Springtime Book Recommendations!
Hey hi hello friends, and welcome back to my blog!
Spring is officially in the air (for us Northern Hemisphere folk) and I have had allergies for the past five weeks. Yay.
But for real, I do like Spring as a season. So many colors and sounds wake up. We currently have baby birds in a nest in our porch light (don't worry, they aren't affected by the light). I don't love the heat of Arizona, but there isn't much I can do about that, unfortunately.
Today I thought I would recommend you some books that are perfect to read in the springtime. When I think of "Spring reads" I think of something light and fluffy, maybe with a little hard-hitting element but ultimately a hopeful ending. Books that you can read relatively quickly, but still leave a long-term impact on you. I hope I can give you some ideas for your Spring TBR today!
Alright, let's get into the recs.
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Heartstopper by Alice Oseman
Of course I had to bring up Heartstopper this month, considering the TV show adaptation is coming out on Netflix on the 22nd. But truly Heartstopper is a perfect graphic novel to read in the Spring. With the blue-and-white color scheme and the little flower and leaf doodles throughout, it really feels like a Spring read. If you don't already know, Heartstopper is a graphic novel series following Nick and Charlie, two boys in high school, as they become friends and fall in love. It's so sweet and heartwarming, though I do have to say that the later volumes (especially volume four) deal heavily in eating disorders and mental health, so just be prepared for that. But that doesn't take away from how tooth-achingly sweet this series is. I highly, highly recommend it, if you haven't already picked it up.
The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
This is my favorite childhood classic, and while it's not underrated in the slightest (I would be sincerely shocked if you've never heard of it) I do think it is worth mentioning. I'm a firm believer that fairy-tales are for all seasons, but something about The Wizard of Oz just screams Spring to me. Maybe it's because Oz is always described so colorfully. Each of the four quadrants of Oz have a color scheme - blue, red, yellow, and purple - and of course the Emerald City is in the middle. The Wizard of Oz follows Dorothy, a little girl from Kansas, as she and her dog Toto are whisked to Oz in a tornado. There she must journey to the Emerald City to ask the Great Wizard of Oz to send her back home. Along the way she meets a variety of characters and friends, and learns just how strong a little Kansas girl can be. It really is a wonderful book, for all ages.
Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit by Jaye Robin Brown
Ahh, Georgia Peaches. I haven't read this book in a few years, but doesn't that title and cover just scream Spring to you? This was one of my favorite books of 2019, and it made me ugly cry. Not because it's particularly sad or anything, but because it really dug into my heart. Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit follows Joanna, an out and proud lesbian, as she is forced back into the closet when she and her family move to another city. Her dad, a pastor, has asked her to keep her sexuality under wraps while they establish themselves in the town and the church. However, she meets sweetheart Mary Carlson, and wonders if it's all really worth it. It sounds sad, I know, but what really made this book a favorite is Joanna's relationship with God and her sexuality. She's a firm Christian while also being true to herself as a lesbian, and this was the first book I read with a queer MC who also felt comfortable being Christian. As a queer Christian girl myself, it really stuck with me.
Ao Haru Ride by Io Sakisaka
Would this really be one of my book rec lists without a manga? Ao Haru Ride (in English literally meaning "Blue Spring Ride") is a shoujo manga with 12 volumes. It's a romance between two high school characters, Futaba and Kou (first names). When they were in middle school, Kou was Futaba's first love. But he moved away right as she realized her feelings for him. Now in high school, Futaba and Kou are reunited, but neither are the same person they were in junior high. Futaba is loud and uncouth, and Kou is closed off and mysterious. But Futaba is determined to bring Kou back out of his shell. Along the way they make wonderful friends and have many adventures. It's one of my favorite shoujo manga, and the anime is incredible too. I highly recommend both.
Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
This is probably the book I remember the least on this list. I read it way back in 2018, and I gotta be honest, I can't quite remember if I finished it. Any time I try to think about it, the Studio Ghibli movie takes over my brain. Of course, it is my favorite Ghibli movie, so I guess that makes sense. I was beyond surprised when I found out that it was based on a book! And not only that, but it's a trilogy! I haven't read the other two books in the series yet, I need to reread the first one before I can. Anyway, Howl's Moving Castle is about a girl named Sophie Hatter, who runs the hat shop in her town. One day she attracts the ire of the Wicked Witch of the Waste, who curses her to transform into an old lady. Her only hope of breaking the curse is to find Howl, an infamous wizard, who lives in a castle that is constantly on the move. It's a story full of magic and whimsy, and in my opinion perfect to read this time of year.
Fifty Words for Rain by Asha Lemmie
You thought you were finally free of me gushing about this book, weren't you? Well, you were wrong, ha ha! I've talked this book to death on my blog, and you're going to hear it again! This was my favorite book of last year, and even though it is by far the saddest book in this list, I still think it's a good book to read in Spring. Fifty Words for Rain follows Noriko, a young girl raised by her traditionalist grandparents after her mother abandons her on their doorstep. Because Nori is half Black and half Japanese, her grandparents treat her like a leper, never letting her leave their house, or be seen by guests. She moves like a ghost through her own life until she meets her half-brother Akira, who becomes the first person to show her kindness. We follow Noriko as she grows into a young woman, through most of her life, and faces hardship and heartbreak around every corner. But at the core, this book is about hope, and that yearning to live. It's absolutely incredible, and if I somehow haven't convinced you to pick it up after this, then I don't know what else to say.
I Love You So Mochi by Sarah Kuhn
Let's do a complete genre turnaround, shall we? I Love You So Mochi is a YA contemporary romance, the only thing in common with the previous book is that they are both set in Japan. Kimi is a Japanese-American teenager who is sent to Japan to spend Spring Break with her grandparents after an explosive fight with her mom. Hey, it's even set in Spring! Kimi falls in love, both with Kyoto and a young boy who wears a mochi costume at his family's pop-up. This book is filled to the brim with incredible descriptions of Japan, from the food to the scenery and even the fashion. It's probably the book that reaffirmed my desire to visit Japan sometime in the future, because everything about this book made me want to experience it for myself. This is a book you can read in a day, and if I might be so bold and if you're able to, I recommend reading it under a blossoming cherry tree.
Fruits Basket by Natsuki Takaya
For the last recommendation for this list, I had to go with another manga. This is my all-time favorite shoujo manga, and also the very first manga and anime I ever read/watched, way back in like 2005. It has since seen a resurgence, with the 2019 anime adaptation, and I've seen so many people discover it and fall in love since then. It makes me so happy every time I see someone new proclaim how wonderful it is. Fruits Basket follows Tohru, an orphan with a heart of gold, as she moves into a house with the elusive Soma family, including the prince of her high school, Yuki. Once there, she discovers a grave secret: the Soma family is cursed, possessed by the animal spirits of the zodiac. If they are hugged by someone of the opposite sex, or if their bodies become too weak, they transform into the very animals they are possessed by: Yuki into a rat, Shigure Soma into a dog, etc. etc. Tohru is allowed to live with the Soma family as long as she can keep their secret. There is a lot more to this story than just that, but that's the basics. This manga will make you laugh, make you cry, and make you fall in love with at least one of the characters, if not more. There are 23 volumes, or 12 if you have the collector's editions, and three seasons of the anime. I recommend both, with all of my heart.
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Okay, there you have it! There are eight books I think are perfect to read in the Spring. Have I persuaded you to pick any of them up? What book do you think is the ultimate Spring read? Let me know in the comments, or tweet at me @AllyEmReads.
Until next time!
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