Mother’s Day is coming up, and we know that moms and mother figures can be hard to find the right gift for. In case you’re looking for a way to spend time together, we have a list of events and experiences in Toronto to help you celebrate Mother’s Day. But in case your mom loves to read, we’ve also put together a book list with all types of readers in mind.

So whether you’re looking for a new book for yourself, or something to gift your mom, we’ve got a bit of everything here. So read on for a curated list of gifts for the mothers, mother figures, caregivers, and soon-to-be mothers in your life.

For the Mom Who Loves A Plot Twist…

Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke

Caro Claire Burke’s debut Yesteryear is one of the most buzz-worthy books out right now. Natalie Heller Mills lives a traditional lifestyle, in a rustic farmhouse, with a handsome husband, and six delightful children… so what if there are nannies, producers, and farmhands behind the scenes? So what if her husband, the Republican equivalent of a Kennedy, is also a man-child? What Natalie’s 8 million followers don’t know won’t hurt them. Her detractors are all jealous, because Natalie isn’t just living the good life, she’s living an ideal, while also building an empire from it. That is until one day, Natalie wakes up in a life that isn’t hers. Her home and her husband are familiar, but there’s something… off. She can hardly recognize her children — they are strange and dirty. And her husband is suddenly a competent farmer. Just yesterday, Natalie was curating her Instagram feeds, but now she’s hauling firewood, and handwashing her laundry until her fingers bleed. Is this time travel? A brutal new reality TV show? Is she being tested by God? All she knows for sure is that this ISN’T her life, and she MUST escape it by any means necessary.

For the Mom Who Loves To Cook…

I Sleep In My Kitchen by Mariam Daud

One of my favourite food influencers (Mariam Daud) wrote a cookbook, and I Sleep In My Kitchen is one of my most anticipated cookbooks in a long time. Full of 100 delicious and cozy recipes that have shaped her life, inspired by the flavours Mariam grew up with in her Palestinian American home — your mouth will water every time you leaf through these pages. There’s something for everyone here, from Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos and Triple Stack Smash Burgers, to Tahini Browned Butter Banana Bread, and Palestine’s National Dish, Msakhan.

For the Mom Who Loves Real Talk…

The Lost Season by Stacey May Fowles

Coming out in early June and available for pre-order now, Stacey May Fowles’ The Lost Season is a fresh new take on motherhood. After years of struggling with the pain and challenges of infertility, Stacey May Fowles finally had her beautiful daughter. But along with the joys of motherhood came its challenges. For all the incredible things you gain, you also lose a lot of yourself. Through introspection and vulnerability, Stacey May talks about what it means to create life in a traumatized body, the conflict you can find between motherhood and ambition, and how our ideas of motherhood can hurt us.

For the Mom Who Loves Defying Expectations…

Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Atmosphere is a fast-paced, emotional, and thrilling story following Joan Goodwin, a woman who has been obsessed with the stars for as long as she can remember. She’s been content with her life as a professor and an aunt to her precocious niece, Frances, until she comes across an ad looking for the first women scientists to join NASA’s space shuttle program. When she’s selected from a pool of thousands of applicants in the summer of 1980, she begins her training alongside an exceptional group of candidates. As the new astronauts become unlikely friends, preparing for their first flights, Joan finds a passion she could have never imagined, and a love that she never expected, soon questioning everything she knows about her place in the universe. Then, in December of 1984, on mission STS-LR9, everything changes in an instant…

For the Mom Who Loves History…

The Shock of the Light by Lori Inglis Hall

Lori Inglis Hall’s The Shock of the Light is a classic story about love and war, set during the devastation of World War II. It’s 1942, in Cambridge, and twins Tessa and Theo are both eager to do their part in the war. Theo is recruited by the Royal Air Force (RAF), and disappears into the skies, while Tessa jumps at the chance to join the Special Operations Executive (SOE) in order to spy and sabotage German-occupied France. Two years later, Theo comes home, but Tessa does not. Theo, a clandestinely gay man during a time when homosexuality was illegal, is wounded physically and emotionally, devastated by the deaths of his fellows and his sister’s disappearance. He’s angry, but determined for answers — no matter what the cost. Years later, PhD candidate Edie is deep into her research on the SOE, when it leads her to Theo. The old man and young scholar form an unlikely partnership to finally uncover the truth about Theo’s beloved sister. This is a beautiful, powerful, and poignant story about love, war, espionage, and secrets.

For the Mom Who Loves A Book Club …

Wild People Quiet by Tara Gereaux

Tara Gereaux’s Wild People Quiet is a beautiful story set in a largely white 1940s prairie town, exploring the repercussions of a woman’s decision to hide her Métis identity. The story follows Florence, who has created a beautiful life for herself. She’s a model employee, with a beautiful home, and movie-star blonde hair. Never once has she allowed her brown roots to show, dying them weekly. But one morning, everything changes. A group of Métis workers from out of town show up at the local diner after being hired on at a nearby farm. And one of them has a connection to the past that Florence has spent her entire life outrunning. He has a request for her. Suddenly, Florence is thrown back into memories of her life before, and the line between who she once was and who she has decided to become is getting thinner. When Florence learns of the government’s plans for the Métis community on the fringes of a town, she’s faced with a choice that could shatter the life she’s built for herself.

For the Mom Who Loves A Good Cry…

Homebound by Portia Elan

Portia Elan’s Homebound is a beautiful story about our deep interconnectedness. It’s 1983, and Becks can’t wait to get the hell out of Cincinnati. She’s nineteen, and hiding from the fact that her beloved uncle, the only person who understood her, is dead. But she has work to do – he left her a half-finished game to complete. Little does she know that what she’s making will echo far into the future, shaping countless lives, including a scientist, a sentient automaton, a sea captain, and a futuristic traveller on a mysterious mission. This is a gorgeous and hopeful story about love and humanity.

For the Mom Who Loves Love…

Love Among Thieves by Katrina Kwan

Katrina Kwan’s Love Among Thieves is an irresistible new romance following Adelina Choi, a hacker with a heart of gold and a talent for emptying bank accounts. She’s an MIT dropout who loves to funnel cash from her greedy marks to the ones who need it the most. Being a digital Robin Hood is a simple gig… until she targets the wrong man. West is a retired conman, now a single dad, who catches Adelina in the act. But instead of turning her in, he proposes a bargain… help him and his eccentric team of thieves pull off the ultimate heist, stealing billions from an Italian crime boss, and she can walk away with an equal cut of the money. As the job heats up, so does the tension between them…

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Ameema Saeed (@ameemabackwards) is a storyteller, a Capricorn, an avid bookworm, and a curator of very specific playlists and customized book recommendations. She’s a book reviewer, a Sensitivity Reader, a book buyer at Indigo Books & Music, and the Books Editor for She Does the City, where she writes and curates bookish content, and book recommendations. She enjoys bad puns, good food, dancing, and talking about feelings. She writes about books, big feelings, unruly bodies, and her lived experiences, and hopes to write your next favourite book one day. When she’s not reading books, she likes to talk about books (especially diverse books, and books by diverse authors) on her bookstagram: @ReadWithMeemz