Kathleen Rear

The Bad Mother by Esther Walker

Having read Esther’s “The Bad Cook” I was looking forward to her latest effort. She, of course, didn’t disappoint.
She’s certainly not calling herself a bad mother, nor you either! Instead she examines her own stint as a mother so far and offers anecdotes of her successes, failures and hard won wisdom.
Sleep
“Parents of young children are always thinking about sleep…Sometimes they are actually having semi-sexual fantasies about sleep.”
Eat
“Now from the lofty position of having two children both past the recommended breastfeeding stage…I don’t care what you do with your kids. Feed them breastmilk, or formula, or a McFlurry! It’s nothing to do with me.”
Poo
“‘What have you tried?’ people would say. ‘Have you tried bribery?’ Ha!…Yes…I have tried bribery. I would give her a puff on a fuc*ing crack pipe if she’d only crap on the potty.” …If the the kid doesn’t want to do it they just won’t do it. She. Doesn’t. Want. A. Fuc*ing. Sticker.

The Shadow Cabinet by Maureen Johnson
The third book in the “Shades of London” series.
The ending of the second book “The Madness Underneath” left us with a lot of FEELINGS about “The Thing that HAPPENED!” Fans (me) were salivating for this continuation of the story. Johnson picks up right where she left off and takes us all on a crazy ride.
Things get weird, y’all.
“Rory and her friends are reeling from a series of sudden and tragic events. While racked with grief, Rory tries to determine if she acted in time to save a member of the squad. If she did, how do you find a ghost? Also, Rory’s classmate Charlotte has been kidnapped by Jane and her nefarious organization. Evidence is uncovered of a forty-year-old cult, ten missing teenagers, and a likely mass murder. Everything indicates that Charlotte’s in danger, and it seems that something much bigger and much more terrible is coming.”

Big Girl Panties by Stephanie Evanovich

Evanovich’s plus sized heroine is refreshing. The take on the Pygmalion myth isn’t a new concept, but she writes the woman in transition/transformation story with realism. Holly doesn’t go from overweight to model thin in the span of a makeover montage. She struggles and fights her way to healing.

“Holly didn’t expect to be a widow at thirty-two. She also didn’t expect to be so big. After her husband’s death, food was the one thing she could always count on. Now, those extra pounds make flying coach feel like medieval torture—especially when she’s squished next to Logan Montgomery. A personal trainer to famous pro athletes, her seat mate is so hot that he makes Holly sweat in all the right (and so embarrassingly wrong!) places.
Though Holly doesn’t make the grade on Logan’s first-impression meter, he finds himself intrigued by her sharp wit and keen insights—a welcome change from the high-maintenance models he dates—so he impulsively offers to get her back in shape. A little skeptical but ready to make at least one positive change in her life, Holly agrees.”

Note: Some light S/M play and dominance between the characters are depicted.