The Reluctant Tuscan (Phil Doran)

Cori, you've got to read this book. It's a fast and easy summer read. I laughed many times and only got a offended a little when he makes fun of Europeans and their fear of drafts.
Phil Doran was a Hoolywood Sitcom writer who got dragged to Italy by his wife, who bought a small rustic house in Tuscany. I could not put the book down. Very funny and very delicious in every way. It made me want to buy Ricotta cheese and adopt a baby goat.

Christlike Parenting (Glenn Latham)

reviewed by Cori

I feel a little beaten over the head with self-help lately. I know, I know, no one forces me to read the books I read. But between book club and recommendations, and my own desire to "fix it" these things happen. Now I need a big fat break and can't wait to become absorbed in another big fat delicious novel by Wallace Stegner.

HOWEVER, this book is a keeper. In fact, I plan to not only purchase it for myself but to find it in audio version for my husband also. (Yes, he can read, but he also has a long commute...great time for an audio book!) Dr. Latham studies behavioral science and this book made so much sense to me. I have started using some of the suggestions and while I have a long way to go, I feel that there's hope that I can respond to my children more positively than negatively, remain calm and supportive when they make poor choices, and just develop a great relationship with each one.

My husband says that he never once remembers his mother raising her voice at him or his siblings. I asked her about it once and she told me that she listened to her upset self one day and was horrified that her kids might remember her voice sounding that way. She determined to no longer yell at her kids. Dr. Latham gives a concrete way to make this a reality in his book. I find myself discouraged sometimes when I don't handle something as well as I should, but I believe that these methods will work. And if I can master them while my kids are small, we will know what to expect from each other and hopefully they'll consider me safe to be around.

To be a little more specific, Dr. Latham outlines a number of Christlike attributes and how we can demonstrate them in our parenting. But he has behavioral science and many years of family counseling to back him up, which is refreshing. Highly recommend this one.

The Optimistic Child (Martin Seligman)

reviewed by Cori

This book was recommended to me by a friend and I recommend it heartily as well. The subtitle is "A Proven Program to Safeguard Children from Depression and Build Lifelong Resilience." Dr. Seligman is a pscyhologist who outlines a program he created to help identify children with a propensity to develop depression, then help reverse the cognitive tendencies that tend to accompany depression. Even if your child is too small to show many signs of depression, I thought the book was very helpful simply to point out pessimistic thought patterns and teach (through actual exercises provided in the book) how to change the thinking that can lead to depression.

Concerns you might have about this book that I can debunk in the name of My Humble Opinion:

*It will be too academic-sounding (read: BORING) to be applicable. Not so. I found the writing, research explanations, and examples easy to follow.
*I won't need this unless my child ever gets depressed. Ah, but learn about being a good example in your own optimistm now and you can avoid that situation all together. I was absolutely amazed at the number of children who will experience depression. Cognitive therapy is a common way to treat depression, so I think this reading is valuable no matter who you are...I think most of us have known someone or experienced personally how devastating depression can be. I like the idea that maybe I could be helpful just by being informed. Also, you may be surprised about some of your own tendencies and examples that you could change fairly simply to be a good example to your children.
*I am not interested in telling myself fifty times every day that I am good enough, smart enough, etc. Don't worry, you won't have to! In fact, that's not even the type of optimism that Dr. Seligman promotes.
*Will this apply to my small children? Honestly, most of the book is geared towards kids ages 8 and up. But I still found the skills useful. There is a chapter at the end centered around little ones, and I found it helpful.

There are also some very interesting thoughts on self esteem: what we as a society have made it out to be, how we disillusion (or spoil) children in the name of self esteem, and proper versus improper ways to encourage and praise a child.

I'm not one to take any self-help book as a "bible" but instead try to pick up a few good tips that I find most compelling. There were plenty to choose from here, and I enjoyed becoming better informed (and hopefully a better parent). If you want something more focused on adults, he also has a book called "Learned Optimism" - same concepts, no kid focus.

The Book Thief (Markus Zusak)

Background to the author: Markus Zusak has German parents and lives in Sydney Australia. He took the story from his parents' stories.

This is a Teen Book. However I would not recommend it to any teen. This is a good intro into the complex problems in Nazi Germany. There is a good amount of German swearing but is pretty tame in cruelty.
Death is the narrator, which was very interesting in the beginning but throughout the book it sounds more like a narrative in 3rd person.
It too me well over 150 to get into it. After 400 pages I wanted to know the end but was quite emotionally detached from the main character.

It's a tragic story about a girl who discovers the positive and negative powers of words.
As Liesel steals books, Death takes what belongs to him as well.

Adam Bede (George Eliot)

This was my January book club book. The first few chapters looked tedious. Imagine these chapter headings (out of 40?):

• Going to the Mill
• Going to the village to hear the preacher
• The preacher
• The sermon
• After the sermon
• Thoughts on the preacher
• Where we take a break from the story

I had to laugh out loud and wanted to give up right away.

Add some old English slang and you'll stare at the thickness of the book in disapproval. But it turned out to be a book that you'll remember and read again.a classic for sure. The plot itself is not too important (similar to Crossing to Safety) with a love triangle but the writing and character development are amazing and make the people very much real. It will do very well in any book club. Plus there is a movie "Adam Bede" that is no too bad, however it can never be compared to the book.

The author is a woman and George Eliot was her pen name.

Das Geheimnis der Hebamme (Sabine Ebert)

No translation available. "The Midwife's Secret" (historical fiction)

I only read it because my mom, grandmother, and 2 sisters read it. They told me I have to read it, which was cute because we could all talk about it afterwards. It's was close to 700 pages long and I read it when I had my sinus and ear infection.

Story:
Germany, 12th century, unhappy and starving farmers left the west to start new villages in the "dark forests" of Saxony (my home state). On their way to Saxony they take under their care a 14 year old midwife apprentice, who's running away from her executing because her masters' wife had a still birth.

A young knight settles with his new settlers on a hill. They find out that they landed on an iron and silver mountain. The city is now called "Freiberg" (Free mountain) and is the location of the Germany temple (in which we got married).
The story is about the love of the midwife to the young knight that face huge difficulties with robbers, greedy farmers, temperamental knights and moody monarchs, who all want their share of the new found wealth of their village.

I give it 3 stars.

All Creatures Great and Small (James Herriot)

(review by Cori)

The word that comes to my mind when I think of this book is "delightful." It's about the author on his first job as a veterinary surgeon in England in the late 1930s. Normally not the kind of thing I would pick up at first glance, honestly. But I read it back in middle school and remembered enjoying it, so was glad to revisit it when it was chosen for our Book Club this month. I will give fair warning that if you're easily grossed out by medical procedures there are several (animal births, surgeries, etc.) that are described in detail (but not overdone). I promise you won't feel like you're reading a medical textbook - and I don't handle bloody TV shows or bloody real-life shows well but didn't have a problem.

The accounts in the book are autobiographical and done with detail and wit. Many, many times I found myself laughing out loud. You'll enjoy the characters - James' quirky boss Siegfried, Siegfried's irresponsible but good-natured little brother, Tristan, and the many country folk Dr. Herriot visits to treat their animals. It's interesting as a look at a profession, a look at a period in history, and even just a look at human nature. (Pssssst, there's even a love interest.) Well worth the read, can't wait to go on that cruise and read the subsequent four books about his further experiences. Okay, there's no cruise, but sign me up!! So many books, so little time...