I loved this book. I couldn't believe it was the author's first, either. I actually listened to the audio version as I commuted back and forth to work, and thought it was very powerful to listen to. Each character was read by a different actress/reader - they were so well done!

I haven't read it, but it sounds like something I'd enjoy. Thanks for the recommendation!
Lynn

This one has been on my list since this past summer. I'm definitely going to get my hands on it soon, now that you've reminded me.

I've just "discovered" a wonderful author, Michael Zadoorian. I first read The Leisure Seeker, which is the story of an elderly couple who, against the wishes of their doctors and children, drive old Route 66 across country in an RV to go to Disneyland as they had in their younger years. She has terminal cancer. He has Alzheimers. It's funny, touching, sad, and just very sweet.

I next read Zadoorian's Second Hand, which I think many in this forum would enjoy. It's about a young man who is a self-professed "junker", going from garage sale to estate sale in order to keep his vintage shop stocked with goodies. He comes to terms with the death of his parents, their years of accumulated "junk", and falls in love. I adored this story.

Oh goodie! I'm so glad to see a few of you loved The Help . I'm on the waiting list at the library for it.

I'll add Jen's Zadoorian books to my list for future reads.

I'm about to start The Widow of the South for my book club. For some reason, I usually don't enjoy Civil War era stories (Cold Mountain comes to mind). I'll be starting it with some hesitation but I've been wrong so many, many times before about books I didn't think I'd like. Water of Elephants. Glass Castle.

I loved A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and To Kill a Mockingbird but I started them expecting to enjoy them and was right.

Thanks for the rec. I'm going to add this to my audio book list.

Speaking of Michael Zadoorian, I just found an article on his kitschy basement bar. I'd love to hang out and have a drink there with Michael and his wife. :-)

Here is a link that might be useful: Metro Times Article

Oh I would love to hear that audio version! I could so clearly hear the characters' voices in my head while reading this book. Thanks for the other recommendations. Off to my library web site to put them on hold!

The Help is the best book I've read this year - it is such a strong story and so authentic. I listened to the audio version which is excellent. According to audible.com, it is their all time highest rated audio book.

Auntjen - thanks for your Zadoorian recommendations. Both books sound very good. I will add to my Goodreads list. Anyone else here a fan of Goodreads?

Linda J

Guess what ? I went and bought The Help, I'm travelling to Dallas friday morning and did not have anything to read.

The problem with amazing books is that it spoils you and then it's trial and error with other novels who may be okay but not totally gripping.

I also bought the Brutal Telling by Louise Penny, I read a review of it and it enticed me, even more so because the author is canadian and it's a murder mystery that is set on the outskirts of Montreal, it's the 5th in a series by this author and she seems to have garnered a lot of followers, according to the amazon reviews I linked below.

Here is a link that might be useful: reviews of Brutal Telling

Oh I love to read books about the south. The Help is going to be on my list. Also, a friend of mine is planning someday to take a trip on Route 66, The Leisure Seeker would be a good suggestion for him since he loves to read.

I'm going to check out The widow of the South also, thanks girls.

....Jane

I read The Help last summer and loved it too. In fact my book club voted to read it as one of our books this year, so I'm hosting the meeting/discussion on it in December. Our club read Beloved by Toni Morrison last year and The Help was an interesting follow up in many ways.

Hmmm, newdawn if you like books about the south I have a few recommendations for you:

Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All by Alan Gurganus is a fantastic LONG sprawling work. Narrated by the eponymous widow, it is definitely a southern work to end all southern works.

Cold Sassy Tree is one that I just read this past summer and enjoyed immensely. A coming of age story set in Georgia at the turn of the (20th) century. Very evocative of a culture, time and place plus a lovely unusual love story combined with a family portrait.

The Miss Julia series by Ann B. Ross are a joy to read. Nominally they are in the suspense genre but also humorous, and the characters really grow on you. I'd advise starting with the first book (I think there are 10 out) and read sequentially. Set in North Carolina, again the author does a superb job of taking you right into the living rooms, churches and small town ways of the South.

Another southern-based series is the Deborah Knott books by Margaret Maron. First book is Bootlegger's Daughter and I was captivated immediately. There are a ton of books that followed and again, a suspense genre that also features an ongoing unlikely but perfect love story, lots of family interaction and a very winning central character.

