Look To The Books: 11 Books To Enjoy Reading This Summer

Look To The Books: 11 Books To Enjoy Reading This Summer

Looking for some books to read during your summer vacation? Perhaps you need a book to read while you are relaxing poolside or at the beach? Check out some of these interesting books to read!

“The Last Black Unicorn” is an autobiography by comedian, Tiffany Haddish. This book focuses on how Tiffany Haddish found strength through her struggles throughout her life which include a childhood where she was bullied, marital issues, romantic relationships she once had with former co-workers, health problems, troubles she's had with her parents and finding her place in the world of comedy. This book is full of emotion and Tiffany’s stories in this book will certainly have you either laughing or crying.

Another autobiography you can check out is “We’re Going To Need More Wine” by actress, Gabrielle Union. This is another book filled with emotional stories that will either have you laughing or crying. In this book, Gabrielle Union discusses starring in the film, “Bring It On”, dealing with a stalker, being raped, her ex-husband, being a stepmother and finding love again after her divorce from her first husband.

“The Redheaded Princess” by Ann Rinaldi tells the story of Elizabeth I of England and how she went from a young princess to a strong and powerful queen. The novel focuses on her relationships with her family including her sister, Mary I. The novel also details her relationships with her tutors who helped strengthen her into the queen she was destined to become.

“Red Riding Hood” by Sarah Blakley-Cartwright is based on the film starring Amanda Seyfried, Billy Burke and Gary Oldman. The story focuses on a young lady named Valerie who is in love with a rebellious woodcutter named Peter. However, her family arranges her to marry, Henry, a wealthy blacksmith in town. While struggling to be engaged to a man she doesn’t love, Valerie also has to mourn the loss of her sister who is killed by a werewolf that haunts her village. Eventually, the mysterious werewolf comes for Valerie and she must make the difficult decision to either leave her loved ones behind and flee the village with the werewolf or fight the werewolf in order to protect her loved ones and possibly rid the village of the creature that has frightened them for decades.

“Ash Princess” is the debut novel by Laura Sebastian. It tells the story of a young Astrean princess named Theodosia who loses her kingdom after a ruthless Kaiser and his Kalovaxian army invades her family’s country, murder her mother and imprison Theodosia. Throughout the years, Theodosia is bullied, harassed and beaten. When the Kaiser forces Theodosia to murder her own father, Theodosia finally makes the decision to seek revenge on the Kaiser and his army and with the assistance from a few loyal followers, devises a plan to reclaim her throne and her kingdom.

“Memoirs Of A Geisha” by Arthur Golden takes place in Japan and tells the story of a little girl named Chiyo, who is sold off to a geisha house after her mother becomes gravely ill and her father can no longer provide for her and her sister, Satsu. The geisha house chooses to keep Chiyo but unfortunately, not her sister so Chiyo and Satsu are separated from each other. After a failed escape attempt, Chiyo loses hope of ever having a happy life again. This changes, however, when a Chairman shows her a bit of kindness. Chiyo then begins to see the life of a geisha as a positive thing and strives to become one so she can someday be reunited with the Chairman.

As the years go by, Chiyo eventually begins her geisha training with a famous geisha named Mameha. She ventures on to become one of the most successful geishas herself under a new name, Sayuri. However, her life still has its troubles as she must deal with her sudden success as a geisha potentially being sabotaged by a rival geisha that she lives with, Hatsumomo who has been envious of Sayuri since childhood due to her exquisite beauty.

“Fallen Grace” by Mary Hooper takes place in Victorian London and focuses on an orphan named Grace Parkes and her sister. While Grace and her sister struggle to survive on the streets of London, Grace becomes pregnant, eventually giving birth to a stillborn. The baby’s death leads Grace and her sister down a path where they find themselves associated with wealthy, powerful people. Upon discovering a fraud that has been placed upon them, Grace and her sister strive to claim the legacy they were meant to have.

