Monica Comas cooks up a delicious story...plus a book giveaway

Credit: Dorothy Shi
Photography

We're excited to welcome Monica Comas to CLC today! Her debut novel, Recipe for Joy, sounds like a beautiful and heartfelt story. And it's perfect for foodies. Thanks to BookSparks, we have TWO copies to give away!

Monica Comas was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English from The Ohio State University and a master’s in journalism from New York University. She’s worked as a newspaper reporter, a journalist covering stocks and the economy, and a financial editor. But fiction has always been her true love. Monica lives in New York with her husband, John, and their tiny shih tzu, Poirot. 

Visit Monica online:
Website * Facebook * Instagram

Synopsis:
A grieving woman finds healing and purpose through her late grandmother’s cherished recipes in a poignant and hopeful novel about rediscovering the comfort of family in the most trying of times.

Belle Sutton is a little lost these days.

She has a stalled career, a New York apartment she can’t afford, and her sister, Lexie, is more estranged with each passing year. Belle’s one true consolation is her beloved grandmother, who’s powered through her own broken family ties with a tenacious zest for life and a passion for cooking. But when her grandmother suddenly passes away, a grieving Belle feels her only connection to the past is gone forever.

That’s when Belle receives a series of letters, along with a cookbook, photographs of Belle and Lexie when they were young and happy, and her grandmother’s last wish that the sisters mend severed ties before it’s too late. For the love of Gran, a challenge is met that sets Belle and Lexie on a journey of hope, reconciliation, surprising discoveries, and the nourishing power of family, forgiveness, and tradition. All they have to do is follow the directions.

“Comas gives us characters so real, you’ll want to invite them to your own kitchen table.” 
—Lori Foster, New York Times bestselling author

“With a pinch of memory and a dash of love, Comas’s debut is a novel to savor. An absolute joy to read.”
 —Rochelle Weinstein, bestselling author of We Are Made of Stars

“Recipe for Joy is an old-fashioned, hopeful hug of a novel, complete with recipes that are sweet to the tooth and nourishing to the soul.” 
—Karen Dukess, USA Today bestselling author of The Last Book Party

In one sentence, what was the road to publishing like for you?
The road to publication has been twisty and long, but I have to say, it’s also been wonderful and filled with the loveliest people who’ve become dear friends. 

How is Belle similar to or different from you?
I would say she’s quite similar to me. I used kernels of how I’d felt at different points in my life—grieving, feeling lost and inadequate—and then inflated them to be much larger and thornier. I think authors draw from their own lives quite a bit for inspiration…but then we have to change things, mold them or exaggerate to form something new. There are gentler aspects of me found in Belle as well…loving to cook, appreciating yardwork, adoring the snow, having to wear running recovery sandals (which are really quite comfy!). But I think most of all, I’ve been blessed to have wonderful relationships in my life…and Belle has that as well. 

If Recipe for Joy was made into a movie, who would you cast in the leading roles?
Oh, my goodness, to be clear: If that dream ever came to pass, I would be thrilled with whomever brought Recipe for Joy’s characters to life! And if Reese Witherspoon was cast as Belle and Rose Byrne as her younger sister, Lexie, I would cry an ocean of happy tears.

What is one of your go-to-recipes?
Every week without fail, I make something I call Vegetarian Chompy Chomps. It’s basically a health bowl, for lack of a better description, with a little choose your own adventure thrown in! I sauté onions and herbs, add some sort of cooked grain (brown rice, farro, or bulgur wheat, for example), add in a bean (chick peas are my favorite), and greens (kale, broccoli, broccoli rabe, or spinach), and sauté it all together. Usually, I finish it all with lots of lemon. Sometimes there’s quinoa. Other times, edamame. Olives and sundried tomatoes have been known to make appearances. It changes from season to season. But it’s always delicious and super healthy.

If your life was a TV series, which celebrity would you want to narrate it? 
Oh my gosh, that’s such a hard question to answer! I’m have to go with an absolute icon: Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

If we were to visit you right now, what are some places you would take us to see?
I’d love to show you to Central Park, which is the gem of New York City. We’d walk along the extensive pathway system with coffee (or tea, if that’s your preference!). The park is such a special place, and the paths are amazing. There are 58 miles of pathways in the 843-acre park, so every time you go, the experience can be as different as you want. You can change it up and explore a new part of the park, or walk along a familiar path, which feels like returning to an old friend. Not only is the park a gorgeous spot where everyone can exhale and enjoy nature, it’s some of the best people watching you’ll get in the city.

After strolling The Ramble, seeing Cleopatra’s Needle and the Shakespeare Garden—oh! And the Conservatory Garden, the park’s formal garden, which isn’t to be missed!—we’d have a picnic in Sheep Meadow. And since the Metropolitan Museum of Art actually backs up onto the park, taking in some of the Met’s extensive collection would be the perfect endnote to the afternoon.

Thanks to Monica for visiting with us and to BookSparks for sharing her book with our readers.

How to win: Use KingSumo to enter the giveaway. If you have trouble using KingSumo on our blog, enter the giveaway here. If you are still having issues, please contact us.

Giveaway ends March 24th at midnight EST.

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Listen to this book on Speechify!

Sara and Melissa Talk About...Moms' Mental Load

We've been running a column series to get more personal with our readers. We are now starting our seventh year!

This month, we are talking about the mental load that mothers carry, inspired by an article from USA Today. Since we are both moms, we have a lot to say on this topic. If this doesn't apply to you, perhaps you know someone to pass it along to. We'd love to hear your thoughts though. Feel free to share in the comments! 

We're always open to topic suggestions, so please don't hesitate to share those in the comments. We'd also love to know if you can relate to anything we've said or hear your own thoughts on the topic. So don't be shy. 😊 We look forward to getting to know you as much as we're letting you get to know us. You can find our previous columns here, in case you missed them.

