Spring is coming, but as I write this there’s a foot of snow in my yard. I don’t mind the snow when my pipes don’t freeze and I have nowhere to go, and when the electricity doesn’t go out. It feels good to sit inside my warm trailer and read books or accomplish the 1001 other things that interfere with my reading time. (This could be good or bad; one can’t read 24/7.)
Word of the Month
Faith
Bible Verses of the Month
Your mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens;
Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
Your righteousness is like the great mountains;
Your judgments are a great deep;
O Lord, You preserve man and beast.
How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God!
Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.
They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house,
And You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures.
For with You is the fountain of life;
In Your light we see light.”
– Psalm 36:5-9
This month’s reading diary is at the bottom of this page, after the book list.
My Goodreads page: https://www.goodreads.com/lindajm
★ – I’m reading it.
✓ – I finished reading it. Yay!
⇗ – Still reading at the end of the month.
⇓ – I did not like it or finish it.
∅ – Stalled – I started but didn’t finish.
Spring starts on Monday, March 20, 2023, at 5:24 p.m. EDT
Happy Springtime!
Also..
Joyous Lent… Wed, Feb 22, 2023 – Thu, Apr 6, 2023
Also…
Erin go Bragh! (Ireland Forever) … March 17
Lent Reading
I’m reading this with a group of other Booktubers. At the end of Lent there will be a Zoom meeting.
★ Christian: The Cloud of Unknowing, by A 13th Century Monk
This is a classic Christian text. I’ll be reading it during Lent with a group of Booktube Christians.
Still reading, since last month
★ History: Lifting the Veil on The Lost Continent of Mu, the Motherland of Men, by Jack Churchward, great-grandson of James Churchward
The entire original James Churchward text about Mu is contained in this book. This is novel research, and I’m reading it for Historathon 2023!
Here’s where I’m keeping notes on this book and my research on it: The Continent of Mu: history or fantasy?
★ Local Fiction: Life Along the Applegate Trail, by Linda Lochard
Local fiction – from Southern Oregon!
⇗★ Christian Nonfiction: The Power of Praying For Your Adult Children, by Stormie Omartian
Still reading. It isn’t a page turner and I usually take it section by section rather than reading an entire chapter per day.
Middle Grade March
Middle Grade March is a Booktube tradition. Here’s what I may be reading this month:
★ Juvenile Memoir: Farmer Boy, by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Second book in the Little House series.
☆ Juvenile Fiction: The Golden Goblet, by Eloise Jarvis McGraw
For my Around the World in 80 Days Challenge – a book set in Egypt.
Classic Literature
I’m focusing in on reading more classic literature this year. Here are my March selections.
✓ Classic Fiction: The Painted Veil, by W. Somerset Maugham
The wife is shallow and unfaithful… don’t know what happens next. I think they’re going to China. Finished: March 2 – Amazing, wonderful story. Recommended. Here’s my review. Five stars.
✓ Classic Fiction: Madam Bovary, by Gustave Flaubert
For my Around the World in 80 Days challenge – a novel set in France. Finished March 16 – This lady, Emma, had problems. She couldn’t be contented with what she had so she messed up her life. Sad! Here’s my review. Four stars.
★ Classic Fiction: An American Tragedy, by Theodore Dreiser
I want to read this so much … but should read the other two classics first.
Cult-Classic Literature
I’m committed to groups, to read these… they are readalongs and I generally enjoy them a lot.
✓ Romantic Suspense: The Gabriel Hounds, by Mary Stewart
I’ve been reading a Mary Stewart novel almost every month for a year now. Finished: March 17 Excellent – Mary Stewart always is. This is a romantic suspense novel with an English protagonist vacationing in Lebanon. My review. Four stars.
★ Seafaring Fiction: Hornblower and the Hotspur, by C.S. Forester
Onward we go, Commander Hornblower!
★ Classic Christian Fiction: The Obsession of Victoria Gracen, by Grace Livingston Hill
I love reading the novels of Grace Livingston Hill. For Christians, they can be very inspirational. Yes!
More Books!
I must have nonfiction!
DNF – California History: The Indifferent Stars Above, by Daniel James Brown
I borrowed this from Overdrive. Sorry to say, I DNF’ed it after the first chapter. Didn’t want to read the terrible details, and read in a few reviews that the writer included his political bias, which never goes over well with me.
★ Christian: Clinging to Hope, by Charles R. Swindoll
My current Netgalley read.
My March 2023 Reading Diary
March 1 – Springtime, come soon. I want flowers!!! I published two videos this morning.
March 2 – I finished reading The Painted Veil today. It is a well-written story worth reading. It starts with a selfish, unfaithful wife. Ignore that – it gets better. Here’s my review. Five stars.
March 12 – Started reading Clinging to Hope today. I haven’t updated here in a while. Must have been because of the snow. We’ve been having frequent snow days for the last few weeks. They bring extra concerns. Yesterday I wrote on my Linda’s Life blog about how I use the Wheel of Names.
March 13 – Today I reviewed Little House in the Big Woods on my Literature For Kids blog. I haven’t used that blog in a while so no time like the present to write there again. Part of the reason I haven’t written there is that I was primarily reviewing Newbery books (I am a Newbery completist wannabe) and I’ve become disenchanted with the Newbery Medal during the last few years because of the types of literature they promote for children.
March 14 – Beautiful day! I got a lot done. I worked for a long time on my old Bigfoot Sightings blog… strengthening the structure of it. I also wrote a blog article at Lifesong Press – it is called Creative Lapses, and is about how I plan to conquer mine.
March 15 – I just finished writing on my Linda’s Life blog – today I wrote about my distress at having to go out today and tomorrow when I’d rather stay home and read books. I may be 70 but I feel like a spoiled child not getting my way. I titled it Getting Up and Out of Here.
March 16 – I finished reading Madame Bovary. Here’s my review. Four stars. Worth reading if you want to know what goes wrong in some marriages. We should all have an attitude of gratitude rather than a habit of complaining.
I also re-published a message from the main character in two of my novels over at Antediluvian Adventures. His missive is found here: Hi, I’m Raoli, and I’m a Character in the Antediluvian Adventures Series.
Now back to my daily reading. The day has been so full of adventures…
March 17 – Happy St. Patrick’s Day! I just published What Kind of Traveler Am I? on my Journey United States blog which has barely been used before. I’m starting a new era of blogging, so thought I’d put something there. I actually wrote that article in 2021 when I returned from a travel adventure. Today I just formatted it and added photographs.
Today I wrote another blog article – Mageirocophobia Is My Problem – i.e. Cooking Anxiety on the Country Kitchen Pantry blog.
Just finished: The Gabriel Hounds, by Mary Stewart. My review. Four stars.
March 21 – I just finished another blog article! It is about A Few Books I Keep On Hand for Promts (for my writing) – at my Lifesong Press blog.
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