Happy spring, everyone! It seems as though the cold is behind us now, and it’s time to bring out longer days filled with plenty of sun, but we all know all too well that spring weather can be fitful. Some days may consist of warm temperatures and rays of sunshine, while others may have raw, cold days filled with rain. Regardless of the weather, there’s no better way to relax into the new season than with a good book. You can spend warm and sunny days outside with a good book and refreshing glass of Pinot Gris, or those colder and gray days curled up on the couch with a blanket and good book. Pass the time this spring by reading my hand-picked faves below. P.S: don’t forget to follow along with me on my reading journey on the Goodreads app!
Fiction to read this spring:
The Push by Ashley Audrain
“A tense, page-turning psychological drama about the making and breaking of a family—and a woman whose experience of motherhood is nothing like she hoped for, and everything she feared.”
An extremely original and compulsive read with storytelling that is simply phenomenal, Audrain’s debut novel does not disappoint and should set a new standard for the thriller genre. The Push is a psychological thriller with words that are dark, sharp, and cut like knives—there is no dull moment in this book, and the writing style makes everything simply ebb and flow as naturally as a river. We know it’s a psychological thriller right away, but as we dive deeper we learn that this is also a harrowing portrayal and exploration of the effects of intergenerational trauma. Audrain did a beautiful job of painting such a tragic picture while displaying raw grief and intertwining it with psychological suspense. If you don’t believe me just look at that Goodreads rating: 4.20. If you read only one book this spring, make The Push it.
We Are All the Same in the Dark by Julia Heaberlin
“The discovery of a girl abandoned by the side of a road threatens to unearth the long-buried secrets of a Texas town’s legendary cold case in this superb, atmospheric novel.”
Dark, atmospheric, and ethereal, We Are All the Same in the Dark is a slow-burning suspense novel with haunting, dark, gritty, beautiful, and simply magical storytelling. Heaberlin paints the atmosphere beautifully; I swear I could feel the Texas heat scorching my skin through the pages. This story is told by 3 narrators in this order: Wyatt, Odette, and Angel. This is a powerful novel in the way it explores the inherent dangers of protecting secrets and oneself at all costs. Trust me: read this, you won’t regret it.
Eartheater by Dolores Reyes
“Electrifying and provocative, visceral and profound, a powerful literary debut novel about a young woman whose compulsion to eat earth gives her visions of murdered and missing people.
Surreal and haunting, spare yet complex, Earth-eater is a dark, emotionally resonant tale told from a feminist perspective that brilliantly explores the stories of those left behind—the women enduring the pain of uncertainty, whose lives have been shaped by violence and loss.“
This is a fairly short book—just under 200 pages—and it flies by. Fiction, fantasy, magical realism, feminism, speculative fiction, and horror all mesh together in this book to create a surreal reading experience. The writing style is raw and honest and paints the picture of just how lonely our unnamed main character lives; she’s been cast aside by her own neighbors, the ones who share the same Argentinian slum as her. They won’t talk to her unless it’s to ask for help, when they need her to find a missing loved one, and afterwards, they they discard her. An electrifying literary debut, Eartheater is the kind of book you do not want to miss this spring.
Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas
“A story about a dangerously curious young undergraduate whose rebelliousness leads her to discover a shocking secret involving an exclusive circle of students … and the dark truth beneath her school’s promise of prestige.”
Another atmospheric novel, Catherine House is a dark and trippy read that, as the book progresses, drips with dread underneath the surface. Thomas takes you on a trance-filled ride with this dreamy novel that, in the end, will leave you wondering what in the world you just read. This is the perfect book for those with wild imaginations, who enjoy a bit of fantasy, horror, mystery, and thriller. Fans of atmospheric and/or gothic literature will love this one.
Pretty Little Wife by Darby Kane
“Debut author Darby Kane thrills with this twisty domestic suspense novel that asks one central question: shouldn’t a dead husband stay dead?”
Oh man, I loved this one, and I know other domestic suspense lovers will too. This book starts off with a bang, and from there, our main character Lila takes us through a wild rollercoaster ride as she tries to figure out whether or not her dead husband is really actually dead. Pretty Little Wife is an action-packed novel of a high stakes cat-and-mouse game; this is an absolute must-read.
Long Bright River by Liz Moore
“Two sisters travel the same streets, though their lives couldn’t be more different. Then, one of them goes missing. In a Philadelphia neighborhood rocked by the opioid crisis, two once-insuperable sisters find themselves at odds. One, Kacey, lives on the streeets in the vise of addiction. The other, Mickey, walks those same blocks on her police beat.”
