The best new books for mum for Mother's Day

The kind of book she can lose herself in and not have to answer questions about how to start the washing machine or what's for dinner, reading chapter after chapter because someone else has taken the kids to soccer and promised to get the groceries on the way home.

Here's a few books which might fit the bill.

Our heroine Rory is a little like me. Perfectly predictable and well-organised. She walks her daily steps, pre-plans meals. She's doing everything right so why does everything feel so wrong? Deep down she knows her life, career and relationship are all a little stuck so she decides to let the clues of the daily New York Times crossword puzzle dictate her life. While I'm starting to worry about my addiction to Wordle, will Rory have better luck following the cues from the clues? While Rory's probably younger than your mum, mum will relate to the idea of occasionally feeling a little lost. A fun debut novel from Kimberley Allsopp that's a different take on everyday life. Allsopp co-hosts a fun rom-com podcast, Meet Cute, and definitely knows her stuff.

Mum friends can be your besties or your worst enemies, maybe both at different times. We've all been there. Glamorous Ange is the new mum in town and when she meets Liv, Beth and Binnie at a Mommy and Me class, the friends suddenly find their world turned upside down. Liv watches as her friends try to keep up with Ange's luxury life and she gets left further behind. When Ange convinces the women and their families to head to Greece for a luxury three-week holiday, things get a little out of control.

It's a suspenseful novel, with interesting characters, and a chatty, almost gossipy, writing style. Julie Mayhew skips back and forth on the timeline to keep us hooked. A neat twist on the idea of competitive female friendships. How far will you go to keep up appearances?

Charity Norman has been compared to Jodie Picoult and Liane Moriarty so there's a hint. She's been nominated for several crime writing awards herself, so that's two from two.

Twenty-five years ago a young woman disappeared from a small New Zealand town. Now Emily has returned to look after her father who suffers from dementia and as his memory fades, memories of the past resurface, ones people would rather keep hidden.

It's a heart-breaking read on so many levels, as much a crime novel as it is a story about dealing with ageing parents and diseases which detract from their quality of life. There are no easy answers here, in both regards, but it's all done with compassion and understanding.

Beth's never really had the need to grow up but when tragedy strikes and all of a sudden she's responsible for her teenage niece and toddler nephew, it's time to step up. But is she up to the job? With the help of her best friend Jory and her neighbour Albert, Beth is determined to be better. It's all about finding the strength you didn't think you had and noticing the good things in your life that were there all along.

A nice little read from Sarah Turner who writes The Unmumsy Mum blog where she documents the highs and lows of motherhood in an approachable way. This novel is her debut, one that is well-paced, tightly plotted and characters you'll care about.

Is your career the most toxic love story in your life? Are you working in a job you used to love, but now resent? Not me. But perhaps this is how it is for Harri and Imogen, who are quickly discovering work won't love you back.

Daisy Buchanan is always great fun, her love stories are never conventional, if that's what this is. It's a slick reflection on the lives of working women at different stages of their careers. Harri is a media veteran, Imogen the young 20-something she takes under her wing.

There are themes of class, sex, misogyny, identity and family as Buchanan paints a portrait of what it is to be a working woman in the 21^st century. It will make you reconsider your own worth in the workplace and perhaps do something about being recognised for it.

Calida Lyons is having a bad week. She's missed a deadline on her book, her husband's left her, and her Blue Mountains house is being threatened by bushfires. When the news crews come to town, an on-camera rant goes viral and things take a turn for the better, or so she thinks. Suddenly she's the face of the right for climate change, she's living with a billionaire and the darling of high society.

This is a neat statement on our nation's climate inaction, wrapped up in a fun read with intriguing characters.

It's Victoria Brookman's debut novel, she wrote the first few lines on her phone as her family evacuated their home in the Blue Mountains during the 2019-20 fires. There's plenty of that raw experience in the novel but it's also a warm and witty read worth seeking out.