Monday, February 15, 2010

And The Book I'm Reading Is.....

The Pregnancy Bible: Your Complete Guide to Pregnancy and Early Parenthood.
Consulting Editors: Joanne Stone, MD and Keith Eddleman, MD

A couple weeks ago I was reading the section on morning sickness. Each Sunday night my husband and I read together the description of the baby's development for the coming week and we read about the changes I can expect each week. Last night we read what to expect during week 10.

This book is a five-star pregnancy book. This is the one and only book I recommend to expecting mothers. When my husband and I found out our first baby was on the way he found the nearest bookstore while he was out trucking and scoped out the pregnancy books. He came home with The Pregnancy Bible and he had already read through most of it.

The best feature of this book is the week by week description both for mother and baby. A picture of the baby accompanies the weekly developement update and there are periodic picutres of the mothers changing body.

If you have any parents-to-be in your life this would be an excellent gift or at least, recommended reading for the couple.

By the way, our baby is expected to arrive mid-September.



Back to my book---

J Renee

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Beautiful Mess: The Story of Diamond Rio by Diamond Rio with Tom Roland

Beautiful Mess is a beautifully written biography about the messy history of the band, Diamond Rio. Tom Roland assists the Country band in telling the details of their years together. A common theme throughout the book is unity and commitment within and to Diamond Rio. This is proven repeatedly through the course of their 20 years together and the band tributes their longevity to these two qualities.


The book begins with Diamond Rio in the middle of a crisis that jeopardizes their careers in 2005. The first chapters recount the days leading up to each member joining the group. While this is a key element in the story, it is a bit tedious. There is a lot of music industry lingo, places and people. With an overabundance of names and people with the same first name it was difficult, at best, to keep everyone straight in my mind. Thanks to Roland’s writing style, this setting-the-stage section is fast-paced. He leads the reader through quickly and keeps the reader focused on the plot.



Each band member has a chapter devoted to telling his personal story. This portion of Beautiful Mess is slower reading but transforms each man from a superstar into a real human. Later in the book an update is given of their current personal lives, which gives readers a chance to learn how the band members grew from the struggles they encountered professionally.



Beautiful Mess is a good choice, even if you do not like Country Music. Avid biography readers will enjoy Beautiful Mess because of the multiple storylines—the band’s story and the individual stories. People who know the music industry well will enjoy making connections with the people and places in Beautiful Mess. And, of course, Beautiful Mess is a good book for those who simply want the inside scoop on the life of celebrities.


I received a complimentary copy of Beautiful Mess: The Story of Diamond Rio from Thomas Nelson Publishers as a participant in their BookSneeze.com book review blogger program.



Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Anticipation

I love to anticipate things. Whether it's a day off, a vacation, going out to eat or even getting something in the mail. Half the fun is being able to anticipate. I want to know where I'm going to eat so my mouth can start anticipating my favorite menu selection. I like to anticipate; it keeps life fun. I also like surprises, which seems the opposite of anticipation, but there is great value in being pleasantly shocked occasionally. Both are great but in my daily life I have many more opportunities to anticipate than be surprised.

What is she talking about this for, you may be wondering. Well, I have something for you to anticipate and it's a surprise of sorts. In the next several days I will post the book that I am currently reading. Now I know that doesn't sound that exciting, but you just wait. You will be very interested to know that I'm reading this book and some of you will be surprised.

If you think you know what might be on my nightstand, leave a comment with your guess.

Until the big reveal, enjoy the anticipation!

Back to my book---

J Renee