March was a lot of fun for reading. I read books from my local second-hand bookshop and from several Little Free Libraries. I even took a bike ride with my backpack to go to 8 different Little Free Libraries on the same day! I donated 5 books and came home with 3 new ones. It was quite a fun trip on a pleasantly cool day.
I had a pretty even mixture of fiction and non-fiction this month. No real standouts as far as favorites, but most were good and enjoyable. I learned quite a bit from A Rat is a Pig is a Dog is a Boy. It had so many trustworthy sources and a well-structured layout that I was impressed. The topic isn’t something I’m super interested in learning more about, but this was a great way to expand my horizons.
I’m well on my way to completing this year’s Reading Challenge with an additional 7 books completed in March. I can’t believe how hard it was to find a title with more than 8 words for #9!
But, we are now 1/4 of the way through the year and spring is here! Next month, I want to try reading some entertaining stories and fewer non-fiction. I’m craving some adventure in my books.
Here’s my recap from March below. Let me know what you’ve been reading in the comments here, or on the Reading Challenge page!
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
#13- that takes place in outer space
by Becky Chambers
This was a fun sci-fi book with lots of unique characters from all different intergalactic species! The space travel was punctuated by stops on alien planets that kept the pace moving, otherwise, we’d be trapped on the long-haul spaceship.
Hard Luck
#2- with an orange cover
by Barbara D’Amato
If you’ve followed Spine & Leaf Books for a while, you’ll know I’m a new reader of murder mysteries, so I’ve never tried Barbara D’Amato before. I enjoyed this one because the lead character wasn’t a detective or private investigator, but a journalist. I didn’t quite guess the ending, but I was close!
A Rat is a Pig is a Dog is a Boy
#9- with a title longer than eight words
by Wesley J. Smith
I learned a lot with this one. Smith digs really deep into animal testing and how it’s actually done. He continues with histories of the animal rights movement and is very clear about ‘animal rights’ vs ‘animal welfare.’ Give this one a try if you’re ready for some insight to make you think.
We Should All Be Feminists
#7- shorter than 200 pages
by Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche
The writing is phenomenal. The storytelling is enlightening. I highly recommend this very short read for all genders. It powerfully illustrated the title that we should all be feminists. I listed to this on audiobooks and it still felt quite concise.
Feed
#17- set in the future
by M.T. Anderson
Feed is a YA sci-fi set in the far future. Being a teenager is hard, but it’s even harder when everyone has a ‘feed’ embedded in their brain that acts as a phone, computer, personal assistant, video player, recorder, and more. A group of teens responds quite differently when a hacker jams their feeds and they are forced to live without this embedded feed, disconnected from the world.
Devil in the Details
#26- with a summary on the back cover
by Jennifer Traig
I liked the idea of this one, but unfortunately, the writing was a bit lacking. Traig has severe OCD. She shares her stories in a bit haphazard way that left me confused about the timeline of her life, but nonetheless, I was intrigued to learn about the life she lived.
The Inequality Machine
#12- about education
by Paul Tough
Published in 2019, The Inequality Machine is as relevant as ever. I was appalled by a few stories that shed light on the biased education system in America. After reading this, it is very clear the system is rigged and a college degree is not the ‘great equalizer’ that I want it to be.
Spine & Leaf Books 
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