444 pages, @2009

Anyone who is a big reader and talks about books knows that there has been a lot of buzz about The Help, by Kathryn Stockett.  After numerous people read it and told me how good it was, my co-worker Rachelle loaned it to me so that I too could enjoy this “must-read” book.  It did not disappoint.

The Help takes place in the 1960′s in Jackson, Mississippi, as the Civil Rights Movement is gaining momentum.  Eugenia “Skeeter” Phelan had just retunred from college at Ole Miss and unlike her counterparts, who are all married and popping out children, desires to be a writer.  She runs in high society and is in bridge club, plays tennis at the local country club, and is the newsletter writer for the Junior League.  She dreams of writing and has sent her resume to numerous outlets all over the country.  She lands a job at the local paper writing the “Miss Myrna column” which answers women’s cleaning questions.  Knowing nothing about cleaning herself she enlists the help of her friend Elizabeth’s maid, Aibileen.  While working with Aibileen she learns about Aibileen’s past and is dying to know the true story of what happened to the maid who raised her (her being Skeeter), Constantine.  Aibileen is hesitant to tell that story.

Then after Aibileen tells Skeeter about a book that her deceased son had started writing about what it was really like for black people to work for white people, Skeeter decides she wants to pick up where he left off.  She asks Aibileen is she can write her story and if Aibileen can get 10-12 additional maids to tell their story so that they can make it into a book.  She runs the idea by an editor in New York and is given a tight deadline.  The only problem is that no one wants to talk.

What makes this book so special is the cast of characters.  While the book is seen through three eyes, Aibileen, Skeeter and Aibileen’s friend Minny who is also a maid, there are many additional memorable characters.  Some that you’ll love and some that you will just hate!  It tells their everyday experiences during the time of writing this book.  From Aibileen and Minny the reader sees the life of a black woman working for a white family, raising their kids, cooking their meals, cleaning their houses, etc.  Even more the reader gets a glimpse into the black community in Jackson - the hardships and the hope.  Through Skeeter the reader sees the life of a wealthy white woman and how working on her book alienates Skeeter from those who have been her friends since the beginning.

This book was so good.  The characters and more importantly the voice of the characters was beautifully written.  You loved these women fiercely and wanted them to succeed.  There are some incredibly sweet moments that brought me to tears and some tense moments that made me so angry.  It’s a book rife with emotion and you will feel it right along with these women.  Stocket has crafted a true gem with The Help and in my opinion this book is not to be missed.

5 Stars

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Have you read The Help?  What did you think?

140 pages, @2008

If you are a regular reader of my blog, or a good friend of mine, or someone I was just talking to at a BBQ this weekend, you know that one of the goals on my “Life List” is to read a book about each President in order.  Zachary Taylor, was President #12!  Only 32 more Presidents to read about, at the rate I’m going, that’ll be 16 more years (although there will be some new ones to add to the list by then I’m sure!)

Interesting fact about Zachary Taylor, he was the first man to become President who had never held a public office.  He was never a Senator, Representative, Mayor, Governor, etc.  He was a military guy, and a Mexican War hero and that reputation put him as the front man for the Whigs in the election of 1848!  President Polk had promised not to run for another term so Taylor was up against a new Democrat running mate as opposed to an incumbent President.  President Taylor himself never expressed any interest in running for the position, he was pushed to it by the Whigs,and even though they did push him, he was very reluctant.  They had to get him to sign two different letters at two different times during the campaign to convince die hard Whigs that he was really interested and even then it seemed that the letter was written for him and he was encouraged to sign it. 

Unfortunately, President Taylor died only 16 months into his office.  Many believe that as a Southern slave holder who was not interested in creating additional slave states, that he might have been a calm voice a reason during a time of great turmoil for our nation.  I guess we’ll never know.  He died of an infection.

President Taylor wasn’t my favorite of the bunch, but I am still enjoying learning about each President in their time, who they were before they became President and what they accomplished as President.  The riveting President Millard Fillmore is next, only one book ever written about him to date and it’s big, this next one is going to be a tough read.  Hopefully I’ll be proven wrong.

3 stars

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Do you remember President Taylor’s nickname???

590 pages, @2008

My mom and my good friend Jen had been telling me how good this book was, but for whatever reason I could not motivate myself to pick it up.  Then my friend Christina took care of that, by choosing it as our next book group pick.  (THANKS Christina)!  I was excited to have a reason to pick it up and boy did I fly through it!

