Books for Mother’s Day
Mother’s Day is coming up on Sunday, May 9!
April 30, 2021
Mother’s Day is coming up on Sunday, May 9! We’ve gathered together a HUGE list of books celebrating moms ?
Included in this list: non-fiction, biography and memoir, fiction, DVDs.
Nonfiction
#Imomsohard
Kristin Hensley, Jen Smedley
Discusses the trials of motherhood humorously and without judgment, including how the body changes and why the house will always be a mess.
Amateur Hour
Motherhood in Essays and Swear Words
Kimberly Harrington
The editor of the RAZED parenting humor site presents a collection of emotionally honest, laugh-out-loud essays about motherhood, adulthood and womanhood as they are shaped by modern challenges ranging from social media to PTO politics.
Ask Me What’s for Dinner One More Time
Inappropriate Thoughts on Motherhood
Meredith Masony
The founder of That’s Inappropriate, an online parenting community with over four million followers, shares her collection of laugh-out-loud essays on the universal frustrations of being a mom in today’s world.
At My Table
A Celebration of Home Cooking
Nigella Lawson
A recipe collection that celebrates home cooking offers recipes that are simple to prepare and feature new ingredients to enrich classic flavors and tastes, including such dishes as parmesan French toast, meatballs with orzo, and apple pork chops.
Best Friends, Occasional Enemies
The Lighter Side of Life as a Mother and Daughter
Lisa Scottoline, Francesca Serritella
From the “New York Times”–Bestselling writing team comes a hilarious new collection of essays that observe life from a mother/daughter perspective.
Born Survivors
Three Young Mothers and Their Extraordinary Story of Courage, Defiance, and Hope
Wendy Holden
In a true account, three pregnant women meet in Auschwitz where they, managing to conceal their pregnancies from the infamous Nazi doctor Josef Mengele, fight for their survival as well as the survival of their newborns as they embark on a treacherous journey to freedom
Bringing Up Bébé
One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting
Pamela Druckerman
A former reporter for The Wall Street Journal chronicles her experience of having and raising a baby in Paris and describes how and why French parents have an easy, calm authority with their well-behaved kids that most Americans would envy.
Chicken Soup for the Mother’s Soul
101 Stories to Open the Hearts and Rekindle the Spirits of Mothers
Jack Canfield
A collection of inspirational writings offering words of wisdom, hope, and empowerment for mothers.
Cook, Eat, Repeat
Ingredients, Recipes, and Stories
Nigella Lawson
The best-selling author of Nigella Bites combines narrative essays on the family experiences that inspired her career with recipes for such seasonal options as Chicken with Garlic Cream Sauce and Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake
First Women
The Grace and Power of America’s Modern First Ladies
Kate Andersen Brower
The author of The Residence presents an intimate examination of the true influences of White House First Ladies from Jackie Kennedy to Michelle Obama that draws on previous untapped and candid sources to document their stories.
From Mom to Me Again
How I Survived My First Empty-Nest Year and Reinvented the Rest of My Life
Melissa T. Shultz
The author describes her struggle with an empty nest after her children went away to college, but also how she ultimately reinvented her friendships, career, and herself.
The Gift of an Ordinary Day
A Mother’s Memoir
Katrina Kenison
Invites mothers to rediscover the joys of everyday family life and the challenges of letting go of grown children, in a personal account that describes the author’s older son’s departure for college and her memories of shared times in their small New England community.
Girl Gurl Grrrl
On Womanhood and Belonging in the Age of Black Girl Magic
Kenya Hunt
From the Deputy Editor of Elle UK, a provocative and humorous collection of essays on what it means to be black, a woman, a mother and a global citizen in today’s ever-changing world.
Good Enough Is the New Perfect
Finding Happiness and Success in Modern Motherhood
Becky Beaupre Gillespie, Hollee Schwartz Temple
Presents advice for women on how they can be happier and more satisfied in all areas of their lives as mothers, wives, and professionals, helping them to be more realistic in their goals.
