Bumpology: The Myth-Busting Pregnancy Book for Curious Parents-to-Be

For Geddes, a London-based science journalist and mother of two, this book began as a 14-part blog written for New Scientist magazine during her first pregnancy. As questions multiplied, the ensuing book became “a two-and-a-half-year obsession with the science of bumps, birth, and newborn babies.” Divided into three sections (“Bump,” “Birth,” and “Babies”), the text covers a wide range of questions: mundane, quirky, fascinating, and somber. Each section is then broken down into such topics as “Food and Drink,” “The Pregnant Body,” “The Big Push,” and “Weaning.” This structure helps readers focus on their specific interests, though the book might just as easily be read as an entertaining romp through the new parent’s mind. Geddes explains her method of sifting through the research, noting that many studies need to be carefully dissected, and often citing the Cochran Collaboration, a respected group with a mission to “cut through the confusion.” Because of the author’s journalism background, Geddes’s writing and science-based explanations are substantive yet accessible. Agent: Kristyn Keene, ICM. (Mar.)