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Best Gifts for Book Loving Moms This Mother's Day

Mother's Day is this weekend on Sunday, May 11th. If your mom enjoys reading, consider picking up some of these gifts for mothers who still enjoy a good book from time to time!

Mother Daughter Letter Box Set

  • Mother & Daughter Letter Box Set
    • "Includes one 20 page book (to share) & over 40 cards & envelopes, provided to create a keepsake that will last forever."
    • Cost: $40

Secrets of the Ladies Mission Society

  • Secrets of the Ladies Mission Society by Laurie Dick
    • "Filled with poignancy, charm, and a bit of mystery—not to mention some fine Southern cooking—Secrets of the Ladies Mission Society will have readers cheering through tears as it comes to its extraordinary conclusion."
    • Cost: $10 Kindle eBook, $14 Paperback

Mum Mug

  • Mother's Day Mug
    • "This funny Mother's Day gift mug is something a little bit different. It pays homage to your mum's greatness at creating you, her awesome progeny. Treat your mum and bring her a cuppa in it! A sweet mug with playful text and pink heart to the front and back."
    • Cost: $21

Reading glasses

Starbucks Gift Card

  • Starbucks Gift Card
    • "Got a special occasion to celebrate? This new card is the perfect one to share. The celebratory design is ideal for birthdays, graduations, new jobs, and personal victories big and small."
    • Cost: $15+

Madam President

  • Madame President by Nicolle Wallace
    • Geoffrey Chaucer (Le Vostre GC): Servaunt of the Kynge. Blogger. Wryter of verse. Wearer of litel woolen hatte. Deputy Forestere of North Petherton.
    • Cost: $13 Kindle eBook, $16 Hardcover

Book jewelry box

  • Jewelry Boxes Made From Books
    • "A unique way to store your favorite jewelry. This wood book box is decorated to look like a classic book and the drawer is lined with lovely fabric."
    • Cost: $25+

Jane Eyre Litograph Tshirt

  • Litograph T-Shirts
    • "Unique t-shirts created entirely from the text of your favorite books. Every Litographs t-shirt is created entirely from the text of a classic book, and is hand-pressed to order in Cambridge, MA."
    • Cost: $34+

Personal Library Kit

  • Personal Library Kit
    • "For a bibliophile, there's no greater pleasure than sharing beloved books, but no crueler pain than losing them for good—until the Personal Library Kit! Revive old-fashioned library circulation techniques for fun and book retention with our classic bestseller!"
    • Cost: $18

The Book Seat

  • The Book Seat
    • "Hands free book holder. The Book Seat doubles as a travel pillow; in a car, bus, plane etc. It will mold itself and shape to sit at any angle on any surface that you place it. There is a Handy storage pocket - for mobile phone, reading glasses, sunglasses, remote control, pen. The fabric used is the latest high quality 190gsm faux-suede."
    • Cost: $42

Honorable mentions include Talkative Bookmarks ($10), the Book Lovers' Scented Soy Candle ($16), and the Book Lovers Gift Basket ($60). And if you get Mom a book - don't forget to inscribe it with a message!

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Top 10 Twitter Accounts for Classic Literature Fans

Imitation is the highest form of flattery - and these Twitter accounts intend to keep a lot of these classic literature books alive through any means necessary.

Love Shakespeare? Enjoy quotes from Mark Twain? Consider following some of these Twitter accounts:

 Shakespeare tweet

Laura Ingalls Wilder tweet

Mark Twain tweet

JD Salinger tweet

Charles Dickens tweet

Chaucer tweet

  • Geoffrey Chaucer, @LeVostreGC
    • Geoffrey Chaucer (Le Vostre GC): Servaunt of the Kynge. Blogger. Wryter of verse. Wearer of litel woolen hatte. Deputy Forestere of North Petherton.
    • Joined Twitter in December, 2011
    • Over 9k tweets
    • Most famous book: The Canterbury Tales

Confucius tweet

 

  • Confucius, @ConfuciusQuote
    • A healthy body is part of the foundation to creating a healthy mind! Confucius Quotes for body, mind and soul. Powered by @comdevelop
    • Joined Twitter in March, 2011
    • Over 500 tweets
    • Most famous book: The Analects

