Noah's Compass by Anne Tyler

Emotionally detached Liam Pennywell has just lost his schoolteacher job when the novel opens. He immediately downsizes by moving to a cheaper apartment, where an assault and head wound has Liam become obsessed with the blank space in his memory surrounding the time of the head injury. His somewhat estranged but pretty typical modern family complicate his life just as he is becoming drawn into a relationship with a women whom he hopes can help him with the missing piece of memory. This is vintage Tyler where we really get inside the off beat, pale and underachieving characters and the less than perfect webs of connections between people. The novel is literary and interior with character being the strongest component. It is good for those off days when you don't want action or bubble gum reading. Tyler still manages to satisfy me with her quirky but familiar people where, dare I confess, I always recognize aspects of myself as well as others.

The Random House Book of Poetry for Children, edited by Jack Prelutsky

As I come to the end of maternity leave, I realize that I've read very little in the way of "grown up" books this summer.

However, I did discover a great book that both Eleanor (that's the little one) and I both enjoyed. It's The Random House Book of Poetry for Children, edited by Jack Prelutsky. This TOME (it's huge) of poems includes works from Lewis Carroll (the guy who wrote Alice in Wonderland), Roald Dahl (the guy who wrote Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), William Blake (a crazy 18th century dude), and even popular nonsense rhymes like the ones everyone sings on the playground and can't remember who wrote them.

Eleanor loved the poems. Or I think she did. She smiled a lot, and often they lulled her to sleep. I sure liked them. Here's one of my favorites:

The Night is a big black cat

The Moon is her topaz eye,

The stars are the mice she hunts at night,

In the field of sultry sky.

- G. Orr Clark

For parents, kids, or lovers of poetry, I'd highly recommend this book.

What I Thought I Knew

Usually, biographies are not my cup of tea. Honestly, I brought this one home because it was relatively short and I hoped I would have a chance to actually finish it. Here's the scoop: Alice Cohen, a middle-aged freelance actress and writer begins experiencing strange symptoms and after months of tests and examinations is eventually diagnosed with cancer. During a CAT scan, her doctor discovers that she is in fact, six months pregnant. While she adores her adopted daughter, Alice (who has been told she was infertile her entire life) is horrified. She has had no prenatal care, drank gallons of Italian wine on a recent vacation, and has taken hormones throughout her pregnancy. Alice is tortured by the decision to carry her child to term; she considers adoption and abortion. Her memoir of these months is peppered with lists she composed to help her cope - each entitled "What I know." Alice's story brought me to laughter and tears - it was honest, engaging and quite unforgettable. You'll want to share this one!

Great Stuff for Expectant Parents

I've always known the library is a great place to get information - I get to work at the library each day and see all the cool stuff we have, after all. But in getting ready for my own baby, I was SO impressed once again at all the GREAT stuff you can find at your local library. I might have spent a fortune on all the items I've checked out about babies - instead, I got it all with my library card.

So I just have to share a few of my favorite finds:

Reading Magic by Mem Fox - My mother passed this book on to me when I first started working at the library. It's all about how reading aloud to children - and babies - will change their lives forever. It's been great for my job, but took on new significance as we prepare to have a child of our own with whom we can read every day - even from day one!

DVDs - There are some awesome movies for expectant parents, like...

In the Womb - a National Geographic special that follows from conception to birth. FASCINATING!

Prenatal Yoga - I loved this workout. Always consult a doctor on such things, but this was really nice. It's tailored to every part of the pregnancy, even the end, when you can barely move.

Baby Name books - the library hase TONS. My favorite was The Best Baby Names in the World. This book was organized by country of origin, which made it easier to follow than simply a long list starting with "A." (My eyes always glaze over by the time I reach the B's.) I also got a kick out of The Baby Name Wizard, a great website which a fellow librarian showed to me.

Medical Advice - There is no substitute for your doctor's advice, but it was SO helpful to have What to Expect When You're Expecting on hand. A librarian also put me on to MedlinePlus, a website maintained by the National Library of Medicine. I used that site a lot to look up quick questions from home or just browse useful websites.

Consumer Reports - It's amazing to me how much gear there is for babies. I kept wondering, "Is this really necessary?" and more importantly, "Is this actually safe?" The library has back issues of Consumer Reports magazines, which let me look up baby gear. There's also a Best Baby Products guide written by the makers of Consumer Reports. It's really helpful in guiding you through the wild and wooly world of car seats and pacifiers.

Cookbooks - I'm not cooking for baby yet, but when I am, I know the library has lots of books on Baby Purees and other foods. For myself, I was able to use the library's many cookbooks to figure out how to eat a little healthier. It really helped with morning sickness, too.

Parenting Advice - Everyone has advice for new parents. But there are some really great books on parenting for new and expectant parents. Will I find this advice at all useful for MY child? I'm not sure. But I'm sure glad I had so many books to look at to get an idea of what to expect.

And last, but certainly not least, I found some really great children's books at the library. I can't wait to share them with the little one. And best of all, when I'm tired of reading the same kids books over and OVER again, I can come and find new ones here.

So, to all you expectant parents (and grandparents) out there - Good Luck!

Orphanage, by Robert Buettner

The first book of five military sci-fi, space opera series. I picked up and read Orphanage and got hooked pretty quickly. Comparable to some of the Elizabeth Moon books.
Jason Wander, the main character, starts out as a lowly corporal and ends up a general by the end of the book. Basically, mankind's first meeting of aliens, and it's not a good one. The Slugs park on Ganymede and start dropping large chunks of rock onto Earth's larger cities, totally destroying some of them. Earth's beleagured military sends an attack force to try to destroy the Slugs; only problem is it's been decades since any spacecraft have been needed, so it ends up being a patched up, roughly put together force with little chance of success. The main characters mostly end up hanging around through most of the rest of the series, so there is a nice continuity to the series. Easy, enjoyable, basic sci-fi.

The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister

This Seattle author's first novel is a treat! The premise is familiar if not predictable: diverse, likeable characters gather for a weekly cooking class and come away with more than good recipes. Members of the ensemble wend their various ways (via some lip-smacking edibles) from despair to hope, from grief to consolation, from stodginess to passion. What elevates this from a pleasant story to a delectable read is the author's luscious, loving rendering of each act of...cooking! From (killing) crab to white on white cake; from pure olive oil to tiramasu; from red sauce to chocolate; each element and every morsel is described with sensuous celebration. Mouth-watering, heart-warming...what more do you need? Warning: Don't read this without some food or drink within reach.

The Echo Maker by Richard Powers

Set in Nebraska along the Platte River, this award-winning novel is a masterful, lyrical weave of cranes and brains, consciousness and memory, science and love, fame and forgetting. It's the story of Mark, a young man who survives a serious, mysterious accident, but with a brain injury that makes him believe that his sister, Karin, is an imposter. She appeals to a famous neurologist, Gerald Weber, who agrees to consult in order to see the rare syndrome for himself. The author brings to vivid life these three characters and a motley crew of Mark's friends and caretakers. The pages of this book are dense with the marvels of human brain science, the plasticity and tyranny of the mind, and the ways we humans perceive ourselves and each other. One mystery gets solved as a dozen more are revealed. Love it or not, you won't regret reading this book.