Ketchup Is a Vegetable
And Other Lies Moms Tell Themselves
Robin O’Bryant
Presents a collection of essays about the everyday challenges and humorous situations of motherhood.
The Kids Will Be Fine
Guilt-Free Motherhood for Thoroughly Modern Women
Daisy Waugh
A critique of modern motherhood argues that today’s moms are enduring unprecedented high standards and trendy parenting guidelines that result in self-neglect and shares reassuring advice on how to embrace a more balanced parenting style.
A Life’s Work
On Becoming a Mother
Rachel Cusk
An account of a year of modern motherhood, set against the backdrop of sexual equality, details the author’s many experiences during and after her transformation into a mother, all of which have taught her valuable lessons in life.
Listen to Your Mother
What She Said Then, What We’re Saying Now
Ann Imig
Collects the experiences of ordinary people of all racial, gender, and age backgrounds from around the world that celebrate and validate what it means to be a mother today.
Meet Me at Emotional Baggage Claim
Lisa Scottoline, Francesca Serritella
The award-winning mother-daughter team of Best Friends, Occasional Enemies presents a new collection of essays about womanhood and the bonds between female relatives, discussing such topics as the proper technique for packing dishes, the importance of bringing a coat in the summertime and the dos and don’ts of dating.
Mom
A Celebration of Mothers From StoryCorps
Dave Isay
Presents the best mom-inspired contributions to the personal-story archive StoryCorps, in a collection that looks across a diversity of experience to present an entirely original portrait of motherhood.
Mommy Burnout
How to Reclaim Your Life and Raise Healthier Children in the Process
Sheryl Ziegler
A practical handbook for modern moms outlines recommendations for avoiding impossible standards of perfection, sharing real-world suggestions for breaking burnout cycles and protecting children from the damage of overwhelmed-parenting dynamics.
Mother
A Cradle to Hold Me
Maya Angelou
Perfect for Mother’s Day, or for any day on which we wish to acknowledge this all-important bond, Mother is an awe-inspiring affirmation of the enduring love that exists in every corner of the globe.
Pitching My Tent
On Marriage, Motherhood, Friendship, and Other Leaps of Faith
Anita Diamant
A collection of essays written by the author during her pre-novelist years as a columnist considers such themes as the nature of family, the relationship between parents and children, and embracing Judaism in today’s culture.
Strong Mothers, Strong Sons
Lessons Mothers Need to Raise Extraordinary Men
Meg Meeker
Builds on the techniques introduced in Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters to counsel moms on how to promote health and success in boys, sharing related advice on rebuilding positive mother-son bonds.
The Three Mothers
How the Mothers of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin Shaped a Nation
Anna Malaika Tubbs
A Gates Cambridge Scholar presents a tribute to the mothers of Malcolm X, James Baldwin and Martin Luther King, Jr., to share insights into the prejudices they endured, their commitment to education and their anti-racism advocacy.
Three Wishes
A True Story of Good Friends, Crushing Heartbreak, and Astonishing Luck on Our Way to Love and Motherhood
Carey Goldberg, Beth Jones, Pamela Ferdinand
In an uplifting story, three single best friends detail how a donor vial from a fertility clinic was passed from woman to woman but never used because, when each woman came into possession of the vial, she met a man and got pregnant the old-fashioned way.
To Hell With All That
Loving and Loathing Our Inner Housewife
Caitlin Flanagan
A four-time finalist for the National Magazine Award poses controversial observations about the rituals and rites of passage that shape women’s lives in the twenty-first century, from lavish weddings and modern sex to housekeeping and work-life imbalances.
What a Difference a Mom Makes
The Indelible Imprint a Mom Leaves on Her Son’s Life
Kevin Leman
A psychologist and best-selling author of Have a New Kid by Friday helps mothers develop the parenting skills that will help their sons grow up to be good, upstanding men.
Why Don’t You Write My Eulogy Now So I Can Correct It?
A Mother’s Suggestions
Patricia Marx
A gift collection of witty one-liners by the New Yorker writer and first woman elected to the Harvard Lampoon celebrates the universal advice of her mother and is accompanied by full-color illustrations by a New Yorker staff cartoonist.
