Chapters with Chelsea: We Should Just Stay Inside and Read

Posted 2:12 p.m. Apr 12, 2021 — Updated 6:02 p.m. Apr 12, 2021

Chelsea Poole

Spring has sprung, and if you are like me, that means the days are full of itchy eyes, sneezing, and a head packed full of grit and gunk. I could write a thesis on why spring is the worst season. After a cold, dreary (snowless!) winter inside, spring pops in with 70-degree temperatures, and the color green enters the world again. Bird-watchers lose their collective minds as tiny chirps flow out of birdhouses. Everyone decides they want a baby bunny for a pet.

But what’s that? You can’t enjoy any of it because it feels like you poured a gallon of sand straight into your eyeballs? You let out your black lab only to have a yellow lab return? The people in line at the drugstore are side-eyeing your incessant coughing despite the fact that you are obviously buying allergy medicine? Mother Nature is a cruel and teasing beast, and spring is her ultimate prank. Hey Earth Mom, it isn’t an April Fool’s joke if it lasts for weeks on end.

So what’s a few more weeks inside? There’s nothing wrong with watching birds from the window, or spraying down your dog with a hose every time he decides he needs to go outside and eat his own poop—I mean…go to the bathroom. While life springs into existence outside our door, we can settle in with a few good books and wait it out. Here are a few friends that can keep you company on your pollen-less couch.

Broken (in the best possible way) by Jenny Lawson

It has been a long 12 months and if you haven’t struggled, you are probably an alien. Between COVID, a fraught election, Tiger King, and hearing that the Duke isn’t returning for Season 2 of Bridgerton, there has been a lot of cause for doom and gloom. Getting the vaccine yet having nowhere to go because the outside world is one giant cloud of yellow dust is, to put it lightly…a bummer. Most of us have experienced some level of depression and/or anxiety. Jenny Lawson returns with her newest, perhaps most relatable book yet. Spinning the real world of mental illness with a thread of humor gives us the laugh we so desperately need and reminds us we are not alone.

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodges Burnett

I always say the prettiest flowers are the ones that don’t make me feel like I’m dying. And you know what flowers those are? The ones on the page. This timeless classic is one of my personal favorites from my childhood. It has all the great tropes a kid (and adult) could want: orphans, a mysterious English manor, secrets around every corner, flowers that don’t make you sniffle, and a solid case of Munchhausen by proxy. This would make an excellent nighttime read along with the kiddos, a new adventure for adults who may have missed out on this classic, or a nostalgic step into the past for many of us. Also, a graphic novel version comes out in May!

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah

How about a nice healthy dose of, “It could be worse!” This Depression-era book about one woman’s fight through the Dust Bowl will have you thanking the grass for growing. Kristen Hannah’s descriptions of dust storms, hunger pains, and hope amongst tragedy will have you thanking your lucky stars for the blooms in your yard. And, hey, the tears you shed for the characters will help get the pollen out of your eyes. Win-win!

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