Tagged: Touchstone Books
Trust No Aunty
I’m not sure how this book popped up on my radar several months ago. Perhaps it was the bright yellow cover? Perhaps it was the Lichtenstein-inspired artwork? Or maybe the cheeky title? Whatever it was, I hella eager to track down a copy (not an easy feat since it’s a new book and a lot of libraries don’t really ILL new books). But I finally got my copy!
With Trust No Aunty, Maria Qamar — the woman behind the @hatecopy account on Instagram — has channeled her experiences as a South Asian immigrant in Canada into a tongue-in-cheek guide to handling Desi “aunties” (elders) like a pro. The book is divided into different types of aunties: The Online Stalker Aunty, The Matchmaker Aunty, The Weight-Watcher Aunty, and so forth. Handling each type of aunty comes with its own set of potential cultural minefields, so laying out different scenarios, Qamar compares rookie moves vs. boss moves to come out on top. And to help you win even more in life, Qamar offers humorous tips on surviving on a tiny budget, working out Desi-style, dating, and handling cultural appropriation.
I Am Having So Much Fun Here Without You
Richard and Anne-Laure have been married for seven years and are now living in Paris with their young daughter. Anne-Laure’s friends warned her that something might happen around the seven-year mark, but she never believed it; she’s blindsided to learn that Richard has been having an affair. The discovery comes at an inopportune time for Richard, whose lover has just left him and moved to London with her fiance. Now he’s without his mistress, whom he shamelessly pines for, and without his family; Anne-Laure plays the role of happy wife in public while she figures out the next move, but she wants nothing to do with Richard behind closed doors.
Richard is an artist who has given up edgier art in favor of commercial success, and during his most successful show yet, he sells a painting that he once made for Anne-Laure that captured a special time in their lives. He immediately regrets this decision, although it becomes the catalyst for making him truly understand all that he has to lose. He desperately tries to win Anne-Laure back, but by then it looks like it’s too late: she’s just discovered the actual scope of his affair. It isn’t long before both sides of their family know what Richard has done.
Manology: Secrets of Your Man’s Mind Revealed
Cross-posted at PostBourgie.
Once upon a time, Tyrese Gibson was a master MAN-ipulator who would sneak around behind his girlfriends’ backs in order to whet his ravenous appetite for T&A. If his girlfriends started to suspect anything, he’d turn into a MAN-gician, pulling out all the stops to dazzle himself back into their good graces and convince them of his MAN-ogamy. It didn’t matter if the woman was hot, smart, successful, and great in bed. Once he got what he wanted from them, he’d move on. Tyrese cites the Tyler Perry classic, Why Did I Get Married?, to explain his logic: “men are going to get 80 percent of what they need in a relationship, yet when a new woman comes around offering that other 20 percent, most men will be ready to leave the good thing they have.”
But Tyrese is no longer the man he used to be. He’s found himself a good MAN-tor in Reverend Run and now sees the error of his ways. In fact, Tyrese and Rev want to help women so that they don’t choose the wrong guy off the MANu, and they’re willing to break the MAN code to do it. Presented in two different fonts so there’s no confusion as to who is giving the advice, Manology will probably hit close to home for some of you. There will be some hard truths you ladies need to face.
I’ve culled the four most important lessons from Manology for your consideration even though they might upset you. Because it’s like Tyrese says, “If I’m not striking that nerve, then I’m not being a good friend.” And ladies, I am your friend. So if you want to know more about how to find and keep a MAN, take a deep breath and keep reading. These insights are deep.
