Books really are a huge part of many people’s happiness. They allow you to escape to a world you may never experience in real life and often teach you cool lessons or interesting things in the process.

Also? Happiness is giving stuff away! Keep reading to see what I’m talking about.

As I’ve mentioned a few times, I read. A lot. And I have no free time time blog. Mostly because I parent and run a small family photography business and another website and…way more crap than that, but also because I read.

The moment has arrived. Today I’m here to tell you about a crapload of awesome books! Some I’ve read I’m not going to bother telling you about. If they sucked, I don’t feel like I need to waste my time writing anything about them. Maybe I should create a suck list. Who has the time? Suck list coming!

These are a few of the books that I’ve read over the last year and have been meaning to tell you about for almost that long.

The Hungry Scientist Handbook: Electric Birthday Cakes, Edible Origami, and Other DIY Projects for Techies, Tinkerers, and Foodies. This? Is a wicked book. With projects “ranging from edible origami to glowing lollipops, cryogenic martinis to Tupperware boom boxes, the book draws from the expertise of programmers, professors, and garden-variety geeks and offers something to delight DIYers of all skill levels.” Cryogenic ice cream, a cupboard keg (making beer out of nothing), electric birthday cakes, light up lollipops and more. How cool does that sound? About as cool as it is – this book rocks!

Twilight: We bought this when I was about to be induced to have Bella in case it took a while. It did, but I still didn’t get a chance to start it until this past week. I totally know what the fuss is all about. It’s awesome. I have to force myself to go to sleep after one chapter or I’d be up all night.Seriously – it’s the baking soda volcano times a hundred. There are more projects than I’d ever have the time or inclination to try, but even the simple ones are super fun and the rest are fun to read about.

Show Me How: 500 Things You Should Know Instructions for Life From the Everyday to the Exotic. Another super cool book that would make a great gift for the person who has everything. It’s packed with step-by-step instructions that teach you to do hundreds of useful, often fascinating and sometimes strange tasks, including “perform CPR, dance the tango, pack a suitcase, win a bar bet, play the blues, make authentic sushi rolls, fight a shark . . . and 493 more essentials of modern life.”

Scratch Beginnings, by Adam Shepard. Adam was angry after reading Barbara Ehrenreich’s famous works Nickel and Dimed and Bait and Switch and when he graduated from university, he was disillusioned by the apathy he saw around him. He embarked on one of the coolest and scariest projects I can imagine. Carrying only a sleeping bag, the clothes on his back, and $25 in cash, and restricted from using previous contacts or relying on his college education, he set out for a new city with the objective to prove that the (north) American dream existed for the average Joe. His goal was to work his way out of homelessness and to have $2,500, a working automobile, and a furnished apartment after just one year. I won’t tell you what happened because you should really read this book, but it’s awesome and inspirational.

Alex & Me: How a Scientist and a Parrot Discovered a Hidden World of Animal Intelligence–and Formed a Deep Bond in the Process, by Irene M. Pepperberg. Some of you may know that my first degree was a B.A. in Psychology. I had a strong emphasis in my course load on animal behaviour and cognition, so I was immediately drawn to this book. Alex is an African gray parrot whose mastered more than a 100 word vocabulary and answered questions about the color, shape and number of objects. Pepperberg previously wrote about the results of her 30-year relationship with Alex in The Alex Studies. Alex & Me covers some of the same results but is more of a tribute to the awesome relationship between a mama and her parrot. It’s a story that scientists and the non-research minded among us would all love. Particularly I think animal lovers such as myself would love this book, and if you’re an emotional mama type you’ll definitely be crying when you read of Alex’s death.

Dough: A Memoir, by Mort Zachter. As I was reading this book, my husband commented several times that I was reading a book about bread and wondered what the hell I was thinking. Actually, though, Dough is a great, lighthearted read with a double meaning. Zachter’s Uncle Harry had a bakery and a secret seven figure fortune. The book talks about his life as a youngster around the bakery, his stingy uncles who he and everyone else assumed were working just to scrape by and his discovery of the fortune after he lost his job as an accountant, started law school at night and took out a second mortgage to support his family.

Now, on to the BIG GUNS

O’s Big Book of Happiness: The Best of O, The Oprah Magazine: Wisdom, Wit, Advice, Interviews, and Inspiration . This is THE book for the Oprah fan this holiday season. With over 100 empowering & well written articles from O Magazine that address “beating the blues, dropping the weight, kissing fear goodbye, making your dreams real, and putting your best face forward,” it’s got something for everyone. Everyone with a uterus, anyway. I gave a copy of this to my friend for her 50th birthday recently and I’d highly recommend it if you’ve got an O fan on your gift list.

But hey! Maybe I can save you twenty bucks! To enter to win this book, leave a comment on this post. I’ll draw a winner & contact them by email after December 5th. The book will be mailed in time to reach you by Christmas – I promise! Alternatively, you can email me at muchmorethanamom@gmail.com with OPRAH in the subject line to enter without commenting.