Mom, mummy, mamam, mother, mum—it doesn't matter how it’s spelled or pronounced, the role remains the same. Being a mom is equal parts invigorating and intense, exhilarating and exhausting, divine and difficult. Every now and then, a mom needs to hear that she isn't alone in this wacky world, which is where the magic of a good audiobook comes in. What are the best books for moms? This list covers a lot of ground, but you can rest assured that all of the titles featured here make perfect gifts for new moms and great-grandmas alike.
A difficult yet inspiring listen, Feeding My Mother follows Alberta's own Jann Arden as she struggles to come to terms with becoming a parent to her own mom. Jann's mom suffers from Alzheimer's disease, and the degradation caused by the disease meant the musical voice behind Insensitive, Could I Be Your Girl and other hits found herself mothering her own mother, upending the typical mother-daughter dynamic.
Arden takes control of the narration herself, putting in a fantastic performance throughout what is clearly an emotionally daunting experience. What follows is a memoir of sorts, a life-changing process that Arden details in a style that is simultaneously heartbreaking and heartwarming. Daughters aren't supposed to feed their mothers, after all.
Feeding My Mother is a great book and an even better audiobook, as Jann Arden shepherds the listener on a most difficult journey. An absolute must-listen for anyone going through a similar situation, Feeding My Mother manages to transcend its main focus and develop into a deep take on the mother-daughter relationship.
From one end of the spectrum to the other. The debut work from Ottawa's Laurie Gelman is a joyous listen, detailing the trials and tribulations of Jen Dixon, a Kansas mother of three who is far from ordinary. Despite the occasionally madcap details of Jen's life, Class Mom is a gorgeously down-to-earth listen that eschews improbability in favour of all too real motherly situations.
More so than anything else, Class Mom is a downright hilarious book. Gelman is a marvellous storyteller and a fantastic narrator, filling the ups and downs of Jen Dixon's life with a magnificent charisma and an ear for a cadence that you just can't teach. If you're looking for a Mother's Day gift that will have moms doubling over in laughter, Class Mom should be top of the list.
A favourite of book clubs around the world and a must-listen for new moms worried that the world might be caving in on them, Class Mom is the sort of audiobook that becomes a best friend before the first chapter is done. Laurie Gelman's debut novel is very much fiction, but there is plenty of real-life waiting in these words.
One of the standout debut novels of 2020 excels in the audiobook format here, in the shape of Halifax, Nova Scotia's Francesca Ekwuyasi's stunning Butter Honey Pig Bread. Narrated by Amaka Umeh (the first Black woman to play the role of Hamlet on stage, no less), Butter Honey Pig Bread is a thriller that spans generations and continents, an audiobook where the consequences of decisions made as a mother come to light.
The dynamic between twin sisters and their mother lies at the very heart of Butter Honey Pig Bread, and the universality of that relationship makes Ekwuyasi's first-time novel a must-read turned must-listen. Trauma, guilt and fear are the palpable emotions that dominate the story, although the importance of approaching and overcoming all three is the real anchor of Butter Honey Pig Bread.
Amaka Umeh is a revelation as a narrator, seamlessly moving from accent to accent as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Thanks to her immense talents, one of 2020's best books has transcended to new heights. If you want an incredible mix of curious storytelling and elite-level narration, Butter Honey Pig Bread is the audiobook for you.
No matter how prepared you think you might be, there are few experiences and changes on the planet like becoming a mom for the first time. It is life-changing, to say the least, a titanic shift that changes the way moms view themselves and the world around them. Add in the whole “having to look after a brand new and incredibly vulnerable human baby” part of it all, and you've got yourself a mountainous task.
When Meaghan O'Connell got pregnant in her early twenties, she soon realized that the parenting book she required simply hadn't been written yet. What followed was And Now We Have Everything, a book that is hilarious and heartwarming at every turn, with plenty of existential confusion and crises along the way. Being a first-time mom is just about as far from easy as it gets, but Meaghan O'Connell's bestseller is here to help out as much as possible.
