Currently reading (and a giveaway!)

Non-fiction:

Breasts: A Natural and Unnatural History by Florence Williams. 
This book was a Silent Spring for breasts. Funny at times, gravely disturbing at others, it covers the history of the breast from just about every angle. You'll learn about the history of bras, breast sizes and shapes, and breast implants. You'll discover disturbing facts about how closely our breasts are tied to our environment and the many contaminants in our air and water. I love the front and back cover art!

Reading Birth and Death: A History of Obstetric Thinking by Jo Murphy-Lawless.
Brilliant, acute, spot-on, a must-read for anyone involved in maternity care. I only read through page 50 before I had to return it to the library. I'm going to check it out again and finish reading.







Fiction:

Someone Knows My Name by Lawrence Hill
A narrative of a young African girl captured by slave traders and sent to the American Colonies. She gains her freedom and becomes involved in the British abolitionist movement.

The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
Fantastic novel about an emotionally disturbed young woman whose childhood was spent shuttled around in the foster care system. She finds solace by communicating through the language of flowers. Some pretty intense parts but so, so worth it.

Sideways To the Sun by Linda Sillitoe
Written maybe 2-3 decades ago, a short novel about a Mormon woman and mother whose husband abruptly abandons her and leaves her to reassemble her life. She gains newfound strength as she is forced to support her family and figure out who she is outside of her Mormon roles of mother and especially wife.






Books on my to-read list:

• Born At Home: Cultural and Political Dimensions of Maternity Care In the United States by Melissa Cheyney
• The Blood Sugar Solution by Mark Hyman
• Complementary Feeding: Nutrition, Culture and Politics by Gabrielle Palmer
• A Cultural History of Pregnancy Pregnancy, Medicine, and Culture, 1750-2000 by Clare Hanson
• What's Mine Is Yours: The Rise of Collaborative Consumption by Rachel Botsman
• The World's Strongest Librarian: A Memoir of Tourette's, Faith, Strength, and the Power of Family by Josh Hanagarne
• Thea Gallas Always Gets Her Man by Kristen Panzer (just bought it for my Kindle!)

And finally, a giveaway!

I've been reading Everybody Has Everything, a novel by Katrina Onstad. It's about a couple who have been trying for years to have children. They finally accept their infertility, then they suddenly become parents to a 2-year-old whose father died in a car crash and whose mother was in a coma. The sudden leap into parenthood--maybe permanent, maybe not--destablizes their relationship and leaves them wondering: are we really able or prepared to take care of another human being?

The novel was a fun, fast, gripping read. It reminds me a lot of Dan Chaon's writing: depressing yet uplifting with its sharp observations of human relationships and the small details that make the story feel, well, less like a story and more like real life.

The publisher was kind enough to give me a review copy AND offer to sponsor a giveaway for five lucky winners!

To enter the giveaway:

• Write about a memorable parenting moment (funny, embarrassing, scary, crazy, whatever). If you're not a parent, write about something from your own childhood.
• Giveaway open to US residents
• Be sure to leave an email address, website, blog, or other way to contact you
• Contest closes on Friday, August 16 at 5 pm EST