Back in the day when I had a little bit more free time and my weeks and weekends didn't morph into each other in a blur, I actually used to be a reader.
One of my decisions for the new year (resolutions is just such a ridiculous word) was to make an effort to read more, as I really enjoy it, and miss it like crazy. And I don't just mean reading my twitter feed or blogs (all of which are good, obviously!) but to actually concentrate on and discipline myself to put aside other distractions and to focus on a good book.
So below is my list of the books I have read and aim to finish in the first three months of the year.
I suppose it's a bit of cheating as I read it while still on holiday, which was technically last year, but I really can recommend Free-Range Kids by Lenore Skenazy.
Every now and then I get an urge to read a parenting book. My favourite so far was French Children Don't Throw Food, as much of the advice was very sensible. I did also find Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, um, an interesting read.
Free-range kids falls into the first category - a bit of a reminder to parents that they cannot control every teeny weeny tiny detail of their kids lives to ensure success. Its also full of practical advice on how to take small steps to encourage independence.
Now, I must add that the book is aimed at parents of older kids, say nine years old and up, so I will have to revise in a few years time. And the advice also has to be contextualised within your own society - living in SA with a very high crime rate means that sometimes it's just not possible to give kids some of the freedoms that we would want to. But the principle remains a good one.
If you'd like, here's the link to the Freee-Range Kids website.
The following book is the first one that I picked up this year, so I'm really not cheating.
Claire Dederer's Poser: My life in twenty-three yoga poses I must admit is a re-read for me. This is one of those books that 'found me' in a second hand bookshop, and I'm so glad it did. It's a sort of yoga version of Eat, Pray, Love and is a new mom's memoir about finding her post-partum identity and exploration of yoga. It's very cleverly written and very enjoyable, if you're into that sort of thing.
The fact that the two main themes, yoga and identity as a woman/mother are two things that have been very much on my mind lately is perhaps just a coincidence.
But more on those issues in later posts.
Now onto some recommendations.
For our children's first Christmas I like to buy them a classic children's book that they will, hopefully, keep and read for the rest of their lives.
Lilia's first book was Guess How Much I Love You and Michael's was The Gruffalo (I struggled a bit to find a 'boy' book. Do children's books have genders? More importantly, should they?) Grace Mae's was The Velveteen Rabbit.
Pure coincidence that both girls' books had something to do with bunnies. Bunnies seem to be quite a big thing in our family for some reason.
To be completely honest, I had never read this book before buying it, but heard that it was a classic and thought the basic premise was quite sweet.
A month ago when I was looking at a friend's bookshelf (if I come to your house, I will look at your bookshelf. I won't judge you, but it's the best way to get to know somebody on a whole other level) I saw The Velveteen Rabbit, which he recommended very highly.
It's such a lovely book, one of those beautiful old children's books that are sweet and memorable and hold lots of insight for adults if you care to read a little more deeply into it.
And lastly, my ambitious book.
I used to have the goal of reading one 'classic' book a year. Like Anna Karenina (wonderful) and The Portrait of a Lady (um, slow).
So I was told to read Cormac McCarthy's All the Pretty Horses. I'm only a page or three in as I started it last night, but so far it seems pretty amazing. And if something was described as having "prose as clean and hard as pebbles" by the Independent on Sunday, it has to be good.
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