Recommending Books for Spring 🍃🌷 (& Baking Banana Muffins) 🌸 | The Book Castle | 2024

🕯️ BOOKS MENTIONED 🕯️
The Smoke Hunter / Empire of Shadows by Jacquelyn Benson
Miss Benson’s Beetle by Rachel Joyce
Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher
Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty
The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton
The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton
Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen
Emma by Jane Austen
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa
Strange Weather in Tokyo by Hiromi Kawakami
Sweet Bean Paste by Durian Sukegawa
Man Tiger by Eka Kurniawan
I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman
Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
Dawn by Octavia E. Butler
Sheets by Brenna Thummler
The Price and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang
Crazy for Birds by Misha Mayernick Blaise
The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben
Garden Poems (Everyman’s Collection)
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane
Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree
Days at the Morasaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa
A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Bakin by T. Kingfisher
Circe by Madeleine Miller
The House Witch by Delemhach
A Psalm for the Wild Built by Becky Chambers
The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton
They Were Sisters by Dorothy Whipple
The Strays by Emily Bitto
My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
The Dry by Jane Harper
Force of Nature by Jane Harper
Queenie by Candice Carty Williams
This Green and Pleasant Land by Ayisha Malik
Women in Battle by Marta Breen
🧁 RECIPE 🧁 (Norwegian)
www.tine.no/oppskrifter/bakst...
🦉 IF YOU WANT TO GET YOURSELF A BOOK... 🦉 (AFFILIATE LINKS)
Waterstones: tidd.ly/3KvtG5d
Taschen: tidd.ly/3ZPUL9f
🍂 WHERE TO FIND ME 🍂
I N S T A G R A M : / alicebookcastle
G O O D R E A D S : / thebookcastle
⚔️ MYTHOLOGIE CANDLES ⚔️
mythologiecandles.com/908p3qT... (affiliate link)
🕰️ TIMESTAMPS 🕰️
00:00 Intro
01:36 Jungle adventure/travel adventure
04:33 Pirates/ship adventure
07:25 Classics for spring
08:41 Translated (no cats)
10:45 Sci-fi
13:33 Baking interlude
14:13 Graphic novels for spring
15:08 Nature/spring nature writing/poetry
17:09 Small town & secrets, but no mystery
18:22 Comforting coffee vibes
19:03 Baking interlude
19:26 Friendship
20:31 Set in a bookshop or about books
21:49 Spring witchy vibes
23:55 Cosy, light book to read outside
24:28 Baking interlude
24:59 Sisters
27:18 Atmospheric but not gloomy
28:46 Character growth (adult, not YA/middle grade)
31:04 Hopeful books
31:20 Requests I had no books for & outro
🌙 ABOUT ME 🌙
Hi! My name is Alice and I love books! I read just about everything from classics to contemporary fiction, adventures to mysteries, fantasy to all kinds of non-fiction - and I love reviewing and recommending books, and just generally having a chat about literature. I also adore baking, hot chocolate, crafts and basically everything cosy, soft and peaceful. I currently live in Oslo, Norway.
___
This video is not sponsored. Links to Waterstones, Taschen & Mythologie Candles are affiliate links.

[@2_pencil]

The Enchanted April is a nice atmospheric book without being dark or gloomy.

[@koto2704]

Book that will make you feel hopeful - Anne of Green Gables, this quote speaks for itself “Dear old world', she murmured, 'you are very lovely, and I am glad to be alive in you.”. But also, not a book but manga - Natsume's book of friends, so beautiful, there's also anime with lovely music.

[@annelies9494]

Recommended for summery atmospheric: A month in the country by J L Carr

[@Nurse_Kathy]

Another favorite of mine!

[@helenm4357]

Project Hail Mary is a great sci-fi book; not my favourite genre at all but that book 🥰 and Bookshops Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop

[@tiffanydeckard8916]

I recently pre-ordered HONEY WITCH By: Sydney Shields. In the US it will be released on May 14th. I believe it fits the "witchy spring" recommendation. 💕💕📚📚

[@Lena-if3pg]

For the non gloomy/dark athmospheric books I'd recommend Tess of D'Urbervilles which does have some heavier topics at time and Woman at point zero, which is an amazing books with a lot of athmosphere that focuses on desert.