Vonnegut tweet

Samuel Johnson tweet

  • Samuel Johnson, @DrSamuelJohnson
    • Gouty Lexicographer of Dr Johnson's Dictionary of Modern Life, publish'd by Square Peg. Presently in the American Colonies.
    • Joined Twitter in March, 2009
    • Over 4.5k tweets
    • Most famous book: A Dictionary of the English Language

Jane Austen tweet

  • Jane Austen, @JaneAustenLIVES
    • We are a set of avid researchers of all things Jane Austen: essays, news, books, letters, sequels, adaptations and Austenesque quotes. WE LOVE JANE AUSTEN!
    • Joined Twitter in January, 2010
    • Over 11k tweets
    • Most famous book: Pride and Prejudice
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Book Review for Headstrong by Rachel Swaby

HEADSTRONG by Rachel Swaby starts with a fascinating (and slightly infuriating) anecdote. The opening line:

This book about scientists began with Beef Stroganoff. According to the New York Times, Yvonne Brill made a mean one.

Yvonne Brill was a rocket scientist, and a brilliant one - but the New York Times decided that her Beef Stroganoff was far more noteworthy than her discovery of a fuel-efficient chemical propulsion thruster. This "snafu" must have been in the 1950s or 1960s, right? Nope. March of 2013.

Let that sink in. Two years ago, a brilliant and important woman of science was revered for her stroganoff in her obituary, with a quick mention of her scientific discoveries buried in the proceeding paragraphs.

I should something about myself: I have a major affinity for feminist nonfiction. How To Be a Woman is one of my favorite books. So, I'm admittedly biased and predisposed to love a book like Headstrong.

And love it I do. This collection of women who changed the world is a good read, but more than that - this is an important book. I am incredibly glad this book exists in the world. I'm grateful to learn about Gerty Radnitz Cori, who worked side-by-side with her husband and yet was slighted by so many universities for being a woman in science. I'm humbled by Chien-Shung Wu's work in nuclear physics. And I'm enthralled by Rosalind Franklin's work in genetics, which laid the foundation for Watson and Crick to diagram the double helix.

Feminists, scientists, literary lovers - Headstrong deserves a place on your shelves.

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Great Biographies & Memoirs to Check Out | Week of May 5th, 2015

This week, the definitive autobiography of Willie Nelson hits the shelf. It's a Long Story: My Life, available in Kindle eBook, Hardcover or Audio CD format, is "told as clear as a Texas sky and in the same rhythm" that Willie Nelson lived it. Joan River's biography, written by her daughter Melissa Rivers, is also out - it's titled The Book of Joan: Tales of Mirth, Mischief, and Manipulation and is available in Kindle eBook, Hardcover and Audio CD formats.

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Sweet New Romances to Pick Up | Week of May 5th, 2015

Fans of historical fiction will enjoy Deeanne Gist's Tiffany Girl, the tale of a progressive "New Woman" who helps complete the Tiffany chapel - while struggling with her own romantic interests. Not interested in the past? Pick up As Waters Gone By or Making Your Mind Up as women struggle with marriage difficulties in modern times. Or read a romance novel from a man's perspective with Debbie Macomber's Marriage of Inconvenience.

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Upcoming Young Adult Fiction Novels to Read | Week of May 5th, 2015

Love classic fairy tales? Pick up Rosamund Hodge's Crimson Bound, available in Kindle eBook, Hardcover or Audio CD. Or if you're looking for something a bit more romantic, look up The Heir by Kiera Cass, available in Kindle eBook, Hardcover, Paperback or Audio CD. For young adults more interested in following the tale of a young man, Minnow.

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This Week's Literary Fiction Novels | Week of May 5th, 2015

What would happen if Adolf Hitler woke up in modern-day Berlin? Find out with Timur Vermes' Look Who's Back, available in Kindle eBook, Hardcover or Paperback format. If you're not in the mood for satire, give Lucinda Riley's The Seven Sisters a shot. Riley is an internationally bestselling author and her newest book is available in Kindle eBook, Hardcover, Paperback or Audio CD.

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New Mystery & Thriller Releases | Week of May 5th, 2015

If you like shows like NCIS, you'll probably enjoy this week's Rock with Wings, available in Kindle eBook, Hardcover, Paperback and Audio CD, or The Fall, available in Kindle eBook, Hardcover and Audio CD formats. Fans of books based on small towns in the South will enjoy Carolyn Hart's Don't Go Home as you follow Annie Darling as she hosts a party to welcome celebrated author, Alex Griffith, and his new novel Don't Go Home...but things go awry when the author turns up dead.