Biography And Memoir
About My Mother
True Stories of a Horse-Crazy Daughter and Her Baseball-Obsessed Mother
Peggy Rowe
A love letter to mothers everywhere, About My Mother will make you laugh and cry– and see yourself in its reflection. Peggy Rowe’s story of growing up as the daughter of Thelma Knobel is filled with warmth and humor.
All You Can Ever Know
Nicole Chung
Chung investigates the mysteries and complexities of her transracial adoption in this chronicle of unexpected family for anyone who has struggled to figure out where they belong.
Anchor & Flares
A Memoir of Motherhood, Hope, and Service
Kate Braestrup
A devoted Christian family woman recounts the wrenching loss of her first husband and her joyful years of raising a blended family before confronting fears surrounding her son’s decision to enlist in the military.
Dear Girls
Intimate Tales, Untold Secrets, and Advice for Living Your Best Life
Ali Wong
Collects the standup comedian’s humorous and heartfelt letters to her daughters, covering everything they need to know in life, like the unpleasant details of dating, how to be a working mom in a male-dominated profession and how she trapped their dad.
An Excellent Choice
Panic and Joy on My Solo Path to Motherhood
Emma Brockes
Presents an uproarious memoir about how the author conceived twins via assisted reproduction, describing her extraordinary if haphazard experiences as a British woman navigating an American fertility system.
Frontier Follies
Adventures in Marriage & Motherhood in the Middle of Nowhere
Ree Drummond
The Food Network star shares heartwarming stories and reflections about her life in the country with her four children and rancher husband.
Glitter and Glue
Kelly Corrigan
The author of the best-selling The Middle Place presents an account of her perspectives on motherhood, which have been shaped by her job as a nanny for a grieving Australian family and her character-testing experiences with her daughters.
I’m Just Happy to Be Here
A Memoir of Renegade Mothering
Janelle Hanchett
The creator of the blog “Renegade Mothering” offers a forthright, darkly funny, and ultimately empowering memoir chronicling her tumultuous journey from young motherhood to abysmal addiction and a recovery she never imagined possible.
Instant Mom
Nia Vardalos
The popular actress shares her story of adopting a preschooler, relating her parenting experiences while discussing innovative ways to conquer the challenges new moms face.
Lifesaving Lessons
Notes From an Accidental Mother
Linda Greenlaw
The female swordfish captain featured in The Perfect Storm traces her unplanned adoption of an abused 15-year-old girl who was placed in her care after a community rescue, documenting their steps toward forging a family life that neither knew they needed.
Mom & Me & Mom
Maya Angelou
The celebrated author shares the intimate story of her relationship with her mother, relating the events that prompted her mother to send young Angela to Arkansas to live with her grandmother and the complicated fallout that shaped their family life.
Nanaville
Adventures in Grandparenting
Anna Quindlen
Before mommy blogs were even invented, Anna Quindlen became a go-to writer on the joys and challenges of motherhood in her nationally syndicated column. Now she’s taking the next step and going full Nana in the pages of this lively and moving book abouther grandchildren, her children, and her new and remarkable role.
One Perfect Day
A Mother and Son’s Story of Adoption and Reunion
Diane Burke
Presents the story of a mother who gave a child up for adoption who then contacted her forty years later and the son who wondered about and became determined to find his birth mother since discovering he was adopted.
The Seasons of My Mother
A Memoir of Love, Family, and Flowers
Marcia Gay Harden
A lyrical, uplifting memoir by the Academy- and Tony Award-winning actress traces the story of her childhood and career while using the imagery of flowers and the art of Ikebana as metaphors to represent the unique creative bond she shares with her mother, who has been succumbing in recent years to Alzheimer’s.
A Singular Woman
The Untold Story of Barack Obama’s Mother
Janny Scott
Draws on interviews with friends, colleagues, and relatives to reveal the unconventional life of Barack Obama’s mother, Ann Dunham, offering insight into how she influenced her son’s character and shaped his destiny at an early age.
