March CalendarCAT

Welcome to March! It's autumn in the southern hemisphere, spring in the north. This year Easter is in March.


Cherry Blossom in Okinawa


Autumn in Bright, Victoria

World Days in March

World Wildlife Day – 3rd March
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora became official on 3rd March 1973. In 2013, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 3rd March as the World Wildlife Day.

International Women’s Day – 8th March
It celebrates achievements made by women in different sectors. It is all about unity, equality, and celebration. No one organization is responsible for International Women’s Day. It was first honored in 1911 in Denmark, Austria, Germany, and Switzerland.

International Day for Elimination of Racial Discrimination – 21st March
On 21st March 1960, the police in South Africa opened fire killing 69 people who were peacefully protesting against apartheid law. This law gave supremacy to white people over black. The United Nations General Assembly made this day official in 1966. The main aim is to eliminate all forms of racial discrimination across the globe. The theme for 2020 was “Recognition, justice, and development.

World Tuberculosis Day – 24th March
Dr. Robert Koch discovered Mycobacterium tuberculosis on 24th March 1882. It is the bacteria that causes tuberculosis. This day commemorates his contribution to medical and science.

Writers Born in March

A selection from the Literary Birthday Calendar

Lytton Strachey
Ralph Ellison
John Irving
Tom Wolfe
Elizabeth Barrett Browning
William Boyd
Alice Hoffman
Penelope Lively
Gabriel García Márquez
Margaret Oliphant
Eudora Welty

Books You Could Read in March

1. Set during spring, autumn or Easter.
2. By a woman; about a woman.
3. About wildlife.
4. About racial discrimination.
5. About TB, or a person with TB.
6. An author born in March.
7. About a March historical event.
8. About an historical figure born in March.
9. The title contains March.
10. About Ireland, or written by an Irish author (for St Patrick's Day).
11. Anything at all that's even tenuously connected to March.

Happy reading!

The Wiki

Albert Einstein was born on March 14th and I have just picked up Mr. Einstein's Secretary from the library. So I think this will be my choice.
Although I am also interested in reading The Lindbergh Nanny - the kidnapping took place on March 1st.

>1 pamelad: here's a few more authors born in March, that I have read or have on my TBR list:

Patricia MacLachlan
Robin Hobb
Kenneth Grahame
Tad Williams
Louis L'Amour

My first idea was to read something Irish or Welsh because of St Patrick's Day and St David's Day. Now that I know about World Wildlife Day, though, I may read Unter wilden Bären, a book about wild bears that my husband gifted to me last Christmas.

I am going to read The Witch Elm by Irish author Tana French as St. Patrick's Day falls in March.

>1 pamelad: Fabulous pictures!

I have so many options for March that it will take a little time to choose.

Planning to read Win Some, Lose Some, a collection of short stories by Mike Resnick, who was born in March.

I love reading about animals (and of course, it also fits the RandomKIT), so I am most likely to read for World Wildlife Day to count here.

>3 fuzzi: Although I may change my mind now as I have finally started to read Robin Hobb.

I am planning on The Story of Art Without Men (recommended by Jackie_K) for International Women's Day.

I'm planning to read Strumpet City by James Plunkett for St Patrick's Day. It's set in Dublin in 1913, and is 560 pages long, so will also count for the book over 500 pages in the History Challenge.

Adding Books with March in the Title to >1 pamelad: because Saul Bellow's The Adventures of Augie March just popped into my head. There are others, including March by Geraldine Brooks.

Just found Murder in the Philosophy Department by Julia March in KoboPlus.

I plan to read a recently acquired kid's book about animals Wild Symphony by Dan Brown. This fits RandomKit too!

>9 JayneCM: which one?

Watership Down should work here, and also for the RandomKIT and the PrizeCAT. Oh, and the AlphaKIT!

>14 LisaMorr: Yes, and that's a good thing as it is a rather fat book.

I am thinking I will read The River People, which was recommended to me years ago by @LittleTaiko.

>15 MissWatson: Yes, I just pulled my copy off the shelf - rather fat and with tiny print!

I just remembered that Tolkien Reading Day is on the 25th of March, so I might as well read something by Tolkien - which I had planned anyway, but now I can count it for this CAT as well!

>18 MissBrangwen: That's really good to know - I haven't read his Unfinished Tales yet - something else for March!

>19 LisaMorr: Yay, that is one up for me next, too (as a reread)!

