Reads

French Women Don't get Fat
Mireille Guiliano
Entertaining, interesting, and motivating.  LOVED this book.  Simple decisions that lead to healthier eating habits.

In Defense of Food
Michael Pollan
Talks about 'real' food versus 'fake' food.  Helps me to focus more on eating what is natural and healthy rather than on what is convenient, cheap, or traditional.  If you are going to read one of Michael Pollan's books, I would recommend this one.  It is a very easy read.

Omnivores Dilemma
Michael Pollan
Just read the first couple hundred pages.....you get the idea after a while.  Goes more in depth than "In Defense of Food" about what Americans are eating and past and current food trends.

Feeding the Whole Family
Cynthia Lair
The first 40 pages or so are about how to help young children eat healthy foods.  The last 50 pages or so are different healthy recipes that one might try with children.  I didn't try any of the recipes, but I enjoyed what Cynthia had to say about family meal time and helping children expand their food repertoire.

Child of Mine: Feeding with Love and Good Sense
Ellyn Satter
Haven't yet read this book, but am looking forward to reading it when my children transition to table foods.

Bringing Up Bebe
Pamela Druckerman
Interesting Book about French parenting.  Although she covers several topics, one very big topic that she covers is how the French get their children to behave well during meals and eat a variety of 'adult' foods.  I would skip over the part where she talks about French pregnancy trends....she gets a little detailed.

Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother
Amy Chua
LOVED this book!  Very entertaining and interesting parenting book.  Loved it not because I liked the mother's style of parenting, but because it really helped me to think about how I'm going to motivate my children to do well in school, sports, music, etc.  P.S.  Don't take this book too seriously - this mother reveals the good, bad, and the ugly, but I think she also is very figurative with her language and it is meant to be entertaining at her expense.

Wild Swans: 3 Daughters of China
Jung Chang
Re-read this book recently given my husband's interest in living in China.  Interesting account of what has been happening in China over the last 100 years and how times are changing.

NurtureShock: New Thinking about Children
Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman
A book about how different factors influence a child's behavior.  Interesting - not sure if I agree with everything the author posits, but it is enlightening.  It is like Freakanomics.

Cleopatra: A Life
Stacy Schiff
Really enjoyed this biography.  Helped me to remember what I learned in 6th grade about Alexander the Great, Ceasar, and the fall of the Greek Empire with the rise of the Roman empire.  Very well written for a biography.

The Happiness Project
Gretchen Rubin
Light, easy read.  Enjoyed reading this book because it helped me to think about what changes I want to make in my life to simplify it and to increase my happiness and that of my family's.