Mother’s Day is fast approaching and it’s time to find the perfect gift for mother dearest. One of the best things to receive is a good book, whether you like fiction, self-help or gardening books, being gifted an endearing tale is such a treat.
We’ve put together a list of the best reads to buy your mum (or yourself) this Mother’s Day. They’ll certainly make the book lover in your life very happy.
1: The Importance of Being Aisling by Emer McLysaght and Sarah Breen (Gill Books)
Taking up where book one left off, Aisling is now 29 and she’s still a complete Aisling. After a tough year, things seem to be going well with Aisling and boyfriend John, and life with her flatmates Sadhbh and Elaine in their notiony Dublin apartment is more craic than ever.
However, readers can expect big changes for Aisling in book two when a shock change sees her moving back Down Home. Can she give up the sophistication of brunch and unlimited Pinot Greej? Will she and Mammy kill each other living back under the same roof? And where does that leave her and John? The storyline includes a hilarious girls’ trip to Vegas which gives Aisling some unexpected confidence that sees her going on to grab Ballygobbard by the horns with a new venture.
2: The Positive Habit by Fiona Brennan (Gill Books)
This ultimate manual for the mind will help you train your brain to embrace negative thoughts and transform them into positive emotions.
The Positive Habit is a transformative book that helps readers embrace their negative thoughts and cultivate a positive mindset, through six practical steps, which are grounded in the science of habit, mindfulness, positive psychology and neuroscience. Learn how to self-generate six core positive emotions that guide you from negativity to positivity, from anxiety to calm and from fear to love.
Accompanied by an audio-hypnotherapy meditation plan that takes just a few minutes a day, split between morning and evening, The Positive Habit will transform your mental health as you doze off peacefully to the sleep-time audio and wake up happy as you listen to the 7-minute morning ritual. The relaxing morning- and sleep-time audios will programme your brain effortlessly and help you develop the ability to take control of your emotional health, as you build your ladder to happiness and develop The Positive Habit!
3: Happily Imperfect by Stacey Solomon (Harper Collins)
In Happily Imperfect, be moved to tears and laughter by joining Stacey in her journey so far, as she reveals how to stay positive despite the everyday pressure to be and look perfect. Told through hilarious, sometimes moving, and always charming anecdotes, discover how to get the best out of life by being positive, not following the crowd and trusting your gut instincts.
Covering how to navigate motherhood, deal with anxiety and prejudice, as well as the experience of getting older, Stacey has plenty of words of wisdom to share. With tips and tricks on how to apply a positive mindset within your own day-to-day life, become emotionally freer and happier with Stacey by your side.
4: Lost in Motherhood by Grace Timothy (Harper Collins)
Best described as The Wrong Knickers for mums, in this wry, resonant and darkly funny memoir, journalist Grace Timothy explores motherhood as an issue of identity.
The hilarious book follows Grace’s journey from a young married woman at the top of her editorial game in London, to a thirty-something mum, confused as to how she can love someone as much as her daughter and yet feel lost as a person.
Compulsively readable, irresistibly written and incredibly well-observed, Grace’s searingly-honest account of motherhood is essential reading for every mum trying to find their way after the mother of all identity crises.
5: Organised by Sarah Reynolds (Gill Books)
Wouldn’t life run more smoothly if your home was organised? Enter Sarah Reynolds, Ireland’s leading professional organiser and her new book Organised: Simple Ways to declutter your house, your schedule and your mind.
Whether you live in a chaotic family home or a small apartment, this book will show you how to organise your self, schedule and space so that getting and staying organised is easy; declutter with confidence; set up your wardrobe so you wear the clothes you have; entertain friends in a relaxing, clean space; tame your inbox!
Step-by-step, room-by-room, you'll soon find that you hardly ever lose things, massive clear outs become a thing of the past and you never spend more than 10 minutes a day tidying up.
If you are stuck in a vicious cycle of wanting to get organised but not having enough time to do so, then Organised is what you’ve been waiting for. This book will help you fall in love with your home again and keep it that way.
6: The Baby-Friendly Family Cookbook by Aileen Cox Blundell (Gill Books)
With a 16-year-old, an 11-year-old vegetarian and a lively 4-year-old, Aileen Cox Blundell has a breadth of experience with catering to all appetites and demands.
In her new cookbook, The Baby-Friendly Family Cookbook, Aileen is back with over 150 wholesome recipes that suit the entire family. From winning breakfasts like MacMammy Egg Muffins and Sweet Potato Orange Pancakes, to lunchbox wonders like Veggie-Loaded Mini Quiches and Italian Quinoa Bites.
Every recipe has been developed with health and nutrition in mind and will appeal to the whole family, making mealtimes a pleasure rather than a chore. As well as the recipes, Aileen includes practical advice including how to cook for a vegetarian, safety tips around baby-led feeding, and the ultimate guide to fussy eating.
7: The Newborn Identity by Maria Boyle (Penguin)
Meeting a baby is like meeting someone from the internet: you got used to calling them by a weird nickname and now you need to call them by their real name; they look nothing like their photo; it is hard to believe they’re real until they are actually there...
The hilarious and poignant cartoons of illustrator Twisteddoodles bring a smile to the faces of parents every single day. Her drawings brilliantly capture the unique experience of motherhood and the huge range of emotions that it brings.
In this warm and witty book, Maria writes candidly about what becoming a mother has meant for her. Interspersing her words with brilliant cartoons, she delivers a marvellously entertaining snapshot of life as a modern-day parent. Her sharp observations cover everything from the sleep-deprived early days of having newborn twins to the reality of being a working mum; from just getting out of the house to slowly get your social life back. Upbeat and humorous, this is a wonderful book for parents and parents-to-be.
8: The Gift of Friends by Emma Hannigan (Hachette Ireland)
The final novel from the beloved and inspiring Emma Hannigan is a life-affirming, uplifting story that celebrates the strength and joys of female friendship.
Kingfisher Road- a leafy, peaceful in the town of Vayhill. But there are whispers behind closed doors. Who is moving into Number 10? Danielle appears to her new neighbours to have a perfect, glossy life. But not everything is as it seems… In fact, each of the other four women who live close by has a secret and each is nursing their own private heartache.
But could a gift be waiting on their doorsteps? And, by opening their front doors, and their hearts, to each other, could the women of Kingfisher Road discover all the help they need?
