the smell of books

I love the smell of books.

I write this post from my local library and though it's rather new (having previously been a chocolate factory) it's still got a great smell. Less lingering whiffs of chocolate, more paper and knowledge.

THE HELP

I laughed (nay, guffawed), I cried (big, sloppy, snotty tears), I couldn't put it down.

It came out over a year ago, so it's hardly breaking literary news, but I finally got my hands on THE HELP after patiently waiting for my name to make it's way up the library's wait list.

I could hardly do the plot justice without spoiling the read, so I'll just say it revolves around the lives of black domestic servants and their employers in the early 1960s South and will leave it at that. You'll just have to trust that it's worth picking up.

The Masters

Initially, the billboards made me reluctant to watch. (Bravo marketing dept., take note:)

The upside down chefs made me nauseous. Plus, that poor guy on top. I still couldn't tell you who on earth he is.

The knives they're wielding are crazy big and except for the cheery lady in the corner, none of these folks are smiling. I get it. "5 star competition." It's clever. But you lost me with the upside down, and now I'm feeling both queasy and threatened.

The premise. Top Chef? With pro cooks? C'mon. Where's the fun in that?

Happily, my curiosity outweighed my initial impressions. Cooking under pressure makes EVERY chef infinitely more interesting.

Now I just need to whip up something season-finale worthy.

Oh Hubert! I hope you win!