August 2011

Better Homes & Gardens. Small Kitchen Solutions. John Wiley & Sons Canada, Limited, 2010. Print.

This glossy book was full of beautiful kitchens, most of which I would not call ‘small’.  There was one truly small kitchen, which at 8′ by 9′ was a similar size to mine.  They made some odd choices in that kitchen, including fridge drawers and a countertop cabinet that took up a third of the limited counter space.

Kitchens 11′ by 13′ or 14′ by 13′ were more typical, and many had separate pantries.  So, none of the kitchens had any useful ideas about layout for me, as I’m trying to plan a 9′ by 9′ and a 6′ by 7′ kitchen in our new downsized life.  One of their kitchens is 17′ by 19′ – I can’t see how that is “small” by anyone’s standards!

The pictures are still nice, especially the red and white Art Deco kitchen.  But I would say it’s no better than any other kitchen idea book.  The final “workbook” chapter is short, superficial, and unnecessary, but every kitchen book seems to feel the need to include such a chapter these days.

Not recommended.

Rao, Anthony, and Michelle D. Seaton. The Way of Boys: Raising Healthy Boys in a Challenging and Complex World. New York: William Morrow, 2009. Print.

In this non-fiction book, Rao seeks to explain the roots of why boys behave they do, and convince people that what people think of as “good” behaviour is unusual in boys, but not pathological.  He is concerned about the rise of diagnosis of ADHD and learning disabilities, and the labeling of many boys as having “problems” that end up being “corrected” with medication, classroom withdrawal, or severe behaviour modification training.

This resonated with me, having raised one particularly “active” boy to the current age of thirteen, and also having a foster child in our care who is a rambunctious eleven-year-old boy.  (It’s no coincidence that I started reading parenting books again as we started fostering!).  Although Rao doesn’t address the issue of kids in care directly, it’s all too easy to see how a child could be labeled as developmentally delayed, when they are just reacting to the stress of their situation.  It’s great that extra supports and testing are available for these kids, but it’s also great for me to have Rao’s methods in my toolbox.

The only drawback for me is that this book is mostly talking about kids that are younger than mine; although later in the book it got more useful.

Highly recommended, especially for parents of boys in the 2-10 age range.

Bentley, Eilean. Massage: a Gaia Busy Person’s Guide to Massage : Soothe Away the Tensions and Anxieties of a Busy Lifestyle. Toronto: McArthur &, 2004. Print.

I think this is the first book I’m going to declare it not worth reading.  I put it on hold at the library because it was the first result that came back when I searched on the word “massage”.  All I was looking for were some simple instructions for my husband to massage some of the tense muscles in my shoulders and neck; what I got instead were instructions on using crystals to relieve my tension!

It went back to the library almost immediately, and I haven’t had the heart to try another yet.