Have You Read Any Good Books Lately?

So, I’m going to start this post by making an embarrassing and uncomfortable admission. I’m not a TV-watcher; we don’t even have a TV in the house (that’s not the embarrassing part). However, because W essentially insists that I go to bed when she does and lie there nursing her on and off for the 2 or so hours until she falls deeply asleep, I find myself looking for things I can do lying on my side. There are lots of good things I could do. I could do research for my next SquintMom. I could get caught up on emails. I could read a book. But typically, I do none of these things. Typically (here’s the embarrassing part), I watch TV shows on my computer. I have Netflix, and furthermore, I recently learned that ABC puts episodes of their current shows online. I’ve discovered shows that I’m pretty sure everyone else has known about for years, but they’re new to me…like Grey’s Anatomy, and Private Practice, and The Bachelor (it really hurts to admit to watching that last one). And to be honest, my TV-watching is Driving. Me. Nuts. It wouldn’t bother me to watch it once in a while, but for several hours a night…I hate how much time I’m wasting.

So why do I do it?

Well, at the end of the day, I’ve spent 16-or-so odd hours dealing with a teething toddler, have answered dozens and dozens of student emails, have done research for my science writing and/or SquintMom, have read the latest releases from science blogs, medical journals, etc, etc, etc. I’m pretty tired. Note: this does not make me special. I’m a mom. We’re all tired at the end of the day. I’m just saying that, like so many of us, I’m no longer functioning on all cylinders by 8 pm. Anyway, I’m pretty tired, and I really don’t want to do any more work. I’d have no trouble, however, relaxing with an interesting book. Unfortunately, I’ve been burned a few too many times in the last year with poor choices of reading material (for anyone who’s curious, Steven Pinker’s Better Angels of Our Nature is nearly as long as War and Peace, but not nearly as satisfying. Oh, and it takes some real liberties with data interpretation. And it’s expensive. You really let me down on this one, Science Friday. Not that I’m resentful.) Anyway, the only thing I’m more resentful of than wasting time reading a book that ultimately sucks is buying an ultimately sucky book on Kindle (which then means I can’t trade it in). And for this reason, I find myself turning more than I should to instant TV. But I want to change.

To that end, I want to start a discussion about good books (on any topic you like…science, parenting, novel, or whatever). If you’ve read a great book lately — one that you think is worth reading — please post the author, title, a very brief description, and a sentence or two on why you thought it was so fabulous in the comments. Together, we can avoid sucky reading material.

Oh, and if you see a post someone else has made about a book and you agree, say so. If you totally disagree, say that too (we all have different opinions, and that’s fine)…but be nice about it, ok?

I’ll start us off. I highly, HIGHLY recommend Harvey Karp’s Happiest Toddler On The Block. It’s basically about how to communicate with a 1-4 year old, including how to promote good behavior and avoid tantrums. I thought it was well supported and was easy to read, without being condescending. It also included lots of insight into the developing toddler brain, and common sense communication tips.

 

What good book(s) have you read lately?