I so happen to think, in my humble and definitely not biased opinion, that books are a GREAT gift for any occasion. Personally, books are my favourite things to receive as gifts, including vouchers for book stores. I know people say that vouchers are a “cop-out” type gift but how can that POSSIBLY be true when it comes to books? With Mothers’ Day approaching, I wanted to share 10 books to gift this Mother’s Day.
My Mum is the reason I love reading and books as much as I do. She introduced me to books from an extremely young age, reading to me as a child before I was confident enough to read to myself. My journey into reading very much started with her.
I always had books and I always took part in the Summer reading challenge that my local library would run every Summer holidays in primary school.
The goal would obviously be to read as many books as you could during the Summer break and your name would move along a snake on the wall, to show how many books you had read.
As you can probably guess, I always made it to the end. Along with a small handful of other kids, I read the most amount of books out of everyone who attempted the challenge.
And my Mum and I still share a love of books. We’re both ALWAYS reading, going to the library, buying books and talking about books. Whilst our tastes have changed a little over the years, we both still share the love immensely.
So that being said, I always gift my Mum a book for almost every occasion (partially so I can steal it afterwards) and Mother’s Day is no different. Before we look at some books to gift this Mother’s Day, let’s talk about why books make a great gift:
So, why do books make a great gift?
They can be personal
Books can be a lovely personal gift, especially if you know someone well enough to know what their favourite genres are. You might also want to consider gifting them non-fiction books, based on topics they like or something they might need at that time
They’re affordable but thoughtful
Books are super affordable but at the same time, a really thoughtful gift, especially based on what I just said above. It can take a while to choose the perfect book for someone, so really, the price doesn’t matter. It really is the though that counts.
You can support small by buying books
Although Amazon and places like Waterstones are super convenient for book buying (and I’m not about to tell you to NEVER use those places because some people need to), there are plenty of independent book shops you can support at the same time as buying someone a lovely gift.
They can open up conversation
Books are a wonderful conversation starter. I remember going to a car meet-up with my partner (who loves his cars) and I got chatting to a woman there about books for over an hour and a half – turns out we loved the same books!
There’s something for everyone
No matter who you’re buying for, there’s a book for everyone. Non-fiction books about a topic they find interesting, their favourite genre of fiction books or perhaps self-improvement or personal growth books a friend might need.
They spark creativity
Books are the gift that keep on giving and long after you’ve exchanged gifts, books can continue to spark creativity and inspiration in the person who owns it and reads it.
They’re easy to buy and send
If you’re not able to get out of the house, books are still a super easy give to send online. There’s endless places to buy books, so you’re never going to be stuck for finding somewhere to stock them!
Here are 10 books to gift this Mother’s Day:
The Vanishing Half by Britt Bennett
I thought The Vanishing Half was absolutely spectacular – I devoured every page – so a book I rate so highly would absolutely be a recommendation in my books to gift this Mother’s Day. It explores race, privilege, love and family and is a shockingly good read.
Where the Crawdads Sing by Deliah Owens
Where the Crawdads Sing is a certainly a book that can whisk you away on a warm Summer’s day. The beautiful prose and stunning landscape building is almost too good to pass up.
Book Lovers by Emily Henry
Book Lovers is the perfect rom-com in my opinion – and I don’t really like rom-coms! I absolutely LOVED Book Lovers and the chemistry between the two main characters was electric. A real good bloody read.
Ivy Lane by Cathy Bramley
I don’t read much romantic fiction, chick-lit or women’s fiction if I’m honest but there are a few that stand out to me and Ivy Lane is definitely one of them. I thought this was a super sweet read and would make the perfect gift this Mother’s Day!
The Dreamers by Karen Thompson-Walker
Karen Thompson-Walker is one of my favourite authors and her newer book, The Dreamers, didn’t disappoint. For something a bit different, I think this would make a great gift and will certainly be a book to really get lost in.
Becoming by Michelle Obama
For ultimate inspiration and motivation, you cannot go wrong with Michelle Obama. Becoming blew me away and I think for anyone who’s interested in the Obama’s – especially Michelle – it’s an excellent read (she also makes the political elements super easy to understand for us!)
The Couple At No.9 by Claire Douglas
For Thriller lovers, you cannot go wrong with Claire Douglas. Thriller Queen, master of endings, killer of twists. She could write the manual for a toaster and I’d still buy it. The Couple At No.9 is a great option for the Thriller lover!
