Amazon.com has done it again with some impeccable recommendation work for me. Based on my past purchases of Xena DVDs, they have recommended a book: Chocolate Lemons and Peppermint Tears: The Bittersweet Life of Xena. Behold the Amazon.com book description:
Set in Los Angeles in the mid-1990′s, Chocolate Lemons and Peppermint Tears: The Bittersweet Life of Xena, tells the poignant, funny, sexy, in your face, and very relatable tale of Xena Quay Vaughan, an attractive, successful, slightly neurotic, never been married black woman in her mid-thirties, who struggles desperately with getting over a married man; her perceived weight problem; being celibate for almost two years; being a natural sista in a weave-uh-diva world, her free-spirited best friend, Renee, with her “I don’t give a damn” attitude; finally meeting and falling in love with “the one;” and a mind-boggling encounter between the married man and her lover. This story will leave you wanting more – like seconds at Thanksgiving.
Um. Yeah.
In Amazon’s defense, the name Xena is unique enough that it’s a fair assumption that any appearance of the name would be in reference to that familiar warrior princess. You’d think, though, that a company called Amazon would have a special knack at picking out the real protector of the Queen of the Amazons, wouldn’t you? I mean, really.
Too nerdy? Okay. I’ll reel it back a little.
I love that in this book, Xena’s best friend is named Renée…perhaps after Renée O’Connor, the actress who portrayed Gabrielle? I also love that the author of the book is one of the only reviewers so far on Amazon. She starts her review with “This book is a whole bunch of fun. I enjoyed it from the first few words. If you like honest, real, extremely funny, in your face dialogue and you don’t mind a little profanity with some sexiness thrown in, then you will love this book.”
Not that you’re at all biased, right? At least she calls out at the end of her review that she is the author. But isn’t that a bit ballsy? Could you imagine if Stephen King or Terry McMillan gave 5-star reviews of their own novels? Who knows though? Maybe they have (just under different names).
Unfortunately, the book isn’t available at my local library (or any library in our county system). I guess it’s because it’s from a small independent publisher. So if I’d like to check out Xena: African-American Princess, I’m going to have to get it from Amazon.
Come on Amazon Marketplace…make me an offer I can’t refuse…