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The Lowdown on Oprah’s Book Club 2.0

Fans of Oprah’s long-running book club have cause for celebration- Oprah’s Book Club 2.0 is here and it’s better than ever! Digital books have become a huge part of the literary world, with sites like Kindle, NOOK, and Scribd. changing the way we read. Oprah’s Book Club 2.0 offers a way for you to get Oprah’s personal book recommendations, reading notes, and group discussions in an interactive, digital format.

While Oprah’s book selections aren’t on a consistent schedule, the books she chooses are usually exceptional and worth the read. If you’re not caught up yet, check out the list below to see the books that have made the 2.0 list thus far.

Wild

Cheryl Strayed

Oprah’s first selection was a memoir about Cheryl Strayed’s journey hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. This 1,100-mile hike led her on a journey of personal self-discovery unlike any other. Uplifting and inspired, this novel was turned into a major motion picture starring Reese Witherspoon.

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The Twelve Tribes of Hattie

Ayana Mathis

Mathis’ debut novel is centered around an African-American family and their bold, harsh matriarch. Told from the resilient perspective of the children of the Great Migration, readers better understand the trials and hardships faced by black families of that day and age.

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The Invention of Wings

Sue Monk Kidd

Sue Monk Kidd, known for her beloved novel The Secret Life of Bees, once more offers a beautiful and intricately told story. We are treated to a unique tale of the relationship between a young, white landowner’s daughter, Sarah Grimke, and her slave girl Hettie “Handful” Grimke. Told over the course of 35 years, this novel is a touching, profound story that will truly move readers.

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Ruby

Cynthia Bond

Set in the rural part of East Texas, readers are introduced to the hard life of Ruby Bell. While she finally escapes to the freedom of New York City, Ruby is eventually required to return home in her thirties to take care of family matters. Unfortunately, it appears Ruby falls back into the pattern of violence that plagued her childhood- but this time she may not be strong enough to get out. Can a long time admirer protect her, or will he be forced to remain silently in the background?

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We’ll be on the lookout for the next book in Oprah’s Book Club 2.0 to be released, and keep you updated as soon as we find out. In the mean time, take a break and enjoy the four excellent selections Oprah has made so far. Happy reading!

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Award Winning Books in 2014

If you prefer to read the best of the best, consider picking up some of these award winning books from 2014 spanning all sorts of different genres!

The Goldfinch

Donna Tartt
(Pulitzer Prize for Fiction)

Follow Theo Decker, a boy in New York who survives an accident that kills his mother, as he grows up in a confusing world of wealth, artwork, antiques and fate.

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The Flick

Annie Baker
(Pulitzer Prize for Drama)

Full of humor and struggles, The Flick is about three ushers in a Massachusetts theater whose own stories trump the tales told on their 35 millimeter film projecters.

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The Internal Enemy: Slavery and War in Virginia, 1772-1832

Alan Taylor
(Pulitzer Prize for History)

If you're a fan of American history, Taylor's detailed recreation of Virginia's turbulent history is sure to fascinate and inform.

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Margaret Fuller: A New American Life Paperback

Megan Marshall
(Pulitzer Prize for Biography)

Margaret Fuller's biography is that of an unsung hero in the literary world - she was Thoreau's first editor, a friend of Emerson, a war correspondent and more as Marshall brings her story to life.

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3 Sections: Poems

Vijay Seshadri
(Pulitzer Prize for Poetry)

The third in Seshadri's series features poetry, prose and commentary on everyday consciousness.

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Toms River: A Story of Science and Salvation

Dan Fagin
(Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction)

Journalist Dan Fagin recounts over sixty years of unfolding, true stories about the dangers of pollution, the causes of cancer and a small town in New Jersey that helped bring light to it all.

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Age of Ambition: Chasing Fortune, Truth, and Faith in the New China

Evan Osnos
(National Book Award for Nonfiction)

Also an Economist Best Book of 2014, learn more about China's dramatic transformation with the help of Osnos, a Beijing correspondent for the New York Times.

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Redeployment

Phil Klay
(National Book Award for Fiction, John Leonard National Book Critics Circle Award)

Considered one of the best depictions of war in recent memory, this book brings readers to the frontlines of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan - and to the lives of soldiers who must return to civilian life afterwards.