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Ah, Little Women. The perfect book gift for any Mother or Mother figure in my humble opinion. For those that love classics as well, a beautiful copy of Little Women could make a great gift.
Happy by Fearne Cotton
It’s definitely not just fiction that makes a great gift! If your Mum or Mother figure needs a little pick-me-up, then perhaps something like Happy by Fearne Cotton would be a thoughtful book-related gift.
Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo
Something else that’s a little different but utterly mesmerizing, is Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo. Written in a stunning poetic prose, this book is definitely a perfect gift for a book lover.
So whether your Mum or Mother figure loves her Thriller books, a good autobiography or memoir or something a bit more light-hearted, you’re bound to find something suitable in the list.
And also learn how and why books make some of the BEST gifts.
I hope this will prompt you to consider gifting books more – not just for Mother’s Day bit for any occasion!
Have you read any of these books? Which would you recommend? Do you like giving books as gifts? Let me know!
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Thank you for this amazing post. Some of these books are on my wishlist! Michelle Obama & Happy by Fearne Cotton!
Michelle Obamas book is a must read!
My mum is not much of a reader but she does love a good romance so plenty to pick from always! I think Little Women she might like as well so thank you for the idea Jenny xx
Little Women is a classic and such a beautiful read !
I love gifting books as well! I love recommending ones I think they would love & the personal aspect of it make it even more special.
Absolutely 🙂
What a great list of books! I’m certain that all mothers can and will appreciate these stories. Thanks for the ideas!
Thank you x
What a great list! I LOVED the Vanishing Half
It was a spectacular read!
What a lovely post, there’s something really special about sharing a book you love with someone you love.
They are great gifts, and you’ve put a fab list together!
There really is! Thank you x
I was looking for a list of books to gift and that’s how I found his blog post. I haven’t read any of these suggested books myself. But I’ve ordered them anyway. I’ll let you know how my mother felt after reading these books. She’s a fast reader.
Hope she enjoys them.
Oh I love a good book! And gifting them is always a great idea! Thanks so much for sharing these books!
Gifting books is the best!
An amazing post filled with great books. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you x
Great post for the perfect Mother’s Day gift!
Thank you x
These are all amazing books to gift on Mother’s Day! I always enjoy reading the bookish content here! My mum loves a good historical fiction, but I think Becoming could be one she would love as I adored it! x
It was fantastic wasn’t it! I’m still waiting for my mum to read that one x
There are so many books on here that I would just buy for myself! I watched where the crawdads sing with my nan and she absolutely loved it, I’m sure that she would have loved the book too x
I loved that film, it was so good. I saw it with my Mum and she hasn’t read the book yet so hopefully she likes it too x
I totally agree with you about gifting books. The fact that you might give someone something that might change their life in even a small way, is a wonderful thought. Books really can do this.
Some good choices on your list too.
Yes it’s wonderful isn’t it! Books can do so much good without us even knowing x
Giving books to someone is such a lovely idea, especially if you know it’s something they really want to read. I have read a few of the titles included in your list and you’ve given me some ideas about some I will keep an eye out for. I will also gift some to some mums I know!
Yes it really is, books are the gift that keep on giving really!
That’s awesome you were inspired to read by your mom. These seem interesting book. Thank you for sharing!
Very much so!
This is actually a perfect give for myself haha ~ My mother is not a book lover like myself, so I normally bring her out to buy something she likes, such as clothes or items she will use on a daily basis 😀
That’s a good idea – at least you know she’s getting something she’ll like / use!
Thank you for these suggestions Jenny! My Mum loves to get books (my whole family do, to be honest!) so I will definitely check out your recommendations when I come to buy her gift this year x
Yay to having a family of book lovers!
Definitely!
The only book from this list that I’ve read (and re-read until the copy became tatty) is Little Women. It was one of the classics my mother recommended to me as a teenager and I’ve loved it ever since.
I was thinking about getting my mother a couple of books for Mother’s Day but I don’t quite know what her taste in books is anymore, as she said that she doesn’t have the energy and concentration for classics now and that’s all I ever remember her reading, besides semi-autobiographical fiction memoirs (think James Herriot, Jennifer Worth etc). I might have to do some secret book browsing at some point to see if I can find anything she might like.
Awh that’s lovely that you both loved Little Women so much. Classics can be hard if you don’t have the concentration span for them – I certainly don’t. Little Women was an exception.