I associate spring time with rebirth. The season is filled with blooming flowers, brisk breezes, and longer days; it is a beautiful season of change that I simultaneously adore and hate as spring also brings pollen. Pollen that destroys me physically and mentally because of how horrendously allergic I am and it is these mixed emotions I experience during this season that inspired this book list.
I wanted to focus on how spring elicits a wide array of emotions through one thing - nature. Nature is complex and spring time is not always filled with roses and the six novels below portray that. The novels below are ones I recommend reading during spring time because you will get lost in them and be reminded the power nature can hold which is most aptly presented during spring time. Choose a novel and get lost this spring.
1 | The Last Garden in England
Told through three time periods, The Last Garden in England by Julia Kelly details a story of one garden and the impact it has on five women.
2021: Emma is a professional garden restorer hired to bring life back to the neglected Highbury House gardens initially designed in 1907 by her idol, Venetia Smith.
1907: Venetia Smith is determined to make her garden creation shine but the longer she stays at Highbury, the more her life begins to change.
1944: Three women are tied together by the War and Highbury House. Beth is looking for a home, Cook Stella is looking for an escape, and Diana the owner of Highbury is desperate for pre-war life. When war efforts threaten to destroy the garden, these three women must come together to save the garden and the secrets within.
A century worth of secrets that as you read, will emphasise the importance of one garden in England. This story revolves around the impact nature has on individuals and what the power one small garden can have on multiple generations. The Last Garden in England is a novel better read than listened to due to the continuous switching of narrative and contains a heartwarming plot you will easily get lost in this spring.
Find the review | HERE | for The Last Garden in England
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2 | Sorrowland
Desperate to escape the confines of the religious compound she grew up on, a seven-month pregnant Vern escapes into the woods. In the confines of the trees, she gives birth to a set of beautiful twins, twins she is determined to raise far away from her home but in the woods, they are hunted. And when Vern is forced to fight, Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon transforms into a story of Vern's determination to protect her own and one of metamorphosis.
Metamorphosis absolutely worth reading if you desire gorgeous and unique imagery of nature. Sorrowland landed in my top ten favourite reads of 2021, and it truly does provide the reader with a sense of growth through Vern and her relationship to nature. It is a must-read for those that enjoy nature and its power but especially for those that appreciate science fiction and fantasy combinations.
Find the review | HERE | for Sorrowland
3 | Klara and the Sun
Klara is an Artificial Friend. She watches from within the store those that come to browse, she is an AF highly optimised for observation and one who hopes to be chosen. Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro explores the world of science fiction and the question, what does it mean to love?
Klara and the Sun is another one of my favourite novels from 2021 and to me, embodies what the sun means. The sun is an ever present and powerful force that controls nature and the role it plays within the story is empowering. This is a heartfelt story that will remind you what it means to love and how our own nature shapes that definition.
Find the review | HERE | for Klara and the Sun
4 | A Dark and Starless Forest
A Dark and Starless Forest by Sarah Hollowell is a simple read that you will lose yourself in this spring. What will captivate you most is the protagonist, Derry, and the multitude of layers of human nature she represents. She is strong and her decision-making leads the novel which when combined with nature-based magic, makes the whole story insane - in a good way of course. The novels also contains a different take on magic than typically presented in YA novels; it takes the essence of magic and shows a new part of what magic can be and it's a doozy.
This is a wonderful novel for spring time because it reminds you of the danger nature possesses (ehm... pollen) but also the beauty it holds. The forest Derry stumbles into is filled with secrets creating a mysterious read that will immerse you in a magical home surrounded by nature.
Find the review | HERE | for A Dark and Starless Forest
5 | The Secret Garden
Having lost both her parents to cholera, Mary Lennox has returned to England to live with her Uncle, somebody she has never met. Her new home is a massive but gloomy mansion and nothing like her warm home in India. When she arrives, Mary is rude, petulant and exhausting until the truths within the mansion are uncovered, including one secret garden.
As her nature transforms, so does her curiosity and when Mary hears sobbing from deep within the mansion, she must find out the truth, just like she found out the truth of the secret garden.
What more can I say, I could not not include The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett as the novel was a core part of developing my love for nature and it is the perfect classic spring time read. A must-read, 100%.
6 | Lanny
Sixty miles outside London is a village. A standard village similar to the others spanning England's landscape; there is a church, dated cottages, new modern builds, and voices that rise and fall. It is a village that belongs to the people and all those that have lived in it before. It is a home to love, work, grow and it is also home to Dead Papa Toothworth.
Dead Papa Toothworth is a legend kids depict with greenery and terrifying tendrils escaping from his mouth and choking him. A legend that is once again awake and Dead Papa Toothworth is listening. Most importantly, he is listening to one young boy whose parents have recently made the village their home. Dead Papa Toothworth is listening to Lanny.
Lanny by Max Porter is the ideal short story for spring time. You will be scared of the nature in Lanny and also fascinated by it. The array of emotions surrounding nature is what makes this a sensational read, you never know where your emotions regarding nature will take you.
