author: kathryn stockett

publisher: putnam, february 10, 2009

author’s summary:

three ordinary women are about to take one extraordinary step.

twenty-two-year-old skeeter has just returned home after graduating from ole miss. she may have a degree, but it is 1962, mississippi, and her mother will not be happy till skeeter has a ring on her finger. skeeter would normally find solace with her beloved maid constantine, the woman who raised her, but constantine has disappeared and no one will tell skeeter where she has gone.

aibileen is a black maid, a wise, regal woman raising her seventeenth white child. something has shifted inside her after the loss of her own son, who died while his bosses looked the other way. she is devoted to the little girl she looks after, though she knows both their hearts may be broken.

minny, aibileen’s best friend, is short, fat, and perhaps the sassiest woman in mississippi. she can cook like nobody’s business, but she can’t mind her tongue, so she’s lost yet another job. minny finally finds a position working for someone too new to town to know her reputation. but her new boss has secrets of her own.

seemingly as different from one another as can be, these 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.

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.

my review: great read. i found the book engaging and quite frankly it sucked me in. i started listening to it when i was driving to and from west virginia but then couldn’t wait for the next car ride so i bought the book.

i felt i could relate to a variety of characters in the novel. but given this stage in my life, skeeter was the most like me, if i do say so myself. i have know and still know some hilly’s, seen a few elizabeth’s as well and at times i’m sure i was like her to – worrying about what everyone thought about me. i could relate to skeeter’s dance with her vulnerability and her passions. i connected with her love of her family but frustration with them at times as well.

even though i didn’t grow up in the 60′s nor did i have a maid of any sort caring for me, i could relate to the children’s love for aibie, minny, constantine and the others. their love for them reminded me of the love i had for our after school baby sitter thelma and her husband jack. i learned from them, was encouraged by them, figured out who i was with them. it was a blessing in my life that no one can take from me. i enjoyed reading those stories as well.

i could glimpse into  what it must have been like in the 60′s through this book. given that the mlk dedication is in two weeks and i have to work for it, i’ve been able to see first hand the dedication, planning and desire of those who have made the memorial possible and those who are never to see it. i can understand on some level, how their environment shaped them through the experiences the book describes in vivid detail. you can feel the fear, the pain and sorrow in the characters as you read.

what i didn’t like was the lack of resolution at the end. i felt the author left you hanging. i was disappointed in the ending. i wanted to know more about what happens to skeeter when she goes off to nyc, what minny and aibie do…i also was not a fan of the ending of the relationship between skeeter and stuart. it’s not that it ended but more of how he just disappeared when she told him about the book. i guess when i truly think about how it unfolded it was more like real life than i wanted to read.

overall, i was happy with the book and would recommend it. i am excited for the movie because i think they might wrap the end up more than the book did for me. i just hope they stay true to the author’s beautifully written story.

my rating: 4/5

other reviews:
new york times
washington post

**rating scale – stars: out of 5

1 star: not a fan – at all. i couldn’t finish the book.
1.5 stars: not worth my time. definitely, thought about putting it down and moving on to something else.
2 stars: fine. nothing to write home about.
2.5 stars: was ok, but if i hadn’t read it i’d live.
3 stars: enjoyed the book but was bothered by a particular aspect.
3.5 stars: glad i read it. would recommend it but isn’t one that stays in my permanent collection (i won’t be moving it with me to my next apartment).
4 stars: i really enjoyed this book. had no problem getting through it and would recommend it to my friends and family.
4.5 stars: loved it. lingers on my mind – actively promoting for others to read.
5 stars: fabulous! can’t stop thinking about it. worth re-reading – highlighted passages and made an impact.

author: lisa becker

publisher: createspace, april 5, 2011

publishers weekly summary:

fast approaching her 30th birthday and finding herself not married, not dating, and without even a prospect or a house full of cats, renee greene, the heroine of click: an online love story, reluctantly joins her best guy pal on a journey to find love online in los angeles. the story unfolds through a series of emails between renee and her best friends (anal-compulsive mark, the overly-judgmental ashley and the over-sexed shelley) as well as the gentlemen suitors she meets online. From the guy who starts every story with “my buddies and I were out drinking one night,” to the egotistical “b” celebrity looking for someone to stroke his ego, renee endures her share of hilarious and heinous cyber dates. fraught with bcc’s, fwd’s and inadvertent reply to all’s, readers will root for renee to “click” with the right man.

my review: oh my gosh, i’m dying laughing just thinking about this book. i loved the email style – it makes you feel as if you’re directly involved in their lives. i could honestly, 100%, related to renee. i saw my friends in each of the characters and at one point in chapter 3 i was laughing so loud i was crying.

it’s a light, refreshing, easy and quick read (only 9 chapters). a must read for those single folks in the middle of the online dating world themselves or those who just left the torment.

i was pleasantly surprised when around chapter 5 the book went deeper into the relationships between renee and her friends. i appreciated the twist from humor and the insanity of online dating to what happens once you find someone – the ups, downs, miscommunication, exhilaration, etc.  the end leads you to wonder how you see people, how you judge them and how we never know what will transpire.

some of my favorite quotes:
“you are the devil incarnate. no, i know. you’re right. it’s just easier to sit at home, eat cupcakes and feel sorry for myself than risk getting hurt. but it’s a new year and a new plan.”

