Easter Recommendations: Adult Fiction and Non-Fiction

The birds are out, the flowers are blooming and we're ready for Easter! If you're trying to get into the Spring mood, check out our recommendations for the perfect books to read this time of year below.

The First Day of Spring by Nancy Tucker

Chrissie is eight and she has a secret: she has just killed a boy. The feeling made her belly fizz like soda pop. Her playmates are tearful and their mothers are terrified, keeping them locked indoors. But Chrissie rules the roost - she's the best at wall-walking, she knows how to get free candy, and now she has a feeling of power that she never gets at home, where food is scarce and attention scarcer. Twenty years later, adult Chrissie is living in hiding under a changed name. A single mother, all she wants is for her daughter to have the childhood she herself was denied. That's why the threatening phone calls are so terrifying. People are looking for them, the past is catching up, and Chrissie fears losing the only thing in this world she cares about, her child.

A Spring Surprise for the Cornish Midwife by Jo Bartlett

Midwife Jess knows she'll never have a baby of her own, but she's determined to still be a mum. So Jess decides to foster, providing love and support for children who desperately need it - something Jess never had as a child when she was in foster care. Jess loves caring for the precious babies who come into her life, but letting them go again breaks her heart every time - can she really be a mum after all? But then Jess finds a surprise on her doorstep - a newborn baby! As the search for the missing mum begins, Jess cares for the precious babe day and night. She desperately wants to reunite mum and baby, but knows that when the day comes, her own heart will shatter.

We Belong Together by Beth Moran

Needing to escape her London life quickly, Eleanor Sharpley throws her things into the back of her car, and heads to her erstwhile best friend Charlie's family farm. But Charlie isn't there. Instead she finds Charlie's grieving brother Daniel, her eight-month old daughter Hope (a daughter Eleanor had known nothing about), and a crumbling and unloved Damson Farm. Damson Farm lies at the edge of the village of Ferrington, with the river Maddon flowing at its heart. But Ferrington is a village divided by more than just a river - it is split in two by an age-old feud - between the Old Side and the New Side. Eleanor has run from her problems, straight into a family and a world that has problems of its own. But Damson Farm has magic too, and as winter gives way to spring, the old farm starts to come to life under Eleanor's love and care.

Spring Blossoms at Mill Grange by Jenny Kane

Welcome back to Mill Grange and the beautiful village of Upwich, full of larger-than-life characters you can't but adore.

Zennor in Darkness by Helen Dunmore

'Zennor in Darkness' is a fictional account of the lives of people living in Cornwall during the First World War. The central characters are D.H. Lawrence and his German wife Frieda, who become the butt of much scorn and gossip during the spring of 1917. 

Spring at Blueberry Bay by Holly Martin

When Bella finds a dashing homeless man on her doorstep, she invites him into her cottage and into her life. But Isaac's keeping a secret from her, this woman who he hadn't expected to fall for. She can't ignore the chemistry between them, but she's had her trust broken before. Will Bella run when she learns the truth, or could he be the man to help her to love again?

Rites of Spring by Anders De La Motte

Skane, 1986: On the night of Walpurgis, the eve of May Day, where bonfires are lit to ward off evil spirits and preparations are made to celebrate the renewal of spring, a 16-year-old girl is ritualistically murdered in the woods beside a castle. Her stepbrother is convicted of the terrible deed and shortly after, the entire family vanishes without a trace. Spring, 2019: Dr Thea Lind moves into the castle. After making a strange discovery in an ancient oak tree on the grounds, her fascination with the old tragedy deepens. As she uncovers more and more similarities between her own troubled past and the murdered girl, she begins to believe that the real truth of the killing was never uncovered. What if the spring of 1986 claimed more than one victim?

A Springtime Affair by Katie Fforde

Gilly runs her own B&B business from her much-loved family home, which she doesn't want to part with - at any price. But that's before she meets handsome estate agent Leo. Soon he has her wondering whether it's finally time to sell up and try something new in life. Meanwhile, Gilly's daughter Helena has a budding romance of her own. A talented weaver, she's becoming very close to her new landlord Jago, who's offered to help her at an upcoming craft fair that could give her dream career a major boost. It's what friends do, and they are just friends. Aren't they? With spring in full bloom, Helena and Gilly begin to ask themselves the same question: Could their new loves lead to their happily ever after? 

