Mrs Mismarriage

Picked up this book because would like to give asian chic lit a try. It turn out ok ok. Set in the Singapore city, it is easy to relate with familiar culture, familiar food and familiar 'type of people & their kiasuness'.

Language used in this book is easy to read & understand, although the story seem to be a little dry & unrealistic towards the middle. Imagine meeting 3-4 men who are interested in the female lead in a matter of few days ... she must have been drop dead gorgeous..

One thing good, this book does depict life & marriages in a country like Singapore very honestly & openly. It doesn't paint a very rosy picture of all things true (and ugly).

The story line is a little routine though, a boy & a girl meet - how they fall in love - how he propose - how they got married - how they start living as husband & wife - how husband is always busy with work - how wife becomes bored of being siu nai nai - how wife meet better options out - how one venture into infidelity - how they got back / separated in the end.

Rate this book 2/5

From back of book :

Harvard literature phD cancdidate Audrey Lee's perfect life loses the plot when her brand new boyfriend, the dapper MBA Paul Chang, gets down on one knee, and of all te silly & ridiculous things, proposes marriage!

Suddenly Audrey is a fairy tale trapped and wed-locked into a life she never wanted, that of expat wife and homemaker in her hometown Singapore. And wouldn't you know it! That's when a number of attractive men pop up all interested in her, enough to make Audrey feel she may indeed be the Singaporean Madame Bovary or Lady Chatterley.

With Paul too absorbed in his career to care plus a few mishaps making marital mayhem, Mrs Mismarriage is starting to feel that perhaps she is destined to live....unhappily ever after...

The Vital Touch

This book is a treasure. Filled with examples and convicing real life studies.
Reading this book is like reading a fiction, never wanted to put it down.
The real life observation and examples makes us ponder.
Having experienced the stages from caring for newborn to toddler myself, I can really relate to this book.
At times, I feel like this book is writing for me.
It doesn't only gives reasons why touch is important to children but supportive scientific explaination is given as well.

After reading this book, I find myself not limiting the amount of physical contact with my baby. It is also from this book that I understood more about the importance of touch especially that of parents to babies. Babies do not cry for no reason and does not really know how to use cries to manipulate us, so at times when we leave our babies to cry, we are sending them message that you're insignificant. This is definately not what we want to convey.
I rate this book 4.5 / 5

From the back cover of this book :
A provocative exploration of touch's rople in our babies development.

Why do American babies rank among the least held on earth? Throughout human eveloution, babies have enjoyed initimate physical contact with their mothers. In cultures around the world, parents' arms are used to comfort their babies, from holding and carrying them to rocking them to sleep.

In this probing & insightful book, psychologist Sharon Heller uses evolutionary psychology to examine why social pressures and a desire for self sufficiency have caused Americans to distance ourselves physically from our children. Our overrealiance on infant carriers, strollers, swings and cribs as parenting substitutes often preventing us from attaining physical closeness wih our children, causing increased infant fusiness and creating conflicts to mothers.

Drawing from an inspiring array of cultural & anthropological sources, The Vital Touch explores all the psychological, physiological and sensory benefits that occur when parent & baby are in touch-and what happened when they're not - and show us how we can provide a soothing & nurturing environment in which our children will thrive.

Here is a book that affirm the value of touch as the most essential medium through which we can communicate & bond with our babies.

Chicken Soup for the Soul celebrates Mothers

Chicken Soup for the soul celebrates MOTHERS is a collection in words and photographs about mothers.
It is a hardcover book with 14 real short heartwarming stories and very touching pictures. Those pictures really capture the essence of emotions.
Overall, a good read just for anyone whether you are a children of a mother, a soon-to-be mother, a mother, a grandmother or great grandmother.



From the cover of the book :
Mothers are strong. Mothers are unique. Mothers are love.

There's a universal element to motherhood : a new relationship with yourself, your life, and your child that transcends even the most difficult times and the most trying situations. This relationship manifest itself in quiet gestures of acceptance & lvem heart-touching momentoes, and laughter-filled days.

