The Help by Kathryn Stockett

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I absolutely loved this! I got this for my mother for Christmas and she pressed it on me as soon as she was finished.

Segregated Mississippi in the early 1960's and domestic service are about as different of a world for me as the Gion geisha district in Memoirs of a Geisha was. And as with Memoirs I was skeptical about what the author could possibly do with those respective subject matters. And with each I was surprised by how quickly I became engaged with the story and the characters' lives.

Aibileen and Minnie are longtime friends that have been working for the white women of Jackson for years and years. When the story opens Aibileen is working for the Leefolt family. Missus Elizabeth Leefolt listens to everything her friend Hilly says and their other friend, Skeeter bristles silently and the black help pretend they don't hear anything at all.

Then one day Miss Hilly insists that every house employing black help must have separate facilities. They have different diseases she claims. And within a few weeks Aibileen has to use a new bathroom built outside the house. This one further act of segregation drives Skeeter to wonder how the maids feel about working for the white ladies. She decides to write a book of interviews but finds it's harder than she had expected to get anyone to speak up, But it was this bathroom segregation and the insult that came with it as well that finally gave Aibileen courage enough to speak up and help Skeeter.

I can't speak for how accurately this depicted segregated South and black women in the 60's but it was a really good story and I'm glad it came my way.


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Historical Fiction Challenge

30 Day Book Meme -- Day Ten

Day 10 – Favorite classic book

Day 01 - The Best Book You Read Last Year 
Day 02 - A Book That You Have Read More than thrice
Day 03 - Your favorite series 
Day 04 -Favorite book of favorite series 
Day 05 - A book that makes you happy 
Day 06- A book that makes you sad
Day 07 – Most underrated book
Day 08 - Most overrated book
Day 09 -  A book you thought you wouldn’t like but ended up 


Day 11 – A book you hated
Day 12 – A book you used to love but don’t anymore
Day 13 – Your favorite author
Day 14 – Favorite book of your favourite writer
Day 15 – Favourite male character
Day 16 – Favourite female character
Day 17 – Favourite quote(s) from your favourite book(s)
Day 18 – A book that disappointed you
Day 19 – Favourite book turned into a movie
Day 20 – Favourite romance book
Day 21 – Favourite book from your childhood
Day 22 – Favourite book you own
Day 23 – A book you wanted to read for a long time but still haven’t
Day 24 – A book that you wish more people would’ve read
Day 25 – A character who you can relate to the most
Day 26 – A book that changed your opinion about something
Day 27 – The most surprising plot twist or ending
Day 28 – Favourite title(s)
Day 29 – A book everyone hated but you liked
Day 30 – Your favourite book of all time

Heartless by Gail Carriger

Heartless by Gail Carriger

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

WHAT am I going to do for a month now waiting for the next one!? We left Alexia in Blameless in the early stages of her pregnancy and with some tantalizing hints of what kind if child a preternatural and supernatural would have. Heartless starts off five months later with Alexia in the final stages of her pregnancy and still trying to run around investigating a ghostly tip that the Queen may be in danger.

I've never really read anything with a pregnant heroine before, it was kind of a cool new perspective. And my God that kid sure has taken long enough to put in an appearance -- it's not until the final chapters that the highly unconventional birth takes place. And the implications we are left with at the end of the book are interesting enough that I've already pre-ordered Timeless.

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Get Steampunked! | Historical Fiction Challenge

30 Day Book Meme -- Day Nine

Day 09 –  A book you thought you wouldn’t like but ended up loving

Day 01 - The Best Book You Read Last Year 
Day 02 - A Book That You Have Read More than thrice
Day 03 - Your favorite series 
Day 04 -Favorite book of favorite series 
Day 05 - A book that makes you happy 
Day 06- A book that makes you sad
Day 07 – Most underrated book
Day 08 - Most overrated book

