I'm Booking It: Finally Some Fiction

Well I took everyone's advice and started reading while nursing Jude. It's not always easy, especially since Jude tends to be a two-handed nurser (for those of you Moms who know what I mean), but I did manage to finish an entire book the first week he was home. Of course, that's when other people were around to entertain Jack, when I was awake a lot longer at night and when I wasn't back to work. Now I can't do much reading when Jack is on the loose, Jude has gotten a lot faster with night-feedings and I hardly have to keep my eyes open, and during the day I'm usually typing emails with my free hand during feedings. But, when I do have a chance, reading is a great alternative.

And so, after months and months of what only feels like books on pregnancy and childrearing, I've really been looking forward to some good fiction. My mom arrived just in time and gave me Francine River's Her Mother's Hope for Mother's Day (or maybe it was a "push present" since she's the Mom and I'm the daughter.) First off, I LOVE Francine Rivers. She just may be my favorite present-day fiction writer. I have the Mark of the Lion series and read all three books several times. That's how much I adore them. So I was super excited to see she came out with another book after what seemed like the longest break. I hadn't read anything about it, so I didn't know what to expect other than it would probably be a book about a mother. And it is, and her relationship with her daughter. I think the author does an excellent job of developing her characters, you feel very close to them throughout the book. I wouldn't call this an upbeat novel, in fact I felt a little depressed throughout much of it, but then again that may have been the hormones talking. I won't say much more about it 'cuz I dont' want to be a spoiler, but the ending is a killer. As in, you think you have "this" many more pages left and then you go to turn to the final chapter and realize that the rest of the book is just addendums and advertisements. I'm totally left hanging and now have to wait until the second book comes out in the fall. Which is why, from now on, I may wait until a series is completed before starting it!

Two books I ended up reading unintentionally this past month were The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding and The Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems. Basically I needed a refresher for Jude, and was also looking for information on gas and growth spurts (how exciting!). I ended up reading all of the Womanly Art and most of the Baby Whisperer, which I'm planning to return to in the near future because the older Jude gets the more questions I have. And with a title like that I'm expecting some great results! :)

One of my most excellent friends here in Virginia, who I am going to miss terribly, gave me a few books as a goodbye gift. One of them was a perfect "read while nursing" book - Dirt Cheap Green Thumb. It's a small, short-ish read. Easy to get through in two feedings (or less if your kid is a lazy eater). Our new house has a small "salsa garden" and according to the landlord's last email, there are tomatoes already waiting for our arrival! For my birthday I'm asking for a square foot garden, so this book was chock-full of excellent gardening information. Since I'm a novice, everything is new and good to me! We'll see how this garden thing goes.

Finally, someone let me borrow Have a New Husband By Friday. I only had it for two days and was able to finish it in time by skipping the two chapters on abuse, which I didn't need. I really enjoy reading marriage books. I think because they usually contain some of the things I learned about in my college Communication classes and also because I'm always looking for ways to improve my relationship with the hubs. This was a pretty good book. A lot of information I had heard before but some new stuff as well. Unlike some of the other books I've read, this is written by a man to an audience of women, and there is no male version of the book. It was interesting to hear his perspective on the female sex - he often mentions how great we are at multi-tasking and "doing it all." If what he says is true, I think I've gained a new understanding of how men view their wives and collected a few ideas for our own relationship.

Okay, so looking back maybe I only got to one fiction book last month.  But that's one more than last month.  And I've already started a new novel for next month's post that I'm totally giddy about.  Can't wait to pull this one out of my bag when we're at the new pool in a few weeks.  Because nothing says SUMMER like 17th century England, right?  And just in case you think you've got me figured out, I will say it is not a Jane Austen book.  In fact, all my Jane novels have been relegated to the back bookshelf and will remain there at least for the duration of the year.  A girl's gotta take a break at some point!  Until then ...