i heart my in-laws

i (heart) my in-laws: falling in love with his family - one passive-aggressive, over-indulgent, grandkid-craving, streisand-loving, bible-thumping in-law at a time. By Dina Koutas Poch

The cover of this book promises "a practical, laugh-out-loud guide to adopting your man's family" and I couldn't think of a better description.

Laugh out loud? Definitely. I lost count of how many times my husband said "what's so funny?" or how many times I said "OK, I just have to read this to you!" Practical? Well, yes and no. On the one hand, if I'm really struggling to forge a relationship with my in-laws, I probably already know not to dye my hair purple and wear a short, tight skirt to the first meeting. And if I'm wondering how to broach the topic of a pre-nup, this is not exactly the information source I'll turn to.

But "his family" really is something we all need to learn to adjust to, learn to love, learn to understand, learn to make yourself understood. And it can be a complicated and intimidating process. Poch discusses real troubles and real fears and real disappointments in such a light-hearted and disarming way that you feel safe to evaluate what you need, what you hope for, what you've lost out on, and what mistakes you may have made. And you realize once and for all that you're not alone.

Its a quick and easy read, not a lot of deep wisdom or new ideas, but you'll feel encouraged to keep learning and loving your in-laws.