There are three main characters in the book:  Lisbeth Salander, a 20-something, tattoed, emotionally challenged, private investigator; Mikael Blomkvist, a financial jouranlist; and Henrick Vanger, an 80-year old head of an old wealthy Swedish family.  Forty years ago Henrick’s niece Harriett disappeared and Henrick has spent many agonizing years trying to find out what happened to her.  He believes she was murdered but has no proof of that and her body has never been found.  Henrick hires Mikael Blomkvist, after a series of unfortunate events occur in Blomkvist’s life, convincing him to come work and live on this tiny town in Sweden that apparently is incredibly cold in the winter.  He asks Blomkvist to write the biography of the Vanger Family and tells him that his hope is that he will also solve the mystery of what happened to Harriett Vanger (no pressure buddy).

All the reviews I read said the first 200 pages were sluggish and slow but I plowed right through them.  I did find some of the background on what happened to Blomkvist (think serious talk about financial companies, fraud, etc) was a little dry but I got past that.  Larsson has a style of writing that is so vivd you feel as if you are right there with Salander and Blomkvist as they try to unravel the mystery.  I was captivated from the moment I opened the book.  He created such strong characters – they were complicated individuals certainly – but so strong that as a reader you just “got them” from the get go. 

I do have to say that I figured out the mystery prior to it being revealed but that didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the novel.  Overall, I really liked this book, and would certainly recommend it to someone looking for a fun, slightly dark, mystery to read.  I am looking forward to reading the second and third book in the series.

4 stars

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If you’ve read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, what were your thoughts?

I was itching to get back to the time of the Tudors.  I really enjoyed The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory and I decided to check out one of her more recent novels, The Boleyn Inheritance.  So I headed to my library and checked the book out and then had to renew it like 3 times and I returned it late.  I just couldn’t get into it.

The Boleyn Inheritance skips over Jane Seymour, King Henry VIII’s 3rd wife (mother of King Edward) and covers the marriages of Henry VIII to Anne of Cleves and Katherine Howard.  It is told from 3 different points of view:  Anne of Cleves, Katherine Howard and Jane Boleyn (George’s wife, Anne’s sister-in-law, and a Howard confidant).  Through these three different voices the reader discovers how Henry VIII came to marry Anne and then Katherine and how those marriages affected the King, the country and of course Anne and Katherine.

I have to say I was disappointed with this book.  Similar to The Constant Princess, by Philippa Gregory, there was a lot of repition and I felt the book just didn’t need to be as long as it was.  I did like the way the three voices weaved together, with each chapter alternating between one of the three women.  However, this did contribute to the repitition becuase you would hear about something three times from three different perspectives.   

I don’t know if I’ve just read too much about this time period and so I’ve just lost my interest because it’s not new anymore or whether I just don’t enjoy Gregory’s portrayl’s of the time period and stories.  This was better than The Constant Princess for sure, but I wouldn’t recommend it.  The best book about King Henry VIII and his life is still, The Autobiography of Henry VIII, with Notes by his Fool Will Somers by Margaret George.  It’s long but so worth it!!!

2 stars

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What is your favorite Philippa Gregory book?

1090 pages (yes, you read that right!)

I cannot believe that in only one short year I have read the first 4 books in the Outlander series.  I blogged about Outlander for the first time in March 2009.  This series has totally captured my heart!  I’m not going to lie when I first started it I felt I had been duped.  I thought it was going to be a lot more historical fiction and it turned out to be a lot more romance – haha!  However, as the series evolves so does Gabaldon’s character development and the historical references.

In the fourth book in the series, Drums of Autumn, Claire and Jamie Fraser find themselves in the South ten years prior to the American Revolution.  They are working their way towards his Aunt’s house, hoping that they might find some land to settle so that they can begin their new life in the colonies.  Back home in Scotland in the 1940′s, their daughter Brianna is searching historical archives looking to see what happens to them.  At the same time she if falling for historian and friend, Roger Wakefield.  Eventually, Brianna finds something and it takes her through the stones back in time to find her parents.  A series of interesting (and some unfortunate) events occur making her chances of returning to Scotland 1940 less and less likely.

This wasn’t my favorite in the series, probably because it didn’t deal as much with Jamie and Claire but focused more on Brianna and Roger’s story and I’m sorry, I just don’t like Brianna as much as I probably should.  I really like Roger’s character a lot and I didn’t love his character’s story arc.  I felt that there was a lack of communication that could have prevented a lot of nonsense from ocurring and that was frustrating to me.  I found myself saying, “well if you would just talk to each other, you would see this was all a silly misunderstanding.”  So I guess what I’m saying is that I found some of the scenarios forced and silly.

That said, I devored all 1090 pages and am really trying to stop myself from picking up the next book to return to their world!  The character development is once again stellar and there is enough action to keep me turning the pages.  I’m really curious to see how the series is going to play out and I certainly am looking forward to finishing the series, although I loathe the day where there is no new Jamie & Claire story to enjoy!