“Close To Famous” by Joan Bauer focuses on a group of people living with big dreams in a small town. Foster McFee desires to have her own cooking show like celebrity chef, Sonny Kroll. Meanwhile, Macon Dillard wishes to be a documentary filmmaker. Miss Charleena dreams of making a Hollywood comeback while Foster’s mother hopes to become a headliner instead of a backup singer. When unexpected events occur in their small town, everyone’s aspirations will be put to the test.

“Rio” by Georgina Gentry focuses on a cowboy named Rio who has fallen in love with a woman named Turquoise Sanchez. However, the Senator of Texas, who is used to getting everything he desires, is also interested in Turquoise. Turquoise is faced with the decision to either marry the Senator for a comfortable life or follow her heart and be with her cowboy.

“Anya’s War” by Andrea Alban is based on a true story. It focuses on a girl named Anya Rosen. Anya and her family move from Odessa to Shanghai, in the hopes that China will be safer from Adolf Hitler. Life for Anya in Shanghai is comfortable until Anya finds out her hero, Amelia Earhart has disappeared. Along with this, Anya discovers an abandoned newborn and eventually realizes that no place is fully safe.

“Icebreaker” by Deirdre Martin focuses on a man named Adam Perry, who has become the newest hockey player for the New York Blades. When Adam is charged with assault on another player, he hires an attorney named Sinead O’Brian. Torn between Adam’s struggles to help his team win the Stanley Cup and Sinead’s rule about not dating her clients, the pair never expected that they would fall in love.

Book Review: "Ash Princess" by Laura Sebastian

Book Review: “Ash Princess” By Laura Sebastian

            “Ash Princess”, which was released on April 24^th, 2018 is the debut novel from author Laura Sebastian. This fantasy novel is the first book in the series and tells the story of a young princess named Theodosia (Also known as Thora or Theo throughout the novel) whose country known as Astrea was invaded when she was only six years old by a wicked Kaiser and his Kalovaxian army. Theodosia’s kindhearted mother was murdered during Astrea’s invasion but the Kaiser spared Theodosia’s life. However, Theodosia’s life was not easy as the Kaiser made her his prisoner, doing everything in his power to both humiliate and torture her on a daily basis. Ten years after the invasion, the cruel Kaiser forces Theodosia to kill her own father, which further sparks a desire for vengeance within her along with the will to take her country and throne back from the Kaiser.

            This well-written book is very detailed and the story definitely sucks you in. It was a book I myself just couldn’t put down. I loved the character development with Theodosia as she goes from a broken, abused and shamed girl to a strong, brave and fearless woman. Theodosia is definitely my favorite character in this book as well as Heron, who is one of the few loyal and magical allies helping Theodosia reclaim her kingdom.

Another favorite character is Soren, who is the Kaiser’s son but unlike the Kaiser, is compassionate and kind.  As for the Kaiser, he is definitely a character you can easily dislike, especially when he treats Theodosia with ridicule, harassment and cruelty every time he sees her. Cress is a character that is likable at first, due to the kindness she first shows with Theodosia but soon becomes a character you grow to dislike after her true colors begin to show and she starts to treat Theodosia less as a friend and more like a possession simply due to envy and her own desire to become a princess herself.

“Ash Princess” is truly an empowering story about how a young girl, who once felt defeated and hopeless, finds her strength, discovers her courage and becomes her own heroine. The book will cause you to keep turning the pages as it is full of depth and emotion plus the ending leaves you with a surprising cliffhanger involving Theodosia and the mother of her ally, Artemesia. I should warn that there are some darker parts in the book where graphic violence is expressed, due to the themes of slavery and punishments that are in this book. However, I would definitely recommend this book especially if you like to read about rebellion, royals, magic, love triangles or powerful women.  I am very much looking forward to reading the second novel in this series, “Lady Smoke”, which is set to be released in Spring 2019.

Jessica Jean Fan Q&A: Part 2

Jessica Jean Fan Q&A: Part 2

Q: What do you love most about being a professional wrestler?

