Category: Books

Eyes Ablaze, Online and Offline

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As you can imagine, I’ve been doing a lot of reading–both online and offline–with respect to the testing issue but also just pregnancy in general, since I was pretty much clueless til now!

Online, the chat-room at BabyCenter.com has been really helpful.

(Though I will say, the images of other women at 15 weeks like me look soooooo different than I do … some look 6 months pregnant already; some have pretty flat stomachs. It’s amazing how varying these tummies are — further proof that no two pregnancies are the same–even for the same woman).

I also get a weekly update (such as this one for anyone interested) from BabyCenter.com, which helps explain what’s going at X week of pregnancy. And Google, FitPregnancy.com, and Parents.com have also been great resources. Continue reading “Eyes Ablaze, Online and Offline” →

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New Book Tells Women to Stop Fretting About Their Health

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My latest blog post at WeAretheRealDeal.com. Check it out here or after the jump.

Continue reading “New Book Tells Women to Stop Fretting About Their Health” →

New Body Image Book “Delivered” by Stork Today

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book cover_2Claire Mysko, one of my blogging buddies at WeAretheRealDeal, is the author of a new book out today called Does This Pregnancy Make Me Look Fat?: The Essential Guide to Loving Your Body Before and After Baby.

For the record, before you start to wonder (as my mom has been questioning me lately, what’s with that?!) I am not pregnant.

That said, as someone who deals with body image issues on a daily basis (really, who doesn’t!?) I admit I am super-excited to read this new “labor of love” … as the book title states, “before baby.”

From what I have gleaned from Claire’s description of the book on our blog, this is the kind of book that every woman really ought to be reading.

In an ideal world, we’d all love and embrace our bodies as they are. But we know it’s not that simple; try as we might, we can’t just click our heels together and suddenly “have” self-esteem. Continue reading “New Body Image Book “Delivered” by Stork Today” →

New Memoir: Not All Black Girls Know How to Eat

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Note: this is a cross-post I wrote over at WeAretheRealDeal.com today.

notallblackgirls_finalStephanie Covington Armstrong, a recovered bulimic and an African-American woman, is the author of the new memoir, Not All Black Girls Know How to Eat.

A friend of mine heard her interview on NPR recently and passed it on to me, thinking it would be a great topic for this blog. I couldn’t agree more.

I haven’t gotten my hands on a copy of Stephanie’s memoir, but I certainly intend to.

You know how they say never to judge a book by its cover? Well, in this case, the cover is compelling in and of itself.

While I’ve never experienced bulimia and don’t know a ton about the mechanics of the disease, apparently (according to this review I read) the image on the front cover of her memoir is of the index and middle fingers — the two fingers used to induce vomiting.

Continue reading “New Memoir: Not All Black Girls Know How to Eat“ →

Mind Over Matter

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the_lost_symbolI just finished reading Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol and without getting into too much narrative about the book, I thought I’d bring up the theory of Noetics, which plays a prominent role in the novel and is relevant to my blog.

(Work with me, here … I promise not to go too new-age on you!)

According to Wikipedia (my favorite go-to source of all things I don’t understand) Noetics is “a metaphysical philosophy concerned with the study of nature and operation of the human intellect, and its relationship with the divine intellect.”

Though The Lost Symbol is a work of fiction (as are all his books) it is also based on some facts — the science/study of Noetics being one of them.

In the book, there is much discussion about the power of our thoughts–and the power of our collective thoughts, as a society, for better or for worse.

But today I’m going to talk about the power of individual thoughts. Continue reading “Mind Over Matter” →

Rant: Oh Bridget …

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Photo from People.com
Photo from People.com

One of the things I love about Bridget Jones (the book character, as well as the movie character portrayed by Renee Zellweger) is how relatable she is.

She is a real woman with real “issues” when it comes to men, family, work, and, yea, her weight. 

She dwells on her imperfections and commiserates with her BFFs about her woes — but don’t we all? Isn’t that what our BFFs are for?

She’s unfiltered, smart, sassy and funny… and I think her insecurities and vulnerabilities make her real. 

And unlike celebrities such as Renee Zellweger, Real “Bridgets” exist everywhere in this world; in fact, we all probably have a little Bridget in us.