I would certainly continue to recommend this series with gusto.  It’s so enjoyable!

4 stars

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If you’ve read the Outlander series, any of it, what is your favorite book, or has been your favorite book so far?  For me it is definitely the first one Outlander!  None have rivaled the original for me yet.

342 pages, @1990

Since I’ve been MIA and since I’ve read a ton of books in the meantime (I may have been neglecting you guys, but I was still reading!) I decided I’d post two book reviews tonight to make up for it.  Again with the mysteries, I know, I just can’t help myself sometimes.  My friend Meghan suggested Patricia Cornwell and the Kay Scarpetta series to me awhile ago during one of our many gchats:)  Let me tell you, Megs knows what she’s talking about folks!  I requested this book at my local NYC library branch and absolutely devoured it.  I may have definitely found a new stand by mystery writer…but before I get too ahead of myself…a brief synopsis of what it’s about.

The main character, is Richmond, Virginia’s medical examiner, Kay Scarpetta.  Their current unsolved case is a serial killer who is strangling young women in Richmond, Virginia.  Kay is paired with Richmond police officer, Pete Marino.  Together they have to piece together the puzzle and find the killer before another woman dies.  Kay has to “prove” herself in a male dominated field.  Meanwhile, her niece Lucy is visiting, and Kay feels guilty for not spending enough time with the girl.  Will they figure out the murder in time or will he attack again?  Is it someone close to the Medical Examiner and those investigating the murders or someone random?

This book won me over from the get go.  It was a page turner, lots of action, puzzles to ponder, great characters and the best part, Cornwell stumped me!  That’s right I didn’t figure out the “who done it” part.  Now, that’s the sign of a good mystery writer.  The book is a little outdated, taking place in the late 1980′s early 1990′s their technology is way behind the times, but that didn’t bother me too much.  I felt that Cornwell’s writing was very strong, especially for a debut novel.  I look forward to devouring the Kay Scarpetta series.

4 stars

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Who is your favorite mystery author?

270 pages, @1976

I am constantly looking for good mysteries!  My stand bys are Mary Higgins Clark, Harlan Coben and Mary Jane Clark.  I had never read any of James Patterson’s mysteries, only his love stories (Suzanne’s Diary for Nicholas and Sam’s letter to Jennifer).  I decided I wanted to delve into the world that is James Patterson, so I started at the beginning with his very first book, The Thomas Berryman Number.

The main character is a journalist working for a paper in the south.  When the town’s mayor is murdered in a very public way he begins to dig into the assination to see if the story being told is correct.  Upon doing so he uncovers the story of Thomas Berryman; the murders he committed, his friendship with Ben Toy, his relationship his girlfriend, and just his overall complex personality.

I have to say that this was an obvious first effort.  I honestly didn’t think it was that good and given that it’s rating on Amazon is 2 stars I’m not the only one who feels that way.  It was very choppy and confusing.  At first the journalist is writing newspaper stories about the murder; there are chapters from his point of view, Thomas Berryman’s point of view, Ben Toy’s point of view and they just didn’t flow cohesively.  Then it changes and the journalist is referring to the book he wrote about the murder and Thomas Berryman.  I was so confused at points as to what the book was actually about that I had to re-read certain parts to try to understand better.  It wasn’t a long book (less than 300 pages) but it was quite a chore to get through.

I won’t let this deter me from reading more James Patterson.  With mystery writers I feel it’s hard to judge them by their first book, usually they’re just starting to find their voice and their rhythm.  As they write more and more mysteries, you can see their style and storytelling skills evolve.  I’m exited to pick up another James Patterson, perhaps my next foray will be with The Women’s Murder Club.

2 stars

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What’s your favorite James Patterson mystery?

I’ve recently started trying to finish many of the series that I started, I also realized that I plain missed crazy Becky Bloomwood, so I requested this book from my library and it was delivered just in time for my recent trip to Oklahoma.

In Shopaholic & Baby, Becky and her dashing husband, Luke Brandon, are expecting their first little bundle of joy, but can Becky keep her spending in check or will she once again go overboard as she purchases the “necessities” for her son or daughter.  The usual drama occurs, Luke tries to protect her from some crazy business at work, but him being distant leads her to believe he might be having an affair with their celebrity ob/gyn doctor (who just happens to be his ex-girlfriend), and hilarity ensues.

While I didn’t find this book quite as funny as some of the others, I also couldn’t put it down because Becky always entertains.  Personally, I think my favorite book of the entire series was Shopaholic & Sister, that book had me laughing out loud.  I’m slightly sad that this series is over because I’ll miss Becky Bloomwood as a character.  It’s always good to have a book on hand that will make you laught out loud.  If you’ve never read any of the Shopaholic books, I would definitely recommend them as fun and light reading material.

