Check Me Out - Haven June 2025

THE GARDEN OF SMALL BEGINNINGS

By Abbi Waxman

Gardening might be serious business for some, but here it’s the backdrop for a warm and funny story about starting over. Lilian, a widowed illustrator with two young kids, signs up for a gardening class and slowly finds herself growing more than just vegetables. Waxman brings humor and heart to the everyday messiness of life with characters who feel refreshingly real.

SECOND NATURE: A GARDENER’S EDUCATION

By Michael Pollan

Pollan approaches gardening with curiosity and care, reflecting on it not as a way to control nature but as a conversation with it. This thoughtful memoir explores the balance between wildness and cultivation, tradition and change. It’s part personal story and part reflection on how we live alongside the natural world.

THE RED GARDEN

By Alice Hoffman

A small town in Massachusetts is the setting for this collection of linked stories, all connected by a mysterious garden where red plants grow no matter the season. Hoffman blends everyday life with a touch of magic, exploring how a place— and its soil—can hold the stories of generations.

THE LITTLE STRANGER

By Sarah Waters

Set in post-war England, this gothic novel takes place at Hundreds Hall, a once-grand estate now slipping into decay. As strange events unfold, the house—and its overgrown garden—becomes a character in its own right. It’s a slow-burn ghost story that weaves in class tension, memory, and the unsettling pull of the past.

THE BROTHER GARDENERS

By Andrea Wulf

This engaging history introduces the men who helped shape Britain’s gardening culture in the 18th century. Through letters, plant shipments, and big botanical dreams, Wulf tells a story about science, empire, and the passion for collecting and cataloging the natural world. It’s both informative and surprisingly lively.

GARDEN OF LAMENTATIONS

By Deborah Crombie

In a tucked-away London garden, a young woman is found murdered, and what first appears to be an isolated crime soon reveals deeper connections. Crombie’s mystery is layered and patient, with a strong sense of place and a cast of characters shaped by grief, secrets, and quiet resilience.

THE SIGNATURE OF ALL THINGS

By Elizabeth Gilbert

Alma Whittaker grows up surrounded by plants, books, and questions. As a botanist in the 18th and 19th centuries, her life unfolds at the pace of moss—slow, steady, and deeply observant. Gilbert’s novel follows Alma’s personal and scientific journey in a way that’s thoughtful and richly detailed.

LITTLE GREAT ISLAND

By Kate Woodworth

On a small island off the coast of Maine, Mari McGavin returns to her childhood home with her young son. As she reconnects with the land and its community, Mari collaborates with a widowed neighbor to cultivate a vegetable garden, finding healing and purpose along the way. The island’s changing ecosystem serves as a backdrop to this story of resilience, community, and the enduring bond between people and the land.