Books I Read in January

I read four books in January.

• The Help by Kathryn Stockett
• The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
• The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes by Diane Chamberlain
• The Doctor’s Wife by Elizabeth Brundage

My favorite read in January was “The Help” by Kathryn Stockett. This is one of the best books I’ve read in years. It’s set in the early 1960’s in Mississippi and tells the stories of three women. Two of the women are black maids and the other is a white woman who is a recent college graduate. The book explores relationships between women, class and race. It was interesting to read about the civil rights revolution from this viewpoint and I really loved this book.

Another book, “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” by Mark Haddon was also an interesting read. The book is written from the viewpoint of an autistic teenage boy and I often forgot that I was reading a book written by someone other than an autistic boy. It was a quick read and I liked the explanations about the inner workings of the character's brain told from a first person perspective.

“The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes” by Diane Chamberlain was another good book. This book is about a lonely teenage girl who gets involved with the wrong boy and the choice she makes that shapes her entire life. Although the choices she made were wrong, she was a sympathetic character and I was drawn into this book. It was a page turner.

“The Doctor’s Wife” by Elizabeth Brundage was OK. I found it difficult to relate to any of the characters or sympathize for their situations. I also didn’t find the plot believable. I wouldn’t suggest it to anyone as a great book.

I recommend three out of the four books I read in January.