Melissa Amster:

This past weekend, I took my daughter to see a production of the musical Working. One of the songs is "Just a Housewife." I used to listen to the cast recording all the time when I was younger and didn't think much of this song. Listening to it as an adult is actually really emotional. I get teary-eyed just thinking about it! The woman is singing about all the stuff she does around the house along with raising children, and how she still feels devalued for it. 

I am a work-at-home mom, but because I have a more flexible job, I end up doing a lot of the chores and errands as a result. Sometimes, I'm just so unmotivated to do these things that I end up trying to delegate the chores and errands or finding a way to bundle it up into one trip so I don't have to go out as much. Although my kids are teenagers now and only two are still at home the majority of the time, I'm usually the one they come to when they need stuff. My younger son is capable of cooking for himself and yet he was trying to get me to make him lunch last week when I was dealing with a cold and in the middle of getting some work done. My daughter can't drive yet, so I'm expected to play chauffeur. I also have to manage her schedule as she always has a lot going on.

Thankfully, my husband does help with certain things, so I'm not bearing the entire mental load. I definitely appreciate that! However, he gets annoyed because I can't just drop everything and go on a mini-vacation during the school year. 

I wanted to share some book recommendations related to this topic:

1. Maybe Next Time by Cesca Major (reviewed here). It's all about a working mother who is juggling way too much. 

2. Moms Love Boy Bands by Jenifer Goldin (reviewing in March, but featured on my Bookstagram). It addresses this topic in a couple of ways. 

3. The Life Makeover Club by Juliet Madison (reviewed here). It features a mom of young children who is overwhelmed.

4. Be Your Own Bestie by Misha Brown. This book just came out and I am listening to it (rare audiobook exception for me). Right away, he's talking about a mom carrying the mental load for her family. He has tips for women (and men) in all phases of life. Part of the focus is setting boundaries.

I also want to recommend the 2025 Christmas movie Oh. What. Fun. as it speaks volumes about how much moms do and how little it is noticed. I actually cried at one part of this movie too.

Something funny before I turn this over to Sara. A friend sent me this little video today and it was just so fitting with our topic!

Sara Steven:

My husband gave me the nickname “Mama Rock” several years ago when I was a stay-at-home parent. He said it was because I could do it all. 

I’d seen the article mentioned above and it reminded me of my old moniker; my husband hasn’t called me Mama Rock in a very long time, and my kids would have no clue about the nickname, either, but I imagine a lot of us mothers can identify with that. Feeling like there’s nothing we can’t (or won’t) do.    

I’ve seen many sides of the mom coin. The stay-at-home parent. The part-time working parent, and the full-time working parent. And none of it, none of it is easy. I constantly feel like I’m juggling all sorts of plates in the air, trying desperately to keep them spinning on thin-bare sticks while fighting to find some space for myself, too. I foolishly figured that the older my children would get, the easier it would get, but that hasn’t been the case. I’m always thinking and planning three steps ahead with a young adult and a teenager. 

Much like the article addresses, I facilitate a lot around my household. I’m the appointment maker, the errand runner, the gift planner, the meal planning extraordinaire, the gardener, the cleaning crew, the organizer, the chauffeur, and I’m not complaining. I’m really not. My husband is a great help to me and when I delegate something, he’s willing to take to-do items off my list, but it’s the fact that I’m the one who runs the household and think to do it in the first place. It’s not on his radar, because it never had to be. It was a role I gladly stepped into, but there are times it can feel like it’s a lot. 

When something is missing, I’m the first point of contact. If a food item can’t be located in the fridge, all heads turn to look at Mama Rock. My kids come to me when there’s an injury that needs healed or an item needs fixed. I love how the article addresses high parenting expectations, because I do feel that sometimes, from the generations that had come before me. When it was expected that the mother instinctively would always know what to do and the expectation was that she’d set aside everything in her life for her family, often putting herself last on the priority list. Even now, if a woman even thinks of doing something for herself, she might be deemed as “selfish” or “unmotherly.” Where is the healthy balance?

Right now, I’m trying to teach myself to delegate more with my children. It’s not something they’ve been used to. My husband and I joke about how our kitchen most mornings looks like a scene from the TV show Crime Scene Kitchen. Have you ever heard of it? Pairs of bakers try to decipher what was made in a kitchen, to try to replicate the dish, and for us, we try to figure out what our kids cooked at night after we’ve gone to bed. There are plates and bowls everywhere. Crusty utensils. Dried food and melted cheese. I want the plates and bowls and utensils placed in the dishwasher–and the dried food and melted cheese wiped off and cleaned up. But that means having a sit down with my pair of crime scene kitchen cookers to teach them better kitchen manners. Is it possible? Can it be done? It sounds easy in theory. But reality isn’t always so simple.

Courtesy of IMDb

I appreciated that the article addresses that fathers are starting to feel the pressure too, because my husband did when I went back to work full-time. He juggled a high-stress project at work while also having to deal with household needs that he was used to relying on me to take care of. And with a kid who’s in sports and has orthodontic needs, that included drop off and pick ups and appointments, which thankfully he could swing due to his remote job. But I had to let some other things go, like the tasks I was used to taking care of while I was at home.

Recently, I’ve gone back to working part-time after finally figuring out that it is what works best for our family and for me, and I think my husband has a newfound appreciation for a lot of what I contributed and I also feel that appreciation for him as well. I think what helps us get through the stressful mental load is communication and a lot of humor. A lot of humor.  

What are your thoughts on moms' mental load?

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Sara and Melissa Talk About...Being Proud

We've been running a column series to get more personal with our readers. We are now into our sixth year!

This month, we are talking about things that make us proud. We'd love for you to tell us what has made you proud. There's no such thing as too much positivity and cheer!

We're always open to topic suggestions, so please don't hesitate to share those in the comments. We'd also love to know if you can relate to anything we've said or hear your own thoughts on the topic. So don't be shy. :) We look forward to getting to know you as much as we're letting you get to know us. You can find our previous columns here, in case you missed them. 

Sara Steven:

Property management can be a fickle business. Sometimes, in one day, I can be praised, revered, screamed at, someone’s confidante, the worst enemy, or loathed, and I never know what I might get. 

