If Your Mumma Is A Reader, She'll Love These 13 Aussie Novels For Mother's Day
My mother under the mountain of books I've bought her, "Oh thanks, honey".
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1. For the mother who likes to keep on top of the latest literary awards: The Yield by Tara June Winch.
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Seriously, if there's one book the Australian literary scene is getting around right now it's The Yield. It recently won the NSW Premier's Literary Awards Christina Stead Prize for Fiction, People's Choice Award AND Book of the Year. If your mum likes to keep up-to-date with her reading, then this one should definitely be on her list.
The Yield is a story of Indigenous culture in Australia, the language and the identity it harbours. The main character — August Gondiwindi — returns home after the death of her grandfather, Albert Gondiwindi. Before his death, Albert made a start on a dictionary of the Wiradjuri language and it's this book that ties the story together.
Buy the paperback edition for $30.02 and the Kindle edition for $14.99 from Amazon Australia.
2. For the mother who loves some true blue Aussie tales: The Cedar Tree by Nicole Alexander.
This is the first work of fiction that's captured my attention in a long time, which is why I'm sure mums all over are going to love this.
The story is set in the 1860s and focuses on Brandon, Sean and Maggie O'Riain, who have fled Ireland and are now immigrants in Australia. But it also jumps forward to the1940s and tells the story of Stella who married into the family via Joe — one of Sean's sons — and who, after his death, is trying to figure out the secrets and the feud that has torn into the family over the decades.
While this book is fiction, it honestly felt real to me. Plus, the sections about Stella — who is isolated on Kirooma Station whenever her husband goes to work the land — are heartbreaking and highly relevant given the current social-distancing and lockdowns we're all experiencing.
If you have a mum who loves a solid read, likes the Australian landscape and a bit of history, then this book will transport her away from her current worries without feeling frivolous or unrealistic.
Buy the paperback edition for $16 or the Kindle edition for $12.99 on Amazon Australia.
3. For the mother who likes some easy-to-read, yet profound fiction: The Octopus And I by Erin Hortle.
The Octopus and I is immediately captivating and if your mum is someone who really likes to ~delve~ into a book — this one will be perfect for her next adventure.
This book doesn't just open up the life of the main character Lucy, but brings you to perspectives you never would have thought of before, like the octopus from the opening pages.
It's a book about body, sense of self and how life can change it in an instant. Definitely a book that your mum will reread over and over again.
Buy the paperback edition for $23.91 and the Kindle edition for $17.06 from Amazon Australia.
4. For the mother who wants to be more socially and culturally aware: Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia edited by Anita Heiss.
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Personal essays are absolutely fantastic and IMO no one reads them enough! If your mum agrees with me, then Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia is going to become a favourite edition on her bookshelf.
Edited by Dr Anita Heiss, this book includes accounts from well-known people to new voices all aiming to educate readers about the lives of Aboriginal people in Australia.
Buy the paperback edition for $23.74 or the Kindle edition for $12.34 from Amazon Australia.
5. For the mother who knows there's nothing better than a good beach read: The Banksia Bay Beach Shack by Sandie Docker.
If you've got a mum who loves to sit out in the sun on a Sunday with a wine in one hand and a book in the other, then this is the perfect one to buy her for Mother's Day.
In The Banksia Bay Beach Shack, Laura ventures to the tiny coastal town after discovering that her recently-deceased grandmother used to visit every summer when she was a girl, until suddenly, the whole family stopped going. What follows next is a mystery-esque storyline involving deception, family secrets and a beach hunk called Heath.
If your mum wants something she can read so that she can forget about the outside world for a bit, then I highly recommend this one.
Buy the paperback edition for $36.02 or the Kindle edition for $12.99 on Amazon Australia.
6. For the mother who is still catching up on last year's to-read list: Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak.
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It may have been released two years ago, but seeing as it took him over 10 years to write this novel, I think your mum can be forgiven for reading it a couple of years late.
Bridge of Clay, to me, is near perfect. It has the uncanny ability to absorb you so wholly into the story that you don't even realise you're reading. There's no voice in your head reading aloud the words, you're just completely with the main characters, living life with them.
The book is about the four Dunbar brothers and their life together after the death of their mother and the absence of their father. Grief is a major part of this novel and it's woven so delicately through the mundane details of their lives. Would highly recommend, as long as you also have some tissues close at hand.
Buy the paperback edition for $12 and the Kindle edition for $9.99 from Amazon Australia.
