Welcome, Spring 🪻🌷

Hello one, hello all, and above all, hello spring 😊

Hello blue skies, hello tender green leaves. Hello to all you little hopping birds. Hello to lazy clouds and baby flowers and fun-loving puddles. Hello lil bunnies, hello sun-warmed strawberries, and hello to swingsets!! Greetings, and our most humble welcome.

Journey has tagged us to complete this most delightful spring-ish tag!! If she hadn’t tagged us, we would have had to snurch it due to its overall shiny appearance. From these statements we can glean two bits of information: we are apparently royalty, hence the use of the royal we, and not only that but we are a crow (or perhaps a raven or magpie). Highly distractable by and attracted to anything that glitters or gleams. All hail Queen Ava the raven.

Anyway, before we get off the rails any further, here is the tag in all its spring-ish glory.

The Rules:

• Use the graphic & tag the creator, Katja @ Little Blossoms for Jesus
• Answer the questions
• Tag as many or as few people as you want

Bird Song || Share a book about music, writing, or another art

The first book that popped into my mind was The Q, so we’re just gonna roll with it.

The main character of The Q is a girl named Quincy!! She plays the violin beautifully, but only for herself. To process these scary things called emotions that she doesn’t quite know what to do with. Honestly, the violin is a minor plot point compared to the major conflict (they’re trying to steal her print shop that was her late great-uncle’s!! *gasp*) but it’s still important and there and it’s music.

Robins’ Eggs || Share a favourite mystery

(please note the delightful spelling of “favourite” above. The question came to me like that; I didn’t alter it at all)

Perhaps not my favorite of all time, because I am a beautifully indecisive soul, but I recently read The Pennington Perplexity and absolutely adored it. How does an amnesiatic detective solve a case?? How does the girl who falls in love with him cope when he never remembers her?? How are they going to work together to save London??

Read on and find out (oh also the detective is such a sweetheart and green flag and ahhh he’s adorable we love him endlessly).

Fresh Grass || Share a debut novel you’ve read

ooh…

What Comes of Attending the Commoners Ball!!!! It’s a quirky, hilarious, delightful Cinderella tale. But with cheese (lots of cheese, and yet not enough), attention from the wrong prince, wooly hogs, the Folk, and such a plot twist at the end (I HEAR THERE IS TO BE A SEQUEL AND I AM SO EXCITED).

I also recently read this author’s second book, and while it wasn’t quite as delightful, it was still fantastic and hilarious. Lady Agatha Speaks Her Mind, anyone??

Melting Icicles || Share a book that was better than you expected

The Cinderella Plot, by Pepper Basham!! This is the first YA book Pepper has written, and I wasn’t sure how it would go. Besides that, I also judged the book by its cover and decided it looked frighteningly similar to AI prompts (and had a suspiciously stock image book).

I was wrong and I repent of all my uncharitable thoughts toward the cover.

This book was so cute!! Such a cinnamon roll love interest and such relatable struggles from our FMC. I read it in one sitting and regretted nothing. Basically Paisley is tired of being overlooked and invisible, so tries to remake herself using a popular self-help book. The book ends up ruining several of her relationships and leaving her more alone than she’s ever been in her life. What’s the point of being seen if they’re not really seeing you, but an act??

New Dresses || Share a book you’re excited to get

*flips through imaginary book wishlist* oh, but I want so many!!

I’m excited for the next Mercury Raine book, The Forever Flame. I’m sooo excited for the next Emma M. Lion instalment (wHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT?!? please tell me it’s more Hawkes). I’ve been waiting nearly two years now for Inferno, the sequel to Kara Swanson’s Ignite (it hath phoenixes and volcanoes and a delightful fellow named Eli 😍)

Rain Puddles || Share a book that made you cry

Unlike Journey, books make me cry most regularly. I actually have a dusty draft somewhere in which I list a bunch of books that made me teary-eyed. We’re going to go with The Bookshop of Dust and Dreams for this one.

I read this book about a year ago and have yet to find a book quite like it. It’s a beautiful middle-grade book about a family who lives in a bookshop that spans time. If you need the shop, it’ll appear for you. This book is poignant, beautiful, cozy, and heartbreaking all at the same time.

Running Shoes || Share a book that took you on an emotional journey

…can I steal Journey’s answer and say The Outsiders?? This one made me so happy and then broke my heart in the span of just a few pages. This book is so thin. Never underestimate a book’s ability to wring out your emotions due to the thinness of its spine, folks.

Spring Flowers || Share a book that made you happy or feel good

The Penderwick series is such a comfort read. So home-like, so cozy. They never fail to make me appreciate my family and the power of story and how important everyone’s different strengths are and also MUSIC. I love the Penderwick family 😊

Tree Buds || Share a new-to-you author

Sarah M. Eden!! Of her books, I started with her Mercury Raine series and am now reading her Dread Penny Society series. They’re honestly so good…highly recommend. Mercury Raine actually feels like he could fit into the Dread Penny books as a penny dreadful novel…

Strong Wind || Share a book that encouraged or challenged you

Is saying the Bible cheating…?? eh, who cares. The book of Romans specifically is so simultaneously convicting and encouraging *sigh* I love Romans. And James. Good stuff.

Coda

I shall tag Lola Mae, Luca Faith, and Willow!! Go forth and spread spring-ish cheer, my friends!! Thanks for reading, and enjoy your season!!

Always,

Ava 🪻