This column first appeared in CityView Magazine’s “The Spring Issue” April 2026 edition.
“You can find magic wherever you look. Sit back and relax, all you need is a book.” — Dr. Seuss
Books probably helped many of you survive the winter this year with its short days, long dark nights, frigid temps, and even snow. Now that you have put away the heavy coats, scarves, and gloves, though, be sure to keep up the reading habit even as the warm spring air and sunshine beckon you outside. Reading has been proven to be a good thing for our health and happiness, but there are other reasons why this is a good time of year to keep reading.
A big reason is spring break! Suddenly, the highways are filled with families headed to the North Carolina mountains or beaches for hiking and camping or sunbathing on a beach towel. A good book for pleasure is a must-have on your packing list, and you may need several. For the longer trips, mom or dad can focus on driving safely while everyone else is absorbed in their books. And if you have audiobooks, everyone can be “reading” the same book. Even if you are not taking a vacation, you may have been going full tilt after the holidays, and now it may be time to carve out a day off work, a day to relax and recharge by immersing yourself in a really good book.
Start your spring break by browsing in a local bookstore for the one that speaks to you, whether it is a mystery, a romantic romp, a nonfiction adventure, an exploration of people in crisis, or something historical you’ve always wanted to learn more about. Pick whatever interests you, and you can’t go wrong. Here are a few suggestions.
1. The Titanic Survivors Book Club by Timothy Schaffert
Any book with “Titanic” in the title immediately captures my attention. My interest began after watching the 1958 film A Night to Remember, and it has only grown greater over the years as more information comes out about its tragic maiden voyage. In Schaffert’s book, Yorick is the main character, an apprentice librarian assigned to the Titanic. Alas, he is left at the dock when he quite literally misses the boat. Soon after, he decides to follow his dream and opens a bookstore in Paris. He receives a mysterious letter inviting him to join a secret society of survivors, a support group of sorts whose members are struggling with survivor’s guilt. In the process of reading the selected books and engaging in vigorous, heated discussions, they begin to deal with their anxiety and feelings of guilt.
2. Vigil by George Saunders
After she dies at age 22, Jill becomes a spirit guide, tasked with ushering humans in their final hours to the afterlife. As a spirit guide, she is able to travel between the living world and the afterlife. One of her dying clients is K. J. Boone, an oil tycoon, who remains unrepentant and refuses to be consoled. He lived a bold and successful life with his fabulous wealth to show for it. As Jill ushers him into the afterlife, he is confronted with the consequences of corporate greed and environmental damage. Author George Saunders employs satire to explore themes of morality, absolution, and the impact of one’s actions.
3. Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage by Belle Burden
Sometimes the cover of a new book just keeps grabbing your attention even when you know nothing about it. I kept seeing the great cover of this memoir and finally decided to find out more about it. Belle Burden, the author, suddenly finds her 20-year marriage over during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her husband leaves her and their three children behind with no warning. In this true story, she shares her journey from shock and shame to self-discovery, re-examining the past to understand how her seemingly happy marriage could end so suddenly. Through this process, she rediscovers herself, finds her voice, and begins rebuilding her life. Described as a divorce memoir by Amazon Editor Sarah Gelman, I think of it as more of a marriage memoir and, like she says, “a forensic examination of a love and a marriage gone wrong.”
4. Good People by Patmeena Sabit
The Sharafs are a rich and prosperous immigrant family. When they first arrive in America from Afghanistan, they have nothing but the clothes they are wearing. With hard work, they move into an affluent neighborhood in Northern Virginia, and their children go to the most exclusive schools. Their oldest daughter, Zorah, is the adored one until she brings shame on her family. Are the Sharafs really the perfect family they seem to be to the outside? Or is it all for show? Told from various perspectives, we get to decide which is the real story.
5. Kin by Tayari Jones
Annie and Vernice were best friends growing up together in Honeysuckle, Louisiana. Both have had to deal with the loss of their mothers. Vernice was raised by a strong aunt and at 18 left for Spelman College, where she found a community of successful Black women and learned about privilege and ambition. Annie, abandoned by her mother at an early age, was driven by the hope of finding her. Her journey was tough, full of challenges and new experiences, and ultimately led to a fight for her life. Kin explores relationships between women in the American South, offering an emotionally rich and memorable story that explores themes of friendship, sisterhood, race, and the search for family.
6. The Last Carolina Girl by Meagan Church
In this book set in North Carolina in the mid-1930s, we meet Leah Payne, who looks back on her life growing up. She begins her story when, at 14, after the death of her widowed father, she enters the foster care system. Initially she is placed with a loving and supportive family. Later, Leah is moved to a home where she faces abuse and is denied access to education, and the foster mother even subjects her to forced sterilization. Recognizing the injustice, Leah returns to her original foster family, gradually regains her confidence, and takes control of her future.
