Spring Reads 🌱

Unfortunately, spring is actually my least favourite season of the year, and, as I came to write this list, also appears to be the season with the least amount of literature dedicated to it. However, ever the trooper that I am, here is a selection of spring-appropriate reads to get you through those April showers.

La Belle Dame Sans Merci by John Keats 

The etherial overtones and references to flowers definitely makes La Belle Dame Sans Merci an appropriate read for spring.

The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien

One of the most famous and best-loved fantasy novels of all time, The Hobbit opens with Bilbo Baggins’ quaint hobbit-hole in Bag End, and the fertile landscape of this is definitely reminiscent of springtime.

The January Man: A Year of Walking in Britain by Christopher Somerville

Yes, yes, January is winter – but in The January Man, Christopher Somerville really re-explores his love of nature, which is what, I think, spring is best for.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Arguably Jane Austen’s most well-remembered book, Pride and Prejudice centres around the initially rocky relationship of Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy, and the fresh landscapes are most certainly fitting with the season.

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Just as flowers are beginning to bloom once more, the fantastical descriptions of The Secret Garden will have you embracing the new year and the new season a little more readily.

Tales from Watership Down by Richard Adams

What spring reading list is complete without the classic Tales from Watership Down? I have a rabbit myself, and I love the way that they’re celebrated at this time of year.

Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare

It’s unclear when exactly Twelfth Night is set, but the light, jovial tone of the play definitely seems to fit best in spring. The play is about twins, Viola and Sebastian, who are separated in a shipwreck, and the comical scrapes that they get themselves into whilst trying to find each other.

The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

Any kind of anthropomorphism is gratefully received in spring, and The Wind in the Willows is one of the best-loved examples of this, following the adventures of Ratty, Mole, Badger, and Mr Toad.

The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

Famous for its film adaptation starring Judy Garland, that is always shown around Easter-time, The Wizard of Oz follows Dorothy as she is blown far from home in a tornado, and must try to find her way back.

To Spring by William Blake

This poem is the most overtly spring-based text on the list, and is four quatrains dedicated to the season.

Winter Reads ❄️

Although it physically pains me that Autumn is over, it is now time for a winter reading list. Hopefully these recommendations will jingle your literary bells over this festive season. Please feel free to leave any of your favourites in the comments!

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

The Book Thief is my favourite book of all time, so any excuse to read it is fine by me. Whilst it’s not exclusively set in winter, some of the most poignant moments appear at this time, and particularly over the Christmas period in Munich, Germany.

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Unsurprisingly, there is a Christmas book on this list; Victorian literature, I feel, is particularly apt at communicating the feeling of winter, and the contrast between being cold outside and warm inside. Also, I know I’m an adult now, but the Muppets Christmas Carol is still the best adaptation there is and will ever be.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis

An obvious read for the season is The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, which is follows a group of siblings that are evacuated to the countryside during the war, and stumble upon the magical, snowy land of Narnia, which is eternally winter, but never Christmas.

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Louisa May Alcott’s acclaimed Little Women is set at Christmastime during the American civil war. This novel famously features the four March sisters; Amy, Beth, Jo, and Meg and their transition from childhood to womanhood, along with the change in their relationships and lives over time.

The Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Andersen

For anybody with children in their family, The Little Match Girl is a wonderland bedtime story for the Christmas period, and I vividly remember reading this during winter as a child.

Mortal Kiss by Alice Moss

This isn’t the kind of book that I’d reach for now, but this was such a shout when I was in middle school. YA fiction at its best, Mortal Kiss is set in a town in the US that is suffering from a heavy winter, and some new arrivals to their tight-knit community.

The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe

Ghost stories are, and will forever be, appropriate for the wintertime, and short story by Edgar Allan Poe is one of my favourites. The Raven is based around the ghostly goings on of one dark, December’s night, whilst the narrator is plagued by thoughts of his dead wife, Lenore.

