I [heart] Davids It helps me to say these things aloud, I think.

A few books that I’m reading right now.

Parenting by Heart: How to Stay Connected to Your Child in a Disconnected World by Ron Taffel with Melinda Blau (2002)
Highly Recommend
A book whose central idea is to approach parenthood realistically, as a PERSON, rather than from some ideal as a PARENT. Taffel emphasizes that we should spend more time nurturing ourselves as parents and stop focusing all of our emotional energy solely and squarely on our children. I really liked his perspective and it actually made me excited about parenting an older child. (I was initially a little unsure about this book because I wasn’t a big fan of Melinda Blau but her writing style was nowhere to be found in these pages).

Fledgling by Octavia E. Butler (2007)
Recommend
An interesting vampire novel by a black female science fiction writer. Told in the first person, it’s an interesting read on the inner workings of a secret society hidden within our own society. I found it a quick and easy, engaging read. Sadly, Butler passed away just recently – it seems a loss to the sci-fi genre. I’m eager to read The Parable of the Sower next.

ScreamFree Parenting: The Revolutionary Approach to Raising Your Kids by Keeping Your Cool by Hal Edward Runkel (2005)
Haven’t Read
It got nearly 5 stars on the Amazon website, so I got it based soley on the title. 🙂

The Counterfeits by Leo F. Kelley (1967)
Do Not Recommend
A really, really not-very-good pulp science fiction novel. I love pulp sci-fi novels, but this just wasn’t that entertaining.

Parenting Beyond Belief edited by Dale McGowan (2007)
Recommend
It is not an instruction manual, but rather a collection of insights from parents who have raised their own children without religion. Contributors include Julia Sweeney, Richard Dawkins, and Penn Jillette, as well as a number of others. Still reading this, but I can tell it’s a edifying piece whose underlying message is that it is possible to raise decent, responsible and moral children without needing to wrap those messages in the fabric of religion.

Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman (2006)
Haven’t Read
From Amazon: “Fat Charlie Nancy’s normal life is turned upside down when his father dies and a brother he never knew he had shows up at his doorstep. When that brother, Spider, starts to wear out his welcome, Fat Charlie learns that his father was not a man but the trickster god, Anansi, and both he and Spider have inherited some of Dad’s godliness.”