The blossoming trees and longer days always feel like a new beginning– full of awakening and potential. In this season of transition, we’re celebrating new growth with our spring reading list. These books give us perspectives of change not only as individuals, but in our relationships with others and the places we call home.
'The Island of Sea Women,' by Lisa See
This stunning novel follows the friendship of Mi-ja and Young-sook, two girls part of Jeju Island’s all-female diving collectives in Korea. As their story takes place over several decades, we see how their relationship ebbs and flows through work, marriage and survival through multiple wars and decades. A reflection of how when we grow, our closest loved ones can change with us.
'Like a Bird,' by Fariha Róisín
Taylia Chatterjee is alone and adrift after surviving a violent sexual assault and estrangement from her parents. As she learns to heal, she finds guidance and comfort from the ghost of her late grandmother and a community of women she befriends. We witness the power in choosing self-love and found family in this intimate journey of reclamation. Like a Bird is a truly moving tale.
'Detransition Baby,' by Torrey Peters
Three women, trans and cis, confront their fears and desires for motherhood while dreaming beyond the cis hetero norms of family making in Detransition Baby. The journey into each heroine’s experiences is lush with the nuance and complexity of being human. The honesty and flaws of each character is a glowing reminder of the nonlinear journey to understanding ourselves.
'Midnight Library,' by Matt Haig
Do you ever think about what your life would be like if you could undo past regrets? Nora Seed gets the chance to do just that when a midnight library appears before her; each book representing a life in a parallel universe had she made any decision differently. As Nora jumps between lives– as an Olympian, a married pub owner, a rock star, a glaciologist – she reflects on what she really needs for a fulfilling life. We promise you'll enjoy Midnight Library.
'The Old Drift,' by Namwali Serpell
Beginning on the banks of the Zambezi river in 1904, Namwali Serpell writes a masterful epic spanning three families (Black, brown, and white) and their serendipitous connections across more than a century. It feels overwhelming to follow nine central characters at first glance, but Serpell writes The Old Drift in a way that allows us to follow their triumphs, heartbreaks and legacies with intimacy. From colonialism to revolution and on to an imagined future, this dazzling tale weaves the stories of changing people with a changing world through the lens of Zambia.