My Brother Michael by Janis Owens. AMAZING book. This is the first of a unique and absorbing trilogy set in the panhandle of Florida. The next two books retell and extend the central story from different viewpoints of characters who are all tied together. Hard to describe but the three books are some of the best I've ever read. And guaranteed you will practically taste the Sunday dinners and smell the fresh pine air in these books. Great writing.

Thank you runninginplace I saved this list for future reading.

I am so fasninated by the south it's like a secret society I haven't been able to break into yet.

If anyone hasn't read the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, it is wonderful. There is a book club here in Birmingham called Mockingbird and I understand she has been known to sit in from time to time. She never wrote another book after Mockingbird and won't give interviews.

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Here's something I just learned recently about Harper Lee... she and Truman Capote were next door neighbors as children and very close playmates. Both outsiders, he for being too 'girly' and she for being too tomboyish! They were very close for all of their childhood, and from a very young age (I think 8-ish), wrote stories for each other's review! After Truman moved to NY, he enticed Harper Lee to follow him. She took a few dreadful secretarial jobs to pay her rent, etc. After awhile, she met some friends of Truman's, became close to them as well, and a young couple in that group paid her rent for a year so she could quit the job and write To Kill a Mockingbird. Great story, huh?

I just started Leisure Seekers, and can already see that it has the promise to be terrific. I'll put the others mentioned on my list as well. For a 'southern' book with a different perspective, if you have not read Cane River, you should. Changed the images in my mind that the word slavery conjures up....

I just ordered it from Amazon. Look at these ratings the book received!

976 Reviews
5 star: (845)
4 star: (73)
3 star: (30)
2 star: (12)
1 star: (16)

Oakleyok, I requested it from the library early before it got too well known--just checked and the waiting list now is over 300 people! It's so popular my sister, who is a web developer for the library system, can't even check it out from their system(!).

I'm glad to hear the audio one was good too. Sometimes they aren't due to the person reading it. Unfortunately audio is the only book time I'm getting lately. I'm sure as the peanut grows up I'll get back to reading more again.

I picked up The Help at Target yesterday (30% off) and gave it to my Mom for her birthday today. (She's promised to let me borrow it when she's finished, and I can't wait!) It's a rather lengthy book - just the kind I like when they're good!

Bestyears, please let me know what you think when you finish The Leisure Seeker! I'm about to start Zadoorian's collection of short stories next.

Thanks for the book recommendation. I also love books about the South and the civil rights struggle. My book club just finished Blood Done Sign My Name by Timothy Tyson. It is set in his hometown of Ashville, NC and is both interesting and disturbing.

Thanks for the recommendations. I bought the The Help and started it last nite. Great read so far, DD home from school, so not so much time to dedicate. I can't wait to get back to it tho.

Yep, also a real fan of Harper Lee, I usually manage to read To Kill a Mockingird ever other summer by the pool, even though I could tell you the story word for word, there's just something about that book. The movie was good as well and have to say I watch that when I can catch it! How many movies are as good as the book? NONE. LOL

It is hard out there with so many choices in the bookstores, I am thankful for all of the recommendations esp. those by runninginplace. I now have list full, which makes me smile. Nothing better than a great read!

Yes Bestyears I read Cane River probably close to ten years ago and enjoyed it.

If you like Southern Lit, try Family Linen by Lee Smith. I loved that book when I read it--could not put it down.

I started Run with the Horsemen by Ferrol Sams, but had to return it to the library before I was finished (it was getting good, too!). Life has a nasty habit of getting in the way of my literary fun...Had to return The Help before I had read ANY of that. Now I am 248th in line...wahhhhh! Maybe these would be good to just go on and buy :)

Tomorrow, I feel your pain--I just got The Elegance of the Hedgehog from the library last weekend after waiting literally ALL summer long. And since it's such a high demand book, it's due back tomorrow! Here's my tip: I have decided that at .10/day, it's ok for me to keep a book from the library long enough to finish it. After all it would take a lot of ten-cent days to equal the cost of buying the book. Plus, paying fines to the public library is a worthy expenditure given how incredibly much money the library saves this book addict. I will add that I try to read high demand books quickly, and finish late books ASAP because I know others are waiting. Still, when I've waited myself for months I finish the darn book before I take it back.

