Book Review: The Help by Kathryn Stockett

"Seemingly as different from one another as can be, these [3] women will nonetheless come together for a clandestine project that will put them all at risk. And why? Because they are suffocating within the lines that define their town and their times. And sometimes lines are made to be crossed."

Summary taken from the author's website.

This great story is told from three view points: 2 from black maids working in 1962 and 1 from a progressive young white 1962 college grad. Each of them want to change the world they live in but are afraid to do it publically. So they secretly meet to work on a special project and hope and pray that no one ever finds out they're worked on it.

I think the best thing about the book is the characters. I know it's just a story and it takes place in the 1960's but I really want to meet the ladies within the book, expecially Aibleen. I thought that being a maid would just be your 9-5 job, but Aibleen really loves the kids that she is taking care of as much as if they were her own. She seems like such an awesome woman. All of the characters were similarly well written.

I loved this book and would reccommend it to anyone!

Book Review: The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

"Living on a peach farm in South Carolina with her harsh, unyielding father, Lily Owens has shaped her entire life around one devastating, blurred memory--the afternoon her mother was killed, when Lily was four. Since then, her only real companion has been the fierce-hearted, and sometimes just fierce, black woman Rosaleen, who acts as her "stand-in mother."

When Rosaleen insults three of the deepest racists in town, Lily knows it's time to spring them both free. They take off in the only direction Lily can think of, toward a town called Tiburon, South Carolina--a name she found on the back of a picture amid the few possessions left by her mother. "

The above was taken from the author's website.

I read this book for the Southern Reading Challenege and boy was it southern! South Carolina in 1964 is a long way from British Columbia 2009.

What I liked about it: The relationships. Since her mother had died I liked seeing how young Lily Owens related to her caretaker, and then the 3 women who take her in after she runs away from home.

What I didn't like: The Mary statue (and honey) that the ladies pray to and have celebrations for.

What I'm looking forward to: Seeing the movie. I want to see how my view of the characters and the actresses portrayals are different (or maybe the same!). Plus there are a bunch of famous people in the movie.

Want a different view? Go check out Monica's or Jen's review.

Book Review: The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks

Alright…. I’ve put off blogging about this book for long enough. I finished it sometime in late May, less than a week after I started it. I was looking forward to reading this book a lot. I am a fan of Nicholas Sparks and it’s been some time since I last read of any of his books.

Having said this I was a little disappointed with this book. (Maybe my expectations were too high?) It took me much longer than I thought to get to the “I-can’t-put-it-down” stage (about half the book). Although once I did get there I really couldn't’t put it down.

The story follows Logan Thibault who finds a picture of a woman while deployed in Iraq. A streak of good luck follows. Once he returns to the states he takes a cross country trip and finds himself ending his trip in the town she lives in...

I found the book somewhat similar to some of his others books. However I am still a fan and will likely read other books by him.

PS. For those who are Nicholas Sparks fans be sure to read Dear John before Feb 5th, 2010 as its about to become a movie. :)

Southern Reading Challenge 2009

Just by fluke I noticed that the 2009 edition of The Southern Reading Challenge is about to begin. (Someone commented in the 2008 blog post which I still have in my blog reader…) Well, thanks to whoever did because I have decided to join in.

From Maggie Reads website: “You may choose to read any style of Southern book such as Appalachian tales, Civil War sagas, Gothic myths, Grit lit, and heart-wrenching biographies. Just as long as you read three (fiction or nonfiction) between May 15th and August 15th.”

Although my track record is pretty bad (1 of 3 read last year) I think that I’ll do better this year due to choosing books I already want to read.

1) The Help by Kathryn Stockett (author is born and raised in Jackson Mississippi, also story is set in Mississippi)

2) The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd (author born in Sylvester, Georgia, story is set in South Carolina)

3) The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks (author lives in North Carolina, one main character lives in North Carolina)


I work in accounts payable and I like to have things black and white, so I decided to look up exactly which states are considered The South. Here’s what Wikipedia says:



The dark red states (Arkansas, Louisiana, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia) are almost always included in modern day definitions of the South, while those in medium red (Oklahoma, Texas, Kentucky, Virginia, and Florida) are usually included.

So now ya know! :)