Lauren Loos
Apr 26, 20203 min
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Mother's Day is coming up in just a few short weeks. Luckily for you, I've got some great book recommendations for your mum (or yourself!!!!) which are perfect for isolation gifting.
Contemporary Fiction
Witty, awkward, funny and tense, Such a Fun Age explores parenthood and race in a way that it utterly addictive. This is a book that your mum won't be able to put down.
Click here for the full synopsis of Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid.
Non Fiction
Over the course of eight years, Lisa Taddeo documented the lives of three women, and in doing so has created an intricate portrayal of women and sex that is poignant, challenging and heartbreaking. Be warned: this is non-fiction, so there isn't a tidy, satisfying ending.
Click here to check out the full synopsis of Three Women by Lisa Taddeo.
Literary Fiction
Beartown is a book about hockey. But before you skim past because your mum isn't into hockey (because whose mum is???), let me tell you: this book is incredible. It's a portrait of a small town that is tired and collapsing economically. But the town has one love, one hope: ice hockey. Their junior team is about to compete in the national semi-finals.
An accusation of assault from a teenage girl reveals the underbelly of an unswerving devotion to something that is more than just a sport. The hopes of an entire town is a big burden for a group of teenage boys.
Check out the full synopsis for Beartown by Fredrik Backman here.
Contemporary Fiction
When all we ever see are the highlights, it’s easy to think our friends are leading Perfect Lives. But what happens when those perfect veneers begin to crumble?
Perfect Lives is a funny, relatable and at times devastatingly real novel about friendship, jealousy and the fact that people’s lives are rarely what they seem.
Click here for the full synopsis of Perfect Lives by Lauren Loos.
Romantic Comedy
The Unhoneymooners is rom com at its best. It's light, fun, easy to read, and it will leave you feeling completely satisfied.
For the full synopsis of The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren, click here.
Literary Fiction
Boy Swallows Universe is a quirky masterpiece, set in Brisbane in the 1980s. The characters are so beautifully fleshed out, and the story line is bizarre yet captivating.
See the full synopsis of Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton here.
Historical Fiction
The Great Alone in set in the 1970s, and follows a young family that moves to an isolated town in Alaska. The threat that the harsh wilderness poses is overshadowed by a much more dangerous human threat.
Check out the full synopsis of Kristin Hannah's The Great Alone here.
Contemporary Fiction
Romance, intrigue and international travel. This book has all the things that your mum absolutely does not have in quarantine. It's a really great read written by the truly amazing Karen Swan. Word of warning though: once she reads this, your mum will be hooked and may just order Karen Swan's exceptionally large entire back catalogue.
Click here for the full synopsis of The Paris Secret by Karen Swan.
Psychological Thriller
A fictional book about a reality TV show, with jealousy at the forefront (obviously) and a little bit of murder. This book stole what could have been a very good night's sleep from me! It's completely addictive.
Check out the synopsis of The Favourite Sister by Jessica Knoll here.
Memoir
Educated is a memoir written by a woman who grew up in an isolated, strict Mormon community, with a father whose mental illness flourished in the isolation and under his personal interpretation of Mormonism. The contrast between this young woman's experience growing up in a homeschooling environment that extended only so far as reading, and her later education at Harvard and Cambridge University is eye-opening. I absolutely devoured this book!
Click here for the full synopsis of Educated by Tara Westover.
Contemporary Literary Fiction / Psychological Thriller
Sister balances on the cusp of thriller and literary fiction. Rosamund Lupton's work is poetic and completely unexpected. And, in my opinion, this is her greatest book.
See the full synopsis of Sister by Rosamund Lupton here.
Want more book recommendations? Check out this list of 7 books that promise to distract you from the real world.
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