Parenting & Families Books

The Girlfriends' Guide to Pregnancy

Vicki Iovine

Amazon Price: $10.20 List Price: $15.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Pocket Amazon Marketplace: 73 new & used starting at $2.70

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Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> Personal Health -> General
Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> Personal Health -> Women's Health -> Pregnancy & Childbirth -> General
Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1044 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Loved this book!!! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This is a great book, and a I disagree with the reviews that claim you have to live in Malibu and have actress friends to like this book. I live in a small town, and everyone I know loved this book. I read this book during my first pregnancy 11 years ago and it made me laugh and feel better, I read it during my second pregnancy 3 years ago, and I am now on my third pregnancy and I am reading it again. This is a great book for anyone who is down to earth and not afraid to laugh at yourself. Yes the fashion tips our a little outdate, but you should be able to get some humor out of what the fashion was 15 years ago. If you are looking for fashion advice I suggest picking up a current Pregnancy Magazine.

Editorial Review:

Beginning with the "10 Greatest Lies About Pregnancy" (number 10: Lamaze works), and ending with postpartum dementia, Vicki Iovine's Girlfriends' Guide to Pregnancy has fast become the laywoman's mouthpiece for the American pregnancy experience. Iovine is irreverent, sassy, and incredibly reassuring as she exposes the "truths" of pregnancy and childbirth, from sex to cellulite to cesareans. Iovine birthed four kids in six years, none of them twins, which certainly qualifies her as an expert. The Girlfriends' Guide to Pregnancy does reveal Iovine's particular cultural biases (pregnant or not, most of us don't have record-producer husbands, hang out with supermodels, or wear size-four pants) and philosophical beliefs (she's not a particularly strong proponent of natural childbirth or nursing), but, taken with a grain or two of salt, she provides many hilarious moments, acres of advice, and honest reassurance readers will find nowhere else. --Ericka Lutz

Mother on Fire: A True Motherf%#$@ Story About Parenting!

Sandra Tsing Loh

Amazon Price: $15.64 List Price: $23.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Crown Amazon Marketplace: 24 new & used starting at $13.68

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Subjects -> Biographies & Memoirs -> General
Subjects -> Biographies & Memoirs -> Specific Groups -> Women
Subjects -> Biographies & Memoirs -> Memoirs

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

This is a story about the year I exploded into flames. Which turns out to be more common than you’d think, among forty-something humans. Yea, we can hold it together in our thirties, with a raft of hair products and semi-tall nonfat half-caf beverages and much brisk walking to a lot of interesting appointments. Come the forties, though, cracks begin to appear. One staggers suddenly along life’s path; gourmet coffee splats; the wig slips askew. In other words, my friends, THE WHEELS COME OFF.

Sandra Tsing Loh is the fiercest, funniest, and most incredibly honest and self-deprecating voice to emerge from the “mommy war” debates. In Mother on Fire, she fires away with her trademark hilarious satire of societal and personal irks large and small, including limo liberals who preach the virtues of public school but send their children to fashionable private ones, the proliferation of costly skin-care products that just don’t cut it, society’s obsession with aromatherapy, her Chinese father’s disdain for her life as an artist, and $10 Target pants (“Are they running pants, exercise pants, pajama pants?”) that are the ubiquitous Mother of Small Children uniform.

Prompted by her own midlife crisis, Loh throws her frantic energy not into illicit affairs, shopping binges, or exotic trips, but into the harrowing heart of contemporary, dysfunctional L.A. life when she realizes that she can’t afford private school for her daughter, and her only alternative is her neighborhood’s public school, Guavatorina, where most of the kids speak Spanish and qualify for free lunches. In a theater-of-the-absurd-style odyssey, Mother on Fire documents Loh’s “year of living dangerously” among pompous school admissions officials, lactose-intolerant, Prius-driving parents, mafia dons of public radio, vindictive bosses, and old friends with new money as she first kisses ass—and then kicks it.

