What I Read This Summer

So while I was on my blogging hiatus this summer, believe it or not, I actually read some books!  Real books!  Adult books!  Books that didn't have pictures!  It was a beautiful thing!

Here's a brief summary of what I read:

"She Makes It Look Easy" by Marybeth Whalen
Oh my goodness - I just LOVED this book!  I read it in a weekend.  Ariel and Justine become neighbors when Ariel moves into Justine's best friends home after she moves.  Justine always seems to have to all together - the baking, the crafting, the matching outfits for her girls, the perfect husband.  Ariel is real - disorganized at times, trying to run a home photography business, frustrated with her husband who always seems to be travelling for work.  Ariel wants to BE Justine -- until things don't seem to add up.  This book came to me at just the right time.  If you ever thought that you could do better as a mom and that you always wanted to be "THAT mom", then you need to read this book.  It is the epitome of "the grass is NOT always greener."

"The Pile of Stuff at the Bottom of the Stairs by Christina Hopkinson
I really wanted to like this book.  I really wanted to FINISH this book.  But I didn't.  I couldn't.  It started to grate on my nerves.  Mary - the main character - is a working mom.  She starts to keep a log of things that her husband does to annoy her.  The summary on the inside of the dust jacket made it seem like this book was going to be quirky and funny, but after about the 4th chapter of her ranting on every single thing her husband did wrong, it started to become old.  And it continued for page after page after page.  Until I just couldn't stand it any more and gave up.  I put the book in the Goodwill pile and moved on to.......

"The Help" by Kathryn Stockett 
If you haven't read the book yet or heard about the movie, then might I suggest that you click on the title and read about it at Amazon -- go ahead...I'll wait.  This was by FAR, the best book I've read since "A Thousand Splendid Suns" and "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood".  I could NOT put it down and took it with me everywhere.  Whenever I had a spare minute, I had the book open.   Taking place in the 60s during the tumultuous times in the South, Stockett weaves a tale of three strong women - Skeeter, Abilene, and Minny - as they bond over writing a book about what it was like for black maids to work in white households.  I can't pinpoint exactly what it was that made me love this book so much - but I laughed, I cried, and I certainly would read it again.  I even went to see the movie on opening night - and I was not disappointed.  As with any movie adapted from a book, there was some creative license - a few things changed here and there, but overall, I believe the integrity of the book was maintained.  HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommended!

"Now You See Her" by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge
I really enjoy James Patterson's books, particularly his Alex Cross series.  But lately it seems like he's taken the road of Danielle Steel and Mary Higgins Clark and putting out what seems like a book every other month.  I just finished reading "Now You See Her" about two days ago.  It was the quick summer read that I needed so close on the heels of finishing "The Help".  The plot is simple - girl changes identity and starts new life.  The twists along the way are somewhat shallow and predictable, but overall it was an enjoyable book to read. 

So what have you been reading this summer?