Monday, June 16, 2014

Do our Media Dads Mirror our Real Ones?

Do our media dads mirror real dads in society?
I grew up in the Cosby era. For those of you missed that, the Cosby show was a sitcom that seemed to enchant us all. They were African-American, educated, dual working parents that above all loved their family.  Mr. Cosby, while a little on the sarcastic side, always took the time to sit with his kids, even if just to lecture them on their own stupidity.   

Ahh, those were the days.  

He was the first to break away from the authoritarian mold of the nineteen seventies, to talk to his kids with candor and even humor and we ALL LOVED HIM.

Fast forward thirty years or so. What about now? What does a good TV dad look like today?  On Arrested Development, Mr. Bluth, while disturbingly dysfunctional loves his crazy family.  Or we could look towards the show Parenthood where there are a slew of dads to choose from.  Some aren’t so great(a deadbeat musician dad), but the greatest of all is the doting patriarch of the family that calls his kid’s kids, granddaughter or grandson and does it in a way more endearing than if he’d called them sweetheart. 

Yep, good TV dads are still hanging around and I believe that the real fathers in today’s society they are both better and worse than the dads of years past.

Me myself, I think dads are important, critical even. Maybe that is because my sister and I were raised by a single father.  He did everything from earn the money to the dishes, to wiping away our tears when some insensitive boy broke our hearts. This father’s day, I can only pay respect to him by saying that if all fathers, TV or real, were more like him, the world would be a better place!  Thanks Dad. I love you! 



Monday, June 9, 2014

A Fairylicious Review for Wings by Aprilynne Pike

 



As a fellow author, I find it hard to write reviews for the books that I read. This is mostly because I understand the time, passion and effort that goes into producing anything half decent. That being said, I’d like to try to write reviews once in awhile,especially for books I feel comfortable raving about.

One such book is Wings, by Aprilinne Pike. I actually met Ms. Pike at a conference. She was kind and we talked about the challenges of raising a young family and becoming a well known author. I decided to give her work a try and I’m so glad I did. 

In wings Ms. Pike creates a wonderful juxtaposition of magic and reality when sixteen year old Lauren wakes up to find that a magnificent blossom has grown from her back. This sends Lauren on a journey to figure out who she is. David, her newest friend and soon to be love interest is guy worth dreaming about. He not only helps her, he stands by her as she discovers that her strange blossom is the least of her worries. The more she learns about her strange past, the more danger her family is in.

Without spoiling the end for you, Ms. Pike sets up the rest of series with a tantalizing love triangle and Lauren more caught between worlds than ever.  If you’re wondering, I’ve already started the second book in the series. If you like a little bit of fantasy and lovely writing that leaves you invested in the characters, you’ll love Wings.

Kudos to you Ms. Pike: Now I just have to find out what happens to Lauren, David, and Tamani in the next book.