Mini reviews - coming to you from beautiful Poland

We finally made it over. There was lots of confusion as the airport in Brussels was closed for a while because of weather conditions... we had to switch flights and then switch back and it made everything very rushed and hectic. But we're at my parents' house now, which is great for so many reasons. The Warsaw airport was closed this morning so we feel very lucky to have gotten here - having survived a four hour delay at the airport too.

So the next week or so will filled with family time, presents, good food and lots of happiness. Joe and I are even going into Warsaw for a couple of days, without Baby S, to spend some quality time together. Lots to look forward to.

I'm doing some reading, though not tons. Enough. But I still have all my November reviews to post so, this is another mini-review post. I'm getting used to these!

Mary Anne Saves the Day, Dawn and the Impossible Three, Kristy's Big Day by Ann M. Martin (The Babysitters Club #4, #5, #6)
What is there to say about this great series that I loved so much when I was a kid? I am really enjoying re-reading them, especially while taking care of Baby S in the early hours of several November mornings. I don't know if anyone who doesn't already know these books would like them as an adult, but as re-reads they are a great comfort.

Diplomatic Baggage by Brigid Keenan
I soooo wanted to like this, since I too travelled around the world a lot and lived in a couple of more 'exotic' countries. Keenan is the wife of a diplomat and her book is a memoir of their experiences and travels in country after country. I wanted to relate, I wanted to laugh with her at the absurdity of some of the situations you encounter when you move around that often, but I just couldn't. She annoyed me immensely and I found her jokes forced. Sometimes I even wonder if she didn't make them up, they often seemed apocryphal. And did I mention that she really annoyed me?

The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells
I think 'creepy' is the only way to describe this... Englishman Edward Prendick finds himself stranded on an island with  mad scientist Dr. Moreau and some other beings who don't seem quite human. The story combines science, ethics and the nature of man. It's quite unbelievable that it was written in the 19th century. The science fiction that H.G. Wells produced is incredible. I'd like to read up more about him, it seems that he was quite the champion of free thought and equal rights.

The Bad Mother's Handbook by Kate Long
Three generations of women under the same roof come to terms with themselves and each other. They're each going through a different phase of womanhood and struggling with relating to the others. A chick lit book which looks at what it means to be a daughter and a mother. Very enjoyable and very real, it made me laugh so many times. I think one of the things that made is so wonderfully real is that the point-of-view alternates - we get a glimpse into the minds of all three generations. It doesn't look like much, but it's a keeper, I'd recommend it to all women!