A:  Besides working with some great and talented workers in the business, the thing I love most about being a professional wrestler is getting to empower and inspire little girls and young women by showing them it’s ok to be ambitious, confident, brave, strong, successful and smart regardless of what anyone else says or thinks. I want to continue to show young girls and women that they can be anything that they want to be in life and that whatever dream they have, whether it’s to be a professional wrestler or whatever else their heart desires, they can achieve it if they just believe in themselves and go for it.

Q: Have you ever been recognized in public by fans?

A: I actually did get recognized by a fan from Tuff Pro Wrestling while grocery shopping at Kroger in Fairfield, Ohio.

Q: How do you deal with constant criticism from fans or other women wrestlers?

A: If it is constructive criticism as in telling me something I can improve on in the ring specifically, I will take it and thank my fellow worker for their input on how I can better myself as a wrestler or manager because improvement is something I always strive towards achieving. However, if a fan or fellow worker is just spreading negative talk or just bashing where it serves no constructive purpose at all, I ignore it. If it doesn’t help me grow as a wrestler or manager, it isn’t worth listening to and most likely that type of negative talk is coming from that person’s own insecurities with themselves.

For fans who try to slander me, legitimately wish bodily harm for me,  threaten me, constantly criticize or try to put me down over every single little detail, from something personal such as the way I look or something wrestling-related such as whatever I am doing  ringside or in the actual ring, I just forgive them and pray for them because they obviously have their own personal issues in their lives that they need to sort out if they feel the need to constantly try to belittle and bully others for any little thing they possibly can think of belittling or bullying someone for.  I then remind myself that their opinions and hateful, negative words don’t matter because when it comes down to it, they don’t understand me as a worker in the business or as a person in general and they don’t understand my own specific plan for my career , my own specific goals or what I personally define as success. I also remind myself that I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength and I remind myself that God wouldn’t have led me to all of the opportunities I have had in my career thus far and that he wouldn’t have led me to following my childhood dream of being a professional wrestler in the first place if it wasn’t something I wasn’t meant to be doing.

Q: What books have you currently read this year?

A: I have read “Red Riding Hood” by Sarah Blakley-Cartwright.  I am currently in the process of reading “Northanger Abbey” by Jane Austen, “Where The Heart Is” by Billie Letts and “Wuthering Heights” by Emily Bronte.

Q: What are some of your dream matches you would like to accomplish at some point during your wrestling career?

A: I would love to wrestle a match at an outdoor wrestling event and I would love to participate in a Women’s Royal Rumble match. I think it would be fantastic to see a huge Women’s Royal Rumble match on the independent scene.

Q: How do you deal with body shaming from fans or other women wrestlers?

A: Thankfully, I haven’t dealt with body shaming from other women wrestlers. As for fans body shaming me, that is something I have dealt with. I just have to remember that God made me the way I am for a reason and it is beautiful.  I also have to remember that when fans body shame me, they are just speaking from an insecure place from within them and that the problem is not me or my looks but something they are personally dealing with that they are choosing to just take out on me instead of them handling whatever that problem they have in a more positive and productive manner.

Q: Why do you feel education is so important in society?

A: I think education is so important in society because no matter your age, you are always learning something new. You never stop learning throughout life whether you are in school or not. However, I do think that every person all over the world, regardless of their ethnicity, gender, religious beliefs, political beliefs, financial income etc., deserves a good education and the right to learn and go to school if they want to do so. I believe students in school should have access to excellent school supplies which includes properly working computers in classrooms along with a vast, informative selection of books in school libraries.

Q: If money were no issue, what would be the top 3 cities outside of the U.S. you would travel on vacation to?

A: I would want to travel to Paris, France as well as Verona, Italy and London, England.

Q: Which independent women wrestlers would you like to see signed with WWE within the next 5-10 years?

A:  I would love to see Aja Perera make it to the WWE. I’m not sure if that is one of her dreams with her career or not but I think she would be a great addition to the women’s division in the WWE. While I have never worked with Aja Perera in the ring personally, I have watched matches of hers and she is definitely a very talented, hardworking young lady. She has been accomplishing many good things with her career including getting the incredible opportunity to wrestle in Japan. I would love to see her make it to WWE to work with women like Alicia Fox, Asuka, Nia Jax, Ember Moon, Alexa Bliss, Bayley and Kairi Sane.

