A question I always ask people, no matter how little or well I know them, is: what book are you reading at the moment? It\u2019s an exciting question with an infinite possibility of answers. I like to think that I\u2019ve read quite a lot of books, but in asking such a question I\u2019m almost always presented with a title that I not only have never read but have never even heard of. A little embarrassing really, for someone who runs a column all about books. Soon, I\u2019m in a back and forth of plots, theories, characters, themes and related books. Usually by the end, my reading list has doubled in size and my mind is trying to figure out how to defy the laws of time so that I am able to read 68 books by the end of the year only five weeks away, which equates to two books a day. I would subsequently have to quit my job, not sleep, eat only tinned food and take only two-minute showers (the water-saving shower time being four minutes, so I\u2019d be doing the Earth, and my direct debit, a massive favour). Anyway, this is beside the point. If, like some people I\u2019ve asked, you\u2019re at a loss for what book to read, I\u2019ve curated a list of six books \u2013 in relation to our latest issue MOTHER \u2013 so that you\u2019ll always have six different answers for when someone inevitably asks you: what book are you reading at the moment?<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"images","gallery":[{"ID":112141,"id":112141,"title":"","filename":"A-WOMANS-STORY-Annie-Ernaux.jpg","filesize":98871,"url":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/A-WOMANS-STORY-Annie-Ernaux.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/sleek-peek-reading-list\/a-womans-story-annie-ernaux-2\/","alt":"","author":"1","description":"","caption":"Image Courtesy of Fitzcarraldo Editions. ","name":"a-womans-story-annie-ernaux-2","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":112136,"date":"2023-12-04 12:10:30","modified":"2023-12-04 12:12:09","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1257,"height":1920,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/A-WOMANS-STORY-Annie-Ernaux.jpg","thumbnail-width":63,"thumbnail-height":96,"medium":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/A-WOMANS-STORY-Annie-Ernaux.jpg","medium-width":1257,"medium-height":1920,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/A-WOMANS-STORY-Annie-Ernaux.jpg","medium_large-width":1257,"medium_large-height":1920,"large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/A-WOMANS-STORY-Annie-Ernaux.jpg","large-width":1257,"large-height":1920,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/A-WOMANS-STORY-Annie-Ernaux-1006x1536.jpg","1536x1536-width":1006,"1536x1536-height":1536,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/A-WOMANS-STORY-Annie-Ernaux.jpg","2048x2048-width":1257,"2048x2048-height":1920,"trp-custom-language-flag":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/A-WOMANS-STORY-Annie-Ernaux.jpg","trp-custom-language-flag-width":8,"trp-custom-language-flag-height":12,"wpvr_mobile":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/A-WOMANS-STORY-Annie-Ernaux.jpg","wpvr_mobile-width":1257,"wpvr_mobile-height":1920}}],"settings":{"fit_width":"4","caption":""}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":"
A Woman\u2019s Story<\/i><\/b> by Annie Ernaux<\/b><\/p>\n
A powerful and evocative exploration of what it means to be a woman, a mother and a daughter, <\/span>A Woman\u2019s Story <\/span><\/i>is a deeply introspective and intimate account of the life, thoughts and feelings of Ernaux\u2019 mother.<\/span><\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"images","gallery":[{"ID":112139,"id":112139,"title":"BabyOnTheFireEscape_9780393088595","filename":"BabyOnTheFireEscape_9780393088595.jpg","filesize":668657,"url":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/BabyOnTheFireEscape_9780393088595.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/sleek-peek-reading-list\/babyonthefireescape_9780393088595-2\/","alt":"","author":"1","description":"","caption":"Image Courtesy of W. W. Norton & Company. ","name":"babyonthefireescape_9780393088595-2","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":112136,"date":"2023-12-04 12:10:11","modified":"2023-12-04 