Juicy Read

Whew! I'm almost halfway through Jonathan Franzen's Freedom, but I can already safely say that if you are looking for a juicy, sink-your-teeth-into kind of summer read you need look no further. I've stayed up past midnight three nights in a row hooked, hooked I tell you, to this story. Not uplifting by any means, but real and raw. What are you reading pray tell??? Because the only salvation for my disappointment when I finish Freedom will be to know something equally satisfying is waiting in the wings.

Rethinking Children

I'm reading this book right now, and it's blowing my mind. Usually I run from parenting how-to books like the plague because this job is hard enough without someone who's never met you or your kids telling you that you're doing everything wrong. But what I'm finding out is even the best of parenting instincts can get seriously mucked up by conventional wisdom, and a lot of conventional wisdom regarding parenting is dead wrong. Such as:

*Think it boosts your kids' self esteem to tell them they're smart? Think again.
*Think teens are sullen and unmotivated because, well, they're teens? Think again.
*Think you're creating color-blind children by avoiding the topic of race? Think again.
*Think you're setting a great example for your kids of always telling the truth? Think again.
*Think siblings learn from each other how to get along with others? Think again.
*Think teens who argue with their parents are disrespectful? Think again.
*Think programs like D.A.R.E. cut down on drug use and Driver's Ed classes reduce accidents? Think again.

And that's not all, and I'm not even done. It's fascinating stuff, even if you're not a parent, and a must-read in my opinion. Have you read it? I would love to know what you think . . .

In Need of a Read?

Life always feels more complete somehow with a good book on the nightstand. This book comes highly recommended from a very reliable source. Can't wait to get my hands on it. And while we're on the subject of good books, here's what's been keeping me up at night lately:

American Rust, by Philipp Meyer
Forest Gate, by Peter Akinti
Loving Frank, by Nancy Horan
Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight: An African Childhood, by Alexandra Fuller
Abundance, a Novel of Marie Antoinette, by Sena Jeter Naslund
The Alchemy of Murder, by Carol McCleary

A Day Late

Don't you hate it when you think of the perfect name for your bestselling memoir only to find out . . . Anyone know if these books are any good?

You've Come a Long Way, Baby

I haven't picked up this book yet, but it's on my short list of things to read. You know, it wasn't that long ago when girls who were graduating from college with a ring on their fingers were presented with a corsage, while their spinster sisters got a lemon. With the college's blessing, no less. You can listen to the author's enthusiastic synopsis here and read the review here. This picture kind of says it all.

Gulp

Snook voluntarily ate four forkfuls of peas the other night. This is huge because she's been on a self-imposed (of course) green strike for about the last 49 days. Could I possibly have The Gulps to thank? After reading this book the first time, I immediately regretted checking it out from the library because I found the portrayal of the plus-size Gulp family to be a bit offensive. Seriously, just because you don't wear a size 4 doesn't mean you let your kids drink soda and eat Cheetos for breakfast before a long day of channel-surfing. But the overarching message is to eat right, and if this is what Snook picked up on then, gulp, I guess it's okay sometimes to take the bad with the good.

Just a Small-Town Girl

Young Zippy was fodder for an excellent book-club discussion at my place a couple of Sundays ago. She really brought out the small-town girl in all of us as we reminisced about running roughshod in our neighborhoods until the street-lights came on, riding bikes to school, and even just playing in our front yards-- things parents don't let kids do a whole lot of anymore. Funny stories came out in our discussion too about pet-sitting mishaps and crazy neighbors. But we also greatly appreciated Zippy's more sentimental and even heartbreaking side. One of our members liked this book so much that as soon as she finished reading it, she turned right back to page one and started all over. This was the second time reading it for me, and I don't reread that many books.For those of us who wondered whatever became of the inhabitants of Zippy's world and especially her mother, one member told us about the sequel to Zippy called She Got Up Off the Couch. I just picked it up and have barely finished the preface, but I can already tell it will suck me in the same way Zippy did.
I hope we have a book-club discussion about this one. And I'm extremely bummed I missed the discussion about this one from before I joined the club. Just finished it and I'm still reeling.