spring tbr
12 books I want to read this season
Spring has sprung in the Southern Hemisphere! Even though itβs a month in now, October and November truly feel like the spring months for me. Itβs one of my favourite times of the year where I live - warm but mild days (before the Australian summer rolls in and itβs just HOT), the trees and flowers start blooming and all of a sudden everyone is out in the evening drinking cocktails, going on walks or taking afternoon beach swims. Itβs the best! And this spring I intend to fully enjoy it.
Iβm not usually a seasonal TBR person, but I got a bit of a desire to put one together this year. I really want to spend a lot of time in spring outdoors and embracing the spirit of the season, so I thought alongside that it might be nice to pick out some books that feel like spring to pass the season with.
So see below the 12 books Iβve chosen to read this spring!
Intermezzo, Sally Rooney - Itβs all anyone is talking about, including me! Iβve started Intermezzo already, and I think this will be the book that defines the season. I love Sally Rooney and Iβve heard people saying this is her best work yet. Cannot wait to keep reading this.
A Room With a View, E.M Forster - A book which has been on my TBR for a long time. I always think big classics are for fall/winter and shorter ones for spring/summer. I think itβs because I spend a lot of these months outside reading. Anyway, Forster is a love of mine. Iβve read two of his books so far and would like to read all of them eventually! I started this and was excited to be back in it again with him.
Daydream, Hannah Grace - The only romance series Iβm keeping up with. To my own disbelief, I really enjoyed Icebreaker and found it fun - frivolous, but in a good way. The second one I found boring. But hoping this new one is a little bit of light fun for me - Iβm listening to the audiobook, and itβs perfect for my morning/sunset walks, which I like to do a lot more in spring.
Mrβs Dalloway, Virginia Woolf - Similar to the Forster book, shorter classics are made for warmer weather. I envision myself at a park or somewhere in the sun reading this, especially since itβs set over one day and I think those books are perfect for a long reading session. Iβve previously read two Woolf books (To The Lighthouse, A Room of Ones Own) and loved one and hated the other, so interested to see where this falls for me!
The Land Where Lemons Grow: The Story of Italy and Its Citrus Fruit, Helena Attlee - This book has been on my TBR for a few years, since I went to Italy and saw it in bookshops. I really associate spring and summer with citrus fruits for some reason - I think because a prime activity for me as a kid used to be making homemade lemonade for spring and summer, so I think this will just fit nicely with the vibe of the season.
The Pairing, Casey McQuiston - I think romantic comedies are perfect for spring, and this one is about travel which I also think fits the vibe. Having come back from travelling recently, I also just think this might be a nice time to read this. Iβve been poor with keeping up with new releases this year, so it would be nice to read one for a change!
The Modern, Anna Kate Blair - This is an Australian novel released in 2023, and I heard a lot about it when it first came out. I heard many people describe it as sparkling, modern, fresh. It follows a young woman from Australia and her relationship with a new friend she meets at a bridal shop. I think something both whirlwind and thoughtful like this is perfect for spring!
Our Wives Under the Sea, Julia Armfield - This book has been on my TBR a long time, and Iβve heard people say itβs a little spooky and dark, so I thought it might be a good one for around the Halloween period. Iβve also just wanted to read this for a long time so I would love to finally get to it.
Green Dot, Madeleine Gray - Another Australian novel, this one I think falls more along the lines of writers like Genevieve Novak and Diana Reid, who are two Australian authors whose books Iβve really enjoyed and who have a style I find uniquely Australian. Itβs a take on the βsad girl' twenty-somethingβ novel but with an Australian brand of irony and humour that I find really fun. I think this will be a perfect spring read for when Iβm out and about on a warm day!
Kairos, Jenny Erpenbeck - This book, which is set in east Berlin, has been on my TBR for a long time. But since visiting Berlin itβs been bumped up my TBR priority list. Iβve also heard really great reviews of this book from friends, especially about how well-written it is, so Iβm excited to read it soon!
Honey, Isabel Banta - This book is a book about music inspired by 90/early 2000s pop culture which seems like it will be really fun. I can see this as another afternoon in the spring sun reading book for me!
Pixel Flesh: How Toxic Beauty Culture Harms Women, Ellen Atlanta - I saw this book in an excellent bookstore I went to in Bath when I was in the UK and have put it straight into my priority TBR because it covers a topic Iβve been really interested in lately. Iβm not sure about everyone else, but Instagram/TikTok and beauty standards have been rotting my brain so badly lately Iβve had to take breaks from those platforms to be normal again and so Iβm interested to see what this book has to say about beauty culture, the internet and feminism. Also, itβs nonfiction November soon and while I canβt commit to a full month of nonfiction only, I do like to try read a few.
And there we have it! Let me know what you thought of these books if youβve read any. I would also love to hear what is on everyoneβs spring TBRβs (or perhaps fall, for the majority of people).