When a prospect turns into a new resident, it can be the ultimate thrill for a leasing consultant. Receiving a commission can be nice, but for me, I love helping someone find the perfect home for them. Walking the tour path with someone who wants to learn about the community, sharing information about the special amenities, taking them through the models and later, making sure they leave the office knowing what they need to know in order to make an informed decision is something I’ve come to appreciate in this business. 

If there are multiple applicants for one apartment it can get a little tricky at times, because I juggle a lot within a deadline in order to get everyone approved. And after the approval, more needs to be done. Proof of electricity, renter’s insurance, emergency contacts to generate the lease, vehicle information, possible pets–for one person it’s not so tough, but to obtain that information from everyone? It’s a process.

Recently, I had to juggle six people. Yes. SIX. Which is unusual. But three of the applicants were students attending the local community college, and the other three were the parents of the students, because the students hadn’t established credit yet and needed the assistance. So, that meant obtaining renter’s insurance for every single person–and of course two people (a father/son duo) were the stragglers and waited until the last second. Literally the day of move-in, to get that information to me. Someone set up electricity. They all had to figure out who would pay the move-in monies. The majority of the parents had issues with signing the lease online. And one parent yelled profanities at me in the background while his wife was on the phone, trying to troubleshoot a problem. 

Did I mention that I had to solve everyone’s problems, put out fires, keep a level head against the profanities and get everyone taken care of and ready to go within 48 hours? Yeah, that was a big shocker for me, too.

This group had originally rented elsewhere. Yet they’d received a call that the apartment they’d secured wouldn’t be ready for the move-in date originally agreed upon. The caravan was on the road and already on its way to Chandler, Arizona, with belongings in tow. There was no turning back or pushing back their move-in needs. Hence the 48-hour window. Most of the work the group put in was done on the road. Most of my work was frequent phone calls, emails, clarification, updating their file and online resident file, and doing everything in my power to get it done for them in time–including setting up the cleaning of the apartment before move-in.

I don’t think I’ve ever felt so stressed at my job. Or juggled so many people for one single unit. But when the caravan rolled in first thing the morning they were due to get their keys, I was filled with relief and accomplishment. To flip a vacant around in such a small amount of time like that is pretty crazy, but to also flip the vacant while working with six different individuals, it was like running a marathon. And I’ve run marathons. I would know.

I felt a lot of pride in myself and in the job I did that day, and for the next week when I’d get visits from all of the residents from the group who had a million questions for me–community related and otherwise–I tried hard to hold onto that feeling of pride, which in turn helped to give me a little bit more patience. 

Melissa Amster:

When Sara chose this topic, the first thing I thought of was stuff my kids had done. I am constantly proud of them, not just for accomplishments but also for the choices they make (well, most of the time 😜). Before I go into some of the things I'm proud of each of my kids for, I wanted to share something I was proud of recently for myself. (I keep thinking of Eliza at the end of Hamilton saying "Can I tell you what I'm proudest of?")

At work, I came up with this new pitching idea that was modeled off of something I had seen in bookstores and libraries. I've done it a couple times now and it has generated some good results. One of the people I pitched to said the nicest thing about it on an Instagram post. It totally floored me and validated why I am doing this new idea. 

I'm also proud of myself for standing up for something that most people have been too happy to attack over the past couple years. I have not wavered from this, no matter how "uncool" it seems to do so. One time, I saw someone was reading a book that was very one-sided and I convinced them to read a book that showed the other side of things too, just to get a new perspective. They actually took my advice and read it! (It's the little things.)

Time to put the spotlight on my kids now! I'm just sharing a few of the many, many things that make me proud of each of them.

My older son:

I introduced him to some friends of mine recently, and one of them said they always saw him when he used to work at a nearby restaurant. They commended his customer service skills and spoke very highly of him! It was so nice to hear this.

As an RA, he's already dealt with some challenges in his residence hall, but he has handled them to the best of his abilities, even when they weren't the most ideal situations. 

I got to see him in an improv show the other night and he was so funny and creative. He really stands out for being so naturally funny and charismatic. 

My younger son:

He taught himself photography recently and has been taking some really cool nature photos. He's using my husband's old camera, which he fixed by himself. 

He recently got a part in the play at the local community college! He is a senior in high school but is in an early college program there. 

He actually woke up early on a Sunday to take the SAT to see if he could improve his score. 

My daughter:

She got a part in her first high school play and is one of the only freshmen cast! 

Last month, she attended a party and chose to make gluten-free cookies so that her friend with Celiac's wouldn't feel left out. 

She wants to be class secretary, so she's been getting involved with Student Government and really putting herself out there. 

Tell us what makes YOU proud!

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Sara and Melissa Talk About...Things We Love

We've been running a column series to get more personal with our readers. We are finishing up our fifth year!

This month, we are keeping it fun and positive, by just talking about the things we love, which can refer to people, places, objects, experiences, etc. A great way to close out the year!

We're always open to topic suggestions, so please don't hesitate to share those in the comments. We'd also love to know if you can relate to anything we've said or hear your own thoughts on the topic. So don't be shy. :) We look forward to getting to know you as much as we're letting you get to know us. You can find our previous columns here, in case you missed them. 

Melissa Amster:

There are plenty of things that I love, so I will try not to make this into an entire novel and just narrow it down to ten. I'm taking books out of the equation, since that's a given or this blog wouldn't be here right now!

1. My husband. We've been married almost 21 years and are thankfully still happy together.

2. My kids. I love them equally and could never, ever pick a favorite. They each have traits that make them special and it's been amazing seeing them grow into the remarkable teenagers they are. They also get along with each other, which is so wonderful!

July 2024

3. My family, as in my parents, sister, and nephew, as well as my aunt, uncle, and cousins. Even though we live far apart, we find ways to stay close.

