My To-Read List for This Spring (and Beyond...)

One of my goals for the two read-a-thons I plan to participate in this spring (Spring into Horror during April and Bout of Books May 14-20) is to get through the huge pile of books that have come to live on my nightstand, as well as the ARCs I've requested for books with publication dates in April, May, and June. While I am pretty sure I won't make it through all of these, I also can't say for sure which I will end up reading, so I thought I'd just quickly highlight my stack of options for today's Top Ten Tuesday topic, "Books On My Spring TBR."

Nonfiction (Adult and Children's)

• My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell
  A friend of mine watches The Durrells in Corfu, and she recommended it to me. I of course don't want to start watching without reading the book first. 
• Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton
  My Catholic book club is reading this for our April discussion. 
• Designing Your Own Classical Curriculum by Laura Berquist
  My husband has been asking me to read this homeschooling guide for months, and I keep forgetting about it.
• Picturesque Tale of Progress: Conquests I by Olive Beaupre Miller
  I have been planning to get back into reading this nonfiction set that we'll be using to homeschool history, but I keep putting it off in favor of fiction. 
• An Unforgiving Land: Hardscrabble Life in the Trapps, a Vanished Shawangunk Mountain Hamlet by Robi Josephson and Bob Larsen
  My great-grandmother is mentioned in this book, and there is even a photo from her childhood. My grandmother bought the book for me years ago, and I am starting to feel guilty about not reading it!

Mysteries (Adult)

• The Memorial Hall Murder by Jane Langton
  This is not the first of the series, but it caught my eye at a used bookstore because I have enjoyed this author's children's books.
• 206 Bones by Kathy Reichs
  Based on the description of this book on Amazon, it sounds like I'll be able to count it as my one required scary book for Spring into Horror. 
• Spider Bones by Kathy Reichs
  It's rare that I own two consecutive books in a series, but since I do, I'd like to get through both so I can pass them on to another reader and free up some space.
• The Crossword Murder by Nero Blanc
  This was another random book sale find that I'm curious about. 
• Buffalo West Wing by Julie Hyzy
  I've been meaning to get back into this series. I'm especially interested in this one because it introduces a new administration to the White House.
• Decked by Carol Higgins Clark
  Another book sale book. I've been wanting to try this series for a long time. 
• The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny
  There are actually six from this series on my nightstand, but this is book 5 and I don't have 6 or 7, so for now, this is the only one I feel I need to finish soon. 
• Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon
  I have wanted to read this for years, but somehow it keeps getting forgotten. 

Romance (Adult)

• Lakeside Cottage by Susan Wiggs
• Summer by the Sea by Susan Wiggs

I bought both of these books because I have enjoyed the author's work in the past, and because I was at a book sale where paperbacks were "up to 5 for a $1." I wasn't about to miss out! I typically get really interested in summer books when the weather first warms up - I'm hoping that's soon!

Children's Fiction

 

• Peppermints in the Parlor by Barbara Brooks Wallace
  My husband has been asking me to read this one, and I have been procrastinating because it doesn't look like my usual fare. 
• Honestly, Katie John! by Mary Calhoun
  I have read the first two of this series and would like to finish this series, which also includes Katie John and Heathcliff. 
• By the Great Horn Spoon! by Sid Fleischman
  Another recommendation from my husband that's been on my nightstand for many months!
• All Alone in the Universe by Lynne Rae Perkins
  I really loved Criss Cross and have been wanting to read this book, which comes before it, for years. 
• The Sparrow Child by Meriol Trevor
  Trevor is one of the best Catholic writers ever, and I don't know why I haven't read this yet! 
• The Aurora County All-Stars by Deborah Wiles
  I find the covers of the books in this series so appealing, but have yet to read one. This is the third book, so I'll be reading out of order, but there is a new book coming out so I'd like to get them all read before that comes out. 
• Dandelion Cottage by Carroll Watson Rankin
  This looks like a sweet vintage story that I will really enjoy. 
• Wild Geese Flying by Cornelia Meigs
  I find Cornelia Meigs's writing a bit difficult to get into at times, so I've been avoiding this book, but I do really want to read it. 

ARCs (Adult and Children's)

• Running Through Sprinklers by Michelle Kim (4/17/18)
• Better Off Read by Nora Page (5/8/18)
• The Twin Test by Rula Sinara (5/8/18)
• Secret Sisters of the Salty Sea by Lynne Rae Perkins (5/15/18)
• Front Desk by Kelly Yang (5/29/18)
• Save the Date by Morgan Matson  (6/5/18)
• The House that Lou Built by Mae Respicio (6/12/18)
• Why Can't I Be You? by Melissa Walker (6/19/18)

What are you planning to read this Spring?