In which you might need some gift ideas

Mother's Day--in the US--is soon upon us, and it occurred to me that I've run across several books lately that might make fab gifts. In no particular order...

*Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother by William Shawcross. It's a stonking big book--hundreds and hundreds of pages, but beautifully written. The story of the Queen Mother is the story of the twentieth century, and if your mum is of the royalist persuasion, she might just love this.

*Elizabeth I by Margaret George. The queen of the royal historical novel strikes again! I haven't had a chance to read this one yet, but the cover is glorious, and I have no doubt the book itself is fab.

*She Walks in Beauty: A Woman's Journey Through Poems by Caroline Kennedy. Simply beautiful. It's thoughtful and elegant--the perfect gift for a mother who loves poetry.

*The Wilder Life: My Adventures in the Lost World of Little House on the Prairie by Wendy McClure. I haven't read this one yet, but the premise is intriguing. McClure threw herself into the Ingalls way of life and chronicled her experiences. For those of us who grew up on the Little House books, this would be just the thing.

*In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin by Erik Larson. Alright, not exactly a touchy-feely sort of Mother's Day gift, I admit, but Larson writes fascinating books about specific moments in history, always with great attention to detail.

*any of the Taschen city books. The London volume is simply splendid, and it's a beautiful piece of armchair travel.