In Episode 18, Allison from the blog Mind Joggle joins me to talk about the mental load of motherhood, how to relieve it, and share books about motherhood. This post contains affiliate links, through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!). Highlights Where the name Mind Joggle comes from. Why we both started our blogs (the reasons are similar and related to motherhood). How the mental load of being mothers can be overwhelming and how we try to “reclaim some of our brain space.” How to balance doing some things we personally want to do with keeping the trains running at home. What Spring and Summer reading is like for Moms. Why we’ve struck out with Liane Moriarty. Our favorite evil mothers of fiction. Our rant about Mother’s Day Brunch as a tradition. Allison’s Book Recommendations Two OLD Books She Loves The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [12:37] The Red Tent by Anita Diamant | Buy from Amazon [15:31] Two NEW Books She Loves The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sistersby Balli Kaur Jaswal | Buy from Amazon [18:56] Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton | Buy from Amazon [23:13] One Book She Didn’t Love What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [28:23] One New Release She’s Excited About On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong (Release Date: June 4, 2019) | Buy from Amazon [31:42] Other Books Mentioned Circe by Madeline Miller (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [17:57] Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal | Buy from Amazon [22:21] The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [26:55] Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [28:52] The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [28:52] Modern Lovers by Emma Straub | Buy from Amazon [33:34] Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [33:41] There, There by Tommy Orange | Buy from Amazon [33:41] Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James | Buy from Amazon [33:52] A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James | Buy from Amazon [33:52] The Hours by Michael Cunningham | Buy from Amazon [33:52] The Hand That Feeds You by A.J. Rich | Buy from Amazon [36:44] Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews | Buy from Amazon [37:19] I Miss You When I Blink by Mary Laura Philpott | Buy from Amazon [39:15] Other Links Emily Dickinson’s quote that inspired Allison’s Mind Joggle blog name “Digging Out From Under the Mental Load” (Allison’s blog post) Brain Candy Books (Sarah’s book list) Character-Driven Novels I Couldn’t Put Down (Sarah’s book list) V.C. Andrews’ Casteel series Lifetime movies deal “Women Who Get Women” (Sarah’s blog post) Books That Would Make Great Gifts for Moms (Sarah’s book list) About Allison Blog | Pinterest | Twitter Allison writes at Mind Joggle about books, reading, writing, creativity, learning, and anything related and in between. She’s always said that her dream job would be reading books for a living. She didn’t quite go either route, opting instead for a “practical” writing career that more easily pays the bills. Nonetheless, those dreams of long, cozy days composing the stories that play out in her head persist—as does her love of great books, writing stories, learning interesting things, and discussing it all with others. Next Week’s Episode Spring 2019 Book Preview with Catherine from Gilmore Guide to Books (airing May 15) Support the Podcast Share - If you like the podcast, I’d love for you to share it with your reader friends…in real life and on social media (there’s easy share buttons at the bottom of this post!). Subscribe...wherever you listen to podcasts, so new episodes will appear in your feed as soon as they’re released. Rate and Review - Search for “Sarah’s Book Shelves” in Apple Podcasts…or wherever you listen to podcasts! Feedback - I want this podcast to fit what you’re looking for, so I truly do want your fe