Confessions

Muffy Mead-Ferro takes us along the "confessions of a slacker mom". I thought this should have been a light, pee your pants funny read (I was thinking along the lines of Jenny McCarthy's books). Unfortunately I didn't find it so funny. It is an easy read, but I found Muffy to be a bit judgemental. I'm not sure if this was just the mentality I had while reading the book or if others have felt this same way.

Mead-Ferro takes her life of growing up on a ranch and compares it to the things kids have today. Although I agree with her on somethings (children shouldn't be babied with every fall; kids shouldn't have every single little thing they want) I almost always disagreed with her reasons. She doesn't feel her kids should be encouraged in school (actually in just about anything) because she doesn't want them to do things for her. She says that she will not be at the sidelines of her kids sporting events because she doesn't want them to try hard just because she's there.

Some people might agree with these things, but I personally didn't and found her way of wording them and their reasoning a bit pushy. I also don't think the title of the book and the point go together. I was thinking slacker mom; PB&J for lunch everyday, don't get your kid dressed until you leave somewhere, don't do the laundry until hubby is pulling in the drive, etc. It should have been called something along the lines of "Making your 2 and 4 year old fend for themselves: You can achieve it!"

Anthologies

Lesbian Parenting Living with Pride & Prejudice is a great book edited by Katherine Arnup. The book is a little outdated (1990s) and most of the women that wrote in this book are from Canada, so some of the laws are different than those of the states.

However, it is a great way to look at how things have, and haven't, changed in the last 10 years. Some of it is very moving, knowing that we have come a long way from that. Other times, its frustrating knowing we really haven't come all that far.

This book is broken into different chapters
Choosing Parenthood
Defining "Family"
Raising Children
Parents & Children: Reflections on Identity
Lesbian Parents and the Law

Each chapter takes a look into the different lives of women choosing if they want to raise a family, how they will get the child, and life there after. This book is a great way to see that lesbian parents (no matter how they became parents) are different yet the same in so many ways. It shows that no matter how you think, feel, or act, everyone deserves to be a parent if they choose to be.

Susan Andersen

Hot and Bothered by Susan Andersen is book 3 of 4 in the Marine series. The book starts with the murder of Victoria's father. She hires PI John Miglionni to find her brother who ran away after the death of their father. Little does she know that Mr. Miglionni is her long lost week long lover "Rocket". As the book progresses it follows Tori and Rocket's love hate relationship with each other. The love they once had is still there, but much has changed over the last 6 years they were separated.
H & B is a well written light read. Each page brings a different plot; steamy love scenes, life on the street, strong anger, and many love/hate relationships.