New Year, New Me?

"Happy Kids Happy You" happened to be on a new year's themed table at the library today. It was meant to be!

This book gave me a shot of inspiration for 2013! The goal of this book to is empower parents to positively navigate the rough and calm seas of childhood. There are tips on dealing with challenging behaviour that serve mostly as reminders but are always good to review. The most useful parts of this book for me were about how to shift your attitude as a parent to find the positive and to embrace the chaos in order to be the parent you want to be.

The best thing that I took away from this book were the tips on how to calm down before reacting, reminders to find balance between family and self, and the "Celebrating Successes Daily" idea that challenges parents to celebrate themselves and think of two things that they did right each day. This was a super quick read, and one that I know I will come back to.

Disturbia

"Still Missing" was featured in a Chatelaine magazine that I was reading, so I checked it out at the library. Set on Vancouver Island, it tells the disturbing story of a real estate agent kidnapped from an open house and held captive in a remote cabin for a year.

Pretty creepy and chilling read, yet I kept going because I wanted to see the character through! I think the author could have ended the story earlier..a plot twist near the end seemed to drag it out a bit too much for me...

The Help

I usually read books before seeing the movie version, but for "The Help" I did it in reverse. I saw the movie back in August. I don't remember every fine detail now to compare and contrast the two, but both were good!

This story is told from three points of view, two maids working for white families in the South, and one young woman, Skeeter who is an aspiring journalist. The characters in the book range from sympathetic to purely evil! A great read, check it out!

Why Why Why?

In a terrible coincidence, I started reading "We Need to Talk About Kevin" last week, and finished it the day after the terrible tragedy of December 14.

This book is written in letter form by Eva. She is Kevin's mom, and Kevin is a school shooter. This book forces you to think about and question what role a parent has in raising a child who commits un unthinkable act. The story brings up feelings of disbelief and anger in the reader and makes you want to talk to someone about it as soon as you turn the last page. Read this one so we can discuss!

Dry Grass

"The Dry Grass of August" is an interesting and also disturbing read. Set in the southern U.S. at the height of racial tension, this is the story of thirteen year old Jubie, her alcoholic father, passive mother, three siblings and their African American maid Mary. Although I haven't read "The Help" yet, I assume that this book runs along the same lines. It is mind boggling to read about the injustices that people endured, and still endure today.

The story centers around a road trip taken by the family (minus the father) and what they encounter along the way. I won't give anything away, but I do recommend this book!

Will check out the movie...

"The Descendants" took me about three days to read, I was surprised that it didn't take too long, considering it was not a total page turner. I had to push myself to keep reading. It is one of those books that is mostly a study of characters. Considering the Oscar buzz around this film in 2012, I will have to watch the movie and compare the two.

Without giving away anything that is not on the book jacket, this book is about a man who is struggling to raise his two girls while his wife is in a terminal coma. When he discovers that she has been having an affair he tries to track down his wife's lover so that he can say goodbye. Drama Rama!

I have an idea...

This week's speedy read was "I don't Know How She Does It" written by Allison Pearson. I was a bit turned off by the SJP cover obviously straight from the movie promo...Though I do kind of want to see the movie now that I have read the book. As the title implies, this book is about Kate, a hard working mother in a power job and the story of how she juggles work and home life. Or fails to juggle work and home life.

This book I think is meant to be funny, and it often is. I also couldn't help but feel angry at the mother in this book and the amount of time she spent slaving to her job and not with her kids. At times, I could totally relate to the feeling of being pulled in many directions and struggling with the choices a mother must make. The author obviously wanted to incite these feelings in her readers and she does so successfully.

Some of my fav quotes from the book:

There is an uneasy standoff between the two kinds of mother which sometimes makes it hard for us to talk to eachother. I suspect that the nonworking mother looks at the working mother with envy and fear because she thinks that the working mom has got away with it, and the working mother looks back with fear and envy because she knows she has not. In order to keep going in either role, you convince yourself that the alternative is bad. The working mother says "Because I am more fulfilled as a person I can be a better mother to my children." And sometimes she may even believe it. The mother who stays home knows she is giving her kids an advantage, which is something to cling to when your toddler has emptied his [sippy] of juice over your last clean tshirt. (Page 96).

At times I can be almost moved to tears by the picture of the thrifty homemaker I could and would become... And how would I be left alone with the kids all day? The need of children is never ending. You can pour all your love and patience into them, and when is it all right to say when? Never. You can never say when. And to serve so selflessly you have to subdue something in yourself. I admire the women who do it, but the mere thought makes me sick with panic. I could never admit this to anyone, but I think giving up work is like becoming a missing person. (Page 170).

Man announces he has to leave the office to be with his child for short recreational burst and is hailed as selfless doting paternal role model. Woman announces she has to leave the office to be with child who is on sickbed and is damned as disorganized, irresponsible. For a father to parade himself as a Father is a sign of strength, for mother to out herself as a Mother is a sign of appaling vulnerability. Don't you just love equal opportunity? (Page 260).

Quotes just food for thought, not trying to start any kind of debate! This is a good read to appreciate the struggle of modern mothers both at work and at home.

The Next Big Movie?

" On The Island" by Tracey Garvis Graves is written in a way that you just can't help but picture it as a movie. From reading the author's notes at the end of the book, the movie rights have apparently been settled.

Part "Castaway" part "Graduate" this is an easy read story about two people and the ups and downs of living on a deserted island together. A teacher and her teenage pupil are cast away following a plane crash ( it says this on the book jacket so don't worry, I am giving nothing away.)

If you are looking for a quick page turner and possibly a beach read, this is for you!

Another Page Turner

"The Lost Wife" is one of those books that hooks you in within the first few sentences. I have read many Holocaust fiction stories, and this one is right up there with "Sarah's Key" and "Those Who Save Us". A tale that weaves fiction with real stories and real people who endured so much. Highly recommended.