Orsayor

Averages 5 books a month

Are all reviews valid? No! Submitting reviews such as - "The book was fiyah," "This author has done it again" (Done what again?), and etc. are NOT valid reviews.

What must any good review possess? 1) The ability to give readers a short descriptive synopsis of the book without giving away the ending. You are writing a review not a book report, so it's very important not to give away key information/spoilers about the book. Remember, you want people to read the book. 2) Give a very honest critique of the book. If there are grammatical errors, gross contradictions, and lack of character development, include it in your review. Don't be afraid of being labeled a "HATER," even though I don't understand why telling the truth means you are a HATER; but that's another subject. 3) Let readers know valid points/reasons why they should or should not read a book.

What would you like to see less of coming from male/female authors in regards to women? I would love to see less womanizing men, more diversity, and an independent mix in characteristics so that they relate to everyday women/men.

Do you feel black women are accurately portrayed in literature? If you feel the portrayal is inaccurate, what would you like to see instead? No! I don't feel African-American women are accurately portrayed in a large percentage of AA literature. I would love to see more full-figured African-American women portrayed in a positive light. As a full-figured woman, I resent the fact that some authors portray full-figured women as being depressed, desperate, and lonely. An author that will remain nameless gave me his opinion on the subject.

"I suppose we idealize men and women and when we read we want the ideal and not what we see in our daily lives...it's the same reasons why most books have most characters who are rich, driving expensive cars when that is not the norm."

I respected his honesty, but if you were to scan a lot of AA authors Facebook pages, you will see a lot of full-figured women buying their books.

If you could drive one point across to all authors, what would it be and why? Step out of your comfort zone. Don't take readers down the same road and think just because you have changed the name of the characters, that it's a different story. Some AA literature has become so predictable that I can read a synopsis and predict the ending. Real readers are smart individuals, so we call smell bullshit coming a mile away.

If you could give an overall rating for AA fiction today, what would be your rating? C-.

About Orsayor


Orsayor is a mom, wife, judgment worker, cake stylist and owner of Simmons Sweets. She is a book reviewer for OOSA Online Book Club, Urban Reviews, Book Sneeze, Tyndale Publishing, Astraea Press, and NetGalley. She also runs her own book reviewing blog, The Book Referees. www.bookreferees.com. Some of her favorite authors are Electa Rome Parks, Joseph Finder, E. Lynn Harris, John Grisham, Stephen King, John Patterson, Nikki Giovanni, Donald Goines, and Brian W. Smith.