Good morning 👋
How are you doing today?
People who know me, know I love a good book. With that in mind, I thought I’d mix things up for today’s blog and share five recommendations for books that make for an excellent read in the Spring of 2026. So, let’s turn the page and get started.
Hello and Welcome to Sweeney’s Blogs!
One of my favourite things about reading, is seeing just how much talent there is out there in the world. There are more amazing books than I can ever begin to count, from authors from different backgrounds, countries, writing styles and so much more.
If you’re looking for something new to read this spring or summer, here are five reccos to get you started ⤵️
1. The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak
Starting the list off is one of my favourites from the last few years. A fictional love story between a Turkish Cypriot and a Greek Cypriot, set in 1970s Cyprus during the height of the conflict between Greece and Turkey. It’s a book full of heart, sacrifice, family, loss, culture, and so much more.
I even did a full blog recap on my thoughts about the book, which you can check out if you’d like to find out more 🙂
2. The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
If you’re more of a personal/professional development-focused reader, this one may be more up your lane. It’s all about the “tipping point”, or when ideas, behaviours and trends spread like fire between us as people. It’s a fascinating read on human psychology and how crazes become what they are – what fuels them, what impact they create and how they come to an end.
3. If We Were Villains by M.L.Rio
The first line of the blurb should be enough to catch your interest (hopefully so anyways🤞😂) – “Oliver Marks has just served ten years in jail – for a murder he may or may not have committed”. A thriller written in the style of a play, bringing in students studying Shakespeare, an unexpected death and the repercussions of it – the book is a cracker. One of my favourite thrillers, for sure.
4. Circe by Madeline Miller
Feminist retellings of classical Greek mythology have become increasingly popular in recent years, and I’ve enjoyed giving many of them a read-through. The first one of these I ever tried was Circe, an alternative version of one of Greece’s most famous goddesses, and how she might not have been as much as many older storytellers perceived her to be.
It’s a story about deceit, forgiveness, acceptance, power, gender diversity and a whole lot more. Well worth checking out if you ask me 😉
I did a whole wrap-up blog on this book, back when I read it 2022, if you’d like to find out some more on the book 🙂
5. The Inheritance Games series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
This series of books is like a guilty pleasure of mine. If you haven’t heard of them, here’s the first line of the blurb, to spark your interest – “Avery has a plan: keep her head down, work hard for a better future. Then an eccentric billionaire dies, leaving her almost his entire fortune. And no one, least of all Avery, knows why.”
It’s a book about puzzles, family, deceit, love, self-identity, and so much more. Each book is filled with riddles and turns to keep you guessing about what’s going to happen next. Check out my full breakdown of the first book here, if you’d like some more info 🙂
Well then, there we have it! There are five book recommendations for you this spring – I’ve tried to vary it up amongst the genres, to keep things fresh and for the blog to be applicable for people who read all sorts of different books.
Are you a big reader? What’s been one of your favourite books to read? How are your next couple of weeks looking, got much planned?
I’d love to hear what you think 😊
Thanks for reading and I hope you have a lovely day!
James
Sweeney's Blogs 