It’s that magical time of year when you can log onto Booktopia (scoring 10% off because you’re a Mums & Co member) and go shopping in the realistic hope that you may actually get to read A WHOLE BOOK.
‍

To help with your aspirational book buying, we have collated a list of books our staff and members have loved this year.
‍

1. Mini Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella
Recommended by Sonali Suvarna, B2B Product Manager at Mums & Co
‍General gist: Becky Brandon thought motherhood would be a breeze and that having a daughter was a dream come true: a shopping friend for life! But it's trickier than she thought. Two-year-old Minnie has a quite different approach to shopping. Minnie creates havoc everywhere she goes, from Harrods to her own christening. Her favourite word is Mine!; and she's even trying to get into eBay!
What I loved: Feels surreal reading most parts of it because I can relate so much.
‍

2. The Testaments by Margaret Atwood
Recommended by Lauren Hamilton, Founder and Director Digital Narrative
‍General gist: If you, like me, have been waiting for this book since you were a teen who fell in love with the powerful feminist dystopia ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ you will probably already have this book on your bedside table. If not, it’s time to get your hands on a copy and find out what happens to the Republic of Gilead long after the events of the Hulu TV series. Watch Gilead implode and learn who holds the real power in this exhilarating conclusion.
What I loved: A satisfying conclusion which, while lacking the shock value and powerful single- mindedness of the Handmaid’s Tale, still delivers a thrilling, thought-provoking and well-written read in Atwood’s inimitable style. 
 ‍

3. Man’s Search for Meaning: The classic tribute to hope from the Holocaust by Viktor Frankl
Recommended by Maryann Strickling Founder of MS UD + LA, a Landscape Architecture firm
‍General gist: Great and easy biographical read that then goes on to explore logo therapy, the idea that the primary motivational force of an individual is to find meaning in life.
What I loved: Provides insight into the existential vacuum swallowing a lot of society. Sounds heavy, but is very good.

‍

4. The Power by Naomi Alderman
Recommended by Emma Castle, Founder of Readable
General gist: Imagine if women could kill men with a single touch. This feminist novel explores the concept of a strange genetic glitch that gives women the power to kill, subsequently altering the balance of power and putting women firmly at the top of the food chain. Would women behave any better than men if they had all the power? Read this book and find out.
What I loved: Initially, I enjoyed the concept of vengeance for crimes against women. As the book wore on, it became more about the ways individuals cope with corrupting forces. This is a genuinely imaginative creative work. I loved the ambition of it.

‍

5. This Will Only Hurt A Little by Busy Philips
Recommended by Melanie Mahoney, Editor of Tell Me Baby
General gist: Busy Philips is the celeb best friend of your dreams. She’s funny, brutally honest, and doesn’t hold back on sharing goss about the shows and movies she’s starred in. Also covering her sexual assault, her marriage troubles and postnatal depression, her memoir covers a lot of emotional ground too.
What I loved: Her strength and sense of humour always shines through.

‍

6. Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurer
Recommended by Cathy Stait-Gardner, Illustrator
General gist: A Gothic novel featuring brutal men, dangerous landscapes and a strong-minded woman. Mary, a girl alone after the death of her mother, heads off to live with a reclusive Aunt and Uncle she has not yet met. This is a ripping tale of dark mysteries, dangerous adventures and dastardly crimes.
What I loved: Jamaica Inn simmers with forbidden romances and bodily threats. Set on the cold and uninviting Bodmin moor in Cornwall, Jamaica Inn is a fabulous escape from a Sydney’s smokey summer heat.  
‍

7. Three Women by Lisa Taddeo
Recommended by Aimee Scott, Executive Assistant
General gist: This a gripping sometimes graphic expose of the sex lives of three very different American women. Taddeo moved across the country to immerse herself in the stories of her subjects, even dropping one of them off at an illicit liaison later recounted in the book. A searing and profound exploration of female desire, reading it feels like delving into one of those transformative conversations women sometime share on a late night after a lot of wine.

‍

8. Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
Recommended by Suzy Shallvey, Strategic Partnerships Manager at Mums & Co
General gist: Mitch Albom is a well known basketball commentator in the states. He writes a beautiful ode to his former professor Morrie who he starts to visit again when he finds out he is dying from ALS - turns out he gets more from Morrie than the other way around - what a great man.
What I loved: It really makes you think about your values and your impact on other people and vice versa. It’s had a lasting impact on me and I've now read all of his books and give them to close friends for gifts. 

‍

9. The Other Hand by Chris Cleave
Recommended by Suzy Shallvey, Strategic Partnerships Manager at Mums & Co
General gist: How a moment can change everything.

What you loved about it: Well-written and gave an insight into a country and circumstances that I wouldn't otherwise have known about - it shocked me.
‍

10. A Lifetime of Impossible Days by Tabitha Bird
Recommended by Mums & Co Member Ariel Blyth‍

General gist: Meet Willa Waters, aged 8 . . . 33 . . . and 93. On one impossible day in 1965, eight-year-old Willa receives a mysterious box containing a jar of water and the instruction: ‘One ocean: plant in the backyard.’ So she does - and somehow creates an extraordinary time slip that allows her to visit her future selves.

‍