The Red Tent
by Anita Diamant

I bought this book only because it was on sale at my local bookstore and I remember seeing it on Oprah’s Bookclub a while back. The cover alone would have made me run in the opposite direction.

The Red Tent is a fictional story based on characters from the Biblical story of Jacob. It focuses on Dinah, Jacob’s only daughter, and weaves a fascinating tale about her mothers, her family, her culture, her journey into adulthood, from Canaan to Egypt.

Its themes revolve around the “red tent”, the place where women go during menstruation, child birth and illness – where bonds are created between sisters, mothers and daughters.

Considering that the actual story of Jacob and his family consisted of only a few paragraphs in the Bible, I was rather impressed that the author managed to flesh out whole characters, plots, and themes with such richness and colour. She has a vivid imagination.

In fact, the whole story was so completely fabricated, that it was actually quite interesting, engaging and entertaining.

I enjoyed how she brought to life old testament Mesopotamian and Egyptian way of life. It was fascinating to read about another culture, even if it was fiction or not. The book is written well, easy to read, chuffs along at a good speed, I finished it in a week.

I must point out that there are a LOT of Biblical inaccuracies, questionable cultural facts and objectionable portrayals of men. But I wasn’t insulted or offended by any of it, I just enjoyed the fiction for what it was – a pretty good story.

I was light-heartedly trying to “push” this book onto some male friends of mine, but I failed miserably.

Realistically, this BOOK IS FOR WOMEN. It’s all about periods, mothers, midwifery, childbirth, babies, dying babies, dying mothers and the cycles of life. Consider yourself warned.

But having said that, I was struck by many stunning scenes and ideas (about the aforementioned), and I know they will stick in my head for a long time to come.

I recommend it. To women only.

It’s Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life
by Lance Armstrong & Sally Jenkins

At the age of 24, Lance Armstrong was at the peak of his career. He was ranked the number one cyclist in the world. But a few months later, he was diagnosed with advanced cancer - tumours all over his body and brain. He underwent chemotherapy and surgery.

After a long and torturous battle, he survived. He resumed his training and went on to win the Tour De France seven consecutive times. This book chronicles his life as a young boy, a budding athlete, a cancer patient, survivor, world champion cyclist, husband and father.

I was a bit reluctant to read this book, firstly because I wasn’t an athlete and I wasn’t too fond of autobiographies (after I bought the book, I discovered it wasn’t written by him).

However I gave it a go, mainly because, like my husband, Lance was diagnosed with the same cancer, at the same age of 24. (My husband had cancer twice, in his 20s and again in his 30s).

Overall, the whole book completely floored me. It hit me close to home. His story is truly inspiring – to anyone, not only to men and athletes. It’s about living life with passion and courage. It’s about surviving and thriving.

It is written in a very straight-forward style. Short, strong sentences, with lots of punch. Which I liked. He explains very involved subjects like his childhood, chemotherapy, professional cycling – which has the potential to be very boring, if you’re not actually interested in any of those things – however the writer did well, and I didn’t find myself bored once.

It was fascinating to read another person’s detailed account of chemotherapy, and the way it destroys the body, mind and spirit. And then how that someone at his lowest point, picks up his pieces, moves forward, and then triumphs in such a spectacular way!

As I finished the book, yes, I was completely inspired and deeply moved by his story.

But I was also struck by two thoughts.

1) I don’t actually like the guy. So many times in the book, he sounded arrogant, aggressive, irrational, controlling and extreme. I mentioned it to my husband, who wisely pointed out that it takes a certain kind of person to win the Tour De France SEVEN TIMES.

2) I also realised that this book was written in 2000. Since then, he and his wonderful wife had two children, but their marriage failed, he got engaged to a singer/celebrity, which then also failed.

And these things just made me remember that, even though this guy survived the unimaginable and triumphed the unthinkable… he is still human.

He still has problems. Issues. Flaws.

He’s not a god. He’s just like you and me.

I highly recommend this book.

The Memory Keeper’s Daughter
by Kim Edwards

From the back of the book:

This stunning novel begins on a winter night in 1964, when a blizzard forces Dr. David Henry to deliver his own twins. His son, born first, is perfectly healthy, but the doctor immediately recognizes that his daughter has Down syndrome. For motives he tells himself are good, he makes a split-second decision that will haunt all their lives forever. He asks his nurse, Caroline, to take the baby away to an institution. Instead, she disappears into another city to raise the child as her own.

After reading the excerpt, I immediately bought the book. It sounded like such an intriguing story, something I would really like. And ok, I admit, I really liked the cover image.

But unfortunately, I didn’t connect with the characters at all. Perhaps it was because I haven’t personally experienced any of the issues in the story – loss of a child, dealing with deep personal grief, living in a difficult, empty marriage, keeping dark secrets from loved ones, not taking control of your life until you discover that you’re 40 and full of sadness and regret.

So maybe others will find it to be exquisitely moving and touching.

For me, I was mainly annoyed with the characters, and overburdened with the intricate detail of someone else’s tragic life.

Having said that, it wasn’t a badly written book. I finished it in less than a week.