O'Connell narrates the audiobook version with charisma in spades, elevating a good book into a great audiobook in her own style. Her account of life as a new mom is just about as brutally honest as it gets but such an approach is utterly vital in the circumstances, as O'Connell lifts the lid on everything from giving birth to struggling to come to terms with a postpartum body.
Let's round out the list with a bit of expert advice that moms can often forget in the chaos of motherhood. Breathing—you know, that thing that keeps us alive—remains as important as a mother as beforehand. Finding time to breathe can seem nigh on impossible for moms, but Shonda Moralis is here to provide solace and serenity in equal measure. Breathe Mama Breathe is the result, a collection of short mindfulness techniques for even the busiest of moms.
As a women's mindful empowerment mentor, Moralis knows what she is talking about, and New York-based actor and longtime Audible narrator Amanda Ronconi confidently relays the author’s techniques. Ronconi narrates Shonda's collection of meditative sessions with all the tranquillity that such a task demands, ensuring calm and clear-thinking amidst the chaos of life as a mother.
Breathe Mama Breathe is undoubtedly more useful for new moms with young kids than it is for moms with teenagers, but the lessons waiting within are of huge value for everyone, even dads. Breathe Mama Breathe excels as a Mother's Day gift for first-time and new moms who might find themselves a little overwhelmed during those first few years.
First things first, Motherstruck might just be the best title of any listen on this list. Now that we've got that important fact out the way, what a joy it is to dive deep into this gem by Jamaica-born Staceyann Chin. In it, Chin decides that enough is enough on the heartbreak front, changing her focus from finding love to something altogether more demanding: motherhood.
This is a difficult enough quest as it is, but it becomes twice as hard if you happen to be a single Black lesbian who has gained a certain amount of notoriety as a political firebrand. It all adds up to a tremendous concoction that is a riotous listen, as Chin bounces from one incident to another.
Chin herself takes on the narrating role for this heart-wrenching tale of a woman seeking a mother's love—although in this case, the mother in question is the seeker. Needless to say, this short Audible Original more than stands out from the crowd. In a world of stories for and about moms, Motherstruck takes a different approach and is all the better for it.
There can't be many more plaudits left for Little Fires Everywhere to capture, right? Celeste Ng's 2017 book has swept all before it, winning accolades everywhere from Amazon to Barnes and Noble to The New York Times and Goodreads and dominating best-seller lists across the world in the process. This audio edition brings the famous story to new life, as narrator Jennifer Lim adds a new layer to an already beloved tale.
Little Fires Everywhere focuses on two families brought together through their children, although there is a lot more to the plot and the story than the simplicity of its premise. Hulu’s television adaptation of the book has brought it to the attention of a whole new audience, proving that Ng's storytelling appeals to listeners and readers of all types.
The intertwining lives of the Richardsons and the Warrens make for an unpausable listen, accentuated throughout by Lim's expert narration. The performance deserves special attention here, as Lim lifts this listen to astounding new heights. These fires won't be going out any time soon.
There can be times when life as a mom seems to be a procession of saying “no”' to things, be it friends, family or even those unhealthy dessert-for-dinner requests of those darling children. In many ways, saying “no” can become a habit that is hard to break, further enhancing the fear that all new moms have about their individual existences grinding to a halt.
For an entire year, Shonda Rhimes decided that she was going to say “yes” to things. By saying “yes” instead of “no,” the mother of three (three mainstream US television shows and three children alike) was dragged out of her comfort zone into a world of opportunity, excitement and new experiences. That little word has the ability to change life as much as its antonym can restrict it.
Rhimes narrates this title with the style and pomp that one expects from the icon, imbuing her year with excitement and trepidation in equal measure. Year of Yes proves once more that the struggles of parenthood know nothing of celebrity and status, caring only for the day-to-day relentlessness of being a mother.
