recently read for october 19, 2013

Belly Laughs by Jenny McCarthy

McCarthy is very frank (which I love), but pregnancy is so NOT as bad as she makes it sound. Had I read this book pre-pregnancy I would have been scared, because I would not have known she is just dramatic and pregnancy is a-okay. For example, sure I have to pee a lot, but I don't think I would resort to hopping out of the car at a stop sign and squatting in a yard, like she did. Very funny to read about though, so kudos to McCarthy for a funny book.

The Black Book of Hollywood Pregnancy Secrets

By Kym Douglas and Cindy Pearlman

NOT worth reading. Basically a glorified magazine touting a list of products not worth buying. I'm not sure what I was expecting though.

Great With Child: Letters to a Young Mother

By Beth Ann Fennel

Pure excellence! I have a few friends in mind that I plan to gift this to when they have babies. It is the collection of letters a professor wrote to one of her former students, who found out she was pregnant shortly after her mother died. The language is beautiful. No fear-mongering like in so many pregnancy websites/dialogues/books. Honest thoughts on the desire to be the best mom, and also be successful in another career. Positive reflections on the miracle and beauty of pregnancy and parenthood. 

Seven

By Jen Hatmaker

I went into this book with low expectations, because when a book is really popular at a Christian bookstore the chances of me completely loving it are slim. And yet, I LOVED it. I am also going through a group Bible study (separate workbook) where we are doing a mini version of Seven - instead of committing whole months, we do a week of focusing on cutting back in each area. (A week of eating only seven foods, a week of giving seven things away each day, etc.) Powerful book that left me with fresh conviction and excitement! Hatmaker is a RIOT. 

Loving Our Kids on Purpose

By Danny Silk

Superb book that I know I will be re-reading because it's so rich. I was surprised by how much his parenting wisdom challenged me personally - and already. It brought things to light about myself I never realized. He uses great stories and explains things in such a way that you gain a greater understanding of who God is, who you are, and how kids (people) really tick. Highly recommend.

Bringing Up Bebe

By Pamela Druckerman

An American living in Paris notices that French babies are not only more well behaved, but they sleep through the night early on and their parents seem calm and in control. The comparisons between cultures are oh-so-fascinating, and here's hoping the tips and theories work when applied in real life. So fun to learn about how vastly different parenting is from one culture to another. Reminded me that there is freedom, because no person (or culture) is an expert (or perfect) when it comes to parenting. 

I will say, the Americans she uses as her examples are pretty much ... yuppies. And a lot of the parenting wisdom she draws from the French are tried and true "methods" that would probably be a little thing called common sense to generations of say, Mennonites. ;-) But definitely not all of it! What struck me most about the French is the way they develop their children's palate from a young age (lots of veggies, and no kiddy menus and processed food) as well as the way they focus on their marriage and maintaining themselves, instead of letting the kids become the center of it all.

Thoughts on any of these?

And what are you reading?

Any recommendations to share?