"Meet Danny Lim. He spends his days working as a wedding photographer and his nights cruising Stanley Park, far from the family home in East Vancouver that he once fled, and where his parents and sister still live. When he rediscovers a green silk belt he had hidden years earlier, he remembers a fleeting but powerful connection he formed with a burlesque dancer named Miss Val, a.k.a. the Siamese Kitten. On that day in 1958, in an alley behind a nightclub in Chinatown, Miss Val offered eight-year-old Danny an understanding kindness and easy acceptance he had never before experienced. As the memory triggered by Miss Val's belt washes over him, Danny decides he must find her"--Jacket flap.

When Maxine wakes up on the wrong side of the bed one morning, she wonders if the problem might be her mother. What if she could try out a new mom who doesn’t make her brush her teeth or comb her hair? Enlisting Mom to help her with the search, Maxine interviews various prospects to be her new mother at the park, the toy store, and the zoo. Unfortunately, these other mothers present a host of new problems and concerns. Maybe her “old mother” was the best mother of all? For every child who’s ever wondered if the grass is greener, The Best Mother affirms that there’s nothing better than your own mother’s love.

In an era of mommy blogs, Pinterest, and Facebook, The Good Mother Myth dismantles the social media-fed notion of what it means to be a "good mother." This collection of essays takes a realistic look at motherhood and provides a platform for real voices and raw stories, each adding to the narrative of motherhood we don't tend to see in the headlines or on the news. From tales of mind-bending, panic-inducing overwhelm to a reflection on using weed instead of wine to deal with the terrible twos, the honesty of the essays creates a community of mothers who refuse to feel like they're in competition with others, or with the notion of the ideal mom—they're just trying to find a way to make it work. With a foreword by Christy Turlington Burns and a contributor list that includes Jessica Valenti, Sharon Lerner, Soraya Chemaly, Amber Dusick and many more, this remarkable collection seeks to debunk the myth and offer some honesty about what it means to be a mother.

A guide to motherhood as a spiritual path, using the "dark" side of mothering--the anger, fear, grief, despair, and guilt that every mother feels at some time--as a doorway to personal growth and inner power. West is a family therapist with a private teaching and counseling practice.

In an ideal world, mothers would have time to hand-sew their kids' costumes for the school play, prepare all-organic meals, and volunteer in the classroom at the drop of a hat. In reality, most moms have to settle for plopping their little ones in front of SpongeBob so that they can prepare yet another chicken nugget-based dinner, guiltily convinced they're falling down on the job. In Good-Enough Mother, René Syler pulls back the curtain to reveal the truth about modern mothering and reassure time-stressed moms that even if their children are strangers to made-from-scratch cookies, they can emerge as happy, well-adjusted, fully functioning members of society. Mother to two great kids of her own, Syler explains how she learned to chuck perfection for practicality -- in short, how she became a Good-Enough Mother. She shows other women seeking to balance family, work, and some semblance of a personal life how to happily join the ranks of Good-Enough Mothers, who occasionally serve breakfast for dinner yet give their children plenty of what really matters -- love, time, and support. Each essay provides welcome empathy and sage advice on navigating life's different obstacles, whether it's dealing with annoying Supermoms, bluffing through a third grader's math homework, or coping with the words that strike terror into every parent's heart ("Your son's teacher on line one"). Offering real wisdom tempered with humor and warmth, Good-Enough Mother will have every modern mom laughing in relief and recognition.

Revised and updated edition - originally published in the UK as NEVER SAY NEVER. You think you know someone ... but you can never really know anyone - can you? A group of college friends on the verge of summer graduation wonder about what the future holds - marriage and motherhood, world domination, or a better life elsewhere? One thing they do know is that they'll always be friends and before life takes them in different directions, they make a pact to reunite in five years to see how their predictions turned out. But over time, it's pretty clear that life hasn't gone according to plan. And all too soon the women find themselves forced into a very different kind of reunion. Realising that sometimes, it's better not to tempt fate ... 'An absolute joy from start to finish' ★★★★★ Irish Independent 'Wil leave readers thirsting for more. An author I'll most definitely be looking out for in the future' ★★★★★ Woman