4. My in-laws. I'm lucky to have in-laws I get along with. I'm especially close with my mother-in-law. 

5. My friends. I don't know where I'd be without them, whether I've known them all my life or just met them a few years ago. I treasure the friendships I have!

6. Musical theater. I love seeing shows on Broadway, on tour, and in local professional productions. I obviously love seeing my kids perform in musicals at school and camp. (They all love musicals, so it's really nice to share that with them.) I primarily listen to show tunes when I'm driving or doing chores.

7. Being Jewish. While it's been harder to be Jewish over the past year or so, it's also made me love it even more, if that makes sense. There are ways to find Jewish joy and I've seen a lot of it around. I will be participating in the #JewishBookstagramTour later this month (@mel_thebookfairy) and am excited to talk about what brings me #JewishJoy over there!

8. Humor. Give me a reason to laugh and it just brightens my day. I love seeing funny videos and memes, hearing a good joke (or pun), sharing inside jokes with my family and friends, watching comedic TV shows and films, etc.

9. My job. I've been doing book publicity work for the past few years and I'm really enjoying it. I've taken on some new responsibilities that go along with my job and have learned so much. I really feel like I'm in my groove. I also like the people I work with and feel valued there.

10. Baking challah and desserts. Enough said, right?!? Obviously, getting to eat the final product is the best part! I have been trying out some new recipes that I found to keep things interesting, too. 

Round challahs I made for Rosh Hashanah

Sara Steven:

Some of the things that I love:

1. My family–but, that is a given. This photo is from my older son's high school graduation last year. My parents and mother-in-law are there too.

2. Being outdoors: I love the great outdoors, even if that means going for a long walk around my neighborhood, running on the wash trail by my house, or gardening in my backyard. I don’t feel like I’ve had a good day if I haven’t managed to get outside at some point. 

3. The smell of the desert after it rains: This ties in with being outdoors–there is a specific smell that comes from cacti and sagebrush after it rains in the desert. I’m sure the sandy terrain and gravel comes into play, too, creating the perfect aroma.

4. Theaters with dine-in options: I love the Majestic theater in Gilbert, Arizona. What can be better than getting to watch a movie in the theater, recline the seat, and have food delivered to you–not just popcorn and boxes of candy and hot dogs but an actual meal! When I saw Barbie at the Majestic, they had the most delicious Barbie bites offered up for an appetizer. It was this cream cheese corn thing and I couldn’t get enough of them, and the best thing of all–I didn’t have to cook or prepare anything.

5. Inside jokes: Sharing inside jokes with family and friends is a lot of fun. Melissa and I have a lot of inside jokes, too, which often shows in the gifts we give one another for birthdays and holidays. This one is a tie back to our 90 Day Fiancé viewing days:

6. Yoga: Yoga centers me. I’ve been doing it for the last decade and it’s become an integral part of my life. Lately, I do yoga as a means of physical therapy, to help with some issues I have with compressed discs and neck and back pain, and it really helps a lot. Hot yoga is my go-to.

7. Starbucks: I’ve had friends who were super into Starbucks and I remember scoffing when they’d pull up their Starbucks apps, but now I’m that person with the app. My husband has the app on his phone, too, for me. I love (I’m obsessed) with Starbucks. My day doesn’t feel complete without a tall hot chai, or after hot yoga, I indulge with a venti strawberry acai refresher. When I’m feeling a little saucy and need some caffeine, I’ll add a shot of blonde to my chai to make a dirty chai–something I’ve recently discovered and I swear it tastes like a slice of tiramisu.  

What are some things that YOU love?

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Sara and Melissa Talk About...What We Did for Labor Day Weekend

We've been running a column series to get more personal with our readers. We are currently in our fifth year!

This month, we are talking about what we did (or didn't do) for Labor Day weekend. 

We're always open to topic suggestions, so please don't hesitate to share those in the comments. We'd also love to know if you can relate to anything we've said or hear your own thoughts on the topic. So don't be shy. :) We look forward to getting to know you as much as we're letting you get to know us. You can find our previous columns here, in case you missed them. 

Sara Steven:

I had big plans for Labor Day. Well, bigger plans than usual. The Sunday before, the goal was to work like I normally do on Sundays, later driving to a friend’s house for a much-needed girl’s sleepover at her house, and then on Labor Day, I had made arrangements with another friend of mine to partake in a morning yoga class. The sleepover friend was also going to hang out at my house later that afternoon, in an effort to get some pool time in before she started her new job the next day. (Okay, after reading through my original plans for that Labor Day weekend, I’m realizing it was actually a lot I’d initially planned.) 

But I was all for it. Until I got sick.

Sick might be kind of an overstatement. I’m still not sure how it happened, but it started earlier in the week with some kind of weird eye pain that felt like I had a foreign object stuck in my right eyeball. My eye was itchy but in pain at the same time, with a headache that lasted days. By Saturday I ended up with a migraine, so I had to cancel plans with everyone because I wasn’t up for a sleepover, yoga, or any pool time, which I felt pretty bad about, all things considered. My doctor suspected some sort of allergen had infiltrated my body, and things did get better over the week, but it was gradual. I half-joked that my body had to absorb whatever it was that landed in my eye, and I’m not convinced that didn’t happen.

At some point that week, and due to promised Labor Day deals, I ended up purchasing a new mattress–something I haven’t done in twenty years! I’ve read somewhere that we should be replacing mattresses every 7-10 years, but I obviously didn’t get that memo. I call myself “The Princess and the Pea” because I’m such a delicate sleeper. Everything has to be just so, and that includes the mattress I sleep on. Why change something that isn’t broken, until it actually becomes broken–my old sad mattress really had seen some better days since circa 2004, when I first bought the thing at the largest furniture store I’ve ever been to, Nebraska Furniture Mart–those who live in the Midwest know what I’m talking about. In fact, the brand of my old mattress is a Berkshire Hathaway; Warren Buffet knows mattresses, apparently.

