Book Reviews

I mentioned in my last post that I read a lot; I thought I’d talk about four books I’ve read lately that are a good sampling of the types of books I read in general. I checked out all of them from the Austin Public Library. I really like the feature of being able to go online and request a specific book from the library – it's routed to my chosen library when it’s available, I get an email, and it’s waiting for me to pick up on my next trip. I also enjoy getting parenting books from the library first, because after I’ve read it once I can decide whether the book is worth owning. These are just two tiny reasons why I think the public library is awesome, and not just for kids. This concludes my public service announcement for the library system; let’s get on to the book reviews.

One Hundred Years of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez. Considering that this is one of the most acclaimed novels by one of the most significant authors of the 20th century, you may be surprised that I’ve just gotten around to reading it. But it was never required reading for me, so I just read it last month. Here’s what I learned. It’s long. It’s dense. You have to pay close attention to keep track of the characters. There’s a lot of magical realism in it (which is to say, there’s an element of fantasy but without hobbits, wizards, or sexy vampires). I had to struggle to finish it, and I consider myself an avid reader who finishes every book she starts. It’s also amazing and inspiring (if you admire the art of writing) and the characters kind of sit in your bones as permanent residents of your psyche, flitting in and out of your memory as you go about your week. Also, people who know about books will think you are really smart when they see you reading this at the airport.

Goodnight, Nobody, Jennifer Weiner. This is classic contemporary chick-lit fiction, or “beach reading” as I like to call it. I read it simultaneously with One Hundred Years because I thought I might need something light to break up my heavy reading, and I was right. It’s a murder mystery set among stay-at-home moms in suburban Connecticut. The main character finds being a suburban SAHM gloomy and oppressive so that ruffled my feathers a little, but I got over it and enjoyed the book. I think it is above average quality and it may not be fair to label it “beach reading.” You won’t get nods of approval from literary snobs at the airport, but you won’t feel embarrassed that you read it, either.

How to Talk so Kids will Listen and Listen so Kids will Talk, Adele Farber and Elaine Mazlish. My name is Twin Momma, and I’m addicted to parenting books. There, I said it. I think I read at least one each month; I can’t get enough of them. I’d like to own this one so I can obsessively reread it over the next ten+ years. It is a very practical book about, well, how to talk to and listen to your kids. It gives great examples, uses cartoon illustrations effectively, and generally gives you real words to use in real situations. I especially liked the section on how to praise effectively. I found myself saying “you’re so good” and “you’re so smart” all the time but this explains how to praise the action to build self esteem, like, “It’s so fun to go places with you when you hold my hand and stay close!” or “You kept on working on that snap until you got it closed – now that’s what I call determination!” Yes it’s dorky but I swear I’m already seeing more smiles on my girls faces when I compliment them now, and that’s all I really care about. This book dovetails fairly nicely with The Happiest Toddler on the Block.

Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe. Back to the acclaimed classics that will impress your airport friends. If you want a real review, go to Amazon and read the official one there, it’s pretty thorough. I’ll just tell you this book is a little bit more accessible as far as your literary classics go – it’s not too long, it’s easy to keep up with the one main character, and the prose is simple. It’s about pre-colonial Nigerian tribal life and it’s centered around the life of Okonkwo. See, I was actually able to tell you what it was about. If you asked me what One Hundred Years of Solitude was about I’d just kind of shrug my shoulders and shake my head.

As I come to a close I’d like to recommend one last book to you, one that I consult almost every day: The Six O’Clock Scramble. It’s a great cookbook, especially if you don’t know how/don’t like to cook but need to figure it out because now you’re a stay-at-home-mom and you feel responsible for making dinner every night. Simple, tasty, healthy meals that even I can make, and I swear that is really saying something.

Happy Reading!