What’s On My Nightstand?
July 28, 2009 by Kimberly · 5 Comments
Life has been so “full” lately, that I’ve barely had time to read. That’s hard for me because reading is one of my favorite things to do. There are a few books that I’ve been sent to review that I have had a chance to delve into. I think that you’ll like them…
Along Came You by Karona Drummond
This is a sweet little children’s picture book by a mom and early childhood educator. (Although I often rail against the educational system in our country, I have the greatest admiration and a soft spot in my heart for educators.) As such, it was no surprise to me that this book would be great. It is basically about the effect that kids have on their parents’ lives and the changes/sacrifices that parents are more than willing to make as a result. It’s a thoughtful way to show kids how precious they are and how important their happiness is to their parents.
Four Wives, a novel by Wendy Walker
As my consistent readers know, I personally lean towards non-fiction books. Sometimes, I’ll read non-fiction though if I think that I’ll enjoy the story. That’s the case with Four Wives, the debut novel of Wendy Walker. I have this thing with books (especially non-fiction ones) – I know whether I’m going to like the book after reading the first few pages. It has to do with the writing style. It either grabs me or it doesn’t. This book does. It’s about how the “picture-perfect” lives of four wealthy suburban wives and mothers begin to fall apart. Although their lives are very different from mines, I could relate to each character in a different way. I especially identify with the character of Love Welsh, who chose to leave a career to become a stay at home mom. Overall, I think the book is about the choices that we make as wives, mothers – as women. It’s not just a suburban thing. Lastly, I love how the novel ends, “there she was, just the same. Standing on the edge of a deep pool of possibilities. Knowing she (Gayle – another character) would dive in.” Since I’m at a couple of endings/beginnings in a couple of areas in my life, I loved the language that so adequately captures those moments of possibility that we all experience at one time or another. In any event, you can hear Wendy Walker speak a bit about her book in the clip below:
If You Give a Mom a Martini: 100 Ways to Find 10 Blissful Minutes for Yourself by Lyss Stern and Julie Klappas
If I were the author of this book, the title would be “If You Give a Mom a Midori Sour…” (I don’t like the taste of alcohol, but when I want a special drink, I order Midori Sours because they’re yummy.) I “get” and like the point of the book though. Sometimes as moms, it’s a gift just to get 10 straight minutes of “me time”. This book is perfect for busy moms, because it provides 100 short, practical things that moms can do with those valuable 10 minutes. A variety of celebrities – i.e. Kelly Ripa, Christie Brinkley, and Keisha Whitaker – are among the many moms who share their tips in this helpful, little book. My two favorites are “Dwell on It” (going fantasy home shopping in the Sunday newspaper) and “Become a Woman of Letters” (write a real letter). On a side note, I have met one of the book authors (Lyss). She is a mom of 2 young boys and is the founder of a NYC based company Divalysscious Moms (www.divamoms.com). I attended their holiday event at FAO Schwartz last year and it was wonderful. Lyss knows a lot about moms!
(To see what others are reading, visit What’s on Your Nightstand.)
That “Along Came You” book looks exceptionally sweet. I think it would be well-loved in our house since I have two little girls.
Kimberly,
Thanks so much for this awesome review! MWAH! It was great to meet you, too – we should set something up, I’d love to catch up!
XO,
Lyss
Books are always good to have on a nightstand!
That’s where some of my books are!
Nancy
allibrary (at) aol (dot) com
Along Came You would be a good book to gift to my niece & her parents
)
Along Came You by Karona Drummond seems like a book I would love. I taught school (middle school special education) for 14 years before an injury forced me to stop working. I think my daughter would like this book as well. At the age of 5 she is very intuitive and is able to understand and relate to people’s feelings. She says she wants to be a teacher (and a doctor and a mom–as well as a gymnast at the Olympics!!
nancyecdavis AT bellsouth DOT net