Taking a break

I'm taking a break. From reading. From writing. I'll be back but right now I'm letting myself take a break. Keep your google alerts on because one day soon - "I'll be back".

The Kitchen House - Kathleen Grissom

I read The Kitchen House too close to reading The Help. The two stories are extremely different and set in completely different time frames, which may speak to a white reviewers inability to seperate two black stories from each other. Where The Help had some likable white characters, The Kitchen House had few. The main characters of The Kitchen House are a black woman, born of the father of the current master of the house but too black to pass for white so she's raised as a servant, and a white orphan from Ireland who joins the family when she is four but is relegated to the kitchen and raised with the servants for most of her life. Eventually the white girl, Lavinia, is educated by t master's wife and takes her place among white society. The plantation's family is dysfunctional to say the least. The master travels until his death, handing the family business over to his troubled son. The son, not realizing the pretty black girl in the kitchen is his sister, rapes her and then drives the family business into the ground but not before marrying Lavinia and wreaking havoc in his path.
If you are a history buff and don't mind reading about death, destruction, and the pain of slavery this book may be for you.

Super sad true love story

I started this book and couldnt' get past page 25. Once I realized the talking otter was real, I just couldn't keep reading. It seems I may be the only one that doesn't like this book though because it was written up in Oprah and, ever since, has been on the best seller list. This, of course, begs the question - Does Oprah make the best seller list or....well, nevermind, Oprah obviously makes the best seller list.

Room - Emma Donoghue

In Room a son describes in playful and vibrant details his mother’s ability to create amazing and fun games from everyday objects. They play eggsnake (a snake made of eggshells) and move furniture for Jack to practice his running. Jack revels in his mother’s games and forgives her occasional inability to get him things he wants (like candles for his birthday cake). The biggest inconvenience in Jack's young life is that he must begin his evenings in the wardrobe in order to avoid running into a man named Old Nick.
Old Nick is Jack and his mother’s captor and, it turns out, Jack’s biological father. When Jack’s mother hatches a plan to escape, Jack is thrown into a brand new world he doesn’t want and can’t understand.


Room takes a topic that could be dreadful - kidnapping, rape, abuse – and turns it into a story of love, perseverance, and hope.

I read this book in about 3 days (hours, here and there). It’s a quick read and very unique. I definitely suggest you pick it up. The website for Room is very cool, it has an actual rendering of the "room" with voice over narration - Inside Room.

On that note, after speaking with an author friend of mine (I’ll let you guess who that might be), my reviews are going to go back (toward) the more honest. I can’t read a book without reviewing it so I’m going to try to give it to you mostly straight and only recommend the stories I really like. I’d love to hear if you agree with my choices or not. Please leave comments when you are so inclined.

Thank you for visiting my blog.

A Reliable Wife - Robert Goolrick

In the same vein as Madame Bovary, A Reliable Wife by Robert Goodrick lays out the story of Ralph Truitt, a one-time playboy turned business man, as he places an ad for a wife and gets more than he bargained for. Catherine Land thought she could enter Ralph's life and take more than she would give but in matters of the heart this story proves one never knows what can happen. A Reliable Wife weaves the story of three troubled people as they all strive for what everyone thinks they want - happiness.
If you are a fan of historical fiction and plot twists this novel is for you.

I'm officially a regular contributor to NRAS blog!

Please check out the North River Arts Society Writer's blog. I have recently become a regular contributor. I'll be posting weekly (that's the goal at least) about writing, conferences, reading, and anything related to the arts. I am hoping to have a new post up by every Friday so check back regularly!