Top 6 mother-type books

I love a list. I have been known to make lists in the middle of the night. M y nickname to certain ex-housemates is Schindler. You get the picture. Anyway, here is my list of some of my favourite mother/parent/woman related books. And yes, I know 6 is a random number. Feel free to add dozens more and round out the list.

1. I Don’t Know How She Does it by Allison Pearson.  OK, this is totally chick lit of the highest order. But in my defence (not sure how or why I am being defensive as I LOVE chick lit) I first saw it reviewed in the Economist. It really is a great look at the balancing act of mum/career type.

2. Love and other Impossible Pursuitsby Ayelet Waldman. I read this long before I was a mother and loved it. Defy ANYONE not to cry. Waldman has since achieved a fair bit of notoriety because of her views on motherhood and family – i.e she has talked about prioritising your partner over your children. Oprah-famous and everything. Anyway, lovely easy-to-read fiction about step-motherhood, relationships and loss.

3. We Need to Talk About Kevinby Lionel Shriver. Not one to read when pregnant for the first time, but I must admit to staying up til 5 in the morning on my honeymoon so I could finish this book. Although the story is pretty wild (and has spawned lots of copycats since), there are some underlying themes that I really associated with.

4 Bedrest – absolute nonsense, but very entertaining. Good for weeks following a newborn when you can’t concentrate on anything for more than five minutes before you fall asleep. This also goes for times when you have a massive hangover, are lying on a beach or just really bored by the person lying beside you. In which case, I would probably advise something along the lines of this.

5 My Name is Asher Lev- OK, this will definitely not be for everyone. I adore Chaim Potok and find his subject matter truly fascinating – the Orthodox Jew community in New York. This one is a lot about his faith and the challenges he faces, but focuses very heavily about family. More about father-son relationships, but let’s not be picky.

6. Infidelby Ayaan Hirsi Ali . OK, absolutely nothing to do with motherhood (although lots to do with family) – just one of my favourite books. Inspiring AND page-turning –  not often something I say about non-fiction. Plus it made me feel smarter which is always a bonus.  If you haven’t read it, read it.

Like

Unlike