What does Spring mean to you? To me it means an awakening: animals and plants stir from deep slumbers, and new life emerges. The world looks a little prettier, and its inhabitants are a little more awake. It’s the beginning of a new cycle – a chance to clean things up or start all over again. While we all have rituals to start out the year, whether sticking to newly made resolutions or just tidying up the home a little, one of my favourite ways to kick off a new season is by deciding what I’m going to read for the next 3 months. If you decide to do the same and want to set yourself up with some light reads, allow me to help you along – here are 5 books to get you excited for Spring:
Spoiler free!
A Month in the Country by J.L. Carr
I wanted to start with the book that inspired me to make this list. I picked up a copy of J.L. Carr’s A Month in the Country while book shopping in Surrey a few weekends ago. Admittedly, I knew nothing about this book until last month when my partner mentioned they wanted to read it, but after hearing what it is about, I decided it was too perfectly suited for me to ignore.
“A damaged survivor of the First World War, Tom Birkin finds refuge in the quiet village church of Oxgodby where he is to spend the summer uncovering a huge medieval wall-painting. Immersed in the peace and beauty of the countryside and the unchanging rhythms of village life he experiences a sense of renewal and belief in the future.“
Summary from Penguin Random House UK
Many see spring as an opportunity for spiritual cleansing, and the concept of recovering from trauma in post WWI Britain sounds like a fascinating way to reflect on our own experience of hitting the reset button this year. This combined with the plot line of uncovering a medieval wall painting in a church – literally peeling back layers of time to reveal and revitalise something forgotten, all amongst a beautiful Yorkshire setting – let’s just say I’m very excited to read this one. I’m also looking forward to some evocative nature descriptions to prep me for another summer of exploring the English countryside.
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
I read this children’s classic last year in March, and what stood out to me the most was Frances Hodgson Burnett’s imagery of things coming back to life. We follow Mary, a little girl who returns to England after living her entire life in India. Arriving in the winter months, we not only see the Yorkshire moors where the story is set come back to life, but we also witness the rejuvenation of a lonely, spoilt, lethargic child. This book is so much more than that, but I don’t want to give anything away. As Mary uncovers the secret of the the garden, we realise it’s not just Mary, or the long neglected garden, that is receiving a new chance at life.
Watership Down by Richard Adams
When we begin the tale of Watership Down, we learn that “the primroses were over”. The next 400+ pages take us on a journey through many seasons and many adventures for a group of Berkshire rabbits, who must flee their old warren in order to escape a housing development being built on their home. I didn’t just pick this one because it’s my favourite book, or because I live in Berkshire; it’s one of the most hopeful and heartwarming stories I have ever read, and serves as the perfect reminder that life always finds a way.
Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman
This one might seem like something of a wildcard, but I was thinking of the cyclical nature of the seasons and for some reason my mind kept wandering back to this book. In particular, Gaiman’s descriptions of the origin of the Norse world and its inevitable ending are strangely comforting – I don’t know if its just Gaiman’s soothing authorial voice or the idea that even Gods must some day meet an end of some kind, but if you’re looking for less bunnies and more epic battles between Gods, then this is the one for you this spring.
Selected Poetry of Emily Dickinson
I’ll take any excuse to read Emily Dickinson personally, but I think anyone looking for a chance to reflect on the natural world and the nature of man would be hard pressed to find a better guide than one of America’s greatest poets. Described as reclusive for much of her adulthood, Dickinson was never properly published in her lifetime, but posthumously her poems have come to be synonymous with the exploration of life, death, love and grief. If you’re after a specific springtime recommendation, some of my favourite poems include:
- A bird came down the walk
- The bee is not afraid of me
- A light exists in spring
- From cocoon forth a butterfly
I’m really looking forward to the next few months of reading I have in store. What are you reading this spring? Let me know below!
