Up Your Reading Game With This Spring Bookish Bucket List
For a lot of you, the sun is now shining and you’re no longer being slapped in the face by a pop up Blizzard. Spring is here! Well, if you’re in the south, you know it’s Spring because your A/C is on nonstop to keep your home below 80. It’s time to douse yourself in eight layers of sunscreen and bug spray, go outside and experience…nature.
Even for the absolutely indoor-prone bookworms among us there are bookish activities you can do to really get a feel for the season. Warning: some may require outdoor time. Here’s your Spring Bookish Bucket List!
1. Read a book outside.
Simple right? It may be time to head to a local park if you’re able. Maybe plan picnic with friends or that special someone to snuggle on a large blanket and read your heart out in the sunshine? You can even just sit out on a patio and enjoy a chapter of that novel you’ve been reading. Take this as an opportunity to finally dig in to N.K. Jemison’s Broken Earth series (It has Earth in the title, it’s thematically appropriate). You can even do this with one of our Read Harder Challenge Books! Either way, get out of bed, off the couch and into the great Spring of things!(1)
2. Read a NonFiction Book About the Environment
Earth day is April 22nd, and what better way to celebrate than to have a good look at our absolute degradation of our planet! Why not start with one of the first books to spur the environmental movement, something like Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring? But don’t despair! It’s about becoming aware so you can do something about it, and help ensure that generations after us have green spaces. Sometimes that starts with a book and difficult conversation with your friends and family about their recycling habits and carbon footprint.
3. Read a NonFiction Book about an Outdoor Activity
I’ve recently become rather, shall we say—obsessed, with gardening. But you don’t have to spend your time like me, researching the best compost makeup for tubers, when there are tons of things to do outside and tons of books about it! There’s hiking, fishing, bee conservation, bird watching, mushroom collection and so on. Even though moss gardening didn’t turn out to be my cup of tea, I will still highly recommend Megumi Oshima and Hideshi Kimura’s Miniature Moss Gardens for the adorable illustrations alone.
4. Read a Book from the Point of View of an Animal
Alright, this is a bit weird I’ll admit, but part of meditating on nature is practicing empathy with the living things around us. We can better understand our place in the world by looking through the vision of others. While animal allegories tend to be more reflective of our own world, it can still provide an intriguing imaginative challenge. If you would prefer lighter fare in this category, I can suggest Erin Hunter’s Warrior series, because it’s about cats!
5. Spring Clean Your Bookshelf
As part of your “Spring Cleaning” consider going through your bookshelf. It’s a great time to reorganize or even repair your favorite worn books. For those of you that have accumulated duplicates, it may be time to donate some to your local library or library charity. You can even take the time to reorganize and re-categorize your collection!
6. Plant a Tea or a Coffee Garnish
When it’s chilly, there is nothing better than cuddling up with a good book and a warm drink. There will be even a bit more satisfaction if you happen to have grown that drink. Right now planting season has begun for most of the United States. It isn’t a bad time to plant a few seeds in a pot so you can have fresh tea in time for Fall or Winter. We’re planting mint, because fresh mint tea in the late summer is amazing, but you can consider sweeteners like stevia for your coffee, or Lavender to make a great blend. There are so many options and you can pick out what works for you in your region and growing ability. It’s not hard and it’s a minimal outdoor activity that can make you feel like you’re taking advantage of the season.
7. Flower Pressing
While you are going through all your old books, make sure to keep a couple of thick ones around for flower pressing. As far as hobbies go, it is simple to do and you can involve it in other crafts—I’ve used pressed flowers in laminated bookmarks. You can put them in frames or as part of cards if you’re really crafty. Flower pressing is one of those hobbies that does not take a lot of skill, just minimal effort and a book. This is a craft that is cute to do with friends or children.
You don’t have to do everything on this list, but I hope I’ve given you some ideas to liven up your book life! Now go on! Enjoy the sunshine while it’s here.
(1) I would like to formally apologize for that pun.
Want more? Here are 41 more ways to have a bookish spring.
