Can marriage survive cultural expectations? That is the central question of Stay with Me (2017) by Ayobami Adebayo, the June 2018 read for the Literary Wives Series, hosted by these bloggers. Check out their posts on this book. Naomi of Consumed by Ink Kay of What Me Read Lynn of Smoke & Mirrors We attempt to understand and explore... Continue Reading →
I’ve had a stressful and unhappy year. My oldest daughter barely survived seventh grade. There were enough tears to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool, and there were many nights spent worrying over her. There were also many evenings of stressing over homework and grades and friends and boys and teachers and clothes and gym class.... Continue Reading →
My good friend Britney Mills has compiled a collection of stories about motherhood that is now available on Amazon. And my story is in it! The Motherhood Trek: Stories of the Smiles, Tears, and Surprises of Being a Mother Check out the full book: https://www.amazon.com/Motherhood-Trek-Stories-smiles-surprised-ebook/dp/B01N0DLCVS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1479698893&sr=8-1&keywords=the+motherhood+trek Here is my personal story that appears in the book. Post-Partum... Continue Reading →
It has been a long time since I’ve cried while reading a book. However, it happened recently when I finished The Light Between Oceans (2012) by M. L. Stedman. I did not just leak a few tears. I sobbed. I found out about the book from a movie trailer. The book is a movie now,... Continue Reading →
Is a good wife somebody who is exact in self-sacrificing and serving her family? Is a bad wife one who is crazy, perhaps while pursuing autonomy? These are the choices presented in the character of Marta Bjornstad in Emma Chapman’s How to Be a Good Wife (2013). We review this novel as part of the... Continue Reading →
Did you know that many of the "great" male authors were also jerks? I learned this while reading a poignant piece on motherhood and art called "Mother, Writer, Monster, Maid" by Rufi Thorpe. It explores the price of both being an artist and being a mother and how women may or may not be able... Continue Reading →
Read previous chapters here. Chapter 12 It has been five months since Walt’s stroke. Christmas time is already approaching. Leda does not know if she should put up their tree, a plastic, pre-lit decoration of convenience she found at Kmart a decade ago. Walt now talks a little and has alluded with a few grunted... Continue Reading →
Read previous chapters here. Chapter 10 Soledad had been taught to pray. Pilar attended Mass each week and made sure all of her children received their first communions in a special way. In time, it became time for Soledad and Maria to take the Lord’s sacrament, so Pilar talked to the nuns, those women Soledad... Continue Reading →
When my oldest daughter was a baby, and I was bored being at home all of the time, we used to go to the thrift store and look at books to pass the time. And we'd buy them. Who am I kidding? I wasn’t just looking. I was buying. I'd put my little daughter in a shopping... Continue Reading →
When I first came across Modern Motherhood: Women and Family in England, 1945-2000 (2012) by Angela Davis, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. I eyed it for a few weeks, and then I broke down and ordered it. As soon as it arrived, I was so excited to read it. I even... Continue Reading →
The Bookshelf of Emily J. 