'Stunning. It was so late that I forced myself to put this book down and go to bed. But 30 minutes later I jumped up and read until I finished the book. I was stunned at the outcome. Great writing, realistic characters and a stunning story. What more could you ask for?' Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Truth can be stranger than fiction... Eve knows what she wants. After nine good years and two kids together, it's about time Liam made an honest woman of her. Eve's sister Sam knows more than she should. She's always thought Eve was too good for Liam. And when she learns the truth about his numerous business trips abroad, her suspicions are confirmed. Brooke, literally a world away, knows nothing. Until one day, a mysterious delivery arrives and promises to change her life forever. Three women whose lives are so very different they couldn't possibly have anything in common. Could they? A gripping and emotional and page-turner with a twist you won't see coming, perfect for fans of Sheila O'Flanagan, Jill Mansell and Roisin Meaney. Everyone is gripped by The Last to Know: 'Wow!... an edge-of-my-seat nail biting ride... Didn't see the twists and turns coming. Amazing book! Five stars' Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Loved the many different layers in this story... I didn't see the plot twist coming! You feel invested in the characters' Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'I laughed and cried and couldn't put the book down. A story of the lives of different people who connect in a way you would never expect' Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Wow! I could not stop reading this... I blasted through it in 2 days. Would have been great for Book Club and the discussion that would have followed' Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Brilliant! An amazing storyline... You won't be able to put it down!' Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'A deeply intriguing and compelling novel' Evening Herald 'Be warned... you won't put it down. Perfect book club reading' Sunday World 'Will leave readers thirsting for more' Woman

“The courtroom scenes are sharp and suspenseful, the twists in the plot are unexpected, and the tension ratchets up until we are truly eager to find out what happens.” -New York Times Book Review A Library Journal Best Debut Novel of Spring and Summer 2021 A gripping debut thriller about two young mothers, one shocking murder and a court case that puts them both on trial. When a soldier is found stabbed through the heart at a US Army base, there is no doubt that his wife, Luz, is to blame. But was it an act of self-defense? An attempt to save her infant daughter? Or the cold-blooded murder of an innocent man? Ambitious public defender Abby is determined to win at all costs. As a new mother herself, she wants to keep Luz out of prison and with her daughter. But when the surprises stack up and shocking new evidence emerges, Abby realizes the task proves far more difficult than she suspected and will require a terrible sacrifice. As the trial hurtles toward an outcome no one expects, Abby, Luz and a captivated jury are forced to answer the question that will decide everything—what does it mean to be a good mother? “Lara Bazelon combines a riveting courtroom thriller with a nuanced and thought-provoking examination of gender, race, and justice. Helmed by an intelligent, complex, and flawed protagonist, A Good Mother is a beautifully written debut that kept me turning the pages late into the night.” —Angie Kim, author of Miracle Creek "Sexy, shrewd, and wholly contemporary, A Good Mother takes pitch-perfect characters, a page-whipping plot, and themes about marriage, lust, betrayal, and the juggling of new motherhood plus a hard-driving career and mixes it all into a deeply perceptive legal thriller that made me drop everything else and just READ." —Cathi Hanauer, New York Times bestselling author of Gone, The Bitch in the House and The Bitch Is Back

A psychologist who evaluates the fitness of parents when their children have been removed from their custody finds herself reassessing her own mothering when her son falls victim to the opioid crisis. Psychologist and expert witness Dr. Sharon Lamb evaluates parents, particularly in high-stakes cases concerning the termination of parental rights. The conclusions she reaches can mean that some children are returned home from foster homes. Others are freed for adoption. Well-trained, Lamb generally can decide what’s in the best interests of the child. But when her son’s struggle with opioid addiction comes to light, she starts to doubt her right to make judgments about other mothers. As an expert, a professor, and a mother, Lamb gives voice to the near impossible standards demanded by a society prone to blame mothers when anything befalls their children. She describes vividly the plight of individual parents, mothers in particular, struggling with addiction and mental illness and trying to make stable homes for their kids amid the economic and emotional turmoil of their lives—all in the context of the opioid epidemic that has ravaged her home state of Vermont. In her office, during visits with their children, and in the family court, the parents we meet wait anxiously for Lamb’s verdict: Have they turned their lives around under child welfare’s watchful eye? Do they understand their children’s needs? In short, are they good enough? But what is good enough? Lamb turns that question on herself in the midst of her gradual realization of her son’s opioid addiction. Amazed at her own denial, feeling powerless to help him, Lamb confronts the heartache she can bring into the lives of others and her power to tear families apart.