From Our Reader Again

Look what we found in our inbox again this year…

Dear Savvy Mom:

I know you probably haven’t had the time to get through all the books I suggested last summer, but I thought I would pass on some of my latest faves to save you and your readers some time. After all, nothing says summer like lying in the hammock reading a good book.

My top pick for a fun summer read is The Manny by Holly Peterson. It’s the story of a busy Manhattan mom Jamie Whitfield whose troubled nine year old son is desperately in need of a father figure. With her power attorney husband increasingly locked in his study working away on suspicious files and her own career as a news producer on an upward trajectory, she hires herself a ‘manny’ to be the role model her son needs. Enter Peter Bailey—the cool, competent man who reminds her of who she once was—and you’ve got one great story, both hilarious and heart-wrenching.

For something more serious on the fiction front, I couldn’t put down The Line Painter by Clare Cameron (who’s a Toronto savvy mom of one by the way). The story of Carrie, who, consumed with grief after the sudden death of her boyfriend, takes off on a solo road trip only to have the car break down, with no cell service and not another car around, north of Lake Superior. She is picked up by a line painter (yes, the lines on the side of the highway) working the night shift. We follow Carrie on her journey of terror, transformation and forgiveness, delving into her complicated personality and experiences of loss and regret, and being charmed by her large heart.

If you haven’t read it yet, we’re sure you’ve heard of Rebecca Eckler’s second autobiographical novel Wiped: Life with a Pint-Sized Dictator, the sequel to Knocked Up (no, not the movie—and don’t mention the war). Rebecca had me laughing, learning and remembering that we all could use more of a sense of humour when it comes to parenting. You’ll definitely find yourself relating to the many common mom-isms in the book. 

A great guide that helped me come to terms with some of my own ‘mom issues’ is Breaking the Good Mom Myth: Every Mom’s Modern Guide to Getting Past Perfection, Regaining Sanity, and Raising Great Kids by Alyson Schafer, who’s a psychotherapist, parent educator and parent coach. The title says it all, doesn’t it? Told through a series of personal stories, which make it very accessible and understandable (and easy for tired moms to read), this book helps moms understand why they have created these ‘good mother myths’ and what they can do to resist them and begin parenting in a way that’s better for everyone.

And finally, for any savvy moms expecting another baby, I just discovered what could be the best baby naming book yet, The Best Baby Names for Canadians. This is the first baby name book with a unique Canadian perspective on the very important responsibility of picking a baby name. It offers an A(bigail) to Z(eke) listing of more than 10,000 names, with each featuring origins, meanings, short forms and pronunciations. It’s chock full of unique Canadian facts and perspectives (popular names by province, Quebec’s distinctive names, endangered names and ‘names most likely to succeed’ are some that were very interesting). My absolute favourite part? The top 50 first names in NHL history. Better go with Mike if you’re trying to create a hockey dynasty!

Hope you have a chance to dig into one or two of these this summer in between getting that great newsletter of yours out.

One last thing—let me know if you have any recos for books for my kids. I’m looking for some good summer reads for them too.

Yours,

The Savvy Reader

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