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Books Mom Will Love 2019

Mother's Day

Books Mom Will Love 2019

Mother’s Day is a time to recognize the woman who raised and nurtured us. To celebrate, we gave you the opportunity to win 11 books for you or the special lady in your life in our 14th annual "Books Mom Will Love" contest. Scroll down to see the five winners!

 

This year's featured titles are:

  • #IMOMSOHARD by Kristin Hensley and Jen Smedley
  • BLESSING IN DISGUISE by Danielle Steel
  • THE BOOK OF DELIGHTS: Essays, by Ross Gay
  • THE DEATH OF MRS. WESTAWAY by Ruth Ware
  • ECSTASY by Mary Sharratt
  • FIGHT LIKE A MOTHER: How a Grassroots Movement Took on the Gun Lobby and Why Women Will Change the World, by Shannon Watts
  • LOST ROSES by Martha Hall Kelly
  • THE MATRIARCH: Barbara Bush and the Making of an American Dynasty, by Susan Page
  • MISS KOPP JUST WON'T QUIT: A Kopp Sisters Novel, by Amy Stewart
  • WHERE THE LIGHT ENTERS: Building a Family, Discovering Myself, by Jill Biden
  • WHY DON'T YOU WRITE MY EULOGY NOW SO I CAN CORRECT IT?: A Mother's Suggestions, by Patricia Marx and Roz Chast

Winners

Annie from Bellingham, WA
Donna from Tama, IA
Jennifer from Alexandria, VA
Joan from Maplewood, MO
Samantha from Monroe, CT
 
 
#IMomSoHard by Kristin Hensley and Jen Smedley - Parenting

Kristin Hensley and Jen Smedley, the creators of #IMOMSOHARD, know that you probably didn’t get to shower today and that the last thing you need is more advice on how to be a better parent. Instead, they invite you to join their laugh-out-loud, best friend banter on the 80 bajillion ways moms give their all every day. Come for the laughs, stay for the kinship with two friends who are just getting it right, getting it wrong, and leaning on each other for a laugh at the end of the day. They don’t care if your house is a mess, and they won’t judge you if you pee a little when you sneeze. So kick back, relax and enjoy. You deserve it.

Blessing in Disguise by Danielle Steel - Fiction

As a young intern at an art gallery in Paris, Isabelle McAvoy meets Putnam Armstrong, who is wealthy, gentle, older and secluded from the world. Her relationship with him is a dream, but it turns real when she becomes pregnant, for she knows that marriage is out of the question. When she returns to New York, she enters a new relationship but soon realizes that she has made a terrible mistake and again finds herself a single mother. With two young daughters and no husband, Isabelle finally and unexpectedly finds happiness and a love that gives her a third child, a baby as happy as her beloved father. And yet, once again, life brings dramatic changes.

The Book of Delights: Essays by Ross Gay - Essays


In THE BOOK OF DELIGHTS, award-winning poet Ross Gay offers up a genre-defying volume of lyric essays written over one tumultuous year. His first nonfiction book is a record of the small joys we often overlook in our busy lives. Among Gay’s funny, poetic, philosophical delights: a friend’s unabashed use of air quotes, cradling a tomato seedling aboard an airplane, the silent nod of acknowledgment between the only two Black people in a room. But Gay never dismisses the complexities, even the terrors, of living in America as a Black man, the ecological and psychic violence of our consumer culture, or the loss of those he loves. More than anything else, though, Gay celebrates the beauty of the natural world --- his garden, the flowers peeking out of the sidewalk, the hypnotic movements of a praying mantis.

The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware - Psychological Thriller


On a day that begins like any other, Hal receives a mysterious letter bequeathing her a substantial inheritance. She realizes very quickly that the letter was sent to the wrong person --- but also that the cold-reading skills she’s honed as a tarot card reader might help her claim the money. Soon, Hal finds herself at the funeral of the deceased…where it dawns on her that there is something very, very wrong about this strange situation and the inheritance at the center of it.

Ecstasy by Mary Sharratt - Historical Fiction


Coming of age in the midst of a creative and cultural whirlwind in Vienna, young, beautiful Alma Schindler yearns to make her mark as a composer. A new era of possibility for women is dawning, and she is determined to make the most of it. But Alma loses her heart to the great composer Gustav Mahler, nearly 20 years her senior. He demands that she give up her music as a condition of their marriage. Torn by her love and in awe of his genius, how will she remain true to herself and her artistic passion?

