nut free nerd

Happy St. Patrick’s Day, everyone! I’m not Irish in the slightest, but I’m a firm believer that holidays are meant to be celebrated by anyone and everyone. When I was younger I always looked forward to going to school dressed in green from head to toe and seeing what the “leprechaun” would leave me in my shoes during the night.

In honor of this special occasion, I thought it would be fun to share some pretty pictures of books with green covers. Finding a decent number of green books on my bookshelves was actually more difficult than I initially expected it to be (apparently I own many more blue books than green!) but in the end I managed to round up a fair amount.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling is probably my favorite book of the entire series. I love how dark and mysterious it is as well as how much information we learn about Tom Riddle, Dumbledore, and the inner workings of Voldemort lore in general. For me, it was when the driving plot behind the series really clicked into place.

To be honest, I don’t even know why I’ve kept my copy of Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne for this long because I really wasn’t impressed by the story in the slightest. I read it years ago but distinctly remember thinking that the story was ridiculously illogical at times. I hated the awkward, shifting pacing of the plot and the ending was disappointingly lackluster. But just look at the gorgeous green cover!

Nothing screams “SUMMER!” to me quite like The Outcasts of 19 Schuyler Place by E.L. Konigsburg, which I excitedly bought at a Scholastic Book Fair when I was in third grade. I’ve reread it countless times since then, taking something new away from the story with each revisit. Back when I was ten years old it was simply a summer camp story to me; now that I’m twice that age, I tend to notice the way the narrative arcs through time in subtle patterns. And there’s no denying that Konigsburg’s witty sense of humor gets better and better with each reread.

Growth and Structure of the English Language by Otto Jespersen was the textbook I used for the Evolution of English class I took last semester. It was a tad drier than I would have liked, but you’d be hard pressed to find a more informative, concise volume. (Besides, it has such a strikingly simple design.)

I read the English translation of One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez over the summer and unexpectedly fell in love with it. The colorful green design of this edition perfectly suits the narrative’s basis on nature, passion, and the cyclical aspect of life.

Last but not least, O Pioneers! is the second novel I’ve read by Willa Cather. I decided to read it after I felt the void of having finished Cather’s brilliant book My Ántonia. Another one of her novels is currently eyeing me from my bookshelf as I write this and I can’t wait to finally get around to reading it soon.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this little foray into my meager collection of green books. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!!

What are your favorite books that are green? Do you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day? Let me know in the comments section below!

Yours,

HOLLY