Having a baby is tough. And I know they tell you it’s tough but I had no real conception of how tough until I actually had one. And then there are all these things that you’re thinking and feeling and wondering and then I saw Heather Armstrong on Oprah. I’m sitting here at home with a three month old baby and this woman on Oprah is totally saying everything I’m thinking. So I had to get her book. And it’s brilliant. It’s hilarious. And it made me feel oh-so-much better. I’ve already passed it on to a friend with a baby and she’s loving it. I think I’ll be making this and Happiest Baby on the Block my shower gift for every new mom from here on in.
Armstrong had it tough. She suffered from Post-Partum and her baby had some struggles. But she deals with it amazingly well and never loses her sense of humour. From comparing breastfeeding to stapling a penis (seriously, it hurts—don’t let anyone ever tell you it doesn’t) to getting her baby stuck in the Baby Bjorn, there are some wonderful stories in here. The book goes through about the first ten months of her daughter’s life. She writes a letter to her every month which is really sweet. One thing I do have to complain about though is her use of ALL CAPS WHEN SHE’S TRYING TO MAKE A POINT. Holy crap Heather Armstrong, this is a book, not the internet. Who is your editor?
Armstrong is the author of Dooce.com, her blog about her life which is also a great read. Highly recommend this one!

Ever read a book where the narrative switches between really odd woman, and really old tortoise? Me neither, until this one hit my bedside table. It’s the story of Audrey Flowers, whose father goes into a coma (or comma as she puts it) and she has to travel home to make a moving speech at his bedside to get him to wake up. She has to leave her tortoise, Winnifred, with friends.
I’ll be honest—the book took me quite a while to get into and at first I thought I hated it. Audrey really got on my nerves although I loved Winnifred. But then as I got to know her better, I realized her quirkiness was funny, not grating. She’s a seriously weird girl and I wasn’t sure if she had a mental deficiency of some sort (although we do find out she has a low I.Q.) Her story becomes really interesting and funny, just not as side-splitting as some other reviewers might have you think. The characters in this book are very unique and extremely likeable (from the get-go, unlike Audrey). But I think the real star here is the tortoise. She’s freaking hilarious. She has to deal with a total dumb-ass named Chuck who takes care of her and eats her kelp. He’s trying to get a role in a Shakespearean play—any role other than an Antonio because all the Antonio’s are dumb. He’s got a point. So, it’s a great book once you get about 50-75 pages in. Unless you love Audrey off the bat which might happen. Just didn’t for me. But the other characters make the book, and ultimately I did get sucked into Audrey’s life and thought process. Why did her uncle abandon her? I was dying to know and felt horrible for her. And any book that does that is a thumbs-up. Oh, and I love the cover.

I’m not a huge Tori Spelling fan and have never watched her show. I do see her in my US Weekly and of course, watched her on 90210 (the original, thanks very much). There are a few things that bug me about her. Her fake boobs are one (or two, I guess). The fact that she stole another woman’s husband. And lastly, the fact that she keeps insisting her life is normal and she wants her kids to have a normal upbringing but then she lets a reality show film her all the time. So reading this book, I admit I was biased. And then she surprised me.
She addresses almost all of the above in the book (not the hubby-stealing though). The book is a nice light read and I’m sure was at least partially ghost written. And in it, she talks about the difficulties of motherhood, and specifically, motherhood in Holllywood. And the nice thing was, she fully admits to the fact that she is trying to create a brand with herself and she knows her kids are being pulled into that and she just hopes to do the best she can despite her life. Everyone knows about the drama with her mother which she constantly talks about here. She sure isn’t trying to mend any bridges, I’ll tell you that. Spelling says how she does NOT want to turn on to her mother over and over again. But ultimately, you come out of the book with just a feeling that she loves her kids fiercely and wants to do the best for them. And I got a kick out of that. So it was worth reading.

