Archives for May 2017

Mother’s Day is right around the corner. Have you found the perfect gift for the wonderful woman who brought you into the world?

If not, I have some great ideas for all the book-loving moms out there. This list is especially tailored to those of you who left finding a gift to the last minute or whose moms don’t live nearby. All the gifts can be ordered or sent online.

A word of warning: you might want to purchase some of these gifts for yourself. I always feel rather guilty when I’m shopping for someone and end up buying stuff for myself too. In this case, however, I have a good justification for you to use. If you purchase the same thing you get your mom, you can share the experience together and have some lovely discussions about books and reading. What could be better than that? So, go for it and treat yourself too!

6 Last-Minute Literary Gifts for Mother’s Day:

For the mom who likes trying new things:
Book of the Month
The Book of the Month club is a subscription-based service that offers members a selection of five newly published books chosen carefully by a panel of judges each month. Members choose which book they’d like to receive (1 book per month is included in the membership, but there’s the option to purchase the other selections for $9.99).

I’ve been a member for about a year and absolutely love getting the monthly email letting me know it’s time to pick my new read.

You can buy 3-month, 6-month and 12-month plans. If you’re already a member, there’s a Mother’s Day special. Buy a gift for mom and you get one month free!

For the mom who has a long commute:
Audible
Audiobooks are all the rage and for good reason. They’re the perfect antidote to long commutes, housework, and other mundanities of life. There are lots of excellent audiobooks available through the public library, but Audible has an amazing selection of books AND its own original content that’s pretty darn great. Gift your mom a few months of Audible and her ears will thank you.

Audible offers three different levels of gift subscriptions: 3 months for $45, 6 months for $90, and 12 months for $150.

For the mom who is a lifelong learner:
The Great Courses
The Great Courses is a series of college-level courses available in audio and video formats, and they’re perfect for moms who love learning new things. Choose the Download format for any course and you can send it as an eGift. There are lots of great literary courses to choose from like “The Secrets of Great Mystery and Suspense Fiction” and “Great Utopian and Dystopian Works of Literature.” No matter what genre mom likes, there’s a course for her.

Another (and sometimes cheaper option) is to purchase one of the Great Courses through Audible, which has a very good selection of the audio versions of the courses. See above for gifting something through Audible.

For the mom who wishes she had more people to talk to about the books she reads:
Modern Mrs. Darcy Book Club
Anne Bogel, the blogger behind Modern Mrs. Darcy, recently created an online book club for readers who want a community to share their book love. Anne chooses a different book each month for members to read and discuss on her site’s forums, as well during the monthly video chats she hosts (sometimes with guest authors, which is always super interesting). From my experience, I think the community is really friendly and the book selections have all been great for discussion.

Membership for the club was closed until very recently, so grab it as a gift while you can! At $10 a month, I’ve found it to be a worthwhile addition to my reading life.

For the mom who enjoys a steamy bodice-ripper of a tale:
My Guilty Pleasures Book Crate
There are a lot of moms out there who dig romance novels, but if you’re not a romance reader yourself, it can be hard to choose particular titles as gifts. This book crate (which can be purchased as a single-order or as a subscription) helps solve the problem.

All you have to do is choose a romance sub-genre and a gift box with two books and related gift items will be delivered to your mom’s doorstep. Sub-genre choices include erotic/contemporary, historical, young adult/new adult, or random pick. The price per month is billed at $32.99, but varies based on the cost of the books chosen that month.

Literary-Themed Escape Room Gift Voucher
This one’s a little out there, but I think experiences often make the best gifts. In case you don’t know what an escape room is, here’s the description for one near me:

“It’s a real-life escape experience designed for small groups….Your mission is simple: work together as a team, testing your wits and skills to escape from a locked room in 50 minutes or less.”

Time limits may differ from place to place, but the concept will be the same. Not all escape rooms offer a literary option, but most of the ones I’ve looked at do. Themes I’ve seen have included: Edgar Allen Poe, Alice in Wonderland, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Sherlock Holmes and more.

To find escape rooms near your mom, just search the name of the city closest to her with the keywords “escape room.” I’m sure something will pop up. Then search for a Gift Vouchers link on the escape room site. Prices usually range between $20-30 per person.

Do you have any other great last-minute literary gifts you’d recommend for mom? Share in the comments below!