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MARCH

Spring
It's starting to look like spring (for some more than others)! While New Year's is often the time for resolutions, there's a certain excitement about the fresh start that happens in the spring. The grass is getting greener, more animals emerge, and the flowers start to bloom.

1. Read a book with a title beginning with a letter in SPRING (you can ignore or use a, an, or the)
2. Read a coming-of-age or inspirational book
3. Read a book with themes related to nature

March Birthdays: Gabriel García Márquez
Most readers know him for his most famous work, One Hundred Years of Solitude. After all, this is the book that most led to his Nobel Prize for Literature. Gabriel wrote the book while traveling by bus with his family from Colombia to Mexico City and throughout the southern United States, a dream inspired by his interest in the author William Faulkner. Many of his books include themes related to his strong, liberal political views, influenced largely by his grandfather, and the history of Latin America, (guerilla warfare, drug trafficking, the failures of communism, the evils of capitalism, and the dangerous meddling of the CIA).

1. Read a book set in Colombia.
2. Read a book with themes inspired by the author's life or values (family, magical realism, Latin American politics/social issues).
3. Read a book by an author who has won the Nobel Prize for Literature.

March Madness
One of the most popular sporting events of the year kicks off on March 17, when 68 basketball teams compete in a single-elimination tournament. Some of the players can't get enough of the sport and go on to become coaches. The oldest coach (Jim Calhoun of the UConn Huskies in 2011) to win a title was 68, while the youngest was 31 (Emmett McCracken of the Indiana Hoosiers in 1940). Even spectators can participate in a little competition by filling out a bracket with their predicted winners. But don't get too confident. The odds of a perfect bracket are 1 in 9,223,372,036,854,775,808 (that's quintillion). 2008 may have been the most predictable year for the bracket ever, since it was the only time that all four No. 1 teams - Kansas, North Carolina, UCLA, and Memphis - locked horns in the Final Four.

1. Read a book with a page count that appears in the number 9,223,372,036,854,775,808.
2. Read a book published between 1931 and 1968.
3. Read a book set in Kansas, North Carolina, California, or Tennessee.

St. Patrick's Day
March 17 isn't just a day dedicated to basketball. It is also one of the most popular holidays in the world. St. Patrick's Day is historically a religious holiday, with the famous Shamrock, or three-leaf clover, representing the Holy Trinity. St. Patrick, born Maewyn Scott, was actually born in Wales but was taken taken captive and enslaved in Ireland. He eventually became a priest and was known for ridding the country of evil, symbolized as "snakes". Despite this notoriety, biologists have since learned that there weren't actually ever snakes in Ireland due to cold climate and surrounding waters. There are now more people throughout the world who claim Irish heritage than there are in the entire country of Ireland and some of the biggest celebrations occur in Boston, New York City, and Chicago.

1. Read a book written by an author whose initials appear in Maewyn Succat.
2. Read a book with a theme of good vs. evil.
3. In honor of the famous Shamrock, read a book that is third or fourth in a series.

I have somehow managed to complete the entire challenge without posting a single book. Better get to it.

MARCH

Spring
It's starting to look like spring (for some more than others)! While New Year's is often the time for resolutions, there's a certain excitement about the fresh start that happens in the spring. The grass is getting greener, more animals emerge, and the flowers start to bloom.
1. Read a book with a title beginning with a letter in SPRING (you can ignore or use a, an, or the)--The Girl Who Reads on the Métro by Christine Féret-Fleury, March 1 / spriNg
2. Read a coming-of-age or inspirational book--The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, March 20 / coming-of-age inspirationally
3. Read a book with themes related to nature--The Time Machine by H.G. Wells, March 31 / I certainly saw it as a condemnation of how things were going, in nature and in other ways

March Birthdays: Gabriel García Márquez
Most readers know him for his most famous work, One Hundred Years of Solitude. After all, this is the book that most led to his Nobel Prize for Literature. Gabriel wrote the book while traveling by bus with his family from Colombia to Mexico City and throughout the southern United States, a dream inspired by his interest in the author William Faulkner. Many of his books include themes related to his strong, liberal political views, influenced largely by his grandfather, and the history of Latin America, (guerilla warfare, drug trafficking, the failures of communism, the evils of capitalism, and the dangerous meddling of the CIA).
2. Read a book with themes inspired by the author's life or values (family, magical realism, Latin American politics/social issues)--The Cutting Season by Attica Locke, March 7 / reflects the politics and social issues of plantation times thru today)

March Madness
One of the most popular sporting events of the year kicks off on March 17, when 68 basketball teams compete in a single-elimination tournament. Some of the players can't get enough of the sport and go on to become coaches. The oldest coach (Jim Calhoun of the UConn Huskies in 2011) to win a title was 68, while the youngest was 31 (Emmett McCracken of the Indiana Hoosiers in 1940). Even spectators can participate in a little competition by filling out a bracket with their predicted winners. But don't get too confident. The odds of a perfect bracket are 1 in 9,223,372,036,854,775,808 (that's quintillion). 2008 may have been the most predictable year for the bracket ever, since it was the only time that all four No. 1 teams - Kansas, North Carolina, UCLA, and Memphis - locked horns in the Final Four.
2. Read a book published between 1931 and 1968--Casino Royale by Ian Fleming, March 12 / originally published 1953
3. Read a book set in Kansas, North Carolina, California, or Tennessee--The Tragic Age by Stephen Metcalfe, March 6 / setting: Tragic, CA

St. Patrick's Day
March 17 isn't just a day dedicated to basketball. It is also one of the most popular holidays in the world. St. Patrick's Day is historically a religious holiday, with the famous Shamrock, or three-leaf clover, representing the Holy Trinity. St. Patrick, born Maewyn Scott, was actually born in Wales but was taken taken captive and enslaved in Ireland. He eventually became a priest and was known for ridding the country of evil, symbolized as "snakes". Despite this notoriety, biologists have since learned that there weren't actually ever snakes in Ireland due to cold climate and surrounding waters. There are now more people throughout the world who claim Irish heritage than there are in the entire country of Ireland and some of the biggest celebrations occur in Boston, New York City, and Chicago.

