From Beer to Maternity Covers All the Bases

I'm not a beer drinker, and I haven't been pregnant in quite a while, but From Beer to Maternity, Maggie Lamond Simone's hilarious coming-of-age novel, completely resonated with me.

Filled with wisdom that anyone can relate to, From Beer to Maternity would make a great gift for any recent grad, former partyer or newly expectant Mom. Simone's comic insights on the lessons we all learn as we age had me laughing and nodding my head at the same time.

Starting out with a police officer escorting a drunken Simone away from the car she had just wrecked (she asks him to drop her at the bar where her friends are waiting!), the book takes us through her life from new grad to columnist to parent.

“People in their twenties today are not what they were in the 1960s,” Simone contends. “Today they’re still kids. Back then they were middle-aged. And I mean that in the nicest possible way.”

And she makes a lot of sense. When she mentions how, as a college graduate, she had to learn to go from telling someone, "Hey, the sink is clogged," to actually figuring out how to fix it herself, including dealing with her own personal nemesis, spiders (!), I realized how much my own kids, who barely know how to operate a microwave, could learn from this book.

From the press release:

Maggie offers serious (no, humorous) advice (well, sarcastic commentary) for older people (yes, over the age of 30) who are having trouble with growing up or what it means to age gracefully, or are worried and even confounded by the concept of adulthood in general.

Here's an excerpt from Chapter 6, O Heather, Where Art Thou?:

“The main weapon in the ‘I’m not old just because I remember eight-tracks’ arsenal is perception. ‘Old’ used to mean anyone over 30. When I hit 30, it meant over 60. Now it’s 120. I will accept I’m in the presence of someone old if her father fought in the Civil War.”

Viv's take: Honestly, genuinely hilarious and SO relatable, Maggie Lamond Simone's From Beer to Maternity hits all the right notes. Very, very enthusiastic thumbs-up!

You can purchase From Beer to Maternity through Amazon.com (just click the image to go to the product page). You can also follow Magge Lamond Simone on her facebook page, or visit her website.

I receive a preview copy of From Beer to Maternity to facilitate this review.