Spring has finally sprung here at UW, and after a cold winter locked away in my room on my phone, I found myself looking to step away from technology and back into literature. Here are some recommendations for spring reading in nonfiction, fiction, and poetry!
Nonfiction:
All About Love: New Visions by Bell Hooks is, I think, the most important book on this list. It is an investigation into love as the force that powers us all. Hooks calls on us to lead with love, not just in our personal relationships, but in our approach to life in general. Through sections on spirituality, activism, and loss, Hooks touches on every aspect of love and the various ways it shows up in our lives. With all the pain in the world and after what can be such an isolating period, I think this book is the perfect way to get grounded and help you reconnect with both yourself and with the people around you.
Fiction:
Fresh out of a breakup, romance writer January Andrews finds herself unsure of love for the first time in her life, leaving her unable to write her next book. This writer’s block leads her into a summer-long writing challenge with her college nemesis. Filled with laughs, adventures, and heart-felt conversations, Beach Read by Emily Henry is the perfect novel to segue readers into summer and pull them out of a reading rut.
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett is a novel that explores family, fate, and short-lived fame as a mother tells the story of her summer fling with a man who became a movie star. The story culminates in the most beautiful manner as you realize every little piece of the novel has come together just as it was supposed to. It is surprisingly endearing and a wonderful reminder that more often than not, things fall into place exactly as they should.
Poetry
To be completely honest, I sort of arbitrarily chose a particular volume of her poetry but Mary Oliver’s work is the perfect encapsulation of springtime. So much poetry is focused on pain and loss, and Mary Oliver fully turns that notion on its head. In times of pain, she brings us down to Earth to hang out with the trees and the grasshoppers, listen to the birds, and just be. She reminds us how lucky we are to be alive to hear the rustle of the wind and to watch a creek flow. So, tell me, “What is it that you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” (from her poem, “The Summer Day”).
You can also read her poetry online for free here: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/mary-oliver