my spring reading list

hey, friends!

i love sharing reading lists with you guys because it makes me more motivated to read the books on them, and hopefully it gives you good book ideas! most of the ones on this list aren’t specifically spring-themed, just books i’m hoping to read in the next few months.

miss austen by gill hornby

i’m currently reading this one, actually. i watched the bbc series, miss austen, last summer with my mom and sisters and understanding the plot has made the book so much more enjoyable. if you’re interested in jane austen and her, i would definitely recommend it!

blurb: set in 1840, twenty-three years after jane austen’s death, the story follows an elderly cassandra austen searching for her sister’s letters to protect jane’s reputation.

the unselected journals of emma m. lion by beth brower

i’ve seen this all over my goodreads and i’ve heard it compared to little women and anne of green gables so i had to add it to my reading list since those are two of my favorites. it’s also a series so

blurb: “i’ve arrived in london without incident. there are few triumphs in my recent life, but i count this as one. my existence of the last three years has been nothing but incident.” the year is 1883, and emma m. lion has returned to her london neighborhood of st. crispian’s. but emma’s plans for a charmed and studious life are sabotaged by her eccentric cousin archibald, her formidable aunt eugenia, and the slightly odd denizens of st. crispian’s. armed with wit and a sideways amusement, emma documents the curious realities of her life at lapis lazuli house.

until the last note by b.m. baker

i always love a good christian historical romance, and this looks really good! dual timeline books are not my favorite, though so i’m interested to see if i like this or not.

blurb: 1912: newlywed renita burton faces loneliness and grief after her husband takes a job as a musician aboard the rms titanic, keeping a diary to cope. present day: greyslin discovers this antique diary, finding comfort and courage in renita’s words while navigating a developing romance and her own challenges. until the last note is a story of love, courage, and finding hope across generations.

emma by jane austen

i adore the movie emma so much!! i reread pride and prejudice in january and read sense and sensibility last summer, so i know i’m going to enjoy this. (if you have a hard time reading classics/jane austen, definitely watch the movies first! it makes them so much easier to read in my opinion.)

blurb: emma is a novel about a wealthy, clever, and spoiled young woman, emma woodhouse, who enjoys meddling in the romantic lives of others in her village of highbury, particularly her protégé harriet smith, leading to humorous misunderstandings and self-discovery as she eventually realizes her own feelings for her friend mr. knightley

mists over the channel islands by sarah sundin

sarah sundin has become one of my favorite authors over the last few months, her ww2 historical fiction is amazing. she’s so good at writing strong and intelligent heroines that aren’t annoying and don’t come off as feminist or modern in historical fiction. (something that most authors don’t do well in my opinion). this came out in february, and i’m so excited to read it

blurb: the german invasion of the british channel islands shatters dr. ivy picot’s peaceful world, forcing her to shoulder the weight of her father’s medical practice and hold together a family unraveling under the strain of war. as conditions worsen in jersey with the arrival of thousands of forced laborers, ivy’s quiet allegiance to the allies compels her to risk everything–providing medical aid to escaped workers even as danger closes in. dutch engineer and resistance member gerrit van der zee volunteers to build fortifications for the germans so he can secretly send maps and diagrams to the allies. on his arrival in the channel islands, he crosses paths with ivy, who shows him contempt for the uniform he wears. as tensions mount and their missions grow increasingly dangerous, ivy and gerrit must confront the cost of courage, the meaning of sacrifice, and whether love can survive in the shadow of war. will their covert efforts turn the tide–or will they pay the ultimate price for defiance?

north and south by elizabeth gaskell

another classic and tv series that i love! my mom read this when we were watching the show, but i haven’t read it yet. we also love cranford (the bbc series) so i want to try and read some of those books too.

blurb: when her father leaves the church in a crisis of conscience, margaret hale is uprooted from her comfortable home in Hampshire to move with her family to the north of england. initially repulsed by the ugliness of her new surroundings in the industrial town of milton, margaret becomes aware of the poverty and suffering of the local mill workers and develops a passionate sense of social justice. this is intensified by her tempestuous relationship with the mill-owner and self-made man, john thornton, as their fierce opposition over his treatment of his employees masks a deeper attraction.

dreams of savannah by roseanna white

i just finished reading this a few days ago, but it was on my spring reading list so i decided to keep it in the post. everyone knows roseanna white’s books are my favorite – dreams of savannah was not her best in my opinion but still worth reading.

blurb: north and south is a classic victorian novel following margaret hale, a refined southerner forced to move to the industrial northern town of milton. she faces culture shock and poverty, navigating class conflicts while developing a tempestuous relationship with arrogant mill owner john thornton.

the hudson collection by jocelyn greene

i read the first book in the series a few months ago and really enjoyed it, but haven’t been able to find the hudson collection anywhere for free (all the places i read books for free at are in this post!) so i probably need to request it at my library.

blurb: elsa is an ornithologist with the american museum of natural history in new york, who is dealing with the aftereffects of having polio as a child. when she is assigned to catalog the birds at the country estate of a deceased patron, she finds more than she bargains for—including some new friends and a mystery.

whispers at painswick court by julie klassen

julie klassen is another author that i love almost everything she writes. her other mystery book, shadows at swanford abbey, was one of my favorites and i can’t wait to read this one.

blurb: anne loveday, a surgeon’s daughter, is determined to live a single, useful life. to escape her matchmaking stepmother, she accepts an invitation from an old friend to return to painswick, the place she and her sister spent many happy summers until that last, fateful year. soon after arriving, Anne is asked to serve as sick-room nurse to lady celia, who forbade her nephew to marry anne’s sister years before. pushing aside resentments, anne moves into painswick court, a shadowy old house rumored to be haunted. also in residence are lady celia’s spinster daughter, her handsome adult nephews, and a secretive new lady’s maid. two local doctors visit regularly as well, one of whom admires anne while concealing secrets of his own. as an escalating series of mishaps befalls her patient, anne realizes someone is trying to kill the woman. but who? when anne finds herself a suspect and her determination to avoid romance challenged, can she discover the real killer–and protect her heart–before it’s too late?

now, it’s your turn!

what’s on your spring reading list? any recs for me?

thanks so much for reading!
pearl 🤍