ArcaMax

'MOTOR CITY'

Rated R for strong bloody violence, some grisly images, drug content, sexuality/nudity and language.

What it’s about: Set in 1977 Detroit, a factory worker wrongly imprisoned goes on a revenge spree to win back his woman.

The kid attractor factor: This is a bloody thriller — for adults, not kids.

Good lessons/bad lessons: ...Read more

Q. My child’s mother recently moved in with her boyfriend, who has full custody of his three boys. Last time I picked up our son from his mother’s, I noticed suspicious bruises on his thighs and back. This is new. I don’t know if this is the result of discipline, which I absolutely do not agree with, or rough play, which is also ...Read more

When my husband was asked if he would help teach twin granddaughters how to parallel park, he immediately yelled, “Yes!” If there was a parallel parking competition, my husband could take first place — unless our son entered the competition, then he’d take first place.

Our son lived in Chicago for 10 years and none of his apartment ...Read more

LOS ANGELES -- It was after the death of her son, Laith, that Esme Saleh decided to become a folk artist.

She had always been creative, experimenting with watercolors and learning to sew and embroider at a young age.

"I had a creative inkling," she said, "but I never pursued it."

Everything changed on Aug. 17, 2013.

When Saleh was nine ...Read more

It’s often assumed that to write a good memoir, a writer must have something happen to them. Something big, juicy, and traumatic. Something unbelievable that really happened to you. Emily LaBarge is here to critique this idea.

In her memoir, "Dog Days," LaBarge challenges the idea that writing a ‘trauma narrative’ is an act of healing, ...Read more

"Fast and Fastidious" is an absolutely smashing and highly entertaining genre-defying first novel by R.M. Caldwell, a pseudonym for New Zealand theater director and escape room puzzle designer.

The author has described it as a “mash-up of 'Pride and Prejudice' and 'Fast and the Furious.'” Set in 1810 Regency England amid the Napoleonic ...Read more

'THE ODYSSEY'

Rated R for violence and some language.

What it’s about: An adaptation of Homer’s epic poem that follows Odysseus’ 10-year journey back home after a decade in the Trojan War.

The kid attractor factor: Teens and older kids might be drawn to the spectacle and story of this epic fantasy adventure.

Good lessons/bad lessons: ...Read more

Q. My ex is a terrible co-parent. When we divorced, I remarried soon afterward, but I have stayed open to co-parenting with their mother. We had to move an hour away and so my time with the kids had to change. I now have most weekends, but my relationship with the kids has changed. They are very attached to their mother and she will not do ...Read more

My philosophy concerning a garden is the same as my philosophy toward dessert — there’s always room for a little more.

It didn’t take long this spring before I realized I was sowing too many seeds in too little space. Then a light bulb flashed and I thought, “Why not go vertical?” I could just coax everything to latch onto big swaths ...Read more

Vaishnavi Patel, New York Times bestselling author of "Kaikeyi," returns with a heart-pounding new standalone contemporary fantasy novel, "We Dance Upon Demons."

Set in the present day following the events of the pandemic and the most recent political turmoil, "We Dance Upon Demons" introduces us to Nisha — a burnt out reproductive healthcare...Read more

Isabel Klee perfectly captures the feeling of being a woman in her 20s in her brand new memoir, "Dogs, Boys, and Other Things I’ve Cried About."

For 20-somethings this will be incredibly relatable, and for those of us who made it through that time, it will conjure feelings of nostalgia that leave you both with the longing for simpler times ...Read more

The Fourth of July has come and gone, and for many families, summer has reached its sweet spot. The pools are open. The bikes are out. Library reading logs are filling up. School feels far away.

At least, that’s the nostalgic version.

And yet, for many children in the city and suburbs, summer doesn’t look like that at all. Children of ...Read more

'MOANA'

Rated PG for action/peril, some scary images, rude humor and brief thematic elements.

What it’s about: The young princess Moana is chosen by the ocean to return the heart of Te Fiti in order to save her island and she teams up with the demigod Maui to do so (same plot as the first movie!).

The kid attractor factor: The familiarity ...Read more

Q. How do I get along with my ex without fighting? We can barely stand each other and I can tell our kids are being affected. She thinks they are “just fine.” I think they are struggling. I tell her what the kids say and how they have trouble sleeping and she says, “I don’t see it here. It must be something YOU’RE doing.” I’m at a ...Read more