I felt certain I’d found the perfect replacement for Old Faithful, until I brought it home and was bombarded by all the new mattress smells that come with owning a new mattress. Every morning I woke up feeling like I was coming down with something. My oldest son, who’d spent the day with his ex on Labor Day, made us aware of the fact that she became severely ill and later let him know she had Covid–and of course, he ended up with it, too. So I figured I was also coming down with Covid, only the feeling of not quite getting full-on sick but feeling sick never left me. It’s been a couple of weeks now and I feel like it’s getting better, but I’m fairly certain my new mattress is to blame. The various noxious odors that come from it are very chemical-like and after Googling “can your new mattress make you feel sick,” I discovered that new mattresses should be off gassed before use. That was all new to me. I don’t remember if I did that with my Berk mattress or any other mattress before it, but maybe the way mattresses are made have changed in the last two decades. 

My eye is better now. I no longer feel like I’m coming down with something, and my son is over Covid. No one else in my house got sick. Labor Day is meant to be an annual celebration of social and economic achievements for workers. A day to relax. But I feel like my Labor Day this year was more laborious than anything! Maybe it will go better next year. But in the meantime, here’s a photo of my son’s blue-tongued skink Peter Skinkledge in a hot dog costume, in celebration of the Labor Day pastime of grilling out, relaxing, and spending a nice, joyous day with family and/or friends.

Melissa Amster:

Labor Day this year was pretty much low key overall. We took the kids to the state fair for a couple hours to get out of the house and do something different. Otherwise, we just watched movies and did errands. My car also stopped working, so that was not fun. (Thankfully it got fixed the next day.) We did see a fun and entertaining movie called Jackpot though. Anyway, I've decided to write about Labor Day weekend from 2023 instead, since that was much more interesting.

Last year, my family and I went to Pittsburgh over Labor Day weekend. One of my close friends moved there a couple years ago, so part of the trip was to spend time with him and the other part was for being tourists. Of course, we stopped at Sheetz on the way. ;) 

When we got to Pittsburgh, we went right to the Heinz Museum. It's a tall building with lots of different exhibits on every floor showing the history and industry of Pittsburgh. Some of it felt like standard museum stuff, but I really enjoyed the Heinz room (all about their products) and the Mr. Rogers display. 

After the museum, we picked up some groceries and then stopped by my friend's new house. Then we went to the house we rented on Vrbo and got settled in and started working on dinner. My friend came over to join us. The house was really nice, but it was very hilly to get over there. The street leading up to the house was on a steep incline, as well. 

When we finished dinner, we went on a long walk to this area that overlooks the city and has a nice scenic view of the city.

With my friend

The next day, we did a little more exploring, including taking this trolley up a huge incline to look at the city during the daytime. Then we went to Randyland. That's like nothing else I've ever seen. A very kitschy and eclectic outdoor art display with old toys and other random objects.

Then we visited the Mr. Rogers statue before getting lunch and heading home.

While it was a quick visit, we had a nice time and it would be fun to go back when we have more time available to do some exploring. 

We didn't have time to do much at the aviary, so we will try it next time.

Did you do anything memorable over Labor Day weekend? 

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Sara and Melissa Talk About...The Mothers in Our Lives

We've been running a column series to get more personal with our readers. We are currently in our fifth year!

This month, we are talking about the mothers in our lives. Even though Mother's Day is over, there's still plenty to say! 

We're always open to topic suggestions, so please don't hesitate to share those in the comments. We'd also love to know if you can relate to anything we've said or hear your own thoughts on the topic. So don't be shy. :) We look forward to getting to know you as much as we're letting you get to know us. You can find our previous columns here, in case you missed them. 

Sara Steven:

I’ve been watching the most recent season of Hacks, and while it’s true I’m behind by a couple of episodes, I’m enjoying the new episodes and the obvious camaraderie between the two primary characters, Deborah Vance, played by Jean Smart, and Ava Daniels, played by Hannah Einbinder. They’ve formed a unique friendship, but I also get this sense of motherly oversight that Deborah seems to have for Ava, possibly due to Deborah’s strained relationship with her own daughter Deborah Jr. (DJ). Maybe she’s bestowing sage advice and wisdom because she doesn’t feel she can do that for DJ. Or maybe she wants to look out for Ava, considering there doesn’t seem to be anyone else who is doing that for her. But it made me think about the various television “mothers” who sort of “raised me” by way of their own sage advice, particularly during a time when I didn’t feel like I had a very prominent mother influence. I imagine a lot of 80s children felt that way. We were encouraged to sit in front of the old boob tube, a welcome respite for our hands off parents. The term “helicopter parent” hadn’t been invented yet, that’s for sure. 

I thought of six mothers who had an impact on me while I was growing up, in various ways. They are:

SIX: Angela Bower from Who’s the Boss?

My own mother had been a stay-at-home parent, so it was a different experience for me to see a mother figure who helmed her own company and could juggle parenting along with a job that was outside the home. Angela was quick-witted and held her own with Tony, showcasing how she could be an amazing role model for her own children and Tony’s daughter Samantha. 

FIVE: Carol Brady from The Brady Bunch

I imagine many of us grew up watching The Brady Bunch, and even though it had originally aired before I was born, I utilized Nick at Nite as much as possible so I could submerge myself in a life from the 70s. Carol was sweet and always placed her children as a top priority, a deep down conversation at every turn when the kids had questions or needed guidance about something. I loved the original show and I loved the spoof movies too. I thought Shelly Long did a great job as Carol.

FOUR: Peg Bundy from Married with Children

Peg gave no f****. She did what she wanted to do, said what she wanted to say, regardless of what anyone else thought. I think she most represented the type of mother I was used to, who didn’t tend to my every whim or make me home cooked meals or bake cookies after school. It was interesting because before Peg, mothers were often portrayed without much autonomy. They were always an extension of their kids. But with Peg, she was her own person and had a separate life from the kids. She didn’t think she had to keep Al happy, either. He was responsible for his own damn happiness.

