Spring Reads

By Michelle Pierce

During this season of renewal, you can refresh your mind, body and soul with spring reads that will leave an impression. There’s a book to crack open for every interest, whether you want to approach personal growth through a different lens, connect with nature or help your kids learn new life lessons. Michelle Pierce of Lido Village Books offers her take on the top picks for a spring awakening. lidovillagebooks.com | IG: @lidovillagebooks

by Thomas Erikson In a world where the tiniest frustration becomes a mountain of setback and feelings of giving up, Erikson does a great job reminding us of the prioritization of obstacles. Is getting cut off or hitting on the red lights on the way to work as big of a setback as we make it out to be? Setbacks can be a failure or a lesson on who we are. He offers words and ideas to help us take setbacks in stride, something I’m trying to think about or put into practice, daily. (Hardback $27.99)

“Atomic Habits” by James Clear This book will not stay on the shelf at the bookstore — it just flies out the door with tools and strategies you need to form good habits, break bad ones and master tiny behaviors. Super practical and easy to digest, “Atomic Habits” gives you everything you need to change your perspective and create the you that you want to be. (Hardback $27)

by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga We can't be liked by everyone; rather, it feels like each year there are more people who love to voice their opinions about you. We need to pivot our thoughts before diving into an internal spiral wondering, “What is wrong with me?” Read like a Socratic dialogue, easy and intimately informative, this book will help you find the bravery to sit in the discomfort and know that you are enough. (Hardback $25)

by Madeleine Dore Who doesn't deal with productivity guilt on a daily basis? A new January release, this is an inspiring call to take productivity off its pedestal and dismantle unrealistic or aspirational expectations of what you can accomplish. The moral of the story? There’s no real secret to productivity, so embrace the joyful messiness of life. (Hardback $27)

Problem” by Kobi Yamada Great for anyone, at any age, this is a lesson in courage and facing the unknown told with beauty and innocence that brings the book to life. Kobi Yamada's "What You Do Matters" series is endearing and moving and relevant because we all need reassurance and new perspectives on how to handle a problem. (Hardback $16.95)

Empathy” by Susan Verde, art by Peter H. Reynolds What does it mean to be human? Make this discovery through the eyes of a child as he recognizes his own ability to feel joy and sadness, to do harm and be harm, and make good choices by acting with compassion. (Board Book $8.99)

Matthew Cordell

Keep the legacy of Fred Rogers alive for the new generation. This children's picture book is a biography of Mister Rogers, illustrating how one person saw the world, wondered, questioned and brought a voice to children. (Hardback $18.99)

“Two” by Kathryn Otoshi Otoshi's number series — “Zero,” “One” and “Two — uses colors and numbers to make bigger issues in children's lives very accessible and relevant to them, all while reiterating their current learning tasks. This latest addition to the series is a powerful story of friendship, loss, letting go and self-discovery. (Hardback $18.95)

by Rob Dunn To survive on a fragile planet, this leading ecologist suggests we must understand and obey its iron laws — we are at the mercy of nature. Offering a crash course in ecology, “A Natural History of the Future” may help us better understand the diversity and destiny of life itself. (Hardback $30)

by Michelle Nijhuis An acclaimed science journalist traces the history of modern conservation, from the origins of organizations like the Audubon Society to current efforts to protect species like the black rhinoceros. No stone is unturned in her thorough and vibrant account, including the darker side of conservation where racism and colonialism often hide in the shadows. (Hardback $27.95)

by Simon Barnes In a digital-first world where the culture of busy often overshadows everything, the author fears we’ve forgotten the wild world. It’s a call for readers to remember how to look and listen to make the hidden parts of nature visible once again. Through even the simplest act of paying attention, birds singing in treetops can awaken your mind and help you discover new areas of yourself that have gone dormant. (Hardback $24.95)

by Lyanda Lynn Haupt In a deeply personal work, the award-winning writer and naturalist encourages readers to live with the earth, defining “rootedness” as a way of being in concert with the wilderness — and wildness — that sustains humans and all of life. And as we are affected by nature, in turn, we must look inward for ways we can exist in empathy to nourish our imperiled, beloved earth. (Hardback $27)

Jim Olarte knot: kelp St. Ann’s, Laguna Beach

Jim Olarte is a macrame craftsman, artist and beach comber. He finds the art in nature, works with it and honors it. Here, he’s applied a series of square knots to kelp and says, “Kelp is a brown seaweed that grows as big as a tree in the ocean. Kelp doesn't have roots like most plants do, but anchors itself to the ocean floor through a system called a ‘holdfast.’ This ‘sea tree’ algae is loaded with nutrition.” And beauty. Read more about Jim Olarte’s beautiful and thoughtful work in this issue and follow him on Instagram @jimolarte.