From Our Reader Again
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.