THREE: Maggie Seaver from Growing Pains

I mainly watched Growing Pains because of Kirk Cameron. Kirk Cameron circa 1980s, not the Kirk Cameron of today. There is an episode where Maggie is talking with her husband, Jason, and while they’re conversing, Maggie is applying body lotion to her arms, her legs, and even her elbows. It was a scene that had taken place right before bedtime, and I didn’t understand at the time why she’d apply lotion like that. But now that I’m in my 40s, I completely understand why. It felt like she was showing us what it is like to live the life of a woman. She was feminine and charming, and tough. 

TWO: Caroline Ingalls from Little House on the Prairie

I loved this show! Little House transported me back to old fashioned values and what I imagined a close-knit family to look like. Caroline had an immeasurable amount of patience. For her kids; her husband. She did what she needed to do to provide love and care to her family, but never took any of Harriet Oleson’s guff. 

ONE: Roseanne

Roseanne (from the 80s/90s) really spoke to me when I was growing up in the 80s. Her family was a lot like my family. We were blue collar. My father worked for the local cannery, doing his best but at times we struggled to make ends meet. When Roseanne grabs two boxes of mac and cheese from the kitchen pantry, proclaiming it’s what’s for dinner, I knew exactly where she was coming from. Those were my type of dinners, too. When her daughter Becky wanted a new dress for a party, there wasn’t enough money to buy one, and I knew how that felt, too. But despite the struggles, there was a lot of love there, too, and I loved that. I loved the acerbic humor. That show had been my comfort show for years. She was my comfort mother.   

Melissa Amster:

I consider myself to be a good friend matchmaker. My friends can attest to this! However, there's one friend match I would really like to see happen, even though it's been about 20 years already. I haven't given up hope though! I would like my mom and my mother-in-law to be friends. They're friendly toward each other, but I doubt they are in contact outside of family get-togethers. I would attribute it to long distance, but most of my friendships (including my friendship with Sara) are long distance and thriving! I have good relationships with both my mom and my mother-in-law, and could sit and talk with either of them for hours. And while they are different in some respects, I think they actually have a lot in common! Here are some examples:

1. They both like their homes to be clean, and that somehow translates to wanting my home to be clean too.

2. They both have a good sense of humor, even in different forms. My mom enjoys comedies and loves to laugh. Her laugh is distinct and recognizable too. My mother-in-law likes to tell jokes and always has a good pun to share. So she could easily make my mom laugh! There you go.

3. They enjoy being grandmothers and they can easily bond over sharing one set of grandchildren. 

4. They both like musical theater. I'm sure the musicals they enjoy would overlap and they'd find some in common. 

5. They're both fashionable and have a great sense of style. They would enjoy going shopping for clothes together. 

6. They both love drinking coffee. How they raised kids (at least their firstborns) who only drink tea is beyond my comprehension, but they share the coffeemaker when they visit our house at different times. 

7. They like to travel, whether it's within the US or to another country. I'm sure they could spend hours talking about the various trips they have taken.

8. Saving the best for last....they both love to read! And that's something I bond with both of them about. I'm sure they've read a lot of the same books from my collection and recommendations. I know historical fiction is at the top of both of their interest lists. They could even start a book club together if they were so inclined! 

There you have it. I don't expect them to be besties or BFFs, but I think it's never too late for them to connect and form a friendship and I think they would actually enjoy getting to know each other all over again. They are going to be in the same room in a few weeks, when my son graduates high school, so who knows what could happen! 

Having said all this, it's rare for me to find pictures with my mom and mother-in-law together. The only ones I know I have are from my wedding and from my (soon graduating) son's bris. (I shared the latter in a post a few years ago, but I doubt anyone would remember seeing it.)

To give some background to the picture from my wedding:

At the tisch, the groom’s gathering before the badeken (the ceremony where the groom veils the bride after checking they are marrying who they are supposed to), the mothers of the bride and groom break a plate as a sign of tenaim, symbolizing the couple’s commitment to one another since the plate can never be put back together. (Adapted from Ketubah.com) In this picture, they are holding a napkin that contains the pieces of the plate, but I guess the camera caught them at a weird angle.

L to R: My mom and my mother-in-law (2004)

L to R: Me, my mother-in-law, and my mom (2005)

Tell us about the mothers in your lives!

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Spotlight and Giveaway: And Now There's Zelda

We're pleased to feature Carolyn Clarke's latest novel, And Now There's Zelda, which will be available on May 9th! This is a follow-up to And Then There's Margaret, but it can be read as a standalone. It may contain spoilers for its predecessor though. It sounds like something fans of the movie Why Him? will enjoy, but with the reverse situation. Carolyn has one signed copy for a lucky reader!

Dealing with a controlling, manipulative, and self-absorbed mother-in-law can be a challenge. But when your child brings home a fiancé who’s completely unworthy, and the shoe is suddenly on the other foot, do you take the high road, or get down and dirty? 

It’s been five years since Allison Montgomery’s beloved father-in-law, George, passed away and her cantankerous mother-in-law, Margaret, moved in. After nearly killing each other during their initial adjustment period, Allie and Margaret have finally buried the hatchet and have even launched a thriving home staging business together. 

Today, Allie is enjoying life. That is until her twenty-two-year-old son, Cameron, unexpectedly brings home Zelda, his new fiancé. The problem is, no one has ever met or even heard of her. And when Zelda’s first impression raises more than a few red flags, Allie finds herself in unfamiliar territory. 

Facing the prospect of becoming a mother-in-law far sooner than expected, and to someone unworthy of her darling baby boy, Allie’s protective instinct kicks in. And who better to turn to for guidance and support than Margaret, her former nemesis and master of the mothers in-law’s dark arts. 

