Half Baked

I really love to read. And I really, really love when a book makes me nod in agreement or laugh out loud or cry. Even better if I find that I want to highlight a passage (though I don't like to maim books that way!) or read it to the nearest person. I'm reading one of those now.

Even though I usually prefer light reads, fiction of the mystery persuasion, most often, this particular book couldn't be more true life. It's Half Baked by Alexa Stevenson. A lot of you probably know her from Flotsam.

For those who don't, Alexa had 2 miscarriages and then conceived twins via IVF. She lost her son, Ames at 22w and her daughter, Simone, was born just shy of 26. Infertility, miscarriage, prematurity.... that thud you just heard was something hitting me close to home.

I'm sixteen chapters (just under half way) in and I've laughed out loud at least a half dozen times, cried twice and today I annoyed my husband immensely by insisting on reading him a paragraph that spoke especially loudly to me. (He hates when I read to him. Robbie was also pushing his play mower through the house just then, so I was shouting.) It's definitely a good book.

Alexa messaged me a few times after Robbie was born, lending her support to another member of this crappy club. I think we emailed a few times, though to be honest, my memories of the months in the NICU are very spotty. I've followed her blog since then and was thrilled when she was published. I kept intending to get the book, but being a procrastinator, I just never did. Then someone on my preemie board read it and was gushing about its greatness. And then another person bought it and did the same.

Ultimately, we decided to do a book exchange. We started a list and would pass it along as we finished. I added my name. But as more people read it and gushed, I found there was no way I could wait, so last week I ordered myself a copy and felt a little smug that I'd just helped out a fellow IF/NICU-survivor/blogger mom. Then I checked the mail all week waiting for it to come. I was thrilled when it arrived a full day before the USPS told me it would. Way to go postal system!

I started it that night, reading until after 2am even though I had to be up 6. It was a busy weekend, but I've been sneaking away to read a chapter here or there whenever I could. Robbie's lucky he's so cute. Anyone else who interrupted my reading would have been cut in two.

I would still be reading now except that I know I have to sleep at some point, and I decided to stop at the end of a chapter that didn't end with me crying, so sixteen it was. And I should be in bed, but I really needed everyone to know that this book is good. Alexa is a great writer, of course. And man does she have a way of explaining things where I keep randomly wanting to shout "yes! that is it exactly!" even though every other living creature in my home has been sleeping for hours.

So if you're looking for a great book, really, truly, honestly.. go buy it. Just don't expect to sleep for a few days.

--Trish

P.S. no, this is not a paid or otherwise solicited review. I have no idea of Alexa keeps up with my blog at all. She is currently on blog hiatus, so for all I know she's in some horrible place w/o electricity. Really, this isn't even a review because I'm not done with the book yet. But go read it anyway. Seriously.