I have said this over and over again. March 21st is my New Year. To be specific, the first day of spring feels like the beginning of time. The air feels more alive, everything regains color, and the sun doesn’t have to compete with the cold.
I love this feeling.
This year, I want to start reading more. When I was in college, I read books all the time. Not just because I was assigned them, although that was a factor, but because I had nothing else. I couldn’t afford a TV, so I bought a CD player and put it in my kitchen. I rented audiobooks from the library, and for the longest time, that was my entertainment.
I have since bought a TV, moved in with my now-husband, and lost the CD player in all of my moves. But I want to get back to reading, and what better time than the start of a new year?
As I’ve mentioned, I’m feeling very spring-coated. And I wanted to make a book list for the month that reflects that. But for context, as of right now, my favorite books are The Color Purple, Interview with the Vampire, Practical Magic, and Their Eyes Were Watching God. Let that set the tone for the type of books I will most likely choose.
This Cursed House by Del Sandeen
I’ve been reading horror since I was a kid. So when I found out about Del Sandeen, I knew I had to read her. She is a Black author who writes speculative horror. I found her through book suggestions on Pinterest. Her book was centered on a mood board with Spanish moss hanging from tree branches, hoodoo magic, old plantation homes, Black debutants, and ghostly women running across green fields. I added the book to my TBR list on Goodreads.
This Cursed House is about a woman who is hired by a family that expects her to break the curse that has been put upon them. It is a Southern Gothic novel that takes place in New Orleans. If I could relate it to spring, I would say my first impressions of this book are the quiet calm of a warm morning before the day heats the earth, so the water lingered in the air as humidity.
Seven Days in June by Tia Williams
I’m not the biggest fan of romance. I tend to lean more into slice of life, where romance happens, but it’s not the main plot. After reading her bio, I can say that I wouldn’t gravitate towards Tia Williams, but her style feels like spring to me. She started her career in the beauty industry and has since written several novels. And again, I don’t usually go for romance, but there’s something about Williams’ books that interests me. And besides, what is more spring-coated than a love story?
The book is about a single mom in New York with a career as a prominent African American writer. She is a member of the Black literary community in New York and is put in a tailspin when a past lover comes to town. Turns out, while their romance might’ve ended, they write love letters to each other through their books. And while they might not have kept in touch, the connection is still there.
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
I started reading this book the year I became pregnant and then stopped because, during my pregnancy, I kept falling asleep to it. That is not to say the book was bad; I was just tired.
Honestly, the book is a beautiful marriage between the earth and science. It validates the sacred knowledge of nature as the Native Americans knew it with fact-based evidence and lived experience. You could read this book anytime, but I think it’s perfect for spring.
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
I have read this book twice already. I want to read it again this year because I am preparing to reread The Color Purple, which changed my writing fundamentally. Zora Neale Hurston was deeply influential to Alice Walker, who was so inspired by her writing that she went to Eatonville, Florida, and found her lost grave.
This year, I am embarking on a personal series of mine to read as many books by Alice Walker as I can find. But first, I wanted to read the greatest book by the writer who inspired my favorite writer. I think very highly of the two women as writers, and I am looking forward to spending time with them again.
light & gather 
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