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My mother is without question a wonderful and caring person. However, on holidays and special occasions, she can be slightly annoying. Why? Because whenever I ask her what she wants for Christmas, her birthday or Mother's Day, her answer is always the same: "Nothing. Just you being here is enough for me." Now this is a very sweet sentiment and, believe me, the feeling is mutual, but these loving words are of absolutely no assistance to me when I'm walking up and down the aisles of a department store, frantically searching for "the perfect gift" to give her. This is the remarkable thing though about most mothers --- they do so much for their children, yet expect very little in return.
Still, I highly doubt that many moms would mind receiving a book or two this Sunday. The books we've assembled make terrific gifts for moms on any day of the year, but they seem especially appropriate for Mother's Day. Some focus on mothers and their relationships with family members, while others deal with women who most mothers are sure to relate and sympathize with.
Trust me … looking at our list I don't think I'll have much of a problem finding a great Mother's Day present for my mom this year!
-- by Tom Donadio
ALL HE EVER WANTED
Anita Shreve
Little Brown & Company
Fiction
ISBN: 0316782262
A man who is escaping from a hotel fire sees a woman standing beneath a lamppost, and he approaches her. This seemingly minor incident sets in motion a series of events that will change his life forever. Years later, as he is traveling from New England to Florida by train, he reflects on his obsession with this mysterious woman --- his courtship with her, their eventual marriage, and the unforgivable act that ripped their family apart.
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ANGRY HOUSEWIVES EATING BON BONS
Lorna Landvik
Ballantine
Fiction
ISBN: 0345438825
Lorna Landvik introduces readers to a very eclectic and engaging group of women who are all members of a book group called AWEB (Angry Wives Eating Bon Bons), an unofficial "club" that becomes much more than just a club--- it becomes a lifeline. These five women each have a story of their own to tell. Although their situations vary, they are all facing a number of obstacles in their lives that they must overcome. This is the kind of book that will leave you laughing and crying, as Landvik reminds all of us how important friendships are.
• Reading Group Guide
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BETWEEN SISTERS
Kristin Hannah
Ballantine Books
Fiction
ISBN: 0345450736
Twenty-five years ago, Meghann Dontess was forced to make a terrible choice, one that cost her everything, including the love of her sister, Claire. Claire Cavenaugh has fallen in love for the first time in her life. As her wedding day approaches, she prepares to face her judgmental older sister and their self-absorbed mother. This is the first time they have been together in more than 20 years and they will try to become what they never were --- a family.
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THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA
Lauren Weisberger
Doubleday
Fiction
ISBN: 038550926X
Andrea Sachs has landed the job many women would die for. She has been hired as the assistant to Miranda Priestly, the high-profile and successful editor of a fashion magazine called Runway. But this isn't the fun and glamorous job most of us envision. Andrea is tested each and every day --- and often late into the night with orders barked over the phone. She endures the unbearable work because she is looking for a recommendation from Miranda that will get her a top job at any magazine she chooses. But will Andrea be able to cope with the constant demands of her impossible boss --- and is it really worth it?
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THE DIRTY GIRLS SOCIAL CLUB
Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez
St. Martin's Press
Fiction
ISBN: 0312313810
Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez writes about six upwardly mobile Latina friends in their late 20s. These women, who come from widely varied backgrounds, meet at Boston University and, after graduating, reunite every six months to share their stories. Facing the complications and pressures of everyday living, the Social Club offers a chance for these women to meet regularly and help each other deal with life --- and love.
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GUARDING THE MOON: A Mother's First Year
Francesca Lia Block
HarperResource
Memoir/Parenting
ISBN: 0066213673
Acclaimed author Francesca Lia Block writes about the joys and elations, as well as the fears and anxieties, she faced during her first year as a mother. As she watches her daughter grow and adjust to the world, Block reflects on how her own physical being and belief system have forever changed, thanks to her child's birth and her parenting skills. This is a love story of the deepest kind --- the love shared between mother and child.
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I DON'T KNOW HOW SHE DOES IT: The Life of Kate Reddy, Working Mother
Allison Pearson
Knopf
Fiction
ISBN: 0375414053
Kate Reddy is a truly fascinating woman. She's a hedge fund manager and mother of two, who can juggle nine different currencies in five different time zones and still get herself and her two children washed, dressed and out of the house in half an hour. Her life is understandably difficult and can be overwhelming at times: she lies to her own mother about how much time she spends with her kids, uses her cell phone in the office bathroom to procure a hamster for her daughter's birthday, and cries into the laundry hamper when she misses her children's bedtime. Allison Pearson uses a blend of humor and drama to address the conflicts of most working mothers and how to balance motherhood with their professions.
• Author Talk
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LEAP OF FAITH: Memoirs of an Unexpected Life
Queen Noor
Miramax
Memoir
ISBN: 0786867175
Born into a distinguished Arab-American family, Lisa Halaby joined the first freshman class at Princeton to accept women, graduating in 1974 with a degree in architecture and urban planning. Two years later, while visiting her father in Jordan, she was casually introduced to King Hussein; the next time they met, Hussein fell in love with her. After a whirlwind, secret courtship, Lisa Halaby became Noor Al Hussein, Queen of Jordan. In this eloquent and honest account of her experiences, Queen Noor talks about the various obstacles she faced as the wife of an Arab monarch, including the difficulties involved in balancing the demands of motherhood with the commitments of her position in the royal court.
