Starr Struck's Spring Reading List

Although it didn't feel like it around here until this past weekend, it's spring (finally)! And yesterday I went on a walk without a coat (finally!). And there are flowers sprouting up out of the ground (finally!). Spring is THE BEST. 

You know what else is the best? Reading. And good books. And swinging in a hammock while reading a good book (which I also did briefly yesterday while Charlie Mae napped). 

So anywho, since it finally feels like spring outside, I think it's time for our seasonal reading list.  I'm excited about this one because I've read some really good books lately and I know you'll enjoy them. Here we go...

• Marlena: A Novel by Julie Buntin:  I just finished this book and really liked it. It's about teenage friendships [among females] and how intense and life-changing they can be, even if they don't last that long. It's sad and hard to read at points, but super well-written and although not a memoir, feels very memoir-like. 
  
  
• The Hearts of Men: A Novel by Nickolas Butler: Sara gave me this book because she's related to the author (who also wrote the critically-acclaimed Shotgun Lovesongs, which I also read and loved), and it was great. It's centered around a couple of generations of boys/men and their fathers, and connects their stories through their experiences at boy scout camp. I know this doesn't necessarily sound like a page-turner, but it is and I enjoyed it immensely--even though I'm not a father, son, or boy scout ;) 
   
• Exit West: A Novel by Mohsin Hamid: I haven't read this book yet, but I've been hearing about it everywhere and really want to read it. It's about a couple who meet and fall in love in a country on the brink of civil war, and then eventually decide that they must escape their country together if they want to live. Timely, isn't it? 
  
  
• Perfect Little World: A Novel by Kevin Wilson: This book was super interesting. A doctor tries an experiment by creating a utopian world where children are brought up collectively (somewhat like a cult or commune, but without any of the other characteristics of those types of groups) and of course, it doesn't work out quite like he had hoped. The story follows a teen mom who takes part in the experiment and how it affects her life and experience as a mother. I definitely recommend it!
  
  
• Momma Zen: Walking the Crooked Path of Motherhood by Karen Maezen Miller: I've had this book since before I was ever pregnant or even thinking about becoming a mom--I bought it back when I was teaching Prenatal Yoga and needed a mom-related book to read from at the end of class. Fast forward to now, and I recently picked it up and couldn't put it down. It's SO relevant and wonderful to read now that I'm actually a mom! Fellow mamas: this is a must-read.
  
  
• Behind Her Eyes: A Novel by Sarah Pinborough: I haven't read this book yet, but I added it to my list when my friend Jessica recommended it on her blog because I love a good psychological thriller. It sounds like a love triangle gone bad--with unexpected twists and turns everywhere you turn. My kind of novel, for sure! Thanks for the rec, Jess ;) 

And that's it for this month! Have any recs for me? I'd love to hear them and add them to my ever-growing list...

Happy spring + happy reading!