Do your reading habits change in the Spring? Do you read gardening books? Even if you don’t have a garden? More light fiction than during the Winter? Less? Travel books? Light paperbacks you can stick in a knapsack?
Or do you pretty much read the same kinds of things in the Spring as you do the rest of the year?
Woody Allen (shudder) once wrote "I am at two with nature." Ditto. I'm not an outdoors girl. Between allergies, really (really) bad reactions to sunlight, and insects that find me delicious, I just don't see any room for me out there.
That doesn't mean I don't love spring. I do. I love the first violets in the lawn, the way the wild bunnies become less wild and more apt to hop over for their carrots, and other people's gardens.
In spring, I also love to read about other people's gardens, and to look at pictures of other people's gardens. Celia Thaxter, for example, whose garden was painted by Childe Hassam, both gardened and wrote, so she's a goddess. Emily Dickinson loved her gardens and infused her poetry with flowers and plants.Vita Sackville-West's gardens at Sissinghurst are legendary, and she wrote with great grace and understanding of their beauty and her own toil.
In spring, I might also read more about herbs in books such as China Bayles' Book of Days by Susan Wittig Albert (also a knitter), whose herbalist sleuth has her own website.
I can't say that I read fewer non-spring books in spring (or non-winter winter books in winter), but the seasons definitely add to the variety of books that I love.
10 comments:
I've never read any of the China Bayles mysteries, but they sound pretty interesting - plus, you used the word "sleuth" which as you know, is one of my fave words ... :-)
Hey! I also shudder at the mention of Woody Allen.
I love the picture. China Bayles is a new one on me. I'm off to look for her now.
I was noticing all the things you like to do in your header and a couple caught my eye. I also love fountain pens. They just feel so right in my hand. I write a letter to a friend every day and often use a fountain pen. I also see that you like to journal and I keep a mostly daily visual journal (with some writing, too, of course).
Anyway, I enjoyed your well-written response!
Woody Allen gives me the shudders too.
I'm sorry to say that my reading habits are pretty much year round ones.
Woody Allen = Super Creep.
I love nature. It's so inspiring to me! But I totally don't want to be out in it. Probably why I have so many animals and plants IN my house. LOL!
Yeah, creepy.
Reading about other people's gardens is better than hacking away at mine. Right now I have a dirt patch.
Um, allergies. 'Nuf said. I love the Susan Wittig Albert herbal books. I am waiting for another.
I have allergies, but I don't let that stop me from working in the garden. Although with a new to us house, and the threat of deer, I'm going to cut way down on what I plant, just in case.
Have you watched the BBC series Rosemary & Thyme? Gardeners who detect, along the backdrop of gardens on their national register. Love every episode, and you can get them on Netflix or the library
Also, you might like the series Michael Pollan did for Modern Library a few years ago. There are 8 books, nonfiction titles that went out of print from the early 20th century. Some are more educational, some are very humorous, but all have witty, enjoyable writing whether you are a plant person or not.
My reading seems to stay the same year round, but your list has reminded me of a gardening book thats been sitting on my Amazon shopping list for a while: The Fragrance of God by Vigen Guroian.
I may have to add China Bayle's book too. Thanks for all the wonderful references.
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