“Wasn't that the point of the book? For women to realize, We are just two people. Not that much separates us. Not nearly as much as I'd thought.”

Bossypants by Tina Fey

I actually haven't seen many Tina Fey movies and none of the television she's involved in (unsurprising as this is Australia (resisting the impulse to capitalise those last three words as if I were talking about SPARTA)), so I was a bit lost for a great portion of this book. I've never watched any Saturday Night Live, so all of the references were pretty much lost on me altogether. That aside, it was a good read; Tina Fey's sense of humour and writing style were engaging, and, even if I was not entirely used to her rather brusque sense of humour, I enjoyed it. A good read.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

I saw the movie of The Help before I read the book - surprisingly I don't prefer one to the other! I liked both movie and book about equally, though the prettiness of the early 60s dresses nearly tips the movie over further into my favour. I found it a very human, believable story. It sucked me into the world of Jackson Mississipi, good and proper and got me hooked. One thing that annoyed me about it, a little, was the focus on how the antagonist looked all the time. I know, I know, it's a novel - descriptions are meant to serve a thematic purpose and everything was from the first person perspective of one of the three main characters anyway, but it just bothered me. One bit of narrative went on about how the antagonist dressed in kiddy clothes - another pointed out her big bottom. It annoyed me. Women picking on how other women look in this manner just doesn't seem like a mature way to deal with conflict. I might grouse a bit about Lady Gaga wearing a meat dress, but I don't consider her a personal enemy. Nor do I think myself particularly mature for finding fault in her wardrobe. Just a minor annoyance.