Wednesday 30 April 2014

PROMO & REVIEW - HOW NOT TO CALM A CHILD ON A PLANE BY JOHANNA STEIN

Title: How Not To Calm A Child On A Plane
Author: Johanna Stein
Publisher: De Capo Lifelong Books, Perseus Books Group

BLURB from Goodreads
As Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding) points out, “These stories will make milk shoot from one of your nostrils and a martini from the other. Johanna Stein brings to mind the unflinching honesty and compassion of Nora Ephron.”

Looking for the perfect book to help you survive childbirth and parenting with your sanity intact? Look elsewhere. For Johanna Stein, parenting is an extreme sport. Her stories from the trenches may not always be shared experiences—have you ever turned a used airplane barf-bag into a puppet to calm your wailing baby?—but they will always make you laugh. Columnist Lisa Belkin advises: “It is dangerous to read [Johanna] any place where it is inappropriate to laugh uncontrollably. It is also dangerous to read her if your bladder control is not what it once was. But once you soldier through and do read her you have made a friend—one who ‘gets it’ and makes ‘it’ easier to do because she’s on your team.”

So, no, this book won’t teach you how to deal with nipple blisters or oedipal complexes. But if you want to learn why you should never attempt to play a practical joke in the delivery room, then you’re in the right place.

INITIAL THOUGHTS
So occasionally I do read more than one book at a time, though I always try to make them totally different genres to prevent confusion. So this is one of those books, approaching this I fancied a "fun" "lighter" read. What did I expect from the book? I expect some humorous tales about parenting.

MY REVIEW
I downloaded an e-copy of this one from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
So basically this is exactly what I thought it would be a collection of humorous stories that happened to the Author, Johanna and her husband "H" .  I have to say that some of the short tales are hilarious, in fact I found myself smirking, giggling and laughing out loud a lot whilst reading this book on my kindle.
I think the cover is a great mix of showing some practical items you eed in caring for a child in a funny, slightly comedic way. I mean the title though rather log does fit the book well. I like the latter part f the title "And other lessons in parenting from  a highly questionable source".
Johanna doesn't put "frills and fancies" on what parenting is like, she gives a 100% honest sometimes maybe a little too honest account of herself and her husband referred to as "H" bringing their daughter up.
One of my notes that I sometimes jot down whilst reading books was This book is so ironic, sarcastic and laugh out loud hilarious! loving it."
Johanna deals with everything from her "H" filming the birth . . . and yes he was down the "business end" recording, to their little darling wanting a Christmas Tree and a visit from Santa even though they are Jewish and she attends a Jewish school. Johanna's answer is to waiver and hesistate then finally purchase a Christmas Shrub and hide it in the car away from her husband until she can get him to say "yes". "H" actually says no but once the little darling has seen it and her parents see her little face, they end up having the Christmas shrub and a visit from Santa!
Johanna spends lots of time looking forward to her daughter starting school, in fact she is positively looking forward to it. She goes so far as to look in disgust at the other parents holing on to their children until the last possible moment . . . . .I mean she's never be so soppy as to cry the first day her daughter starts school would she?
So did I enjoy the book? Yes I had lots of laughs reading it.  Would I recommend the book? As a parenting handbook?  No, as a brilliant ,light and fun read, yes! Would I read another book if Johanna did another one as her daughter grows up? I certainly would maybe Johanna could do a "the school years one or a teens one! I'd read them. Or maybe she could have another child ad we find out how the big sister and family copes with the new addition.

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