I'm going to read The Airman and the Carpenter by Ludovic Kennedy March 1 (1932) is the date of the kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby. This will be a twofer with Scaredy Kit for True Crime.

I didn't finish The 1619 Project for Black History Month in February and I'm glad to see I can capture it in March for International Day for Elimination of Racial Discrimination. I've also got Sexing the Cherry up for International Women's Day, Barabbas for Easter and The Sorrow of Young Werther - Goethe died 22 March 1832.

I read Curveball by Peter Enns, since reading Christian theology seemed appropriate for Easter.

I read The Witch Elm by Irish author Tana French since St. Patrick's Day falls in March. Not my favorite by this author, but an interesting story nevertheless.

I ended up reading an Early Reviewer copy of The Christmas Hedgehog for the Wildlife theme. The illustrations in this book are beautiful.

I read Foster by Claire Keegan, an Irish author.

I read Crow Planet by Lyanda Lynn Haupt for World Wildlife Day.

St Patrick's Day: The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne.

For World Wildlife Day, I read Die Nesträuber by Brigitte Blobel. It is a children's book in which a group of children try to save some sea eagles from poachers.

I finished Barabbas, a book by Nobel prize winner Par Lagerkvist, about the man who was to be crucified and Jesus took his place. A short book that made me think.

>30 LisaMorr: I recall a decent movie by that title, starred Anthony Quinn I think.

>31 fuzzi: I'll have to look it up.

The book by Lagerkvist is interesting - I know the story, Pontius Pilate offers to pardon Jesus or Barabbas and the crowd chooses Barabbas - the book, written mainly from Barabbas's point of view, tells it like Jesus volunteered to take Barabbas place. It doesn't seem to me that Pontius Pilate offering to pardon someone based on crowd reaction means Jesus died in Barabbas' place. It affected the story, and I'm still mulling that part over, along with the entire book. Which means to me it was a good book!

I am reading The River People and loving it.

In the meanwhile I finished two Patricia MacLachlan books:

Just Dance
All The Places To Love

>32 LisaMorr: actually most Christians believe that Jesus volunteered to take everyone's place, so that fits with what you read.

>33 fuzzi: Thanks, Fuzzi. I do understand how Jesus died for everyone, but I also thought that when Pontius Pilate offered to pardon someone, the crowd chose Barabbas, and this was influenced by the priests. So, in thinking about what happened, and especially from Barabbas' POV, it doesn't quite fit for me.

Also, in the book, Jesus' followers really don't like Barabbas when they find out who he is; I would've thought that in knowing Jesus died for them, for their sins, they wouldn't have disliked Barabbas so much. In some other critical discussions, the point is made that Barabbas is a scapegoat, the original scapegoat, perhaps?

Anyway, lots of points to make me think.

Another Irish book for St Patrick's Day: The Green Road by Anne Enright.

For another Christian book for Easter, I read Holy Envy by Barbara Brown Taylor.

I am trying to concentrate on reading books about and/or written by women since March is women's history month in the United States. Now I'm reading An Uncommon Woman: the Life of Lydia Hamilton Smith by Mark Kelley (which I ordered from Penn State University Press in February, but just received yesterday -- the subject was a black woman). I also will be reading Florence Adler Swims Forever by Rachel Beanland for one book club and both An Elderly Lady is Up to No Good and An Elderly Lady Must Not be Crossed by Helene Tursten (translated by Marlaine Delargy) for another book club.

>37 sallylou61: Have you read Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers? I just finished that one and enjoyed it quite a lot. Think strong-willed elderly Asian lady!

>38 LadyoftheLodge: No, I have never read it. Thanks for the suggestion.

World Wildlife Day

Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law / Mary Roach
3.5 stars

In this book, Mary Roach takes a look at wild animals and their “relationships” with humans, primarily breaking human laws (like attacking them, breaking into houses, stealing, etc.). She talks to and follows along with fish and wildlife officers, and other scientists that study these animals (oh, and trees and plants, too!) and their interactions with humans (and how humans are trying to mitigate these interactions).

I liked this. Despite being about animals, I didn’t like it as much as I like some of her other books, but it was still interesting. I don’t think there was as much humour in this one as some of her others, either, but there were bits of it, too.

Read a Christian book for Easter, Chicken Soup for the Christian Soul

For World Wildlife Day I have read Watership Down which was simply marvellous.

This month I read Stories I Only Tell My Friends by Rob Lowe. Rob Lowe's 60th birthday is March 17th.

