What I've Been Reading

I had hoped to report on these titles individually, but time is passing and I'm remembering less and less about them. If you click on the title(s) you're interested in, I'll take you to Amazon or Chapters, where you can read up on content and reader reviews.

You Can't Make Me (But I Can Be Persuaded) by Cynthia Ulrich Tobias. Waterbrook Press, 1999. Parenting. Discipline. Strong-Willed Children. Highly recommended.

Just Let Me Lie Down: Necessary Terms for the Half-Insane Working Mom by Kristin Van Ogtrop. Little, Brown, 2010. Parenting. Motherhood. Marriage. Also see this review, which first spurred me to read the book.

Glom Gloom by Jo Dereske. Backinprint.com, 2006. Juvenile Fiction. Teen Fiction. Fantasty. For the record, I really enjoyed this one.

Devil's Food Cake Murder  by Joanne Fluke. Kensington, 2011. Mystery. Hannah Swensen novels are usually an entertaining and enjoyable read, and this one was no exception.

All That is Bitter and Sweet: a Memoir by Ashley Judd. Ballentine Books, 2011. Memoir. Celebrity Biography. Though we're not on the same page on everything, after reading this book I have an increased respect and admiration for this talented actress and activist.

The One-Minute Mother: the quickest way for you to help your children learn to like themselves and want to behave themselves

by Spencer Johnson,
William Morrow & Company, 1983

An expectant mother decides to consult the mothers around her in order to have a better understanding of good child-rearing methods. After speaking with many and becoming tired and discouraged, she finally hears of a woman who has simple and effective strategies. She visits this "one-minute mother" and her three adult children to find out the secrets of successful parenting.

Although this is an older title, the contents remain true for parents today. Told in story form, and just over 100 pages long, the book is a quick and easy read. When the techniques suggested are applied properly and consistently, mothers should discipline children effectively, and children should learn to like themselves and want to behave themselves.

A companion volume, The One-Minute Father, is also recommended.