#50BookPledge Book 28 Honey, I Wrecked the Kids

Honey, I Wrecked the Kids: When Yelling, Screaming, Threats, Bribes, Time-Outs, Sticker Charts and Removing Privileges All Don't Work by Alyson Schafer from Wiley Canada  

I'm always looking for new/additional methods for nurturing my daughter and make sure we aren't getting into never ending battles.  This book was an eye-opening read as Alyson seemed to have insight into what is happening in my family/my head. One of the challenges Alyson presents is to go a week without saying no to your child.  This is something I'm tackling and must admit not doing well with, but I plan to stick with it because when I get it right it makes life much easier.  What I like in particular about Alyson's writing is that she is writing from experience since she is a parent and lived the style of parenting she's promoting for her life.  Honey, I Wrecked the Kids: When Yelling, Screaming, Threats, Bribes, Time-Outs, Sticker Charts and removing Privileges All Don't Work is having a positive impact on my family. 

#50BookPledge Book 27 Breaking the Good Mom Myth

Breaking the Good Mom Myth by Alyson Schafer from John Wiley & Sons 2006

I really enjoyed this book, probably because it was written by a mom and she admits she sometimes has to regroup.  I've read a number of parenting books over the last four years and this is by far one of the better ones.  It tackles real life situations, giving you alternatives to what current society expects.  The solutions offered when reviewed carefully are good old common sense and initially leave you wondering "why didn't I think of that?"  My biggest take away was that I don't need to be like every other mom on the block and really shouldn't try to be, but instead be realistic with expectations of both self and child.  Well worth a 4 out of 5 review.

#50BookPledge Book #26 Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig from Renaissance Audio 1999.

Not necessarily my cup of tea but an interesting book overall.  It didn't take me long to realize that the motorcycle maintenance was a metaphor used throughout the book to help weave the themes together.  The content wasn't something I really paid much attention to but was very interested in the story of a father and son traveling across the country on a motorcycle.  I was particularly interested in chapters 32 and 33 as they tied the story and life after together.  The author has given us insight into his life that he didn't need to share and really shows how life goes on even after a child passes.  My rating is a 3 out of 5.

#50BookPledge Book 25 Falling Backwards

Falling Backwards by Jann Arden from Knopf Canada 2011.

This was a very interesting biography by a very interesting woman who is a household name in Canadian music.  I enjoyed reading Jann's life story because she wasn't afraid to reveal the sad, the ridiculous or the difficult from her readers and she put her own special brand of comedy into many of the pages in the book.  It must have been hard to write this book without hurting feelings or revealing too much about the other folks in the family that didn't want their stories shared the same way.  Jann is very thoughtful of her family members wishes, or at least that is my assumption, in that she only shares about her brothers what you need to know and again an assumption, what they are willing to let her share.  The Canadianism's scattered throughout Falling Backwards are hilarious reminding me of a time when life was very different even though it was only 30 years ago.  Thank you Jann for this honest overview of your life and showing that you never know what is going to happen in your life unless you decide to pursue it wholeheartedly.

#50BookPledge Book 24 The Taming

Random House Canada Random Reader Challenge Young Adult

So the Challenge this time around was to read one of the following Adult fiction books:

The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong
The Taming by Teresa Toten and Eric Walters
Someone Else’s Life by Katie Dale
Blood Red Road by Moira Young
The Fathomless Fire by Thomas Wharton
Flip by Martyn Bedford

For me the decision came down to which book became available first from my local library.  The first book to win the battle was The Taming by Teresa Toten and Eric Walters from DoubleDay Canada 2012. It also ended up being my 24th read for the 50 Book Pledge. 

The Taming is a book about high school students who meet and become involved while their drama class performs Shakespeare's The Taming of The Shrew.  The Taming starts off strong with an introduction to Katie and her friends Travis and Lisa.  The second chapter introduces us to Evan who becomes Katie's boyfriend.  There is a very distinct clash between different society classes.  The novel switches between Katie and Evan's POV every chapter to give a rounded account of the story.

As the book continues there are several parallels to The Taming of The Shrew, however Katie goes from being a person who disappears into the background to a strong confident young woman able to stand
up to and ultimately break up with Evan a very controlling boyfriend. This of course is the reverse of what happens in the play but it deals with a reality many teens face.

I found the turning points in the book to be when Katie's mom's boyfriend Joey tells Katie to be careful and that he suspects what is happening as well as when Katie goes to Lisa for help in "catching" Evan.  It was wonderful to see Katie stand up to Evan and I got the impression even though he was making all the promises he didn't really change but was just a smooth operator like his father used to getting women to do whatever he wanted.

The Taming is a relatively easy read that explores the issue of  controlling/abusive relationships in a subtle manner.  I enjoyed the book and recommend to any young girl in such a circumstance or
a friend who wants to know how to support a friend in such a situation.