Spring is a beautiful time of the year – bursting at the seams with new life and beginnings. But, when we think of books, we often think of cozy falls and winters sitting by the fire or nestled under a warm blanket with a cup of tea. Alternatively, we might think of a great beach read; the perfect novel to pack for our beach vacation. Spring seems to be an underrepresented seasonal theme in fiction. Even so, in this list of “springtime” books, we have conveyed all the elements of the season. A return to warmth, regrowth and renewal, being outdoors, hope, possibilities and happiness. Enjoy immersing yourself in some spring reading.
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
The first book that came to mind when thinking about books that just feel like spring was this children’s classic. It completely represents the themes of spring like beauty and blossoming, growth and renewal. I’ve reread it as an adult and am still amazed at its magic and charm.
Published in 1911, The Secret Garden tells the story of Mary Lennox, a young girl who loses her parents to sickness and is brought into the care of her curmudgeonly uncle. When Mary discovers an abandoned, overgrown secret garden on her uncle’s large estate, she begins to work on bringing it back to life which teaches her the value of hard work and patience. She shares the secret garden with her crippled cousin, who gains strength by being outdoors and helping to cultivate the garden.
Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen
The spring feelings this book conjures include birds chirping, forward movement and renewal, the beauty in the light of spring after a long, dark winter, and magic and hope. You will be transported to Mallow Island where a young woman has a fresh start before college when she moves into the condo she inherited from her mother (who passed when she was younger) on a tiny island with beautiful birds. Experience the warmth that results as they clear out the condo; and fall in love with the stories of the quirky character who you will really come to care about.
The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim
A beautiful 1920s novel that follows four women who have nothing in common except that they decide to travel to Italy together in April to escape their husbands and the dreary, rainy London spring. During their time in Italy, they share their struggles, they bond and they find love. You will be transported to a flower-filled villa on the shores of the Mediterranean. These four women proceed to transform themselves and their prospects during their stay in Italy.
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
This is a classic coming-of-age novel published in 2018. The story is a beautiful immersion into the main character’s natural world and the life it provides. The story tells the heartbreaking tale of Kya, the “marsh girl” whose mother leaves when she is still a young child, followed by the departure of her older brothers and sisters, leaving Kya alone with her father, a veteran of the war who drinks his way through their small income and has unpredictable rages.
Kya learns to fend for herself, to hide from strangers, how to forage for food and find her way around the marsh. She learns to cook and how to be self-sufficient.
As the story progresses, we are pulled into Kya’s future. When a body is found in the marsh, with no witnesses and no evidence as to how it got there, the local townspeople seek someone to blame, and Kya’s strange life on the marsh falls under suspicion.
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
Sense and Sensibility is the first of Austen’s novels. The story follows three sisters and their mother after the death of their father. Marianne Dashwood is a girl who wears her heart on her sleeve. She is young and full of life, and when she falls in love with the dashing but inappropriate John Willoughby, she ignores her sister Elinor’s warning that her reckless behavior leaves her open to gossip. Meanwhile, Elinor, always sensitive to social standards, is struggling to conceal her own romantic frustration, even from her family. Through their parallel experiences of love, the sisters learn that sense must be combined with sensibility if they are to find personal happiness in a society where status and money govern the rules of love.
