Springtime is such a glorious time of year—the first chirps of returning birds, the sprouting of long-dormant flowers, the happiness in the air. For the final installment of my seasonal blog series, I’ve compiled some books that I feel complement the splendor of spring!

Emily of Deep Valley by Maud Hart Lovelace
One of my all-time favorite novels is this marvelous coming-of-age story. Set in 1912 and starring an introverted but whimsical heroine, this book focuses on an orphaned girl who longs to go to college but cannot leave her beloved grandfather. But Emily eventually finds the courage and inspiration to make a special life for herself right where she is—and essentially blooms where she is planted.

Pollyanna by Eleanor H. Porter
This is another great favorite of mine, and a highly underappreciated classic novel. Although the essence of the Pollyanna story is well-known—a cheerful girl who teaches others how to be glad—the real book features so much more; it’s a layered tale with beautiful life lessons and fascinating characters.

What Katy Did at School by Susan Coolidge
I first read this novel the spring I turned nine years old, and I’ve always loved its delicious account of life at a nineteenth-century boarding school. Katy Carr and her sister Clover leave their small town to attend school in a bustling city, where they must contend with a feisty new friend, snobbish classmates, and a teacher who seems determined to make trouble for the Carr sisters.

The Sea is All Around by Elizabeth Enright
Elizabeth Enright is one of my favorite authors—she’s well-known for her Melendy Quartet series and Gone-Away Lake—but sadly, this marvelous story is out of print and is hard to find. However, it’s well worth the effort to obtain a copy, as The Sea is All Around is flavored with truly remarkable prose, an endearing young heroine, and all the beauty and majesty of life by the sea.

The Clue of the Stone Lantern by Margaret Sutton
The twenty-first volume of the Judy Bolton mysteries, Stone Lantern was published in 1950 and is one of the best books of this series. As Judy begins her preparing her flower garden for the spring, an uncanny coincidence leads her on a thrilling search to establish the unknown identity of a mysterious little girl.

Magic for Marigold by L.M. Montgomery
I just finished re-reading this lesser-known novel by Montgomery, and I thoroughly enjoyed immersing myself in the hilarious escapades of Marigold Lesley, whose imagination and flights of fancy continually get her into mischief. While the book has very little plot—it was originally a set of short stories—it’s a lovely read, and the opening of the story (in which the sprawling Lesley clan gathers to decide on a name for baby Marigold) is simply delightful.

Kilmeny of the Orchard by L.M. Montgomery
Another special book by Montgomery that has never received the recognition of the Anne or Emily novels is Kilmeny of the Orchard. It’s the tale of a schoolteacher named Eric who comes to Prince Edward Island intending to remain a short while—only to fall in love with an isolated girl named Kilmeny. One of Montgomery’s earliest works, this novella has a sweet fairy-tale tinge and a very happy ending!

Spring Begins in March by Jean Little
This is actually the second book in the Copeland family series by Jean Little—so I might recommend reading the first book, Mine for Keeps, before diving into this one! Of course, I read them out of order, so it can be done. 😉 This is the heartwarming story of Meg, a girl determined not to get along with her grandmother, who has recently come to stay. (My favorite scene in this book is when Meg’s grandmother reads aloud from Anne of Ingleside!)

Don’t forget to check out the previous posts in my seasonal series!

The Best Books of Summer
The Best Books of Autumn
The Best Books of Winter

I found such joy in my 2018 Reading Challenge and my ongoing quest to find wondrous new books to inspire my writing. Throughout the year, I delved back into some of my favorite stories and rediscovered them with fresh eyes. I also made it a goal to read at least one book by a new author each month, and I ended up reading the works of twenty new authors! So with a mix of old and new, a bit of genre variety, a sprinkling of nonfiction, a blend of the humorous and thought-provoking, here is a general overview of my 2018 reading year. I’ve organized my favorites into fun categories, most of which are in no particular order. Happy Reading!

Praise for my Favorite Novels of 2018

It was such a joy to discover brilliant new novels this year that I excitedly added to my collection of favorite reads. Little Women tops my list first and foremost (as evidenced by my LW retelling novelette). I read this one in February when looking for a good classic to brighten up the dreary winter days—and it didn’t disappoint! I started reading LW at age ten but couldn’t get into the story, and indefinitely set it aside, but this time I loved the heartwarming, inspiring tale of four unforgettable sisters. (I also wanted to read the original LW to hunt for possible clues to the outcome of the Penderwicks series, which I’ll discuss later.) I quickly read Little Men and Jo’s Boys as well, which were entertaining but not nearly as good as their predecessor. If you haven’t read this one yet, don’t delay as long as I did!

A close second is Anne’s House of Dreams, which is simply stunning. Montgomery’s vivid descriptions and multifaceted characters are breathtaking. I read it during a very rainy week in June that was couldn’t have been better suited to the moodiness and melody of this mysterious story set by the sea. I’m sad that I have read every Anne book now, but they are quite re-readable, and I’m already looking forward to returning to this one soon.