Well, in case you haven’t heard, Renee Zellweger has once again signed on to “pack it on again” (People’s headline, not mine) and portray Bridget for a third Bridget Jones film.

Something about this being “newsworthy” makes me very sad.

Petite and curvy Renee will likely once again go from about a size 2 to a 12 for this role, gaining about 30-40 pounds in the process. She’s done it twice before, so this isn’t like it’s something new (or newsworthy). Yet here I am talking about it.

The thing is, a size 12 — Bridget’s size in the books/movie — is pretty much the size of the average woman today! So I find it insulting that that’s what’s considered “packing it on.”

Am I alone in this sentiment? Continue reading “Rant: Oh Bridget …” →

Interview With Dara Chadwick!

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Hi everyone! I hope you all had a safe, happy and healthy holiday weekend. Mine was fantastic, and I’m not looking forward to a full five-day work week, that’s for sure!

Anyway …

Dara Chadwick, author of the book You’d Be So Pretty If … (Click here for my review) graciously agreed to answer some questions for us here today. Take a look at her interview below, in her own words. Thanks again, Dara! 🙂

1. You speak very openly about your own relationship with your mom, and I just want to say how very proud of you I am sure she’d be. Have you ever spoken with your own daughter about how your mom (her grandmother) shaped your self-image?
Thanks for that…my mom was not just a mom to me; she was also a good friend and not a day goes by that I don’t miss her. I’ve talked to my daughter about how her grandma felt about her body, but the subject came up mostly when I was writing the book and in subsequent interviews. The discussions we’ve had have been eye-opening for both of us.

2. What stood out for me most in the book was the notion that we, as women, lay the blueprint for how our daughters view themselves. Could you elaborate here for our audience, many of whom have recovered/are recovering from disordered eating or an eating disorder?
Think of it this way – you’re modeling for your daughter what it means to be a grown-up woman. What you think about, obsess about, laugh about and cry about teaches her what you value, and those values are shaping how she sees herself now and how she’ll see herself as an adult. During my year as Shape’s Weight-Loss Diary columnist, I realized that I wanted to show my daughter that taking care of my health — and being content with who and what I am – is what I value. If you’re struggling with an eating disorder, you can model healthy behavior for your daughter by seeking help for yourself. Continue reading “Interview With Dara Chadwick!” →

Book Review: You’d Be So Pretty If … 

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bookcoverI don’t have a daughter — let alone a pre-teen daughter– yet. But if I did, you can bet I’d be reading Dara Chadwick’s You’d Be So Pretty If ….

In fact, I’ll make sure to keep my copy on hand for when the time comes, because I believe it will come in handy.

In a quick synopsis, it’s a book that explores body image and the critical relationship between mothers and daughters — particularly during the tricky pre-teen years — and how our behaviors and how we carry ourselves as women is passed on to our daughters.

A fast-moving book, it reads as part memoir and part how-to-guide.

Chadwick explores the challenges she faced undergoing her transformation as SHAPE magazine’s Weight Loss Diarist in 2007. Continue reading “Book Review: You’d Be So Pretty If … “ →

… And We’ve Got a Winner!

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Chosen at random by my hubby, the winner of a copy of Dara Chadwick’s new book, You’d Be So Pretty If … , is Yogiclarebear.

Congrats, Yogiclarebear! Please send me an e-mail with your home address and as soon as I get the package, I’ll send your book on its way!

Thanks for reading and come back again — I hope to do more blog-relevant book giveways in the future. Stay tuned for my review, hopefully within the next week or so.

Book Giveaway!

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9780738212586Via Roni’s recent Facebook post, I found this new book about body image (and what we’re teaching our children) that totally piqued my interest, You’d Be So Pretty If … by Dara Chadwick.

SHAPE magazine readers might remember her as a former weight loss columnist. I loved reading her journey, and am naturally intrigued by the topic of her book. You can check out her blog here.

Her publisher has been sweet enough to send me a copy to review, and an extra as a book giveaway for one of my readers.

And after I receive and review the book, Dara will be stopping by for a blog tour!

If you’re interested in winning a copy, please let me know in the comments below by 10 p.m. Eastern time Tuesday. I’ll choose the winner at random, and let you know by Wednesday morning who won. Only one entry per person, please. 🙂