| Some Things I Never Thought I'd Do (Hercule Poirot Mysteries) |  | Author: Pearl Cleage
Creator: Angela Forest
Publisher: BBC Audiobooks
Category: Book
List Price: $64.95
Buy Used: $13.35
You Save: $51.60 (79%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  41 reviews
Sales Rank: 2590706
Format: Unabridged
Media: Audio Cassette
Edition: Unabridged
Number Of Items: 7
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 8.8 x 4.8 x 2.4
ISBN: 0792730224
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9780792730224
ASIN: 0792730224
Publication Date: September 2003
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Withdrawn Library audio book on casette with customary markings; in clamshell case.Ships within hours from Charleston, SC. Established seller with nearly 10 years of online history.
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Product Description
With the unique blend of truth and humor that made her first novel, What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day . . ., a huge bestseller, Pearl Cleage returns with an extraordinary novel that is rich in character, steeped in sisterhood, and bursting with unexpected love . . . and maybe just a little magic.
Depending on the time of day, Regina Burns is a woman on the edge of a nervous breakdown or an overdue breakthrough. One shattered heart and six months of rehab have left her wary and shell-shocked—especially with the prospect of taking a temporary consulting job in Atlanta, a move that would allow Regina to rescue the family home that she borrowed against when she was “a stomp down dope fiend.” Her stone-faced banker has grudgingly agreed to give her sixty days to settle her debts or lose the house.
Returning to Atlanta is a big risk. Last time Regina was there, she lost track of who she was and what she wanted. There’s a lot of emotional baggage with her new employer, Beth Davis. Can she really forgive Beth for breaking up her wedding plans on New Year’s Eve because she just didn’t think Regina was good enough to marry her son?
Meanwhile, Regina’s visionary Aunt Abbie has told her to be on the lookout for a handsome stranger with “the ocean in his eyes” who has a bone to pick and a promise to keep. Then a blue-eyed brother appears on the streets of Afro-Atlanta wearing a black cashmere overcoat, flashing a dazzling smile, and lending a helping hand when Regina needs it most. But between falling for Blue Hamilton and dealing with Beth, secrets will emerge that will threaten to send her life twisting in surprising new directions.
Like a conversation with a good friend, Some Things I Never Thought I’d Do shares hope, love, and laugher. As always, it is Pearl Cleage’s unforgettable characters and her gift for dialogue that will earn this provocative new novel a place in the hearts of her growing family of readers.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 36 more reviews...
Imagination is Key November 28, 2007
A buddy of mine suggested that I read this book because she and I were talking about different types of guys we'd date, and she said how much she felt like she needed a man like Blue. Curiosity got the better of me, so I picked up this book, and I definitely see why she had a literary crush on this main male character. The story is about a past drug addict named Regina who has gotten her life together, gone to rehab, and is now trying to get over her ex by doing something constructive and that she enjoys: speech writing for an old friend/now enemy Beth. Considering she and Beth don't see eye to eye but she needs the money, this is a little awkward for her, and the situation gets even more uncomfortable when she is hired to go through her ex's things after he passes to make sure there is nothing to harm his reputation, courtesy of Beth (her ex's mother). She has to find a new living space, and she moves into an area of Atlanta where there is no crime, no rapes, and women (and men) can walk safely around. Yeah, sounds a little suspect, right? Well, a mysterious man named Blue is in charge of making sure the neighborhood is safe. In addition to trying to get over her untrusting views on men, her beef with Beth, and her drug habit, she's on a mission to find out how is Blue managing to keep the neighborhood safe. But in the middle of all this snooping, writing, and living, she finds out her aunt's prediction about a past life may just be on the money.
Cons: The whole idea of reincarnation is always a stretch for me. I can't say I don't believe it, but I can't say I do, and once the conversation went into emperors, kings, and queens, my eyes started clouding over. That chapter was too far-fetched for me to get into.
I also found that extremely important conversations were glossed over when I really wanted to read them (ex. Regina knowing so much about Peachy's wife but there was never a conversation with Peachy about it nor did it seem realistic that Blue would tell her this stuff seeing as how he barely knew her in this life himself; Regina confiding in Blue about her drug addiction; no face-to-face contact with the king EVER). I got the feeling that the author wanted us to stay focused on the relationship between Blue and Regina and not get distracted by the political/social issues in the town, at least not the ones that didn't concern Beth or her son.
Pros: I loved every single thing about Blue--charismatic as he wanted to be. I could imagine how he looked, smelled, talked, walked, and I thought he was one great character. I liked Regina's down-to-Earth personality, and the conversation between the two, as well as all others, was realistic. The author made me do some research on some oldies when Peachy and Blue sang at the beach because I'd never heard "The Party" before. But what really got me about this story were the underlying themes written in conversation.
My favorite quote:
"You know what's funny about black women?" Blue asked gently.
"What's that?"
"They're the only women in the world that you have to talk into letting you protect them."
Those lines sparked some interesting conversation with a co-worker, and I ended up blogging on that topic. This was a really good read, and I enjoyed it. I'll definitely have to check out some more work from her.
 A Great Summer Read!! July 27, 2007
This book was bought for me to have something to read for the long trip from Connecticut to North and South Carolina for my summer vacation.
You will not be disappointed by anything Pearl Cleage writes. Get this book and all the books she has available.
Better than the real Atlanta July 9, 2007
I was struck by how Ms. Cleage painted a picture of Atlanta that was so much better than the actual city. Since she lives in Atlanta, she might disagree. However, that just made me love the story more as I'm a local myself and have walked the neighborhoods she writes about (without any fear either). It's a fairy tale with lots of heart.
As a melanin deficient American, and male to boot, I was also enraptured with how Regina's story just sucked me in. I felt what she was going through on a level that few stories have managed to get me too.
I'd recommend this to anyone who wants to be able to cheer for their shero. Regina and Ms. Cleage are both mine now. She even had me wishing Blue was real and protecting the city and that Precious could really run for Governor and that I could purchase food from the West End growers association.
Didn't know until I got to the end that this book had a part 2, but I'm hooked now so I'm gonna have to get it.
 Start from the beginning.....but end up in the middle? June 15, 2007
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Ok, I've read Cleage's other books and I was not expecting this one to be any different. It is. First off I don't understand her throwing in the past life of Blue and I really wanted to know more about him and Regina who is a recovering cocaine addict.(not crack...there is a difference really?)Anyway, although the story was interesting, strange I kept waiting for it to get better. I'm still waiting. This is not one of her best.
Right up my alley! February 4, 2007
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
The first chapter is a real attention grabber and on the whole the plot is good, smudged a bit when the author takes the reader down a path of past lives and supernatural issues and the ocean blue eyes of Blue Hamilton. Too bad becasue her story about living in a safe, secure neighbourhood where a woman doesn't have to "notice a man coming up behind her and it's okay" (pg 282) is right on.
The author excelled in the many nuances throughout the story. On page 23 I found this African proverb very interesting. "The hunter is always the good guy until the story is told by the lion." Then on page 193 the author criticizes a pop culture "in which manhood is defined by cars and clothes and random sex and money made by any means necessary" rather than being tied to family and community by "ribbons of love and protection and responsibility and caring." Excellently put and I agree with her wholeheartedly.
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