Reality in Chaos by Monique Kelley  Contemporary women's fiction  Black Rose Writing, January 13, 2021   In 1999 best friends and newly minted Hampton University graduates Simone, Jackie, and Taylor move to Los Angeles, California to pursue their respective professional goals in advertising, acting, and art. Eighteen years later as their fortieth birthdays approach their lives have unfolded into disappointing circumstances beneath the surface of their self-confident public personae. Will their shared milestone year mark a reset or a death knell for turning their dreams into reality?   Monique Kelley uses a first-person confessional style that fosters a deep sense of emotional intimacy between characters and readers. Starting with HBCU culture in the prologue evolves into broader issues of skin-color hierarchies, biases related to social class and geographic region, and ageism. Those themes and more are layered upon the foundation of gilded cages of privilege and the often high cost

Is last year's bumper crop of lemons the main ingredient for this year's success?  Here's a book with plenty of reasons why yes is the answer.  Rethink, Smashing the Myths of Women in Business   Andi Simon, Ph.D.   Non-fiction business biography  Fast Company Press (Greenleaf Book Group, distributor)   January 5, 2021   At a time when the world is reeling from being forced to improvise almost everything on a daily basis, Rethink profiles eleven women, including the author, whose lives and professional careers are prime examples of adaptability that defy entrenched gendered expectations. Invisible barriers to achievement in science, management, finance, and other industries are examined through the lenses of these accomplished women's experiences. Their profiles make for compelling reading and comprise the majority of the text, which is its strength. Notable reading frustrations include points of view and blanket statements that reinforce a narrow focus on a hetero, priv