Belly Laughs: The Naked Truth about Pregnancy and Childbirth

Jenny McCarthy

Amazon Price: $10.36 List Price: $12.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Da Capo Press Amazon Marketplace: 119 new & used starting at $3.54

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Subjects -> Entertainment -> Humor -> Doctors & Medicine
Subjects -> Entertainment -> Humor -> General
Subjects -> Entertainment -> Humor -> Parenting & Families

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 367 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Inappropriate - but no one should be surprised 1 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

R-rated book is full of inappropriate and crude humor. No one should be surprised though as the author has gained this reputation.

Editorial Review:

Oh, the joys of pregnancy! There's the gassiness, constipation, queasiness, and exhaustion, the forgetfulness, crankiness, and the constant worry. Of course, no woman is spared the discomforts and humiliations of pregnancy, but most are too polite to complain or too embarrassed to talk about them. Not Jenny McCarthy! In the New York Times best-selling Belly Laughs, actress and new mother Jenny McCarthy reveals the naked truth about the tremendous joys, the excruciating pains, and the unseemly disfigurement that go along with pregnancy. Never shy, frequently crude, and always laugh-out-loud funny, McCarthy covers it all in the grittiest of girlfriend detail. From morning sickness and hormonal rage, to hemorrhoids, pregnant sex, and the torture and sweet relief that is delivery, Belly Laughs is must-read comic relief for anyone who is pregnant, who has ever been pregnant, is trying to get pregnant, or, indeed, has ever been born!

Be Prepared: A Practical Handbook for New Dads

Gary Greenberg, Jeannie Hayden

Amazon Price: $11.20 List Price: $14.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Simon & Schuster Amazon Marketplace: 63 new & used starting at $4.95

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Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Social Sciences -> Gender Studies -> Men
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Social Sciences -> Sociology -> Marriage & Family
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Social Sciences -> Sociology -> Men

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 83 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Take your average guide for new mothers, chuck most of the stuff about breast feeding and ditch the deep background research and stats, then generously pepper with illustrations and burley humor and what do you have? Your average guide for new fathers. Be Prepared follows that template pretty closely, and that's really quite an acceptable thing. Yes, there's a bit too much emphasis here on broadly drawn manly stuff like changing a diaper at a ballgame, but there's also heaps of useful advice that's cleverly and efficiently presented for pops who, despite their best intentions, really aren't prepared to dig into encyclopedia-sized tomes. The basics (childproofing, bathing, feeding, entertaining) intermix with nifty sidebars (homemade bath toys, foods to never give your baby, exercises for dads) in easy-to-peruse chapters organized according to the age of the offspring up to age 1. There are more thorough how-to guides for new dads, but for most men moving into fatherhood, Be Prepared will fill the bill. --Steven Stolder

Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim

David Sedaris

Amazon Price: $10.19 List Price: $14.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Back Bay Books Amazon Marketplace: 170 new & used starting at $2.43

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Subjects -> Entertainment -> Humor -> Essays
Subjects -> Entertainment -> Humor -> General
Subjects -> Entertainment -> Humor -> Satire

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 309 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

It just isn't fair: most of us would be lucky to be able to express ourselves in writing half as well as David Sedaris does in his new book, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim. But on top of his skills with the written word, the author also has substantial gifts as a performer, and he proves this on the audio version of the book. In his essay The Change in Me,Sedaris remembers that his mother was good at imitating people, and it's clear that he takes after her. Whether he's doing impressions of high-voiced brother Paul, or recalling times when he and his sisters tried to win good karma by speaking and acting like well-behaved, fairytale children, Sedaris's nuanced performance hits the right note on both the opening, comedic stories, and the more poignant essays that tend to come later in the reading. In fact, for those who have already read some of the best stories in other publications including The New Yorker, the CD or cassette version of this collection is probably the best bet for furthering your appreciation of the material.

