The Help, by Kathryn Stockett is an amazing first novel!

April 20, 2009 on 3:05 pm | In Fiction, Kay's Picks | No Comments

Up until about a week ago, if someone were to ask me what my all time favorite book was, I’d probably say it was Prodigal Summer, by Barbara Kingsolver. Well, move over, Barbara! Kathryn Stockett has hit the shelves!

Stockett’s first novel–first novel!–The Help, is just about as good as a book can get. Set in 1962 Mississippi, The Help focuses on the complex relationships between black maids and the white families they work for. The point of view shifts between three characters: Skeeter, a young white woman who just finished college and wants to be a journalist; and Minny and Aibileen, black women who “tend to” white families. I know this will sound trite, but I’m gonna say it anyway–this book made me laugh, and it made me cry, again and again. I hated to see it end.

I didn’t actually read this book, I listened to it. I always keep an audiobook going in my car, and to listen to when I walk. This one had me making up excuses to drive across town, and did wonders for my exercise routine! I find listening to books to be a much different experience than reading them, and this is one I highly recommend as an audiobook. (I downloaded it from Audible.com.) Three different narrators read the three main characters: Skeeter, Minnie, and Aibileen, lending a wonderful richness to the listening experience.

Ms. Stockett–I can only hope you’re hard at work on another book, and that it’s half as good as this one!

Read with me!
Kay


Freelance writer in the market for some self discipline!

April 20, 2009 on 2:18 pm | In Freelance writing | No Comments

I have time–the hours between 8:45 am and 3:05 pm are mine, all mine.

I have a laptop computer. It’s missing two keys, the o and the p, but long ago I learned to hit the empty spaces where the keys belong just right, and it works fine.

I have wireless internet service at home–and at my favorite coffee shops.

I have a beautiful office center in my bedroom–not a whole office–but a very functional and attractive space to work.

I have several writing assignments to work on.

I have a gift for wasting time.

Today is Friday. Today marks the end of the my third full week of stay-at-home motherhood and freelance-writerdom. What do I have to show for it? A few blog posts and a lot of unaccounted-for time.

I need to develop a daily routine and stick to it. I need to limit the time I spend checking email and websurfing before I start writing; set goals for what I want to accomplish each week.

I keep thinking I should find some books about time management skills for freelance writers, small business owners, or work-at-home types. But wouldn’t reading about time management really just be an excuse to waste more time?

I need to take a lesson from the folks at Nike and…“Just do it!”

Write with me!

Kay


Testimony, by Anita Shreve

April 2, 2009 on 3:11 pm | In Fiction, Kay's Picks | No Comments

Do you remember when Oprah’s Book Club was all the rage? Maybe it still is, for many people, but Oprah lost me when she moved away from just plain good fiction. Oh, those were the days! There’s something about the experience of reading a book, then being able to talk about it with other readers, and in its heyday, that’s what Oprah’s Book Club did for me. I’d read her latest pick as soon as possible, knowing many of my regular bookmobile customers would do the same. And then we’d talk books. As you may have guessed, that’s my idea of fun!

Anita Shreve is an author I learned about because of Oprah. Shreve’s book The Pilot’s Wife was an Oprah book, and one I really liked. She’s written a bunch of books since then. Her latest, Testimony is my favorite to date.

Testimony is the story of a sex-tape scandal that tears apart a private school and the small town where the school is located. The story unfolds via the shifting viewpoints of several characters, so the reader has a stake in each of their experiences, and comes to understand the complex storyline through a variety of eyes. The rich characters are, of course, the heart of the story, but be warned, Shreve describes the sexual incident that’s the centerpiece of the drama in detail.

Reading Testimony reminded me of Shreve’s talent as a writer. I think I’ll go back and see if she wrote anything that I missed. I can only hope!

Read with me!
Kay


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