Books

Sing to the beat of your mum’s literary heart this Mother’s Day by gifting her a book she won’t be able to put down

From the beach reads to the best modern literary releases.
Loading the player...

Books are one of the most personal gifts you can give.

It says a lot about how you know someone when you choose what type of story will capture their imagination – and if you’re not against writing inside their sleeves, a handwritten note brings some extra love to the page.

This Mother’s Day, show your mum how much you appreciate her by picking up a book to pair with your flowers.

We have sourced novels that fit every type of bibliophile itch like addictive page-turners, odes to the female experience, magical realism, and thought-provoking literature.

Below we have curated a list of 8 books published by authors around the world.

Loading the player...

Want more Mother’s Day ideas? Take a look at the links below:

Nine perfect last minute Mother’s Day gifts for when you still haven’t bought her anything

Gorgeous Mother’s Day gift ideas under $100 so you can spoil mum without breaking the bank

The 18 best beauty gifts to give mum this Mother’s Day that you’ll want to “borrow” later

Treat mum this Mother’s Day with these 27 chic and indulgent gifts – because she’s worth it!

From elaborate bouquets to sweet native bunches, these are the best flower delivery services in Australia for Mother’s Day

Support the new mums in your life with these game-changing gifts for Mother’s Day

(Image: Book Depositary)

Mother’s Day books

Charlotte Higgins’ retelling of iconic Greek Myths puts the stories of women narrators and characters into the spotlight. The novel reads like a collection of stories your mum can dip in and out of with its intriguing structural device woven between them that will likely halt her from putting it down.

Greek Myths: A New Retelling by Charlotte Higgins, down to $34.95, Book Depositary.

(Image: Book Depositary)

Mother’s Day books

On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous is a deeply heartbreaking but stunning literary debut from poet Ocean Vuong. The coming-of-age novel reads as a letter from Little Dog, in his late 20s, to his mother, who cannot read. It unearths a family history that predates his birth and tells the story of his family’s life in Vietnam to America, during and after the war.

On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong, down to $17.52, Book Depositary.

(Image: Book Depositary)

Mother’s Day books

If you’ve seen your mum read a copy of Daisy Jones and The Six and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, then finish off her Taylor Jenkins collection with Malibu Rising. The intoxicating read takes place in sun-soaked 1980s Malibu and follows a family drama with so many twists your mum’s jaw will permanently drop.

Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid, on sale at $34.37, Book Depositary.

(Image: Book Depositary)

Mother’s Day books

The famous author of The Second Sex, Simone de Beauvoir’s lost book, has finally received its English translation. The compulsive story about two female friends growing up and falling apart gloriously depicts a tale so intrinsically connected to women’s experiences.

The Inseparables by Simone de Beauvoir, $24.87, Book Depositary.

(Image: Book Depositary)

Mother’s Day books

Elena Ferrante places this book in her list of Top 40 Books by Female Authors for its notable depiction of three women trying to determine their lives in modern-day Tokyo. Thirty-year-old Natsuko is single but years for a child, while her older sister Makiko is an ageing hostess trying to hold onto her youthful features, and her daughter Modoriko is entering womanhood. Its author Mieko Kawakami dissects the conflicts and pain with beguiling nuance.

Breasts and Eggs by Mieko Kawakami, $22.11, Book Depositary.

(Image: Book Depositary)

Mother’s Day books

This debut novel by Coco Mellors is a funny and evocative debut about the repercussions of one couple’s impulsive marriage. The book is likened to Modern Lovers and Sally Rooney’s Conversations with Friends.

Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors, $38.67, Book Depositary.

(Image: Book Depositary)

Mother’s Day books

The iconic author Zadie Smith won the Women’s Prize for Fiction for this literary piece about love and family. The novel follows two feuding families, The Belseys and The Kipps and their confusions, affairs, and histories.

On Beauty by Zadie Smith, $21.50, Book Depositary.

(Image: Book Depositary)

Mother’s Day books

In Tokyo, a small café has served coffee for a hundred years. However, it’s no ordinary establishment – customers can travel back in time, but they must obey four rules, or they may lose themselves forever. The novel adapted from plays introduces its reader to four visitors, each hoping to re-do the past.

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi, down to $15.73, Book Depositary.

Related stories