If your library charges exorbitant fines, please disregard :).

Ann
who is going to be paying a late fine on The Elegance of the Hedgehog for sure

I just picked up The Elegance of the Hedgehog from the library last night. I only added it my hold list 2 weeks ago so I didn't have to wait long. I have to hide it from myself so that I don't start reading it before I start my Oct book club book. For some reason I am just dragging my feet on that one.

I don't mind paying the 50 cents for holds or an occasional late charge (for forgetfulness!) since every little bit helps the Library. For awhile though, I wasn't putting books on hold since I wasn't always in town to go pick them when they became available and the fee still applied. I also didn't remember to contact them to put a hold on my holds if I was away so if I missed the pick-up I still had to pay AND I lost my spot on the waiting list. Then I thought to myself - geez, it's 50 cents and they need the money! Don't be so darn cheap!

Now I add anything to my hold list that isn't available the day I stop at the library. The only downside is now I pick up books at various times and have various due dates. They will be making money on me in late fees because I'll forget what is due when! It's still cheaper than buying books.

Hhireno, your library charges for holds? Mine doesn't and what is really nice is that everything is online now. I love it. I can request books and then just log on to see where I am on the wait list. I get an email when the book is ready for pick up.

As for returns, I can pull up the list of books that are checked out online, and then sort by due date. If I want, I can renew books online too.

Love the virtual library. The only downside is that I rarely ever browse the stacks anymore. Instead I browse everywhere I suppose, because now wherever and whenever I see a book that seems interesting I just log on and request it.

Ann

Yes, there is a 50 cent fee when you request a hold. After they notify you that the book is available, you have one week to pick it up or it goes to the next person. Even if you don't pick it up the fee is charged. Seems fair to me since you prevented anyone else from getting the book the week they held it for you.

You can contact them & tell them to suspend your hold list, if you know you won't be able to pick the book up, that way you can stay on the list but the book can circulate to others.

I can also do the on-line stuff:browse the catalog, check due dates, etc. My late fees are usually due to just plain old forgetting which day the book was due.

Sure, I cudda checked on-line and even renewed on-line but that requires me remembering to do it. Not one of my strong points. If I'm out of reading material then I'm on top of things. But if I have plenty to read I don't think about getting to the library or that I've had the books out for longer than 3 weeks.

My husband is now wise to my tricks. It used to be if I realized a book was late I'd say "can you drop this off at the library for me?" and then he would pay the fine. Amused me to stick him with the fee!

I'm easily amused but forgetful. And a little mean, I guess.
Jean

she and Truman Capote were next door neighbors as children and very close playmates. Both outsiders, he for being too 'girly' and she for being too tomboyish!

I've read that she based Scout and Dill on that childhood relationship.

My all-time favorite book and movie!

I'm half way through The Help; I love the writing style and how quickly I became engaged with the characters and the theme ; I'm tempted to rush to the end and see what happens, that's just my impatient nature.

I gave my mom a copy of The Help for her birthday recently, and she told me a couple of days ago that she'd finished it in record time (couldn't put it down), and was really sad when she'd read it all - because she wanted it to go on and on! She pronounced it one of the best books she's ever read, and now I can't wait to borrow it from her myself!

Can anyone tell me if this book is appropriate for an 80 year-old woman? I picked it up to give to DH's "Nana" for Christmas, but want to make sure there's nothing too racy in there first!

danielleg, I think my 80 year old aunt will enjoy it. More then likely she'll be able to relate to some of the characters.

I was a child in 1950, living in the South, and I fondly remember the ladies who worked in our home. I hope that they considered my parents as 'good employers'. I do remember my mom and 'Pearl' sitting in the kitchen having pleasant conversations.

I also remember drives taking Pearl home in the afternoon and seeing 'that' side of the tracks...sad.

Great book.

ML

Nothing racy in it, ot at least nothing that will shock her.....

I have an eight of the book left and I'm saving it for the weekend when I'll be able to sit and read it all in one swoop; from now until then I'll only have short periods of time and I don't want to finish it in 2 page increments.