Sedaris's career is closely linked with two things: audio (he was discovered by NPR's Ira Glass), and the personal lives of himself and his family. In Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, he describes fights with his boyfriend, and his sister-in-law's difficult pregnancy. When sister Lisa complains about the stories involving the family, he writes about that, too. Sedaris's latest provides more evidence that he is a great humorist, memoirist and raconteur, and readers are lucky to have the opportunity to know him so well. Perhaps they are luckier still not to know him personally. --Leah Weathersby

Ready or Not Here We Come!: The Real Experts' Guide to the First Year With Twins

Elizabeth Lyons

Amazon Price: $10.88 List Price: $16.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Finn-Phyllis Press, Inc. Amazon Marketplace: 17 new & used starting at $9.74

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Subjects -> Parenting & Families -> Family Relationships -> Motherhood
Subjects -> Parenting & Families -> Family Relationships -> Twins & Multiples
Subjects -> Parenting & Families -> Parenting -> Babies & Toddlers -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 11 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

2nd Edition, updated and expanded!

You've expanded (to the point where you've traded high-fashion maternity wear for your husband's XXL T-shirts), answered way too many questions about your babies' conception, and felt your belly bounce like jelly as your dynamic duo engaged in a boxing match. And the adventure has only begun!

In her first humor-packed guide to raising twins, Elizabeth Lyons and her "multiples" sorority offer the wisdom of their combined experience in the form of practical shortcuts, real-world strategies, and sage advice.

Topics include:
- Preparing the Lair: Mandatory Gear for Babies and Mom
- Twinproofing Your Marriage
- Breastfeeding Strategies (and Why It s Okay if You Don t)
- Unsolicited Advice: Stories from the Trenches
- Getting Twins on a Schedule Preferably the Same One

Lyons balances the day-to-day challenges of raising twins from double feedings to sleep deprivation to getting out while pretending everything's under control with a sanity-saving dose of camaraderie. By the end, you ll be smiling and shouting, "Thank heaven, I m not alone!"

"Elizabeth Lyons' humorous yet realistic perspective provides new parents of twins with a great starting point from which to embark on that all-important first year." Dr. Bob Covert, Leading Chicagoland neonatologist

"Elizabeth Lyons captures the universal discourse of sisterhood while guiding new mothers of twins through the first year." Kathy Voit, RNC, Labor and Delivery nurse

Baby Laughs: The Naked Truth About the First Year of Mommyhood

Jenny McCarthy

Amazon Price: $10.36 List Price: $12.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Plume Amazon Marketplace: 72 new & used starting at $4.66

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Subjects -> Entertainment -> Humor -> General
Subjects -> Entertainment -> Humor -> Love, Sex & Marriage
Subjects -> Entertainment -> Humor -> Parenting & Families

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 109 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Jenny McCarthy’s hilarious, no-holds-barred personality has made her an instantly recognizable TV personality and a bestselling author. In Baby Laughs she examines the full range of challenges that new mothers face, including:
• The humiliations of postnatal “numbing spray,” Tucks medicated pads, and adult diapers; jelly belly, balding, and gum disease; and becoming a “five-foot puke rag” for the baby
• Heart-stopping terrors, such as baby manicures, breathing checks, and burp failures
• Inadequacies, such as lullaby illiteracy and the need for a “heavy rotation” of toys, videos, and mobiles
• Daddy antics, such as infant wrestling, home-movie mania, sleeping like a log, and expecting sex
• Dueling grandmas, germ-ridden guests, Olympic-class competitive mommies, anorexic pets— and much more.

Mothers and fathers will find much-needed relief and insight in this sometimes touching, sometimes gritty, but always perceptive and outrageously funny account of what it truly means to have your very own small bundle of joy.

