selfless and that’s beautiful and blah blah blah. Whatever. That’s complete BS. First, Bay could totally still get jail time. Honestly it may not be as bad as Daphne but still. More than that it’s a felony. She’s going to have a permanent record for something Daphne did. Also, yes Bay wants to be an artist now but what if she wants to do something different later. This is on her permanent record. Just no.

I get that this was a great plot twist and honestly I applaud the SAB writers for creating such a great finale because it truly was wonderful but I’m so upset by this. Daphne really messed up this season and although I get that she was upset by everything with Angelo that shouldn’t be an excuse and she shouldn’t be able to just walk away with this. I’m really pissed that Daphne let Bay just take the blame for her and this made me dislike her even more. Own up to your own mistakes. If we’re going to try to play the “they’re real sisters now” card then Daphne should’ve of done a solid for her sister and not let her take the fall for something she didn’t do.

But I can talk about that all day so let’s just get to the recap.

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The episode began with the return of Wes and him telling Regina he wouldn’t press charges against Daphne. Yay! Except when Daphne and Regina go to tell John and Kathryn the good news there’s an officer waiting to take Daphne in because someone else pressed charges and they found Daphne’s prints on the scene.

Oh, dear.

Once at the police station it’s revealed that there’s really no way Daphne can get away from this unscathed. Either they can fight it and she could get three years or she can take the plea deal and get 90 days. Either way she’ll be going to prison for reals and since she’s 18 it’ll go on her record. I guess Nacho wasn’t worth it after all was he Daphne? (Sorry I’m still pissed.)

After the Kennish’s and Vasquez’s have a family discussion Daphne decides she’s going to turn herself in and that she just wants to enjoy her last day at graduation and the family agrees.

MeanwhileBay is working on finding a reasonable plan to present to John and Kathryn so she can go to LA and be with Emmett. Though it takes her time to figure it out she makes a solid plan and with money from Angelo’s life insurance Bay is able to present her plan to John. After revealing to both John and Kathryn that Bay is at risk for developing an aneurysm they are especially not on board for Bay going to LA. However Bay points out that she’s 18 and she can legally do whatever she wants.

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You go Bay!

Also, it’s revealed that Carlton will be closing after this year which sucks but that wasn’t a major plot point so we’ll move one.

At graduation Daphne freaks about her future and tells Bay she doesn’t think she’ll be able to give her speech. However, with encouraging words from Bay Daphne is able to find the courage to give her speech which left me in a ball of tears because it was so beautiful.

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Afterwards there were a lot of beautiful moments at the graduation. First of which, Travis’ mom showed up all on her own. Apparently she’d been learning sign language via an app (that I now need to purchase) and it was really sweet to see her there meeting Melody and Mary Beth.

What got me the most was the scene between Daphne and Emmett (shout out to come-and-dance.tumblr.com for this awesome GIF set):

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He then admitted that if Bay wasn’t going to LA with him he wouldn’t have gone to USC. Awww! He’s so in love with her it’s adorable.

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Also, when Regina went to hug Bay Bay revealed she had a picture of Angelo pinned to her gown which also made me tear up a bit. This episode really hit me in the feels.

After Sharee says her goodbyes to Daphne and says she’ll see her at the graduation party Daphne decides to peace out and go to the police station straight from there. Bay decides to go with her telling her she won’t let her do this alone. From there we get the whole Bay lies and says she did it and Daphne lets her take the fall thing that I refuse to discuss anymore.

Other notable points of the episode was Nikki deciding she wants an annulment rather than a divorce and Toby and Cool English Teacher deciding to do nothing rather than something together. In other words they’re leaving friendship territory and walking into relationship territory.

Speaking of new relationships I’m now a fan of: Wes finally made a move! Thank God. Took him long enough. When telling Regina he wouldn’t press charges he kissed Regina and at first she was totally about it but then pulled away saying she wasn’t ready. However, later in the episode after Regina had blamed Wes for Daphne’s arrest, Regina goes back to his office to apologize where he then invites her to go to Hawaii with him. We don’t know if she’ll say yes or not but I’m really hoping she says yes. I really like them together and I think he would be good for her. We shall see.

Sadly, now we’re on Switched at Birth hiatus which is always a sucky time. Thankfully, the writers are blessing us with a Christmas special in December so it won’t be too long of a wait. Check out the preview below.

Obviously the show really likes these what if episodes. I don’t care; I’m in support.

Until then let me know your thoughts on the finale and the crazy ending. Honestly I just hope this doesn’t wreck my Bemmett ship. I don’t think it will but what is Emmett going to do now? He better still go to USC. But then they won’t be together. Then again Bay might be in jail so there’s that. I can’t even think about.

