Margo Jefferson, born in 1947 into a wealthy African-American family in Chicago, writes about a segment of African-American culture she dubs "Negroland":  wealthy, educated African Americans who occupy a space of privilege, holding at arms' length both Caucasians and African Americans who don't belong to the "Negroland" caste.  Jefferson traces the caste back to slave days in the American south.  Problematically, children of slave owners and slaves are ancestors of people in "Negroland."

Although identified as a "memoir," the author endeavors to report on sociology and popular culture, as well as her own biographical stories.

Unfortunately, despite finding the topic interesting, I couldn't quite connect to the author's narrative style.  There were parts of the book where it seemed the author was going to such lengths to maintain a distance from her topic, that the content came out dry and dull.  There were sections about her childhood stories where she used a distracting technique of using first initials instead of names, and somehow those sections provided way too much detail about childhood events that were not particularly interesting.  "L did this; T said that."

There were moments when the author offered glimpses of what the book could have been; when she drops the distance and shares her personal stories.  But unfortunately, there were not enough moments like this.

Today’s stop is for Stephanie Queen’s Margo & George Forever?. We will have info about the book and author, and a great excerpt from the book, plus a great giveaway. Make sure to check everything out and enter the giveaway.

Happy Reading :) 

There was no question in Margo's heart of hearts that she loved George. She really did want to marry him--scratch that--she really did want to be married to him. There was a difference. She hoped to heaven that the teeny-tiny distinction wouldn't be their undoing...

The stage is set for the wedding of the year in New York City featuring poor sweet beautiful Margo marrying the most eligible (read that: handsome and wealthy) bachelor, Regal Stores heir and CEO, George Regal, III. The Regal family has long presided over the social and fashion scene in Manhattan and they have embraced the marriage with enough enthusiasm to create a circus.

That could be why Margo feels like she's in the center ring and about to be swallowed by a lion.

But the best things about George, the strong powerful CEO, are the ones he's not known for, like his small thoughtful gifts, the crystal angel Christmas tree ornament he'd given her, the way he holds her hand at odd moments, the way he bear-hugs his grandma whenever he sees her and the way he speaks with misty eyes about his late mother.

Of course Margo wants to spend the rest of her life with him... if she could just get past the family’s ‘enthusiasm’ and THE WEDDING.

Warning: Once you open this book you'll get heart-warming romance, smiles, laughs & fun, but also an adult-sized portion of steamy love scenes. And of course, most important of all, a very satisfying Happily-Ever-After.

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Margo didn’t mind waiting until she’d had a swig of her drink before trying to explain herself. She wasn’t sure what to say—or what she thought, if truth be told. But it was time she unbottled whatever mess was inside her. “I’m scared witless about this wedding circus." She paused. Her friends stared. "I tremble at the thought of the outrageous pageantry as if I’m the queen of a minor Nordic country. I’m horrified that there will be a thousand freaking guests and I don’t know any of them—none but a handful. I have no idea what I’m supposed to say or do.”

Stephanie Queen is the USA Today bestselling author of the romantic detective series, Beachcomber Investigations. She lives in the stunning state of New Hampshire with her family, her cat, Kitty and her fun-loving friends. Besides going to the gym sporadically, Stephanie cooks and crochets and loves chocolate covered potato chips (yes, she should go to the gym more often).

She used to be a 9 to fiver working in downtown Boston, but has thrown her stylish suits and fancy heels in a closet and now hangs out in UConn t-shirts, jeans and sneakers. “If I could come back in another life as anything I wanted, I’d be a regency era heroine.” (Not surprisingly) Regency romances are her favorite secret reads.

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I am just binging on non-fiction, as it grabbing me so much more than fiction. I went a little OTT at the library and pulled a bunch of books. I have two read-a-thons I am doing towards the latter half of the month.

1. No One Would Listen: A True Financial Thriller by Harry Markopolos

         My current read is how Markopolos discovered the Bernie Madoff Ponzi scheme and was the whistleblower that brought Madoff down. He is not kind AT ALL to the SEC. 

2. Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson

           I want to learn more about criminal justice reform, so I am starting here.

3. Lafayette in the Somewhat United States by Sarah Vowell

              For the July 4th holiday, I am trying Vowell for the first time.

4. Negroland: A Memoir by Margo Jefferson

               Heard nothing but good things about this book.

5. The True American: Murder and Mercy in Texas by Anand Giridharadas

              True Crime that doesn't involve Wall Street.

6. Lethal Warriors: When the New Band of Brothers Came Home, Uncovering the Tragic Reality of PTSD by David Philipps

                This is a really long title.

7. Zodiac Unmasked: The Identity of America's Most Elusive Serial Killer Revealed by Robert Graysmith

                 True Crime.

8. Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann

                      True Crime plus history.

9. Believe Me: A Memoir of Love, Death, and Jazz Chickens by Eddie Izzard

                      Not a true crime book, lol. Manicure on the cover is beautifully done.

10. Eye on the Struggle: Ethel Payne, the First Lady of the Black Press by James McGrath Morris

                    Also not a true crime book. I wish she was more of a household name today as she was when she was working. 

Mirror Sacrifice hits the ground running with Sierra and Gavin traveling to London. Sierra has her work cut out for her with finding her place and training and on top of that, there's some jealousy over Gavin's ex. In the meantime, Gavin has to work with his ex to figure out what the Culpatus is up to and who is behind it. The story is fast paced and full of surprises. I was impressed with Sierra's growth in this one. She's learning to assert herself and stand up for what's best for her. I'm still undecided about the direction of the romance, so I'll wait to see what's next on that front. This is a continuing story, so I would recommend reading Fluidus Rising first. We do get some of the first book's questions answered, and while there is a main ongoing story, the conclusion is more open-ended than cliffhanger, leading into what's next for our heroine.