"A funny, uplifting story about one woman's lesson in letting go-even though this means she has to make peace with her mother-in-law AND a potential daughter-in-law who just might be her sweet son's biggest mistake." 
– Maddie Dawson, Washington Post bestselling author of Matchmaking for Beginners

"A roller coaster ride of three generations finding their place in the world, laced with acute observations, great descriptions and a satisfying denouement." 
– Maddie Please, bestselling author of The Old Ducks' Club

"And Now There's Zelda is a funny and warm-hearted take on contemporary life for the contemporary woman." 
– Cary J Hansson, bestselling author of The Midlife Trilogy

Carolyn Clarke is the founder and curator of HenLit Central, a blog focused on 'life and lit' for women over 40. AND NOW THERE'S ZELDA is her second novel after AND THEN THERE'S MARGARET (2022). She has been an ESL teacher for over sixteen years and has co-authored several articles and resources with Cambridge University Press, MacMillan Education and her award-winning blog ESL Made Easy. She lives in Toronto, Canada with her partner, Tony, her two daughters and bulldog, Sophie. 

Visit Carolyn online:

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram

How to win: Use Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. If you have trouble using Rafflecopter on our blog, enter the giveaway here. 

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Giveaway ends May 12th at midnight EST.

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Sara and Melissa Talk About...Winter Break

We've been running a column series to get more personal with our readers. This is the start of our fifth year!

This month, we are talking about what we did over winter break. 

We're always open to topic suggestions, so please don't hesitate to share those in the comments. We'd also love to know if you can relate to anything we've said or hear your own thoughts on the topic. So don't be shy. :) We look forward to getting to know you as much as we're letting you get to know us. You can find our previous columns here, in case you missed them. 

Sara Steven:

Both my sons were out of school for the holidays. The eighteen year old, who attends Arizona State University, was on break from classes and not due to return until January. The thirteen-year-old was on his two week winter break from middle school. Usually during the break, we try to make a concrete plan which might include a short trip to Sedona or Flagstaff, but given the older boy’s work schedule and the time he spends with his girlfriend, and the younger boy’s playdates and sleepovers, on top of the fact that I had work and my husband did, too, we had to make some alternate plans. 

We always have family and friends gather at our house for Christmas. Preparing for that took up a chunk of the winter break, but it felt a lot less stressful, considering many of the side dishes or meals I usually prepare on top of the turkey and other fixings had been delegated to other people. That has never happened before! It was a very relaxing day for me. I actually had time to sit outside in the Arizona sunshine with my friends and have meaningful conversations, instead of getting stuck cooking (and cleaning) in the kitchen.

A few days later, the eighteen year old suggested we see Godzilla Minus One in theaters. He’d already seen it, and when he really enjoys a movie, he’s prone to see it multiple times. (I think I’ve lost count of the number of times he’s seen Oppenheimer.) I wasn’t really feeling it, but given how rare it is for all of us to have availability at the same time, I jumped at the chance to spend a family day with him and our younger son, and my husband. Before the movie, we had dinner at IHOP. It was the one place we could all agree on. The thirteen year old thought it would be funny to take photos of us, then use one of his apps on his phone that converts the photos into hilarious images and videos. The eighteen year old cracked jokes and made sure to pick on me a little bit, which is a major way he shows affection. The food wasn’t super great, but the company was pretty amazing. And you know what? I enjoyed the movie. 

My favorite time over the winter break, though, was New Year’s Eve. I was shocked to discover that my sons had decided to make plans that involved staying in and spending time as a family! I feel like quality time together, just the four of us, has become so rare. I made a charcuterie board, per the older son’s request. (He’s so fancy like that.) 

We played Jackbox games together, up until about ten minutes before the ball was set to drop at midnight on tv. When that happened, I kissed my husband, then gave my sons humongous hugs to ring in 2024. We ran outside to catch glimpses of various fireworks that were going off in the night sky, but we were all pretty loopy by then, considering how late it was. Even so, once we headed back into the house, the kids decided to pull up Youtube and watch something called Skibidi Toilet, a super annoying animated web series that continuously played on repeat until I couldn’t stand it anymore and dragged myself off to bed at around one in the morning. The boys promised to go to bed shortly after, but I doubt that happened. 

Our usual plans of travel didn’t pan out, but I appreciate how relaxing and calm our winter break had been. Plus, what I have grown accustomed to in the past, with always traveling as a foursome, has parlayed into snippets of time where we can gather together and get what time we can, before life and its responsibilities and commitments get in the way. It’s made me even more appreciative of that precious time together. It was a nice way for us to spend the break.

Melissa Amster:

Winter break started the weekend leading up to Christmas. So we decided to take the kids on a road trip to the Chicago suburbs to visit my family and a couple of friends. We were only there for a couple of days, so we didn't tell a lot of people about our visit and made plans with people we hadn't spent time with in a while. The main focus was my family though, especially my sixteen-month-old nephew. 

We left right after Shabbat and stayed overnight in Cleveland. We arrived to the hotel pretty late, so we mainly just crashed there for the night before the next part of our trip, which was going the rest of the way to the Chicago suburbs. When we finally made it there, we spent the evening at my sister's house and had dinner there. It was a relaxing evening overall and we enjoyed catching up with everyone. My nephew is walking all over the place and says very few words right now, but his favorite one is "cracker." And it's so cute to hear him say it! He also makes duck faces and has the best laugh.

Super cute!!!

Monday, we met up with Tracey (my best friend, who also used to blog for CLC) and her husband and their adorable baby boy (whom I also consider a nephew, as she and I are that close). We had brunch with them and then hung out at my sister's house so the babies could play together. (It's mostly parallel play since they're about seven months apart.) Later, we met up with my family for dinner. Although it was Christmas, there were a few places open. We went to my parents' house afterward and got to see some of my cousins, one who just turned 23 the day before. (I feel so old!)

Tuesday, we met up with my husband's cousins for brunch, as he hadn't had a chance to see them in a while. It was nice catching up with them. My parents were there too, as they're friends with his cousins. Then we went to my parents' house again to spend more time with them, and my sister and nephew, before heading to dinner to meet a friend we hadn't seen since 2017. This is someone I'm also really close with and we have a lot of common interests. She also supports my kids' theater interests and she's genuinely kind and down-to-earth. We spent over two hours talking at the restaurant. 

