Monday Moods is a weekly bookish meme created and hosted by Unwrapping Words (aka, me!). The premise is simple: every week, there’s a new ‘mood’, ranging from tropes to genres or actual moods (happy, sad, etc). On a Monday, feel free to post about books on your TBR, books you’d recommend, or a mix – whatever you like – that fits the ‘mood’ prompt. And of course, you can use your own if you’re not fussed on a particular one!
22nd April (Wednesday) is Earth Day, so ‘Nature’ felt like a fitting theme for this week. Nature can appear in different forms through books, whether it’s on the cover, in the title, or maybe a book about nature vs man. The books I’ve picked out for this week are a little lighter than the last thing suggests, however!
This Week, I’m in the Mood For…
Nature
Homegrown Magic
Jamie Pacton & Rebecca Podos
Genre: Fantasy Romance
Age: Adult
Format: ebook
Published: 11th March, 2025
I Want to Read This Because queer romantic fantasy! I know, I know, I used this one last week, but it fits so well for both, especially with the focus on garden magic, presumably using nature for magic in this world. And when books start cropping up often in my Monday Moods, it usually means I’m fairly close to reading them.
The Fiends in the Furrows II
Edited by David T. Neal, Christine M. Scott
Genre: Folk Horror
Age: Adult
Format: Paperback
Published: 1st September, 2020
I Want to Read This Because folk horror is likely the horror subgenre most linked to nature – though often there’s a strong human element, it’s usually in service to old fashioned gods of forests and woods, demanding sacrifices for an area’s prosperity. And I’m intrigued by the collection of authors here, the different takes on folk horror. When I spotted folk horror on my reading challenges for this year, this was the one I instantly thought of.
Honey & Spice
Bolu Babalola
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age: Adult
Format: Audiobook
Published: 5th July, 2022
I Want to Read This Because it just sounds completely up my street. Although this book isn’t nature focused, the title evokes two foods that come from nature, so I think it still fits! I really like the sound of this one – the “Queen of the Unbothered” kisses “The Wastemen of Whitewall”, resulting in trouble for her radio show. I’m really looking forward to this.
A Press of Feathers
T.C. Parker
Genre: Horror
Age: Adult
Format: Paperback
Published: 10th October, 2020
I Want to Read This Because T.C. Parker is, quite simply, a good writer, so I’m always keen on reading more of her work. As for the nature link here, well, it’s in the title – feathers of course are linked with birds, and it’s likely you’ll come across them on nature walks, not to mention they’re easily collectible for kids who might be interested in them (or need something from nature for school). There’s also a primeval entity in this one, and more often than that, those kind of entites are somehow tied into nature, or taking revenge on behalf of!
The First Dryad
Teshelle Combs
Genre: Fantasy Romance
Age: Adult
Format: ebook
Published: 22nd May, 2022
I Want to Read This Because it sounds fun and I do enjoy reading fantasy romance. Of course, dryads are very much linked to nature, and I couldn’t resist the sound of this one.
As always, if you’ve read any of these and want to share your thoughts, please do, and of course if you have recommendations, if any of the above maybe remind you of something you’ve read and enjoyed, please let me know!
Unwrapping Words 