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I've been on a book buying ban since August 2022, and I'm slightly running out of books to read. I think I own 17 unread books right now. Most of the stuff I've read lately came from the library.

This Spring, I want to stay away from the library and prioritize the books I already own. Here are 7 books I will most definitely (probably, maybe) read in the next few weeks.

🍃  Books To Read In Spring  🍀

CROSSING THE SEA: WITH SYRIANS ON THE EXODUS TO EUROPE BY WOLFGANG BAUER & STANISLAV KRUPAR

Adult Journalism

Award-winning journalist Wolfgang Bauer and photographer Stanislav Krupař were the first undercover reporters to document the journey of Syrian refugees from Egypt to Europe. Posing as English teachers in 2014, they were direct witnesses to the brutality of smuggler gangs, the processes of detainment and deportation, the dangers of sea-crossing on rickety boats, and the final furtive journey through Europe. Combining their own travels with other eyewitness accounts in the first book of reportage of its kind, Crossing the Sea brings to life both the systemic problems and the individual faces behind the crisis, and is a passionate appeal for more humanitarian refugee policies.

Why I want to read it: I'm interested in the stories of refugees because becoming a refugee is one of my worst nightmares. It would be completely terrifying to lose your home, your family, your country, everything. I want to understand the conflict in Syria and what the people who live there are going through.

Buy it on Amazon

THE FRAGILE THREADS OF POWER BY V.E. SCHWAB

Adult Fantasy

Once, there were four worlds, nestled like pages in a book, each pulsing with fantastical power, and connected by a single city: London. Until the magic grew too fast, and forced the worlds to seal the doors between them in a desperate gamble to protect their own. The few magicians who could still open the doors grew more rare as time passed and now, only three Antari are known in recent memory—Kell Maresh of Red London, Delilah Bard of Grey London, and Holland Vosijk of White London.

But barely a glimpse of them have been seen in the last seven years—and a new Antari named Kosika has appeared in White London, taking the throne in Holland's absence. The young queen is willing to feed her city with blood, including her own—but her growing religious fervor has the potential to drown them instead.

And back in Red London, King Rhy Maresh is threatened by a rising rebellion, one determined to correct the balance of power by razing the throne entirely.

Amidst this tapestry of old friends and new enemies, a girl with an unusual magical ability comes into possession of a device that could change the fate of all four worlds.

Her name is Tes, and she's the only one who can bring them together—or unravel it all.

Why I want to read it: YES! I love this series! I feel like I've been waiting for years to read this book. It's the first in a companion series to the Shades Of Magic, which you need to read if you like parallel universe stories. It has magical smugglers, and plot twists, and fabulous coats.

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SO THIS IS EVER AFTER BY F.T. LUKENS

Young Adult Fantasy

Arek hadn’t thought much about what would happen after he completed the prophecy that said he was destined to save the Kingdom of Ere from its evil ruler. So now that he’s finally managed to (somewhat clumsily) behead the evil king (turns out magical swords yanked from bogs don’t come pre-sharpened), he and his rag-tag group of quest companions are at a bit of a loss for what to do next.

As a temporary safeguard, Arek’s best friend and mage, Matt, convinces him to assume the throne until the true heir can be rescued from her tower. Except that she’s dead. Now Arek is stuck as king, a role that comes with a magical catch: choose a spouse by your eighteenth birthday, or wither away into nothing.

With his eighteenth birthday only three months away, and only Matt in on the secret, Arek embarks on a desperate bid to find a spouse to save his life—starting with his quest companions. But his attempts at wooing his friends go painfully and hilariously wrong . . . until he discovers that love might have been in front of him all along.

Why I want to read it: It's my New Year's resolution to read happier books. I want to be a less bleak b*tch in 2024. One of the few happy series I've read and enjoyed is the Simon Snow series by Rainbow Rowell, so I searched for cozy fantasy books with similar vibes. I found this one and plopped it on my wish list. I hope it's just as clever and escapist as Simon Snow.