This is an extremely raw novel, and I personally believe that Moore did a phenomenal job of explaining the throes of addiction and how it rocks not just the addicted, but their loved ones around them. This book has a lot of low, sad moments, but even still, readers won’t be able to put this one down. A story filled with drama, mystery, heartbreak, and triumphs. I read this in one sitting.
The Lies You Told by Harriet Tyce
“In the playground it’s the law of the jungle. But at the school gate, there are no rules at all.. Sadie Roper moves back to London, determined to pick up the pieces of her shattered life. First, she needs to get her daughter settled into a new school—one of the most exclusive in the city. Next, she’s going back to the high-flying barrister career dry sacrificed for marriage ten years earlier. But nothing goes as planned.”
Drama, drama, and more drama! This one is filled with it, ladies and gentlemen. Something about the cattiness of school mothers always draws me in, and lovers of domestic suspense and/or mama drama and the pettiness of women will most definitely enjoy. The drama begins right away, and as readers move along more mysteries keep surfacing; there’s a lot to untangle and Tyce unravels everything beautifully. The ending gave me chills. Thriller and mystery lovers will eat this one up.
Afterland by Lauren Beukes
“Men are nearly extinct. Three years after the pandemic known as the manfall, governments still hold and life continues—but a world run by women isn’t always a better place.”
How fitting that this book was published in July 2020—right in the middle of a global pandemic. (Due to the pandemic, I wasn’t able to grab this one at my local library until recently. Again, fitting.) Afterland is a fictional dystopian novel set in a world where nearly all men have gone extinct. For the first time in history, women hold all the cards—they’re the ones in power, the ones making the rules. But as the description says: a world run by women isn’t always a better place. In fact, the dangers and unrest are higher than ever. Now, a mother must travel across a changed America incognito with her son Miles—one of the last boys alive—as mother and daughter. Beukes has written a novel encompassing feminism, science fiction, dystopia, thriller, fantasy, and post apocalyptic elements all tied together in one.
Bunny by Mona Awad
“We were just thes innocent girls in the night trying to make something beautiful. We nearly died, we very nearly died, didn’t we?”
This is a very strange book; it’s nearly impossible to describe what this book actually is. It’s a read that feels very claustrophobic, with each turning of the page you feel as though the walls are closing in on you. There are elements of jealousy, pettiness, and rivalries between young college students and women sprinkled throughout what is mostly a horror novel with a little bit of magical realism. Bunny is the perfect book for those who love very dark novels—the kind that get under your skin and stay there, where dread bubbles underneath the surface the entire time, all before a mind-blowing conclusion that leaves you thinking: WTF? I personally adored this one.
Non-fiction to read this spring:
The Book of Awakening by Mark Nepo
“Philosopher-poet and cancer survivor, Mark Nepo opens a new season of freedom and joy—an escape from the deadening, asleep-at-the wheel sameness—that is both profound and clarifying. His spiritual daybook is a summons to reclaim aliveness, liberate the self, take each day one day at a time, and to savor the beauty offered by life’s unfolding.
The Book of Awakening is the result of his journey of the soul and will inspire others to embark on their own. Nepo speaks of spirit and freedom and friendship, urging readers to stay vital and in love with this life, no matter the hardships. Encompassing many traditions and voices, Nepo’s words offer insight on pain, wonder, and love. Each entry is accompanied by an exercise that will surprise and delight the reader in its mind-waking ability.”
On recommendation, I picked up this book in the beginning of March and started using it in my daily mindfulness practices right away. Since then, I have fallen a little more in love with it each passing day. What Nepo is trying to teach in this book is that by connecting both our minds and our hearts, we can change our pathways and ways of thinking to live the life that we want while being present to the life that we have.
An invitation from Mark Nepo:
“This book is meant to be of use, to be a companion, a soul friend. It is a book of awakenings. To write this I’ve had to live it. It’s given me a chance to gather and share the quiet teachers I’ve met throughout my life. The journey of uneathering and shaping these entries as helped me bring my inner and outer life more closely together. It has helped me know and use my heart. It has made me more whole. I hope it can be such a tool for you.”
This is the perfect book for those looking to embark on a new spiritual journey, as well as those who want to continue growing and learning on a spiritual journey they’re already on. With a daily reading and simple mindful exercise, Nepo invites us and challenges us to change our way of thinking and see things in a different light. I’ve found that reading this book and doing the exercises along with my meditation and journaling has opened up things inside myself and given me insight into things I’d never seen before. I truly think everyone would benefit from this book.
