The Encyclopedia of Immaturity Volume 2 by Klutz
Ages 9-12
Klutz; Pap/Toy edition (September 1, 2009)
Cautions: Often gross

Kiwi Magazine Review:
The first Encyclopedia of Immaturity was stellar, we’re not sure how Klutz managed to come up with even more antics, anecdotes and advice. For example, some people subtly adjust to fix a wedgie, but this book encourages everyone to fly their underwear flag and discuss the wild world of wedgies (self-inflicted or from a naughty brother). I thought of dozens of people who would really appreciate this book and I wished something this important had been published in my childhood so I could have been informed about the right way to convince my mom that I was really too sick for school. Every. Single. Monday. Shenanigans are the new manners. The age range for the book is a complete farce (it says 9-12); I can think of numerous 50+ males who will have root beer coming out of their noses when they read this.

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Wicked Plants: The Weed That Killed Lincoln’s Mother and Other Botanical Atrocities by Amy Stewart
Briony Morrow-Cribbs (Illustrator)
Algonquin Books - 2009
Cautions: Murder and criminal element
Ages: Adult

Kiwi Magazine Review:
This book has it all. Murder, suicide, strangulation…we’re all at the mercy of merciless plants that inhabit the earth. Legends, myths, mysteries and mayhem all seem to begin with a single sprout of an innocent-looking plant. I had no idea there was even something called the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s federal noxious weeds list, but I assume these plants laugh in the general direction of any sort of regulation. There is a whole chapter called ‘Weeds of Mass Destruction,” which is thoroughly horribly enjoyable reading. This book is a great gift for plant lovers who just may think their plants love them to death.

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Notes from the Underwire: Adventures from My Awkward and Lovely Life by Quinn Cummings
Hyperion, July 2009
Ages: Adults
Cautions: None

Kiwi Magazine Review:
With trepidation, I started to read this new book by Quinn Cummings. Frozen in time as the smart and sarcastic girl in the movie The Goodbye Girl, I wasn’t sure if I was ready for yet another celebrity (or former celebrity) gets married and has a child, therefore making her an instant writer who can impart knowledge on the lesser, non-famous moms. But, Cummings won me over by page 2. She is a talented writer who will have your coffee coming out of your nose as she hilariously tells the tales of her life pre- and post-partum. Chapter two was one of my favorites because she explains that being a child actor was a special time in her life, but being a former child actor is tantamount to being a life sentence. Other than her famous start, Cummings’ voice in this book is that of a very funny friend who is happy to take you to the airport on occasion or graciously adopt your cat. Through hilarious analogies, you’ll get a vivid picture of her ‘awkward and lovely life.”

Product Description
Meet Quinn Cummings. Former child star, mother, and modern woman, she just wants to be a good person. Quinn grew up in Los Angeles, a city whose patron saint would be a sixteen-year-old with a gold card and two trips to rehab under her belt. Quinn does crossword puzzles, knows every cheap Mexican restaurant in the city, and has deeply held beliefs on what makes a good margarita. And she tries very hard to be the Adult–the one who saves the world, the one everybody calls for a ride to the airport–but somehow she always comes up short.

In Notes from the Underwire, Quinn’s smart and hilarious debut, she tackles the domestic and the delightfully absurd, proving that all too often they’re one and the same. From fighting off her prowling cat Lulabelle to her failure at crafts, she’s never without a dash of brilliance. Witty, slightly sarcastic, and keenly observant, Quinn Cummings provides insight into an often chaotic, seldom perfect universe. The book, like the author herself, is good-hearted, tremendously funny, and really good company.

About the Author
Quinn Cummings is a former child actor. Her blog, the QC Report, has received accolades from publications like Newsweek and USA Today. She is the creator of the HipHugger, a sling-type device for carrying a baby, and a full-time mom. She lives in Los Angeles with her family.

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Enter our contest to win a book club with the authors:

http://www.kiwimagonline.com/contests/ChronicleBooks/index.php

I’d Trade My Husband for a Housekeeper; Loving Your Marriage After the Baby Carriage By Trisha Ashworth and Amy Nobile
Chronicle Books - February 25, 2009
Adult Paperback
Cautions:  Moms - You’re old enough to handle this.

Kiwi Magazine Review:
These authors know. They know! They know that we moms may spend more time with Mr. Potato head than with our husbands and that potato may not even be, gasp, organic. Somehow, knowing that other moms feel the same way we do and have many of the same challenges helps. They recommend taking a step back to reset priorities, taking a big breath and remembering why we said “I do” in the first place. This book is a gaggle of giggles with some great girl-to-girl advice.

Publisher’s Description:
I’d Trade My Husband for a Housekeeper — Best-selling authors Trisha Ashworth and Amy Nobile brought sweet relief to moms with their first book, I Was a Really Good Mom Before I Had Kids. Here they return with a frank, yet encouraging look at marriage post-tots. They set out to discover if parenthood has to be incompatible with conjugal bliss-and if so, how to change that. To find out, they spoke to hundreds of mothers (and quite a few fathers). I’d Trade My Husband for a Housekeeper examines the challenges of modern parenthood for married couples today and it extends a loving hand so that mothers can step out of the madness, make the most of what they have, and learn to love their marriages as much as they love their husbands and kids.

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Shape Up with the Slow Fat Triathlete 50 Ways to Kick Butt on the Field, in the Pool, or at the Gym–No Matter What Your Size and Shape
by Jayne Williams
DeCapo Books, Jan 1, 2008
Recommended readers: Adults

Cautions: Author has a bit of a potty mouth but it adds humor

Description

Jayne Williams brings irreverent wit and a passion for movement to people who want a roadmap to real-life, functional fitness. Shape Up with the Slow Fat Triathlete is the antidote to fitness books that promise killer abs and deliver disappointment. A mediocre athlete with a lifelong weight problem, Williams struggles with her own fitness demons, including self-consciousness, injuries, and yo-yo dieting. Now, she puts fun back into working out with realistic advice, zany anecdotes, and essential observations. With stories from other “imperfect athletes,” Williams’s fifty audacious tips help aspiring athletes of all flavors to kick butt on the trail, in the pool, or at the gym.

Kiwi Magazine Review

You can wear spandex no matter your shape, age or wobbly bits.  And, like all of the other people in that overzealously sweaty aerobics class, you have a right to be there.  The first thing Jayne WIlliams tells you straight up is that exercise will improve your health and you will never look perfect. With that statement out of the way, you are free to exercise in any form you choose, in any outfit you choose at any time you choose.  It’s an uplifting, humorous, inspirational book to encourage us to eschew excuses and get out there and play!

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