7. For the mother who wants nothing more to be wrapped up in a read: The Weekend by Charlotte Wood.
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Shortlisted for the 2020 Stella Prize, The Weekend is one your mum will want to add to her bookshelf.
This isn't a light read — in fact, the storyline can get a little heavy at times, but it's a story that is sure to stay with you after you've turned the last page. The novel revolves around three women who are cleaning out the house of their recently deceased fourth — Sylvia.
It's a story about friendship, the ties that connect us and how relationships change as we age.
Buy the paperback edition for $14.72 or the Kindle edition for $14.42 from Amazon Australia.
8. For the mother who is LOVING the Aussie crime genre: Six Minutes by Petronella McGovern.
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Australian crime is definitely having a moment right now and if your mum is heavily on the bandwagon, then Six Minutes is a great gift for you to have in your back pocket for Mother's Day.
Following the story which is possibly every mother's worst nightmare — a missing child — Six Minutes takes the reader on a rollercoaster of a ride. Set in a town just outside of Canberra, this story has a lot of what's missing in US crime novels — an authentic Aussie voice that makes you feel like you know the characters in it.
Truly, a distracting and engaging read.
Buy the paperback edition for $16.99 and the Kindle edition for $13.11 from Amazon Australia.
9. Or, Riptides by Kirsten Alexander, if they want to really get into the crime genre.
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Sometimes, all you want in life is a read that shocks you out of your body and wraps you up completely in the story. If your mum is of a similar mind, then Riptides will be a read that she just won't be able to put down.
Set in Queensland in 1974, two siblings are driving to their father's farm. An accident on the road occurs, which results in the death of a pregnant woman in another vehicle. The siblings decide to leave her there, dead on the side of the road, only to later realise that they're more connected to her than they originally thought.
Sit down with a strong wine, you're in for a hell of a read.
Buy the paperback edition for $16 or the Kindle edition for $12.99 from Amazon Australia.
10. For the mother, who loves to escape through travel: If You Could Go Anywhere by Paige Toon.
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If your mum loves easy reads full of wholesome content and a good dose of sexual tension, then this book is for her.
If You Could Go Anywhere is about a girl who travels from Cooper Pedy — the small, yet famous opal mining town in South Australia — to Italy after finding out that her previously-unknown father is Italian.
My colleague loved the book so much that she wrote about it here. She might not be a mum, so maybe this is one you pick up for yourself, no?
Buy the paperback edition for $28.24 or the Kindle edition for $3.99 from Amazon Australia.
11. For the mother who likes to learn: Radio Girl by David Dufty.
Every so often, a book or movie biography gets released and after consuming it, you're left thinking, "How the hell did I not know about this person before!?". If your mum is someone who thrives on content like this, then Radio Girl is perfect for her.
This non-fiction biography details the life of Violet McKenzie, a woman who was instrumental in getting women into the armed forces. She was an electrical engineer, a pioneer of radio and a successful business woman — all during the 1930s and '40s. Talk about inspirational!
Buy the paperback edition for $29.99 from Allen and Unwin or the Kindle edition for $17.19 from Amazon Australia.
12. For the mother who is a fan of classic novels: A Treacherous Country by K. M. Kruimink.
A Treacherous Country was the recipient of The Australian/ Vogel's Literary Award 2020, announced in mid-April this year. The award is for an outstanding, unpublished manuscript from a writer under the age of 35. It also comes with an impressive $20,000 prize, so it's extremely coveted.
This year's book is set during the1800s in Tasmania and surrounds Gabriel Fox's search for a woman, Maryanne Maginn, who is somewhere in Van Diemen's Land. The writing is like the same as reading a classic novel, except this one was published in 2020!
If your mum is a fan of the classics, then get her this one and let her see what all the fuss is about!
Buy the paperback edition for $26.35 or the Kindle edition for $14.24 from Amazon Australia.
13. And finally, for the mother who can't get enough of romance: The Lost Love Song by Minnie Darke.
Sometimes all that you need in life is a good ole' love story. If your mum is romantically inclined, then The Lost Love Song could be the perfect novel for her.
The book is set around a song, one that travels the world from love story to love story while the reader wonders if it will ever find its way back to Melbourne and to the man that it was written for. It's a story about how music can have a huge impact on our lives in ways that you might never expect.
Buy the paperback edition for $16 and the Kindle edition for $12.99 from Amazon Australia.