Book Reviews Parents Novels & Stories

“Who has a special bookshelf?” “My parents do.” Breyona grimaced, the large book in her hands. “It’s where they keep all of their important texts and artifacts. They don’t like me touching it, so this stays between us three.” “How priceless can a book be?” Mason raised his eyebrow at Breyona, but she merely shook her head. “My parents have enough books and artifacts to fill a small museum.” Breyona chuckled dryly as she sat beside me on the couch.

She kept her eyes glued to her book. "Why aren't you sleeping? What time is it, Layla?" "I'm not sleepy yet. So I decided to check out this book that Uncle James gave me." She replied. Then she went back to engrossed in one of her books. James has provided Layla with everything she needed since we moved to this penthouse. Everything she needed, including her school supplies. "Mommy, today at school, Miss Olivia asked us to share stories about our parents." Her words grabbed my attention.

“Seriously? You brought me homework?” “They’re parenting books,” he says, completely unbothered by my groaning. “We’ve got a lot to learn.” “We?” I ask, raising an eyebrow. “Yes, we,” he says, handing me a bright yellow one titled Parenting for First Timers. I flip through the pages, already bored. “This looks like something they hand out at baby boot camp.” “Maybe,” he says, settling into the couch. “But it’s practical. And I thought we could go through them together.”

I asked as gently as possible. "Nothing," she answered, sobbing. "It’s nothing if you’re on the verge of hysterics and in the middle of a river of tears, Maya is crying, too. You know that I read that kids can sense their parents' nervousness and absorb it like a sponge?" "Where do you read all this crap?" Jess said sourly. "I’m reading a children’s book, actually I’ve been reading children’s books since Maya and I got engaged, so as to better understand how to deal with Axel" I admitted.

Once she’d revealed the present packed within, she couldn’t help the way her lips curved into a joyous smile. Her parents had gotten her a set of children’s books, the exact kind that Molly would encourage the kids in her class to read in their free time. While the elementary school did have a library, her second graders struggled when it came to borrowing books and returning them. Molly liked to have her own library for the children to use whenever they wanted and these were a perfect addition. She thanked her parents for such a thoughtful gift, moving to embrace them both at the exact same time. Her father made a pretend fuss about her holding onto them a bit too hard, and her mother hugge

I picked up groceries, stopped by the hardware store to get wall hooks for the baby monitor, and then—on a whim—walked into the local bookstore. I hadn’t been inside in over a year. The bell above the door chimed, and the scent of old paper hit me like a memory. The place hadn’t changed much. Still cramped, still charming. Floor-to-ceiling shelves, a mismatched armchair in the corner. I wandered until I reached the parenting section. There were too many titles. Too many opinions. I almost turned away. Then I saw one tucked on the end of a lower shelf: “Letters to My Child: A Father’s Journal.”

“I don’t think so. Why, are there some strange books in there?” He shrugged and pulled them out of the bag, flipping them over to read the titles to you. “Well, there’s this one, ‘A Guide to Parenthood: Everything you need to know about being a new parent’, and this one, ‘1001 Games to Play With Your Baby’.” He held them up for you to see, giving you a confused look. You smiled nervously, fidgeting lightly in your seat. “Um, nope, no, those are, uh, those are for you- for us actually I guess.”

"I did not grow up in a healthy home, Drew. I don't know what loving a child as a parent looks like. What if I do everything wrong?" "You can not go wrong with knowledge. There is something your parents did not know that made them treat you the way they did. We are going to get that knowledge. Even the bible says it is through wisdom a house is built, through understanding it is established and through knowledge its rooms are filled with beautiful treasures." "So just read books and that's all?"

“Do you think you could recommend something? I’d love to borrow a couple of your favorites.” Her blush deepened but there was a spark of excitement in her eyes as she nodded. She shuffled over to the shelves, carefully selecting two books before handing them to me. “These are... really good,” she said softly. “I hope you like them.” I took the books, the covers a mix of steamy and dramatic and smiled. I’ll make sure the kids don’t see this if I don’t want the whole parenting to flop so soon. “Thanks, Zoya. I’ll let you know what I think.”

"You make it sound like it exists." "What? The parents' policy thingy?" Louisa nodded and Zaphrina's smile brightened as she finally joined her with a cup of espresso. "It's yet to. In chapters though and not in verses. You might want to know that I started a book." "Huh?" "Still trying to decide on the book title; Parenting guide, A guide to parenthood, Let's talk about Kids, What parent's must know...oh my God it's endless. Marley's had enough of my undecided ass."