Best Books to Buy Mum This Mother's Day

Stuck for the perfect Mother's Day gift? Look no further than Booxies! We believe every mum deserves a moment to unwind and get lost in a good book. Whether she's a fiction fanatic, a self-help guru, or a helpless romantic, Booxies has something for everyone. This year, we've curated a special selection of our favourite reads, guaranteed to put a smile on any mum's face. Dive in and discover the perfect book to celebrate the amazing woman who does it all!

For the Fiction Fanatic Mum

Small Hours by Bobby Palmer

If you stood before sunrise in this wild old place, looking through the trees into the garden, here's what you'd see:

A father and son, a fox standing between them.

Jack, home for the first time in years, still determined to be the opposite of his father.

Gerry, who would rather talk to animals than the angry man back under his roof.

Everything that follows is because of the fox, and because Jack's mother is missing. It spans generations of big dreams and lost time, unexpected connections and things falling apart, great wide worlds and the moments that define us.

If you met them in the small hours, you'd begin to piece together their story.

Water by John Boyne

From internationally bestselling author John Boyne, a masterfully reflective story about one woman coming to terms with the demons of her past and finding a new path forward.

The first thing Vanessa Carvin does when she arrives on the island is change her name. To the locals, she is Willow Hale, a solitary outsider escaping Dublin to live a hermetic existence in a small cottage, not a notorious woman on the run from her past.

But scandals follow like hunting dogs. And she has some questions of her own to answer. If her ex-husband is really the monster everyone says he is, then how complicit was she in his crimes?

Escaping her old life might seem like a good idea but the choices she has made throughout her marriage have consequences. Here, on the island, Vanessa must reflect on what she did - and did not do. Only then can she discover whether she is worthy of finding peace at all.

The Women by Kristin Hannah

Welcome to HMP Ashcroft. An institution run by a corrupt governor whose determination to impose his will at any cost will have far-reaching consequences on all the inmates.

Within these walls, friendships are forged that will last beyond a sentence, but some inmates can turn in the blink of an eye, because that’s all part of being locked up. In here you are kept from your loved ones and forced into a surrogate family with women you wouldn’t even look at on the outside, let alone call friends. But at Ashcroft, Alliances can mean everything.

Each one of these women has their own story to tell and their own penance to deal with. But whilst they fight for their rights on the inside, who is looking after their family, their friends and children on the outside. Whilst they battle to survive in a closed off world what’s happening in the real world.

At Ashcroft there’s always a price to be paid, and for some it’s high, but these women are prepared to pay anyway they can . . .

For the Thrill Seeker Mum

The School Run by Ali Lowe

How far would you go to protect your children?

For parents living in the beautiful coastal town of Pacific Pines, all their hopes and dreams are pinned on the outcome of the annual Gala Day hosted by St Ignatius Boys' School. To be accepted into the prestigious institution, their sons must battle it out, facing rigorous rounds of physical and mental tests. Their parents will stop at nothing to ensure their sons succeed.

But after one boy is struck down in a hit and run, the scandals, secrets and lies that entangle three mothers threaten to unravel their seemingly perfect lives . . .

How far will the women go to, not just to save their families - but also their reputations?

The Miller Women by Kelli Hawkins

Does murder run in the family? The brilliant, unsettling new psychological suspense from the bestselling author of Other People's Houses.

When a teenage girl goes missing, Nicola Miller fears for her own daughter. Not for Abby's mental health or safety, but that she might have had something to do with it. She worries her daughter is a killer. Just like her.

Nicola has never told the truth about what happened with Abby's father. But now as the search for Cara continues, Nicola, risks her secret coming to light. And she's not the only one with something to hide. her mother, Joyce, and her daughter also have secrets of their own.

A stunning, captivating and yet unnerving exploration of how the sins of the fathers - or in this case, the mothers - can echo down the generations.

How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin

FRANCES ALWAYS SAID SHE'D BE MURDERED.
SHE WAS RIGHT.

In 1965, seventeen-year-old Frances Adams was told by a fortune teller that one day she'd be murdered. Frances spent the next sixty years trying to prevent the crime that would be her eventual demise. Of course, no one took her seriously - until she was dead.

For Frances, being the village busybody was a form of insurance. She'd spent a lifetime compiling dirt on every person she met, just in case they might turn out to be her killer. In the heart of her sprawling country estate lies an eccentric library of detective work, where the right person could step in and use her findings to solve her murder.

When her great-niece Annie arrives from London and discovers that Frances' worst fear has come true, Annie is thrust into her great-aunt's last act of revenge against her sceptical friends and family. Frances' will stipulates that the person who solves her murder will inherit her millions.

