Mother's Day is Coming. Get Booked.

Gifts for every type of mom in your life

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Mother’s Day is coming soon! It’s May 11th. (Add to cal. I just googled it.)

Eight million other things will pop up between now and then, so cross this off your to-do list today. Order the perfect book from my expertly(!) curated list below for your mom — or grandmother or wife or sister or daughter or in-law — and be done with it. You just might want to put these on your own wish-list, or go get them for yourself. You deserve it!

For the ultimate mom-dulgence, pair a book with a Jacques Torres chocolate message.

Or perhaps splurge on a Frances Valentine sweater-set like this one which I just got my mom. (Don’t tell her!) Actually Elyce Arons, co-founder of Frances Valentine, wrote a fabulous book which is my June book club pick! Book club picks and dates through October: here.

One last thing. Want to read the article I wrote in 2017 that started this entire business, podcast, and more!? From Huff Post: “A Mother’s Right to Sanity.” I think, maybe, I finally found some (sanity). It took almost ten years.

Read here.

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Gifts for Mother’s Day

Note: all text in quotes is from the marketing/jacket copy on the book itself!

For the recovering perfectionist:

Happy to Help: Adventures of a People Pleaser by Amy Wilson (we published this!!)

“A hilariously relatable collection of essays about how you can be the one everyone else depends on and still be struggling and how you can be ‘happy to help,’ even when for your own sake, you shouldn’t.”

For the mom who seems… lost:

Everyone But Myself: A Memoir by Julie Chavez (we published this!!)

“A hopeful, honest account of love and loss, a husband who isn’t a mindreader, disastrous family outings, and finding a path (with help from loved ones and a few key new friends) to the joy of a well-lived life. An intimate portrait of how one woman found her way back to herself.”

For the mom who loves a thriller:

All the Other Mothers Hate Me by Sarah Harman

“A mom will do anything to save her kid. Anything.”

For the mom who craves connection:

I Was Told There’d Be a Village: Transforming Motherhood Through the Power of Connection by Melissa Wirt

“From a mom of six (yes, six) and CEO of the Latched Mama successful start-up comes a guide to surviving in the trenches with specific actionable steps to transform oppressive, solitary parenting into a connected, collective (even joyful) endeavor.”

Podcast airing soon on Totally Booked with Zibby!

For the loved one who has taught you endless amounts:

Lessons from My Teachers: From Preschool to the Present by Sarah Ruhl

“An inspiring meditation on the bond between student and teacher — both in and out of the classroom — from two-time Pulitzer finalist and Tony-nominated playwright Sarah Ruhl.”

Previous podcast with Sarah Ruhl here. New podcast airing soon!

For the mom who thought it would be better than this:

I Thought It Would Be Better Than This: Rise from Disappointment, Regain Control, and Rebuild a Life You Love by Jessica N. Turner

“Learn how to recover from life’s disappointments and rebuild a life you love. What happens when you look at your life and think, I thought it would be better than this? You know you can’t stay where you are but you have no idea what to do next. This book is a manifesto of hope that will empower you to transform your circumstances and move forward with intention and purpose.”

For the mom who loves a family drama:

Like Mother, Like Mother: A Novel by Susan Rieger

“An enthralling multi-generational family saga about strong-willed women whose lives are unknowingly shaped by the secrets buried in their pasts.”

For the older mama — who loves to laugh (and cry):

Making the Best of What’s Left: When You’re Too Old to Get the Chairs Reupholstered by Judith Viorst

“A witty and poignant exploration of the joys and sorrows of life’s twilight years — one that leaves us laughing, pondering, and grateful for the moments we have left.”

Listen to my previous podcast with Judith Viorst here. New episode airing soon!

For the one who lost her mom:

The End is the Beginning: A Personal History of My Mother by Jill Bialosky

“A lyrical portrait of a mother’s life in reverse from burial to birth.”

Listen to my previous podcast with Jill here. New episode airing soon!

For the PTA mom who knows how to play her cards right:

Moms Like Us: A Novel by Jordan Roter

“The path to private school parenting is paved with good intentions. In the ferocious, manicured world of the wealthy and well intentioned, how long can secrets stay hidden, and how far will these women go to protect their children, their reputations, and their darkest desires?”

Podcast airing soon on Totally Booked with Zibby!

For the literary mama:

Mothers and Other Fictional Characters: A Memoir in Essays by Nicole Graev Lipson

“An intimate and riveting memoir by Pushcart Prize-winning author Nicole Graev Lipson that breaks through the ready-made stories of womanhood, rescuing truth from the fiction that infiltrates our lives.”

For the mom who could use a rom-com:

Pick-Up by Nora Dahlia

“A delightful and insightful enemies-to-lovers romp from the city streets of the Caribbean beaches with a contemporary ‘mom-com’ twist.”

For the mom who is totally overwhelmed:

Mama Needs a Minute: A Candid, Funny, All-Too-Relatable Comic Memoir about Surviving Motherhood by Mary Catherine Starr

“An invaluable companion for any mom in the thick of it that explores the (often invisible) labor of modern motherhood that leaves so many moms feeling like they are losing themselves — and their minds.”

I’m hosting an event with Mary Catherine Starr for Mother’s Day at the Core Club. RSVP here.

If you want to give your mom a hint:

Favorite Daughter: A Novel by Morgan Dick

“Two half-sisters find themselves on a crash course that will break — or save — them both.” One of my Most Anticipated picks!

For the mom who craves a guidebook:

Raising Calm Kids in a World of Worry: Tools to Erase Anxiety and Overwhelm by Ashley Graber and Maria Evans

“A must-have guide for helping your child conquer worry, fear, and overwhelm.” One of my Most Anticipated picks!

For the mom who can’t deal with all the technology issues:

Second Life: Having a Child in the Digital Age by Amanda Hess

“A critical record of our digital age that reveals the unspoken ways our lives are being fractured and reconstituted by technology.”

For the mom who needs the scientific answers:

Hello, Cruel World! Science-Based Strategies for Raising Terrific Kids in Terrifying Times by Melinda Wenner Moyer

“A science-based hopeful guide on how to raise children who will not just survive but thrive in this challenging, terrifying world — and who could ultimately help save it.”

I’m co-chairing an event and Melinda Wenner Moyer is our featured guest! The Child Mind Luncheon is on May 12th at 583 Park Avenue in New York. Please come! Info here.

For the mom who misses her old body:

WTF Happened to My Body: Fixing the Aftermath of Having Kids, No Matter How Long Ago It Was by Natalie Garay

“Proven innovative tools for regaining your physical and emotional strength. Discover what’s causing your symptoms, learn the exercises that strengthen your core and pelvic floor, and find ways to increase your energy, so you can get off the roller coaster, and get back to living your life.”

The essential memoir pre-order for the mom who can’t wait:

How to Lose Your Mother: A Daughter’s Memoir by Molly Jong-Fast

“From the political writer and podcaster, a ferociously honest and disarmingly funny memoir about her elusive mother’s encroaching dementia and a reckoning with her complicated childhood.” (Note: her mom is Erica Jong, Fear of Flying.)

Episode coming soon on Totally Booked with Zibby!

The essential novel pre-order for the mom who can’t wait:

Mean Moms: A Novel by Emma Rosenblum

“What happens when a clique of wealthy Manhattan private school moms starts getting a taste of exactly what they deserve instead of just what they can pay for?”

Here’s Emma’s previous episode. New episode coming soon on Totally Booked!

Okay, what’d you pick?!?!