Tyrell by Coe Booth

Tyrell is realistic fiction for many an urban teen coming of age in or around poverty and a nightmarish fantasy in the seedy part of the city for suburban and rural dwellers. At times, the narrator’s slang distracts from the rhythm of the prose but such staccato may keep the interest of the adolescent who loathes reading 310 pages of anything. Images of poverty are fresh; the emotional undulations the title character experiences and shares lend authenticity and, along with ubiquitous sexual pressures and illegal activity, make this tale of stolen youth a page turner. With nearly every female in the novel characterized as irresponsible or a sexual deviant, I almost assumed Coe Booth a member of the generally hairier gender but I suppose that the notion of a near-perfect protagonist and narrator would make many a male novelist chuckle then pause. Still, you gotta love Tyrell’s fear and courage, naivety and wisdom all balled up into one hormone heightened kid who can’t catch a break but never stops trying.

King & I - Fairfield, CT

Great Thai food places are still fairly tough to find in some places. In fact, I hadn’t found a spot that qualified around me until last week when I happened upon King & I, a beautiful restaurant tucked away in the Post Road Plaza in Fairfield, CT. The chicken panang was fantastic. Rather than trying to blow you out of the water with spiciness they make it so you can actually taste the sauce. The drunken noodles were tasty, as well, and pricing wasn’t bad at all. Dinner for two including an alcoholic beverage for each person totaled up to $40. Even if you have the most expensive meals on the menu your bill shouldn’t go too north of $50 unless you’re ordering appetizers and desserts. A perfect date spot, King & I keeps its lighting low and its service knowledgeable and quick. I plan on going back and eating my way through the menu.

For more information check out: kingandict.com/index_fairfield.aspx

Crest Clean Mint Extra Whitening Toothpaste

As anyone who drinks tea, coffee, or anything else that may stain their teeth knows, it’s not always easy to find a good whitening toothpaste. There are a lot of brands out there, I’ve tried a few. The one that has worked the best, and I stick with to this day, is Crest’s Clean Mint flavored Extra Whitening toothpaste with Tartar Protection. From the first day I used it I noticed my teeth getting whiter and some of the staining that other whitening toothpastes had left going away. I’ve tried other versions of Crest Extra Whitening toothpaste but the Clean Mint is the one that works best. So before you throw up your arms in confusion while staring at the myriad of choices in your toothpaste aisle, focus on finding Crest’s Clean Mint Extra Whitening variety. Hopefully it will work as well for you as it does for me.

Praverb The Wyse - The Gospel Is Free

Everyone and their mother has a friggin mixtape. (I heard a couple mom's that were actually pretty tight. I must admit, pretty tight). Praverb The Wyse releases 15 scriptures from his book of life over a few industry beats as well as original production. This is gospel rap without furious fire and brimstone exclamations or overtly self righteous finger pointing. His voice is pretty human, very easy to listen to. There's a charm that most rappers don't have you can hear shining through on, 'Loving Morning'. Its obvious that this young man has a fair amount of skill, 'The Gospel is free' serves as a nice introduction to this emcee that surely loves this Hiphop thing.

You can check it out for yourself here.

Ledisi - Lost & Found

Ladies, it's alright to smile and be happy. To love your man and give him your all, if he so deserves it. Listening to Ledisi I gather the previous statements are felt and appreciated by more than just a mere handful of powerfully progressive, forward thinking females like the many that attend this dynamic femme body's shows. Her essence on this record as well as in person is nothing short of inspiring. Ledisi's 'Lost & Found' is great music to wake up to whether you're female or male - alone or attached. Various expressions of true love and passion inhabit this sound tablet of strength within poetical phrases and silky soulful music. Ledisi leads by example by putting forth a vibe of positive communication. It is obviously uncontrived. Natural. You can't fake this type of human therapy.