TOM'S TREE: A Book for Arbor Day

National Arbor Day is this Friday, April 26.  I happened to find a delightful book in a bargain bin that I plan on giving my little boy for Arbor Day:

TOM'S TREE by Gillian Shields and Gemma Raynor is an incredibly sweet book about a little boy who plants a tree and makes big plans about all the things he will do when the tree gets big.  But trees take a long time to grow and the boy grows up before the tree does.  At the end of the book, the returns as a man and brings his own son who gets to have all the adventures with the tree that his father always dreamed of.  While the book has a lot to say about patience, it is also a wonderful reminder of the beauty and joy of nature in general and trees in particular.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!! It definitely brought a tear or two to my eyes.

CLOSE MY EYES by Sophie McKenzie

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher.

A lot of people were comparing this book to GONE GIRL when I received it so I was really excited to read it. I love a good suspense novel that plays mind games with the reader. In some ways, this is that kind of book.  Geniver Loxley's daughter was stillborn eight years ago and she cannot move on.  Her husband, Art, has been able to pick up the pieces and create a successful business but Geniver can't seem to cope.  One day, a strange woman shows up at Geniver's door and tells her that her child is still alive.  How can that be? Is it true?  Geniver can't let go of the possibility and begins to try and find out the truth.  Her journey turns to fear and paranoia the deeper she goes into the past and the truth. 

This was such a fun read. I couldn't put it down. I took it with me wherever I went. As a mom myself, I found the story to be such a nightmare and I just had to know what was going to happen.  That being said, I found the ending really disappointing. It just wasn't believable to me.  Still, this is fun read that would be perfect for taking on vacation.

BOTTOM LINE:  Recommended. Even though the ending was disappointing, I still found this to be a fun and exciting read.  I couldn't put it down! Bring it on vacation with you and plan on staying up late to read it!

Being Safe in the Face of Tragedy

"Safe means that you are being your best self and living the life you’ve imagined even in the face of uncertainty. It means that you are being kind and brave – to yourself and to others – even if you are afraid. Even when you don’t know what’s going to happen next."

-Glennon Doyle Melton

Climbing out of the Muck

So far, 2013 has been a year of illness in my little family.  I have been down for the past few weeks with a severe sinus infection among other ailments.  But I'm finally crawling out of the muck! And I have so many reviews to share with you!

In the meantime, I did manage to drag my sickly body (complete with giant cold sore) to a booksigning with Jenny Lawson. I couldn't pass up an opportunity to meet one of my favorite writers.  Many of you will remember that her memoir, LET'S PRETEND THIS NEVER HAPPENED, was one of my favorite books last year.  I was happy to hear that she will have a new book on mental illness coming out next year. 

Lawson famously suffers from social anxiety among other disorders but she seemed completely at ease to me.  She couldn't have been sweeter or more gracious and patient.  Made me love her even more!!!

(me with The Bloggess!)

I wore my shirt with the cats on it in honor of the occasion.

I don't get to attend many booksignings these days but I'm so glad I got to go to this one.

I can't wait to share with you what I have been reading!  Stay tuned!!!

(In the meantime, I'm thinking about soap and other weight issues on my creative blog today.)

April Read: LAST CHILD IN THE WOODS

I hope you enjoyed the "light" selection for March. After reading BRINGING UP BEBE, I realized that I was already intuitively doing a lot of "French" parenting.  It made me really jealous reading about the superlative French creche system.  What I wouldn't have given for a state-sponsored childcare program like that!!!!

This month, we are moving away from focusing on education and success to a different aspect of child development: the importance of getting out in nature.

We'll be reading Louv's book on the importance of connecting children with nature. I'm excited to read this one. I've had it on my bookshelf for awhile and it seems appropriate to read it in Spring.

Hope you enjoy it!!!