Welcome back to Lands Uncharted. For
this week's Top Three installment, I was going to discuss the best
moments from Avengers Endgame, but if you're like me... you haven't
seen it yet. So I decided it was still too soon for spoilers and
that picking the top three moments would be best left to one of my
fellow bloggers.
With all the Avengers excitement going
around, it might be possible to forget another important day that's
coming up soon. Mother's day is on May 12 this year. While that may
seem a way off yet, it's closer than it appears. The time to think of
how to honor Mom is now.
If you have a book-loving mom, what to
get her is always easily solved. Books, books, and more books!
However, this year I recommend putting a bit of a twist on things: a
book reading package.
Every book reading package should be
developed around a book. For your mom's reading entertainment, I
recommend The Blood Rose Rebellion, by Rosalyn Eves. This historical
fantasy takes place in 1847 London in a version of history where
magic is wielded only by the upper class and its usage is governed by
a select few known as The Circle. Anna Arden lives as a Barren member
of this society. Not only does she lack the ability to use magic, but
magic tends to go horribly wrong in her presence. When Anna
accidentally ruins the societal debut of her sister, her mother sends
her away to Hungary. There, Anna discovers that things are much more
complex than she could have imagined, both in her life and in
society, and she is forced to make a decision that will change the
world as she knows it.
I enjoyed this book for it's Pride and
Prejudice-with-magic vibe. The characters are well drawn and complex,
and the conflict is believable and relevant. Although the page count
of this book may seem hefty, the prose reads so smoothly that when
you are finished reading you will wonder how you devoured the entire
story so quickly.
As your mom is reading, she's going to
want something to drink. I recommend Twinnings Orange and Cinnamon
Spice tea. I have spent many years searching for the perfect
orange-flavored tea, and I believe this is the one. It is light with
a mild touch of fruitiness and a dash of cinnamon spice. The flavor
can best described as that first hint of autumn that you sense in the
cold breeze on a late August day. Mmmm...
Of course, your mom is going to be so
in love with her book that she won't be able to stop raving about it.
This will make you want to read it. She knows this, as well as she
knows the likeness of never getting the book back, so round out her
book reading package with a personalized book embosser. It's like a
book plate, but on a much more elevated level. I learned that this
was even a thing a few weeks ago, when one of my students was showing
off the effect of the embosser she had just received from her mother.
Oh. my. Goodness. Y'all, I'm not sure how I ever lived without this
in my life. I'm not ashamed to admit that I ordered one for myself
without even thinking about waiting to receive on for Mother's Day.
As soon as mine arrives, I am going to spend
however-many-hours-it-takes personally embossing every book in my
library.
Granted, your book-loving,
fantasy-reading mom will love whatever you do to remember her on
Mother's Day. You will even earn high marks if your gift consists of
nothing but books. But for the touch that really says, “I love you,
Mom,” these Top Three picks are unique and personal.
(Okay, I have to confess I feel like a
sponsor on an infomercial, but I truly hope you found this Top Three
helpful. Let's keep the momentum going for those who are still
searching for gift-giving inspiration. Please leave your gift
recommendations for fantasy-reading, book-loving moms in the
comments.)
Until next time,
~ Happy Reading!
