Tag: Liane Moriarity

Recommended Books about Mothers and Motherhood

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Since the calendar turned to the month of May, I’ve found myself reading novels where mothers are the key characters and motherhood the main theme. My current read is Two Little Girls in Blue, a suspense novel by legendary author Mary Higgins Clark, a story about the kidnapping of three-year-old twins Kelly and Kathy and their telepathic connection.  

Clark’s story got me thinking about other books I’ve read that explore similar themes of motherhood. With Mother’s Day coming up this weekend, I thought I would pay special tribute to Moms with a list of books that feature mother-child relationships. All types of mothers are included on this list, including birth mothers, adopted mothers and step mothers. Most of these books I’ve read, but I’ve included a few others worth noting.

So if you’re looking to add more to your TBR list, here are a few worth a look:

Look Again by Lisa Scottoline
What would you do if you received a postcard in the mail about missing children, and one of the children on the card looks identical to your adopted son? That is the premise of this suspenseful page turner that asks the question: What would you do if you suspected that your adopted child was kidnapped from another family?

The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave
With clearly drawn characters and crisp writing, this was another book I couldn’t stop reading. Hannah is a new wife and stepmother to 16-year-old Bailey, who wants nothing to do with her. When Hannah’s husband Owen disappears, she receives a note from him with one simple message: “Protect her.” Hannah knows she must protect Bailey, even as she tries to unravel what has happened to her husband.

Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult
With the help of a psychic and a private investigator, a teenaged girl attempts to find out what happened to her mother, an elephant researcher, after a tragic accident at an animal sanctuary. Guided by her mother’s diary that documented the behavior of elephants through death and grief, the girl follows a trail of clues that lead to a very unexpected and surprising ending.

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
The motherhood theme plays out in several different scenarios in  this moving novel by Ng. When artist and single mom Mia Warren arrives in the idyllic and carefully planned community of Shaker Heights, her disregard for the status quo upsets some area residents, particularly Elena Richardson, who is suspicious of Mia’s mysterious past. The lives of Mia and her daughter Pearl are intertwined with those of the four Richardson children. When friends of Elena want to adopt a Chinese-American infant, Mia and Elena find themselves on opposing sides of the debate. Elena becomes obsessed with ousting Mia from town with devastating results.

Lost by Joy Fielding
The first time Cindy lost her daughter Julia, her daughter was five years old. The second time was when Julia was 14 and she moved in with her father, which broke Cindy’s heart. But when Julia disappears again at age 21 after a promising audition with a Hollywood director, Cindy begins a frantic search for her. This time, the answers she finds reveals a disturbing truth about her daughter that she realized she never really knew.

Where Are The Children? by Mary Higgins Clark
One of the first novels by Clark, and probably the one that put her on the path to publishing success. Here’s another story about a mother whose two children disappear while playing in the front yard. In Clark’s signature style, the story is told from a variety of perspectives, including that of the kidnapper.

The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
It’s been a while since I’ve read this debut novel by Tan, which explores four mother-daughter relationships of Asian-American heritage. The story is told from alternating points of view of each mother and daughter, exploring how the attitudes and behaviors toward love and family are passed through the generations. The film was also quite good.

White Oleander by Janet Fitch
It’s been a long while since I read this book by Fitch. I also remember seeing the movie starring Michelle Pfeiffer. After her mother Ingrid is charged with murder for killing her boyfriend, 12-year-old Astrid is shuffled from foster home to foster home, each time putting her in complicated situations. As Astrid struggles to define herself, she continues a rather tenuous relationship with Ingrid in prison.

The Book of Ruth by Jane Hamilton
At times this was a difficult book to read because of the moments of violence. I give credit to Hamilton for the way she treated each of the main characters. Ruth lives at home with her mother May, who sees her daughter as a disappointment because she isn’t anything like her brilliant brother who graduated from college and works in Boston. Instead, Ruth works at a dry cleaners and falls for a Ruby, a lazy, stubborn scoundrel, who does not mix well with May. Ruby and May come to a violent clash, and only Ruth’s innate goodness and compassion allows her to have hope for her future.

What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarity.
I love how Moriarity plays with intriguing questions and scenarios, bringing both humor and drama to her stories. In this novel, 29-year-old Alice is pregnant with her first child and is crazy in love with her husband. After falling at the gym, she wakes up in the hospital, only to learn that it is ten years later, she’s 39 with three kids, and she can’t understand why she’s in the midst of a messy divorce and why her sister won’t speak to her. As she puts the pieces of her life together, Alice figures out how to connect with her children and mend fences with her sister who has been on her own journey to become a mother.

