Ah, spring. This time of year always makes me feel lighter. While I don’t mind winter, I cannot deny the fact that the months of chilly temperatures and diminished daylight result in an invisible heaviness on my body and soul. That’s why on that first morning when I look outside and see nothing but blue skies, then open my window and hear a happy chorus of birds chirping and singing, I let out a deep breath. Spring — officially or not — has arrived. As the poet Christina Rossetti declares in her aptly titled poem “Spring”: “There is no time like Spring / When life’s alive in everything.” Well said, Ms. Rossetti, well said.
Spring means different things to different people, but I’ll take a guess that one or more of the following items fall on your springtime checklist: daffodils, cherry blossoms, fluffy clouds, robins, rainbows, and baseball. Yes, it’s a nature-centric list (even baseball can be considered nature because the game is played outside, right?), but that’s the point. The ground warms up, and voila, life begins.
To help get this spring party started, allow me to offer some springy reading recommendations. We know about spring fever and spring chickens, we’re good with springing into action and springing forward, so why not develop a spring reading habit? Summer reads (aka beach reads) get all the seasonal glory in the book world, but spring is mighty fine, too, and deserves just as much reading time as its hot cousin.
Enjoy!
• “Bold and Beautiful Paper Flowers: More Than 50 Easy Paper Blooms and Gorgeous Arrangements You Can Make at Home” by Chantal Larocque: This is such a pretty book that I felt compelled to include it. Nothing compares to a real flower, but maybe you don’t have room for a garden, or, alas, you’re allergic to flowers. Don’t deny yourself the beauty of blooms: Make your bouquets from paper. Chantal Larocque’s lovely book instructs and inspires anyone interested in creating floral works of art.
