Mama’s beach reads

Mama knows what your thinking…who has time to read? Before kids, Mama would probably read 3 books a month. Now it’s more like 3 books a year — and that’s on the high end! Mama loves to read based on recommendations from others. There is nothing worse then starting a book and halfway through it, realizing how much time you wasted on something that was so not good. 


One way to pick good books is to pick a great author like Isabelle Allende and read all her novels in one summer. Mama was turned onto her books by a friend and loves their classic romantic tone. Try Ines of My Soul, $10.19, or The House of Spirits, $10.88, to start.


With so many titles and amazing authors to choose from it was hard to pick just five but Mama did!  


For Mamas — after taking care of the kids all day, the last thing you want to read is about taking care of kids. How to redirect behavior, how to discipline, how to feed them…blah, blah, blah. Skip the self-help section. Instead opt for a parenting book that is full of tidbits of REAL advice but also laugh-out-loud tales of other Mamas journeys in navigating parenthood. There is nothing like reading TRUE stories to let you know that you’re not alone in your struggle to juggle it all and be Super Mama. Try When Did I Get Like This? The Screamer, the Worrier, the Dinosaur-Chicken-Nugget-Buyer and Other Mothers I Swore I Would Never Be, $16.13, by Amy Wilson and Just Let Me Lie Down: Necessary Terms For the Half-Insane Working Mom, $16.49, by Kristen van Ogtrop.


For laughs — the second book from book editor by day, Sloane Crosley, “How Did You Get This Number,” is not only funny but it brings back a flood of memories of being a naive young adult — before you had the responsibility of taking care of your little ones. Since it’s a collection of nine essays, you will practically finish one a night — making it a quick read. Available at amazon.com, $17.13. 


For book club — Mama’s book club is reading The Help by Kathryn Stockett. It was probably the best book Mama has read in years. Sure Oprah recommended it but for a good reason. Read it, think about it and then read it again. Available at amazon.com, $13.72.


For good chick lit — you can always count on Jennifer Weiner (In Her Shoes) to give you a good beach read! Her latest Fly Away Home just hit shelves last week and tells the tale of a politician’s wife and her two daughters in the wake of a scandal (could pretty much be true for all we know these days!). Or try Best Friends Forever which is the tale of true friendship. 


Motivate yourself to read by inviting a few friends to read the book too! Then pick a date to start your own “book club.” Grab a bottle of wine, throw out some cheese and crackers and have some great conversation with good friends. Isn’t it great how books can bring us together!


What books do you recommend Mama read?