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10 Great Reads That Mom Will Enjoy

Looking for a Mother’s Day gift that will make mom feel extra special? A great book is just the kind of thoughtful present that will put a smile on her face. Our list of reads for mom offers a cornucopia of titles from which to choose: tales of love, life, and family that feature unique characters and richly drawn settings. While you’re shopping, why not get a copy for yourself as well, and surprise mom with a book club celebration for two?

In the Orchard by Eliza Minot

An intimate and personal novel about womanhood, modern family, and the interior landscape of maternal life, as seen through the life of a young wife and mother on a single day. In the Orchard is luminous, masterfully crafted, revelatory work of fiction—a shining exploration of motherhood, childhood, and love.

Read an excerpt | Buy the book

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CommitmentCommitment by Mona Simpson

A masterful and resonant novel about family and duty and the attendant struggles that come when a parent falls ill, Commitment honors the spirit of fragile, imperfect mothers and the under-chronicled significance of friends. With Commitment, Mona Simpson, one of the foremost chroniclers of the American family in our time, has written her most important and unforgettable novel.

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The-ArsonistThe Arsonist by Sue Miller

From the bestselling author of The Senator’s Wife comes a superb novel about a family and a community tested when an arsonist begins setting fire to the homes of the summer people in a small New England town. The events coincide with Frankie Rowley’s return after fifteen years of working in East Africa. As more houses burn down, putting the residents on edge, Frankie also has to deal with her father’s declining health and her own burgeoning passionate affair that will yield remarkable risks and revelations.

Read an excerpt | Get the reader’s guide | Check out an essay from the author | Buy the book
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The-Lady-in-GoldThe Lady in Gold by Anne-Marie O’Connor

Here’s the galvanizing story of Gustav Klimt’s 1907 masterpiece—the breathtaking portrait of a Viennese Jewish socialite Adele Bloch-Bauer. The celebrated painting, stolen by Nazis during World War II, subsequently became the subject of a decade-long dispute between her heirs and the Austrian government. Pair this volume with movie tickets for the Hollywood film Woman in Gold (starring Helen Mirren and Ryan Reynolds), inspired by the same true story.

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Astonish-MeAstonish Me by Maggie Shipstead

Few in Joan’s drowsy California suburb know her thrilling history: as a young American ballerina in Paris, she fell into a doomed, passionate romance with Soviet dance superstar Arslan Rusakov (inspired by legendary performer Mikhail Baryshnikov!). After playing a leading role in his celebrated defection, Joan bowed out of the spotlight for good, heartbroken by Arslan and humbled by her own modest career. Years have passed but Joan is wrong to think that Arslan is out of her life forever….

Read an excerpt | Get the reader’s guide | Check out an essay from the author | Buy the book

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Chestnut-StreetChestnut Street by Maeve Binchy

From the beloved Irish writer comes a book about a fictional Dublin neighborhood called Chestnut Street. Among the street’s residents is a fascinating array of individuals with a variety of life circumstances, occupations, sensibilities—and, of course, stories. Rendered with the humor and deep empathy that are the hallmarks of all of Maeve’s work, the world of Chestnut Street is sure to enchant mom!

Read an excerpt | Get the reader’s guide | Buy the book

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Book-of-Unknown-AmericansThe Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henríquez

A story of star-crossed love—between teenage Mexican newcomer Maribel and Mayor, her neighbor in their immigrant community in Delaware—sets in motion events that will have profound repercussions for everyone involved. Henríquez seamlessly interweaves the young lovers’ tale with the testimonials of men and women who have come to the United States from all over Latin America.

Read an excerpt | Get the reader’s guide | Watch an interview with the author | Buy the book

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The-Winter-PeopleThe Winter People by Jennifer McMahon

The perfect read for moms who enjoy a spooky ghost story! The setting is creepy West Hall, Vermont, which has always been a town of strange disappearances and old legends. So, when her mom, Alice, vanishes without a trace, it doesn’t take nineteen-year-old Ruthie long to discover that she’s not the only person looking for someone they’ve lost. But she may be the only one who can stop history from repeating itself.

Read an excerpt | Get the reader’s guide | Browse an author Q&A | Buy the book

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The-Forever-GirlThe Forever Girl by Alexander McCall Smith

Love works in mysterious ways in this touching mother-daughter tale. It all starts on the Cayman Islands, when Clover falls for her first love, and allows her heart to chart her life’s course. At the same time, her mother realizes that she has fallen out of love with Clover’s father, and that her previously carefully mapped-out future has become unknown territory. Through the years, mother and daughter try to navigate their chosen paths, as they are each torn between the dreams they cherish and the reality they face.

Read an excerpt | Get the reader’s guide | Explore the Armchair Adventurer | Buy the book

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And-the-Dark-Sacred-NightAnd the Dark Sacred Night by Julia Glass

This is the story of Kit, a forty-year-old art historian going through a midlife crisis. Born to a single teenage mother, he has never known the identity of his biological father—so he finally sets out to find the truth. Immersing readers in a panorama that stretches from Vermont to the tip of Cape Cod, And the Dark Sacred Night is an unforgettable novel about the youthful choices that steer people’s destinies, the necessity of forgiveness, and the risks of unraveling old family secrets—universal topics that mom will surely relate to.

Read an excerpt | Get the reader’s guide | Bake a Recipe by the Book | Buy the book