There were some really beautiful moments as the characters faced their grief and confusion - moments of the past, layered and entwined with the details of the present. If you don’t like long, poetic paragraphs of snow falling, soaked with memory flashbacks, the book’s probably not for you.

It’s an okay read. Not great, just okay.

The Kite Runner
By Khaled Hosseini

I have been itching to read this book ever since it came out.

Years ago, I read an inspiring interview about Khaled Hosseini and his childhood memories of Afghanistan. It invoked in me a desire to revisit my own childhood memories, even though they are worlds apart.

The novel is set in Afghanistan, then later in America, focusing on the lives of two boys and an event that changes their lives forever.

I don’t know anything about Afghanistan, save what I hear and read in the news – wars, political turmoil, hardship. But this story was amazing in that it opened up this new world to me; that I could see the fairy lights sparkling in the trees, set against the rocky hills, like in a scene of a movie; I could hear the rocks and snow crunching beneath boots, echoing off empty walls in the streets; and I could smell fresh the naan breads and spices wafting through the air in the markets.

The story is very well written. Very easy to read. No dull bits, there’s something happening and engaging in every chapter. All the characters were suitably developed and straightforward, which made the narrative easy to follow.

It deals with issues like friendship, betrayal, a father and son relationship, unravelling of a secret past deed… but I didn’t find it too emotionally “heavy”.

I was captivated the whole way through. I read it in 3 days! An excellent read!

The Other Boleyn Girl
by Philippa Gregory

Considering that I usually read science fiction and contemporary literature, this is the first historical fiction I have read, and I really enjoyed it. In fact, I read it in a week!

If you put aside historical inaccuracies, the book is well written and easy to read, and it’s an intriguing and absorbing story of two women competing for the love of a king.

It’s full of extravagant encounters, bitchy princesses, tasty characters, betrayals, sex, evil plotting, and it’s no wonder it’s been turned into a movie.

I recommend it, especially if you don’t usually read historical fiction.

Last month I wrote about Kids Behaving Badly – how I had hit a brick wall with my children’s behaviour and I didn’t know what to do next.

I knew I needed a new perspective, a fresh way to look and deal with things. So I asked everyone to recommend any great parenting or discipline books they have read.

I received up to 30 book recommendations - thank you everyone! I was actually planning to read the most recommended books, and only feature the ones I felt were more excellent – but I’ve been getting so many emails asking me to hurry up! I’ve only read five!

Anyway, here is the complete list, starting with most recommended book.

(The titles with pictures indicate the books I have read, or hope to read soon) :

1-2-3 Magic: Effective Discipline for Children 2-12 by Thomas W. Phelan

Raising Boys: Why Boys Are Different-And How to Help Them Become Happy and Well-Balanced Men by Steve Biddulph

The New Strong-Willed Child by James Dobson

How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber

Discipline Without Shouting or Spanking: Practical Solutions to the Most Common Preschool Behavior Problems by Barbara C. Unell, Jerry L. Wyckoff

Supernanny by Jo Frost

The Secret of Happy Children by Steve Biddulph

Bringing Up Boys by Dr James Dobson

The Happiest Toddler On The Block: The New Way to Stop the Daily Battle of Wills and Raise a Secure and Well-Behaved One- to Four-Year-Old by Harvey Karp

Raising Your Spirited Child: A Guide for Parents Whose Child Is More Intense, Sensitive, Perceptive, Persistent, Energetic by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka

Parenting With Love And Logic by Foster W. Cline and Jim Fay

The Pocket Parent by Gail Reichlin and Caroline Winkler

Toddler Taming by Christopher Green

Setting Limits with Your Strong-Willed Child : Eliminating Conflict by Establishing Clear, Firm, and Respectful Boundaries by Robert J. MacKenzie Ed.D.

The New Dare to Discipline by James Dobson

Siblings Without Rivalry: How to Help Your Children Live Together So You Can Live Too by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish

(more…)

Over the past months of trying to conceive, I’ve poured through heaps of fertility and conception books. I thought I would share some of the more excellent books I have found.

How To Choose The Sex Of Your Baby by LB Shettles and D Rorvik.

This book begins with a bit of history on the Shettles Method and perhaps a few too many testimonials – if anything, the testimonials made me feel that I wasn’t the only nutcase who was using this technique!

The book runs through the scientific evidence, how the method has been developed and refined over the years. It’s got some interesting sex selection stories from the ancient Greeks, middle ages and sex chants made by German woodsmen - if you’re into that kind of thing.

It compares the Shettles Method to a few other sex selection methods, including gender diets and emerging high-tech methods.

Then the juicy bit is in the chapter “How to Use the Shettles Method Successfully”. Where it covers how to determine the time of ovulation, what to do when you are trying for a boy and trying for a girl. Lots of questions and answers too.

It’s all very interesting, detailed and practical. Perhaps the language is a bit long-winded and at times scientific, but the information is excellent, especially if you want to give this method a go.

On the back cover is states that the Shettles Method raises your chances of conceiving a child of your preferred gender from 50% – if you do nothing at all – to 75% if you use the method properly. Some researchers report that the success rate is as high as 90%.

…

Click here to see the whole story of Making Baby 3.