Thank you to Lynn of Lynn’s Perspective for tagging me in this! (Lynn’s post is here.) The tag was originally created by Laura (Corner of Laura) here, and I like the thought behind it. I myself don’t celebrate Easter, but I do celebrate the Equinox (and there are many more celebrations around the world at this time of year!).
HOLI – India and Nepal – A festival of colour celebrating the end of the winter and the colourful season ahead – The most colourful book on your shelves.
I have quite a lot of colourful books, but The DallerGut Dream Department Store by Mi-Ye Lee is one of my favourites. How can this cover not make you happy?!
NOWRUZ – Various (Persian) – The Persian New Year involving several days of celebrations and family gatherings – A book including or about a big family gathering.
I feel like books with big family gatherings are mostly a particular type of contemporary book of which I rarely read. The closest I can find that I have read is The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune, though it’s not a ‘gathering’ per se, more of a house filled with found-family love.
TEOTIHUACAN – Mexico – A popular modern tradition to stand atop the pyramid on the Spring Equinox and soak up the sun’s first rays of the morning – A book that you consider a modern classic.
From Googling, a modern classic is a book published after 1950. With that limiter in mind, there is only one option for me, and that is The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien published in 1954 (not counting The Hobbit). The sheer scale of this work is like nothing else, and the timeless themes of good vs evil, characters everyone knows and loves, and the huge influence Tolkien has had on writers today really cement this one for me.
For something a lot more modern, I would pick A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab for similar reasons. Her world, characters and themes are amazing and I highly recommend this series for everyone.
SONGKRAN WATER FESTIVAL – Thailand – A ceremony of cleansing and renewal. The biggest draw for tourists is the giant water fight – A book set on or around water.
Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson is my pick here. Whimsical and lots of fun, Tress travels across the ‘sea’ to save the boy she loves.
You also don’t need to have read any of the other books in the Cosmere to read this one.
HANAMI SEASON – Japan – A yearly tradition around enjoying the transient beauty of cherry blossoms – A book with flowers on the cover.
I’ve got tons of these, but it has to be The Garden of Delights by Amal Singh for me. Beautiful cover and one of my top books from 2024, it’s a gorgeously written fantasy with Indian myth woven into its pages.
STONEHENGE – UK – Druids and pagans gather in their hundreds to celebrate the Spring Equinox. Though most historians are fairly confident that it was likely a religious site, no one is quite certain of what Stonehenge actually is – A book with a good mystery.
Adrienne Young writes my absolute favourite magical realism x mystery books, and my favourite of them is Spells For Forgetting.
Small town, buckets of atmosphere and relatable characters, I adored this book so, so much!
Rules & Tags
- Link back to the original creator (The Corner of Laura) and link back to their page (otherwise, the original creator won’t get a notification).
- Thank whoever tagged you and link back to their post.
- (Optional) Use the graphics and don’t forget to credit the original creator (Text prompts are at the end of the tag if you’d prefer to use those).
- (Optional) Tag 5 or more other people.
I don’t think I have 5 people I know would want tags, but maybe @dinpandareads and @readyouleyre might want to? Of course, if you want to try this out for yourself please do, and let me know if you’d like me to include you in tags in the future!
Pages of Emma 
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