What to Expect When Your Wife is Expanding: A Reassuring Month-by-Month Guide for the Father-to-Be, Whether He Wants Advice or Not

Thomas Hill, Cader Books

Amazon Price: $10.39 List Price: $12.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Andrews McMeel Publishing Amazon Marketplace: 39 new & used starting at $6.96

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Subjects -> Entertainment -> Humor -> General
Subjects -> Entertainment -> Humor -> Parodies
Subjects -> Entertainment -> Humor -> Satire

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 65 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

A Great Humor Book 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

As a feminist I tend to disapprove of these books, but I have to say I laughed despite myself. I wouldnt recommend raising a child on this advice but it isnt meant as a serious guide. Very funny!

What to expect when your wife is expecting 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Sorry their was a computer glich...... This is wonderful guide thru the ups and downs of first pregancy. It has helped my son go thru this exciting time with humor. It has helped him to understand and be involved in all the changes going on during this happy time. I highly recomend this book for all first expectant fathers.

Editorial Review:

Complete with weird baby names, tips on how to avoid a sympathetic pregnancy, and a discourse on the evolution of ESPN and the role it plays postdelivery, Hill's tome has been thoroughly revised to account for not only the usual father-to-be questions but also the often baffling and amusing technological and medical advances awaiting today's four million expectant dads.

This hilarious month-by-month guide offers new and veteran dads solace, laughter, and a bit of useful information, including a question-and-answer chapter covering basics like "How much does having a baby cost?"; visual charts assessing such things as the breakdown behind the mom-to-be's weight gain; sidebars covering common wife complaints and anticipated purchases; and much more.

Porn for New Moms: From the Cambridge Women's Pornography Cooperative

Cambridge Women's Pornography Cooperative

Amazon Price: $10.36 List Price: $12.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Chronicle Books Amazon Marketplace: 36 new & used starting at $5.17

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Somethin' for the hardworking mamas out there! 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Being a new mom must be tough. I don't have kids but I have several friends who do and they all go through the same stage after birth. The look tired, have messy hair, no makeup, and are a little spaced-out (part bliss, part exhaustion) so I can see why this book resonates with new and experienced moms. The scenarios address all those things that would bug a new mom; not enough sleep, no time to take proper care of ones self, a need to be pampered, and the need for a partner who cares. Not to say that men don't care or help, but this is PORN after all and the situations are the best case scenarios. Cute guys doing altruistic paternal things is hot.
The book is a cute item to tuck into a baby shower bag, or as a pick-me-up during the first few weeks. Experienced moms will think it is a hoot, too since they know how hard good help is to find. :)

GREAT! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This is a cute and fun book that any new mom will enjoy. As a new grandma, I appreciated this little gem and recommend it highly. It's a great book that provides excellent suggestions for new dads!

Dirty Little Secrets from Otherwise Perfect Moms

Trisha Ashworth, Amy Nobile

Amazon Price: $10.15 List Price: $12.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Chronicle Books Amazon Marketplace: 33 new & used starting at $7.44

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Subjects -> Entertainment -> Humor -> Self-Help & Psychology
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 22 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Good stuff! 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Wife and I got this as a gift for a friend / expecting mother, but admittedly as new parents ourselves, we flipped through it first too. Some of the quips were almost sad and scary, but overall, we laughed our heads off. This was confirmed by the mom-to-be we gave it to. This will go on our list of gifts for expecting-and-new moms. It's good as a source of "relaxation" for anyone unsure of what they've just gotten themselves into and some of the feelings they might be having. Moreso, it's just downright funny.

Editorial Review:

Trisha Ashworth and Amy Nobile conducted interviews with hundreds of mothers while researching their best-selling book I Was a Really Good Mom Before I Had Kids. It didn't take long before these moms began to reveal their Dirty Little Secrets—surprising, thought-provoking, guilty confessions they hadn't told anyone else. Cringe-worthy moments ("I bit my daughter's finger trying to steal a bite of her cookie.") meet real insights ("I love my kids but I didn't always. It took time to fall in love with them."). These are the private thoughts that every mom has—and every mom can relate to.