Tell Me More
Stories About the 12 Hardest Things I’m Learning to Say
Kelly Corrigan
Tell Me More is a funny, wise and insightful exploration of seven sentences adult life requires. With Kelly’s signature candor and good will, each chapter draws from her sometimes ridiculous, sometimes profound struggles with parenting and marriage, career and friendship, illness, aging and mortality
Untamed
Glennon Doyle
An activist, speaker and philanthropist offers a memoir wrapped in a wake-up call that reveals how women can reclaim their true, untamed selves by breaking free of the restrictive expectations and cultural conditioning that leaves them feeling dissatisfied and lost.
Fiction
All Adults Here
Emma Straub
A matriarch confronts the legacy of her parenting mistakes while her adult children navigate respective challenges in high standards and immaturity, before a teen granddaughter makes a courageous decision to tell the truth.
The Bean Trees
Barbara Kingsolver
Young, bright Taylor Greer leaves her poverty-stricken life in Kentucky and heads west, picking up an abandoned Native American baby girl whom she names Turtle and finds a new home in Tucson with Mattie, an old woman who takes in Central American refugees.
A Catered Mother’s Day
A Mystery With Recipes
Isis Crawford
When a prank goes horribly wrong, ending up with her old college roommate Ellen Hadley being accused of murder, caterer Bernie Simmons, along with her sister, Libby, enlists the help of Ellen’s kids to solve the mystery.
Class Mom
Laurie Gelman
Frowned upon by conservative fellow PTA members for her past as a single parent, Jen reluctantly agrees to become class mom during her youngest child’s kindergarten year, a role that is challenged by parent drama, hypersensitive allergies and a former flame.
Every Day Is Mother’s Day
Hilary Mantel
Evelyn Axon is a medium by trade; her daughter, Muriel, is a half-wit by nature. Barricaded in their crumbling house, surrounded by the festering rubbish of years, they defy the curiosity of their neighbors and their social worker, Isabel Field. Isabel is young and inexperienced and has troubles of her own: an elderly father who wanders the streets and a lover, Colin, who wants her to run away with him. But Colin has three horrible children and a shrill wife who is pregnant again – how is he going to run anywhere? As Isabel wrestles with her own problems, a horrible secret grows in the darkness of the Axon household. When at last it comes to light, the result is by turns hilarious and horrifying.
How Hard Can It Be?
Allison Pearson
When her husband quits his job to pursue cycling and mindfulness, middle-aged mom Kate Reddy returns to the workforce as an entry-level employee for her former employer.
The Joy Luck Club
Amy Tan
Encompassing two generations and a rich blend of Chinese and American history, the story of four struggling, strong women also reveals their daughter’s memories and feelings.
The Kindest Lie
Nancy Johnson
Needing to reconnect with the baby she gave up for adoption years earlier, an Ivy League-educated Black engineer uncovers devastating family secrets before her bond with a young white misfit scandalizes her racially torn community.
Lucky Boy
Shanthi Sekaran
A wrenching emotional battle ensues between Soli, an undocumented Mexican single mother, and Kavya, an Indian-American chef who cannot have children, when Soli’s infant son is placed in Kavya’s care during an immigration detention.
Motherhood
Sheila Heti
A woman in her late thirties seeks guidance from philosophy, her body, mysticism, and chance as she struggles to make a wise and moral choice about whether or not she will have children.
Motherhood Made a Man Out of Me
Karen Karbo
A novel exploring the wonders of biology, pregnancy, and motherhood celebrates the courage and strength of best friends Brooke and Mary Rose as they sort out the relationships in their lives.
The Mothers
Brit Bennett
A dazzling debut novel from an exciting new voice, The Mothers is a surprising story about young love, a big secret in a small community–and the things that ultimately haunt us most.
Mothers and Daughters
Rae Meadows
A box of her dead mother’s belongings arrive on her doorstep, Samantha discovers a mystery surrounding her grandmother, and, in investigating it, comes to terms with balancing her own role as a mother with her artistic aspirations.
Mother’s Day
Patricia MacDonald
Twelve-year-old Jenny Newhall meets her natural mother, Linda Emery, but the reunion is short-lived–Linda is soon found murdered, and Jenny’s adoptive father is the prime suspect.
