Nightstand (September 2014)

It was another good month for reading for me – still lots of baby stuff, but some other stuff sprinkled in (which feels quite nice!)

This month, I read:

• BabyFacts by Andrew Adesman
  A collection of myths and old wives’ tales about the baby years – and the truth to correct the misconceptions. This was a fun and informative book. (Which means that I didn’t have any major quibbles with the nutrition section, so I’m assuming the author actually knows what he’s talking about!)
• The New Natural Pregnancy by Janet Balaskas
  Absolutely laughable introduction to alternative therapies during pregnancy. I especially loved the warning to not take the highest dilution homeopathic remedies without a prescription from a homeopath. You never know what kind of harm a very small dose of water can cause (because statistically speaking, a 10M potency homeopathic remedy is not going to contain even one molecule of the “active” ingredient.)
• On Becoming Birthwise by Anne Marie Ezzo and a whole spate of others
  I have difficulty conceptualizing a less helpful book for the expectant woman. This title presumes to help a woman understand God’s design for birth – but instead jumps from topic to topic with the barest of introductions to the birth process itself and how to cope with that process. The authors introduce the reader to various prenatal tests and procedures, but barely discuss risks and benefits of each. They introduce the reader to techniques for managing pain in childbirth, but don’t give enough information for the woman to successfully implement any of them. And they give some truly terrible breastfeeding advice. (Be prepared for breastfeeding rants after the baby comes and I start reviewing titles like Ezzo’s On Becoming Babywise.)
• Ranger’s Apprentice by John Flanagan
  An absolutely delightful YA fantasy coming-of-age story. It’s clean, it’s engaging, and it’s well…see my full review for more.
• Grace-based Parenting by Tim Kimmel
  I enjoyed reading and discussing this with my sister-in-law. It had some very good points regarding how parents can parent well – but it generally failed to show grace to imperfect parents, instead assuming that parents must be perfect reflections of God’s grace in order for their children to turn out well. See my full review.
• Your Amazing Newborn by Marshall Klaus
  A look at some of the wonderful skills infants are born with or develop shortly after birth. Briefly discusses the six infant states, but not in a very helpful way, in my opinion. Someday I’ll have to discuss infant states on my blog – maybe once I can accompany the states with photo or video of Little Garcia in each of the states.
• The Official Lamaze Guide by Judith Lothian and Charlotte DeVries
  A wonderful overview of labor and delivery, with an evidence-based look at interventions and options in childbirth as well as best-practices for natural childbirth. Gone are the days when Lamaze means patterned breathing (thank goodness!) This book is strong from an academic standpoint (although still plenty readable for the layperson), not quite as strong on teaching alternate (non-interventionist) strategies for labor and delivery. For example, it discusses the evidence-based benefits of movement during labor and of positions that let gravity work with you – but doesn’t describe good labor movements or positions in much detail. Likewise, it goes through a list of normal comfort/relaxation strategies, but doesn’t have exercises to walk you through guided relaxation or labor massage. Still, a strong reference work for women considering natural childbirth.
• The Budget-Savvy Diva’s Guide to Slashing your Grocery Budget by 50% or more by Sara Lundberg
  Good practical tips for decreasing your grocery budget. I’m an experienced penny-pincher and frugal-grocery shopper and read this as a refresher for when we won’t have my income as cushion. I didn’t learn much, but her advice incorporates all of my favorite tips for keeping a grocery budget under control. For the just-learning-to-be-thrifty, this is a terrific resource.
• Origins: How the nine months before birth shape the rest of our lives by Annie Murphy Paul
  A fascinating layperson’s look at the science of prenatal origins. If you’re interested in science and health and enjoy a journalistic/semi-memoirish style, you’ll enjoy this book. Take a look at my full review for more information.
• Christmas in Spain
  Christmas in Ireland by World Book
  More Christmas obsession coming out.

In Progress:

Parenting with Love and Logic by Foster Cline
The next parenting book I’m reading with my sister-in-law. I see lots of value in the authors’ suggestions – and also feel that some of it isn’t as applicable to little-littles as the authors suggest.
• The Complete Organic Pregnancy by Dierdre Dolan
  Because I’m reading every book in my library, not because I’m into organic.
• The Burning Bridge by John Flanagan
  The second book in the Ranger’s Apprentice series – I enjoyed the first well enough that I’m going back for more.
• Creeds of the Church by John Leith
  An introduction to creeds from Biblical times to those written in response to the rise of national socialism in Germany in the 20th century. I’m really looking forward to digging in to this.
• The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald
  Almost done with my pick for this month’s Reading to Know Bookclub – we’ll be wrapping up discussion at the end of the month (but it’s a quick enough read that you can still jump in if you want to!)
• Gentle Baby Care by Elizabeth Pantley
  An A-to-Z guide to the baby care questions of the first year (and beyond.) Not surprisingly, given the title, this book is written from an attachment parenting perspective.
• Parenting, Inc. by Pamela Paul
  A look at the products parents are increasingly being sold on. Primarily a sociological-type book, not a prescriptive one.
• 1628 Country Shortcuts from 1628 Country People by Roy Reiman
  “Who Knew”s from the Pre-pinterest era.
• Bestfeeding: Getting Breastfeeding Right for You by Mary Renfrew
  So far, it’s accurate information but poorly copy-edited. The frequent photos throughout are quite helpful.
• The Baby Book by the Drs and Mrs. Sears
  Given to me at a baby shower. I’m not committed to the Attachment Parenting paradigm, but there are certainly some interesting and insightful things in here.
• How to Have a Baby and Still Live in the Real World by Jane Symons
  So far, a very amusing alternative to What to Expect When You’re Expecting. I especially love the vintage illustrations with snarky speech bubbles.
• The Baby Name Wizard by Laura Wattenberg
  We’ve already picked names, but it’s interesting to see what names were fashionable when and what makes for currently fashionable names (we’re trying to avoid fashionable, BTW.)

On the docket for next month:

Don’t forget to drop by 5 Minutes 4 Books to see what others are reading this month!