Mother's Day is coming up, so here are some books to celebrate them!

Every year, we celebrate mothers around the world, but I think it's especially important to remember these special ladies in 2021. If anything, 2020 opened our eyes to the realization that we could lose a loved one, like our mothers, at any moment. So, with a grateful heart, here are some books to consider as we honor motherhood this year.

My first recommendation is a mouthful, but worth a read if you are interested in a memoir about a would-be mother. Waiting for Daisy: a tale of two continents, three religions, five infertility doctors, an Oscar, an atomic bomb, a romantic night, and one woman's quest to become a mother by Peggy Orenstein is definitely something to look into. Centering on the struggles of deciding to have a baby, only to desperately pursue this goal by doing everything humanly possible, and the repercussions of the ordeal for her marriage.

And now we have everything: on motherhood before I was ready by Meaghan O'Connell is another one that may not be an entirely feel-good book, but opens the reader's eyes to a different side of mothering. The author expects pregnancy, childbirth, and what comes after as something clearly defined through research. However, she soon finds out that becoming a mother is much more complicated and unpredictable. This is not a book about the wonders of motherhood but about the tension between culturally inherited ideals and the realities of lived, bodily experience.

Are you more interested in some fiction? Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver is a story that alternates between two centuries and two families, each with their own set of trials and the mothers who are entwined in each.The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah is about a mother who each day desperately battles against nature and a fight to keep her children alive. In the times of the Great War and Dust storms, Elsa must make an agonizing choice: fight for the land she loves or leave it behind and go west, to California, in search of a better life for her family.

We also have a plethora of children's books centered on moms and Mother's Day, so make sure to take a look at our catalog or stop into the library to browse. Happy reading and Happy Mother's Day on Sunday, May 9!