Starr Struck's 2018 Spring Reading List

Even though it doesn't feel [or look] like spring [at all] around here, it is supposedly spring so I guess that means it's time for my spring reading list!

I'm reading a *really* disturbing WWII-based historical fiction book right now (Finding Rebecca by Eoin Dempsey) and while it's very good, it's also been leaving me extremely sad and freaked out every night after reading, so it was nice to write this blog post and think about moving on to lighter books after I finish this one. Don't get me wrong--I'm going to read through to the end--but the graphic descriptions of Auschwitz and in particular, of the mass execution of children has been really hard for me to read about right now... 

So anyways, here are the books that are on my list/that I think you should add to your list this spring! 

• Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover: I've heard so many good things about this book. It's a NYT Bestseller about the experience of a girl who was raised in a Survivalist family and didn't go to school until age 17, but continues on to eventually earn a PhD. Can't wait to read it!
  
  
• Circling the Sun by Paula McClain: I just read this book by the author of The Paris Wife and it was really, really good. It's based on the life of a real British woman, Beryl Markham, who grew up in colonial Kenya in the early 1900's. She was a feminist before there were feminists and had a tough time in love (and life) but did some remarkable things regardless. I couldn't put it down. 
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• Sing, Unburied, Sing: A Novel by Jesamyn Ward: Savage the Bones was one of the most well-written books that I read last year, so I'm really excited to read this new one by the same author, Jesamyn Ward. It comes highly recommended from a friend but also won like 100000000 awards in 2017, so I think it's worth picking up ;) 
  
  
• New Day Dawning by Jonathan Kis-Lev: Here's the little blurb about this book from Amazon: "Inspired by the life of a real World War II survivor, written as a fictional tale, this remarkable debut novel reveals the power of unsung women to change history by saving but one soul." Enough for me! But I hope it's a bit more uplifting than the WWII novel I'm reading now...
  
  
• The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah: The newest book by the author of The Nightingale, an incredible book and a personal favorite from the past few years (if you haven't read that one, do so now!). This book is about a father who was a POW in Vietnam and returns from the war to move his family to Alaska to live off of the grid. It sounds like a good one.
  
  
• Ready Player One by Ernest Cline: I don't usually like sci-fi or futuristic fantasy books, but I have been assured by two reputable sources/readers that this book is worth the read. I have to admit, the description + blurb don't pull me in, but I'm adding it to my list assuming it's a Hunger Games-like situation (I didn't think I would like that series but I ate it up). Also, it's another Bestseller, has an amazing rating on Amazon with over 16k reviews, and it's now a movie by Steven Speilberg. So there's that. 
  
  

What's on your list this spring? You know I love recommendations so send them my way! Also, I'm aware that blog comments are closed now (sorry guys, it had to happen) but you can still share your recent reads with me on Instagram, Facebook, or by shooting me a quick email. 

Happy reading + happy [eventual] spring!