The photographs in this collection celebrates and capture the power of these universal moments, and the stories touch the very soul of the mothering experience : the electricity of feeling the first kick in the womb, the simple wisdom of a child on frenzied day, the gesture that makes a lifelong connection with a teenage daughter, the joy (mixed with sorrow) of caring for an aging mother.

Some of these stories are from children honoring their mother's gift of mentoring & love, Others are from mothers themselves. All celebrate the special role mothers play in our lives, and all will touch you and open your heart to triump, joy, hardwork and sometimes akward tenderness that forms the unique experience of motherhood.

Man & Wife by Tony Parsons

This story is about Harry Silver and how he's learning to juggle his many responsibilities and commitments - namely to his current wife, his ex-wife, his biological son, his stepdaughter and his own mother, his own work as well as his wife's career.

And while he has not got the hang on juggling all the above, someone walks into his life making his complicated life more complicated.
Man and wife ventures into the complex relationship in the new century. It tells about why we fall in love & why we marry, why we marry who we marry, about why some of us stay and some of us go.

Personally, this book takes me for an emotional roller coaster ride .. it delve into emotions of relationships - the parents kind, the step parents kind, the marriage kind, the ex-marriage kind, the extra marital kind, the-our-elderly-parents kind, the ex-partner's partner kind...all in one sitting. At times, I feel it is really hard leading a life like that.

The plot and character development builds up nicely. I have to say the dialogue and descriptions are vivid. However, there are certain things which were over-mentioned. One being Lucy-doll.

I seriously think that the take home message for me from this book is 'Love is a pure and simple thing. It's best left as simple as it is.'

At times it makes me angry to read about how Harry handles his relationships. It gives me the feeling that he's not doing enough.

It's an eye opening read. It enable you to feel what a person in that situation is feeling. Although I consider this a good read, it leaves a bitter after taste.

Recommended only if you like unconventional romance story.

1001 little parenting miracles

I picked up this 224-pages book at the last Big Bad Wolf book sales due to its very colourful cover.
It covers tips for raising children from newborns to teens.
This book offer tips and strategies in a light read & humourous manner.
Tips and strategies are in abundance but not elaborated enough...basically just scratch on the surface.
There are some cute little drawings peppered throughout the book though which makes it a little more interesting.
Perhaps I was taking a little too long to complete this book, I seem to be lost at certain part of the book particular on the topic about sun care. The steps seem to be repetitive and beating around the bush.

I give this book 2.5/5 ... light but not comprehensive enough.

What to Expect the first year

"With 7 million copies sold, What to Expect : The First Year is the parents' bible for taking care of their baby.
A comprehensive guide packed with down-to-earth, reassuring and practical advice, it is an invaluable aid for all parents with new babies."

I do find the acclaimation above is true.
I didn't expect I could find most of the answers during my 1st year in this. I mean how can a book be so complete? But this book again and again proves me wrong.
It may not cover those doubts and queries I have at that particular stage of my baby but it is surely covered somewhere in the book. The answers are there but sometimes looking for it may be a little challenging.

What I like about the book :
It covers many example & FAQ besides highlighting significant pointers.
The coverage is wide and very organised.
A very informative read and hard to put down once started.

The major categories the book is divided into :
The 1st year :
- Get set, get ready
- buying for baby
- breastfeeding basics
- Your newborn baby
- 1st month to 12 months
Of special concern
- Baby of all seasons
- when baby is sick
- First aid do's & don'ts
- low birthweight baby
- the special need baby
- the adopted baby
For the family
- For mum:enjoying the 1st year
- Becoming a father
- From only child to older child
Ready reference
Baby's First recipes
Common home remedies
Common childhood infection

Overall, for me, this book is a good investment. A friend Mei Ling lent it to me during my confinement due to a breastfeeding problem I had. My baby only wanted to drink my my right breast. This book gave very practical solutions. Then when I had another doubt, my baby did not poo every day and only once in 2 to 3 days, my worries were reduced when I read it is normal for breastfed babies as long as their other functions are not affected.

I love the book so much that I'm now reading What to Expect : The Toddler Years.
I rate this book 4/5