For the Helpless Romantic Mum

How to End a Love Story by by Yulin Kuang

Helen Zhang is the bestselling author who can't write her own happy-ever-after.

Grant Shepard is the screenwriter with the movie-star looks who can't afford his therapist.

When the two of them are put together to adapt Helen's books for television, it should be a dream come true. Helen can start a new life in Hollywood. Grant can pay his mortgage.

Only, Grant Shepard is the last person that Helen wanted to see again. She's never forgiven him for what happened thirteen years ago. So no one is more surprised than her when sparks begin to fly between them in the writers' room.

Their history is messy. Their attraction is inescapable. And soon, they're both in too deep . . .

This wasn't meant to be a love story.

Funny Story by Emily Henry

Set over one sizzling summer comes a shimmering, joyful new novel about the happily-ever-after that wasn't and the exes determined to make the best of it from the #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of Happy Place and Book Lovers

Daphne always loved the way Peter told their story.

That is until it became the prologue to his actual love story with his childhood bestie, Petra.

Which is how Daphne ends up rooming with her total opposite and the only person who could possibly understand her predicament- Petra's ex, Miles.

As expected, it's not a match made in heaven - that is until one night, while tossing back tequilas, they form a plan.

Expiration Date by Rebecca Serle

Being single is like playing the lottery. There's always the chance that with one piece of paper you could win it all. . .

From the New York Times bestselling author of In Five Years and One Italian Summer comes the romance that will define a generation.

Daphne believes the universe has a plan for her. Every time she meets a new man, she receives a slip of paper with his name and a number on it - the exact amount of time they will be together. The papers told her she'd spend three days with Martin in Paris; five weeks with Noah in San Francisco; and three months with Hugo, her ex-boyfriend turned best friend. Daphne has been receiving the numbered papers for over twenty years, always wondering when there might be one without an expiration. Finally, the night of a blind date at her favorite Los Angeles restaurant, there's only a name: Jake.

For the Self-Help Guru Mum

Bright Shining by Julia Baird

Grace is both mysterious and hard to define. It can be found when we create ways to find meaning and dignity in connection with each other, building on our shared humanity, being kinder, bigger, better with each other. If, in its crudest interpretation, karma is getting what you deserve, then grace is the opposite: forgiving the unforgivable, favouring the undeserving, loving the unlovable.

But we live in an era when grace is an increasingly rare currency. The silos in which we consume information dot the media landscape like skyscrapers, and our growing distrust of the media, politicians and public figures has choked our ability to cut each other slack, to allow each other to stumble, to forgive one another.

So what does grace look like in our world, and how do we recognise it, nurture it in ourselves and express it, even in the darkest of times?

Why We Remember by Dr Charan Ranganath

A radical reexamination of memory, by the pioneering neuroscientist and internationally-renowned memory researcher.

The Age of Magical Overthinking by Amanda Montell

In the modern information age, our brain’s coping mechanisms have been overloaded, and our irrationality turned up to eleven. Amanda Montell blends cultural criticism and personal narrative to explore our modern cognitive biases and the power, disadvantages and highlights of magical overthinking.
"Magical thinking" can be broadly defined as the belief that one's internal thoughts can affect unrelated events in the external world. Whether that's "manifesting" their way out of poverty, staving off cancer with positive vibes, or transforming an unhealthy relationship to a glorious one through loyalty alone.

In a series of razor sharp and introspective chapters, Montell delves into cognitive biases that run rampant in our brains, from how the "halo effect" cultivates worship (and hatred) of larger-than-life celebrities, to how the "sunk cost fallacy" can keep us in detrimental relationships long after they no longer serve us.

Told with her signature brilliance and wit, Montell's prevailing message is one of hope and forgiveness for our anxiety riddled human self. If you have all but lost faith in our ability to reason through the noise of information overload, this book aims to make sense of the senseless. To crack open a window in our minds and let the fresh air in. To help quiet the cacophony for a while, and maybe, even hear a melody in it.

But the magic doesn't stop at the book! You can personalise your gift even further. Imagine creating a haven for your mum: a world where she can get lost in a captivating story, indulge in a glass of bubbly, and savour handcrafted chocolates specially paired with her wine, all while enveloped in the delightful fragrance of a limited edition al.ive candle.

Prefer a gin-inspired escape? Our 'Gin n' Serenity Booxies' features an award-winning Four Pillars gin, perfectly complemented by gin-infused chocolates and a limited edition diffuser from our friends at al.ive.

But for the ultimate touch, visit our website and build your own Booxies box! Choose up to two books and three delightful Australian products, crafting a gift that truly shows how well you know your mum.

So why wait? Browse our online store to find the perfect book for the incredible mum in your life. Happy Mother's Day from all of us at Booxies!