The Screwtape Letters/ The Help

Next up on my reading list was C.S. Lewis' "The Screwtape Letters."  I read the first chapter, and about half of the second, and felt I was done, I had read the whole book.

The book consists of chapters, which are actually letters written from the Devil to his "henchmen" on how to deceive and mislead men. An interesting point was made in the first chapter, and that was not to allow man think or reason, to keep his distracted and focused on trivial, worldly matters.  That way there would be no room in his head for the constant reminder of God.  I liked the chapter well enough.

The first half of the second chapter seemed practically identical, the same tone, the same vocabulary.  That's what I decided to move on to the next book.

The next book recommended to me was "The Help" by Katheryn Stockett.  I could not put this book down.  It was written very well, flowing between the viewpoints of different characters, so you could almost imagine what each person went through. And that made it hard to hate anyone. Well almost anyone. 


It's the story of a white woman working with the African American help in well to do white houses in Jackson, Mississippi, telling their stories.  Among them are bad ones and good ones, stories where the help is treated with kindness and generosity, yet all the while maintaining their position as the help.  Never ever really on the same field as their employers. 


As you can imagine, the characters trying to tell these stories were at great danger of being found out,  though it wasn't something stressed in the book.  As I read, my heart was constantly on edge, praying for them to succeed without being caught in the act. 


I'd like to be more in depth with my review, but it's been a few weeks since I finished it.  I loved it, and now that I have read the book, I want to watch the movie.  I am sure it will pale in comparison, but I still expect to be entertained.

More book reviews on the way

I got around to reading a few more books recommended to me, The Screwtape Letters and The Help. I will review them in further detail later.

For now I have picked up what I beleive is the latest installment in the Shopaholic series, Mini Shopaholic. Thought it has not been over two or three years since I read the earlier books, I am already annoyed with the main character, Becky. I have become a mother, as had she, but she has not grown up one bit. Ugh.

So the other shoe drops. Sort of.

Vacations scare me. The thought of going away and having a great time is something I always look forward to. But something nags me in the back of my mind, "how could I be so lucky?" I usually expect to return home to some sort of sickness or catastrophe, and Alhamdulilah by the grace of Allah it has not happened yet I can never let go of this (irrational?) fear.

As I try my hardest to settle into sleep on Wednesday night (I say try because the wanna-be Beckham inside me has other plans), I cannot help but smile from excitement over the next day's plans. Storytime at the library, high tea with my best friend, followed by meeting up at Girl's Night Out, a shopping event in downtown Westfield, NJ. I know it is not a Disney cruise, or a weekend in Paris, but I know how lucky I will be to have the time to enjoy my famly, friends, and beautiful weather, living in a place with no fear of open air violence or political turbulence. Perhaps it is because I am a mommy now, but I have learned to appreciate and enjoy simple days.

We return home, and I have a fitful night, with very little sleep, not because of my daughter, but again, thanks to David Beckham. Around 6 am, I hear my mom's car alarm go off. It is still dark outside, so as I look out the window, nothing looks unusual in the driveway. An hour later, as my sister prepares to leave for work, she discovers the car window smashed and her optometry kit, full of expensive tools, stolen. It was the first and only time she had
left it in the car.

So that was the other shoe dropping. Reading this now makes me feel silly. We were so blessed that our home was safe, we were all asleep (well not I) in our warm, cozy bed, and any real danger did not befall us. So really, it was a blessing, not a misfortune right? Still I think I should plan a few dull days ahead of me, and try not too have too much fun.