Will Bay go to prison? Will Regina go to Hawaii? Does this mean Daphne’s going to Gallaudet now? What’s going to happen?!? Thankfully SAB got renewed for a fourth season so we’ll get all our answers soon enough. I can’t wait!

Switched at Birth Recap: “Girl on the Cliff”

Posted on by Zakiya N. Jamal in TV

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This episode was everything I needed and more. Daphne finally got her intervention and it actually worked … by the end of the episode.

The episode began with Daphne being confronted by Bay, the Kennish’s, and Regina and everything that she’s done wrong has finally been brought to light. I still can’t believe she said she barely touched Bay. Lies they tell.

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Thankfully, all the parents recognize that Daphne is headed down a very bad path and although John is upset that Regina knew Daphne had done drugs and was working with Chip Coto, with the help of Kathryn they’re able to work with Regina and stay on a united front.

At school Emmett is set on giving Bay the perfect prom by pulling out all the stops, including making a rose out of newspaper crosswords and campaigning for him and Bay to be prom king and queen. Although the effort was really cute Bay wasn’t that excited to be queen but eventually accepted the nomination just to make Emmett happy.

Of course despite all of Emmett’s efforts something goes wrong. The principal announces that all girls have to wear dresses and all guys have to wear suits. Natalie’s girlfriend is greatly offended by this because she doesn’t wear dresses and so she and Natalie are not going to prom.

After talking to Regina, Bay decides to take a stand against the administration and decides to go to prom in a suit and so does Mary Beth, Natalie, and Natalie’s girlfriend. Although this was a great idea and I’m proud of Bay for taking a stand for her friend the chaperone at prom (the same one who I didn’t like from the start when he said some girls would kill to be prom queen) was absolutely against it and even said some very disrespectful things that honestly he should get in trouble for.

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Though they were refused entrance into the regular prom Bay and Co. recreated an awesome prom outside. Also in a great moment before hand Emmett admitted that he was trying to make the perfect prom for Bay since the last one (when he told her he cheated) was so terrible. Although he was upset that things didn’t go exactly as he wanted them to it all worked out in the end and they had a great night.

Daphne on the other hand was having a really rough time. She was grounded so she couldn’t go to prom which she supposedly didn’t really care about but in reality she was probably really upset about that. From there she went back to the clinic where she decided to steal some Oxycodone from the medicine cabinet.

She gets busted and although she begs and pleads Doctor Jay fires her. On top of that a camera caught Nacho at the construction site for the East Riverside project and Regina confronts Daphne where it’s finally revealed that she was there as well and also did damage.

Regina is livid and rightfully so and tears Daphne a new one. Daphne then lies and says she has to go to the clinic but obviously that’s not true. Regina later realizes this and becomes stressed about where Daphne could have gone. Kathryn finds her sitting on a curb in tears and Daphne finally admits that the real reason she’s been acting like such a brat is because she feels guilty for not getting to really know Angelo when she had the chance.

With that breakthrough Daphne is comforted by Kathryn and Regina and thankfully it seems she now headed down a better path. Even so, if Wes chooses to tell the police about Nacho being at the construction site Daphne may very well end up arrested. We shall see how ABC Family will let this play out.

Besides that Toby and Tank had a little disagreement about Toby DJing a party for Tank’s former frat. In the end although Toby did go to the party he apologizes to Tank, telling him he should’ve had his back. They agree to move on and all is well with the roommates.

Next episode is the finale and I can’t wait to see what will happen but I’m also sad for the oncoming hiatus. However it has to happen. Check out the preview below.

Book Review: The One and Only

Posted on by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews

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Synopsis from Amazon:

Thirty-three-year-old Shea Rigsby has spent her entire life in Walker, Texas—a small college town that lives and dies by football, a passion she unabashedly shares. Raised alongside her best friend, Lucy, the daughter of Walker’s legendary head coach, Clive Carr, Shea was too devoted to her hometown team to leave. Instead she stayed in Walker for college, even taking a job in the university athletic department after graduation, where she has remained for more than a decade.

But when an unexpected tragedy strikes the tight-knit Walker community, Shea’s comfortable world is upended, and she begins to wonder if the life she’s chosen is really enough for her. As she finally gives up her safety net to set out on an unexpected path, Shea discovers unsettling truths about the people and things she has always trusted most—and is forced to confront her deepest desires, fears, and secrets.

Thoughtful, funny, and brilliantly observed, The One & Only is a luminous novel about finding your passion, following your heart, and, most of all, believing in something bigger than yourself . . . the one and only thing that truly makes life worth living.

 

I absolutely fell in love with this book. I’m pretty sure it took a week for me to finally move on from it. I just kept rereading my favorite parts over and over again because it was that good to me.

