Review: Bossypants

I read Bossypants by Tina Fey in less than a day mostly because I'm only home for the weekend and it's due back at the library before I get back from my trip to Portland next week. But also because it's a funny, light read.

If you think Tina Fey is funny, you'll think this book is funny. But if you don't, you won't. And if you don't like Tina Fey, why would you pick up this book anyway? There were a lot of little funny moments throughout, and I even laughed out loud a couple of times, which I don't do often.

She comes across as very down-to-earth and a little self-deprecating--but in a humorous way, not a pity-me way. I liked that she's honest rather than stating opinions because they're popular. I also appreciated that she gave equal weight to celebrating her daughter's third birthday as she did to having Oprah appear on 30 Rock or impersonating Sarah Palin on SNL.

One point of interest for me in this book was her take on motherhood. She often struggles with the fact that she can't spend more time with her daughter, but knows that stay-at-home moms sometimes have break downs because they're home with young children all the time. Which I can attest to.

A small nugget from her advice on motherhood:

"'Sleep when the baby sleeps.' Everyone knows this classic tip, but I say why stop there? Scream when your baby screams. Take Benadryl when your baby takes Benadryl. And walk around pantsless when your baby walks around pantsless."

Review: Your Best Birth

I haven't posted many book reviews lately because I've been reading pregnancy and birthing books. I read Better Birth by Denise Spatafora. It was good, but a little too touchy-feely for me. And I didn't feel there was a lot of information (particularly the breathing and meditating exercises for birthing) that I hadn't read elsewhere.

One book I really did enjoy was Your Best Birth by Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein. They wrote it after the debut of their documentary The Business of Being Born.

This book was very accessible, easy to read, and written in simple language for the average woman (not the medical community). There is no doubt that Ricki and Abby have their opinions about birth, but they do not shove their opinions down your throat. They give straightforward information about various birth options and interventions, including their history, their side effects, and the times when they are medically necessary.

What I liked best about the book is that they are trying to inform women about the various options out there without trying to tell you what you should do. They also realize that you have to be flexible--birth and your baby are not going to follow your plan. But they encourage women to be informed and make active choices instead of laying back and simply letting things happen to them.

To the Children of Troy

For the 1971 opening of a children's library, a librarian wrote to various authors and asked them to write a letter to the children of the town about what libraries mean to them.

Here's a link to the letters, if you want to check it out:
Letters to the Children of Troy, 1971

I'd like to frame a copy of Dr. Seuss's letter to put in my future home library.

Review: Cut Your Grocery Bill in Half

This book was actually a quick read, despite its thickness. And you don't even have to read the entire book, you can pick and choose categories that interest you.

Most of the principles in this book won't actually work for my family right now because we live so far from any grocery store and there is very little competition between the stores we can go to because they are so few and far between. We also don't have access to a Sunday paper (thus coupons and store ads). Some money saving methods they use would also take a long time to implement.

The appeal of this book though is that you can use one or all methods, and use them to varying degrees. They menu plan for an entire month, but you can start by trying to menu plan for a week and move your way up.

They also cook and freeze about fifteen meals to be used over a month's time. But it is easy to start this on a smaller scale by cooking a double portion and freezing the extra for another meal. I've been doing this with soups for a while now, but will look into expanding that to other meals (once I start cooking again after the nausea of the first trimester settles).

A few things that I never anticipate implementing is freezing milk and bread. I just don't like them once they've been frozen and thawed, so it would not save money if you never end up eating it. I would like to try freezing more fresh fruits and veggies (when they're in season and thus cheaper) and maybe cooking large portions of meats and freezing them as thawing and cooking meat is often what takes the most time in daily meal preparation.

Especially if you can pick it up from the library, I recommend taking a look at this book. You can disregard any principles that don't appeal to you and your lifestyle, and all the methods are broken into little (or big) steps you can take and can be adjusted for a single person or a large family.

Dream Home Libraries

I've envied many fictional home libraries. The one from Disney's Beauty and the Beast was almost too amazing. I always liked Professor Higgins' library from My Fair Lady.

But here is a real life one that I'm adoring. I've always wanted a library in my home, and here's what it would start with:

Found here: http://lilykleppertknoop.tumblr.com/post/3563206803

Review: Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother

I knew almost nothing about this book when I picked it up. I had seen it on lists and I liked the title. What it's about is very succinctly put on the cover, which is an odd and interesting place to put it.

"This is a story about a mother, two daughters, and two dogs. This was supposed to be a story of how Chinese parents are better at raising kids than Western ones. But instead, it's about a bitter clash of cultures, a fleeting taste of glory, and how I was humbled by a thirteen-year-old."

I read this book in just a few days, which is pretty amazing for me and my schedule right now. It was provocative.

It was interesting to read as a parent, even though I hold Western ideals of parenting despite the proof of the results of Chinese parenting. I'm always fascinated by mother-daughter stories, being both a mother and a daughter myself. Especially since my own daughter is so young and still thinks the sun rises and sets with me.

And it was enlightening for someone who has read many fictional stories of Chinese Americans, particularly Amy Tan. It shed some light on the dynamics of mother-daughter relationships in those books.

It was also an interesting look at immigrant culture--seeing how each generation changed as a result of having come to America.

Review: Year of Wonders: A Novel of the Plague

Year of Wonders: A Novel of the Plague by Geraldine Brooks has long been on my TBR list. When I was finally able to read it this week, it did not disappoint.

The story was engaging, the history fascinating. Though fictionalized, this story of a town that voluntarily isolates itself in order to contain the plague is based in fact. Which makes the horrors witnessed by our narrator and heroine, Anna, all the more vivid and terrifying. I feel very lucky to live in a time and place free of plague and witch hunts.

I definitely recommend this book, though you should keep in mind that many of the images are gruesome.