>42 MissWatson: I'm SO glad you enjoyed it!

Also for World Wildlife Day I read:


The River People by Philip Wayre

An absorbing collection of tales by a naturalist who studied and raised otters in the 1970s and beyond. I liked how the author didn't feel it necessary to expound over the occasional losses of this subjects, and how he injected quiet humor into his narratives as well. I will be reading more books by this author.

For World Wildlife Day, I also read The Crow Folk by Mark Stay. I enjoyed it very much and the narration of the audiobook is brilliant!

For World Wildlife Day I read the Leopard is Loose by Richard Harrigan. The story is based on an actual event in the 1950s when a new leopard in the Oklahoma City Zoo escapes. The fear throughout the city is heightened by a "big game" hunter who is continually in the news talking about the great danger everyone is in. Armed with rifles, young men fill the beds of pickup trucks that cruised the city for weeks.

Happy St Patrick's Day! Green beer is optional.

>47 pamelad: Does eating pizza with spinach and a tossed salad while wearing green count in place of green beverages?

For World Wildlife Day I read The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery. This was excellent.

>48 LadyoftheLodge: I hope so, Cheryl - all I managed was a green t-shirt!

I read Koala: A Natural History and Uncertain Future, which also fulfilled this month's RandomKIT for World Wildlife Day. This was a fun, if sometimes depressing, read. Super informative and I learned a lot.

>48 LadyoftheLodge: That must be green enough!

April thread is up: https://www.librarything.com/topic/359412

>53 majkia: thank you.

For International Women's Day I read She-Wolves: The women who ruled England before Elizabeth by Helen Castor
Wonderful! Castor provides details about the queens before Elizabeth I, writing with such an engaging quality that it makes her book absolutely captivating.

I'll be reading something by Anthony Trollope, who had an April birthday.

World Wildlife Day

A Beautiful Truth / Colin McAdam
3.5 stars

Walt and Judy want children, but are unable to have any. When Walt sees a chimpanzee at a circus, he decides he will get one for his wife, in place of a child. They love Looee very much, like a son, but as with all wild animals, as he ages, he is too much to handle.

There is a chimpanzee sanctuary where people are studying the chimps’ behaviour. In the story, we alternate between Walt/Judy/Looee’s perspectives, and the perspectives of the people and chimps at the sanctuary.

I listened to the audio and at first, particularly when we switched to the sanctuary, I had some trouble initially figuring out what was going on. It was interesting to see things from the chimps’ perspectives at times, though. And heartbreaking. I also had trouble getting “into” the book at the start knowing Walt and Judy had done a terrible thing treating a wild animal as a child; There was no way it was going to end well for Looee. I felt like the book didn’t fully end, but it’s possible I missed something (audio), or maybe the author wanted “life” to just sort of continue on.

Finished Win Some, Lose Some by Mike Resnick, who was born in March.

To celebrate St. Patrick's Day, I finished The Rachel Incident by Irish author Caroline O'Donoghue. The story is set in Cork, Ireland.

I've read Skirts: Fashioning Modern Femininity in the Twentieth Century for women's history month.

I've read The Satapur Moonstone by Sujata Massey for National Jewel Day on 3/13 and also discovered the author was born on 3/4.

I read C.S. Lewis's Mere Christianity with a Lenten book club at my church. Counting it for this CAT since March contains both Easter and most of Lent this year.

Read/listened to Burnout, which is vey much an anti-patriarchy book as well as a self help book particularly aimed at women, so I'll count that as my March CalenderCAT, related to International Women’s Day – 8th March.
There is some celebration of women in the book, although it is more aimed at improving the lives of women, which I also think falls within the aegis of this day.

Another Irish book for St Patrick's Day, Foster by Claire Keegan. A re-read for next weekend's book club.

Thanks everyone for participating in the March CalendarCAT.

A late entry - I finished Watership Down Saturday night - soooo good! Glad I finally got to it.

>65 LisaMorr: wonderful! I love that book. Did you have a favorite character?

>66 fuzzi: I would have to say Fiver!

My last three reads for the month fit here:
The Last Cato by Matilde Asensi, this book begins in March during Lent and the True Cross is a big part of the story.
The Hours by Michael Cunningham, features Virginia Woolf as a character and her suicide which occurred on 3/28.
Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, World Theatre Day was 3/27 so wanted to do a Shakespeare play and figured this was a perfect pick for March.

>67 LisaMorr: Fiver, or Hazel, both good, but my heart belongs to Blackberry!