Alyce Wilson (Contributor of Idol Musings)

Alyce Wilson is now friends with Georgia

Alyce Wilson added Goodreads to her Facebook Timeline

Add your books to Timeline!
learn more

Alyce Wilson gave

to:

Love and Logic Magic for Early Childhood
by Jim Fay

read in January, 2012

My rating:

My sister gave me "Love and Logic Magic for Early Childhood," and I found the book had a lot of positive concrete suggestions for parenting young children. While I never agree 100 percent with any parenting book, I found myself agreeing with the basi...more

Alyce Wilson made a comment on Fictionalized Nonfiction:

"My advice would be to be completely transparent with the publisher. As you know, there have been highly publicized incidents with authors who fictiona...more "

Alyce Wilson gave

to:

What to Expect the Toddler Years
by Heidi Murkoff

read in April, 2012

My rating:

I received the 1994 edition of this book second-hand, and I'm happy I didn't pay for it. While "What to Expect While You're Expecting" is recognized as a valuable book for expectant mothers, I find this sequel to be more alarmist than helpful for par...more I received the 1994 edition of this book second-hand, and I'm happy I didn't pay for it. While "What to Expect While You're Expecting" is recognized as a valuable book for expectant mothers, I find this sequel to be more alarmist than helpful for parents of toddlers.

While I expect to both agree and disagree with any parenting book, when I'm reading this one, I more often disagree. It's possible that newer editions have changed the advice given, but in this edition, the authors recommend the Ferber method of teaching children to sleep by themselves. That method has also been called the "cry it out" method, because it depends on allowing the child to cry for longer and longer periods each night in order to teach them to go to sleep. For many reasons, this method has been highly criticized, and without getting into a lengthy discussion, it just feels wrong to me.

In the same way, the book makes assumptions about weaning babies at a year (which is fine when the baby is ready for it but unfair to babies who are slower adapting to solid food). Those who believe in baby-led weaning will find themselves feeling like outsiders while reading this book.

The book is divided by month (12th month, 13th month, et cetera), and each chapter includes FAQs related to concerns from that month. This ends up giving the book an advice column feel and tends to emphasize the negatives. Rather than including a couple paragraphs on "diapering difficulties," for example, why not call the section "diapering" and deal with both issues related to diapering as well as positive advice for choices that parents might consider (such as cloth diapers versus disposables, for example)?

The result of this endless string of answers for "problems" not only feels haphazard but also conveys the opinion that parenting is troublesome and that this book is a first-aid kit or life raft. Rather than seeing this book as a lifesaver, I found myself frequently frustrated by the advice given, as if I'd been handed a child's water-wing instead.(less)

Alyce Wilson gave

to:

The Baby Book: Everything You Need to Know About Your Baby from Birth to Age Two
by William Sears

read in February, 2012

My rating:

I'm finding that my favorite baby books were ones recommended to me by family and friends, and "The Baby Book" by William Sears, M.D. and Martha Sears, R.N., was recommended to me by one of my oldest friends. As with any parenting book, I would recom...more

Alyce Wilson gave

to:

Living with Children
by Gerald R. Patterson

read in February, 2012

My rating:

A friend gave me the 1974 edition of "Living with Children: New Methods of Parents and Teachers" by Gerald R. Patterson and M. Elizabeth Gullion. She told me that she found it useful while raising her own daughter.

The simple concept behind this book...more

Alyce Wilson gave

to:

Memoirs of a Geisha
by Arthur Golden

read in December, 2011

My rating:

I had wanted to read Arthur Golden's "Memoirs of a Geisha" ever since seeing the movie several years ago. When I finally did, I discovered that the book is filled with just as many lush visual details but that the story is a little less romanticized...more

Alyce Wilson gave

to:

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
by Jonathan Safran Foer

read in January, 2012

My rating:

After receiving "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" as a Christmas present, I let it sit on a shelf for a year before reading it. I must admit: the prospect of reading about a child who lost his father on 9/11 did not excite me. Perhaps it was best...more After receiving "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" as a Christmas present, I let it sit on a shelf for a year before reading it. I must admit: the prospect of reading about a child who lost his father on 9/11 did not excite me. Perhaps it was best that I waited, because this lyrical, fearless book has inspired me at a time when I, a stay-at-home mom of a toddler, am feeling overworked and under-inspired.

I have not gotten so excited about an author's creative use of voice since I read William Faulkner's "The Sound and the Fury" in high school. Rather than concentrating on 9/11, author Jonathan Safran Foer tells a multitude of tales from a family, all dealing with separation, guilt, grief, and an inability to communicate with loved ones. These are, of course, universal concerns, and they elevate the book above the simplistic ways we often talk about tragedy.

