The Happiest Baby on the Block by Dr. Harvey Karp

The best "baby" book I read. It was immensely helpful during Elise's first 7 months because she was so colicky!! I found his theory of colic very interesting as well, made sense to me. I'd highly recommend this to anyone expecting a baby. It would make a great baby shower gift.

Operating Instructions by Anne Lamott

The book was subtitled A diary of my son's first year. I read it when I was pregnant expecting a touching memoir of a woman as she becomes a mother. Boy was I mistaken. This "diary" is a chronicle of post partum depression, the trials of colic, and parenting as a single mother with minimal support. Not that I am a parent I can identfy with many of the feelings she described in her book, but man was it a depressing read. Do not read if you are pregnant!