The Help

This book made me soar. It is full of awful and sad things, but more importantly, inspiring and beautiful things. Once I got going, I couldn't put it down. The story Ms. Stockett weaves between the black and white women in the Mississippi of 1964 is phenomenal. I was touched reading about each of their lives, each different and yet similar, each struggling with their own personal issues underneath the heavy strain of a separatist state. I loved the small steps toward enlightenment taken on all sides of the main characters…watching them have those revelatory thoughts and moments that made them (and me) grow. Then watching those small but important thoughts lead to small but important actions was thrilling. I am quite attached to a few of the characters and wish I could read more about them right this minute, even though I just finished it! This book deserves every one of the five stars I gave it.

Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Bestiary

Weird, hilarious, upsetting, confusing, creative and awesome. That's pretty much this little book in a nutshell, David Sedaris' books keep doing that to me. But I think that is how they are designed! He always keeps me guessing and while sometimes it is clear he is making a social commentary, sometimes he makes me snort with laughter. Well, I don't really snort, but I do laugh out loud. I have to say that while a little unnerving at times, it was fun to read about all of these symptoms of society from the viewpoint of these crazy animals. I gave this book 3 stars.