Sorry, to be late with this post…
Every week I share picture books and teaching books for classrooms… but this week (yes, it’s Thursday and I’m late!) I’m taking a little side step. Spring break is starting soon for many teachers across Canada (BC teachers begin next week!) and I thought it might be nice to share books for the teachers themselves. Because let’s be honest — after weeks of planning lessons, marking, report card writing and parent-teacher conferences, teachers deserve a break!!!
Whether you’re traveling somewhere sunny, curled up on the couch with a cup of tea, or finally catching up on that stack of novels beside your bed, here are a few beautiful grown-up reads that I’ve loved this past year.
A little warning… many of these books come with some heartbreak and loss, so you might want to keep the Kleenex nearby. But they are also filled with hope, kindness, and unforgettable characters — the kind of stories that stay with you long after the last page.
And if you only read one book on this list, let it be Theo of Golden. It is, without question, one of the most beautiful novels I have read in years.
My Friends – Fredrik Backman
I haven’t read a friendship story this genuine, heartfelt, funny, honest, smart, sentimental, shocking, and emotional in a very long time. I have read many books by Fredrik Backman but this is, by far, my favourite. His writing merges heart-wrench with wit in such a way I just can’t even explain it – one minute I’m laughing, then sobbing the next! So many times when I was reading, I had to stop and catch my breath because words were just so beautiful. It is the story of friendship, family, trauma, loss and art – all beautifully mixed together with the most believable characters. “I love you… and I believe in you.” I love this book, I love the writing, I love the storytelling, and I love Fredrik Backman. (Atria Books, 2025)
The Correspondent – Virginia Evans
Told entirely through letters, this novel introduces us to Sybil Van Antwerp, a sharp-witted retired lawyer who spends her days writing to friends, family, authors, and sometimes complete strangers. Through her letters, we slowly piece together the story of her life — the regrets, the relationships, and the things left unsaid. Some letters are funny, some heartbreaking, but together they create a deeply honest portrait of a complicated life. Starting this book, I was completely unprepared for how much I would end up enjoying it. By the end of the book, I was sobbing. The way Sybil describes her grief and her part in it packs a powerful emotional punch. When I finished – I wanted to go back and start it all over again. I’m in two book clubs – and both selected this book. I just read it again and loved it even more! (Crown, April 2025)
Heart the Lover – Lily King
I finished this book in a weekend – it’s an easy read but I kept having to stop because I was sobbing uncontrollably. It’s a story of the impact of first love – ever-lasting first love wrapped in a magnificent and intimate novel of friendship, desire, and loss. I was a blubbering mess by the end. Most of us went to post secondary school. Most of us had a “first love” experience”. Most of us have experienced heartbreak and loss at some point in our lives. An ABUNDANCE of connections here… read this. (HarperCollins Publishers, September 2025)
Theo of Golden – Allen Levi
This is one of the most beautiful books I’ve read in years. When Theo arrives in the small town of Golden, he begins buying portraits hanging in a local café and quietly tracking down the people in the drawings to return them. Through these “bestowals” (small acts of kindness), we meet a cast of unforgettable characters carrying grief, regret, and hope. It’s a gentle, deeply moving story about generosity, humanity, and the quiet ways people can change one another’s lives.
I will try not to exaggerate. 5 (million) stars. I want (need) someone (everyone) to read this book. I laughed and cried. I filled 6 pages in my quote book with “Theo quotes”. May we all long for heaven the way Theo does, and in the mean time, be as kind, generous, compassionate, selfless, and loyal as him. I sobbed through this one – but not from heartbreak – from heart mend. (this should be a legitimate compound word!) (Atria – 2025)
The Guardian and the Thief – Megha Majumdar
This one was difficult… to read and …well, the ending.
We have Ma – the Guardian we assume, her father, Dadu, and Mishta, the daughter. Three generations preparing to leave drought-striken India during a climate crisis for America to meet with Ma’s husband. After picking up their sacred passports, they go home to prepare for their journey.
We have the thief, Boomba, who breaks into Ma’s house in search of food for his family and steels Ma’s purse where the precious passports and Visas were hidden. You feel sympathy for this thief; for his losses.
The rest of the novel is a quest for survival – for both Ma, her family; Boomba, and his family. The book explores what people will do in helpless siturations, how they fight to survive and the consequences of desperate decisions.
(McClelland & Stewart, October 2025)
Hamnet – Maggie O’Farrell
When I first started reading this book (I first read it 5 years ago) I was anticipating an historical novel about Shakespeare. How wrong I was…this book is a meditation on grief. The story focuses on Shakespeare’s wife Anne Hathoway – on her family, marriage, gifts, loss, and her struggle to overcome the deepest grief of losing a child. I’m not going to lie – it is a devastating story. So, if you are looking for a happy little Spring Break story, this is not one. But if you are looking for a story that is brilliantly written, with scenes vividly painted, with raw, honest emotion and characters brought to life, this is your book. (Vintage Canada, May 2021)
The Road to Tender Hearts – Annie Hartnett
I knew nothing about this book when I started reading it but it was quirky and delightful! It’s the story about a sixty-three year old million-dollar lottery winner, PJ Halliday, who has squandered his winnings on booze and is suddenly saddled with two orphaned children as their next of kin. Together, with his own adult daughter and Pancakes the cat, the unlikely group take a road trip across America. The story is filled with absurd predicaments, chaos, and humour. I adored it – laughed out loud one minute, then sobbed uncontrollably the next. LOVED the writing style. A perfect Spring Break read! (Ballantine Books, 2025)
More Than Enough – Anna Quindlan
This story follows high school English teacher Polly Goodman, who receives an ancestry kit as a joke from her close-knit book club friends. (LOTS of connections already!!) While expecting a breakdown of her ethnicity and maybe a small surprise or two, she discovers a second-degree relative. And so begins her deep, personal journey into her family history, her identity, and the life she imagined for herself. Lots of layers to Polly’s story and definitely more to the story than biology or ancestry results – chosen family, friendship, marriage, and learning to redefine what “enough” really means. The story has a quiet, comforting feel to it. I’m enjoying the audio book – but still not rushing out to buy a DNA test! (Random House, 2026)
The History of Sound – Ben Shattuck
Another recent Book Club pick, I so enjoyed this unique collection of short stories, set in New England, across three centuries. What you don’t realize when you start, is that the stories are paired – two consecutive stories that connect – some in more obvious ways than others. And while each story and pairing is different – connections, across time and space, in places and artifacts, is the thread that runs through all of them. I found myself running thought a huge range of emotions when I read these stories – love, fear, regret, shock, hope. The writing is beautiful, often poetic. Pleasantly suprised by this one! (My favourite paired stories centered around the extinct, flightless seabird – the Auk.) (Penguin Books, 2025)
Pick a Colour – Souvankham Thammavongsa
This book was the Giller Prize Winner last year. I have NOT read it yet, but it’s on my Spring Break TBR pile! The entire story takes place in one day at a nail salon. It’s the story of a Viatnamese salon owner, Ning, who used to be a boxer and now owns the salon where all the stylists are named “Susan”. Heard great things and I’m excited to read it! (Knopf Canada, September 2025)
Thanks for stoppping by! I hope you have found at least one new book you are looking forward to reading over your break. Happy Spring Break, to those who are starting their break next week or in the next few weeks!
And happy reading, everyone!
Adrienne Gear - Reading Power Ltd. 