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MRS. KIMBLE
Jennifer Haigh
William Morrow & Co.
Fiction
ISBN: 0060509392
In her debut novel, Jennifer Haigh tells the story of three women who marry the same man, an enigmatic opportunist named Ken Kimble. Mr. Kimble is revealed through the eyes of the women he seduces. His first wife struggles to hold herself together in the months following his departure, his second wife was struck by a personal tragedy and sees in Kimble her last chance at happiness, and his third wife was a beautiful but damaged girl half his age. Each of these ladies considers Kimble to be their hero who will be able to fulfill their deepest needs and desires. Only later do they learn the unfortunate truth about this mysterious, "chameleon-like" man.
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PURE
Anne Geddes
Andrews McMeel Publishing
Photography
ISBN: 0740726412
In her stunning new full-color book, Australian photographer Anne Geddes offers breathtaking images of the first precious days and weeks of life --- newborns with their eyes tightly shut, in wrinkly new skin, completely unaffected by and unaware of the world they will one day encounter. Geddes presents these babies in their purest form to "emphasize the fact that they are vulnerable, fragile, and very precious human beings." In addition, mothers are photographed holding these babies in their arms, signifying the beautiful bond between them.
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RESCUING PATTY HEARST
Virginia Holman
Simon & Schuster
Autobiography
ISBN: 0743222857
In May 1974, Virginia Holman's mother believed that she had been inducted into a secret army. She followed the commands of the voices in her head and took her two daughters to the family cottage, painting the windows black and setting up the house as a field hospital. They remained there for four years, waiting for a war that never came. RESCUING PATTY HEARST is the captivating memoir of a daughter who must cope with her mother's mental illness, and an account of the years during which Holman's family was held hostage by her mother's delusions.
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A ROUND-HEELED WOMAN: My Late-Life Adventures in Sex and Romance
Jane Juska
Villard Books
Memoir
ISBN: 1400060117
Jane Juska has written a brave, honest and very humorous memoir about the desires many older people have but are too afraid to admit. You see, Jane is a divorcee who decides she has been celibate for too long and places a personal ad in the New York Review of Books. She clearly states her desire to have a lot of sex with a man she likes before turning 67. The response to her ad is overwhelming and she even takes a sabbatical from teaching to meet some of the men who reply. You don't have to be a senior citizen to enjoy this book, but the more mature readers out there will be especially fascinated and inspired by Jane's daring adventure.
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THE SECOND TIME AROUND
Mary Higgins Clark
Simon & Schuster
Suspense
ISBN: 0743206061
The latest from Mary Higgins Clark is a suspense tale that revolves around a cure for cancer, the embezzlement of millions of dollars and the mystery that surrounds the disappearance of the man who said he made the discovery. THE SECOND TIME AROUND is Mary Higgins Clark's twenty-seventh novel. Readers will find this book fresh and new whether they are reading her for the first time or have read all twenty-six others.
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SHEET MUSIC
M.J. Rose
Ballantine Books
Erotic Suspense
ISBN: 0345451066
As she grieves over the death of her mother and comes to terms with how this loss has affected her life, journalist Justine Pagett is commissioned to write a piece on the eccentric classical composer Sophie DeLyon. But some of Sophie's devoted students do not want her story to be publicized and they try to sabotage Justine's project. On the eve of Justine's arrival at the DeLyon estate, Sophie disappears --- and Justine tries to unravel the mystery surrounding Sophie's life and disappearance.
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SHOPAHOLIC TIES THE KNOT
Sophie Kinsella
Delta
Fiction
ISBN: 0385336179
Becky Bloomwood is leading a charmed life --- she has become the best personal shopper at Barney's and is living happily with her successful entrepreneurial boyfriend, Luke. But life becomes even more spectacular for Becky when Luke finally proposes to her! The only problem (and it's a major one) is that two people are planning her wedding: Becky's overjoyed mother, who is looking to host a backyard wedding, and Luke's high-society mother, who insists on a glamorous, all-expenses-paid ceremony at the Plaza. Becky cannot seem to turn down either one.
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TWELVE TIMES BLESSED
Jacquelyn Mitchard
HarperCollins
Fiction
ISBN: 0066214750
True Dickinson, a widow for eight years, has been able to lead a full life thanks to her young son, her thriving business and her loving friends. Still, on her 43rd birthday, she takes time to reflect and lament her fading youth, beauty and chances at romance. But everything changes the moment True and her car slide into a ditch, and she comes face-to-face with an opportunity to let love back into her life.
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USE WHAT YOU'VE GOT, AND OTHER BUSINESS LESSONS I LEARNED FROM MY MOM
Barbara Corcoran with Bruce Littlefield
Portfolio
Business/Memoir
ISBN: 1591840023
In this memoir Barbara Corcoran, founder of The Corcoran Group, New York's premier real estate company, blends humor and sage advice to bring readers a story of how her mother's unconventional life lessons influenced her life and career. The story starts in a crowded ground-floor apartment in a three-family house in New Jersey that is shared by Barbara, her nine brothers and sisters and her parents. It ends with a sale of her real estate company for $70 million --- which she credits to hard work, fierce determination and her mom's offbeat, kitchen-table advice.
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