My Top Ten Books I Wish I Could Have Shared With My Mom

This upcoming Sunday, the 20th, will be twelve years since my mother passed away.  So much can, and has, happened in those twelve years.  It still baffles me that my mother hasn't been here for all of it.  Reading is something I didn't fall in love with until after she died, unfortunately.  I know it would have been something the two of us bonded over though, for sure.  She was a reader.  Not as avid as me, but I can remember her women's fiction and romance novels sitting on her bedside table.  Those rare moments when she wasn't doing something for everyone else, she would steal time away to get lost in a book.  Now, that is something I can definitely identify with.

I thought for this week's Top Ten Tuesday freebie, I would put together a list of books that I've loved and would have loved sharing with her.  It's bittersweet to create this list because it breaks my heart a little bit more.  I had twenty-two unforgettable years with her.  Though she's not here to share a book with me now, I know she would have loved seeing me become such an avid reader.

This Week's Topic: Top Ten Books I Wish I Could Have Shared With My Mom

1. The Royal We by Heather Cocks & Jessica Morgan -- since my mother lived in London the last few years of her life, I know she would have been a huge fan of this novel.  She loved everything about Princess Diana, and I know she would have loved following Prince William's love story, too (even if this is a fictionalized version).

2. The One That Got Away by Bethany Chase -- for sure a favorite of mine, that I have a feeling would have been a favorite of her's too.  Between the setting, the characters, and the personal journey, I feel like my mom would have gravitated towards this one.

3. Golden by Jessi Kirby -- I feel like she would have been a big fan of Jessi's writing, too.  Especially with this novel.  My mother always enjoyed the stories that made you think, and feel, yet reflected purpose on your own life.

4. The Book of Broken Hearts by Sarah Ockler -- my mother would have had such a personal connection with this story, since she stood by her mother (my grandmother) as alzheimer's took her mind and eventually her body from us. I remember how painful it was for my mom and I'd like to think she would have found some comfort in these words.

5. Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices series) by Cassandra Clare -- I remember she liked to watch TV shows/movies with a bit of fantasy and historical fiction rolled into one, so I think that's why she would have really enjoyed reading this series. Plus it's set in London, another familiarity she would have identified with.

6. Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen -- she was always a big fan of re-tellings, and I know Robin Hood was one she would have loved to read about. I can just imagine myself sharing my copy of the first book with her, and then she asking for the second because she wants to know what happens next -- me too, Mom, me too!

7. The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith -- between the two of us, romantic comedies never ran dry.  We mostly watched them on the big screen together, but I just know we would have loved reading about them together, too.  As soon as I finished this book I thought it would have made the perfect movie (still do!).

8. Attachments by Rainbow Rowell -- another example of a romantic comedy that I feel we would have loved laughing and swooning over together.  The year in this novel is fitting because that was also some of my last memories with my mother, since she passed just after the millennium in 2003.

9. Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson -- Roger is definitely the kind of character my mother would have said, "He's such a sweet boy" about.  I just know it!  She would have really enjoyed the places they visited in this novel as well, considering a lot of their stops we ventured to as a family.

10. The Summer I Turned Pretty trilogy by Jenny Han -- for the simple fact that this is one of my all-time favorites, I know my mother would have loved it as well.  She did things like that -- would share in my joys and want to experience that sort of happiness with me.  Among the many things I loved about her, that was one of my favorites.  Seeing me happy, is what made her happy.  Oh Mom, I miss you so incredibly much.