“it’s so much easier to reject someone over the internet than in real life. score one for online dating!”

“i don’t see him sitting watching a ‘law & order’ marathon with me while i eat frosting from a can, which as you know is my idea of a good night.”

“every guy i’ve ever met avoids v-day like vd.”

my rating: 4/5

why my rating? i could relate. i left like i was reading emails with my own friends. i was cracking up the whole first 1/2. plus, it was a super quick read (i read this in less than a day). because the book was so short there wasn’t a ton of time to really build on the characters. i could see this becoming a series of books.

other reviews:
the book fetish
bookaholic book club
reading aways the days

**rating scale – stars: out of 5

1 star: not a fan – at all. i couldn’t finish the book.
1.5 stars: not worth my time. definitely, thought about putting it down and moving on to something else.
2 stars: fine. nothing to write home about.
2.5 stars: was ok, but if i hadn’t read it i’d live.
3 stars: enjoyed the book but was bothered by a particular aspect.
3.5 stars: glad i read it. would recommend it but isn’t one that stays in my permanent collection (i won’t be moving it with me to my next apartment).
4 stars: i really enjoyed this book. had no problem getting through it and would recommend it to my friends and family.
4.5 stars: loved it. lingers on my mind – actively promoting for others to read.
5 stars: fabulous! can’t stop thinking about it. worth re-reading – highlighted passages and made an impact.

author: jennifer egan

publisher: anchor (march 22, 2011)

ebook pages: 343

publishers weekly summary:

readers will be pleased to discover that the star-crossed marriage of lucid prose and expertly deployed postmodern switcheroos that helped shoot egan to the top of the genre-bending new school is alive in well in this graceful yet wild novel. we begin in contemporaryish new york with kleptomaniac sasha and her boss, rising music producer bennie salazar, before flashing back, with bennie, to the glory days of bay area punk rock, and eventually forward, with sasha, to a settled life. By then, egan has accrued tertiary characters, like scotty hausmann, bennie’s one-time band mate who all but dropped out of society, and alex, who goes on a date with sasha and later witnesses the future of the music industry. egan’s overarching concerns are about how rebellion ages, influence corrupts, habits turn to addictions, and lifelong friendships fluctuate and turn. or as one character asks, how did I go from being a rock star to being a fat fuck no one cares about? egan answers the question elegantly, though not straight on, as this powerful novel chronicles how and why we change, even as the song stays the same. (june)

my review: at first, i was a little confused. i had a hard time figuring out who was who. i felt like i was drowning in characters. but after chapter 3, i was on track.

one of the most moving chapters for me was 5 – “you”. as jocelyn remembered back to her time with lou and rolph, you could feel her immense pain with the lost time, unrealized goals and dreams and the shock of realizing life moved on without her. it’s the fact that going back, is never the same. jocelyn’s pain jumped right off the pages as she flashed back to a time with rolph on the roof watching lou at a party. i’ve had those kind of moments myself when you are in the present one moment and then can remember a part of your past – yet sensing it was just yesterday.

i was thrilled with the author’s depection of a once famous rocker falling from grace. i found it poignant when bosco says, “that’s the whole point. we know the outcome [we’re going to die], but we don’t know when, or where, or who will be there when it finally happens. it’s a suicide tour.” he then went on to say, “i’m old, i’m sad-that’s on a good day. i want out of this mess. but i don’t want to fade away, i want to flame away-i want my death to be an attraction, a spectacle, a mystery. a work of art.” these two lines from chapter 7 – gave me a little chuckle because not many of us would admit we don’t want to just disappear. who wants to live his or her whole life without someone else noticing. then to pass without a flicker. this really started to bring the pieces of the book together – their beginning, their middle and now for some of the characters their ends.

one of the best parts of this book is how a character in one chapter plays a minor role but then stands out as a major factor in another chapter. for the reader, you find yourself flashing back just as the characters are doing.

i’ve heard all the reviews from individuals who raved about the PowerPoint (ppt) in chapter 12. i personally was not a fan. to me that’s not why i read. i review, study, and develop ppts for work so this was not enjoyable.