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Faithful and Virtuous Night: Poems

Louise Glück
(National Book Award for Poetry)

Fans of Glück's previous Poems 1962-2012 will not be disappointed with this American poet's latest collection.

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Brown Girl Dreaming

Jacqueline Woodson
(National Book Award for Young People's Literature)

Also a Newbery Honor Book, Woodson shares her personal story of growing up as an African American in the 1960s and 1970 as a teen raised in South Carolina and New York.

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The Narrow Road to the Deep North: A novel

Richard Flanagan
(Man Booker Literary Prize)

With over 900 reviews and a 4.5 average star rating on Amazon, it's clear that the author of Gould’s Book of Fish was successful again with his latest award-winning novel.

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Lila: A Novel

Marilynne Robinson
(National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction)

Revisiting Robinson's Pulitzer Prize-winning Gilead and Orange Prize-winning Home, fans of Robinson's fiction will not want to miss her latest novel.

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The Problem of Slavery in the Age of Emancipation

David Brion Davis
(National Book Critics Circle Award for General Nonfiction)

From one of the premier historians on the 20th century, Davis' 2014 book Davis brings his esteemed and prizewinning trilogy about slavery in the West to an end.

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Can't We Talk about Something More Pleasant?: A Memoir

Roz Chast
(National Book Critics Circle Award for Autobiography)

Chast's latest memoir touches on a topic that nearly everyone must go through - adult children handling aging parents in a modern world.

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Tennessee Williams: Mad Pilgrimage of the Flesh

John Lahr
(National Book Critics Circle Award for Biography)

Live the life of Tennessee Williams through Lahr's beautiful narrative showcasing one of the most prominent American playwrights of our time.

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The Essential Ellen Willis

Ellen Willis
(National Book Critics Circle Award for Criticism)

This collection brings together essays by Ellen Willis from the 1960s to the 2000s on matters including rock music, pornography, religion, war, drugs and more.

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Citizen: An American Lyric

Claudia Rankine
(National Book Critics Circle Award for Poetry)

Rankine's meditations on race, society and identity rings true - as one reviewer noted, it's full of "beautiful writing that conveys difficult truths"

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High Price: A Neuroscientist's Journey of Self-Discovery That Challenges Everything You Know About Drugs and Society (P.S.)

Carl Hart
(PEN Literary Award)

Hart's memoir takes on concepts of race, drugs and poverty as he explains his landmark research in neuroscience and how he applies science to his life to help better others'.

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League of Denial: The NFL, Concussions and the Battle for Truth

Mark Fainaru-Wada
(PEN Literary Award)

Award-winning ESPN Mark Fainaru-Wada and Steve Fainaru seek to uncover the truth behind the violent sport of football and its links to brain damage.

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Godforsaken Idaho

Shawn Vestal
(PEN Literary Award)

Vestal takes on Joseph Smith and the very core of Mormonism in this critically acclaimed collection of stories.

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Autobiography of a Corpse

Sigizmund Krzhizhanovsky
(PEN Literary Award)

Translated by Joanne Turnbull, this book contains eleven stories by an author considered to be one of the greatest Russian writers of our century.

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The King of Little Things

Bil Lepp
(PEN Literary Award)

Fans of beautiful illustrations and amusing stories will love this children's book for ages 3 and up.

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Holding On Upside Down: The Life and Work of Marianne Moore

Linda Leavell
(PEN Literary Award)

Modernist poet Marianne Moore's poems about survival get a life of their own in this biography written by Leavell, with support of the Moore estate.

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Critical Mass: Four Decades of Essays, Reviews, Hand Grenades, and Hurrahs

James Wolcott
(PEN Literary Award)

With decades of critical writing under his belt, Wolcott's collection features essays on American literature, rock and roll, television shows and more.

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Diaries of Exile

Yannis Ritsos
(PEN Literary Award)

Ritsos is known as one of the most important poets of modern Greece and this collection proves it with three pieces written between 1948 and 1950.

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domina Un/blued

Ruth Ellen Kocher
(PEN Literary Award)

Kocher's fourth volume of poetry explores the slave/dominant relationship in detail.

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For more, also check out Goodreads' Best of 2014 list - it's not as official as other literary prizes, for sure, but there are still plenty of great books to discover!

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