12:11:48","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1280,"height":1920,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/BabyOnTheFireEscape_9780393088595.jpg","thumbnail-width":64,"thumbnail-height":96,"medium":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/BabyOnTheFireEscape_9780393088595.jpg","medium-width":1280,"medium-height":1920,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/BabyOnTheFireEscape_9780393088595.jpg","medium_large-width":1280,"medium_large-height":1920,"large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/BabyOnTheFireEscape_9780393088595.jpg","large-width":1280,"large-height":1920,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/BabyOnTheFireEscape_9780393088595-1024x1536.jpg","1536x1536-width":1024,"1536x1536-height":1536,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/BabyOnTheFireEscape_9780393088595.jpg","2048x2048-width":1280,"2048x2048-height":1920,"trp-custom-language-flag":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/BabyOnTheFireEscape_9780393088595.jpg","trp-custom-language-flag-width":8,"trp-custom-language-flag-height":12,"wpvr_mobile":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/BabyOnTheFireEscape_9780393088595.jpg","wpvr_mobile-width":1280,"wpvr_mobile-height":1920}}],"settings":{"fit_width":"4","caption":""}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":" The Baby on the Fire Escape: Creativity, Motherhood, and the Mind-Baby Problem<\/i><\/b> by Julie Phillips<\/b><\/p>\n Phillip\u2019s non-fiction novel combines personal anecdotes, interviews, and scholarly research to address the demands of motherhood with the creative pursuits and passions of a woman’s life. It is a reflection on a mother\u2019s longing to express her creativity while caring for a family.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"images","gallery":[{"ID":112138,"id":112138,"title":"","filename":"A-Lifes-Work.jpg","filesize":253477,"url":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/A-Lifes-Work.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/sleek-peek-reading-list\/a-lifes-work-2\/","alt":"","author":"1","description":"","caption":"Image Courtesy of Faber. ","name":"a-lifes-work-2","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":112136,"date":"2023-12-04 12:10:02","modified":"2023-12-04 12:11:55","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1251,"height":1920,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/A-Lifes-Work.jpg","thumbnail-width":63,"thumbnail-height":96,"medium":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/A-Lifes-Work.jpg","medium-width":1251,"medium-height":1920,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/A-Lifes-Work.jpg","medium_large-width":1251,"medium_large-height":1920,"large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/A-Lifes-Work.jpg","large-width":1251,"large-height":1920,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/A-Lifes-Work-1001x1536.jpg","1536x1536-width":1001,"1536x1536-height":1536,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/A-Lifes-Work.jpg","2048x2048-width":1251,"2048x2048-height":1920,"trp-custom-language-flag":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/A-Lifes-Work.jpg","trp-custom-language-flag-width":8,"trp-custom-language-flag-height":12,"wpvr_mobile":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/A-Lifes-Work.jpg","wpvr_mobile-width":1251,"wpvr_mobile-height":1920}}],"settings":{"fit_width":"4","caption":""}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":" A Life’s Work: On Becoming a Mother <\/i><\/b>by Rachel Cusk\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n A Life’s Work: On Becoming a Mother<\/span><\/i> is a candid and introspective work of non-fiction in which Cusk explores the transformation that occurs when a woman becomes a mother. Examining her own sense of identity, Cusk’s prose is both reflective and incisive, offering a nuanced examination of the intersection between selfhood and motherhood.<\/span><\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"images","gallery":[{"ID":112145,"id":112145,"title":"","filename":"Screenshot-2023-12-04-at-12.13.32.jpg","filesize":237628,"url":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Screenshot-2023-12-04-at-12.13.32.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/sleek-peek-reading-list\/screenshot-2023-12-04-at-12-13-32\/","alt":"","author":"1","description":"","caption":"Image Courtesy of Sunday Mornings at the River. ","name":"screenshot-2023-12-04-at-12-13-32","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":112136,"date":"2023-12-04 12:13:51","modified":"2023-12-04 12:14:31","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":612,"height":964,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Screenshot-2023-12-04-at-12.13.32.jpg","thumbnail-width":61,"thumbnail-height":96,"medium":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Screenshot-2023-12-04-at-12.13.32.jpg","medium-width":612,"medium-height":964,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Screenshot-2023-12-04-at-12.13.32.jpg","medium_large-width":612,"medium_large-height":964,"large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Screenshot-2023-12-04-at-12.13.32.jpg","large-width":612,"large-height":964,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Screenshot-2023-12-04-at-12.13.32.jpg","1536x1536-width":612,"1536x1536-height":964,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Screenshot-2023-12-04-at-12.13.32.jpg","2048x2048-width":612,"2048x2048-height":964,"trp-custom-language-flag":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Screenshot-2023-12-04-at-12.13.32.jpg","trp-custom-language-flag-width":8,"trp-custom-language-flag-height":12,"wpvr_mobile":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Screenshot-2023-12-04-at-12.13.32.jpg","wpvr_mobile-width":612,"wpvr_mobile-height":964}}],"settings":{"fit_width":"4","caption":""}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":" Mother