More Books!

If you think I'm bad about returning library books, you should see my stack of books to review. I get an anxiety attack just thinking about it. I've slowly been making my way through each of them, though, and I'm ready to start telling you about them.


First on the list is A Suburban Mom: Notes from the Asylum, by Meredith O'Brien. Yes, that Meredith O'Brien. Bitch got herself published. Only kidding, Meredith. I'm just envious of your fame and fortune.

The truth is, I wish Meredith lived in Nashville instead of Boston because then I would show up at her front doorstep and refuse to leave until she agreed to be my friend. And this book only cemented that impression. It's a collection of 76 of her best columns, divided into sections like "Pregnancy, Birth and Other Bloody Things" and "Growing Pains." A mother of three, Meredith comes across as smart, funny and real. While so many published writers have a bit of that face it, I'm better than you air in their writing, Meredith's stories read like she could be telling them to you over coffee at Starbucks.

Best of all, each column is short and sweet- Perfect for those couple of minutes you manage to squeeze in for yourself before bed or (gasp) in the bathroom. And you can read it from start to finish or skip around and choose a column that meets your mood at the moment.

Great job, Meredith. I want to hate you- but I can't.


Kathi Alexander is one of the nicest women I've never met. When she read my epidural post, she sent me a copy of her book Easy Labor, which was a great read. I only wish I'd had it the first time I was pregnant.

In fact, I would go so far as to call it a must-read for pregnant women. The book comprehensively explains all of the options you have during labor- from epidurals and various forms of pain medication to acupuncture, hypnobirthing and water immersion. It is refreshingly straightforward, devoid of all the cutesy cutesiness that publishers seem to think they need to throw into a pregnancy book in order to make us read it. It doesn't come out in favor of or against any particular birthing method- the point of this read is to give a pregnant woman as much knowledge as possible about her options before going into labor. Awesome.

One of my favorite parts of the book discussed common fears women have about labor and explanations of the real chances of that fear actually happening. It made me feel less neurotic and alone about the nervousness I had going into labor and really put my worries into perspective.

In short, if you're pregnant or know someone who is, add this book to the reading list.