We’ve had a few chilly days here in Nashville over the last few weeks, and it’s making me crave full-time spring. I thought it would be fun to share a wrap-up of the most spring-like book covers I’ve seen across the internet. Let’s get started!
one | Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell
It’s 1580s England, and a young Latin tutor falls in love with an eccentric woman, Agnes, who is known across the countryside for her unusual gifts as a healer. When the pair marry and settle into their home on Henley Street in Stratford-upon-Avon, she becomes a fiercely protective mother and a force of nature in her husband’s life. Agnes’s husband’s career is taking off as a London stage actor when his beloved son takes ill. Four year’s later, the husband writes a play called Hamlet. Hamnet tells the story of a family ravaged by grief and explores the little-known story behind Shakespeare’s famous play.
two | Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender
Felix has never been in love. He’s Black, queer, and transgender, and he fears he’s just too marginalized to ever find someone to love him just the way he is. When an anonymous student begins bullying Felix — posting his deadname online and sharing photos before Felix’s transition — Felix decides it’s time to put the bully in his place. Through an act of revenge, Felix finds himself in an impossible love triangle. This book is a journey of self-discovery, and along the way, Felix finds out what it means to love himself – every beautiful part.
three | The Far Field by Madhuri Vijay
Shalini is convinced that her mother’s death is somehow related to the decade-old disappearance of Bashir Ahmed, a Kashmiri salesman who frequented her childhood home, and she is determined to confront him. When she travels to a remote Himalayan village, she is brought face-to-face with the dirty politics of the area and she is taken in by a local family. When things turn dark in the village, Shalina is forced to choose between finding the truth or hurting the people she has come to love. This book is said to examine Indian politics, class prejudice, and sexuality through the lens of an outsider, offering a profound meditation on grief, guilt, and the limits of compassion.
four | The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls by Anissa Gray
Lillian, Viola, and Althea have only ever had themselves. Their mom died at an early age, their father was always on the road, and their brother wasn’t much to write home about. When Althea and her husband, Procter, are sent to jail for a “victimless crime,” Lillian and Viola must band together to help save the only family they have left — Althea’s twin daughters. While the young girls feel like their lives are falling apart around them, Lillian and Viola must put their troubles aside to protect the only family that matters to them. This is a gripping story about the importance of family, battling inner demons, and forgiveness.
five | Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Basdardoust
Soraya has lived her life hidden away in her garden — the only place she can be safe and keep her loved ones safe because she was cursed to be poisonous to the touch. As the day of her twin brother’s wedding approaches, Soraya must decide if she’s willing to step outside of the shadows to seek the knowledge that may save her from herself. There is demon who holds the secret to her freedom, and a boy who isn’t afraid of her that looks at her with understanding rather than fear. Soraya has a choice — will she become a princess or a monster?
six | The Honey Farm by Harriet Alida Lye
Cynthia’s farm is stricken by drought. The soil is dry, the honeycombs are stiff, but Cynthia knows how to fix it. She knows how to satisfy the bees. She offers her farm up as an artists’ colony with free room, board, and life experience in exchange for help in bringing the farm back from the brink. Silvia, a would-be poet, and Ibrahaim, a painter, are drawn to the farm, and soon, to each other. But, of course, everything is not as idyllic as it seems. Cynthia’s farm is a dark place where the taps run red, scalps itch with lice, and frogs swarm the pond. When the rest of the residents leave, Silvia becomes increasingly fearful of what could happen on the farm.
seven | Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman
In the sequel (prequel?) to Practical Magic, readers follow Susanna Owens and her three dangerously unique children — Franny, Jet, and Vincent. Bad luck has followed the Owen’s family since 1620 when Maria Owens was charged with witchery for loving the wrong man, so Susanna has rules — rules that are in place to protect her children. When her children visit their Aunt Isabelle in Massachusetts, they uncover family secrets and begin to understand the truth of who they are. When they return to New York, they each embark on a risky journey as they try to escape the family curse.
eight | Of Women and Salt by Gabriela Garcia
From 19th-century cigar factories to present-day detention centers, Of Women and Salt examines the impact of a mother’s choices on her daughter and the legacy of memories. Carmen is a Cuban immigrant dealing with the trauma of displacement and unpacking her complicated relationship with her mother while raising Jeanette. Jeanette is battling addiction, and she’s determined to learn about her family history. On a trip to Cuba to learn from her grandmother, Jeanette and Carmen must face secrets long ago buried.
nine | The Midnight Bargain by C.L. Polk
Beatrice Clayborn lives in a world where she will one day be locked in a marital collar that will cut of her magical powers to protect her unborn children. She dreams of the day she could pursue magic full-time like men, but her family is relying on marriage to save them from crippling debt. One day, Beatrice finds a grimoire that contains the key to her dream life. Before she can take it for herself, the book is ripped from her clutches. To get it back, Beatrice summons a spirit, but her new ally requires something in return for their help — Beatrice’s first kiss with her adversary’s brother, Ianthe Lavan. As she becomes more entangled with the Lavan siblings, Beatrice’s choice to save her family or save herself becomes more complicated than she could ever imagine.
ten | The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner
Told across two timelines, The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner is a story about women who will do whatever it takes to survive. In the 1800s, an apothecary in London becomes a place where women who need to get rid of troublemaking men know they can go for help. Meanwhile, in the modern-day, a historian named Caroline Parcewell is about to make a discovery about the apothecary murders that will turn her life upside down.
Happy reading,
Kimberly
