the help.

Guess who's on a string of good books? ME! Though they are super late, much like the July entries, the August reviews were good books!! YAAAY! First up, The Help, a book everyone and their mama has probably read by now. I purchased it as a gift for a friend for her birthday in January. When I started seeing previews for the movie, I asked if I could borrow it and made quick work of it, despite the fact that the hardcover version looks like it's 2930 pages.

The Help isn't my normal fare, as you can tell by the reviews here, but I do so enjoy reading books that are made into movies. I really liked this book, down to the author's acknowledgement at the end about her feelings writing in the voice of black women. I thought it was a strong debut novel from Kathryn Stockett.

The story is told from three POVs (two black maids and one white young lady), but is mostly based around Aibileen. It covers how black Americans were treated in the 1960s while we went through the Civil Rights Movement, how the maids in particular were treated, what they did... It touches on a lot of subjects in it's 2930 pages. The book made me angry at several parts, but with a topic like that, it's going to evoke that response if it's done anywhere close to right. I liked it, at least in part because you don't always get a book like that, or maybe it would be more accurate to say that I don't often read books like that.

the gift.

Extremely successful executive, Lou Suffern is always overstretched, immune to the holiday spirit that delights everyone around him. The classic workaholic who never has a moment to spare, he is always multitasking while shortchanging his devoted wife and their adorable children. And ever since he started competing for a big promotion, he has barely seen his family at all.

One frigid morning in an uncharacteristic burst of generosity, he buys a cup of coffee for Gabe, a homeless man huddled outside his office building. Inspired by his own unexpected act of kindness, Lou decides to prolong his charitable streak and contrives to get Gabe a job in his company's mailroom. But when Gabe begins to meddle in Lou's life, the helping hand appears to be a serious mistake. Gabe seems to know more about Lou than Lou does about himself, and, perhaps more disturbingly, Gabe always seems to be in two places at once.

With Lou's personal and professional fates at important crossroads and Christmas looming, Gabe resorts to some unorthodox methods to show his stubborn patron what truly matters and how precious the gift of time is. But can he help him fix what's broken before it's too late?
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Cecelia Ahern is one of my favorite authors. That might seem odd when you consider she has less than 10 books published, but it's true. I have read five of her seven books and only one was less than stellar (There's No Place Like Here). The first one I read was PS I Love You and it remains one of my favorite books. What I love about her books is the mix of fantasy and reality. How she makes me think "What if this really was happening?" If you've never read her books, pick one at random and go!

Now, on to this book in particular. As expected, Ahern has crafted an unbelievable story with The Gift. Lou is not a great guy. He does a lot of hurtful things to his family that he doesn't even realize until this time in his life. He's probably like a lot of men, a lot of people that way. But in this book, Lou is given the chance to redeem himself. Every action, every chapter, every page is laced with the idea of second chances, of life/work balance, of spending your time here on Earth wisely without pushing and being overbearing. The story is, in true Ahern fashion, thought provoking and heartbreaking. It makes you think and, more importantly, it makes you feel. Yes, it's another holiday story out of the holiday season, but it is fantastic. I suggest you read this one or any of her other books pronto.

the bikini car wash.

While perusing through a selection of e-books, I came across The Bikini Car Wash by Pamela Morsi. I randomly requested a copy to go along with the romance books I was selecting. And I am so, so glad I did. I absolutely positively loved, loved, loved this book. I had originally intended to read some of it over the course of a few days, but got so into it that I read it in one day. Every time I tried to walk away from the computer, I'd come right back and pull the story up again.

The book is about a young woman (Andi) who returns to her hometown when her mother dies. In the big city, she has a great job, but she can't manage to find one at home. Eventually, with the help of two other unemployed women in town, they come up with the idea to open a car wash with a gimmick - they wash the cars wearing their bikinis.

For me (and I think for most people), it's important that I like the main characters and care about what happens to them. In this book, I liked all of the characters. Though the relationship between Andi and Pete (former high school crush) could have used some work, I didn't mind too much because I knew it wasn't really the focus of the book. I also could have done without the sidebar of Andi's father Walt and his relationship. What I enjoyed most was what I believe the point of the book was - Andi and how she transitions and changes into a new life. How she learns that some things in her life weren't the way she'd always believed them to be and how she moves on from there. Andi was definitely the most defined of the characters and, as a reader, I wanted her to do well and figure how to deal with the changes in her life.

All that said, I just liked the book. Truly, thoroughly enjoyed it. I've actually got my eye on another one or two of Morsi's book because of how great I thought this one was.