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

The Road is definitely a bleaker novel than some of the others on this list, but reading this when you don’t have to go out into the cold is a next level of coziness.

The Shining by Stephen King

Much like The Road, The Shining by Stephen King is a good choice of literature if you want something a bit less merry to read over the festive season. Cabin fever is a major theme of this book and, if you’re ever snowed in, this one will give you plenty to think about.

The Wolves of Mercy Falls series by Maggie Stiefvater

Like Mortal Kiss, The Wolves of Mercy Falls series is young adult in genre, and has no shortage of werewolves and romance. There are four books in total, Shiver, Linger, Forever, and Sinner.

Autumn Reads 🍂

Now that it is officially October, I feel like I can finally get excited for autumn, and halloween, and everything becoming available in pumpkin spice. To celebration of the readers’ season being firmly here, (in no particular order) here are some seasonal books, short stories, poems, and plays, to get you in the mood.

Dracula by Bram Stoker

Dracula is one of the earliest gothic novels ever written, and mixes Eastern European folklore with sceptical Western narration of Jonathan Harker. This novel has been subjected to countless film adaptations, and yet none truly do justice to the original. This is a great read in the run-up to halloween.

The Harry Potter series by JK Rowling

I’ve put Harry Potter at the top of this list merely because of how obvious it is; I’ve seen this one crop up on almost every autumn reading list out there. There’s something innately autumnal about an academic backdrop in a book, and the added element of witchcraft and wizardry is perfect for those spooky, halloween vibes.

The History Boys by Alan Bennett

The only play on this list, I’ve included this one for its academic overtones, much like in Harry Potter. The History Boys is set in a school, and follows a set of boys on their bid to get into Oxbridge. If you don’t enjoy reading plays, definitely watch the film, starring James Corden (and basically everyone that’s ever been in Gavin & Stacey).

The Infernal Devices series by Cassandra Clare

This series is perhaps my favourite book series of all time and, being set in Victorian England, has the perfect gothic atmosphere for the season. The Infernal Devices could be classed as steampunk, and centre around Tessa as she finds her way through the dark side of London, in a bid to find her brother.

Isabella and the Pot of Basil by John Keats

Keats’ epic poem touches upon the idea of star-crossed lovers, as elite Isabella falls in love with her brothers’ apprentice, Lorenzo, who is quickly killed for deigning to lust after a woman of a higher class. After Lorenzo comes to Isabella in a dream, she is able to locate his corpse, and keep his head in a pot of basil. 

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

The Picture of Dorian Gray is a year-round favourite for me, but there’s something about the intricate nature of Oscar Wilde’s writing that I think sits best within autumn. Dorian Gray is an attractive young man who makes a deal with the devil, and sees a portrait of himself begins to age rather than him.

The Purloined Letter by Edgar Allan Poe

The Purloined Letter is probably the quickest read on the list, and is only around 20 pages, or so, long. It’s not a particularly complex plot line, and it’s never revealed what it is that makes the letter in question so valuable, however the characters’ mannerisms, and way in which they communicate, is very much reminiscent to a Vincent Price film.

The Sherlock Holmes Series by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Along the same lines of The Purloined Letter, I feel that mysteries are well suited to autumn, whereas more overt gothic horrors are better suited to winter. Furthermore, if you’re not in the mood for reading the entire series, the BBC series is also good to watch during the cooler seasons.

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

Another famous gothic title is Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë, whose ghostly Yorkshire landscape is inextricably linked to autumn. This book centres around the relationship (or lack of) between Cathy and Heathcliff, and of the way in which their lives and characters have been shaped by their inability to be together.

The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Gilman’s revered short story perpetuates a claustrophobic feeling, as the narrator believes that there is a woman behind her wallpaper. Her fears are discounted by those around her and she is forced to spend more days in the room with the yellow wallpaper. Being one of the most famous examples of a unreliable narrator, it is increasingly unclear whether the narrator is seeing what she believes she is.