The Help by Kathryn Stockett

 The Help by Kathryn Stockett-451 pages

⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2

Aibileen is a black maid in 1962 Jackson, Mississippi, who's always taken orders quietly, but lately she's unable to hold her bitterness back. Her friend Minny has never held her tongue but now must somehow keep secrets about her employer that leave her speechless. White socialite Skeeter just graduated college. She's full of ambition, but without a husband, she's considered a failure. 

Together, these seemingly different women join together to write a tell-all book about work as a black maid in the South, that could forever alter their destinies and the life of a small town...

Thoughts: I've seen the movie, but I hadn't read the book. This is our next book for the Book to Movie Club. It is really good and it makes one think critically about the perspective of others. For a long time after the Civil War and Reconstruction Era (circa 1861-1876), blacks were not seen as equals to whites. This is illustrated by the Plessy v. Ferguson decision of 1897 which established the separate but equal doctrine (and the "one drop" rule) that perpetuated until the Brown v. Board of Education decision of 1954 and beyond in some areas (such as Mississippi, which is the setting for this book). Can you imagine being told where you can go or where you can sit on the bus? Can you imagine caring for another person's child and becoming close with that child and then moving on and not getting any gratitude? Can you imagine fearing you or someone you love might be hurt or killed for speaking out? Such is the world that Aibilieen, Minny, and the other maids live in and deal with every day. The book and the movie are both good. 

One Pot, One Portion by Eleanor Wilkinson

One Pot, One Portion: 100 Simple Recipes Just for You by Eleanor Wilkinson -- 223 pages

I picked up this cookbook to read as I'm always looking for smaller recipes for just one person.  This was a great cookbook for that.  However, I did not realize that it was a British cookbook.  While I like British food, there were several recipes that had odd combinations that I would not particularly like to try.  It also used ingredients (especially cuts of meat) that are expensive in the US.  I did find a few recipes to try out.  
 

Apothecary Diaries, Vol. 3 by Natsu Hyuuga

Apothecary Diaries, Vol. 3 by Natsu Hyuuga

Apothecary Diaries #3, 193 pages

⭐⭐⭐⭐.5/5

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

After putting on a successful and sensual(?) show of food tasting at the garden banquet, Maomao is the talk of the palace! But she soon discovers that notoriety isn't the only thing the party has granted her! Her collection of hairpins from the event brings the young herbalist a brief window of freedom beyond the palace walls, as she returns to the pleasure district for the first time in ten months! But while reunions with her father and her friends await, so too does another mystery...

Oathbreakers by Matthew Gabriele and David M. Perry

 Oathbreakers: The War of Brothers That Shattered an Empire and Made Medieval Europe by Matthew Gabriele and David M. Perry --280 pages

The brothers mentioned in the subtitle were the grandsons of Charlemagne and the inheritors of the Carolingian empire. The two younger surviving brothers fought against the eldest, who had inherited the title of emperor, at the battle of Fontenoy in modern France in the year 841. The feuding brothers eventually compromised on dividing their areas of rule, and these events were a significant step in the evolution of western Europe into recognizable states. The authors' tone was a bit flippant and cynical of the main figures' motives, considering the scarcity of sources from the time period. Their summaries of modern French and German historians' views of the battle and its aftermath were enlightening.

THE LOST WORLD (Jurassic Park #2) by MICHAEL CRICHTON

 THE LOST WORLD (Jurassic Park #2) by MICHAEL CRICHTON (Pgs 561-Large Print)

It is now six years since the secret disaster at Jurassic Park, six years since the extraordinary dream of science and imagination came to a crashing end—the dinosaurs destroyed, the park dismantled, the island indefinitely closed to the public.

There are rumors that something has survived....

Lizzie's Little Mouse by Anne Blackburne

 Lizzie's Little Mouse by Ann Blackburne - 255 pages

Lizzie Has Dreams That Won’t Be Deterred
 
Full of faith, hope, and romance, this series takes you into the Heart of Amish country.

 
Lizzie Miller has wanted to own a New Orleans-style French bakery since she attended a wedding in New Orleans at age fifteen. So with her parents’ and the bishop’s permission, she did a two-year internship in a French bakery in New Orleans. Then she came home and worked for several years in the local Amish bakery, buying the business when it became available. And now someone wants her out. 

A string of unsettling events is surely meant to scare her away. But with the help of her friends, she will get to the bottom of why someone wishes her to fail in the bakery business. And along the way, she just may realize that sometimes dreams can be fulfilled unexpectedly—with the help of someone who was just waiting to be noticed. 

Maybe all Lizzie needs is a little faith and a lot of love.

Witches Get Stitches by Juliette Cross

Witches Get Stitches by Juliette Cross -- 392 pages

Violet Savoie has a plan. A dream, rather. To open her own tattoo shop, which caters to supernaturals in need of permanent charms. As a powerful Seer, she has the potent magic to cast every kind of spell. Except the kind to give werewolves control over their beastly side. And her business partner Nico needs help in the worst kind of way.

Nico Cruz has a secret. A motive, rather. To subtly stalk and seduce Violet until she finally recognizes they are fated to be together. Ever since their heated encounter in Austin on New Year’s Eve two years earlier, he’s been dying to get his hands—and his tongue—back on her body. He knows a woman like Violet can’t be courted in the usual way. Luckily, Nico has no scruples about misbehaving to get what he wants.

But when his former pack roams into town, and an old friend is far too interested in Violet, his focus shifts to the threat venturing into his territory. Nico may come across as the quiet, broody one, but the intruders are about to regret stepping foot in New Orleans. And when Violet goes missing, no charm or spell can keep Nico’s wolf at bay.