Book cover of Hold Still

Book description

When Maya Taylor, an English professor with a tendency to hide in her books, sends her daughter to Florida to look after a friend's child, she does so with the best of intentions; it's a chance for Ellie, twenty and spiraling, to rebuild her life. But in the sprawling hours…

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Why read it?

1 author picked Hold Still as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

At the heart of this novel is a brave and scary question that (luckily) I and most parents never need to consider: What if your child does something too awful for you to forgive?

The story is told through alternating timelines and points of viewthrough the voices of Maya, an English professor and mother, and of Ellie, her teenage daughter.

We know from the start that Ellie has done something unforgivable, and that Maya needs to forgive her. But first, Maya needs to reach her, and Ellie refuses to accept that outreach.

I loved the way this book…

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Book cover of Resonant Blue and Other Stories

Resonant Blue and Other Stories by Mary Vensel White,

The first collection of award-winning short fiction from the author of Bellflower and Things to See in Arizona, whose writing reflects “how we can endure and overcome our personal histories, better understand our ancestral ones, and accept the unknown future ahead.”

In “Driftwood,” a woman in a sleepy desert…

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