The Help

Kathryn Stockett's very first novel, The Help, was on my library's recommended read list and after reading it I understand why.

Set in the 1960's in Jackson, Mississippi it is a look at the racial tension that still existed even though slavery had been abolished. Miss Skeeter is a white woman who is tired of seeing injustice take place all around her and in an effort to cause some change she gets several black maids to share their stories and compiles them into a book. Along the way she loses all of her friends and is alienated by the town, but it is nothing compared to the risk the maids faced by speaking out. It is very well written, and easy to fall into each of her characters. It was one I could not put down until I read the very last page.

In pitch-perfect voices, Kathryn Stockett creates three extraordinary women whose determination to start a movement of their own forever changes a town, and the way women--mothers, daughters, caregivers, friends--view one another. A deeply moving novel filled with poignancy, humor, and hope, The Help is a timeless and universal story about the lines we abide by, and the ones we don't.

    - KathrynStockett.com
An excerpt from the book
"I come home that morning, after I been fired, and stood outside my house with my new work shoes on. The shoes my mama paid a month's worth a light bill for. I guess that's when I understood what shame was and the color of it too. Shame ain't black, like dirt, like I always thought it was. Shame be the color of a new white uniform your mother ironed all night to pay for, white without a smudge or a speck a work-dirt on it."



Aibileen looks up to see what I think. I stop typing. I'd expected the stories to be sweet, glossy. I realize I might be getting more than I'd bargained for. She reads on.

The Accidental Mother

But if what will we do then? If we can't stay here?

Six year old Bella looked at Sophie, her dry eyes burning.

There had to be a moment like this, Sophie thought, in everyone's life, when the very next thing you say might change you and the world as you knew it forever. She felt her stomach dip and churn as if she had just run headlong at a cliff edge and brought herself to stop at its very brink.

Then we'll work out what's best, she answered feeling like a coward.

This was the first of Coleman's books I had read, and what started out to be a light read quickly got deeper and much more touching. Sophie and Carrie are best friends all through school, but lose touch with each other. It had been three years since Sophie had heard from Carrie when a social worker comes to see her. Carrie had died in an accident and Sophie was left as the guardian for her 3 and 6 year old daughters. Sophie who had never wanted children learns an awful lot about life and love as the three of them struggle to figure out what is best.

Coleman's sequel to the Accidental Mother comes out September 29th 2009.

Harry Potter

Okay, so I know I am a little behind the times, but I am just finally reading all of the Harry Potter books. It was definitely my rebellious side that kept me from from joining the ranks of the Harry Potter craze that started a few years ago, but I am never one to let that interfere with a potentially great read. So a week or so ago I picked up the first book and I am now halfway through book 7. I have to admit J.K. Rowling can definitely write! I have had a difficult time putting these books down, and have even taking to having dreams about them. I don't think I will be rushing out to see the movies, but I am certainly glad I took the time to read the books!

A Missed Connection

I feel like one of those people who post a message on Craigslist that says something like, "I saw you at the intersection of main street and 1st on Saturday. You were wearing a red dress and had your hair up. If this is you write back I wanted to meet you." I have always thought these were ridiculous on so many levels, but now I slightly understand. Slightly. "I saw you sitting in the passenger side of a black Honda Accord. You were wearing red and black checkers..." Oh did I mention this is a book. This is what I get for snooping in someone else's car window, but they were parked next to me and I wouldn't have looked except the book caught my attention. The problem is I felt guilty looking in someone else's car so I only had time to get the name of the book. Which I have forgotten and am now obsessed with finding out. It probably is a terrible book, but I still continue searching. So... if you happen to know of a book that has a red and black checkerboard design on it and I believe the authors last name begins with an F, I would be so grateful.

A Must Read

After reading a string of disappointing books (not worth mentioning here) I finally struck upon one that satisfied my craving, for a few days at least. Kate Morton's book The Forgotten Garden, was a recommended read I got from my library's website. I wasn't sure what to make of it at first because it jumps from character to character and from the early 1900's to 2005, and back again. But it was everything I love in a book. It revolves around the mystery of how a four year old little girl came to be standing on a wharf in Australia in the mid 1900's with nothing but a white suitcase and no one to claim her. It wasn't until she was 18 years old did she learn that her mother and father were the ones to find her that day and she was not biologically theirs. She spends the next 50 years of her life searching for her family, and it is left to her granddaughter to finally uncover the truth. It has love, sorrow, friendship, a few fairy tales, and a little bit of magic woven throughout and I had a hard time putting it down once I got started. I am excited to read some more of her novels, as this is my first one! For more on Morton check out http://www.katemorton.com/

Books, Books, Books!

It has been awhile since I have really posted on here. I apologize! I just finished reading Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah, Jennifer Weiner's newest book Certain Girls, and a Sophie Kinsella as Madeleine Wickham in Sleeping Arrangements. I needed my dose of fun summer reads and definitely got it.



Firefly Lane by Krisitin Hannah was more of a drama and lass of a "light read" than I first though it would be, but it was still good. It is the life story of two girls who meet in middle school and remain close friends. It is of course wild child meets good girl, but it has its own twists and plots you don't see coming. It is a truer look at real friendship and relationships (mother-daughter, husband-wife) than I have seen in awhile.



Certain Girls is the sequel to one of Weiner's first hits Good in Bed. Now Candice is in her later thirties and is raising her daughter who is quickly approaching her teenage years. The book is written from the point of view of both Candace and her daughter. It is at times funny, and heart-warming. At other times it is downright scary. Teenagers can be so mean! For someone who thought that Good in Bed was one of her best books, you will agree that Certain Girls follows closely in its wake.



Sleeping Arrangements has two families meeting in a vacation Villa in Spain. The twist is neither of them knew the other would be there. To make matters worse two of them used to be an item before things ended badly and they hadn't seen or spoken to each other in years. It wasn't my favorite of Kinsella's and the plot was a little far fetched, but it was an easy read and didn't require too much brain power to be entertaining.

The Thirteenth Tale

This novel tells the tale of a famous writer and how she came to be. As you read you are taken from the present day into the past and back again so that at times you forget which is which, but you don't care. You instantly get caught up in the story of Vida Winter, the famous author, and as secrets are revealed and small mysteries are solved there is always another waiting for you in the next chapter. It was one of those books I couldn't put down and it left me wanting more even as I read the last page.