Top Ten Books for Early Spring!

Hello, hello friends!

I hope you are all having the loveliest of Tuesdays! Are you doing well? Reading lots of good books? Baking anything yummy? I’d love to know! (On my end, I just tried out Sally’s Baking Addiction’s funfetti cake, in honor of a friend’s birthday. I now plan on adding rainbow sprinkles to all meals — they up the whimsy factor of every food by at least sixty percent!)

If you’re anything like me, you’re also desperately looking forward to spring weather. Happily, where I live was quite warm today, and I was able to bask in the sunshine with a couple of long walks around my neighborhood! Though there’s still clumps of snow and streaks of ice on the ground, my mind is set on the coming season. Fittingly, this week’s Top Ten Tuesday theme is “Spring Cleaning!” We’re looking for books that feel fresh, floral, and festive, in honor of the coming equinox.

Below, I’ve featured five old favorites I love to re-read to get me thinking of spring, as well as five February and March releases I’m hoping to pick up in the next few weeks. Let’s get spring-y, all!

5 Books I Love to Re-Read for Spring:

1 | Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han

As a current second-semester senior, the last book in Jenny Han’s To All the Boys I Loved Before trilogy speaks to me on a *deep* level. As I long for May senior celebrations, I find solace in sharing Lara Jean’s college search and end-of-high-school woes. Plus it features a too-cute love story, sister bonding, and a delicate, spring-y cover. Worth a re-read to compare with the Netflix film, too! 

2 | The Penderwicks in Spring by Jeanne Birdsall

The Penderwicks series was a very influential part of my childhood reading, so I’m happy to include it on as many lists as possible! As the title suggests, the fourth installment follows the Penderwicks family in springtime, with the majority of the story coming from the point of view of eleven-year-old Batty. The book has birthdays and dog-walking and plenty of hijinks, making it a charming step into “the bright light of the spring sun.”  

3 | The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a queen and has a reserved spot on all my top ten lists, but The Beautiful Ones — and its gorgeous, newly-revamped cover — is especially fitting this time around. The “novel of manners and romance” (as Garcia herself characterizes it) follows telekinetic gentry in the fictional French city of Loisail, as they court and plot during the spring social season. It’s like Austen and Bronte, flirting with magic. 

4 | Emma by Jane Austen

Speaking of Austen, I find that there’s no better time to re-read my favorite of Jane’s books than in the spring! Perhaps it’s just because the 2020 film version of Emma has the floral, pastel aesthetic of my dreams, but the novel never fails to make me think of English country manors, abloom. At the very least, I will definitely return to Autumn De Wilde’s adaption and its fantastic soundtrack sometime soon! 

5 | Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

Anne Shirley says things like “I read in a book once that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, but I’ve never been able to believe it. I don’t believe a rose WOULD be as nice if it was called a thistle or a skunk cabbage” which makes her the best possible companion for our forthcoming dive into spring. Plus, my senior yearbook quote is one of LM Montgomery’s beautiful, moving descriptions of nature, so I can’t abandon her now! A return to Avonlea is in short order, for sure. 

+ 5 February and March releases I’m looking forward to reading this spring:

Love is a Revolution by Renée Watson >> Watson’s newest book came out in February and takes place during the summer, but I think its lovely, flower-filled cover renders it a suitable addition to this list! The novel follows high schooler Nala Robertson as she learns to love and advocate for herself while also exploring a budding romantic relationship. The novel has been praised for its emphasis on community, activism, and self-love. I can’t wait to read! {Released February 2nd}

Yolk by Mary H.K. Choi >> Mary HK Choi is super duper cool (she was featured in How I Get It Done! The ultimate cool-girl signifier!!) and I am so looking forward to her latest release, Yolk. The novel follows two estranged sisters, Jayne and June, as they begin living together after June is diagnosed with uterine cancer. Not a light nor fluffy read, but the cover has been compared to a Peep. Thus, ’tis spring-y. {Released March 2nd}

Across the Pond by Joy McCullough >> Despite my utter lack of knowledge regarding anything avian, I co-teach a virtual bird-watching class for elementary school students on Saturday mornings. It’s great fun, and I now keep my eyes out for any bird-related media! Joy McCullough’s middle grade book, Across the Pond, fits the bill; it follows a young girl, Callie, as she relocates from San Diego to Scotland and joins a birding club. Wildlife facts and castles make for refreshing springtime reading, I think! {Releases March 16th}

Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley >> Look at that GORGEOUS cover! I am super excited to support debut author Angeline Boulley’s upcoming release; Firekeeper’s Daughter follows a Native teen as she explores love and family, roots out corruption, and investigates murder in her community. Early reviews highlight the novel’s celebration of Ojibwe culture and the complexity of the heroine; it sounds so good! {Releases March 16}

Rule of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo >> Finally, although Leigh Bardugo’s Grisha-verse series contains some of the least spring-y YA books I can think of, I couldn’t help but include Rule of Wolves on this list. The sequel to King of Scars will hit shelves at the end of this month, and I strongly suspect it will emerge as a fave among my 2021 reads. (It also comes out around the same time as college decisions, so it will provide both emotional support and celebration! Thank goodness.) {Releases March 30}

Happy reading!

xx

lulu