Spring at Lavender Bay by Sarah Bennett

Beth Reynolds loved growing up close to Eleanor's Emporium - a bric-a-brac shop full of wonders on Lavender Bay. Devastated to learn that Eleanor has died, she returns home from London immediately and is shocked to discover that the elderly lady has left the shop to her! Vowing to restore it to its former glory, she only intends to stay until the end of the season. Although the longer she spends in the colourful seaside town, the more she falls back in love with everything she left behind - and quite possibly, with her best friend Eliza's older brother, local chef Sam Barnes! Why didn't she notice he was quite this gorgeous before? And will their spring fling be enough to convince her to stay?

Spring tides at Swallowtail Bay by Katie Ginger

In Swallowtail Bay the birds are singing, the sun is shining and the locals are welcoming - but Stella's new beginning might be over before it's begun.

Spring Comes to Emmerdale by Pamela Bell

'Spring Comes to Emmerdale' is a must for fans of ITV's Emmerdale, and readers who love heartwarming and heartbreaking stories set during wartime, alike. World War I wages on, and the families of Emmerdale are trying their best to move on from tragedy, while the effects of war still resonate throughout the village of Beckindale. Though grief and loss permeate, Maggie Sugden, Rose Haywood and the other inhabitants of the village are finding independence, the chance to make their own happiness - and even opening themselves up to find love. Featuring firm fan favourites like the Dingles, The Woolpack Pub and Emmerdale Farm itself, this will be a delight for any Emmerdale fan.

Spring by Ali Smith

Spring will come. The leaves on its trees will open after blossom. Before it arrives, a hundred years of empire-making. The dawn breaks cold and still but, deep in the earth, things are growing. 

Gardening at Longmeadow by Monty Don

Following the cycle of the seasons, this book introduces readers to the garden from the earliest snowdrops of January through the first splashes of colour in the spring, the electric summer displays of the jewel garden, the autumn harvest in the orchard, and on to a Christmas feast sourced from the vegetable gardens. 

Tales of a Country Parish: Diary of a Country Vicar by Colin Heber-Percy

Rural priest, Colin Heber-Percy, began writing an early-morning newsletter - a collection of daily reflections, stories and prayers - to stay in touch with his parishioners and comfort those on their own during the unprecedented circumstances of Spring 2020. Word spread, and soon his uplifting bulletins were being eagerly consumed by readers around the country and beyond. In these wise, kind and surprising contemplations, Heber-Percy draws upon a kaleidoscopic knowledge of art, nature, music and metaphysical poetry, as well as religious texts, and interlaces them with amusing and touching vignettes from his Wiltshire parish. He meanders from the many breakdowns of his rusty Ibiza, to the dramas of the village carnival and the joys and agonies of leading worship on Zoom with one parishioner regularly reading the gospel accompanied by her noisy budgie on her shoulder.

A Passion for Snowdrops: A Personal Perspective by George G. Brownlee

Snowdrops are known as the 'harbingers of spring' at a time when there is little else in flower in the garden to brighten the dull winter months. No-one should be without these dainty white gems which can symbolize innocence, purity and hope. The author describes all known snowdrop species, the cultivation of garden-worthy varieties and their naming as well as their history in early European and English literature.

The Soaring Life of the Lark by John Lewis-Stempel

Skylarks are the heralds of our countryside. Their music is the quintessential sound of spring. The spirit of English pastoralism, they inspire poets, composers and farmers alike. In the trenches of World War I they were a reminder of the chattering meadows of home. Perhaps you were up with the lark, or as happy as one. History has seen us poeticise and musicise the bird, but also capture and eat them. We watch as they climb the sky, delight in their joyful singing, and yet we harm them too. This book explores the music and poetry; the breath-taking heights and struggle to survive of one of Britain's most iconic songbirds.

A Year on Our Farm: How the Countryside Made Me by Matt Baker

A celebration of the natural year, Matt Baker's book takes the reader n a journey through the seasons: January to December, Spring to Winter on his Hertfordshire farm with his family. Over the past year our relationship with nature has become vital, and Matt's observations of the natural world make for healing reading. The surrounding British wildlife plays a major role in life on the farm and Matt's thoughts and reflections can help every one of us.

100 Nature Walks

A glorious celebration of nature and the simple pleasures of walking. This pocket-sized book has a perfect country walk for every time of year. The 100 walks show you the highlights of every season, from the beautiful bluebell woods of spring and the wildflower meadows of summer to the spectacular colours of autumn and the stark grandeur of winter. The routes cover all of Britain (including Scotland) and they're all easy or moderate in their difficulty - ideal for relaxed strolls and families. As well a map and comprehensive directions, each walk has information about other fun activities in the area and nearby cafes and restaurants.

