Four Books To Read This Spring To Renew Your Brain

“If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?” or so wrote Percy Bysshe Shelley in his famous poem Ode to the West Wind! And, so has Spring arrived after a bitter and lengthy winter? An enduring metaphor for ‘new beginnings’ in Literature since time immemorial, Spring is a season to recover and replenish. So, what better time than Spring to refresh your brain and rejuvenate your spirit with these four perfect books to read? These are just some of the most beautiful literary works of our time, which money can buy!

Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman

Walt Whitman’s iconic collection of poetry Leaves of Grass is an exaltation of the human body and the material world. Whitman’s verses heap praise on nature and explore the individual’s role in nature. Drawing inspiration from transcendentalism, a derivative of Romanticism, Whitman elevates the human mind. However, at the same time, he also highlights the perishable human form without belittling the role of the human spirit.

Famous as one of the pioneering works in American Literature, Leaves of Grass is like the first fresh breeze of Spring that announces the retreat of winter. Through his verses, Whitman beautifully highlights the recurring cycle of nature where Spring’s comfort is as inevitable as the winter’s harshness.

A Room with a View by E.M. Forster

Set in England and Italy, the 1908 novel by English novelist Edward Morgan Forster is a humorous critique of the early 20^th-century English society. It is a romantic tale of a young woman, gradually realizing that she can grow wings and break out of the chrysalis. The chrysalis here is symbolic of the conservative culture of the Edwardian era England.

The protagonist Miss Lucy’s lady-like demeanor, is under threat. That’s because of her apparent fondness for the unsuitable yet fascinating common man George Emerson. An adaptation of this novel is the 1985 film, starring Helena Bonham Carter, Julian Sands, and Maggie Smith. In Forster’s seminal book, Spring is a character in and of itself. It has an intoxicating ambiance and unsettling allure bringing the Tuscan hills to life in this must-read E.M. Forster novel.

Lady Chatterley’s Lover by DH Lawrence

D H Lawrence’s controversial yet groundbreaking novel Lady Chatterley’s Lover was not publicly available in the UK until 1960. The publisher – Penguin Books had to win an obscenity trial before going forward with the publishing. The book went on to sell over 3 million copies across the globe. The novel’s first publication was in 1928 in Italy and then the following year in France. The inspiration for the book is apparently from Lawrence’s own domestic life.

With a strong essence of Spring and set in an idyllic environment based on his childhood years in Nottinghamshire, Lady Chatterley’s Lover explores the intimate relationship between a man and a woman from various perspectives. The description is often graphic but never out of place. The book not just broke the literary boundaries of that time but also shredded to pieces the prevalent Victorian morality of Lawrence’s time.

The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare

The Witch of Blackbird Pond immaculately encapsulates the thrill that surrounds the arrival of Spring. Although it is a novel for kids, it is something the adults will enjoy reading too. The author Elizabeth Speare quite skilfully articulates the sense of being reborn in Spring from the wintry wombs of hibernation. The novel goes on to highlight the visceral yearning for a better future that follows the reawakening.

The Witch of Blackbird Pond is set in New England in the latter half of the 17th century. It tells the story of an independent and fiercely rebellious sixteen-year-old Katherine Tyler. Introduction of Kit Tyler’s character happens as someone who bid adieu to her nestle in Barbados following her grandpa’s demise. She goes to spend time with her uncle and aunt in Wethersfield, Connecticut. The 250-page book is just the ideal read on a pensive spring afternoon.

Spring is already knocking on the doors. Bringing with it, yet another chance to shed our dead leaves, let go of old weights and start over fresh. These four books cover an extensive range of subjects that best epitomize the spirit of Spring. What better time than Spring, the season of rebirth, to read four extraordinary books on the bittersweet pangs of letting go and starting over?