#50BookPledge Books 43 & 44 - Bringing Up Bebe & Beautiful Ruins

I'm reviewing books 43 and 44 in the same post because I can and not because there is a common theme.

Book 43 was Bringing Up Bebe by Pamela Druckerman from Penguin Press 2012.

As you may or may not know I like to read parenting books especially those about different styles as we try to mold Miss R into a well rounded individual. In a lot of ways I found that Bringing Up Bebe reflected a lot of the techniques that my parents used raising me and could really relate to them.  While I don't necessarily agree with everything in Druckerman's book there are definitely ideas that I can use in my own home.  The book moves along at a fairly quick pace and does a lot of compare and contrast between what the author sees living in France and what she sees when visiting family in the United States. She also makes it clear that neither style is necessarily right or wrong but there are good attributes in both. What I really see is that France uses more of the Village approach while North Americans tend to be much more insular.  Worth the read and I know it is making an impact in our home.


Book 44 was Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter from Harper Collins 2012.

I loved this book, actually wasn't able to put it down.  All of the characters, the scenery and the flow of the story just made it that much more wonderful. My apologies to the author but I originally thought Beautiful Ruins was written by a woman and was pleasantly surprised to find out it was a man.  The novel spans a large period of time, but is done in such a manner that you don't get lost but are drawn in.  My rating for this book is 5 out of 5.

#50BookPledge Book 34 The Naughty Bucket List

The Naughty Bucket List by Kourtney Jason from Amorata Press 2011

For someone considered conservative, old fashioned and unadventurous this book was a real stretch for me.  The book offers 369 suggestions to make your love life much spicier.  Some of the suggestions had merit and I'm certain I'll try them if I haven't already.  There were several that weren't for me though and went against my morals like the suggestion of having a one night stand.  There are several that are yeah maybe and an equal number of probably not.  Regardless of your view thought The Naughty Bucket List will provide some useful suggestions for your love life.  The book is an easy read and the suggests are just ideas, not a how to.  Even though not everything works for everyone,it is worth at minimum a quick skim.

Kisses - Little Reminders

Now one would think it is obvious where kisses come into play reminding another person in your life how important they are but maybe there are other times or situations you have not considered. 

It seems whenever someone in our house hurts someone's feelings the best way to make the pain go away is for the offender to give a kiss and say I'm Sorry!  It is fun when this happens between the adults and our daughters sees it because it helps her to understand how feelings get hurt and how a little caring can fix them.

Kisses also make for a heartfelt yet inexpensive reward system.  When I "catch" my daughter being good I'll often sneak a kiss and let her know I am happy with what she is doing.  Most of the time this results a smile!