Night Drive | A Mixtape

When is the last time you took a night drive with no destination in sight? Did you do so to clear your head? To relieve stress? Or just to get away from your current location or current state of mind?

No matter your reason for venturing away for a spell, adding music to the mix always enhances the experience of late-night driving without aim. It can be a form of distraction when you need to clear your mind. It can also be mood-altering if you're looking for a pick-me-up. Perhaps you're like me and the melodic tunes illuminate the settings all around you while traveling. In this case, curating the right songs can make the ride seem magical. Others can stimulate your senses in a way to keep you up and alert, anticipating your next stop. And some songs make you think of your special someone, especially if your night drive could eventually lead you to that person.

What would your night drive list sound like? The key to creating this particular playlist would be choosing songs that match your mood and your destination. If driving to clear your mind, you might want to create an experience that is the opposite of the stressful situations you are driving away from.

For the smooth tunes + r&b lovers like myself, here's the last night drive playlist I created a while back. I hope you enjoy!

QUEUE THE "Night Drive" PLAYLIST:  This is for those late nights when you wanna vibe while riding out for a few with no particular place to go.  Click the image above to open the playlist up in a new window.

   

Loving these Spotify playlists? Let me know in the comments if you want more here on the blog. And be sure to give me a follow if you're on Spotify, too. I love making mixtapes and sharing music with my good boos over there.

ARE YOU AN R&B MUSIC FAN?

WHAT'S ON YOUR "NIGHT DRIVE" PLAYLIST?

RECOMMENDED READING | The Secret Keeper of Main Street by Trisha R. Thomas

 If you haven't read The Secret Keeper of Main Street by Trisha R. Thomas yet, I implore you to grab it up ASAP. It's the perfect read to get wrapped up in this upcoming fall season. You say you're a fan of southern comfort and mystique? This one serves up a healthy helping of both!

Book Review | Did Everyone Have an Imaginary Friend (Or Just Me?) by Jay Ellis

Reading Did Everyone Have an Imaginary Friend (or Just Me)? by Jay Ellis was such a treat! The moment I saw the cover adorned with references from my own coming-of-age (Dwayne Wayne, the pager, and the floppy-disk), I knew this book would be one I could relate to. 

Jay Ellis makes it known in the beginning of the book that it isn't a memoir. He even reminds us later in reading that he hasn't "lived enough" to consider this book a memoir. That has no bearing on how solid these childhood stories are. I was entertained from beginning to end, even scared a few times (especially during that melee at the movie theater). Ellis recounts stories of growing up with his imaginary friend, Mikey, so vividly, I pictured a precocious little boy running alongside him through every adventure shared. 

While readers won't find much about the onset of an acting career for Jay Ellis within these pages, we do see that his bright imagination was an inspiration from the start. Isn't that the stuff creatives are made of? I can remember claiming to have an imaginary friend through the early years of elementary school, but nothing as close and consistent as Mikey. Mikey went to pre-school with Jay, wreaking havoc. He moved across states with Jay, as he was a military kid who changed schools quite a bit. And he even caught the blame for many bad decisions Jay made throughout his younger years. With each essay, I looked forward to reading what Mikey would get Jay into next. 

Did Everyone Have an Imaginary Friend (or Just Me)? is an exciting gift for those of us who have found safe spaces in imaginary friends and/or wild imaginations. Jay's stories lure you in and keep you excited for "the good part," wondering how Mikey will show up and how much damage he will cause. Even as Mikey begins to fade away and Ellis gets older, we see how much of an affect an imaginary friend has had on Ellis.

Also, seeing that celebrities with a star as bright as Jay's still get anxious about sharing their work was affirming. We all feel that same vulnerability when sharing parts of ourselves that can easily be dismissed, ridiculed, or shamed. Jay Ellis, I am glad that you shared your "imaginary friend" story during the pandemic. It is the reason I was able to experience such a beautiful book that I won't soon forget. I hope you continue to write and share even more of your stories + creative works. 

Many thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for an eARC of Did Everyone Have an Imaginary Friend (or Just Me)? by Jay Ellis. All thoughts and opinions shared are my own.

4 Stars

Recommended Reading | The Unboxing of a Black Girl by Angela Shanté

Published Date: May 6, 2024

The Unboxing of a Black Girl by Angela Shanté is a beautiful, and sometimes heavy, account of a black girl's coming-of-age. The author delicately shares her life unfolding through her experiences, teachings from others, and her unique view of the world around her. 

Reading about how black girls get forced into boxes just by existing was an affirming experience. In many instances, I found myself relating to so much of what she shared. Some of the poems even felt as though she wrote them just for me. Those Alanis Morrisette and Fefe Dobson references were just too specific! Any young girl enjoying something perceived to be outside of her "culture" or "box" will know what I mean when they read this.

I was also captivated by the ways in which the author shed those proverbial boxes. Black girls are not a monolith, but society tends to see us as such. And though we are often forced to assimilate, with the threat of being overlooked or ostracized, we find our way out of those boxes. Angela Shanté illustrates this so gracefully with her words. 

Another thing that stood out to me in the reading was the footnotes accompanying the poems. If there is something the author speaks of that one is unfamiliar with, she went the extra mile to make readers familiar outside of the margins. That's not something I see a lot, but I did appreciate that. 

The Unboxing of a Black Girl by Angela Shanté is truly a gem. It's an ode to the black girls finding their way out of the boxes they've been placed in their whole lives. Many thanks to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.  

4.5 Stars

WILL YOU BE ADDING THE UNBOXING OF A BLACK GIRL TO YOUR READING LIST?

Recommended Reading | The Upcycled Self by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter

"From one of our generation’s most powerful artists and incisive storytellers comes a brilliantly crafted work about the art—and war—of becoming who we are."

Publish Date: November 14, 2023

As a hip-hop fan and avid listener of The Roots, I was very excited to read The Upcycled Self by Tariq Trotter. While I had sifted through stories about the group from Questlove's books, I looked forward to reading personal accounts from Tariq Trotter. The Upcycled Self did not disappoint! 

I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know more about Trotter through the stories he told. I felt as though I was walking down the streets with him as his beautiful words painted pictures of Philadelphia. It was a treat getting to learn more about him through his descriptions of his loved ones and those he was most influenced by. And I appreciated the vulnerability he possessed when sharing early stories about "the fire," his mother, and parts of himself I'd never heard him speak candidly about before. 

The Upcycled Self was a treat for me as I know it will be for fans and others as well. The only thing I wished for was that the book was longer. I found myself wanting to know more about this brilliant man I've grown to adore through verse and style over the years.  

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Special thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing for the eBook! 

Will you be adding The Upcycled Self to your reading list? 

Recommended Reading | A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams

A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams is such a beautiful book to behold in both the month of love AND a leap year!

This book introduces us to unconventional Ricki Wilde, the youngest of 4 sisters, and the black sheep of the family. While the other three sisters follow the proverbial rules to a "T" and each contribute to running the family funeral business, Ricki longs to do her own thing. Doing her own thing leads this Georgia Peach to Harlem to open her own florist shop and bask in the rich history of the Harlem Renaissance.