Now I HAVE to read
Posted by: maureen1900
Date posted: Sat Aug 21 21:03:40 2010
Message:
I read The Help and loved the book. Here are some other books I recently read that I liked a lot:
The Glass Castle: A Memoir -- by Jeannette Walls
Half-Broke Horses: A True-Life Novel -- by Jeannette Walls (a sequel to first book above)
Down River - by John Hart
The Last Child - by John Hart
The House at Riverton - Kate Morton
The Kitchen House: A Novel - by Kathleen Grissom
Snow Flower And The Secret Fan - by Lisa See
The Triumph Of The Sun - by Wilbur Smith
I love this thread, all of us talking about the books we have read and like. Gives us all good ideas.
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If you enjoyed Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, you must read Shanghai Girls, also written by Lisa See. I couldn't put it down. I've heard about The Help from women in my book club, and we've chosen it as a subject. I picked it up yesterday, and I have only read a chapter so far. To be honest, I'm not enjoying the dialect, as it does not seen authentic. As an AA woman whose grandmother, great-grandmother, and other family members and friends, have been ''the help'' in the South, I am particularly interested in the subject matter. I have a BA in English, and toward that end, I read a lot of Zora Neale Hurston, Maya Angelou, and Toni Morrison, among others. Their dialect rang true to me, based on the speech I've actually heard in my older family members. Maybe I'll be able to overlook the issue of dialect as I progress through the book... (eom) Mandi
Also, I must recommend J. California Cooper's Life is Short but Wide. Cooper always delivers beautiful work. For a real page turner, check out The Wrong Mother, by Sophie Hannah... (eom) Mandi
Thank you so much, Mandi. I have a B.S. in Education/English, so we have a lot in common. Reading has been my main pleasure since age four - I live for it. About a year ago I bought a Kindle e-reader, and I love it so much. Never thought I could stand not having a 'real' book in my hands. But I love my Kindle; it has changed my life. I have read a ton of Civil War books lately, but need a break once in a while, so I am off to Amazon to look up these books...............................................................maureen1900
Forgot to add - I found the dialect in The Help to be not very good either. I finally decided to try to overlook it, which I did, and just enjoyed the book...........................................maureen1900
I listened to The Help and the narrators did very well with the dialect. I've written stories in dialect and it is tough. Many writers won't attempt it./mm
Maureen, thanks for the list of books. I'm particularly interested in checking out Lisa See. Barb, I just downloaded a book by Tammi Hoag. I'm very particlular about crime novels. Love some but hate others. We'll see./mm
I loved The Glass Castle...It's truly amazing what people can live through and still keep going.!!
Posted by: Barb
Date posted: Sat Aug 21 20:49:53 2010
Message:
Who wrote "The Help" mm? I checked my library's catalog online and found books under the "Help" category only.
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The Help is by Kathryn Stockett.............................................................................maureen1900
Posted by: Janie
Date posted: Wed Aug 18 18:36:52 2010
Message:
I, also, have heard really good things about The Help. I think I will read it now that I have your recommedation.
I recently became acquainted with a mystery writer by the name of Nancy Pickard. Her latest book is The Scent of Rain and Lightning. I stayed up until the wee hours of the morning finishing it.
I liked it so much that I purchased some of her other ones now in paperback. So far, they haven't been quite as good of Rain but they are The Virgin of White Plains and But, I wouldn't want to die there. (New York).
I haven't been into mysteries in the past but this writer has got me into them.
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Janie, have you read any books by Nevada Barr? The main character is Ann Pigeon and they all take place in a National Park. Barr has been a park ranger. They are all very good. I read all the books she'd written several years back. I need to check if she's written anything lately./mm
I should add that Barr's books are mysteries./mm
No, I haven't read any of hers but it sounds interesting. Next time I'm at the Library or book store, I check her out. Thanks. J.
Posted by: silver
Date posted: Mon Aug 16 20:30:32 2010
Message:
Would this be 'The Help?' lively discussion over dinner the other night with friends - everyone who has read the book says it is great. Must get a copy. I have ordered the newest Kindle version, so I may wait until it arrives - in my lifetime, I hope - and download.
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Bingo Barb, on both counts. The book is The Help and it was those dang quotation marks that screwed me up./mm
mm, is it really a good book or does it just slam the South ?
BB, I have a feeling you would not like it, but I sure would like your take on it. I'm not sure how old you are, but I'm 72 and the things I saw in the South when I was growing up were very similar to what was in the book. I remember blacks used to get off the street when whites were approaching from the opposite direction. The N word was used in front of blacks. I remember sitting at the dinner table and a friend of my grandparents kept usng the N word while my grandmother's maid were serving us. Thinking he did not realize she was there, my sister poked him and motioned towards the maid. This guy said, ''Hell, she knows she's a N----.
mm, I'll read the book and let you know.
That should be sidewalk, not street./mm
BB, from the stories I hear from my 73 year old mother, as well as what my father shared with us before he died, really ring true in The Help. Both my parents were college educated, with Masters degrees in Education, and to make extra money they worked in restaurants and clothing stores they couldn't even patronize. Things have come a long way, but I still get the feeling there are some folks out there who wish things would go back in a much more segregated direction. BTW, my father and his friend authored a musical on this very subject that played Off Broadway in the 80s, so it is indeed near and dear to my heart. (eom) Mandi
...Oh, and I think it's worth noting that I'm a 43 year old woman whose Virginia birth certificate has labeled as ''colored.'' (eom) Mandi
Mandi, how I wish I could type well enough to tell you of the things and impressions I have from that era. It was a time like no other. Maybe one day we can sit down and talk. I think you'd be interested in what I would say.
Well, I think that is one good thing that has come out of this message board. I've had my eyes opened by some of the things the AA posters have written. Can't remember who it was, but someone wrote about how afraid they were that their nephew would be killed and it just sent chills through me to think some perfectly innocent young man could be the victim of violence. And I know it happens./mm
BB, I wish we could sit down and chat a spell. It's wonderful for folks to share experiences, as we could learn so much from one another ;) (eom) Mandi
Who knows, Mandi ? Never say never !
Posted by: Barb
Date posted: Mon Aug 16 19:36:58 2010
Message:
Didn't get the name of the book mm-maybe you used parentheses in the subject line?
Reading Tami Hoag's books now-they are knocking my socks off! lol
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Never read any of hers but I've heard she is also a great writer. J.
I'm listening to a book by Tami Hoag now and I agree that she is a very good writer. I'm thinking this is one book that it's better to read than listen to. I'm having a bit of trouble concentrating./mm
Just finished Kill the Messenger
You are right, Barb. Detective mysteries, or any mystery for that matter are difficult to listen to because you can't go back and reread passages that may have clues. Well, you can, but it's difficult. Also, keeping all the characters straight is difficult./mm