It seems to be a year for finishing series, because I also read the third (and for me, last) book in Elizabeth Enright’s Melendy Quartet from the 1940s. You can read my quick recap of this enchanting story here. In addition to reading the first book in the lovely All-of-a-Kind Family series, I was also delighted to discover Karina Yan Glaser’s Vanderbeekers books, which feature a family enjoying plenty of fun adventures. You can read my interview with the author here. (Fortunately, book three comes out in 2019, so this series certainly isn’t over!)

I’ve always been an enormous fan of the Pollyanna books by Eleanor H. Porter, so I was *glad* (🙂) to discover that the author had also written another wonderful book. Just David is a sweet, uplifting story about an unusual boy who changes the lives of every person he meets.

Two others I loved this year include Beany Malone and The Baker’s Daughter, both of which featured determined heroines struggling to navigate the challenges of life, love, and family—but aside from that, the stories couldn’t have been more different. Beany Malone centers on a chaotic but cozy family in post-WWII Denver, while The Baker’s Daughter features a solitary girl who falls in love with an artist in a picturesque Scottish village in the 1930s.

I’ll admit, The Penderwicks At Last could have been better. I would have loved to see more of the original cast of characters (perhaps an explanation for why Skye has altered so drastically), and fewer new characters with somewhat irrelevant storylines, but the overall ending–and the adorable epilogue—more than made up for the novel’s shortcomings. Batty and Jeffrey were the highlight of the story—especially their matching cell phone ring tones. (Beethoven, naturally!) So this one was incredibly fun, and well worth the three-year wait.

My 2018 Reading Challenge

I pledged to read 100 books on Goodreads, and ended up finishing 115, which made me very happy. I found some wonderful new stories to read this year, and I found myself enjoying old favorites more than ever.

My 2019 Reading Challenge

My Goodreads goal for 2019 will be to read 75 books. I want to read some longer classics this year that might cancel out a larger volume of books. I have an ongoing list of books I’d love to read, and Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell heads the list. (One of my sisters has been endeavoring to convince me to read Pride and Prejudice, so we’ll see if I can squeeze it into my reading schedule.)

I’d also love to peruse some poetry and read even more books by my favorite authors—and hopefully discover some new ones to love. And of course, I will mainly be reading the vintage children’s books that give me so much inspiration for my own middle grade novels.

I’d love to read more books by Jean Little, Gene Stratton Porter, Jane Austen, E. Nesbit, Janet Lambert, and Hilda van Stockum in 2019, and also give Mary Norton, Grace Livingston Hill, Jacqueline Kelly, and Catherine Woolley a try. I might even attempt a Charles Dickens book….well, we’ll see. 😉

All in all, it was a fabulous book year and I can’t wait to read more! What were some books you loved in 2018? (Feel free to pass along some recommendations to me—I’m always on the lookout for new reads!)

Today, I’m doing a quick “news roundup” of some fun tidbits from the past couple of weeks!

First and foremost, I recently signed with Molly Shaffer, a literary agent at Golden Wheat Literary! I’m so thrilled to be taking this step in my writing journey! The past month has definitely been a whirlwind of excitement, and I can’t wait to keep working toward my goal of publication. 🙂

I also received the latest issue of Inside Gymnastics, which includes my feature on the 2008 U.S. Olympic women’s team. It was so much fun chatting on the phone with Nastia, Chellsie, and Samantha for this piece! Quotes from Bridget Sloan and Shawn Johnson also appear in the article. If you haven’t already subscribed to the magazine, be sure to buy a copy!

The latest issue of @InsideGym has arrived! Be sure to check out my “Back to Beijing” article, featuring quotes from @samanthapeszek, @CMemmel, @NastiaLiukin, @ShawnJohnson, and @bridgetsloan! 😍 pic.twitter.com/P1CqBJMMXo

— Anna Rose Johnson (@GymnasticsRosie) October 1, 2018

October has been a blustery, rainy, and snowy month so far! But we’re enjoying some truly beautiful fall colors here in Wisconsin. Here’s a few photos I snapped a few days ago!

Feisty waves on a misty lake:

A seagull flying overhead:

Beautiful colors on a rural road:

A gorgeous orange maple:

I’ve decorated a new bookshelf to showcase my vintage hardbacks of favorite classics, such as my beloved Pollyanna and Carolyn Wells books, some 1930s and ’40s mysteries, and a handful of lovely Louisa May Alcott novels:

Speaking of reading, I recently read The Vanderbeekers and the Hidden Garden (2018) by Karina Yan Glaser, and I loved its sweet storyline. As a writer of children’s books, I also enjoyed Sarah Clarkson’s inspiring Caught Up in a Story (2014). In other reading news, I’m currently rereading L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables, and I’m halfway through Jean Craig: Nurse by Kay Lyttleton (1949), which I discovered in a charming antique store. It’s a little like the Cherry Ames books, which are some of my favorite vintage mysteries.

It finally arrived! Cannot wait to read the second Vanderbeekers book by @KarinaYanGlaser! As a fan of classic middle grade (Enright, Streatfeild, Estes, etc…) it’s refreshing to find a new series that reminds me of my favorites! ❤️😍 pic.twitter.com/W0zMhkMBeR

— Anna Rose Johnson (@GymnasticsRosie) September 26, 2018