Fight Like a Mother: How a Grassroots Movement Took on the Gun Lobby and Why Women Will Change the World by Shannon Watts - Political Science/Social Issues


FIGHT LIKE A MOTHER is the incredible account of how one mother’s cry for change became the driving force behind gun safety progress. Along with stories of perseverance, courage and compassion, Shannon Watts shines a light on the unique power of women --- starting with what they have, leading with their maternal strengths, and doubling down instead of backing down. While not everyone can be on the front lines lobbying Congress, every mom is already a multi-tasking organizer, and Shannon explains how to go from amateur activist to having a real impact in your community and beyond.

Lost Roses by Martha Hall Kelly - Historical Fiction

It is 1914, and Eliza Ferriday is thrilled to be traveling to St. Petersburg with Sofya Streshnayva, a cousin of the Romanovs. The two met years ago one summer in Paris and became close confidantes. But when Austria declares war on Serbia and Russia's imperial dynasty begins to fall, Eliza escapes back to America, while Sofya and her family flee to their country estate. In need of domestic help, they hire the local fortuneteller's daughter, Varinka, unknowingly bringing intense danger into their household. On the other side of the Atlantic, Eliza is doing her part to help the White Russian families find safety as they escape the revolution. But when Sofya's letters suddenly stop coming, she fears the worst for her best friend.

The Matriarch: Barbara Bush and the Making of an American Dynasty by Susan Page - Biography


Barbara Pierce Bush was one of the country's most popular and powerful figures, yet her full story has never been told. THE MATRIARCH tells the riveting tale of a woman who helped define two American presidencies and an entire political era. Written by USA Today's Washington Bureau chief Susan Page, this biography is informed by more than 100 interviews with Bush friends and family members, hours of conversation with Mrs. Bush herself in the final six months of her life, and access to her diaries that spanned decades. The book examines not only her public persona but also less well-known aspects of her remarkable life.

Miss Kopp Just Won't Quit: A Kopp Sisters Novel by Amy Stewart - Historical Mystery


After a year on the job, New Jersey’s first female deputy sheriff has collared criminals, demanded justice for wronged women, and gained notoriety nationwide for her exploits. But on one stormy night, everything falls apart. While transporting a woman to an insane asylum, Deputy Kopp discovers something deeply troubling about her story. Before she can investigate, another inmate bound for the asylum breaks free and tries to escape. In both cases, Constance runs instinctively toward justice. But the fall of 1916 is a high-stakes election year, and any move she makes could jeopardize Sheriff Heath’s future --- and her own. Although Constance is not on the ballot, her controversial career makes her the target of political attacks.

Where the Light Enters: Building a Family, Discovering Myself by Jill Biden - Memoir


"How did you get this number?" Those were the first words Jill Biden spoke to U.S. senator Joe Biden when he called her out of the blue to ask her on a date. Growing up, Jill had wanted two things: a marriage like her parents' and a career. An early heartbreak had left her uncertain about love, until she met Joe. But as they grew closer, Jill faced difficult questions: How would politics shape her family and professional life? And was she ready to become a mother to Joe's two young sons? This is the story of how Jill built a family --- and a life --- of her own. From the pranks she played to keep everyone laughing to the traditions she formed that would carry them through tragedy, hers is the spirited journey of a woman embracing many roles.

Why Don't You Write My Eulogy Now So I Can Correct It?: A Mother's Suggestions by Patricia Marx and Roz Chast - Parenting


Every mother knows best, but New Yorker writer Patty Marx's knows better. Patty has never been able to shake her mother's one-line witticisms from her brain, so she has collected them into a book, accompanied by full-color illustrations by New Yorker staff cartoonist Roz Chast. These snappy maternal cautions include: 1) If you feel guilty about throwing away leftovers, put them in the back of your refrigerator for five days and then throw them out. 2) If you run out of food at your dinner party, the world will end. 3) When traveling, call the hotel from the airport to say there aren't enough towels in your room and, by the way, you'd like a room with a better view. 4) Why don't you write my eulogy now so I can correct it?