Spring Reading

This week I’m sharing the books I hope to read this spring. I love writing these seasonal posts because they help me make a plan for the next few months. Thank you to Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl for hosting this topic!

Last night an email went out from my public library: they are officially closed. On one hand, it’s helpful. I’ve been debating whether or not I should go at all. Now the decision is made for me – I won’t be going! On the other hand: my public library is closed! What a sad thing! So I’m digging into my own bookshelves for this week’s list or choosing books that can be purchased cheaply. And there’s still quite a list to choose from for the next few months!

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I’ll continue with my goal to read the entire Anne of Green Gables series this spring. Once I finish Anne of Windy Poplars, I’ll be in uncharted territory for me. In my previous effort to read this series (in 2008), I only made it to the fourth book!

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I’ve been wanting to return to Marilynne Robinson after finishing The Gilead Trilogy last year. These three are waiting on my Kindle and bookshelf. I doubt that I’ll get to all three because I think they’re quite heavy to take in, but I hope to read at least two of them.

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These are a tentative add to my Spring TBR. I’ve been considering working my way through the Miss Marple series. I know I’ve already read Murder at the Vicarage and The Body in the Library, but it was so long ago (high school?) that I remember nothing about them.

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Wendell Berry and Port William stole my heart with Jayber Crow, so I really hope to return to this world in the spring.

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If you’ve read my blog for any period of time, then you know that I’m dying to homeschool my children. I’ve done a ton of reading on it and believe that I would want to try a combination of Classical Education and a secular Charlotte Mason approach. Friends, I have my Ticonderogas at the ready for lesson planning!!

I’ve read A Literary Education before but want to read it again. The lovely thing about this book is that a parent can work in these principles even while his or her children are attending traditional school. I am constantly reading out loud, even when I think they aren’t paying a lick of attention. They are. I know that they are because my oldest asks the most amazing questions about what we’re reading even when he’s literally running around in circles while I’m reading aloud. It’s incredible what they pick up.

I haven’t read How We Learn yet but hope to get to it this spring. This is all about how our brains absorb and retain information. I’m hoping it can give me some practical advice on how to make our home an environment rich with learning, regardless of whether we end up homeschooling.

Julie Bogart has quickly become one of my favorite homeschooling podcasters so I’m looking forward to reading her book, The Brave Learner. She advocates for a homeschool environment full of writing activities, which is also something I’m interested in.

The Well-Trained Mind was the first homeschooling book I bought. I love this approach – it’s rigorous and rich in knowledge. Susan Wise Bauer and her daughter wrote this book and it gives an incredibly detailed plan for home education. Their experience was religious, but it can easily be adapted for a secular family. I look over this every few months and will expect to look at the age appropriate chapters for my children again this spring.

{PS – I just edited this section and found that I used the word “rich” six times in the original draft. It’s clear that I want my home to be rich with learning experiences and for my children to love reading and learning!}

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The last time I read The Hobbit was about 20 years ago. I was on spring break in high school and spent the entire week outside, laying on the hammock, and reading books. I got a major sunburn, but The Hobbit was one of the books I read and I get serious nostalgia over it during the spring. But here’s my problem: once Bilbo leaves the Shire, I have absolutely no interest in the story. Dragons? Walking trees? No, thanks. Give me the Shire! But I’m hoping to read this again and maybe I’ll actually enjoy all of the adventure.

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My first experience with Deep Work was in 2016 and on audio. I’m looking forward to digging into my kindle edition of this so that I can highlight passages and make notes much more easily! I enjoy Cal Newport’s work about finding ways to stay focused in a world in which we are constantly being pulled in so many directions.

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The Glass Hotel is the only new release on my Spring TBR! I adore Emily St. John Mandel and am looking forward to reading whatever she’s dreamed up with this new book. I am the first person on the list to get this from the library, so I’m sure I’ll wait until it reopens and won’t buy it myself. But I am excited about it!

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Do we share any spring TBRs? Is there a book that you love to reread in the spring? Did reading this spark any recommendations for me? I’d love to hear from you in the comments!

Stay safe everyone. I’m hoping that you all stay healthy, happy, and bedded down with books.