I’m a writer and a secondary school English teacher, but of all my roles, the one I cherish most is being a mom. I love being a mom! And I have found that reading books about motherhood has helped keep me sane and broadened my view of what trying my best as a mom can look like. I have found that wisdom and inspiration can be found in all kinds of places, from a memoir to a thriller to a middle-grade novel. I very much hope you enjoy the books on this list as much as I have!
I loved how conflicted I felt about Emmy and her life choices as a highly successful influencer mom of two little ones! I couldn’t help but root for her even as I struggled to make sense of the crazy things she was putting her family through.
'Brilliantly original' - Clare Mackintosh, author of After the End 'Deliciously dark and devious' - Red 'Highly recommended' - Harriet Tyce, author of Blood Orange 'Gone Girl-esque' - The Times 'I couldn't turn the pages fast enough' - Abigail Dean, author of Girl A
People like Emmy Jackson. They always have. Especially online, where she is Instagram sensation Mamabare, famous for telling the unvarnished truth about modern parenthood.
But Emmy isn't as honest as she'd like the fans to believe. She may think she has her followers fooled, but someone out there knows the truth and plans to make her…
Twelve years ago, I was milling around a bookstore on Orchard Road in Singapore when I came across this book. I proceeded to spend the next three hours in an armchair, reading the book from cover to cover.
Amy Chua is the quintessential tiger mom, as strict as they come. And while I wouldn’t necessarily agree with all her parenting choices, I never once questioned her love for her daughters. The way she matures and changes as a mother is incredibly moving and inspirational for any parent trying their best.
A SUNDAY TIMES AND NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER: the most talked-about book of the year
'Blissfully funny' India Knight, Sunday Times
'Entertaining, bracingly honest and, yes, thought-provoking' New York Times
'A treat from first to last: ruefully funny, endlessly self-deprecating, riven with ironies .. I relished this memoir' I
Updated with a new postscript by Amy Chua and a letter from her eldest daughter, Sophia
Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother is a story about a mother, two daughters, and two dogs. It was supposed to be a story of how Chinese parents are better at raising kids than Western…
Secrets, lies, and second chances are served up beneath the stars in this moving novel by the bestselling author of This Is Not How It Ends. Think White Lotus meets Virgin River set at a picturesque mountain inn.
Seven days in summer. Eight lives forever changed. The stage is…
This is, without question, my favorite Jodi Picoult novel. I love all the characters in the book, but my favorites are Katie Fisher, a young Amish woman who is accused of having murdered her newborn baby, and her boyfriend Samuel Stoltzfus, who loves Katie so very much.
I was moved by Katie’s courage in the face of incredible difficulty.
From the bestselling author of My Sister's Keeper comes the riveting story of a murder that shatters the picturesque calm of Amish country -- and tests the heart and soul of the lawyer defending the woman at the center of the storm.
The discovery of a dead infant in an Amish barn shakes Lancaster County to its core. But the police investigation leads to a more shocking disclosure: circumstantial evidence suggests that eighteen-year-old Katie Fisher, an unmarried Amish woman believed to be the newborn's mother, took the child's life. When Ellie Hathaway, a disillusioned big-city attorney, comes to Paradise, Pennsylvania,…
This is one of my favorite middle-grade books for a few reasons.
First, it is a time travel story that doesn’t feel like time travel; the supernatural element is so masterfully woven into the tale that it just makes sense. Slipping between two time periods and seeing all the pieces fit together is so satisfying! But for me, the best part of the book is the way in which traveling back in time allows Patricia to learn to love and understand her mother.
When Patricia's mother sends her to her cousins' cottage for the summer, Patricia doesn't want to go. She doesn't know her cousins at all, and she's never been good at camping or canoeing, let alone making new friends.
When she arrives at the cottage, her worst fears come true: her cousin Kelly teases her; Aunt Ginnie and Uncle Doug feel sorry for her. She doesn't fit in. Then Patricia discovers an old watch hidden under a floorboard. When she winds it, she finds herself taken back in time to the summer when her own mother was twelve ...
The Year Mrs. Cooper Got Out More
by
Meredith Marple,
The coastal tourist town of Great Wharf, Maine, boasts a crime rate so low you might suspect someone’s lying.
Nevertheless, jobless empty nester Mallory Cooper has become increasingly reclusive and fearful. Careful to keep the red wine handy and loath to leave the house, Mallory misses her happier self—and so…
Ahhh, there are so many courageous and amazing mothers in this book, but my favorite was, of course–you guessed it–Jane!
There were so many unexpected twists, and the ending caught me completely by surprise. But suspense and surprises aside, the best part of it was the growth you can see in the moms, as well as the love and loyalty they share. Moms need support, too, and you can really see it on the pages of this book.
*Published as BIG LITTLE LIES in Australia and the United States*
Liane Moriarty, million copy selling author of The Husband's Secret brings us another addictive story of secrets and scandal.
Jane hasn't lived anywhere longer than six months since her son was born five years ago. She keeps moving in an attempt to escape her past. Now the idyllic seaside town of Pirriwee has pulled her to its shores and Jane finally feels like she belongs. She has friends in the feisty Madeline and the incredibly beautiful Celeste - two women with seemingly perfect lives . . . and their…
When Leo's girlfriend abruptly breaks up with him, his world falls apart. Devastated, he flees Hong Kong for the summer, wandering across mainland China by bus and train. In Xiamen, he meets Pearl, a single mother whose quiet kindness is such a balm for his grief that he falls unexpectedly and helplessly in love with her.
Pearl's greatest wish is for her five-year-old son, Win-win, to find success in life. When Leo stumbles into her life and offers her not only a second chance at love, but a new and prosperous life for her and Win-win in Hong Kong, it all seems too good to be true. But what happens at the end of a summer like that?
The Year Mrs. Cooper Got Out More
by
Meredith Marple,
The coastal tourist town of Great Wharf, Maine, boasts a crime rate so low you might suspect someone’s lying.
Nevertheless, jobless empty nester Mallory Cooper has become increasingly reclusive and fearful. Careful to keep the red wine handy and loath to leave the house, Mallory misses her happier self—and so…
Tina Edwards loved her childhood and creating fairy houses, a passion shared with her father, a world-renowned architect. But at nine years old, she found him dead at his desk and is haunted by this memory. Tina's mother abruptly moved away, leaving Tina with feelings of abandonment and suspicion.