Day 10 – Favourite classic book
Day 11 – A book you hated
Day 12 – A book you used to love but don’t anymore
Day 13 – Your favorite author
Day 14 – Favorite book of your favourite writer
Day 15 – Favourite male character
Day 16 – Favourite female character
Day 17 – Favourite quote(s) from your favourite book(s)
Day 18 – A book that disappointed you
Day 19 – Favourite book turned into a movie
Day 20 – Favourite romance book
Day 21 – Favourite book from your childhood
Day 22 – Favourite book you own
Day 23 – A book you wanted to read for a long time but still haven’t
Day 24 – A book that you wish more people would’ve read
Day 25 – A character who you can relate to the most
Day 26 – A book that changed your opinion about something
Day 27 – The most surprising plot twist or ending
Day 28 – Favourite title(s)
Day 29 – A book everyone hated but you liked
Day 30 – Your favourite book of all time

30 Day Book Meme -- Day Eight

Day 08 – Most overrated book

Day 01 - The Best Book You Read Last Year 
Day 02 - A Book That You Have Read More than thrice
Day 03 - Your favorite series 
Day 04 -Favorite book of favorite series 
Day 05 - A book that makes you happy 
Day 06- A book that makes you sad
Day 07 – Most underrated book

Day 09 – A book you thought you wouldn’t like but ended up loving
Day 10 – Favourite classic book
Day 11 – A book you hated
Day 12 – A book you used to love but don’t anymore
Day 13 – Your favorite author
Day 14 – Favorite book of your favourite writer
Day 15 – Favourite male character
Day 16 – Favourite female character
Day 17 – Favourite quote(s) from your favourite book(s)
Day 18 – A book that disappointed you
Day 19 – Favourite book turned into a movie
Day 20 – Favourite romance book
Day 21 – Favourite book from your childhood
Day 22 – Favourite book you own
Day 23 – A book you wanted to read for a long time but still haven’t
Day 24 – A book that you wish more people would’ve read
Day 25 – A character who you can relate to the most
Day 26 – A book that changed your opinion about something
Day 27 – The most surprising plot twist or ending
Day 28 – Favourite title(s)
Day 29 – A book everyone hated but you liked
Day 30 – Your favourite book of all time

30 Day Book Meme -- Day Seven

Day 07 – Most underrated book

Day 01 - The Best Book You Read Last Year 
Day 02 - A Book That You Have Read More than thrice
Day 03 - Your favorite series 
Day 04 -Favorite book of favorite series 
Day 05 - A book that makes you happy 
Day 06- A book that makes you sad

Day 08 – Most overrated book
Day 09 – A book you thought you wouldn’t like but ended up loving
Day 10 – Favourite classic book
Day 11 – A book you hated
Day 12 – A book you used to love but don’t anymore
Day 13 – Your favorite author
Day 14 – Favorite book of your favourite writer
Day 15 – Favourite male character
Day 16 – Favourite female character
Day 17 – Favourite quote(s) from your favourite book(s)
Day 18 – A book that disappointed you
Day 19 – Favourite book turned into a movie
Day 20 – Favourite romance book
Day 21 – Favourite book from your childhood
Day 22 – Favourite book you own
Day 23 – A book you wanted to read for a long time but still haven’t
Day 24 – A book that you wish more people would’ve read
Day 25 – A character who you can relate to the most
Day 26 – A book that changed your opinion about something
Day 27 – The most surprising plot twist or ending
Day 28 – Favourite title(s)
Day 29 – A book everyone hated but you liked
Day 30 – Your favourite book of all time

Blameless by Gail Carriger

Blameless by Gail Carriger

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I'm really tearing through this series fast -- too fast, there's still a few weeks to go until the release of the final one and I'll be done with Heartless long before that -- how will I ever fill that void?

This picks up immediately after the events of Changeless and has Alexia hightailing it to Europe in search of some answers with the trusty Floote and Madame Lefoux in tow. I was really getting into learning more about Alexia's soullessness and the Biffy (Lord Akeldama's favorite drone) storyline really intrigued me as well... won't say too much more for fear of spoiling but gah! So many things still left unanswered at the end of this! This installment raised a lot of interesting questions and I'm extremely eager to get to the bottom of it all.

All in all I'm very much enjoying my first serious foray into steampunk. Recommendations for other steampunk novels and series are more than welcome :).

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Get Steampunked! | Historical Fiction Challenge