That being said I don’t think this book is for everyone just because it is a unconventional love story but in my opinion those are the best love stories.

The story centers around Shea Rigsby whose life is turned upside down when her best friend, Lucy’s, mother dies from cancer. Shea has lived her whole life in her same small town, Walker, Texas (except for the first few months of her life when she was in New York) loving the same college football team where she attended school and then stayed to work.

The death of Mrs. Carr makes Shea start to rethink her life. She’s start to rethink her career goals, her relationship with her boyfriend that doesn’t really seem to be going any where, and what she really wants from her life and for herself.

With the help of Coach Carr, her best friend, Lucy’s, father, Shea starts to make some changes in her life and begin to realize what it is she really wants.

This book was funny, heartbreaking, gives you butterflies, makes you question everything, and all in all amazing. I fell in love with this book and I will probably continue to reread it when I need to take my mind off something because it so easily pulls you right back in.

If you haven’t read the book yet stop here because now I’m going to get into some spoilers. Okay, here we go.

I truly liked Shea and Coach Carr’s relationship and I so knew that was going to happen but it still surprised me when it did. I totally get that it’s crazy and that’s her best friend’s father and it’s kind of weird but I just loved it anyway. That’s the thing about Emily Giffin, she’s make you support things you normally wouldn’t.

That being said I have to be honest and say I think a lot of the reason why Shea and Coach Carr’s relationship works is because she’s worshipped him her whole life. Everything he likes she likes but this is only because she’s been kind of in love with him her whole life. He drinks his coffee black, so does she. He likes glazed doughnuts, so does she. He’s the coach for Walker, she’s a die hard Walker fan. They drink the same kind of beer. The list goes on.

However, I do think that’s why Giffin had to include the whole thing with Coach Carr not reporting Ryan way back in the day because that shattered Shea’s idea that he was a perfect human being. With that I think it made their relationship more real because Shea had to see for herself that he isn’t perfect but the fact that she’s able to move past that and love him anyway made me really root for them.

Again, I still think it’s kind of weird but they were just too cute together for me to be totally against it. In fact I ended up being all for it. I know people disagree but I for one loved this book and now I want to go reread it. Again.

Also, I think it’s important to note that there is a central focus on football in the novel but I myself know near nothing about football and I still really liked the novel so don’t let that be a turn off for you.

Favorite Line:

He stared right into my eyes and said, “You know anyone who fits the bill?”

“I might,” I managed to whisper.

“Oh?” he said with as much charm as a man could possibly have without being too charming. “You might?”

“Maybe,” I said.

“Well let me know … Because short of that woman, the one I just described … I’d rather be alone … Just sitting here, alone, watching football.”

Stars: 5 out of 5. I haven’t been so caught up in a book like this for a long time. I loved it.

Borrow or Buy: Buy! Definitely something you’ll want on your book shelf.

Other Reviews

She Knows

The Book Chick

Making Thyme For Health

Switched at Birth Recap: “You Will Not Escape”

Posted on by Zakiya N. Jamal in TV

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First, I think we can all agree that Daphne needs to CALM. THE. FREAK. DOWN.

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She really ticked me off this episode so I’m going to begin with her. After hearing that one of the other neighboring high schools is having a senior ditch day Daphne, Natalie, and Sharee agree to have one of their own. Of course, Daphne is the most gung ho for it. I honestly could care less about the planning of a senior cut day. I mean, seriously, who didn’t have a senior cut day in high school? What I’m tight about is what happened during said day.

Daphne along with her fellow seniors head to Hawkeye Ranch where Travis quickly questions the lack of alcohol. I won’t even go into the fact that they are underage and in a public place because again this is something I think we can all agree we’ve done or at least our friends have done. It happens. What’s dumb is that Daphne decides to call Nacho (really his name is Nacho?) to come with some beers.

Nacho, being the gentleman that he is, doesn’t just show up with beer but also brings a posy that includes some girl who may or may not be his girlfriend but is definitely more than a friend.

When Daphne confronts him Nacho makes it clear that Daphne’s not the only girl he’s seeing and basically says, “I can’t just have one girl at time … but that’s cool right?” and Daphne says yes because … well at this point I don’t even know why.

Wanting to exact revenge on Nacho for being a douche she goes on the Ferris Wheel with Travis where she shares a beer with him and then tries to kiss him. Actually she does kiss him because apparently Daphne now has zeros effs to give.

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Thankfully, Travis doesn’t give into temptation and reminds Daphne that he has a girlfriend then gets off the Ferris wheel and proceeds to throw up. Gross but good for you Travis!

Bay, who has already confronted Daphne for being stupid enough to date Nacho, confronts Daphne again for being a brat and kissing her friend’s boyfriend. Bay then reminds Daphne that she’s not the only one struggling and she needs to stop lashing out at everyone, being mean to Regina, and all in all get over herself. In other words Bay said everything we’ve all been thinking. You go Bay!

