Tag: Barbara Venkataraman

Book Review – Accidental Activist

Accidental Activist: Justice for the Groveland Four

Accidental Activist: Justice for the Groveland Four by Josh Venkataraman

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Non-Fiction, Memoir

“Chase down your passion like it’s the last bus of the night.” – Terri Guillemets

“It takes but one person, one moment, one conviction, to start a ripple of change.” – Donna Brazile

Josh is a college student at the University of Florida, as part of his American History class they are assigned to read Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America by Gilbert King, learning of the gross injustice done to the Groveland Four. A year later, as he was driving, he passed a sign for Groveland. That moment sparked a conviction to do everything he could to right this wrong.

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February Wrap Up

February Recap:
4 Books
724 pages
Average Rating 4.0

Because of Jenny 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Three to Get Deadly 🌟🌟🌟🌟
To Be Young and In Love 🌟🌟🌟
Accidental Activist: Justice for the Groveland Four 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

I can’t believe that February is over already! 😲 Although I am so ready for winter to be over. We haven’t even had that bad of a winter this year, but I am just so over it. The cold, staying inside all day, the dark and gloomy sky, so depressing.
But we did have some great reads this month!! Winner for sure is Accidental Activist. I am still working on the review, so stay tuned for that. Because Of Jenny coming in a close second! Both were so good!

Accidental Activist- (Memoir) Young college student becomes committed to getting a posthumous pardon and exoneration for the Groveland Four 66 years after they were falsely accused. This is his story of the four years of dedication and hard work it took to right this aggregious wrong. So inspiring and infuriating at the same time.

Because Of Jenny – (Literary Fiction)
Eric is an 18 year old with severe depression. After a failed suicide attempt, but before he tries again he meets Jenny.
Jenny is a heroine addict, who is ready to become clean. She has friends in California, and a doctor has agreed to provide her with Suboxone, a drug that will help her fight her cravings so she can get finally get clean. Eric offers to drive her across the county to achieve this. Brutally honest book about societal views on suicide and addiction.

See full Review here – Book Review – Because Of Jenny

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Don’t Get Stuck in a Genre Rut

When I was younger I used to only read Stephen King, R.L. Stein, Dean Koontz, you get my drift, pretty much thriller and horror only.  When I was in High School, I stared my first job as a barista and found my co-worker’s copy of Nora Robert’s novel Lawless.  That was my intro into great Romance novels.  I very rarely left that comfort zone of those authors though. I had no idea the books I was missing out on. 

The past several years I have made changes in the way I choose what books to read and I have been picking up ones that I normally wouldn’t.  I join reading challenges that prompt me to choose books outside my comfort zone.  We are two months into the year so far and my genre resume has already been so vast, Literary Women’s Fiction, Contemporary Realistic Fiction, New Adult Romance, Literary Fiction, Crime and Comedy Thriller, Poetry, and Non-fiction Memoir.

Here are a few that I have thoroughly enjoyed recently:

I hope that this will give you the push to expand your reading beyond your comfort zone as well.  There is a whole world out there to explore.  Don’t be afraid to check them out.

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2021 Book 5 – A Book About a Social Justice Issue

I chose this book for my next read in honor of Black History Month.

How a young college film student became an activist for the exoneration for The Groveland Four, 66 years after their miscarriage of justice.

“You still have innocent people, innocent black men, every day being rejected, being dejected and being put in prison for things they have not done. So we’ve got to find a way to correct the injustice that a group of people have been experiencing for years.” – Carol Greenlee

“It takes but one person, one moment, one conviction, to start a ripple of change.” – Donna Brazile

Blurb:
This book will take you through my incredible four year quest for justice for The Groveland Four and teach you how to pursue your own causes, whatever they may be. It is a primer for positive action, a journey through Florida’s past as well as its future. Some of the things you will learn: everything takes more time than you think, nothing ever goes according to plan, help can come from unexpected places, time is on your side, everyone is connected to everyone else, you can reach your tipping point for success and not even realize it, your goals can change along the way, and flexibility is key. Let’s get started, shall we?

***Proceeds from the sale of this book will be used to establish “The Charles Greenlee Memorial Scholarship” to benefit a child with an incarcerated parent.

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My Year in Books

2020 was definitely not a normal year for any of us. It felt, at times, like we were living in one of the books we read, and not one we want to. But we made it through and are settling in to our new normal, whatever that may look like.
I, like so many, experienced an emotional tribulation that took a few months to overcome. In that time, I remembered that reading books was not a competition on how many I can get through in a month or a year but something that I love doing. I have a tendency to set goals and then obsess over them. I am working on breaking this unhealthy habit. I also don’t need to feel like I must write a blog post everyday. If I do, that’s awesome, if not, its not a big deal and people will not unfollow me because of it. There are so many other things that I enjoy doing as well and I don’t want to forget about those or spending time with the people that I love.

So, 2021 will be about having fun and doing what makes me happy every day.

