Last Minute Mother's Day Gifts

We hope we need not remind you, but this Sunday is the day to celebrate the most important women in your life—mothers, godmothers, grandmothers, aunts—all the indispensable ladies that have shaped the person you are today.  On a day dedicated to honoring their unique role in your life, it’s often difficult to find the perfect gift to show your appreciation and gratitude to the ladies that you love. For all that they do, for all that they are to you, they should receive a thoughtful, unique representation of who they are. Are you still on the hunt for something special? Hurry up! While flowers may be a an easy go-to gift, we think books are better.  No matter what your mom loves most, an art studio or fitness center, flowers in her garden or goodies in the oven, we have countless personal presents for the ones you love.  Here are a some of our favorites:

For the Bookworm: Daughter of Providence by Julie Drew

For those literary-loving moms, this beautifully written debut novel about family, tragedy, and redemption, is just what she was looking for.  Set in small town Rhode Island during the Great Depression, Ann Dodge must come to terms with the realization that she has a half-sister from the Portuguese mother she was told abandoned her as a young child.  When Ann meets her sister, Maria Christina, a shocking truth begins to surface about what actually transpired between her parents, catalyzing events that end in loss and rediscovery. 

"Haunting, mesmerizing debut . . . This atmospheric and compelling historical tale will surely sweep the reader into the past as Drew's word artistry paints a perfect poignant portrait of a bygone era."—Library Journal

For the Gardener: Garden of Reading by Michele Slung

For the green thumb in your life, author Michele Slung has collected an enchantingly rich bouquet of captivating, memorable, and frequently surprising stories about gardens and gardening. Eudora Welty, James Thurber, Doris Lessing, Lisa St. Aubin, Saki, V.S. Prichett, Colette, and Robert Graves are included, along with unexpected finds from Stephen King, J.G. Ballard, Sandra Cisneros, Jane Smiley, and Garrison Keillor, among others. The gardens featured in these stories are both cultivated and wild, while the gardeners can be lethal, lazy, rueful, or philandering. There are moments of nearly overpowering sensuousness, and there are moments of tenderness that will touch your mother’s heart.

"A surprising variety of authors offer fine writing about how plants and gardens shape our dreams and daily lives." –Seattle Times

 Fort the Domestic Goddess: Cakes by Design by Scott Woolley

If your mother rivals the likes of Martha Stewart and some of your fondest childhood memories involve licking the icing spatula, Cakes by Design might just be the perfect gift for your her.  Master cake decorator Scott Woolley demonstrates the best-kept secrets and tips behind making amazing sugar decorations and the cakes of your dreams.  With step-by-step instructions on how to make dozens of varieties of flowers, detailed information on the tools one needs to get started, delicious cake recipes, and a profusion of inspirational photographs, this stunning book will delight the baking novice and expert alike.

The secrets to awe-inspiring cake decorations, written by "master bakers" -Martha Stewart Weddings

For the Fitness Buff: The Boxer’s Heart, A Woman Fighting by Kate Sekules

Whether your mom lives to hit the pavement, or can’t live without her Tae Bo workout videos, she will relish in this empowering memoir by Kate Sekules. Just in time for the 2012 Summer Olympic Debut of women’s boxing, Sekules recounts the fascinating true story of how she was swept up in the burgeoning movement before it reached mainstream headlines. From the offices of glossy magazines to the gorgeous grit of the ring, this British-born NYC writer and editor turned fashion entrepreneur fought her way into the world of professional boxing and shares the incredible journey in this timely memoir.

"It's a knockout, folks . . . The Boxer's Heart is a winner, on all cards." --Newsweek

For the Collector: Wallpaper, An Illustrated Guide by Charlotte Abrahams

Illustrated book hoarder, design junkie, or collector of all things beautiful, it matters not. This stunning full color volume illustrates the contemporary wallpaper scene in hundreds of beautifully reproduced samples. Throughout their 300-year history, patterned paper wallcoverings have alternated wildly between being absolutely ‘of the moment’ or totally out of fashion. Recently, after more than a decade of blank white walls and minimalism, wallpaper has made a grand comeback - and its popularity shows no signs of abating. If ever there existed the supreme coffee table book for mothers, this gorgeous and unique edition would fit the bill. 

“There is no doubt that wallpaper is enjoying something of a renaissance, and Charlotte Abrahams ably captures the zeitgeist ...with a look at current trends, before deconstructing the history of each theme.” --House & Garden

For the Artist: A Curator’s Quest by William Rubin

For the artist or art enthusiast this incredible volume dedicated to a 20-year period at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in NYC is a lifetime in the making. Distinguised curator,critic, collector, art historian, and teacher William Rubin was a forceful presence for over two decades at the museum from the late 1960s through the 1980s. The exhibitions he mounted as Chief Curator and later Director of the Department of Painting and Sculpture at the Museum set a standard of curatorial excellence. A Curator's Quest is the story of the professional life of a pioneering curator who built the Modern's unparalleled collection, and a history of MoMA itself during that key period.

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