 I also think Kaela would be a nice addition to the women’s division in the WWE. Again, while I have never worked with Kaela in the ring personally either, she is a very talented and hardworking lady wrestler also, as I have had the opportunity to see her wrestle live against Mary Elizabeth Monroe at an LSC show back in the summer of 2014, shortly before I got into the wrestling industry myself.

Q: You used to go by the ring name of JJ Sparxx. How did you get that ring name, why did you change it and would you ever go back to using that ring name in the future?

A: I actually got the ring name from my first trainer, Dennis Page. I told him I wanted to go by Jessica Jean, which is my sister’s name and my mother’s middle name, as a way to honor both of them. He came up with the idea to shorten the name to JJ and then add Sparxx to it. The original idea was for me to come out as a face with an All-American Girl gimmick which would have consisted of very patriotic clothing and sparklers. However, while that idea fell through as I was put into a heel role first, the name JJ Sparxx was used for my ring name.

I was hesitant to use the name of JJ Sparxx, due to another female wrestler near that area having a similar ring name and I did let my trainer know this but I was told by other workers in the business that it would be fine and at that point felt like I really didn’t have much say in the matter as I didn’t want to show disrespect to my trainer either by refusing to go along with his ideas for my ring name and gimmick. I still had a strong feeling it would come back to haunt me and of course, I was right as it did get pointed out online by another worker in the business later on that it was similar to this other female wrestler’s name. At that time, Dennis Page was no longer my trainer plus I was starting to get a little bit more creative control over my gimmick so I decided to change the ring name to what I originally wanted it to be, Jessica Jean . As for ever going back to that ring name, I have been asked by promoters to go back to using that ring name but I have explained the situation to them and explained that I don’t want to use a name similar to another woman’s ring name, out of respect for that woman wrestler and what she has accomplished in her magnificent career thus far especially when it was a woman wrestler whose matches I watched at live events on Tuesday nights during my years in high school when I was still dreaming of being in the wrestling business.

Q: What are the most important things that you would want fans to identify with you when they see you at a wrestling event as a manager or wrestler?

A: The most important things I would want fans to identity with me when I am performing at an event as a manger or wrestler would be the ability to see a girl who absolutely loves the wrestling industry, who has fun with it and has a lot of heart for it. I also would want them to see me as a woman who tries my best to empower the little girls and young women in the audience by showing them they can be anything they want to be in life and that whatever they decide to be in life is a beautiful thing because it’s their choice and it’s their dream they are following, regardless if that dream is to become a professional wrestler or something else completely outside of the wrestling industry.

Q: Favorite fan interaction you have ever had?

A: My favorite interaction with a fan so far was with a little girl at an IWA show.  I believe she was around 4-6 years old. I was told she missed getting the chance to give me a high five when I was out there for my match with Tragedy Ann earlier so I came out during the event’s intermission to meet her personally. She seemed a little shy at first but I broke the ice after complimenting her sparkly shoes. After that, I talked to her for a good while and then gave her a big hug before going to greet other fans.

Jessica Jean Fan Q&A: Part 1

Jessica Jean Fan Q&A: Part 1

Q: What have been your favorite outfits to wear while managing?

A: One outfit I loved wearing was black thigh high leg flares I bought from a seller on Etsy with black Refuse To Be Usual leather shorts I bought on EBay, black lowtop Converse sneakers and a black wife beater top that said “Sinner” on it. Another outfit I loved wearing was a black and pink snapback cap from Beautiful Disaster Clothing with denim cuffed shorts, Converse low top sneakers, pink lace fingerless gloves from Claire’s Boutique and a black wife beater top that said “Adorably Evil” on it. I bought the top on Redbubble and the design on the shirt was similar to the hat’s design.  