Walks in the Wild: A Guide Through the Forest by Peter Wohlleben

Can you tell the difference between wolf and dog prints? Which trees are best to shelter under a storm? How do you tell a deciduous and coniferous tree apart? Bestselling author of 'The Hidden Life of Trees,' Peter Wohlleben, lets you in on the quintessentials of his forestry knowledge. He invites you on an atmospheric journey of discovery. Learn to find your way around the woods without a compass or GPS, which berries and mushrooms are good to eat, how to read animal tracks and what it's like to spend a night alone in a forest. 'Walks in the Wild' has everything you need to make a woodland walk - be it spring, summer, autumn or winter - into a very special experience.

Greenery: Journeys in Springtime

'Greenery' begins in a midsummer in the middle of a winter. One December, in midsummer South Africa, Tim Dee watched swallows and those birds set him off on a journey in pursuit of the spring as it moves north, bringing swallows and all the other spring migrant birds out of Africa and into Europe. 

Spring Cannot Be Cancelled: How the Countryside Made Me

Upon entering his 80s, David Hockney sought out rustic tranquillity for the first time: a place to watch the sunset and the change of the seasons; a place to live a life of simple pleasures, undisturbed and undistracted; a place to keep the madness of the world at bay. So when Covid-19 and lockdown struck, it made little difference to life at La Grande Cour, the centuries-old Normandy farmhouse where Hockney set up a studio a year before, in time to paint the arrival of spring. In fact, he relished the enforced isolation as an opportunity for even greater devotion to his art. 'Spring Cannot Be Cancelled' is an uplifting manifesto that affirms art's capacity to divert and inspire. It is based on a wealth of new conversations and correspondence between Hockney and the art critic Martin Gayford, his long-time friend and collaborator.

The Nightingale by Sam Lee

Each year, as darkness falls upon the woodlands, the nightingale heralds the arrival of spring. Its sweet song has inspired musicians, writers and artists across the centuries and around the world, from Germany, France and Italy to Greece, Ukraine and Afghanistan. Discover the unique and charming biography of an infamous yet elusive songbird as naturalist, renowned musician and folk expert Sam Lee tells the full story of the nightingale.

The Nature of Spring by Jim Crumley

Spring marks the genesis of nature's year. As Earth's northern hemisphere tilts ever more towards the life-giving sun, the icy, dark days of winter gradually yield to the new season's intensifying light and warmth. Nature responds. 

Skylarks with Rosie: A Somerset Spring by Stephen Moss

March 2020: Stephen Moss's Somerset garden is awash with birdsong: chiffchaffs, wrens, robins and a new arrival, the blackcap, all competing to sing as the season gathers pace. Overhead, buzzards soar and ravens tumble, apparently as delighted as he is to herald the new season. But this Spring Equinox is unlike any other. As the nation stumbles toward a collective lockdown, Stephen begins to observe and record the wildlife in his immediate vicinity, with his fox-red Labrador, Rosie, as his companion on his daily exercise. As old routines fall away, and blue skies are no longer crisscrossed by contrails, they discover the bumblebees, butterflies and birdsong on their patch. This evocative account underlines how an unprecedented crisis has changed the way we relate to the natural world, giving us hope for the future at perhaps the darkest time in our lives.

Preparing for Easter: Fifty Devotional Reading by C.S. Lewis

'Preparing for Easter' is a concise, handy companion for the faithful of all Christian traditions and the curious to help them deepen their knowledge and consideration of this holy season - a time of reflection as we consider Jesus's sacrifice and his joyous rise from the dead. Carefully curated, each selection draws on a major theme in Lewis's writings on the Christian life, as well as others that consider why we can have confident faith in what happened on the cross.

Greenfeast: Spring, Summer by Nigel Slater

The 'Greenfeast' recipes are for those who want easy recipes for eating more vegetable dishes throughout the week and there will be suggestions for changing up each recipe, as well as lists and lists of quick ideas.

Silent Spring Revisited by Conor Mark Jameson

Fifty years after the publication of the seminal 'Silent Spring', 'Silent Spring Revisited' reflects on Carson's legacy in Britain, the US and beyond, and asks the question - are we still silencing the spring?