Cartoon Cathy meets Erma Bombeck in this hilarious collection of short stories that will keep you laughing and crying from cover to cover. Christine Hohlbaum reels you into the world of child mayhem as she recounts tales of life with small children. From potty-training to the magic of Santa Claus, this book tells all about the ups and downs of parenting. A splendid addition to your leisure reading list!

The funniest, most popular kid in school, Charles Aubrey Rogers suffered from depression and later addiction, then ultimately died by suicide. "Diary of a Broken Mind" focuses on the relatable story of what lead to his suicide at age twenty and answers the "why" behind his addiction and this cause of death, revealed through both a mother's story and years of Charles' published and unpublished song lyrics. The closing chapters focus on hope and healing-and how the author found her purpose and forgave herself.

Billingsley openly shares stories about her children: twelve-year-old Mya, the diva who searched the internet for the president of Justice department store, then called his personal line to tell him why would be crazy not to let her model for him'; to ten-year-old Morgan, who has a serious case of middle-child syndrome and a knack for falling asleep in the strangest places (the pantry, the dryer, the attic); and finally, five-year-old Myles, who as his grandmother says, 'has been here before.''

Even when mothers and daughters love each other very much, the teenage years can be a trial of miscommunication and hurt. Daughters feel like no one can understand what they're going through, while mothers desperately try to impart the wisdom they have gained from their own experiences-and yet, all too often, both end up talking past the other.For women trying to help their daughters or surrogate daughters, A Mother's Diary is a blessing. In this anthology, Kiana Shaw and eleven other women relate stories from their lives about mistakes they have made and problems they have overcome. They go on to address their own daughters and, through them, all others who can benefit from the guidance of experienced mommies. These women share an unflinching glimpse into their pasts and let their unfailing love for their daughters show through.

The Glass Castle meets The Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother in this dazzlingly honest and provocative family memoir by former child actress and current Fox Business Network anchor Melissa Francis. When Melissa Francis was eight years old, she won the role of lifetime: playing Cassandra Cooper Ingalls, the little girl who was adopted with her brother (played by young Jason Bateman) by the Ingalls family on the world's most famous primetime soap opera, Little House on the Prairie. Despite her age, she was already a veteran actress, living a charmed life, moving from one Hollywood set to the next. But behind the scenes, her success was fueled by the pride, pressure, and sometimes grinding cruelty of her stage mother, as fame and a mother's ambition pushed her older sister deeper into the shadows. Diary of a Stage Mother's Daughter is a fascinating account of life as a child star in the 1980's, and also a startling tale of a family under the care of a highly neurotic, dangerously competitive "tiger mother." But perhaps most importantly, now that Melissa has two sons of her own, it's a meditation on motherhood, and the value of pushing your children: how hard should you push a child to succeed, and at what point does your help turn into harm?

Welcome to my world. My story is written in diary format. I wrote it from June 16, 2013, to June 15, 2014. What I didn't know, as I was writing, was that I was capturing the last year of my son's life. Pat died, unexpectedly, on July 23, 2014, in a hospital psych ward. Suddenly, my diary morphed into a more poignant record than I'd anticipated, and after he died, I discovered Pat had been making regular posts on Facebook. I decided to add his comments to my own. I like stories where I can extrapolate from the singular to the universal--that is where I can identify with a common denominator in another person's experience. One early reader of my diary said, "Your story is so relatable." That's what I hope other readers will say. You may relate to my story if: You have a child (chilldren) you love more than your own life. You have a child who suffers from serious mental illness. You've lost a child--no matter what age. You're a member of the sandwich generation. You treasure conversations with children--especially when they're your grandchildren. Your cat or your dog is in charge of your household. Your bones are beginning to creak. You wake up each morning with a huge hole in your heart but you know, somehow, some way, you have to get up and put one foot in front of the other. You enjoy reading the other side of history--about ordinary people and their daily lives. You have a sense of humor. You've been thinking of leaving something for your descendants--a letter, story, diary, song, painting, or poem--but you haven't gotten around to it. Maybe my diary will spur you on. More notes about the format: I've added a Before section (Scenes from the Trenches). Going in, I want the reader to know "Yes, Houston, we really do have a problem." I've divided my diary into quarters--Summer, Fall, Winter, Spring. I introduce each with a poem--three of them are Pat's. I end with an After section I didn't see coming. As I was writing, I had no idea, from day to day, what stories were unfolding. I learn, right along with the reader, what will happen next. We're all on a journey. Thank you for going on this journey with me. Dede Dede posted her story in two-week increments at www.soonerthantomorrow.com. The following are readers' responses. Beautiful words with an undertone that has caught me . . . carrying me up and down. Such a good writer that I am grateful to be with you. I can borrow some courage here. --Janet So happy for the readers who will discover you. --Liz Dede, every one of your blog posts has a portion that I love so much that I take a screenshot and read it over and over. --Stacey Dede, I anxiously await each posting from your blog/book. You write with such skill, and not easy when it's so personal, but your passion sprinkled with humor are the reasons that this is successful. --Joan L. I've done this, the primal scream and the mother animal instinct. There can't be anything more painful, not even death. My son was a normal little boy and a normal young man until schizophrenia came calling. Now I feel so shattered. I love your diary. --J.H.D. I only this was a contrived drama. It's so visceral. You're an artist. --Heidi F.

Why Mummy Drinks meets Bridget Jones. The first in the bestselling comedy series. Juliette is a new mother, but life isn't going the way she'd hoped. She doesn't live in a cottage with roses around the door. She doesn't own a rolling pin. And Daisy's out-of-work actor father still hasn't proposed. While Juliette sobs her way through sleepless nights and nappy changes, Nick drinks Guinness and plays computer games. Meanwhile, his helicopter mother is always on hand to find fault--with Juliette. At least when Nick pops the question, things will look up...won't they? With a supporting cast including Juliette's over-honest mother, potty-mouthed grandmother, militant hippy best friend, and handsome-but-scarred hotel magnate Alex Dalton, the first in Suzy K Quinn's hilarious, bestselling Bad Mother series is a sassy, uplifting, addictive treat.