Self Time

This mommy doesn't only read books, but scours the web for articles on parenting daily. Check out this gem I found today that reminds mommies to take time for themselves; a lesson I've surely been struggling with lately.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mia-redrick/mom-selfcare-is-nonnegoti_b_1171034.html

Book Club: November/December Edition

Holidays are crazy and everyone knows it. Forgive my blogging lag, but baby boy takes up much more of my time now that he's sitting up on his own and experimenting with baby food. I missed posting about November's book club selection, so you'll find two reviews below.

In November our book club read The Reincarnationist by M.J. Rose. I first heard of this author from and NPR interview she did last January. What struck me the most about her was the story she told about how every bookstore she went to she'd find her books shelved in the Romance section and how each time she sees that she has to convince the store owner that her novels are not Romance at all and belong in a different location in the store. I'd wanted to read one of her books since then to see what they are then if not romance, so I pushed rather heavily for my book club to select this one to read.

The Reincarnationist is the first novel of a series about, you guessed it, reincarnation. Specifically, the ability of certain people to remember their own past lives and how it affects their current life. This novel is the story of a man who's past lives involved hiding or trying to discover the memory stones; stones that legend has it are able to allow the holder to access the memories of their past lives. As with the search for any mystical artifact; deception, threats and murder pervade the unraveling of this mystery.

Members of my book club likened this book to The Davinci Code. They were pretty split on their opinions, with half liking it and half not being able to even finish for not liking it. I find myself torn about my opinion of this book as well. It is by no means poorly written and it does have enough excitement in it to keep me going. But I feel that I was more drawn to the scenes from past lives and that I wished we'd spent more time there, as well as more time exploring how the past lives affect the characters current life. I was uninterested in the search for the stones.

Actual Product: Tea Rex

Perhaps I was a Tea Rex in a past life! Overall, an ok book. I may one day decide I am interested enough to read the next novel in the series, but not for some time. I do recommend this to anyone who loved The Davinci Code, since those in my book club who liked this book like that one as well.

My December meeting was yesterday and we managed to actually talk about the book selection a little between enjoying the party snacks and giving prizes away. I ended up pushing for the selection of this month's book as well, but not because I was gungho on the book itself, rather I thought a shorter holiday selection might be a welcome reprieve from the longer more intense books we tend to select.

A Redbird Christmas by Fannie Flagg is a light little tale that extols the virtues of small town communities. Healing was a central theme of this book as the main character must move south to a warmer climate to extend his life, which is threatened by emphasema. But it is not only physical ailments that take their toll on Oswald Campbell. An orphan named after a can of soup, he has no one in his life except for a kind ex-wife. He lives off of government pension and only gets out to attend AA meetings. Moving to Lost River gives Oswald the opportunity to be a part of a close community of people which heals his ailments and his soul.

This book was a perfect pick for my club this month. It was uplifting, slightly whimsical without being called magical realism, and really put you in the holiday spirit. I actually feel a little bad that I didn't care for this book. However, I am not very sentimental. So I recognize that there is nothing wrong with this book, it's just not for me.



Redbird Tea Cup!!

A good light Christmas read. Short enough that you can probably find the time to read it around the Christmas rush. Recommended to those of you who need a break from novels who think that to be good you must be depressing.