Our Favorite Rainy Day Reads
April showers bring May flowers, and even more rainy days lie ahead. But as any book lover can tell you, rainy days are some of the best days! Really, what’s better than curling up with a good book on a spring day as gentle rain falls outside your window? We love rainy days so much that we even made a Rainy Day Reads candle to accompany them! In our opinion, the only answer to dreary, drizzly days is to cozy up with a book, quilt, and hot cup of tea.
Once winter storm Xanto left, we were finally able to start enjoying beautiful spring weather here in Minnesota! And while there’s been plenty of sun and fun, the forecast calls for rain in our near future. While we have an expansive TBR bookshelf ready to go, we thought we’d offer up some rainy day recommendations so that you can build your very own rainy day book list. All of the titles mentioned below can be found between Tom and Roxie’s Goodreads pages and our Books We Read board on Pinterest. These three locations are the best places to keep up to date with what we’re reading and our thoughts on recent publications. Along with our blog, of course.
Howl’s Moving Castle
Roxie recently read this title and couldn't put it down! So we obviously had to include it on our list. For Roxie, this title served as a snowy day read during our last snow storm, it would make the perfect springtime rainy day read. While many have seen the classic, Hayao Miyazaki movie version of this classic tale, few have read the novel. Did you know that Howl’s Moving Castle is the third highest-grossing anime film of all time? See what all the hype's about in the literature version of Howl’s Moving Castle.
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking
Many people know that they’re introverts, but they don’t realize the power that holds in our modern society. In a world of tweeting, texting, yelling, and partying, it can be easy to feel lost in the shuffle when you’re an introvert. Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain examines how we as a society undervalue introverts and the true value they possess. With passionately articulated arguments, thorough research, and stories of real people, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking shows us that being an introvert can be a wonderful, and powerful thing.
Sleeping Murder
What could be better on a rainy day that an Agatha Christie novel? Technically, this is number 13 in the Miss Marple series, but it’s totally fine to read this one as a stand-alone novel. In her latest adventure, Miss Marple is contacted by a desperate homeowner who is suffering from an irrational sense of terror every time she climbs the stairs in her new home. The pair are set upon to solve a “perfect” crime that was committed years ago.
Anna and the French Kiss
A sweet teen drama is just what the weather calls for when it’s dark and dreary outside. Anna and the French Kiss is a cute story that will give you warm fuzzies as you read. Entering her Senior year, Anna is distraught to learn that her father plans to send her away to a boarding school in France to complete her final year of high school. Personally, we’d be thrilled if our parents decided to send us off to study abroad for a year, but Anna has begun a budding romance with her coworker back home and isn’t in any rush to change that. Follow along as Anna tries to win that special French kiss before her year abroad is up.
Seconds
If you’ve never tried out graphic novels, then this spring’s the time to start! If you enjoyed the Scott Pilgrim series, then you’re going to love Bryan Lee O'Malley’s latest novel, Seconds. With a nice life that includes being a young chef in a successful restaurant, Katie’s life is pretty good. And then suddenly, out of nowhere, things start to go wrong. Her ex shows up, her best waitress gets injured, and her budding romance goes down the drain. Feeling down after so many hits, Katie is surprised one night by the appearance of a mysterious girl. This girl has a few simple instructions for Katie that will allow her a do-it-yourself, do-over to try to correct some of her recent problems. The steps are easy: write your mistake, ingest one mushroom, go to sleep, and wake anew. But how’s a girl supposed to stop when given the opportunity to rewrite any past wrong. Katie quickly becomes obsessed with the pursuit of making her life “perfect” and then suffers the consequences of her choices.
The Guest Cat
The Guest Cat is a renowned title in France that quickly became a bestseller. Written by Takashi Hiraide, and translated by Eric Selland, The Guest Cat examines “the transient nature of life and idiosyncratic but deeply felt ways of living.” The story follows a couple living in a small cottage in a quiet part of Tokyo. Both freelancing copy editors, the couple have found that they have little to speak about anymore. And then, one day, a cat appears and “invites” itself into their kitchen and lives. Day after day, this cat arrives, and the couple soon finds themselves discussing their new sorta-pet and its odd ways and characteristics. And then one day, the unexpected happens. You’ll just have to read the book to discover what that something is.
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing
Yes, yes, we know. Everyone talks about this book. But there’s a reason for that! In her book, Marie Kondo talks reader's through how to properly simplify and organize your home. Kondo’s theory is that if you put your house in order once, the right way, you’ll never need to do it again. Emily Gilmore even believes in this method! You’ve most likely heard the basic principle of Kondo’s teachings, “does something spark joy,” before, now it's time to find out what that really means.
Reading in the Rain
Rain, rain, go away, don’t come back another day! But if you do, that’s ok, cause’ we’ve got books to brighten your day. We're not great at rhyming. At Frostbeard, we love rainy days so much that we spent weeks creating the perfect candle that smells like rain just so that we can recreate a stormy day whenever we want. But if some clouds do decide to roll in, we hope that these books will keep you company the next time it rains. What are your go-to rainy day reads? Tell us in the comments below!
