Free for All Friday, June 5, 2015

Gabby is not here for Justin's bangs

No one needed this

Gabourey Sidibe of The Big C (does anyone else remember naked Idris Elba in that?), Precious, Empire and the American Horror Story series landed a memoir deal. Normally I give young people the serious side eye when they talk about putting out a memoir. Remember when the Biebs called himself putting out one in 2012? I mean, really? What could he tell anyone about life except how to get your swoop bang on fleek? Anyway, Gabby is 32 and I would imagine that life in Hollyweird is interesting enough to put on paper. Refusing to be stereotyped and limited by Hollywood’s standards, she’s proven everyone wrong who said she would never land another role after Precious. By the way, can we talk about ignorant people that refuse to call her by her name and continue to call her Precious? Ugh, just stop. Gabby is a bad ass and doesn’t mind reminding you of this on Twitter, during speeches, on the red carpet, etc. I’m looking forward to reading her memoir when it hits shelves in 2017.

Guess who else got a book deal? Shonda Rhimmmmmmmmmmmmes *Oprah voice* Coming out later this year from Simon & Schuster, The Book of Yes, will reflect on a year in Rhimes’ life where she said yes to unexpected invitations. Rhimes has talked about how she really prefers to stay home with her tiny humans watching TV and cuddling, you know, introvert living (I can relate). But because she accepted this challenge to say yes, she had a year of amazing experiences she wouldn’t have otherwise had. Although I doubt that I’d ever be brave enough to put myself out there like she did, I can’t wait to read about her adventures this November.


Wendell Pierce of Waiting to Exhale, The Wire and Treme' fame is a New Orleans native. He’s been instrumental in bringing food options to food deserts in the city and in rebuilding his beloved New Orleans. He has a new book coming out in September, The Wind in the Reeds: A Storm, A Play, and the City That Would Not Be Broken, which talks about his experience in Hurricane Katrina and his rebuilding efforts afterward.







Other new books out this week






Any book news you’d like to share? Let us know in the comments below.

Colorful Lit Alert, Spring 2015 - The Diverse Lit Edition

Sisters of Heart and Snow by Margaret Dilloway
400pp
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Pub. Date: April 7, 2015

Rachel and Drew Snow may be sisters, but their lives have followed completely different paths.

Married to a wonderful man and a mother to two strong-minded teens, Rachel hasn’t returned to her childhood home since being kicked out by her strict father after an act of careless teenage rebellion. Drew, her younger sister, followed her passion for music but takes side jobs to make ends meet and longs for the stability that has always eluded her. Both sisters recall how close they were, but the distance between them seems more than they can bridge. When their deferential Japanese mother, Hikari, is diagnosed with dementia and gives Rachel power of attorney, Rachel’s domineering father, Killian becomes enraged.

In a rare moment of lucidity, Hikari asks Rachel for a book in her sewing room, and Rachel enlists her sister’s help in the search. The book—which tells the tale of real-life female samurai Tomoe Gozen, an epic saga of love, loss, and conflict during twelfth-century Japan—reveals truths about Drew and Rachel’s relationship that resonate across the centuries, connecting them in ways that turn their differences into assets.