Buy it on Amazon

The Children Of Men by P.D. James

Adult Dystopia

The human race has become infertile, and the last generation to be born is now adult. Civilization itself is crumbling as suicide and despair become commonplace. Oxford historian Theodore Faron, apathetic toward a future without a future, spends most of his time reminiscing. Then he is approached by Julian, a bright, attractive woman who wants him to help get her an audience with his cousin, the powerful Warden of England. She and her band of unlikely revolutionaries may just awaken his desire to live . . . and they may also hold the key to survival for the human race.

Why I want to read it: It's a classic dystopia that was written in the 1990s. Do you know when the story is set? In 2021. That's its dystopian future year! I guess it's not wrong because 2021 did feel more dystopian than the average year.

Buy it on Amazon 

Wild And Crooked by Leah Thomas

Young Adult Contemporary

In Samsboro, Kentucky, Kalyn Spence's name is inseparable from the brutal murder her father committed when he was a teenager. Forced to return to town, Kalyn must attend school under a pseudonym . . . or face the lingering anger of Samsboro's citizens, who refuse to forget the crime.

Gus Peake has never had the luxury of redefining himself. A Samsboro native, he's either known as the "disabled kid" because of his cerebral palsy, or as the kid whose dad was murdered. Gus just wants to be known as himself.

When Gus meets Kalyn, her frankness is refreshing, and they form a deep friendship. Until their families' pasts emerge. And when the accepted version of the truth is questioned, Kalyn and Gus are caught in the center of a national uproar. Can they break free from a legacy of inherited lies and chart their own paths forward?

Why I want to read it: Mostly because of the cover. I added this book to my Christmas wish list because I loved the cover. Then my friend bought it for me because she liked the story. She said it's about two quirky friends. Friends! No romance. I'm hyped.

Buy it on Amazon

The Prophet Calls by Melanie Sumrow

Middle Grade Contemporary

Born into a polygamous community in the foothills of New Mexico, Gentry Forrester feels lucky to live among God’s chosen. Here, she lives apart from the outside world and its “evils.”

On her thirteenth birthday, Gentry receives a new violin from her father and, more than anything, she wants to play at the Santa Fe Music Festival with her brother, Tanner. But then the Prophet calls from prison and announces he has outlawed music in their community and now forbids women to leave.

Determined to play, Gentry and Tanner sneak out. But once they return, the Prophet exercises control from prison, and it has devastating consequences for Gentry and her family. Soon, everything Gentry has known is turned upside down. She begins to question the Prophet’s teachings and his revelations, especially when his latest orders put Gentry’s family in danger. Can Gentry find a way to protect herself and her family from the Prophet and escape the only life she’s ever known?

Why I'm excited to read it: It's clearly inspired by Warren Jeffs and how he's running his cult by phone from prison. The plot sounds exactly like a billion other cult books. (I feel like I've read a billion cult books.) However, I'm stoked to read cult book number one billion and one.

Buy it on Amazon

10 Minutes 38 Seconds In This Strange World by Elif Shafak

Adult Literary Fiction

For Leila, each minute after her death brings a sensuous memory: the taste of spiced goat stew, sacrificed by her father to celebrate the long-awaited birth of a son; the sight of bubbling vats of lemon and sugar which the women use to wax their legs while the men attend mosque; the scent of cardamom coffee that Leila shares with a handsome student in the brothel where she works. Each memory, too, recalls the friends she made at each key moment in her life—friends who are now desperately trying to find her. . .

Why I'm excited to read it: "Excited" is the wrong word because the book is about a murdered sex worker who remembers her whole life during the 10 minutes, 38 seconds it takes for her to die. That's . . . severely depressing. I'm mostly interested in this book because of its structure. The whole plot takes place in 10 minutes, 38 seconds. I want to see how the author does it.

Buy it on Amazon

What are you reading this Spring?