Wednesday, we headed back to Cleveland and stayed at the same hotel we stayed at on Saturday night. Honestly, if I had known what the hotel was going to be like, I would have picked a different one, but it was too late to cancel without incurring a fee. Having said that, the toilet paper was in this weird spot at the bottom of the bathroom cabinet. We went to our favorite Kosher dairy restaurant in Cleveland for dinner, which was nice, and had way too many cheese fries. Unfortunately, our favorite frozen custard place was closed for the winter. 

We had to do some sort of gymnastics to reach this.

On Thursday, we drove to Pittsburgh and met up with another close friend of mine (we go back over 30 years) who moved there in 2022. We try to see him whenever we're out that way or passing through. Then we headed back home. The rest of the week was uneventful and then on Saturday I discovered that I had Covid. This was my first time with it and it really just felt like a cold. I only realized it may be something more when I couldn't smell or taste my normally strong cinnamon tea. So I spent New Year's Eve and the next few days in my room binge watching High School Musical: the Musical: the Series. If you're a musical theater geek like me, you'll love this show. That was coupled with the novel Cut Loose by Ali Stroker, which I really enjoyed. And in more bookish news, I finally saw One True Loves, which is based on the novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid. You can see my review at the link.

And that was my winter break.

What did you do over the winter holidays?

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Sara and Melissa Talk About...What Our Kids Are Reading

We've been running a column series (for over three years now!) to get more personal with our readers. This month, we are talking about the books our kids are into (or have been into in the past).

We're always open to topic suggestions, so please don't hesitate to share those in the comments. We'd also love to know if you can relate to anything we've said or hear your own thoughts on the topic. So don't be shy. :) We look forward to getting to know you as much as we're letting you get to know us. You can find our previous columns here, in case you missed them. 

Sara Steven:

For National Family Literacy Month, I wanted to focus on what my two sons have been reading. For most of their lives, libraries and books have been a huge intricate part of their childhoods. Spending time with them with a book or two at bedtime is a wonderful tradition that I will always cherish, and although their habits have changed a lot, I love that they still show an interest in reading.   

From 2016

My eighteen year-old is currently reading:

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski: This is a book a friend had recommended to me when I was in my early twenties. I thought it was funny when my son showed this recent purchase to me–also recommended to him by a friend. 

Dante’s Inferno by Dante Alighieri

Blame by Tsutomu Nihei

American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin: My son has become very attached to the recent Oppenheimer movie. He has seen it six times! So it wasn’t a surprise to me to see this on his book pile.

What my thirteen year-old is currently reading:

Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Dog Man book series by Dav Pilkey: I’m fairly certain he’s read every single book that is in this series.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney: The same could be said for this series, too. He has every single book on his reading table in his bedroom right now.

Melissa by Alex Gino: My son’s English class had a list of books the kids could choose from to read for a book report, and he chose this one. After looking it up on Goodreads, it looks as though our very own Melissa has read it, too.

Melissa Amster:

A while back, I obtained a collection of Baby-Sitters Club books, hoping that my daughter would devour them like I did. I think this may have been pre-pandemic, that's how long they have been sitting on her shelf...untouched. We even watched the TV series on Netflix and she loved it. I thought that would inspire her to read the books. I tried reading one of them to her to get things started and she lost interest quickly. She keeps saying she will read the books, but so far, that hasn't happened. And she has moved on to other books that I also enjoy: Young adult rom coms (including those that are LGBTQ+ themed). So I can't totally fault her for not wanting to connect with the BSC, even though I still do. (And no, I haven't showed her the graphic novels, but I feel like that takes away from the excitement I felt from reading the chapter books when I was her age.) 

This also applies to the Sweet Valley Twins books, which I think she would probably ignore in favor of Sweet Valley High, if I could get my hands on those. I have to wonder if they'll be too "eighties" for her. I also recall that she didn't read the Ramona Quimby books by Beverly Cleary that I enjoyed as a kid. (Same for Ellen Tebbits.) Nor has she picked up a Judy Blume book, even though she loved the Margaret movie.

Over the summer, she and I were talking about historical fiction and I told her about the Sunfire Romance novels I loved at her age. I even found a bunch on some websites and purchased the ones that were reasonably priced. 

Not pictured: Laura, which arrived later. Original post can be found here.

Has she read them yet? No. They are sitting on her dresser and she says that she'll get to them. Just having them in my house makes me feel so nostalgic. The ones I really loved were way too expensive to purchase for someone who may or may not eventually read them. 

As I mentioned above, my daughter enjoys YA rom coms a lot. She's a fan of Dahlia Adler, Robbie Couch, and a few others I also love. And even though it's middle grade, she and I both enjoyed The Chance to Fly by Ali Stroker and Stacy Davidowitz, and we are so excited to read Cut Loose soon. I thought she'd like the Heartstopper books more, but she is lukewarm on those. She did enjoy Loveless a lot. I think her friend is trying to get her to read the Summer I Turned Pretty series since they both enjoy the TV show. We'll see if that happens though. 

My sons read, but my younger son hasn't been as much into it as he used to. He'll read books for school assignments and sometimes I'll "catch" him reading for fun. When he was younger, he enjoyed the treehouse series by Andy Griffiths. My older son also reads a lot for school, but he enjoys young adult novels in his spare time (not that he has much of it these days). He likes TJ Klune's fantasies a lot and couldn't wait to read each one when it became available. When he was younger, he loved the Land of Stories books by Chris Colfer. All the kids would read the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, but now I think my daughter may be the only one interested in the latest one. Same goes for the Dog Man and Cat Kid books. 

One author I will not share with my kids is V.C. Andrews. They know about her books (and have some idea of what happens), but I am not deliberately putting them into their hands. If they want the books, they know how to find them and can get them on their own. So far, none of them have had the desire to read them and that doesn't bother me. 

Overall, I'm glad my love for reading has rubbed off on my kids, but I don't think it's to the same level as it is for me. 

If you have kids, what are they reading? If you don't, what books did you enjoy while growing up?

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