Recommended Reading: Spring

One of the best parts about spring is sitting outside with a good book. Maybe for the rest of the country the beginning of March doesn't count as spring, but minus a few cold days, springtime has definitely started in south Mississippi.

I haven't been able to do as much reading as I would like lately because going to grad school while teaching leaves me with less free time than normal. Even so, I have been able to read a few books, and I always have suggestions. Mostly YA and children's books. Apparently, I no longer read fiction written for adults.

(Actually, I do have plenty of fiction written for adults sitting in a pile next to my bed. I just haven't gotten to it lately. Plus, YA books have cooler covers.)

The Books

A Wrinkle in Time - Madeleine L'Engle

You've probably already heard of this children's book before because it won a Newbery Medal in 1963, and it's become a classic. Although it is a "children's book," it deals with a heavy theme of good and evil that challenges adults just as much as children. If for some reason you haven't read this yet or if it's been a long time, now is a good time to read it again because a new movie version is being released in theaters on March 9. I'm definitely going to be there.


Red Queen and Glass Sword - Victoria Aveyard

After the popularity of books like The Hunger Games and The Selection, do we really need another YA dystopian series with a ridiculous love triangle?

Absolutely.

This is a new-ish YA fantasy series with three books published so far. I am not going to argue that these are deep, thought-provoking books. However, they are extremely enjoyable to read, the characters are interesting, and I have been surprised by every single twist in the plot. I haven't read the third book yet, but I can fully recommend Red Queen and Glass Sword.


Everything, Everything - Nicola Yoon

I saw this book in the public library and checked it out because I had seen several of my students reading it at school. It's not a book I would actually recommend to my students because some of the subject matter is a little mature for the age I teach. If you've run out of Nicholas Spark books or John Green books, and you're looking for a romantic book to read that will make you cry a little, then this is a good option. The ending was not everything that I wanted it to be, but there were a few tears in the middle.


For the Love - Jen Hatmaker

For the Love has been on my to-read list since it came out in 2015. I'd already read her book 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess, and I follow Jen on her blog and on Instagram. The book was even better than I expected. Jen talks about what it looks like to love people as a Christian. Her writing is honest, funny, and insightful which is a difficult combination to hit with this topic. The book is the kind that you will want to read and then reread later on. Out of all the books that I've read over the past few months, For the Love is the one that I'd recommend the most.