Adult Recommendations

Conversations on Writing by Ursula K. Le Guin

Before multi-award winning author Ursula K. Le Guin passed away in January of this year, she made one final contribution to the world of literature by publishing a short series of interviews on writing with writer and radio host, David Naimon. In Conversations on Writing, Le Guin gives insight into writing across different genres, but expresses her fear that publishers show more interest in publishing books for profit, rather than writing quality. Le Guin also discusses the importance of fostering children’s imaginations, but she sadly laments our lack of teaching writing skills in educational systems.

Naimon’s ability to extrapolate Le Guin’s knowledge makes for a great book that all readers will enjoy.

 

Sunburn by Laura Lippman

Sunburn is a psychological thriller of the best kind. A game of cat and mouse full of dark secrets, betrayals, and a passionate love affair between two people who know that neither are what they seem.

Polly and Adam meet in a small town – Polly has just walked away from her husband and child, while Adam has been hired, by someone other than her husband, to find her. As time passes and they begin to fall for each other, both continue to hold on to secrets and lies that could destroy their lives. Someone dies. Was it an accident or part of someone’s devious plan? Who is guilty? Who is innocent?

Lippman is masterful as she weaves a tale of people full of contradictions and questionable actions that offer up an ending that is as surprising as it is unsettling.

The Perfect Mother by Aimee Molloy

Winnie is tall, thin, and stunningly beautiful, even after just having a baby. During her pregnancy she joined the “May Mothers,” a mom group who meets twice weekly in a park in Brooklyn. When the May Mothers catch wind that Winnie may be struggling with her new role as single mother, they devise a night out.  At first, Winnie does not want to attend and worries about leaving her baby Midas, but the women are insistent.

A fun night of drinking quickly turns to tragedy with the news of Midas’s disappearance. Confronted with questions about their conduct that night, the May Mothers find themselves under the scrutiny of the salacious media. The Perfect Mother takes a look at modern parenthood with the added twist of a thriller.  Where is baby Midas and who took him? 

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