Mother's Day Book Gift Guide: Can't-Miss Stories about Remarkable Mother-Daughter Relationships

+ TODAY is the Paperback Birthday for THE HUNDRED LOVES OF JULIET!

Hello, lovelies!

First, some fun in-person event news: If you’re in the Bay Area, I’m thrilled to be the host of Substack Writer Meetup: Silicon Valley! Come meet other Substack writers while we enjoy the patio at Cafe Borrone. We'll introduce ourselves and share our experiences and advice on effectively writing newsletters/blogs. Substackers in all fields/topics welcome!

Wednesday, May 29th from 6-8pm

Cafe Borrone, 1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park, CA

You can RSVP here (it’s free)

Literary Mothers and Daughters: A Book Gift Guide of the Good Ones

Why is it that so often in books, TV shows, and films, the mothers are awful to their daughters? The “evil stepmother” has been a trope for centuries. Daisy Buchanan (The Great Gatsby) is an incredibly absent mother (how many of you even remembered she had a daughter?!—that’s how irresponsible she was.) And then there’s the mom in Stephen King’s Carrie…

Okay, I admit I sort of understand why Horrible Mothers are used as literary devices. Like how Disney films often start with the parents dying, the Horrible Mother is an origin story, an explanation for why the heroine is wounded and also an opportunity for contrast (or sometimes to demonstrate that despite best efforts, the daughter is an apple that cannot fall far enough from the tree.)

However! This is a newsletter imbued with hope and smiley things, so I thought it would be more fitting to share an uplifting Mother’s Day book gift guide in case you wanted to buy something heartwarming for your mom or that amazing friend of yours who is a mother, or another wonderful, maternal figure in your life.

Here are some of my favorites (I don’t get affiliate or sponsorship fees; these are just books I genuinely love and want to share):

WORDPLAY is a merry band of readers and writers who love stories that are deeply human—that make us laugh and cry, pause and think a little harder, and connect with one another in an otherwise too-fast, anonymous world.

Momma Zen: Walking the Crooked Path of Motherhood

If you know any mothers of young children, Momma Zen is one of my all-time favorites. Karen Maezen Miller is an American Zen priestess, and she writes about her own relationship with her baby girl. The book is all about letting go and allowing your beautiful child to be who she’s going to be, because you don’t really have control anyway.

I read this book many, many times when I was a young mom, and Maezen Miller’s calm, comforting voice provided so much assurance—and a lot of smiles and knowing nods.

Other Birds

The mother in Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen isn’t physically in the story, but her presence is woven throughout the story with a light magical touch. Addison Allen wrote this novel in memory of her mother, and it’s a poignant, beautiful testament to how mothers can guide their daughters in unexpected ways, even when they’re no longer there.

The Joy Luck Club

This is an oldie but a goodie, and if you haven’t read it, you must! The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan was one of the first books I read as a teenager that truly made me understand motherhood—and life—from an immigrant’s perspective.

While my mom and I didn’t have a fraught relationship like the ones in The Joy Luck Club, this novel still shook me emotionally with how fiercely mothers can love their daughters, and the lengths they will go to to love and protect them, even if it means sacrificing themselves.

Outlander series

I adore the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. It’s the only thing I read when I’m writing my own books, because it’s different enough from what I write that I won’t inadvertently steal the writing or the voice, and yet it touches on similar themes that I love to write about—relationships, family, love.

Book 2, Dragonfly in Amber, is where Gabaldon really begins to delve into the relationship of time traveler Claire and her adult daughter, Brianna. Their love is so powerful that even centuries cannot keep them apart. If you know a mom who’s a fan of the Outlander TV series, I think she’d love the books, too.

The Hundred Loves of Juliet

And last but hopefully not least! TODAY is the paperback birthday for The Hundred Loves of Juliet, so obviously I would love if you bought a copy!!

In this story, the modern-day reincarnation of Juliet (Helene Janssen) is best friends with her mom Beth, and her sister, Katy. They video chat all the time and tease each other. Here is one of my favorite conversations of theirs:

“Hi, sweethearts!” My mom, Beth, grins into the camera. In fact, all I can see is her grin.

“Back the iPad up a bit,” Katy says. “I’m getting an extreme close-up of your chin hairs.”

“I thought you liked my chin hairs,” Mom says, adjusting the camera so we can see her face. (Well, two-thirds of it. “I’m chrono-tech challenged,” Mom likes to say, which really means “I’m too old to care about getting the perfect framing and lighting, and you are my daughters, so you’ll love whatever part of my face you get.”

“You don’t even have chin hairs, Mom,” I say.

“Yes, but if I did, you’d tell me they looked good, wouldn’t you?” she winked.

The character of Beth is named after my author friend Elizabeth Fama, who is one of the best mothers I know (she has four adult children, and they are all marvelous, creative humans who love and admire their mom—life goals!) I love that, as a writer, I get to honor the good people in my life.

I also slipped my own incredible mom’s name into The Hundred Loves of Juliet—when you read it, keep an eye out for Margaret and Andrew. Those are my mom and dad!

It takes two years of hard work to make a book like this, so buying one is truly the best way you can support my writing. Thank you!!

You can buy The Hundred Loves of Juliet anywhere books are sold.

HAPPY almost-MOTHER’S DAY, from this writer mom to all the fantastic, hard-working, loving mothers out there.

Keep doing what you’re doing, because you’re amazing!

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The Hundred Loves of Juliet Art Print - Exclusive Newsletter Gift

As a gift only to WORDPLAY subscribers, I’m commissioning a limited edition run of 5x7 art prints of Juliet, reincarnated, and Romeo from The Hundred Loves of Juliet. This gorgeous character art was drawn by the artist Sally Pham.

To get an art print, you must be a subscriber to this newsletter:

Then fill out your mailing address on this request form. (I will never sell your addresses or use them for anything except mailing the art print.)

Offer open until May 11, 2024. I will ship internationally!