By Phoebe Farag Mikhail

I’ve got some great gift ideas for your bookish moms and women who want to be moms this Mother’s Day, with some book giveaways too! Because of the COVID-19 shut downs, most of these items will not ship in time for Sunday. However, all of these shops also have digital gift certificates which you can print (or email) mom, along with this list of recommendations. You might also be able to pick up some of these books from your local independent bookstore curbside.

To enter the book giveaways, please subscribe to my email newsletter and then leave a comment below about what book you are interested in. The giveaway closes soon — on Monday, May 11^th at 11:59 pm. Please note the giveaway copies simply won’t ship in time for Mother’s Day.

For the coffee or tea drinking mom: “You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me,” C.S. Lewis once said. This “Desert Mothers Know Best” mug from Creative Orthodox is not that large but gives a humorous nod to all the Desert Mothers – the spiritual mothers that left us so much wisdom from their examples and practice. Purchase the mug (or get the quote on other designs) here. Digital gift certificates can be purchased here.

You can also learn more about the Desert Fathers and Mothers in Balance of the Heart: Desert Spirituality for 21^st Century Christians by Lois Farag (Bookshop | Amazon), and the mothers specifically from The Forgotten Desert Mothers by Laura Swan (Bookshop | Amazon).

Support your local independent bookstore by buying a gift certificate (locate yours by inputting your zip code here), or purchase an Amazon gift certificate here.

For the bibliophile mom: As a book loving mom myself I don’t just love reading, I love books. Artwork with books. Books about books. And yes, clothing with books. This dress patterned with books is from Svaha, one of my favorite clothing companies. Earlier during the pandemic, Svaha donated 10,000 N95 masks to high volume hospitals in the U.S., which made me love this company even more. If you use my referral link, you’ll get 20% off your first purchase of $50 or more, and I will get a $15 credit that will help me buy my next book dress. If mom is not into dresses, there are also book patterned lounge pants, and several book and literature themed gift boxes. You can buy her a gift card here.

And now for the books themselves …

For someone who longs to become a mom: Nicole Roccas’ Under the Laurel Tree: Grieving Infertility with Sts. Joachim and Anna, is a book for those couples who are struggling to conceive, and for people who love and minister to them. Nicole wrote a guest post on this blog about how our communities can support couples facing infertility. In the book, Nicole manages to traverse painful ground and deep theology while still writing a readable book that is useful for everyone, not just those who face the challenges of infertility.

By following the lives of Sts. Joachim and Anna, Nicole has also developed a hopeful and life-giving framework for couples to turn to when facing infertility. She frankly (and sometimes humorously) points out the pain that can be caused by the words of otherwise well-intentioned loved ones (I’m guilty, more than once, of telling someone facing infertility “don’t stress,” or wondering why a couple does not consider adoption). At the same time, she writes about living in the space of forgiveness and understanding towards those whose words and actions, while sometimes hurtful and embarrassing, also carry within them love and hope. My full review is on Goodreads. The book is available on Ancient Faith | Amazon | Audible | Orthodox Ebooks | Kindle |Ancient Faith Publishing gift cards can be purchased here.

Ancient Faith Publishing has provided me with one copy of Under the Laurel Tree to give to one of my email subscribers. To enter the book giveaway, please subscribe to my email newsletter and then leave a comment below. Current subscribers need only comment.  The giveaway closes on Monday, May 11^th at 11:59 pm.

For the expecting mom: Laura Jansson’s Fertile Ground: A Pilgrimage Through Pregnancy contains beautiful meditations on pregnancy throughout all its stages, and although I’m not pregnant, I found myself enjoying each chapter for all she shares not just about pregnancy, but about faith and bringing a new life into the world. Jansson is a mother and a birth doula, experiencing pregnancy both in her own life and by bearing witness to the pregnancies and deliveries of other moms. In her meditation on the fiat of the Mother of God she writes,

 … fiats are not just for pregnant people. Whatever our circumstances, human life offers constant opportunities to embrace God’s gifts to us or to hold them at arm’s length. Sometimes my heart is hard, or I consider myself too busy, or I think I know better, or I feel unworthy. When I choose to embrace the gift of pregnancy, no matter how complicated it is for me, I act as a living sign to the world. I become a model of fiat for others, just as the Theotokos is a model of fiat for me. Not only that, but I even become an example for myself. Pronouncing fiat is a transferable spiritual skill. Through the practice of saying yes during pregnancy, I learn to do so when God calls on me at other times of life.

Fertile Ground: A Pilgrimage Through Pregnancy

This book might be the first to explore pregnancy from an Orthodox Christian perspective. You can read a guest post by Laura Jansson on the blog here. Purchase her book from Ancient Faith | Amazon | Orthodox ebooks | Kindle | Ancient Faith Publishing gift cards can be purchased here.

Ancient Faith Publishing has provided me with one copy of Fertile Ground to give to one of my email subscribers. To enter the book giveaway, please subscribe to my email newsletter and then leave a comment below. Current subscribers need only comment.  The giveaway closes on Monday, May 11^th at 11:59 pm.

For the mom of a child with disabilities, or a mom who teaches or serves children with disabilities: Summer Kinard’s Of Such is the Kingdom: A Practical Theology of Disability is another first of its kind book that addresses authentic engagement of children with both visible and invisible disabilities in the faith and in the life of the church. Summer is not only theologically trained, but she has grown up with disabilities, and has children with disabilities. In an interview about her book hosted on this blog, Summer says, “The tragedy of my life is that I’m a sinner and that I’m really bad at stopping that. I keep on messing up and I can’t overcome my own sins or even see them most of the time. The tragedy of my life is not that I’m autistic or that my son is autistic.”