Other books often listed with motherhood themes that are currently on my TBR list.

Beloved by Toni Morrison
Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarity
The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

What books about mothers and motherhood have left an impression on you? Which books would you recommend?

What’s Next on Your Reading List?

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Great American Read
Photo courtesy of The Regal Writer

March is National Reading Month

Reading a book is much like going on a journey. You travel along with the narrator or protagonist through numerous ups and downs they experience, which hopefully concludes with a happy ending.

But then, you are faced with a new dilemma: what should you read next? Do you pull a title from your TBR list (to be read)? Or do you search the nearby Little Free Library for something that grabs your interest? Or do you go somewhere else?

There are several ways you choose the books you read. You might go by the author. You’ve read their works before and want to read others because you know it will be a satisfying reading experience.

Maybe genre is more important to you. For example, mystery fans will gravitate toward other mysteries and thrillers, even if they haven’t read the author before.

Then there’s the third option for choosing books: the plot. When you read the inside flap or back cover, you get an idea of who your protagonist is, what conflicts they’ll be facing and perhaps, the possible payoff. You start reading with the promise of a strong compelling plot line and hope for another satisfactory conclusion.

There are a number of ways I choose what books to read. Usually, it depends on my mood. One day, I might be in the mood to read a memoir, then next I might be in the mood to be swept away in a romantic suspense novel. Since I like reading a variety of genres, it sometimes makes it difficult to choose what type of book I want to read next.

Sometimes, rather than choosing the book, I simply browse my shelf and let the book choose me. Here are a few other ways I choose a book to read.

* Someone mentioned the book in conversation. When a friend describes a book they’re reading and their voice is filled with wonder and enthusiasm, I usually see it as a sign that I should check it out too. When someone loves what they read, they’ll happily share their book choice with others.

* I avoid reading book reviews. Book reviews are meaningless to me because they tend to over analyze the story. I think to myself, “You got that much out of that story?” I have never been convinced to read a book based on a review. I prefer recommendations from people I actually know and respect who have already read the book.

* It’s an author I’ve read before. This is perhaps the number one reason people choose certain books to read. If the author has an extensive list of books they’ve published and I’ve already enjoyed reading some of those titles, I am more likely to read other titles by them. Several years ago, I read Kristen Hannah’s Winter Garden based on a recommendation from a Facebook friend. I loved that book so much, I’ve read several other titles of Hannah’s since then.

* I pay attention to book titles. Some titles automatically draw me in because they exude an air of mystery and intrigue. Once in a bookstore, I came across a title in the discounted section with a simply designed book cover – plain orange with classic, somewhat ornate writing. The Places Between Us had no book summary or marketing blurb on the back side or inside the front cover, so I had no idea what the book was about, which only added to its mystery. Strangely, I kept pacing past it. After glancing in its direction several times, I finally picked it up and read the first few pages. I wound up buying it, and it became one of the most fascinating reads, worthy of a book club discussion.

* I find authors or book titles I’ve always wanted to read. For me, that includes some old classics that I never read when I was younger. To Kill a Mockingbird had been on that list for several years. Only after its author Harper Lee passed away did I finally pick it up to read.

* I avoid current national best sellers. I’m sure there are some quality books among the current best sellers, but not all of them. I’d rather choose a book because I’m interested in the plot.

* I look for an intriguing plot or character. Recently, I read What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarity.  The plot line is what intrigued me most, though admittedly, I also wanted to check out Moriarity’s work since I had seen her name on bookstore shelves. The main character, Alice, heads to the gym one morning and wakes up in the hospital, only to learn that it’s ten years later, and she can’t remember anything that’s happened to her over that ten-year span. She can’t understand why her relationship with her sister is so strained or why she is recently separated from a husband she adores. The plot compelled me to pick up the book and keep reading, so I could find out how Alice pieces together memories from that missing time in her life.

* I consider bookstore staff recommendations. If unsure what to read next, you can always ask your favorite bookstore employee, or check out the bookstore’s staff recommendations section, if they have one. These folks are avid readers themselves and are happy to share their favorite books with you.

* I refrain from depending on book club choices. Sure, a title might be an Oprah Book Club choice, but don’t make that the main reason for choosing a book. Choose it because the title or plot intrigues you, someone you know recommended it, or your local bookshop owner recommended it. 

Remember, it’s helpful to develop your own criteria for choosing books to read. At the same time, don’t be afraid to experiment with new authors or genres. Every now and then, it can be fun to read something outside of your comfort zone. You never know when you discover new talent. 

No matter how you go about choosing a book, it’s exciting to know that we have so many choices available to us, more than we’ve ever had before. Half the fun of reading is deciding what to read next.