By Katie de Iongh

Literary Mamas are curling up with these irresistible titles. Enjoy!

Download the list to find it fast at your local bookstore or library.

Suzanne Kamata, Fiction Co- Editor, recommends
Witness, an essay collection by literary papa Curtis Smith. "These essays brim with intelligence and beauty. Whether writing about a murdered student, the photographs of Diane Arbus, or a three-year-old pirate boy riding a tricycle naked through the house, Smith delves tenderly and thoughtfully into life's mysteries."

Kristina Riggle, Fiction Co-Editor, says, "I'm reading one of my Christmas gifts, My Life In France by Julia Child with Alex Prud'homme, her great-nephew, as collaborator. Julia Child, one of the most famous chefs in the world, didn't even know what shallots were when she arrived in France at the age of 36. Thirty-six! That's my age! In this youth-obsessed culture it's easy to feel over the hill before you even have crow's feet, but this delicious, inspiring memoir proves that it's hardly too late to find your passion."

Jessica Devoe Riley, E-Zine Co-Editor, writes, "I'm currently enjoying Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer. The novel features Jonathan, a Jewish American man visiting the Ukraine to research information about the woman who saved his grandfather from the Nazis. This would be a heavy, dramatic read if not for the presence of Jonathan's Ukrainian translator, Alex, self-pronounced lover of women, fan of American pop culture, and misguided speaker of the English language. The book gives new meaning to the phrase 'lost in translation' with funny results. Side-splittingly funny."

Creative Non-Fiction Co-Editor, Kate Hass, shares, "I'm currently riveted by Emma Donoghue's new novel, Room: A Novel. Five-year-old Jack lives in a single room with his mother; its 11-foot walls are the boundaries of their world. As far as Jack knows, everything he sees on TV is made-up or happens on other planets. Only the objects in their room -- which he invests with unique personalities - are 'real.' But as the novel unfolds, the true situation becomes chillingly clear. Donoghue gets inside the head of a small child better than any author I can think of, and the way Jack's voice matter-of-factly details the everyday routine inside Room is a testament not only to her powers as a writer but to the character of Jack's mother, who has devised a way to successfully raise her son while shielding him from their horrific circumstances."