for me the end was anti-climatic. i was hoping to see it all come back together more concretely.

my rating: 2.5/5

why my rating? i felt a bit scattered or schizophrenic while reading the book. you have to think about the characters, remember them in various ways. at different points in time that can be confusing. the characters themselves are rich and deep, causing you to wonder if you like them, hate them or if you represent them in some way. a good read – interesting and unique book.

other reviews:
new york times
washington post
la times

**rating scale – stars: out of 5

1 star: not a fan – at all. i couldn’t finish the book.
1.5 stars: not worth my time. definitely, thought about putting it down and moving on to something else.
2 stars: fine. nothing to write home about.
2.5 stars: was ok, but if i hadn’t read it i’d live.
3 stars: enjoyed the book but was bothered by a particular aspect.
3.5 stars: glad i read it. would recommend it but isn’t one that stays in my permanent collection (i won’t be moving it with me to my next apartment).
4 stars: i really enjoyed this book. had no problem getting through it and would recommend it to my friends and family.
4.5 stars: loved it. lingers on my mind – actively promoting for others to read.
5 stars: fabulous! can’t stop thinking about it. worth re-reading – highlighted passages and made an impact.

author: david maraniss

publisher: simon & schuster; september 7, 2010 (first edition 1999)

amazon summary:

as coach of the green bay packers from 1959 to 1967, vince lombardi turned perennial losers into a juggernaut, winning back-to-back nfl titles in 1961 and 1962, and super-bowls I and II in 1966 and 1967. stern, severe, sentimental, and paternal, he stood revered, reviled, respected, and mocked–a touchstone for the ’60s all in one person. which adds up to the myth we’ve been left with. but who was the man?

that’s the question pulitzer prize-winner david maraniss tackles. it begins with lombardi’s looming father, a man as colorful as his son would be conservative. still, from his father vince lombardi learned a sense of presence and authority that could impress itself with just a look. if a moment can sum up and embrace a man’s life–and capture the breadth of maraniss’s thoroughness–it is one that takes place off the field when the packers organization decides to redecorate their offices in advance of the new head coach’s arrival: “during an earlier visit,” maraniss reports, “he had examined the quarters–peeling walls, creaky floor, old leather chairs with holes in them, discarded newspapers and magazines piled on chairs and in the corners–and pronounced the setting unworthy of a national football league club. ‘this is a disgrace!’ he had remarked.” in one moment, one comment, lombardi announced his intentions, made his vision and professionalism clear, and began to shake up a stale organization.

it reveals far more about the man than wins and losses, and is the kind of moment maraniss uses again and again in this superb resurrection of a figure who so symbolized a sporting era and sensibility.

my review: . overall i thought the book was very well written and AMAZINGLY comprehensive. it had an enormous amount of detail – you felt as if you literally knew lombardi and his family. i was fascinated by the reality of his experiences and trials – not just football related but throughout his life.

the first part was heavy on his coming of age, which i found a bit hard to get through – as i’m not obsessed with football, just the packers. i wanted the packer stuff! but most people i’m sure would find this fabulous – not a bad thing, just my impatience.

i must admit, i started and stopped this book several times since october. this was my last attempt – i figured i hadn’t been in the mood and i was trying to distance myself from the play on broadway (which i LOVED). as i did finally make it through, i realized, i had not appreciated the depth and breath that the author went through and covered to teach me about lombardi. he captured a man that i grew up with  and only knew from quotes and the speech hanging on my dad’s classroom wall.

it was a wonderful chance for a wisconsinite and packer fan to gain and understanding from an author that was true to lombardi and exemplified authenticity.

my rating: 3.5/5

my recommendation: i know it’s a shocker that i didn’t love and fall all over the book - this was a tough one. i saw the play on broadway several months ago – love it! – see [here]. i think this was a lot of my problem…i had the play in my head the whole time as i read.

other reviews:
book browse
new york times
post gazette

**rating scale – stars: out of 5

1 star: not a fan – at all. i couldn’t finish the book.
1.5 stars: not worth my time. definitely, thought about putting it down and moving on to something else.
2 stars: fine. nothing to write home about.
2.5 stars: was ok, but if i hadn’t read it i’d live.
3 stars: enjoyed the book but was bothered by a particular aspect.
3.5 stars: glad i read it. would recommend it but isn’t one that stays in my permanent collection (i won’t be moving it with me to my next apartment).
4 stars: i really enjoyed this book. had no problem getting through it and would recommend it to my friends and family.
4.5 stars: loved it. lingers on my mind – actively promoting for others to read.
5 stars: fabulous! can’t stop thinking about it. worth re-reading – highlighted passages and made a impact.