Celebrating Mothers in Literature

Happy Mother’s Day to all the mums out there. I personally think you should appreciate your mum every day of the year. When I think of all the things my own mother has had to put up with over the years I wonder how she hasn’t lost her mind yet. It’s easy to take these remarkable women for granted. We expect them to always be there to cook our dinners, wash our clothes and put up with our bad moods. They deserve a gold medal for not only raising us but for managing to run a house and hold down a job all the same time. They truly are amazing people. Where would we be without them?

One thing I’ve noticed is that a lot of YA books feature very tempestuous relationships between the heroines and their mothers. In some cases the heroine is an orphan and she has no sense of who her mother was. In other cases the mother is distant or doesn’t seem to the heroine to be supporting her. My own experience is vastly different. My mum has always been like a friend to me and while it is true that we don’t always see eye-to-eye, largely we have a very good relationship.

Thinking about these YA mothers made me start to wonder if there are any positive mother figures out there. The answer is yes and for today’s post I want to share with you my favourite mothers from literature.

1. Mrs Lancaster, The Fault in Our Stars

Hazel’s mother has had to endure something no mother should – finding out her child has cancer – and yet somehow she still manages to be positive. Hazel might roll her eyes at her enthusiasm, particularly in the way her mom tries to get her to socialise and make friends, but it’s clear that Mrs Lancaster has one goal and that is to make her daughter happy. She wants to see her live her life as much as she can and while she does worry about her health, she still encourages her to go out and have fun. Mrs Lancaster is very much Team Augustus and she not only approves of Hazel dating him, she is probably more excited about the relationship than her daughter. She is everything a mother should be – loving, concerned and supportive.

2014: A Year in Books

It’s that time of year again, when we look back over the past 12 months and mull over our highlights and our low points. For me, no review of the year would be complete without thinking about all the books I have read. While I may have not read as many as I would have liked, I have read a number of interesting titles this year. Join me as I look back at my favourite reads of 2014.

Best YA Read 2014: City of Heavenly Fire – Cassandra Clare

Choosing my favourite YA book of the year was tough as there have been so many good YA novels published in 2014. After much deliberation, City of Heavenly Fire won out. The conclusion to The Mortal Instruments series, it is an epic in every sense of the word. Running to 700+ pages, it is a lengthy read packed full of adventure, heart-stopping moments and tear-jerking scenes. I expect nothing less than amazing from Cassie Clare and she delivered on every score. It ends on a cautiously happy note. There is a sense that the peace established can only last for so long and it paves the way for Cassie’s new series, The Dark Artifices.