Take a Look at a Book (or take a listen)

I love reading. I think it's better entertainment than watching movies or TV. Most of the time, anyway.

Back when I was employed outside the home (I didn't want to say "back when I was working" because I think I do a whole lot of work now!) and commuting to work, I discovered the delights of audiobooks. Aren't they the best? They make the time fly and keep my mind engaged.

Nowadays I listen to more books on my MP3 player and on the CD player in the car than I actually read. I love that the library has free audiobook downloads!

In case you are interested in what I read, here's a peek at the books I have read during 2010 (in random order):


Adventures in Gentle Discipline by Hilary Flower is totally in line with how I want to parent. Love it! Highly recommend it!





These two books by J. Maarten Troost are hilarious! If you listen to them while going to sleep at night, which I often do with audiobooks, you may find yourself laughing instead of sleeping.






Fascinating. I like books with interesting medical information in them combined with enthralling stories. (As you will see with the next books...)









The Red Cross has a superb reputation yet some terrible history. They knew about AIDS years before they did anything to prevent the spread through blood transfusions. This book has some sad stories, but I still liked reading it.





And another cool medical-type book. I'm trying to remember even one of the medical myths ... oh yeah ... that regular checkups are unnecessary. It's actually very important to get an annual checkup with your doctor. I think I'm about due for one of those. I'm sure there were some other good ones in there, I just can't think of them right now.






Eye-opening, fabulous, possibly life-changing. If you want to understand what factors are behind overeating and how to stop it, I highly recommend it!






You are probably wondering if I read any fiction. Why, yes, I do!

The Hunger Games and Catching Fire are both captivating. I have the third book in the series, Mockingjay, on request at the library. I can't wait!






Here's another fiction book: Artemis Fowl. This is just the first in a series. It's written for kids, but I still enjoyed it. Sometimes I pick youth books on purpose because I know they will be clean (no swearing or sex or extreme violence or really disturbing content).






This one's a true story about hunting down a criminal. Reading it was like being part of the FBI myself trying to outsmart the bad guys, with out actually being there. Cool stuff!







Ya gotta love Dr. Phil! He tells it straight.







I learned a lot from this book about helping Chloe's eczema. I even learned some good tips for skin in general. Did you know that in order to seal in the moisture your skin received from your shower or bath, you need to apply moisturizing cream within three minutes of getting out of the water?
The title is a little misleading, though, because eczema is not curable. It's true that some people grow out of it, but those who don't will inevitably have outbreaks.





Quite captivating and eye-opening! I now understand better the whole global-warming issue and want to do my part to help our amazing planet. The pictures in it are great.







This is a story a Chinese mother tells her daughter. I'll cheat and copy from a review by Publisher's Weekly: "The Kitchen God's Wife is a triumph, a solid indication of a mature talent for magically involving storytelling, beguiling use of language and deeply textured and nuanced character development." They also describe it as "perceptive, humorous, poignant and wise."




I'm still working on applying these principles to someone in my household who is sometimes ...um ... explosive.







A beguiling, true story about a doctor in Haiti. Wow, I learned a lot! Awesome book!










Very entertaining and funny!






This is not a complete list of the books I read last year, but you were probably ready for this to end, anyway. Feel free to recommend your favorite books. Like I said, I love reading!