Baby book reviews

Since I've going through enough of them I figured I may as well post reviews of the books I've been reading.

The Bloke's Guide To Pregnancy — Fine for the first 20 pages or so. Then it quickly went downhill. It quickly became clear that the men this was written for were not me, and the women it described as pregnant were not my wife. By about page 40 I realised that if nothing so far struck me as appropriate, nothing further down the line would be fitting either. So I skimmed the rest, looking for interesting bits before deciding I should probably clean the bathroom. The thing that I most learned from this book is to not use the last herbal tea bag as a bookmark since you'll regret it when someone is over and asks for a herbal tea.
Verdict: Not meant for me, though it might help if this is the sole book or pamphlet you plan to read during your partner's pregnancy.

Pregnancy for Modern Girls — Pretty factual with random quotes from women thrown in there. It's actually far more structured and organised than the Bloke's guide, and I'm not entirely sure if that fact means it breaks the gender stereotype or enforces it. Like most pregnancy books it's ordered from conception to post-birth, so if you're looking for something specific, it's easy to find. The quotes from the modern girls about their actual pregnancy and birth experiences were the most useful thing about the book, in an OMG that can actually happen kind of way.
Verdict: It's worthwhile if it falls in your lap, but could be replaced by the NHS material plus several days of trawling blogs for a decent variety of personal anecdotes.

Your Pregnancy Bible — Really quite detailed, and goes as far as telling the partner how to deliver the child in case of emergency, which I consider the most useful thing a partner can know. Though it leaves off with putting the placenta in a plastic bag and not cutting the umbilical cord, so I am curious what's supposed to happen next. Like most bibles, this is not actually meant to be read all at once, but as a reference if you need consolation, want to feel completely out of your depth, or if you want to show off that you know more than someone else.
Verdict: I can't say for sure if it's worth it, but it feels like it's worth it.

From Here to Paternity: The Diary of a Pregnant Man — A man's diary of his wife's pregnancy. It's good in that it really focuses on how pregnancy affects the partner. It is rather factual as well, but not in any organised sense – so don't go into it expecting a reference. It's more entertainment than anything else. It's also an easy read. Some might find the wife character to be poorly fleshed out, but I think it's quite reasonable, since the focus is not how the pregnancy affects her, or who she is. The man is fleshed out a bit more since the book would get quite dull between baby events otherwise.
Caveat: I've not finished the book yet, so my opinion might change.
Verdict: A mix of an entertaining read with interesting factual content.