The Mom Crowd

Don’t you love a good read? You know, a book that has you curled up on the couch so enthralled that you just want to stay on the couch in fantasy land while the kids run around and play? I love reading–and when I find a book that I don’t want to put down I rationalize my lack of desire to do anything else (pick up toys, make lunches, clear the table etc.) by reminding myself that I am setting a good example for my kids and their hopeful love of books by reading in front of them.

Random House sent us a copy of the new book The Bright Side of Disaster by Katherine Center and I was lucky enough to be the one to get the copy.

The back of the book says this:

“Very pregnant and not quite married, Jenny Harris doesn’t mind that she and her live-in fiance, Dean, accidentally started their family a little earlier than planned. But Dean is acting distant, and the night he runs out for cigarettes and doesn’t come back, he demotes himself from future husband to sperm donor.

And the very next day, Jenny goes into labor.

In the months that follow, Jenny plunges into a life she never anticipated: single motherhood. At least with the sleep deprivation, sore boobs, and fits of crying (both hers and baby’s), there’s not much time to dwell on her broken heart. And things are looking up: Jenny learns how to do everything one-handed, makes friends in a mommy group, and even gets to know a handsome, helpful neighbor. But Dean is never far from Jenny’s thought or, it turns out, her doorstep, and in the end she must choose between the old life she thought she wanted and the new life she’s been lucky to find.”

When they offered to send us the book I knew it was about a mom but after I read the back description I couldn’t wait to start reading it. As soon as I read the first 10 pages I was hooked and I read the whole thing in 2 days!

My circumstances are not the same as the main character, Jenny’s, but as a mom I found myself relating to her story in such a way that I didn’t want to put the book down. I was rooting for this new mom and her journey into motherhood. Even though I am on my third baby the newness of motherhood is fresh enough for me to enjoy reading about someone else’s journey. The plot covers pregnancy to birth, breastfeeding, figuring out how to take care of a baby AND shower at the same time and it is so real that any mom could easily put herself in Jenny’s shoes and understand what her life is like.

Yesterday, I dropped off our bumbo seat and this book to a friend of mine who has a 4 month old. I told her that I loved reading the book and I thought she might enjoy it too. I talked to her this afternoon and she had already finished the book. We chuckled at how we both devoured the book. If Katherine Center writes any more books in the future I will definitely be checking them out.

So, if you enjoy reading and want a fun book that will ingite your mommy heart I definitely recommend this book! It will warm your heart and have you remembering what those first days and months were like as a new mommy. Happy Reading!