Nature Burns<\/i><\/b> edited by Rebecca Rijsdijk\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n Mother Nature Burns<\/span><\/i> is a poetry anthology published by Sunday Mornings at the River and featuring a chorus of voices that come together to weave a tapestry of mourning for Mother Earth. Each poet explores the profound impact climate change has on our lives and the planet we call home from their own unique perspective.<\/span><\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"images","gallery":[{"ID":112137,"id":112137,"title":"9781400066117","filename":"9781400066117.jpg","filesize":210425,"url":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/9781400066117.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/sleek-peek-reading-list\/9781400066117-2\/","alt":"","author":"1","description":"","caption":"Image Courtesy of Random House. ","name":"9781400066117-2","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":112136,"date":"2023-12-04 12:09:53","modified":"2023-12-04 12:11:58","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1280,"height":1920,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/9781400066117.jpg","thumbnail-width":64,"thumbnail-height":96,"medium":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/9781400066117.jpg","medium-width":1280,"medium-height":1920,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/9781400066117.jpg","medium_large-width":1280,"medium_large-height":1920,"large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/9781400066117.jpg","large-width":1280,"large-height":1920,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/9781400066117-1024x1536.jpg","1536x1536-width":1024,"1536x1536-height":1536,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/9781400066117.jpg","2048x2048-width":1280,"2048x2048-height":1920,"trp-custom-language-flag":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/9781400066117.jpg","trp-custom-language-flag-width":8,"trp-custom-language-flag-height":12,"wpvr_mobile":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/9781400066117.jpg","wpvr_mobile-width":1280,"wpvr_mobile-height":1920}}],"settings":{"fit_width":"4","caption":""}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":" Mom & Me & Mom <\/i><\/b>by Maya Angelou<\/b><\/p>\n Delving into themes of forgiveness and personal growth, Maya Angelou\u2019s highly celebrated seventh autobiography becomes a testament to the enduring power of a mother’s love.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"images","gallery":[{"ID":112144,"id":112144,"title":"","filename":"Screenshot-2023-12-04-at-12.13.08.png","filesize":106156,"url":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Screenshot-2023-12-04-at-12.13.08.png","link":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/sleek-peek-reading-list\/screenshot-2023-12-04-at-12-13-08\/","alt":"","author":"1","description":"","caption":"Image Courtesy of Fitzcarraldo Editions. ","name":"screenshot-2023-12-04-at-12-13-08","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":112136,"date":"2023-12-04 12:13:45","modified":"2023-12-04 12:14:27","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/png","type":"image","subtype":"png","icon":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":624,"height":966,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Screenshot-2023-12-04-at-12.13.08.png","thumbnail-width":62,"thumbnail-height":96,"medium":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Screenshot-2023-12-04-at-12.13.08.png","medium-width":624,"medium-height":966,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Screenshot-2023-12-04-at-12.13.08.png","medium_large-width":624,"medium_large-height":966,"large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Screenshot-2023-12-04-at-12.13.08.png","large-width":624,"large-height":966,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Screenshot-2023-12-04-at-12.13.08.png","1536x1536-width":624,"1536x1536-height":966,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Screenshot-2023-12-04-at-12.13.08.png","2048x2048-width":624,"2048x2048-height":966,"trp-custom-language-flag":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Screenshot-2023-12-04-at-12.13.08.png","trp-custom-language-flag-width":8,"trp-custom-language-flag-height":12,"wpvr_mobile":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Screenshot-2023-12-04-at-12.13.08.png","wpvr_mobile-width":624,"wpvr_mobile-height":966}}],"settings":{"fit_width":"4","caption":""}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":" Minor Detail <\/i><\/b>by Adania Shibli<\/b><\/p>\n