I also liked wearing a red plaid skirt with red plaid ring shorts underneath, a black “S.O.M.” shirt and a black headband with my Converse boots. Another outfit I loved wearing was a black “S.O.M.” tank top with a pair of denim Banana Republic jeans with black thigh high Jessica Simpson boots that I paired with a black lace duster jacket, which I later changed to a black Joker hoodie I bought at Meijer when S.O.M. came out again that night at the show. Another outfit was a black vintage velvet capelet from the 1800’s with a black wife beater top, black Converse low top sneakers, a black headband and black pants.

Q: What has been your favorite outfit to wear for a championship photo shoot?

A:  The outfits in the two photos below.

Q: What are some of your goals you still want to accomplish in your wrestling career?

A: I would love to work as a general manager at some point during my career. I would also love to do guest commentary for a match.

Q: What were your thoughts on the first ever WWE Women’s Elimination Chamber Match?

A: I think it’s amazing that women in the WWE are getting more opportunities to showcase their skills through big matches like the Elimination Chamber Match. While I personally was hoping Mickie James would win, I am still content with the outcome of the match. Every single woman competing in that match should be proud of themselves for all of the hard work they have done and for continuing to make history for the Women’s Division in the WWE.

Q: Would you like to get involved with the promoting and matchmaking side of wrestling one day?

A: Possibly, if the opportunity is ever presented to me in the future.

Q: Do you get fans asking you for autographs when you are in a mall/ restaurant?

A: So far, I have only had fans ask me for my autograph through messages online and at actual wrestling events. Currently, I do not have an online shop for my merchandise, which includes shirts and signed photos so I am only able to sell my merchandise at actual wrestling events for now.

Q: Do you think celebrities have a responsibility to be positive role models?

A: I think everyone has a responsibility to be a positive role model, whether they are a celebrity or not. You don’t always know if a friend, family member or someone else around you in your life may be looking up to you as an inspiration and if they are, you should want to be the best positive role model that you can be for them.

Q: Do you think social media helps or hurts society?

A: I honestly think it can do both. It really depends on if a person is using it in a negative or positive way. For example, if a person decides to use social media to promote an important cause or charity, then that is a positive way it can help society because they are getting important information out there that can help others and make a positive impact on a person’s life. However, if a person decides to use social media to bully someone, then that is negatively impacting society because it is promoting cruelty and hatred towards another living being, which is never ok.

Q: Other than your mother, what woman has had the biggest impact on your life?

A: My grandmother on my mother’s side has always had a big impact on my life. She was a very devout Christian and was one of the kindest women I ever knew. If someone was struggling to get by in life and needed help, she would do anything she could to help them, even if it meant opening up her home for them to stay at. She inspired me by what she taught me growing up which is to be kind, caring and forgiving to others, no matter how they may treat you in return.

Q: What accomplishments in both your personal life and your wrestling career are you most proud of?

A: So far, the accomplishment in my personal life that I am most proud of is earning a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Cedarville University. I majored in Journalism and minored in both Bible and Creative Writing. The accomplishment I am most proud of in my wrestling career so far is simply getting to meet and work with so many awesome and talented workers in the business such as Tragedy Ann and Arella Angel.

Q: What do you think makes a person beautiful?

A: I think it is how an individual treats others that makes them beautiful. If you are kind, forgiving, positive, encouraging and caring to others, it definitely makes you beautiful. To me, inner beauty is so much more important and precious than outer beauty.

Q: What is your favorite memory from your wrestling career so far?

A: My favorite memory from my wrestling career so far is a road trip taken to a wrestling event for Life Line Wrestling in Indiana with Rayne Ravage, Nicholas Davidson and Rob Fatone. It was my first wrestling road trip and my first wrestling event I have been to out of the state of Ohio. I had lots of fun and my friends worked hard that day and did a wonderful job so I was very proud of them.

Q: What are your favorite matches in your career so far?

A: My two matches with Tragedy Ann have been my favorite matches in my career so far. She is a very tough, strong opponent and talented athlete who has pushed me to work hard and challenge myself in the ring. It has been a complete honor to be able to work with a wonderful wrestler like her and I hope I get the opportunity to work with her in the ring more in the future.