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By Little Mummy, July 20, 2009 2:37 pm

I’ve just finished reading Jo Whiley’s autobiography My World in Motion. I’ve been thoroughly spoilt this year with the books I’ve read – A Thousand Splendid Suns and Snowflower and the Secret Fan, a couple of the best books I’ve ever read. My World in Motion didn’t come up to that standard but it was a pleasant read nevertheless.

The autobiography is split into sections which include her familial roles and her work. The book is pretty straight forward, she’s a good mother, has a solid marriage and is committed to and passionate about her work, if you’re expecting some gossip then you might as well skip over this one, as for me I don’t really go in for ‘celeb goss’ so it didn’t bother me. When I read an autobiography I’m usually looking for a bit more, someone that has experienced something (or preferably several) remarkable things, experiences that I can relate to or learn something from. I guess the remarkable thing about Jo is her job, so if you’re interested in music you’ll probably get a lot more out of it than I did. She details her playlist for her life in each of the sections, which I skipped over, but if you’re a music buff you’ll like it, I loved the fact that she names Elton John’s ‘Tiny Dancer’ as her “family anthem” as that song holds special meaning for me, it’s my Erin song and I listened to it constantly when I was pregnant.

I enjoyed reading about Glastonbury and the Live Lounge, it was very interesting to get an insider’s viewpoint, we have the Live Lounge albums and it seems to be one of her main work related passions, along with her Mencap charity gigs and Glastonbury.

One thing I did notice which became increasingly annoying was the repetitive nature of the book, there were several times when I felt I’d already read the same thing earlier in the book perhaps just worded slightly differently.

Overall though it’s a reasonable read and Jo seems to be a really nice person.

On a side note I really like the website they’ve put together to promote the book.

I’m going to be giving a copy of My World in Motion away via my newsletter, you can sign up for free.

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By Little Mummy, November 28, 2008 8:01 am

I’m chilling back this afternoon, I bought a couple of final christmas presents online and bought the christmas paraphernalia (extra decorations, wrapping paper, ribbon, tags..). I’m hoping that I can now relax(!) and enjoy December, wrapping, decorating and doing crafts

Before I head off to dig the christmas tree out, I wanted to give you one little christmas present idea. My sister in law bought me Snow Flower and the Secret Fan a while back, it sat in my draw getting dusty, you know, one of those things you mean to get round too but never quite get there. I don’t know what made me pick it up, I guess I was just in a reading mood. It didn’t take me long to become completely absorbed by the story of Snow Flower, her childhood in a patriarchal household in rural China, born a girl she was considered worthless until a twist fate sent her on a path to fortune and privilege. This is a fictional novel but provides a rich and accurate picture of how life was, it covers foot-binding as well as the ancient women’s writing Nu Shu. I read the whole novel in two days and it brought tears to my eyes, more than once. I’d highly recommend you read this, or buy it for someone close to you this christmas (I recommend doing both!)

This is one of the best books I’ve ever read, I had that sinking feeling when it was finished.

Has anyonelse read Snowflower and the Secret Fan?

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By Little Mummy, May 26, 2008 11:05 am

I was fortunate enough to receive a big pile of books from Hill and Knowlton a couple of weeks ago. I decided not to give them to Erin all at once but to spread them out over the summer (read: keep them as a secret stash for when I want half an hour to blog!), the first one doled out was Kipper’s Rainy Day, I should mention that all the books are from the Kipper series and were given in connection with Fairy’s “Make Story Time Special” initiative.

I have to say this book really set the standard, we spent a really pleasant half an hour reading and re-reading the story (which I won’t spoil for you…), although I can tell you it threw up discussions about the weather, animals and the noises they make. It’s a lift the flap book which adds to the enjoyment, for Erin not me (there so rough with them…!). I’d highly recommend this book for a toddler aged child, it’s definitely up there as one of the best books we have.

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By Little Mummy, July 8, 2007 5:14 am

Just a quick post to let you know I completed the above titled book. I’ve been reading a lot of non-fiction recently and this was a welcome change of pace. As good as the previous shopaholic instalments, it covers the story of Becky Bloomwood pregnant and ready for life as a mother, many twists, turns and ‘laugh out louds’ later the story ends happily (as always). This is a coffee and slice of cake read…you know, that twice yearly event when you miraculously get five minutes to yourself.

Shopaholic and Baby by Sophie Kinsella

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Michelle recently awarded me this Rockin Blogger award, which I am now obliged to award to a few others.

So here we go – The Silent I, Mother at Large and An Ordinary Mom. Thanks for some great reading ladies.

Comments (1)

By Little Mummy, April 23, 2007 1:23 am

I finished reading this book a little while ago and to be honest I wasn’t going to bother doing a review because I didn’t really know what to say.

I wasn’t really sure what I got out of the book, although I’m in the perfect demographic that it should help – a worrier that carrys around a lot of emotional baggage. The byline is ‘How to Get Rid of Your Emotional Baggage and Live the Life You Want’, and as I read that byline again now I think perhaps I have gleaned more than I think.

The book teaches a ‘method’ of letting go of feelings that prevent you from reaching your potential and can be practised in all areas of your life. I found it quite eye-opening just how much I was carrying around that was needless and sapping me of energy that could be re-distributed to help achieve my dreams and ambitions.

I would say this book is worth a read if you are a worrier, you feel a bit ‘foggy’ in your life, or you are holding onto damaging feelings and thoughts from your past. If you can buy second hand do so, save trees and your pocket if it doesn’t hit the spot.

Buy The Sedona Method