A Guide to Buying the Perfect Book for Mother’s Day
The second Sunday of every May is Mother’s Day, a holiday to celebrate the mothers in your life. This year, that is on May 10. While some countries celebrate Mother’s Day on different days, most follow the United States’s example. On this day, people around the world give gifts to the women in their lives to recognize their unrecognized work.
The roots of modern-day Mother’s Day extend more than one hundred years. The first Mother’s Day was celebrated at a mass in West Virginia on May 10, 1908. This service was advocated for by Anna Jarvis in honor of her mother, Ann Jarvis, whose church it was at. Ann was a proponent for connections between women, and her daughter continued her activism. The holiday grew in popularity in the next few years. In 1914, six years after this first service, President Woodrow Wilson made it a national holiday. In the 112 years since, maternal figures across the country have been recognized on the second Sunday in May.
Some of the most common gifts on Mother’s Day include flowers, gift cards, candles, spa treatments, and brunch. If your mother is a reader, you can buy her a book to add to her library. When looking for the perfect book, there are some factors to consider.
Genres She Loves
The first asset you might look for in a Mother’s Day gift is the book’s genre or a specific subgenre. You can easily weed out books that might not be your mother’s cup of tea. If you do not know what she likes, you can ask or think about some of her favorite books. That is not a guarantee she will like a book of a given genre, but it is a good sign. New bestsellers are a good place to start when shopping for a gift.
With that genre or subgenre in mind, you can go to your local bookstore and browse the shelves. Being able to feel and read the blurbs in person will give you a better sense of the book. You will probably find books you have never heard of; there are tons of new books published every day.
You can also go to specialized book stores to specifically tailor your search. For example, if your mother is faithful, you can go to a Christian bookstore. If you do this, you are more likely to find a suitable book for her. Your search can reach similarly tailored results if you look online for your book. Cloverly Christian has a catalog of new releases. This is a great place to find new faith-based books that can be perfect Mother Day’s gifts.
Authors She Loves
A similar, but different, factor to consider when searching for a book is the author. Your mother might have a favorite author; their new book is a perfect gift. That is a great option for authors who publish relatively frequently. Stay up to date on your mother’s favorite author’s new works. Include a gift receipt with your gift just in case she already has this new release.
If your mother’s favorite author does not publish often, you can find similar authors. People are rarely fans of just one author, so search for authors with a similar fan base. You have the chance to introduce your mother to a new favorite author!
Unexpected Choices for Her
Sometimes, an unexpected book can become a surprising favorite. Never feel confined to the parameters of genres or authors you know your mother likes. Feel free to take a chance with something new. If she does not like it, there is no harm — you just know for the future.
This can be a more creative book search that you use your lifelong relationship to form. You have known your mother for your entire life, so find a book she might not have expected. Going to your local bookstore is a great way to do this. Browse the shelves and different sections to find something that she might like. This can be in any genre or by a new author. Expanding her library can even allow her to connect with others who are fans of the same material.
While this is an open-ended search, you should keep some things in mind. A completely new kind of book might be better as a shorter book. If it is too long, that can be a deterrent or, if she does not like it, a slog. Start with manageable books at first, then go from there. Also, take care with the genre or content of the book. For example, it probably does not make sense to buy your mother a steamy romance or inaccessible science fiction.
Books Relevant to Her Life and Interests
Your mother’s life can be an inspiration for your gift hunting. You can buy her a book about any upcoming major life events or trips coming up. This can include a travel book about an upcoming vacation locale or a fiction book set there. Maybe you can give her a book about being a grandmother. Or, you can give her a faith-based book to further build her relationship with God.
The sky’s the limit when it comes to choosing a book to gift your mother for Mother’s Day. As long as you put thought into it, there are no wrong options. No matter what you give her, she will be grateful to be remembered on this special day.