Of Such is the Kingdom is a treasure trove of specific, practical advice for engaging children with disabilities in the faith and life of the church that is grounded in Orthodox Christian theology. In Chapter 14, “Prepared to Praise,” she outlines how to create an accessible prayer corner that draws all children into prayer. She describes her prayer corners and home and in Sunday School, and offers these guidelines to set them up:

“An accessible prayer corner or wall teaches with space. Some of its welcoming aspects are:

»» It is obstacle-free.

»» It gives children specific actions to do to enter into prayer.

»» Icons are placed so that children with disabilities can venerate them.

»» It engages all the senses.”

Of Such is the Kingdom: A Practical Theology of Disability

You can view Summer’s video interview, or read the transcript, here. Purchase her book from Ancient Faith | Amazon | Orthodox ebooks | Kindle | Ancient Faith Publishing gift cards can be purchased here.

Ancient Faith Publishing has provided me with one copy Of Such is the Kingdom to give to one of my email subscribers. To enter the book giveaway, please subscribe to my email newsletter and then leave a comment below. Current subscribers need only comment.  The giveaway closes on Monday, May 11^th at 11:59 pm.

For the mom who overthinks: What parent has not spent too much time overthinking decisions about their children or ruminating on past situations? Whether it’s deciding between store bought and homemade baby food or what preschool the toddler should join, there are so many parenting decisions that can make us feel paralyzed if we overthink them. Anne Bogel’s new book, Don’t Overthink It: Make Easier Decisions, Stop Second-Guessing, and Bring More Joy to Your Life provides the tools to help us overcome “analysis paralysis” while still making good decisions.  

Don’t Overthink It is not just a book about over-thinking but a book about productivity, navigating life and making wise decisions. My favorite chapter is the one about using our values to help us make decisions without overthinking. There are often times I’ve second guessed myself about a decision that should have been a clear yes — it aligns with my values — but secondary concerns stalled me. I needed the reminder that our thought lives are truly our lives, and retraining our thoughts can reshape our actual lives. I saw myself in many of the examples Bogel gives, especially when she writes about deciding to splurge and rethinking all the costs, over and over again. You can read my full review on Goodreads here. Purchase her book at Bookshop | Amazon | Audible | Kindle.

I have one copy of Don’t Overthink It to give to one of my email subscribers. To enter the book giveaway, please subscribe to my email newsletter and then leave a comment below. Current subscribers need only comment.  The giveaway closes on Monday, May 11^th at 11:59 pm.

For the mom who enjoys fiction: When I want a comfort read, I reach for anything by Katherine Reay. Her latest two books, The Printed Letter Bookshop and Of Literature and Lattes, don’t disappoint. In 2019 I read the Printed Letter Bookshop in one night; and I jumped at the opportunity to read an advance review copy of Of Literature and Lattes, which I finished in less than two days. The novels contain multi-generational characters, making it possible for readers of all ages to identify with them. The characters struggle and suffer, but they never suffer alone, even when they think they are. There’s friendship, romance, and redemption in these stories. I don’t want to give away too much, but they all share a small town called Winsome, include plenty of visits to the bookshop and the coffee shop, and it’s no spoiler to know that there will be a happy ending.

Purchase The Printed Letter Bookshop at Bookshop | Amazon | Audible | Kindle.

Purchase Of Literature and Lattes at Bookshop | Amazon | Audible | Kindle.

I have one copy of The Printed Letter Bookshop and one copy of Of Literature and Lattes to give to one of my email subscribers. To enter the book giveaway, please subscribe to my email newsletter and then leave a comment below. Current subscribers need only comment.  The giveaway closes on Monday, May 11^th at 11:59 pm.

For the mom who needs some joy: My book, Putting Joy into Practice: Seven Ways to Lift your Spirit from the Early Church makes a wonderful Mother’s Day gift. In the first practice, I talk about how my own mom has been such a model for me of a joyful presence and diligence in prayer. Here is what I wrote about her:

Unlike me, my mother has a naturally joyous personality. Her smile is wide, quick, and contagious. She is well loved by everyone she meets. When my husband was ordained a priest—in the same congregation my father still leads as priest—my brother warned me that I would now have to be nice to everyone at church. “No, I don’t,” I replied. “Momma has that covered.”

One morning, early in my childhood, I remember waking up a little earlier than usual and walking into our living room to find Mother standing alone, a small book in her hand, her eyes closed, and her face towards the East. I tried in vain to get her attention. I jumped in front of her. I pulled her arm. She would not be moved. A few minutes later, she closed her small book, made the Sign of the Cross, and gave me the attention I was seeking.

Putting Joy into Practice: Seven Ways to Lift Your Spirit from the Early Church

I also share some of my own experiences as a mom trying to put joy into practice too.  If you buy one for your mom this Mother’s Day, email me at phoebe at beingincommunity dot com with her name and address and I will put a signed bookplate in the mail for her that she can paste right into her copy. I’ll be sure to wash and sanitize my hands!

Purchase Putting Joy into Practice at Paraclete Press | Bookshop | Amazon | Kindle.

I have one SIGNED copy Putting Joy into Practice to give to one of my email subscribers. To enter the book giveaway, please subscribe to my email newsletter and then leave a comment below. Current subscribers need only comment.  The giveaway closes on Monday, May 11^th at 11:59 pm.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers: the spiritual mothers, the hoping mothers, the expecting mothers, and the spiritual mothers. And if Mother’s Day is hard for you, always remember that you have another mother.

Read my latest article in Christianity Today Magazine, about reclaiming the lost art of writing letters through the example of those who wrote them well–an important piece in this age of social distancing.

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