Pun alert: we’ve got a few books we think you’ll fall for this autumn. Carve out time for a couple of these titles and leave the busyness of the season behind. These book suggestions are from Jason Lea, Community Outreach Coordinator for Mentor Public Library and reference librarian Cailey Williams.
Go to mentorpl.org to learn about upcoming library events.
Mrs. Everything
By Jennifer Weiner
Jo and Bethie Kaufman have always been opposites. As children, Bethie was the good girl, while Jo’s dress was always dirty. Bethie never questioned their mother, and Jo pushed boundaries. But when push comes to shove, the sisters always have each other’s back. Growing up in the 1950s, coming of age in the 1960s, and into adulthood, their experiences couldn’t be more opposite. One takes the traditional family route, and the other joins the counterculture of the day. Follow these very different women on their journeys through life, love, good times and bad, and see that no matter what happens, they have each other.
The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper
By Phaedra Patrick
Arthur Pepper, 69, is a quiet man focused on his routines. While cleaning out his late wife’s things, Arthur discovers a charm bracelet he’s never seen before, a hint to his wife’s life before they married. Stepping entirely out of his comfort zone, Arthur goes on a journey to discover the hidden stories behind these charms, taking him to Paris, London and even India, where he learns more than he ever wanted to know about both his wife and himself.
The Keeper of Lost Things
By Ruth Hogan
Forty years ago, Anthony Peardew lost a beloved keepsake. Since then, Anthony has become the keeper of lost things, gathering the lost items he finds on the bus, in the park, on the street, carefully documenting and saving them in case their owners ever come looking.
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By the Hanna Perkins Grandmothers
We talk about the good old days when mothers could shout at their children, “You’re driving me crazy; go outside and play!”
These days, a mom is more likely to say, “Now, in five minutes I’m going to have to ask you to turn off your iPad because it’s almost time for soccer practice.” Our kids are raising their kids very differently from the way they were brought up.
What It Means
Being a parent has become more complex, stressful and competitive. Young parents seem to feel it’s their responsibility to make a child’s life one long string of successes. They seem to think they’re in control of these small lives, and that they’re failures as parents if everything doesn’t go as planned.
These impulses are not all wrong. Good parents have always wanted to protect their children from harm – and themselves from the pain of seeing their children cry or fail. But we’re here to remind everyone that, quite possibly, they aren’t in control at all, which is one aspect of parenting that has never changed.
Here are six timeless truths parents need to know – things you might pass along at the right moment.
No. 1: Being a parent is hard. Raising kids has never been and will never be unmitigated joy. Children get scared; they get sad; they shock you by hurting others; they drive you nuts with whining and complaining. Such difficult moments are part of being a parent.
No. 2: Being a child is hard. They’ve never been here before, so we can’t expect them to think the way we do, or perceive reality in the same way. The best we can do is work to understand the ways their still-developing brains operate and adapt to what they are capable of understanding and what they are not.
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