Mommyhood

From the opening ultrasound scene, in which Spelling frets that her unborn son's nose is too big, through her two bouts coping with baby weight and numerous shopping sprees, the memoir focuses heavily on appearances. What rescues the book from complete narcissism are Spelling's sense of humor—which is truly fun and alive to irony—and her obvious love for her small children. Listeners will respond to her desire to create a “real” life for them, even as they raise eyebrows at her decision to have their childhoods broadcast on reality television. Spelling narrates with a chatty Valley Girl style and loads of inflection and drama—whether or not the circumstances warrant it. (A scene about showing up with the wrong Halloween costume at a party is delivered with the same agitation as one in which her baby loses consciousness from a seizure.) A Simon Spotlight Entertainment hardcover. (May)