Chapter 13 - The Spring Girls

Who doesn't love Spring? The fresh air, the small green leaves of flowers poking out of a thawed ground, the freedom of Spring Break for students and teachers, all go towards making this a festive time of year. The only bad thing about Spring is pollen. Whether you have allergies or not, Spring in the South is full of two separate pollen events. First we have the flowering trees and buds type of pollen, then we have pine pollen - yellow and then green.

You walk outside and your car is covered with pollen. You leave the door open briefly and your home receives its own inside dusting of the stuff. Your trail it everywhere - to the store, in your car, even your dogs have pollen on them. But it is a small price to pay for the beauty of Spring, I guess.

Pollen aside, when Spring hits I want new books - something fresh and different from what I've been reading. If I have been reading thrillers in the winter, I switch to relationship books. If I have been reading about World War II, I turn to books about early America. When I have been reading dark books which take place in Scandinavia, I go to books about lighter places like France or Italy.

Here are my picks for good books to read at this time of year. And oh, stay away from the pollen!

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien - This is my favorite of the series. Bilbo Baggins, an ordinary little hobbit is sent on a quest by Gandalf. Sure there are some dark parts but the bright descriptions in the text always make me think of spring. If you've not read this, it is about time to do it.

Ten Beach Road by Wendy Wax - Ten Beach Road revolves around three women who were swindled by a Bernie Madoff type character. They are left with joint ownership of Bella Flora, a Florida mansion built in the 1920's. While this would be a nice sum of money if they could sell, there is serious renovation that must be done to the house before that happens. A good read that will leave you longing for summer and the beach.

Three Wishes by Liane Moriarty - Best known for Big Little Lies her book which has recently become a TV series, Moriarty has many more books equally as good. This book is about triplets, three women who are involved in many facets of each other's lives. Throw in a cheating husband, divorced parents, a pregnancy and three crazy women and you have the great makings of a relationship soup.

Desperate Passage: The Donner Party's Perilous Journey West by Ethan Rarick - Okay so this may seem a little dark for spring but the Donner Party started their journey in spring and it ended in spring as well. We think we know the story but the author has taken archaeological evidence, recent research on topics ranging from survival rates to snowfall totals, and letters and diaries to give a history of the Donner party's fateful events.

The Heist by Janet Evanovich - While the Stephanie Plum series by Evanovich is her most well known, I really love this one. Winter always seems to bring out a spate of dark thrillers and this year was no exception. The Heist is lighter, easier to read, and comes with Evanovich's trademark humor and cleverness. Read this one and you will be hooked on the series.

Can you recommend a good spring read?