Books: May 2008

While doing this post, I always conclude that I read too much. But perhaps that is my only sanity ...

Helping me help myself : one skeptic, ten self-help gurus, and a year on the brink of the comfort zone - The story of a woman who never was into self-help, but decided to try it out for a year. I honestly don't know why I read the whole thing (and in a day, no less), since it wasn't all that interesting, and I found the author a big strange. But on the other hand, I find the sort of people who attend these self-help seminars and the czars who run them a little bizarre. Especially after hearing more about these self-help gurus ... well, they sound crazy to me. Interesting. 3/5 stars.

Deceptively delicious : simple secrets to get your kids eating good food - Jerry Seinfield's wife wrote this recipe book, so it's not exactly a "read", but I like the idea about baking with purees. I already tend to add purees to my baking (esp. banana bread) and now the idea of adding purees of things I don't like (think cauliflower and brocolli) to baked and other goods appeals, but I still want to try to get my kid vegetables the real way. But to add even more nutrients, sure why not? At least it got me thinking. 3/5 stars

Little sugar addicts : end the mood swings, meltdowns, tantrums, and low self-esteem in your child today - I don't know why I picked this up except I was looking for nutrition books for kids. Andrew is definitely not a sugar addict (Eating most solids would probably come first), but I think I might be. But actually going off of sugar ... um, that would be really hard. 3/5 stars

Playstation nation : protect your child from video game addiction - I really liked this book - it mostly focuses on the addictive nature of video games. I don't think video games are entirely bad, but I do think they can be very addictive and I definitely saw a lot of college guys just totally waste their lives away playing. And I think that is the real danger, so this book really inspired me to make sure our family has lots of fun alternative activities from the beginning that we are involved in as a family so this kind of entertainment has less appeal from the beginning (we are thinking of going camping often, as a family, for example). 4.5 / 5 stars

Funny in Farsi : a memoir of growing up Iranian in America - This book is about an Iranian girl growing up in the US. SO FUNNY. It is told in little vignettes which are loosely tied together. I think of it as a book form of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding", but they're Iranian, not Greek, and it isn't about a wedding. 4.5 / 5 stars

The senator's wife - This book was okay, but had way too much sexuality for my taste. I think the part I liked best was thinking about what really makes a marriage and really figure out how I feel about the senator's marriage. 2 / 5 stars

A charmed life : growing up in Macbeth's castle - This is about a women who grew up in a Scottish family on the castle where Macbeth takes place as her father gradually grows crazy. Fascinating to see what that kind of life is like and definitely helped get me in the mood for our trip, but ultimately not my favorite and I didn't finish it. 3/5 stars

The appeal - A fun easy read by Grisham, like usual. 3/5 stars

Mortal causes : a John Rebus mystery - I only got through about 1/4 of this. I guess mysteries are just not my thing anymore. 2/5 stars

And I am currently reading
The feminine mystique
and enjoying it very much.