15 books to gift on Mother's Day

Mother’s Day is around the corner (Sunday 13 May). Here are 15 books to appeal to all different kinds of readers, and you can find even more gift suggestions here – including cookbooks, crime thrillers, science books, and more.

This month, we’ve also included a Mother’s Day Gift Guide as an insert in the Readings Monthly. You can pick up a copy of the newsletter from any of our shops, or you can download a PDF version here.


Dear Madam President by Jennifer Palmieri

Dear Madam President is an empowering letter from former White House communications director Jennifer Palmieri to the first woman president, and by extension, to all women working to succeed in any field. By using lessons learned during her experiences with Hillary Clinton, President Obama, and Elizabeth Edwards, Palmieri creates a forward-thinking framework of inspirational and practical advice for women everywhere.


An American Marriage by Tayari Jones

Newlyweds Celestial and Roy are the embodiment of both the American Dream and the New South. They are settling into the routine of their life together when they are ripped apart by circumstances neither could have imagined. Roy is arrested and sentenced to twelve years for a crime Celestial knows he didn’t commit. An explosive love story about a marriage interrupted.


The Unexpected Education of Emily Dean by Mira Robertson

It’s 1944 when bookish, unworldly Emily Dean is shipped off to unwelcoming relatives in rural Victoria after her mother has a nervous breakdown. Things improve when she encounters Claudio, the Italian prisoner of war. They become more interesting still when her uncle William returns home wounded. A delightfully wry novel about desire, deceit, and self-discovery.


Butterfly on a Pin by Alannah Hill

After running away from an abusive childhood in Tasmania, Alannah Hill went on to create an internationally successful fashion brand that defied trends. But after struggling with identity through success, motherhood, and her 2013 departure from her eponymous brand, she realised the only way forward was to go back. This is a fierce and intelligent account of a trailblazer and true original.


The Bookshop of the Broken Hearted by Robert Hillman

When Tom Hope’s wife leaves and returns pregnant to someone else, Tom discovers a surprising talent as a father. Then Trudy finds Jesus and takes little Peter away. Enter Hannah Babel, quixotic small-town bookseller. Tom dares to believe they could be happy. But it is 24 years since Hannah and her little boy arrived at Auschwitz. Tom is taking on a battle with heartbreak he can barely begin to imagine.


Bohemia Beach by Justine Ettler

After a disastrous show in Copenhagen, international concert pianist Catherine Bell is in Prague about to attempt her first performance without alcohol when her marriage implodes; her terminally ill, Czech-born mother goes missing from her London hospital; and a much-needed, highly paid recording deal falls through. Bohemia Beach is an edge-of-your-seat story of addiction, passionate love, and the power of art.


Seafurrers by Philippa Sandall & Ad Long

While the many exploits of the seafarers who mapped the world have been well documented, those of their pest-controlling shipmates haven’t. Bart the seafaring feline provides a cat’s-eye view of maritime history, from the Fertile Crescent to the New World. Seafurrers is a cute and clever tribute to human-feline friendship – whether on the couch or the crow’s nest.


Australia Reimagined by Hugh Mackay

Australia’s unprecedented run of economic growth has failed to deliver a more stable or harmonious society. Yet esteemed social researcher Hugh Mackay remains optimistic. He offers compelling proposals for a more compassionate and socially cohesive Australia. This book is essential reading for everyone who wants to make Australia a better place.


Circe by Madeline Miller

In Circe, Madeline Miller breathes life into the ancient world once more with the story of an outcast who overcomes scorn and banishment to transform herself into a formidable witch. Unfolding on Circe’s wild, abundant island of Aiaia, this is a magical, intoxicating epic of family rivalry, power struggles, love and loss – and a celebration of female strength in a man’s world.


Balancing Acts edited by Justin Wolfers & Erin Riley

Focusing on a critically underrepresented part of Australian culture – the many ways non-male participants in sport negotiate the traditionally male spectacle of athleticism – this accessible and inclusive collection investigates the way sporting bodies and achievements are portrayed in Australian media and daily life.


The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart by Holly Ringland

Spanning two decades, set between sugar-cane fields by the sea, a native Australian flower farm, and a celestial crater in the central desert, this is a deeply moving story of a young girl, daughter of an abusive father, who learns that the most powerful story she will ever possess is her own. A captivating novel about how our untold stories haunt us.


Ironbark by Jay Carmichael

Markus Bello’s life has stalled. Living in a small country town, mourning the death of his best friend, Markus is isolated and adrift. An elliptical and beautiful coming-of-age story, Ironbark depicts the conflict and confusion of life as a gay man in rural Australia. It is a devastating account of the toll exacted by our society’s expectations of what it means to be a man.


Lovesome by Sally Seltmann

In 1995, 21-year-old Joni Johnson is fresh out of art school and loving her life. She works at a romantic French restaurant by night, and paints at her easel by day. When Joni’s best friend, Annabelle, arrives one night ecstatically in love, but then pursues the one man who seems interested in Joni, everything changes. Tender and funny, Lovesome is a triumph.


Finding My Place by Anne Aly

In 2016, Anne Aly was the first Australian Muslim woman, the first Egyptian-born woman, and the first counter-terrorism expert to be elected to federal parliament. Told with warmth, humour and insight, Finding My Place is an irresistible story by an irrepressible Australian woman who has truly found where she belongs, and who continues to make her mark internationally and in public life.


The Art of Persuasion by Susan Midalia

Twenty-five-year-old Hazel is reading the classics, starting with ‘A’. It’s one way to pass the time when you’ve quit your job and lost your way. When Hazel is partnered with an irresistible older man on a political campaign, Adam seems to be attracted to her too – but why is he resisting? And what does Jane Austen have to teach a young woman about life, love, and literature in the twenty-first century?

Cover image for Circe

Circe

Madeline Miller

This item is unavailableUnavailable