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Then Daphne shoved Bay to the ground and stomped away, continuing to act like a bratty three year old that can’t get her way. Seriously, Daphne what are we going to do with you? Things only got worse when Daphne arrived back home where Regina tells her what she decided to do with the money from Angelo’s life insurance: donate it to Melody’s awesome satellite Gallaudet school and then maybe do a mother-daughter road trip.

Although Daphne was okay with the idea at first she then snaps at Regina, saying Regina shouldn’t even have that money because she’s the reason Angelo is dead. Daphne then goes on this whole rant about how Regina sucks and brings up the fact the Regina knew about the switch … again. Daphne, sweetie, you really need to get new material. She ends her rant by saying Regina isn’t even her mother. Really, Daphne? Really? I would just like to point out how Daphne is all upset because Angelo died but he was not her biological father so her logic is little jacked up at this point but I digress.

Daphne should be glad she didn’t get slapped into next week’s episode after everything she said to Regina. Either way it looks like Daphne might finally get what’s coming to her next week but I’ll get to that later.

While Daphne was losing it Bay was dealing with her own stuff. After talking to Tank Bay decides to get checked out for aneurysms. Thankfully she had nothing to worry about. However, she doesn’t get this news until the end of the episode and proceeds to have a mini freak out before then because she thinks she might die.

Rather than tell Emmett what she’s really stressed about she gets angry when she sees the girl who was the image behind “Mandy” and the girl says she read all the things Emmett wrote to Mandy and that made her break up with her boyfriend and she’s kind of into Emmett. Weird. Either way Bay seems to get jealous and storms away from Emmett leaving him confused and rightfully so.

Bay basically tells Emmett he should be with “Mandy” and go off to USC, where he found out he was accepted early in the episode, and leave Bay behind because who knows what would happen in the future? Silly Bay. Don’t you know honesty is the best policy? Obviously, not.

Once Bay learns that she doesn’t have an aneurysm she finds Emmett and apologizes for acting so irrational (but STILL doesn’t say anything about her health fears) and says he should go to USC and that she’ll go with him. Yep, because following you boyfriend to college is always good idea.

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Either way I guess it’s Bay’s life and she can do what she wants but I personally think it’s a terrible idea.

Other major points to of the episode that don’t really need further explanation:

  • Regina and Kathryn go to New York for Kathryn’s book release. Some how they end up pretending they’re lesbian lovers and it’s actually kind of hilarious.
  • Travis thinks he dropped out of high school but in reality Melody stepped in and with the help of the money Regina donated is starting a Gallaudet satellite campus that Travis will be going to after he graduates. You go Melody!

And that’s about it. This week was crazy mostly because of Daphne (when she told Regina that she wasn’t her real mom I almost lost it). Looks like Daphne is going to get her just desserts next week, however. Is it wrong that I’m excited to see her get knocked down a peg? If it is I don’t care because that girl needs some sense knocked into her. Check out the preview for next week below.

Live Book Read: Opposition

Posted on by Zakiya N. Jamal in Books

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Anyone that is in love with the Lux series as much as I am knows the final book in the series, Opposition, came out today.

Although I’m sure people are already half way done, if not finished, I thought it we would be fun if we did a Live Book Read of the novel on Twitter.

The way it’ll work is while reading you can Tweet your reactions to the book with the hashtag #OppositionLiveRead that way everyone else reading can see your reactions and reply, retweet, and/or favorite. I think it’ll be a great way for all of us fans to collectively read together.

Obviously everyone reads at different paces and some of you may already be almost done so try to keep it as spoiler free as possible. You could also say #ch1 or #ch2 for example so people know how far you are.

I personally don’t know a lot of people who read the series and would love to have other people to fangirl with.

If you’re in follow me on Twitter (@BooksTVMe) or just follow the hashtag #OppositionLiveRead and join in on the fun.

Let’s get to reading!

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The Best Silver Shadows Reactions

Posted on by Zakiya N. Jamal in Books

Having read Silver Shadows a little whiles back I am so excited to have so many people to fangirl with. This book was my favorite in the series so far and I’m so glad so many people loved it as much as I did. Here’s some of the best reactions to the book I’ve seen so far. Obviously, beware the spoilers.

Many fans were ecstatic.

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Many were in tears

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Others just can’t let go

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Some were angry (but in the “How could you write this awesome book and then leave me hanging?” way)

 

Others learned a few things

And a few just didn’t know how to feel

If you haven’t read this book yet, what are you waiting for? It’s a good one. Also make sure to check out my review of the book and let me know your thoughts in the comments below.