[@nonisnest9718]

Alice, you made my day by recommending Miss Bensons Beetle. I love that book and never hear anyone talk about it. I agreed with a lot of your choices and also added some new titles to my wishlist.

[@TheBookCastle]

It’s one of my all time faves, it’s so good! 😍

[@bujobyfilo]

I love those videos! Here are a few more recommendations: adventure: the ten thousand doors of january classics: 100 yrs of solitude (spring and summer), Like water for chocolate, Oliver Twist (winter and spring) sci-fi: Scythe (not very season-specific) translated: The immortals (Le grand secret by Barjavel), also see classics about books: The reading list witchy vibes: Like water for chocolate, Ten thousand stitches atmospheric not gloomy: The night circus character growth (adult): Part of your world (romance, hopeful), The reading list (friendships, sad) hopeful: Oliver Twist (winter and spring) And nobody asked but mystery: My cousin rachel (all seasons but more spring)

[@danieleigh6468]

Summer books… The Drowning Summer by Christine Herman, The Narrow by Kate Alice Marshall, Wicked Deep Shea Ernshaw, The Reformatory by Tananarive Due, Kindred Spirits Supper Club by Amy Reichert, Buried in a Good book by Tamara Berry, Ghosts Lore &House by The Shore Nellie Steele, The Secret of Poppy Ridge Cove by Rimmy London, Wait for it by Jen Mckinlay, Antique Hunters Guide to Murder by CL Miller, The Match by Sarah Adams

[@nmartin5096]

The Witch Is Back by Sophie H Morgan (romance book). (You could add cinnamon and/or vanilla to help with banana muffins.) I agree cleaning a muffin tin is a pain when the batter overflows. Thank you for the book list in your description box.

[@louiseevans6121]

OMG. I need to get all of your recs!!

[@joyceredman2136]

I read Jane Harper's The Dry-very good book. Can't wait to read her other books.

[@danieleigh6468]

If you like reading death books…..Past Mortems by Carla Valentine, Stiff by Mary Roach, mortuary confidential by Kenneth McKenzie

[@ReadingNymph]

Love your baking and book recommendation videos 😊

[@helenm4357]

I am currently reading the Devil and the dark water 😀🥰

[@danieleigh6468]

SPRING and Witchy spring books…….I love Anne of Green Gables series, Mary Poppins, The Witch is Back by Sophie Morgan, Witching Hour by Christine Thomas, Paula Brackston Little Found Things, The Grace &Wild Things by Heather Faucett, Sweet Tea Witches Southern magic Amy Broyles, Hex Appeal by Kate Johnson, Enchanted to Meet you by Meg Cabot, A Sprinkle of Murder by Daryl Gerber, Bring me Your Midnight By Rachel Griffin, A Spell For Trouble by Esme Addison, Steeped to Death by Gretchen Rue, Steeped in Secret by Lauren Elliot, Old Flames and New Fortunes by Sara Hogle

[@sandyokey1019]

The muffins look so delicious! I love these videos and always come away with at least a few recommendations. I love Japanese translated books, and some of my favorites are the books in the Before the coffee gets cold series. 💕

[@jenniferrosebruce6385]

❤ love again from Thailand. The mercury has hit 52 degrees in some parts here! Looking forward to the video. 😊

[@louiseevans6121]

Thank you. You are lovely and you like many of the same types of books that I do. There are so many book reviewers on KZbin. (So many are horrible!). I am happy to subscribe to your channel!

[@patireads]

I always love your recommendations dear lady! Oh, and the muffins look so good! 😍🥰

[@TheBookCastle]

🥰🥰🥰

[@sharonlovesbooks]

I loved this video for the fact that it felt like I was sitting at the table with you. I hope you enjoyed your muffins, they looked delicious 😋

[@TheBookCastle]

I love that!! 😍 Thank you!