I love novels with a bit of magic around them. The ones that are a little quirky but not trying too hard. Little Giant is that kind of a book—one that sucks you into its world and makes you want to stay there. It’s the story of Truly, a very very large girl whose mother dies during her birth, and whose sister Serena Jane is the polar opposite of her: feminine perfection. As Truly grows up (and out) she becomes the subject of constant curiosity and humiliation. The story has murder, love, a witch—in other words, it’s completely surprising. I loved it and it’s one of the best books I’ve read in a while. I can’t believe this is Baker’s first novel as the writing is so fluid and charming. Highly Recommend.

I hate books that tout themselves as the next Sex and the City—they never measure up. So when I saw that this was supposed to be SATC for foodies, I groaned. Then I cracked it open and vowed to give it a good go. While it’s not SATC (sorry), it’s an engaging, funny and utterly absorbing memoir.
Giulia Melucci discusses the men in her life and, being a food-lover and talented cook, includes some of her favourite recipes sprinkled along the way. Some of my faves included No Nookie Gnocchi, and Real Estate Chicken. I made the latter myself and it was delish. I have to say, this book does remind me of Eat, Pray, Love which is a good thing. I found myself really rooting for Giulia although at times had no clue what she was doing with some of the losers she finds herself with. Although really, glass houses and all that. I highly recommend this read, especially to the cooks out there.

I’ll admit—it took at least 50 pages to get into this book. The main character, Tess, just isn’t that likeable. She’s quite full of herself and has a foul moth (that part I don’t mind but I’m just warning you). She’s a book publisher whose boss is found dead in a kinky situation. So she becomes a suspect (framed, mind you) and also is trying to start he own publishing agency. Of course her boss, Cosima (a totally over-the-top character) is out to get her, probably because Tess is sleeping with her husband.
It’s all very dramatic and in the end, entertaining, but I felt embarrassed to be reading this. It has no real redeeming qualities like some chick lit, to make you feel like you’re not TOTALLY wasting the hours. It’s a pure beach read and despite my few annoyances, sucks you in. Worth a quick read.

I’m an only child. So the inner workings of sister relationships are totally foreign to me. But man are these two messed up. We have Georgia “Peachy” Archer, who married young, is raising two boys in the same small town she grew up in, in the same small house she grew up in. Then you have Beth Archer who leaves to become a star in Manhattan with a fancy apartment and lots of money. So Beth comes to visit one weekend and Peachy catches her having sex with her husband. And so the story begins.
I have no idea how I would react in that situation, to be honest. And I guess that’s sort of the point. Let’s create this utterly f*&#$!@ up situation and see how people handle it. And while I sympathized with Peachy, Beth really grated on my nerves and wasn’t even redeemable (I thought) by the end which kinda soured this book for me. Otherwise, it’s well-written and keeps you reading. Maybe if you have a sister you’ll get it a little more than I did. Despite my annoyances, I would still gladly read Gabriele’s next book—she does have talent.

So when I first read the flyleaf of this novel I was pretty sceptical. I mean, what kind of book calls itself special and magical? That’s setting itself up quite highly isn’t it? I’ve never read a flyleaf like this one before:
"We don't want to tell you too much about this book. It is truly special story and we don't want to spoil it. Nevertheless, you need to know something , so we will just say this: This is the story of two women. Their lives collide one fateful day, and one of them has to make a terrible choice. Two years later, they meet again. The story starts there. Once you have read it you'll want to tell everyone about it. When you do, please don't tell them what happens. The magic is in how it unfolds."
Well, I guess I need to sit down because this book really is special and magical. I won’t tell you what happens (hah) but it involves two narratives: Little Bee, a fourteen-year-old Nigerian girl, and Sarah, a British magazine editor whose lives are connected by a horrific occurrence. It’s a beautifully written book and I couldn’t put it down (but I had to dammit, I have a ten week old). The only star I’m taking off is for the ending. I didn’t feel satisfied but wanting more and I’m not a fan of endings like that. But some people are and they’ll love it. This is a really powerful book with some lessons and moral and crap, but overall it’s just a gripping story. Good, good, good.