1. Read a book written by an author whose initials appear in Maewyn Succat--The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, March 19 / MaEwyn
2. Read a book with a theme of good vs. evil--Because You Love to Hate Me: 13 Tales of Villainy by Amerie et al., April 6 / it's 13 stories of good vs. evil
3. In honor of the famous Shamrock, read a book that is third or fourth in a series--The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman, March 17 / third
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APRIL

April Fool's Day
Although April Fools� Day, also called All Fools� Day, has been celebrated for several centuries by different cultures, its exact origins remain a mystery. Some historians speculate that April Fools� Day dates back to 1582, when France switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar. People who were slow to get the news or failed to recognize that the start of the new year had moved to January 1 and continued to celebrate it during the last week of March through April 1 became the butt of jokes and hoaxes. These pranks included having paper fish placed on their backs and being referred to as “poisson d’avril� (April fish), said to symbolize a young, easily caught fish and a gullible person.
1. Read a humorous book--Happy Days by A.A. Milne, May 11 / mostly read--and chuckled through--in April

Spring Sports: Baseball
In September 1845, a group of New York City men founded the New York Knickerbocker Baseball Club. One of them—volunteer firefighter and bank clerk Alexander Joy Cartwright—would codify a new set of rules that would form the basis for modern baseball, calling for a diamond-shaped infield, foul lines and the three-strike rule. He also abolished the dangerous practice of tagging runners by throwing balls at them.
2. Read a book with a 3 in the page number--As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust by Alan Bradley / 392 pages

Earth Day
Earth Day is an annual event celebrated around the world on April 22 to demonstrate support for environmental protection. First celebrated in 1970, it now includes events coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network in more than 193 countries. The day is observed worldwide with rallies, conferences, outdoor activities and service projects.
1. Read a book with a green cover OR with a plant on the cover--Perelandra by C.S. Lewis, April 2 / woman in a grotto (see below)
3. Read a cli-fi book--Make Room! Make Room! by Harry Harrison, April 16 / dystopian future (hint: it's not good)

April Birthdays: Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou was born as Marguerite Johnson on April 4th, 1928, in St. Louis, Missouri and raised in St. Louis and Stamps, Arkansas. Maya Angelou became one of the most renowned and influential voices of our time. With over 50 honorary doctorate degrees Dr. Maya Angelou became a celebrated poet, memoirist, educator, dramatist, producer, actress, historian, filmmaker, and civil rights activist.
2. Read a book by an author who has more than 30 published works--The Highway by C.J. Box, April 9 / 79 disticnt works
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MAY

May Day
May Day is a May 1 celebration with a long and varied history, dating back millennia. Throughout the years, there have been many different events and festivities worldwide, most with the express purpose of welcoming in a change of season (spring in the Northern Hemisphere). In the 19th century, May Day took on a new meaning, as an International Workers� Day grew out of the 19th-century movement for labor rights and an eight-hour work day in the United States.
3. Read a book where a character is a tradesman who works with their hands--Spademan by Adam Sternbergh, May 31 / a nontraditional take, I'll admit, but he does insist on doing his work by hand (view spoiler)[he's a hitman (hide spoiler)]; The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani, May 26 / for the more traditional, Adze is a cook

Cinco de Mayo
Cinco de Mayo is an annual celebration held on May 5. The date is observed to commemorate the Mexican Army's victory over the French Empire at the Battle of Puebla, on May 5, 1862, under the leadership of General Ignacio Zaragoza. More popularly celebrated in the United States than Mexico, the date has become associated with the celebration of Mexican-American culture.
3. Read a book that is part of a series that contains a multiple of five books in the series (5 books, 10 books, 20 books, etc. in the series, but you can read any book of the series)--Under Orders by Dick Francis, May 25 / book 4 of 5

May Birthdays: Frank L. Baum
Lyman Frank Baum (May 15, 1856 � May 6, 1919) was an American author chiefly famous for his children's books, particularly The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and its sequels. He wrote 14 novels in the Oz series, plus 41 other novels, 83 short stories, over 200 poems, and at least 42 scripts. He made numerous attempts to bring his works to the stage and the nascent medium of film; the 1939 adaptation of the first Oz book would become a landmark of 20th-century cinema.
2. Read a book with a female main character that leaves home--Scythe by Neal Shusterman, May 1 / so many books fit this this month, but I'll go with Citra, who leaves her home and family to train to become a scythe

Mother's Day
The origin of Mother’s Day as we know it took place in the early 1900s. A woman named Anna Jarvis started a campaign for an official holiday honoring mothers in 1905, the year her own mother died. The first larger-scale celebration of the holiday was in 1908, when Jarvis held a public memorial for her mother in her hometown of Grafton, West Virginia. Finally, in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation making Mother’s Day an official holiday, to take place the second Sunday of May.

1. Read a book that starts with a letter in MOTHERS DAY--Mind = Blown: Amazing Facts About This Weird, Hilarious, Insane World by Matthew Santoro, May 24 and Deacon King Kong by James McBride, May 15 / Mother's Day
2. Read a book that features someone's relationship with their mother--The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani, May 26 / the "diary" is written as a series of letters to her mother
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