Welcome to this month’s Curated Bookshelf! I’m glad to be back at it, but also feeling a little rushed this month because the past two months have thrown my personal life into all sorts of chaos. There were a few themes I was thinking of for May, but I decided to keep it on the easy side. Maybe it seems a little odd, but May’s theme is going to be Gardens & Orchards.
Growing up, May always meant a trip to a local arboretum. My mom would take me and my two best friends for a day at a big garden, where we dreamed of spring weddings in the rose garden, avoided geese like the plague, and tried to catch tadpoles in a little pond at the top of a waterfall. Last month, I went back with my mom and my kids, and it was just fun to show my kids a little bit of my childhood. The roses weren’t blooming yet, but I hope they are today, because they usually were at this time of the year.
Because I find myself feeling nostalgic, no thanks to reading Nancy Drew books to my daughter these days, I’ve decided to highlight books with gardens and orchards. Out where I grew up, there were huge orange orchards once upon a time, and some of those remnants can actually still be seen in my childhood backyard. The arboretum, too, has a bit of a citrus orchard right next to the rose garden I adored. So, gardens and orchards. I promise I’m not crazy.
This month, I’ll be highlighting 15 books that feature a garden or an orchard in some way. Sometimes it’s a prominent feature, sometimes it’s just a bit of the story I enjoyed.
Throughout this month, I’ll be giving each book its own Highlight post. I’ll discuss why I chose that particular book as well as put a spotlight on it, other reviews, and multiple purchase links. As I mentioned when I first introduced The Curated Bookshelf, I won’t earn a cent if you choose to use one of the links to purchase a book (I am not affiliated with any purchase sites), but the author/publisher will. Choose wisely?
I’m excited to share the 15 books I’ve chosen, and they’ll remain on the shelf until May 31st. On June 1st, there will be a new set of books and a new theme. In theory. I’m a little behind on putting up the page.
Feel free to check out all the books I’ll be highlighting on The Curated Bookshelf from the menu or via this link.
Thank you, and I hope you enjoy May’s books!
The Lily Cafe 
Some plants are scary! Seriously, I will enjoy your trip through Gardens & Orchards. As usual, I’m looking forward to read about them…even if I forget to comment about this or that plot 🙂
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Definitely some are! There’s a cozy mystery with witches I read a couple of years ago with a plant that definitely had its own personality. I’m very excited about sharing these books. Fortunately, I think they’re mostly safe.
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