I always have a book on the go. Since having children I usually only get to read a few pages before my eyes start to close, but I would still feel strange if I didn’t have a book on the go. As well as the book I am reading I also have a stack of books by my bed that I dip into, usually when I am too tired to read very much and need pretty pictures.
Jen has recently written a great post sharing her bedside books and it has given me some great recommendations for the future. She wanted to know mine, so here they are.
Cute & Easy Crochet – Nicki Trench
This is my first crochet book and I’ve already completed one project and used it to do a couple of flowers to embellish existing projects. Mainly I keep this by my bed to look at the pictures before I go to sleep and try and decide what I shall tackle next and wonder if I will ever be brave enough to crochet a blanket.
The Good Behaviour Book – Sears and Sears
Dr Sears is not everyone’s cup of tea when it comes to parenting books, but I first discovered him and his wife when Mini Mck was about four months and still not sleeping well. I was drowning in a sea of manuals telling me to tough it out and it all felt so wrong. The trick with parenting books is to find the one that already agrees with what you are doing and use it simply for positive reinforcement. I keep this one to refer to if Mini Mck is being challenging and usually it tells me nothing new, but refocuses my mind for the next day.
Cute knits for baby feet – Sue Whiting
I may have had my head turned by hooky things recently, but the prospect of a new arrival for my friend has found me hearing the call of my knitting needles once again. Little sock – a perfect gift and the best way to use up bits of yarn.
The Consolations of Philosophy – Alain De Botton
I love this book. It takes a series of modern day problems, such as envy or frustration and applies the theories of famous philosophers throughout history. It is a engaging way to learn more about their ideas and historical context, while actually making you look differently at your own life. It stays by my bed, because you have to be feeling quite alert to take it in so I dip into it every now and again.
What mothers do – Naomi Stadlen
This is another book that I dip into over time. Written by a psychotherapist who has spent many years in discussion groups with mothers it describes what mother’s are doing when it seems they are doing nothing. It is perfect for those days when it feels as if I have achieved nothing and it reminds me that, at the moment, I am nurturing two small children and that sometimes it is indeed a full-time occupation, even if it doesn’t look like one.
These are the books that are in my bedside table a lot, the craft books may be swapped with others, but there will always be pretty pictures and dreams of yarn or material somewhere near. Usually you will also find a cookery book nearby too, where I have been meal planning or just looking for inspiration. At the moment it is Nigel Slater’s Tender Vol 2. It’s all about fruit and I am dreaming of red berries in the summer and all the fantastic things I will make.
I like to know what books you have beside your bed, so I can be further inspired. If you write a post, please leave me a comment so I can pop over and have a look, or tell me in the comments what you are dipping into.
Mummy Limited 
What a lovely selection, I have What Mothers Do too
My kind of blog post. I also have what mothers do but haven't started it yet. I currently have Toddler Taming open and am flicking through as needed, My monthly subs to Mollie Makes and Red magazines, A chick lit That Gallagher Girl by Kate Thompson (all I have the energy for at the mo) Love and Summer by William Trevor, my next chick lit and The towns and villages of County Clare, Ireland, geek history book from my families home town, love looking at the old pics, imagining my grandparents as children.
My kind of blog post. I also have what mothers do but haven't started it yet. I currently have Toddler Taming open and am flicking through as needed, My monthly subs to Mollie Makes and Red magazines, A chick lit That Gallagher Girl by Kate Thompson (all I have the energy for at the mo) Love and Summer by William Trevor, my next chick lit and The towns and villages of County Clare, Ireland, geek history book from my families home town, love looking at the old pics, imagining my grandparents as children.
My kind of blog post. I also have what mothers do but haven't started it yet. I currently have Toddler Taming open and am flicking through as needed, My monthly subs to Mollie Makes and Red magazines, A chick lit That Gallagher Girl by Kate Thompson (all I have the energy for at the mo) Love and Summer by William Trevor, my next chick lit and The towns and villages of County Clare, Ireland, geek history book from my families home town, love looking at the old pics, imagining my grandparents as children.