Sushi For Beginners by Marian Keyes:



Lisa Edwards, a London-based magazine editor, gets "promoted" by the company she works for to launch a new glossy magazine in Dublin. Ashling Kennedy gets hired to become Lisa's assistant editor and is ecstatic about her new job (unlike Lisa who feels like she's been demoted).The novel is about these two women and how working on Colleen changes their lives (for the better!).
I laughed a lot and I'd say that this book is a wonderful beach read!!!!


Go Tell It On The Mountain by James Baldwin:



I fell in love with a book in 9th grade. The language was rich, the images vivid. That was when James Bladwin walked me down "Beale Street." I decided to read Go Tell It On The Mountain, since it is the book that he is most well-known for.
The novel is a description of John Grimes' birthday (intermixed with a lot of flashbacks that give us insight into his parents' and his aunt's past). It deals with a coming-of-age boy, his struggle with his father, and a religious crisis.
Some scriptural knowledge is necessary to understand the novel's deeper meaning.
Even though the book moved me and it was highly imagistic, it lacked the realness and the beautiful language that I had come to expect from Baldwin.


I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou



This is the first collection of Angelou's memoirs. She recounts the tales of her childhood in the deep south (Stamps, Arkansas) and later in San Francisco. It's about family, child abuse, growing up black (and female), and life in general. It is filled with life lessons that are applicable to all of us.
The language Angelou uses is beautiful and her honesty, dignity in telling her own story, and her incredible sense of self make this a must-read!!!