Wow! It’s been a long time since I shared with you some of the books I’ve been reading lately. I’m not gonna lie, I’m a particularly slow reader in this stage of life. Sometimes I just don’t have the energy to get through the books I want to so for months my books sit forlornly on the coffee table as I slowly work my way through.
However I have finally got through enough books for a blog post, so here are some short and sweet reviews of the books I’ve been reading lately.
Lessons from Madame Chic: 20 Style Secrets I Learned While Living in Paris by Jennifer L. Scott
This book was recommended to me after I finished reading French Kids Eat Everything back in March of last year. French lifestyle has really begun to intrigue me and this book has some good observations to glean from. Jennifer L. Scott spent 6 months living in a Parisian home as an exchange student and learnt many lessons from observing her hostess. The first few chapters about Parisian life and french fashion were particularly interesting, but as the book went on I felt the lessons got a little more wooly and simplistic, many of which weren’t particularly new to me, such as using manners or trying to perfect the no make up look. Despite this I enjoyed her conversational style of writing and short chapters, which for a busy Mum enabled me to get through it pretty quickly. I think this book is targeted mainly at university students and women in their early twenties who still very much feel on a journey to becoming a woman and could use some pointers along the way as they develop their own sense of style and class.
Raising Girls by Steve Biddulph
As a mother of girls it is alarming to read about the decline in the mental health of young girls, which now more often than not, starts in the primary school years as children are hurried towards adulthood and exposed to more stresses than in previous generations. The book covers all the tricky topics we parents often worry about such as bullying, body image, eating disorders and social media threats, but rather than alarming you and leaving you feeling hopelessly overwhelmed Steve Biddulph manages to be incredibly informative and yet wonderfully empowering at the same time. The five key stages of girlhood are set out chronologically throughout the book allowing you easy access to each developmental stage and the challenges it brings. I personally feel this book is full of parenting wisdom, it encourages you to consider where your daughter is at whilst giving you tips on how to connect with and support her at each age. Summed up Raising Girls is the ultimate parenting guidebook for girlhood that you can pick up and delve into as your daughter grows.
Dear Enemy by Jean Webster
This is the sequel to the the ever popular Daddy-Long-Legs which sees orphan girl Judy Abbot fall in love with the mysterious benefactor with whom she corresponds with via letter throughout the book. Dear Enemy takes on the same writing style of Daddy-Long-Legs, but this time the letters are being sent by the young and witty society girl Sallie McBride, the college friend of Judy that we met in the first book. It follows the trials and tribulations of Sallie as she becomes superintendent to the orphan asylum in which her friend Judy grew up as well as her tumultuous relationship with a Scottish doctor whom Sallie refers to as “Dear Enemy.” I personally found the insights into orphanage life in the early 1900’s rather interesting, one most be warned that as this is set one hundred years ago the language and political views of the time are perhaps not what we would consider to be PC today, but are representative of the era in which it is set and not necessarily the authors own personal views. This is an enjoyable read, perhaps not quite as good as Daddy-Long-Legs but humorous and enjoyable nonetheless.
What books have you been reading lately?
