men and check-ins
a few recommendations for this week and how is it already July?
Hi friends,
Can you believe we are already in July? I feel like after having the longest January imaginable, the rest of the year has been speeding by. For me, June was such a cute month. One of my best friends and her daughter came to visit me. I saw a great exhibit, and did some great reading—and even added a few highlights to my hair which is new terrain for me. Here are just a few highlights from the month of June:
June served as a reminder to take a break. Not be so tied to my calendar, and to just be present when I can. This month, I am looking forward to Love Island finally coming to an end so I can get my sleep schedule back, spending time with friends, and a few new releases:
BOOKS ON MY RADAR THIS MONTH
Becoming Baba: Fatherhood, Faith, and Finding Meaning in America by Aymann Ismail
Finishing: Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley, When The Music Hits by Amber Oliver, and The Wickedest by Caleb Femi.
MUSIC ON MY RADAR THIS MONTH
With that, let’s head into a few of my recommendations this week.
📚 READING RECOMMENDATIONS THIS WEEK:
When I started writing this week's book recommendations, the song that kept playing in my mind was Jidenna's "Classic Man" because I'm writing about two different male-led (I don't know why I wrote it this way, but I'm just going to lean into it) books.
First, let's start with The Great Mann by Kyra Davis Lurie.
Like everyone, I read The Great Gatsby in high school. This year, the book is celebrating its 100th anniversary, and I recall enjoying the book but also rolling my eyes at many parts throughout. The Great Mann is essentially an updated retelling of the book from the Black perspective. The book follows the protagonist, Charlie, who has just returned to America from World War II and moves to Los Angeles in the 1940s to a black elite enclave called Sugar Hill. There, he meets interesting characters, even some celebrities like Louise Beavers and Hattie McDaniels, who was the first black woman to win an Oscar.
The characters in this book were more dynamic than those in The Great Gatsby because they had deeper storylines, which was an intentional effort by Lurie. In an interview with The Chicago Review of Books, she says:
"One of the interesting things about The Great Gatsby is that the main character isn’t the protagonist. Nick is there to be readers’ eyes and ears, but it’s Gatsby we’re asked to invest in. That’s why the only relationship in Nick’s life that’s truly compelling for readers is his relationship with Gatsby. Jordan is an ancillary character at best. I took a different approach with The Great Mann. Charlie, my main character, is also my protagonist. Therefore, all his relationships are important, including his romance with Anna. And that meant Anna had to be more developed than Jordan was."
I enjoyed this book and found it to be a book that I couldn’t wait to continue reading.
One flag though about me: for books that I am excited to read, I have the habit of getting them in all of the formats: print, digital, and audio. I think it’s so I can consume there where I am. For part of my journey with this book, I listened to the audiobook, and I must say, the narrators voice distracted me. He had a nice tone, a good southern drawl, and it was buttery—thus I got distracted and had to backtrack in the physical book. That’s just an FYI in case you’re like me.
Now let’s head into the second book I’m recommending this week, The Best Man: Unfinished Business by Malcolm D. Lee with Jayne Allen.
The book is the continuation of The Best Man movies and television series, and I had so many feelings about returning to Harper, Jordan and Robyn’s world.
Set a few years after the series ended, we find Harper in New York already knee-deep in drama, Jordan living her best life in Southern California, and Robyn thriving in Ghana. Having read an early copy, I can say that Malcolm and Jayne really gave us what we wanted to know.
What struck me about reading this book is how easy it was to slip back into the love triangle that is Harper, Jordan and Robyn. There's something special about already knowing and loving these people (not really Robyn, sorry)—I could see them perfectly in my head as I read, which made every moment feel like catching up with old friends. Harper's growth as a person shines throughout the book and the way his storyline evolves made me smile. Harper’s storyline with Jordan literally had me blushing in some parts, see below:
I also loved the way music weaved through their relationships—Jordan playing Sade with ocean waves in the background at her PCH home, the callback to "As My Girl" by Maxwell, Lauryn Hill's "Turn Your Lights Down Low"—it all felt perfectly authentic to who these characters are.
Warning: there's a cliffhanger at the end that has me curious what happens next. I’m pretty sure with that ending, there is more to come. If you loved the movies and series, this book is essential reading. Even if you're new to The Best Man universe, the story stands on its own, though longtime fans will definitely catch more of the emotional nuances.
**Just a flag: I wanted to start the topic about The Best Man by asking, "What film had the best introduction to a character?" There was really no point in the question, as I already knew the answer. It's when Morris Chestnut's character, Lance, was introduced in the movie, because honey, swoon.
Tiktok failed to load.Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser
+++
A FEW OTHER THINGS TO READ:
- on critics take on Maxwell’s second album.
Excited to read The Art of Vanishing by Morgan Pager which is out today.
Hybrid read and listen,
review of NPR’s Tiny Desk Black Music Month sets. As an Amerie fan, I’m still sad at her Tiny Desk.The Silence by Zadie Smith for the New Yorker.
WNBA announces record expansion to Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia.
🎧 MUSIC RECOMMENDATIONS THIS WEEK:
Last week, the album I was looking forward to the most was, I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy (Complete Edition) by Teddy Swims. This is essentially, combining both Part 1 and Part 2 together with a few new songs, including this song with BigXthaPlug who still has one of my favorite albums of last year (so many samples).
Lizzo released a rap album, and I’m not mad at it. I need to do a deeper dive into the album, but so far here’s my favorite from the album:
Also, a week late, but Madison McFerrin released her new album Scorpio, and these are my favorite songs from the project:
+++
A FEW OTHER THINGS WORTH LISTENING TO:
I really enjoyed listening to
on the new episode of Decisions Decisions podcast with Mandii and Weezy.Young Erin is jumping for joy for Brandy and Monica to be heading out on tour.
Kind of listen/watch, my sister
did a live which is a reminder for the need to pause as a creator.
Thanks for the shout! I greatly appreciate it!
That’s for the mention sister friend! ✨