Hello friends, and welcome or welcome back to the blog!

Happy May, friends! The weather is already heating up, so remember to stay hydrated, get plenty of rest, and give yourself some grace.

The month of April was a bit better. Even though I’ve been dealing with my own personal demons, wellness, and assorted dramas, I managed to come back here to my happy place where I can share some good and other happenings.  I tried posting at least twice a week, but sometimes that didn’t always happen.  I’ve learned not to beat myself over the head with the pressure of posting content every other day.  I’d rather give you a good post with substance, which may take a little longer, but I love ya’ll, so I put in the effort. But I digress …Here’s what happened on the blog in April.

*****April Posts!*****

Good Good Affirmations

I took some time to create a mock calendar with 31 days of feel-good affirmations.  Whether you pick one and recite it, go by the actual day, or write it down, it’s still a great motivator of self-love.  Here’s a link to that post and the calendar below.

My Favorite Post this Month

I enjoy what I create on LBW, but some posts are my absolute favorites. It could be the subject matter, the research, or my favorite thing … movies. I loved the “15 New Movies” post because it gave me an excuse to sit down and binge some trailers.

Style Boards in April

My Loafer Crush post and the Unique Decor post

All the Movies

I’ve only checked two off my list from my last post.

Late Night With The Devil (⭐⭐⭐⭐)
Scary, yes, graphic? Not as much, and it was entertaining; tying in this talk show host to Johnny Carson as competition for ratings, and all the imagery from the 70s was cool.  I feel that the ending was rushed, and so many questions were left unanswered for me.  I would probably watch it again and do a deep dive because I might have missed something.

American Fiction (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
This was such a great movie, and while it wasn’t on my overall list, I knew I wanted to see it.  I loved this family drama about how our people deal with illness, family issues, and social awkwardness while presenting ourselves to the world and society.

Call Me Miss Cleo (⭐⭐⭐.5)
This is another documentary for my Gen X people because I vividly remember these commercials (Call me’ now for your tarot readin’).  As a teen, I never thought twice about it.  It was a commercial that cut into my TV viewing, but I would never be crazy enough to pick up the phone and call.  This documentary was about how the industry works and how people get taken advantage of within that industry, which is only concerned with profiting off people who don’t have much.  Miss Cleo’s demise was sad, but in the end, she found her footing, and I just loved this story.

Freaknik: The Wildest Party Never Told (⭐⭐⭐⭐)
Wow, this was a thing in the 90s in Atlanta and an event (or series of events) I never attended.  Even with relatives sprinkled throughout the area, it was a time when even my family would leave because of all the foolishness.  What started as a Spring Break gathering for HSBCUs became something people couldn’t imagine. Over the years, you didn’t just have college students attending but people who never set foot in a college, creating chaos.  This was an interesting documentary for my Gen X people, and I enjoyed it.

Right to Offend: The Black Comedy Revolution (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
Loved, loved, loved from the early comics like Step’n’Fetch It, Red Foxx, and Moms Mabley, the story of these comedy legends (and many others) is shared through the ages to show the evolution of African Americans in comedy and how, for many a millennia, they were put in a box to make other people comfortable with what they were saying and not just portraying a stereotype.  Richard Pryor would break that mold because, with that, “I don’t give a …F$%k” attitude. Pryor would set the standard of how far you can push the limit and still be recognized, not demonized, and respected.

April Book Haul

While I did not need ANY (of course), I got a few more books. I even purchased one before this post went out, but I’ll include that in my May haul. LOL

Wasps In The Ice Cream (Audible copy) by Tim McGregor
The Alone Time (Kindle copy), by Elle Marr
American Fly Girl: A Biography (Hardback) by Susan Tate Ankeny …This was gifted to me by the publisher..whoo hoo

April reading

Here’s what I read. Here is a link for my partial book list.

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REVIEW LINKS

The Black Guy Dies First: Black Horror Cinema from Fodder to Oscar (posted but read last month)
The Black Girl Survives In This One (read in February; post is live)
The Wishing Game, Meg Shaffer (Not yet reviewed)
I Need You To Read This, Jessa Maxwell
Murder Your Employer: McMasters Guide to Homicide (Not yet reviewed)

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Pending ARCs!

Ahhh…it always seems like I’m waiting to be approved.  At this point, it seems I’m not approved (for the two I crossed off my list), but my request is still “pending,” so who knows, at this point, the book has been published.

Home is Where The Bodies Are, Jeneva Rose
Killer House Party, Lily Anderson
Middle of the Night, Riley Sager
The Midnight Feast, Lucy Foley
Ghost Camera, Darcy Coates
Dead Girls Don’t Dream, Nino Cipri
The Hitchcock Hotel, Stephanie Wrobel
I Was A Teenage Slasher, Stephen Graham Jones
My Darling Dreadful Thing, Johanna van Veen
Horror Movie, Paul Tremblay
APPROVED: Suk-U-Bus, S.C. Mendes & Nikki Noir
APPROVED: Sleep Tight, J.H. Markert
READ/REVIEWED: The Eleven by Kyle Rustkin
READ/REVIEWED: I Need You To Read This, Jessa Maxwell

May Calendars!

You can find all my calendars as well as all of the printables used on the blog.

Season 3 is Live!

I’m still going strong with the podcast.  I’m on a short break now, but you can still catch up on Season 3.

 

Well, Friends, I think I’ve covered everything in this round-up. Thank you for stopping by today as I recapped all the April happenings. Many thanks and blessings to my homies for supporting this blog.  It means the world to me.  Don’t forget to follow and subscribe to my little piece of happiness. — Peace