I was right in the thick of my gardening era last spring, and I have the reading history to prove it. Today I’m sharing the lineup of books I read at this time last year because it just felt so perfect for the season. (And honestly, I’m kind of sad that I haven’t landed on such a sweet little seasonal lineup since.)
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The Bee-Friendly Garden by Kate Frey
I’ve always loved flowers, but I haven’t been so keen on bugs. My little boy loves bees, and I think his four-year-old self is onto something. I’ve lost count of how many times we’ve watched the Disneynature film, Wings of Life. (It’s on Disney+ and worth a watch!) He has sparked a small passion in me for bees and other pollinators. This book taught me so much I didn’t know about bees and ways we can start making our own yards more bee-friendly. As I read this, I took an inventory of the plants we already grow that bees love and began to thoughtfully plan which ones to grow next!
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
I remember doing a book report on this one in the fifth grade, and I wanted to revisit it, as I’m revisiting several childhood favorites recently. (Laura Ingalls Wilder and L. M. Montgomery’s books have been on my Kindle in the last couple years too.) The Secret Garden was just as magical and lovely to read again as an adult. I will say that I picked up on some transcendentalist themes that I had not known to look for as a kid, and there was one section in particular that had some spiritual elements that will probably give me pause to read it aloud to my children until they’re old enough to have conversations about how those spiritual themes do and don’t align with the way we practice the Christian faith. That’s a personal conviction, but it’s worth evaluating our comfort levels with how and when we introduce certain books and concepts to our children. I was also intrigued to learn that though Burnett was born in England she actually spent most of her childhood in my home state of Tennessee!
Garden Maker by Christie Purifoy
I haven’t read any other book quite like this one. Each section is a creative essay on a different type of flower and on seeing the beauty and glory of the Creator, God. If I recall correctly, it has some information on how to grow flowers, but the main emphasis is on the reflections and on the beautiful photographs. This book was one I could easily read in short doses without requiring deep focus—perfect for keeping upstairs in the playroom and picking up for a few minutes here & there while the kids played!
Watership Down by Richard Adams
Chances are low that you haven’t heard of this classic, especially with the Netflix series based on it that came out a few years ago. I don’t often pick up books in the fantasy genre, and I don’t often pick up books about rabbits that aren’t children’s books. (Yes, this book is sometimes called a children’s book because Richard Adams came up with the story for his children, but it’s honestly pretty dark at times. It felt more like an adult book to me.) It blew me away! It’s such a fantastic story, and I couldn’t believe I’d waited so long to read it. While I think technically this story opens in late spring/early summer, it fit right into my spring lineup because we had so many other books about rabbits on our shelves at the time. If you’ve been putting off reading this one because you don’t think you’d like a book about rabbits, don’t let that stop you. I’m still thinking about those rabbits almost a year after reading it.
Beatrix Potter’s Gardening Life by Marta McDowell
My son loved The Tale of Peter Rabbit and a couple of Beatrix Potter’s other stories last spring, so we planned a family trip to the Beatrix Potter exhibit that was going on at the time at our local art museum in Nashville. This book was recommended to go along with the exhibit, so I put it on library hold. Though a few parts were a little dry for me, overall I enjoyed reading about Beatrix Potter’s life, her artwork, and the gardens she kept. I make it a goal to be constantly learning alongside my children, and this book hit the sweet spot for that, allowing me to gain more knowledge about Beatrix Potter herself while my son had a natural interest in her stories. It also sparked an interest in watercolors for me! Marta McDowell also has similar books about Laura Ingalls Wilder, Frances Hodgson Burnett, and Emily Dickinson, plus a few others that I’d be interested to read.
The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
I have not read all of Kate Morton’s backlist, but I’m working on it because she rarely disappoints! (Right now I’m reading her newest book, Homecoming, and loving it so far.) While I was hitting all the other garden-focused books, of course I needed to throw this one in for good measure. Like Kate Morton’s other books, The Forgotten Garden is set in two different timelines, with elements of mystery and multi-generational family secrets. There are also some fairy tales woven in! While I don’t think it’s based on The Secret Garden, there is a secret garden involved, and it was fun to read both of those books around the same time.
Which other books would you add to a spring reading lineup? Let me know in the comments!