The characters include a young boy mourning his father's death on 9/11, as well as his grandmother and his estranged grandfather. Each tell their tales in distinct ways. The boy keeps a scrapbook of pictures that speak to him and seeks meaning by engaging in a city-wide scavenger hunt for the lock opened by a key his father left behind. The grandfather, who left while the boy's father was young, has not spoken aloud since the Dresden bombing in World War II, where he saw unfathomable tragedy. He "speaks" through writing short sentences to people in blank books. The grandmother shares her deepest thoughts through letters which, apparently, she leaves unsent. At times, the different voices descend into nonsense or take an unusual approach to describing experience. This constant discovery and renewal is exhilarating and thought-provoking.

I highly recommend this book to any reader, but especially to writers seeking inspiration. Reading this book will make writers think about narrative and how to construct it differently, as well as how to use voice and character to tell a story and build dramatic tension. This poetic, insightful book speaks volumes about the human experience.(less)

Alyce Wilson marked as to-read:

Lowcountry Bribe
by C. Hope Clark (Goodreads Author)

My rating:

Alyce's Bookshelves

Alyce's Friends (83)

Alyce's Fans (4)

Alyce Wilson

Goodreads author profile

11 posts
Alyce Wilson's Blog: Dispatches from Wonderland

combine editions
Books by Alyce Wilson

Upcoming Events

Alyce is Currently Reading

rss
Alyce's Recent Updates

recent posts
Alyce's Groups

Alyce's Friend Comments

Flag Abuse

	The Art of Life 4.00 avg rating — 3 ratings — published 2010 — 2 editions	My rating:
	Idol Musings (The Real LJ Idol, #1) by Sophie N. Childs (Editor), Gary Dreslinski (Foreword), R. Jennifer Aillen (Goodreads Author) (Contributor) 4.20 avg rating — 5 ratings — published 2009	My rating:

Alyce Wilson is now friends with Georgia
May 28, 2012 06:36pm
Alyce Wilson added Goodreads to her Facebook Timeline Add your books to Timeline! learn more
May 06, 2012 06:11pm
Alyce Wilson gave to: Love and Logic Magic for Early Childhood by Jim Fay read in January, 2012	My rating:
My sister gave me "Love and Logic Magic for Early Childhood," and I found the book had a lot of positive concrete suggestions for parenting young children. While I never agree 100 percent with any parenting book, I found myself agreeing with the basi...more
Apr 25, 2012 12:25pm · see review
Alyce Wilson made a comment on Fictionalized Nonfiction: "My advice would be to be completely transparent with the publisher. As you know, there have been highly publicized incidents with authors who fictiona...more "
Apr 25, 2012 11:52am
Alyce Wilson gave to: What to Expect the Toddler Years by Heidi Murkoff read in April, 2012	My rating:
I received the 1994 edition of this book second-hand, and I'm happy I didn't pay for it. While "What to Expect While You're Expecting" is recognized as a valuable book for expectant mothers, I find this sequel to be more alarmist than helpful for par...more
Apr 25, 2012 11:38am · see review
Alyce Wilson gave to: The Baby Book: Everything You Need to Know About Your Baby from Birth to Age Two by William Sears read in February, 2012	My rating:
I'm finding that my favorite baby books were ones recommended to me by family and friends, and "The Baby Book" by William Sears, M.D. and Martha Sears, R.N., was recommended to me by one of my oldest friends. As with any parenting book, I would recom...more
Apr 25, 2012 11:14am · see review
Alyce Wilson gave to: Living with Children by Gerald R. Patterson read in February, 2012	My rating:
A friend gave me the 1974 edition of "Living with Children: New Methods of Parents and Teachers" by Gerald R. Patterson and M. Elizabeth Gullion. She told me that she found it useful while raising her own daughter. The simple concept behind this book...more
Apr 25, 2012 10:34am · see review
Alyce Wilson gave to: Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden read in December, 2011	My rating:
I had wanted to read Arthur Golden's "Memoirs of a Geisha" ever since seeing the movie several years ago. When I finally did, I discovered that the book is filled with just as many lush visual details but that the story is a little less romanticized...more
Mar 28, 2012 10:46am · see review
Alyce Wilson gave to: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer read in January, 2012	My rating:
After receiving "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" as a Christmas present, I let it sit on a shelf for a year before reading it. I must admit: the prospect of reading about a child who lost his father on 9/11 did not excite me. Perhaps it was best...more
Mar 07, 2012 07:40am · see review
Alyce Wilson marked as to-read: Lowcountry Bribe by C. Hope Clark (Goodreads Author)	My rating:
Mar 03, 2012 09:19pm

Alyce Wilson

Goodreads author profile

Upcoming Events

rssAlyce's Recent Updates

Flag Abuse

rss
Alyce's Recent Updates