2020 books completed:
36 Books
12,454 pages
My average rating – 3.9 🌟

5 🌟 Books:
Skipping Christmas by John Grisham
Memorial Drive: A Daughter’s Memoir by Natasha Trethewey
Strawberry Shortcake Murder by Joanne Fluke
Gilchrist by Christian Galacar
What Doesn’t Kill You by Iris Johansen
Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
Chasing Evil by Kylie Brant
Jamie Quinn Mystery Collection by Barbara Venkataraman
1st to Die by James Patterson
American Predator: The Hunt for the Most Meticulous Serial Killer of the 21st Century by Maureen Callahan

I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe New Year. Happy Reading! 😉

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April Recap

4 Books

1,120 pages

Average Rating 3.5

Jamie Quinn Mystery Collection 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Murder at Rudhall Manor 🌟🌟

A Smidge of Crazy 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Every Knee Shall Bow 🌟🌟🌟

I finally broke my 3 book stalemate and gave a 5 star rating!  I am feeling good about April.  I read more, wrote more, and posted more.  It’s certainly not my best and not what I had been planning on. I was suppose to be on vacation, reading and relaxing on a tropical island.  Thanks Rona! 😡 But just rolling with what happens and thankfully I was able to just reschedule for September.  This month I tried to focus on the positives.

  • I am thankful for my health.
  • I am thankful that my friends and family are healthy. 
  • I am thankful I work at home for an awesome company. 
  • I am thankful to Barbara Venkataraman and Anya Wylde for gifting me copies of their books. 😊

Bring on May and Springtime!  🌷🌹🌻

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Book Review – A Smidge of Crazy

A Smidge of Crazy by Barbara Venkataraman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Collection of Essays

A small collection of essays or short stories by the author that cover topics from Data Mined advertising on the internet, that extra key we all have on our key rings and don’t know where it goes, to a logophile (which is a lover of words).

“Of all the mysteries in my life, the one I someday hope to solve is the mystery of my extra key.”

“The stranger stared into my eyes so deeply it felt like he was looking into my soul. The staring went on for so long I was starting to feel uncomfortable when he finally spoke.
“You have presbyopia.”
“Oh my God,” I said, “Is that serious? It sounds like a tropical disease.”
The ophthalmologist laughed. “No, it means you have old eyes. You also have a touch of astigmatism.”
I rubbed my blurry, traitorous eyes. “What’s the cure, doc?”
He shrugged. “Longer arms so you can read a menu. Glasses, of course.”

A great, short read, very funny and extremely enjoyable. These stories are so relatable, things that we are all going through and thinking on a daily basis but Barbara has put them on paper for us to read and laugh about together. I literally laughed out loud on a few. For someone who is an attorney and an English major, you expect her writing to be stiff and full of words that most of us would have to look up but that is not the case at all. It’s written for everyone not just other logophiles to enjoy.



View all my reviews

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Book Review – Jamie Quinn Mystery Collection

Jamie Quinn Mystery Collection: Box Set Books 1-3 by Barbara Venkataraman

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Cozy Murder Mystery

“My name is Jamie Quinn and after ten years of practicing law, I’ve seen it all. You wouldn’t think a sleepy town like Hollywood, Florida would have much drama, but it does. The judge who swore me in had warned me, saying, ‘You’ll never believe what goes on between four walls,’ and he was right; it’s unbelievable.”

Book 1 – DEATH BY DIDGERIDOO
“You can’t make stuff like that up. I mean, who would’ve imagined a didgeridoo could be a deadly weapon?”
Jamie Quinn is a divorce lawyer taking some time off after the death of her mother to cancer. Her aunt calls her in a panic one day stating the cops have arrested Jamie’s autistic cousin for murder and they need her help. She knows that her cousin did not murder anyone, he couldn’t hurt a fly but the evidence is not looking good. To help her find the real killer, because clearly the police are not looking, she enlists the help of PI and ladies man, Duke Broussard.
“Okay, but before I tell you my long story that involves a heavy metal band, a murder, and a state attorney with political ambitions, I need to make one thing clear…” Duke’s green eyes were watching me closely, he loved a good story. “What’s that, Darlin?” “This is not a date.”

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Currently Reading

Thank you Barbara Venkataraman for gifting me your collection of Cozy Mysteries!  I do greatly enjoy a good Cozy and with the little reading slump I have been in this is just what I needed!  I am about half way through and certainly enjoying it.

Set of 3 Mysteries:

Death by Didgeridoo – Family Law Attorney Jamie Quinn must find a way to help her autistic cousin who is accused of murdering his music teacher with… you guessed it, a Didgeridoo!  She inlists the help of a Private Investigator that owes her a favor, ladies man Duke Broussard. 

The Case of the Killer Divorce – Jamie is once again wrapped up in a criminal case when her client is suspected of murdering her soon to be ex-husband.  She gonna need some help digging out the truth and she knows just the PI for the job.

Peril in the Park – Jamie’s boyfriend is director of the park’s department and someone is causing major problems.  A body is dicovered in the Park and Kip is missing.  Jamie knows there is only one person who can help her, her favorite PI, Duke.  

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