Choosing A Great Read

If you follow me on Twitter, than you know there's been a lot of book talk lately. I've always been a big fan of the written word and actual books are still my favorite...although my iPad library has a nice collection too. And as a self-proclaimed writer, with book ideas of my own floating around my brain and Word docs on my computer, books are important to me. So I thought I'd share with you all how I decide on which books to read, since I think it's a bit unique or weird, however you want to look at it!

1. If it's recommended, consider the source and then more than likely read it right away.
A lot of my friends are big readers too, and I always like to know what great books they've recently finished and I take these recommendations very seriously. People don't usually recommend books that don't make you feel something or that just flat out suck. I've got a great group of friends, and none of them are anything like the next one, so this always makes for an interesting selection of books. From new age stuff to deep theology, and the current best seller to some trashy romance novel, my friends have read them all. And it's always nice to read something from a new or interesting perspective. Although I admit that I'm behind on this list of recommendations.

2. Judge the cover.
Yep. You read that right. I judge the cover of books. I'm part graphic designer, how could I not? If I don't like the design or if I think I could have made it better in an easy way, I don't read it. Or I look to see if there are other cover designs for it...thank you Amazon! Also, if a book was made into a movie and the actors are on the cover, that is not the one I pick. I like the original art better, although I did make an exception for my copy of The Help. And if it's an old book without the cover sleeve...even better! Nothing to judge if it's not there!

3. Feel it up. 
This kind of goes along with the design in general but if I book is awkward to hold or just doesn't feel right, I'll look for it in a different form. I prefer books in soft covers simply because they are easier to hold and seem more comfortable. Packaging is important, people!

4. Read the first paragraph.
If you're not drawn in after that first paragraph, you're not going to want to continue reading the whole book. Authors kill themselves over that first paragraph, it's obviously one of the most important pieces.

5. Read the last sentence.
I'm serious. It gives you just enough of a juicy stopping point that you wonder what happened to lead up to that moment and it's just as important as that first paragraph...if not more. And if you end up getting the book, you'll more than likely forget what it said by the time you finish reading the book anyway. Since it's so short it's not like you are ruining the ending for yourself.

6. Turn to a page and read a random paragraph.
I stole this one from one of my favorite professors at Seton Hill who has actually recommended books to me that are now some of my favorites. He always picked page 58 (if I'm remembering correctly) but I've decided to pick the page with my age. So until July, every author better hope that their 24th page is a knockout. And again, it's not like you're giving anything away, reading a couple sentences from a random page isn't going to tell you everything about the characters or give up a major plot twist and you will more than likely forget what you've read once you get into it. But if you're hooked because of those few sentences, you'll more than likely be hooked through the whole book.

It's not science, but it helps. Especially if you're choosing between two random books you found at the library that you've never heard of - like me earlier this week, when all the books recommended to me were checked out at the library. How do you decide on what to read?

Book reviews previously posted:

Still Alice | The Help | The Family Fang | Heaven Is For Real | Incendiary

The Age of Miracles | Gone Girl | Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore

Office Girl | Trains and Lovers | I was told there'd be cake

Helping The Help?

Yesterday afternoon I was sitting in Katz Plaza, finally snagging an available eye-bench, unheard of on a beautiful sunny day, and finished reading the last few chapters of The Help. After reading, like always, I took some notes on the book but looked around to see what was going on around me. Nothing out of the ordinary, but from the world of the book I was just in, the scene around me would have been unheard of.

Original Cover of The Help

If you've read the book or (cheated) and saw the movie first, which was recently in theaters, then you might understand what the scene around me was like. But if not, I'll put it plainly for you. I'm a white girl and around me was a crowd primarily of black people. While I cannot even imagine this ever being a problem, in the time of The Help, I would not have been very welcomed in that crowd and if I was raised "properly" I would have never sat there to beginning with. It blows my mind that people separated themselves in this kind of way for so long because one of the most important people in my life is black and I could not imagine life without him now. Granted, MJ and I still get looks when we're in certain areas but I still don't get it.

Kathryn Stockett's novel is beautiful. Primarily, it is told through the perspectives of three women, two black and one white. (Aibileen, Minny and Miss Skeeter.) And is about them wanting the write a novel from the point of view of the help about the white families they are employed by during the time of the 1960's. I loved how much detail was put in to each one of the characters, they were each so strong and beautiful in their own ways. I loved that each chapter took on a different character's perspective of what was going on, but you could always tell who was talking simply based on how they talked, and how they thought about the others and their daily lives.

I loved the character Aibileen the most. She actually reminded me of MJ's mama over and over again through this book. I just loved that she knew hard times and she got scared when taking big risks, but that her faith always guided her forward. She is just the most powerful character in the book and I'm sure in the movie too, since Viola Davis plays her, which automatically says power-woman in my mind. One of my favorite parts in the novel, which I'm hoping made it to the movie is right after their book comes out and there is a meeting at Aibileen and Minny's church. (For those of you who read the book, you should know what I'm talking about.) Firstly, I love this part because of the support that comes out but then, I cannot get over that Aibileen instantly thinks of Miss Skeeter instead of herself, wanting her to be there.

Miss Skeeter: Emma Stone, Minny: Octavia Spencer & Aibileen: Viola Davis

Throughout the novel, I had the feeling that I just couldn't believe this all was still going on in the 60's. Of course while I was learning about the Civil Rights movement in school I knew that was the time period for it, but now it seems like it wasn't that long ago. And to be honest, sometimes it still feels like we have not moved on too far from it. One of the major themes in the novel also struck me pretty hard, that all of these white children were raised by these black maids who loved them and taught them everything from their first words and potty-training to how to be proper ladies and driving cars. The book talks about all the children that Aibileen raises (17 in total) but still mentions that she cannot keep them from "becoming their mothers." Like no matter what she does or says to them, as children they will love her with everything they have but once they grow up and have families of their own, they become the same people their parents were, which usually included not being very nice to their help either. I loved the relationship between Aibileen and her "last baby" Mae Mobley. While her mother Elizabeth paid little attention to her, Aibileen always made sure that Mae understood that she was kind, smart and important, which warmed my heart every time it was mentioned in the book. (It's also the part some of us at work like to say to each other when we're getting a little stressed.)

Overall, I loved the book because I could really get into it. I saw myself as Miss Skeeter a lot, because I'm sure I would be the "rebel white girl who liked to write." I loved to hear about certain characters triumphs and loved to hear when not so awesome things happened to characters I did not like, just like in real life! (haha) I also really felt a part of it, because the dialect was so well written that I felt the Southern tone of each different character and their personality. My only complaint is that I'm getting tired of the idea that blacks cannot do anything without the help of white people. See: The Blindside or Freedom Writers for further information on that topic. I liked that Stockett seemed to be trying to steer away from that storyline by making Aibileen and Minny such powerful characters but the hint of it was still there. And to be real honest, we'll never get over the race issue in this country if the, whites as the upper-hand helpers, is always part of our basic plot.