By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Planning to write about your mother? You might reconsider after reading Lori Gottlieb’s essay in today’s New York Times Book Review. Lori has talked to a number of women who have written about their mothers — and believe me there are consequences.

Or, maybe you’re writing about yourself as a mother. If that’s the case don’t miss the reviews out this week of Ayelet Waldman’s new book, the confessional Bad Mother: A Chronicle of Maternal Crimes, Minor Calamities, and Occasional Moments of Grace (Doubleday, $24.95).