Mother’s Day Murder
Leslie Meier
Local reporter Lucy Stone finds her swanky Mother’s Day brunch with her brood marred by two mean moms–Barbara and Tina–who use their teenage daughters in elaborate games of one-upmanship that go too far when Tina is shot to death.
Mother’s Day, Muffins, and Murder
Sara Rosett
Forced to team up with her rival after a dead body is discovered inside the school’s supply closet during the annual Mothers Day breakfast, Ellie leaves no desk unturned to protect her kids and expose the killer.
Mum & Dad
Joanna Trollope
Their parents made a choice years ago. Now they’re counting on the children to step in. After so much time, can old wounds heal? Mum & Dad, by the Sunday Times bestseller Joanna Trollope is a wise, brilliantly drawn examination of a modern family dilemma.
Paris by the Book
Liam Callanan
When eccentric novelist Robert Eady abruptly vanishes, he leaves behind his wife, Leah, their daughters, and, hidden in an unexpected spot, plane tickets to Paris.
Perfect Tunes
Emily Gould
A talented songwriter resists her daughter’s painful questions about the musician father who died before she was born and is forced to confront heartbreak when her daughter embarks on a search for her father’s family.
Save Me
Lisa Scottoline
Volunteering at her daughter’s school so that she can keep an eye on a bully, Susan faces a difficult choice when her daughter is tormented at the same time an explosion occurs in the cafeteria, a situation that causes Susan to be blamed for the bully’s injuries.
Send for Me
Lauren Fox
From the author of the highly praised Days of Awe: a sweeping, achingly beautiful new novel that moves between Germany on the eve of World War II and present day Wisconsin, unspooling a story of love, longing, and the ceaseless push and pull of motherhood.
The Sunshine Sisters
Jane Green
Receiving a sobering health diagnosis, a once-uninvolved mother-turned-Hollywood star calls her estranged adult daughters home in the hopes of ending her life, triggering old rivalries and secret fears that challenge family bonds.
Take It Like a Mom
Stephanie Stiles
A pregnant stay-at-home mom faces her husband’s job loss, preschool politics, and a showdown with her playground archnemesis.
The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane
Lisa See
A thrilling new novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa See explores the lives of a Chinese mother and her daughter who has been adopted by an American couple.
That Kind of Mother
Rumaan Alam
Overwhelmed by new motherhood in spite of her love for her infant son, Rebecca, a white woman, asks a kind black woman, Priscilla, to become her family’s nanny, only to have her perspectives changed about her own life of privilege, a situation that compels her to take on unanticipated challenges in the aftermath of a tragedy.
Then Came You
Jennifer Weiner
The plans of four women including a Princeton senior egg donor, a working-class housewife egg donor, a wealthy pregnant woman and her stepdaughter are thrown into turmoil when the pregnant woman’s husband suddenly dies and names the stepdaughter the unborn baby’s guardian.
We Never Asked for Wings
Vanessa Diffenbaugh
After fourteen years of working multiple jobs to make ends meet, Letty Espinosa must learn to be a mother when her parents, who have been raising Letty’s teenage son and six-year-old daughter, decide to return to Mexico.
What We Lose
Zinzi Clemmons
Raised in America, the multiracial daughter of a mother from Johannesburg struggles with her mother’s terminal cancer and her own need to find love and a place to belong, quests shaped by losses, changes in her sense of identity, and unexpected motherhood.
Where’d You Go, Bernadette
Maria Semple
When her talented, troubled, and agoraphobic mother goes missing, teenage Bee begins a trip that takes her to the ends of the earth to find her.
Women in Sunlight
Frances Mayes
Four American women become unexpected friends during a magical year in Tuscany marked by a writer’s complicated relationship with the subject of her biography, long-postponed dreams, and shifting senses of adventure and bravery.
DVD
Mother’s Day
Jennifer Aniston
This celebration of mothers everywhere invites all to enjoy the laughter, tears and love as three generations come together in the week leading up to Mother’s Day.