SPONSORED: “Great Reads” is a regular roundup of books that the Orange County Public Library System thinks you should peruse that month.
Be sure to take advantage of the library system’s MAYL feature which will deliver your book selections to your door, free of charge! When you return them, you can simply drive up to the drop box mail slot behind the downtown library branch, dump ’em in, and go on with your day.
“WHY DON’T YOU WRITE MY EUOLOGY NOW SO I CAN CORRECT IT?”
BY PATRICIA MARX
This is a perfect light-hearted selection for Mother’s Day. Marx compiles a collection of one-witticisms she has heard from her mother. Each one-liner is accompanied by an illustration drawn by Roz Chast, a staff cartoonist for The New Yorker. This book celebrates the advice we all get from our mothers. Mothers will likely find the advice Marx received from her mother familiar.
“THE PERFECT MOTHER”
BY AIMEE MOLLOY
What should have been an evening for blowing off a little steam turns in to the beginning of a harrowing mystery: What happened to baby Midas? Winnie, Midas’s mom, turns to the “May Mothers,” her first-time mommy group, for support during the ordeal. But, when the investigation turns intense and secrets come to light, the group falls under suspicion, including Winnie. Molloy keeps us on the edge of our seats until the very end.
“THE BEST COOK IN THE WORLD: TALES FROM MY MOMMA’S TABLE”
BY RICK BRAGG
If you’ve ever wondered what it was like to have a good Southern mama or grandmamma, this book sums it up. Bragg’s heartfelt tribute to his sweet mama includes some recipes, but the richness of this narrative is in its stories. Through her son, Margaret Bragg and company will live on having left behind a legacy for us all in the art and tradition of southern approaches to food. It’s home cooking served up with a pinch of humor, a side of no-nonsense, and a heaping helping of southern comfort.
“#IMOMSOHARD”
BY KRISTIN HENSLEY AND JEN SMEDLEY
The duo behind the #imomsohard YouTube channel discuss the challenges mothers go through in a hilarious way. This is not a self-help book on being a better parent. Instead, the duo share humorous stories about mom life that all mothers will find relatable. So relax, grab some wine and get ready to laugh about topics from post-partum depression to mom bods to being tired all the time.
“MOXIE”
BY JENNIFER MATHIEU
Vivian Carter isn’t sure of much, but there is one thing she is certain of: the rampant sexism at her high school needs to stop. Sick of the ways in which guys in her grade get away with so much blatant disrespect towards her and her friends, she decides to take matters into her own hands. Inspired by the riot grrl ways of her own mother’s teenage years, she chooses to publish and distribute a feminist zine in which the girls of her school can use as a rallying cry to help end the harassment once and for all. Inspiring and moving, Moxie is a powerful work by a talented voice in the YA genre.
“MOTHERHOOD”
BY SHEILA HETI
In this acclaimed semi-autobiographical novel, author Sheila Heti seeks what it means to be a mother in the Twenty-First Century. Motherhood’s narrator struggles with the fact that all of her close friends are at the point in their lives when they are ready to have, or are already having, children. Beyond this, an even more meaningful revelation comes into question: Is she ready, if ever, to become a mother herself? Full of philosophical quandaries and deep questions, Motherhood is a tender and touching tale for readers looking for answers to one of life’s biggest questions.