3 stars

Post in Comments:

What series do you have outstanding?  I have the Outlander series, the Myron Bolitar series and a Trudi Canavan trilogy.

270 pages, @2008

Where oh where have I been?  That is a good question.  You know sometimes when you just need a break from life to clear your head?  Well, that’s what I’ve been doing.  I had a stressful two weeks and just needed a break from everything.  I hope you won’t hold it against me.  Anyway, now I’m back, and contemplating a 40 day challenge, so that I blog continuously for 40 days, just to get me back on track.  I’ve got a lot of great blog entries coming up (that’s what happens when you take a 2 week break) so let’s get to it.

Our February (or was it March) book group book, picked by my friend Jen was Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout.  I have to say of the 9 books that I’ve read to date (well, I’ve read more, but that I’ve blogged about to date) this is definitely one of my favorites of the year.  While the book is a fictional novel, each chapter is essentially a short story of a character that lives in the small town of Crosby, Maine, where Olive Kitteridge is a teacher.  Each character is somehow related to Olive, whether they were her student, neighbor, husband, son, friend or herself directly, because of that the book reads more like a novel then a book of short stories. 

When discussing what the book was really about we agreed that the following quote from the author summed it up nicely:

“I would hope that my readers feel a sense of awe at the quality of human endurance, at the endurance of love in the face of a variety of difficulties; that the quotidian life is not always easy, and is something worthy of respect.  I would also hope that readers receive a large understanding, or a different understanding, of what it means to be human, than they might have had before.  We suffer from being quick to judge, quick to make excuses for ourselves and others, and I would like the reader to feel that we are all, more or less, in a similar state as we love and disappoint one another, and that we try, most of us, as best we can, and that to fail and succeed is what we do.”

This book was certainly not an uplifting story as it dealt with betrayal, deception, lies and how while on the outside someone’s life may appear picture perfect, that isn’t always the case.  It dealt with personal insecurity as a person (mother, daughter, friend, husband, son, neighbor, etc).  It also dealt with how people handle their own mortality and that of their spouse, parent and/or child.  I felt the book was very relatable.  However, it’s not something I would recommend to people in their 50′s and 60′s because it might hit “too close” to home. 

Overall, I thought it was masterfully written, subtle yet poignant, with incredibly strong characters.  While it is not uplifting, if you ever marvel at the resiliency of human beings, you’ll have a warm spot in your heart by the end for Olive and some of the her neighbors in Crosby, Maine.  I thought that this book blew Strout’s other book that I recently read, Amy & Isabelle, out of the water.  She has definitely improved as a writer.

4 1/2 stars

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What is your favorite book by Elizabeth Strout?  And if you read Olive Kitteridge, what did you think of it?

304 pages, @1998

I recently read Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout for book group (I’ll be posting about it next week, as I generally like to wait until after book group to post my reviews on book group books).  When I bought the book, I realized that it was the same author who had written Amy and Isabelle, a book I had on my bookshelf.  So once, I finished Olive Kitteridge, I decided to stick with the author one more time and dive into Amy and Isabelle.

Amy and Isabelle is the story of none other than Amy and Isabelle.  Amy is the 15-16 year old daughter and Isabelle is her mother.  They live in the small town of Shirley Falls, Maine.  Amy goes to high school while Isabelle works as a secretary at the local mill.  Their lives are very isolated; they do not have  a lot of friends or social interaction.  They are both keeping secrets from each other, which puts a strain on their relationship.  When Amy gets caught “making out” with an older man, Isabelle is forced to deal with her younger years and Amy’s conception into this world.  Some secrets can’t stay buried forever.

I enjoyed this book, but it didn’t blow me away.  Having read two books now by Elizabeth Strout, back to back, I would say that her main theme is lonliness and how regardless of how many people you are surrounded by without meaningful relationships there is a sense of isolation and lonliness in people.  This theme of course makes for some somber reading.  Her characters, Amy and Isabelle, are drab and initially it is hard to figure out why the reader should care about them.  However, as the story develops and Isabelle is forced to come out of her shell and tell the truth about her life, her character becomes a little more sympathetic.  I thought that Amy was a relatable adolescent: moody, explorative, unsure about life, pushing the limits.  However, even she was pretty drab.  In real life I can understand why they didn’t have too many friends.  They didn’t put themselves out there and they seemed pretty boring.

All in all I would give this book 3 stars.  It didn’t blow me away, I had to work to pick up the book and keep turning the pages, but I felt rewarded when I finished.  I was happy with the way the story ended.  I thought Strout brought everything together nicely. 

Post in Comments:

What were your thoughts on Amy and Isabelle?