[@sharonlovesbooks]

@@TheBookCastle you are more than welcome ☺

[@starlasell5698]

I love your recommendations! Miss Benson's Beetle was so good. The Nature of Witches by Rachel Griffin is a pretty good book that covers all seasons. I love banana bread, muffins and pancakes. Yours look so good. ❤🍌📚

[@jackiesliterarycorner]

Great recommendations! Spring Reads for me are Anne of Green Gables, The Secret Garden, The Forgotten Garden, Robin Hood, and The Other Bennet Sister. I feel like The Other Bennet Sister has a sweet romance.

[@tripurasundari7749]

I love Spring garden by Tomoka Shibasaki

[@BrookeReadsBooks333]

Wonderful, Alice! 🤍🤍 so true about getting recommendations through the comments, that’s been a great place to get so many titles I never heard of before! Keep these conversations going and the Q&A videos are super helpful ☕️🍌🍫

[@TheBookCastle]

😃❤️

[@amena7387]

Hello Alice ! Thank you for all these recommandations ! I love T. Kingfisher !! For a sweet romance, I think of License to Bite by Carrie Pulkinen. It is about a vampire who cannot stand the sight of blood. It takes places during the mardi gras in New Orleans, it is sweet and funny, nothing dramatic.

[@eileennielsen5165]

I've never seen you do one of these videos!?? Don't know where I've been, because I watch you all the time, love your channel😊 I am going to make some Blueberry Muffins to have w/ my tea! I don't drink coffee either. Like the small, but hate the taste. Strictly a tea drinker. In America we call those pans Muffin Tins or Cupcake Tin; can be used for both. A GREAT sister bk. is The Nightingale by Kristen Hannah. I will never forget that book, nor ever give it away. Definite re-read. Have Wisteria Society... and love it. A great pirate bk. ( 2 vol.) is Fable and Namesake by Adrienne Young.The covers are AMAZING👍! You put the 2 covers side by side and it makes a whole face of a woman! Plus the pgs. are spray painted! That author has another good book out, The Unmaking of June Farrow. I think a good Spring bk. is The Enchanted April by Eliz. Von Arnim. My favorite Jane Austen is Sense and Sensibility. I love to sit out under a tree and read! More so in Summer as Spring has been totally irratic this year. Other than children's bks. I don't know many uplifting bks. other than the Bible! Yes, Anne of Green Gables, other L.M. Montgomery series. Oh, some of Jenny Colgan's. I am a huge poetry fan. Robert Frost has lots of seasonal poems and Mary Oliver. There is a series compiled by Alli Esri; A Poem For Every Day of The Spring, A Poem For Every Day I in The Fall, etc. I have A Poem For Every Day Of The Year and really enjoy it. Thanks Alice!

[@arlievaughn]

The Hawk and the Jewel by Lori Wick fits both the last two requests!

[@Nurse_Kathy]

Miss Benson’s Beetle is one of my favorite books!

[@zlicko7735]

Recommendation for cozy, found family: Fred the Vampire Accountant series by Drew Hayes! I also recommend listening to the series as graphic audio: it has a full cast, sound effects, background music etc.

[@janet5123]

Muffins look great. Makes me want to bake chocolate zucchini bread. Tastes better than it sounds 😂. Shipped by Angie Hockman takes place mostly in the Galapagos and is a cute romance-might fit the sunny and warm recommendation. I don’t read a lot of romance anymore but that one I’ve read twice. Probably because I want to visit there someday and I love a cruise.

[@danieleigh6468]

Books that give you hope ……..All The Forgiveness by Elizabeth Hardinger, The Things We Keep by Sally Hepworth, A Mothers promise Sally Hepworth

[@shawnatheeclecticbookworm2408]

If you haven't read it yet but like books about sisters, check out Practical Magic! I always recommend it to anyone who has a sister themselves.

[@TheBookCastle]

I’ve read it and loved it 😍 Such a good read and Alice Hoffman is amazing

[@shawnatheeclecticbookworm2408]

@@TheBookCastle I love her books 🥰

[@MaryAmongStories]

💛🌻

[@stacymartinez3178]

Good morning

[@hernandezfamilyfarm]

Currently reading I Who Have Never Known Men 🤌🏼🙌🏼

[@TheBookCastle]

😍😍😍