The County Library discussion

With the weather we've been having lately, you'd think it was already spring, even if March is really the official month for the start of Spring. So to celebrate the weather and the official coming of Spring, March's reading challenge is to read a book has some tie to springtime: it can be the book's cover, or the time of year the story in the book takes place, a theme of rebirth, or a springtime in someone's life-- however you want to relate it to Spring.

Interesting! :) I need to go through my list and see what fits.

I'm hoping to have time to read The Language of Flowers for this challenge.

I love simply browsing through the library bookshelves at a leisurely pace. While there are a lot of angles for Spring in books, I think I'll indulge myself and go the springtime cover route-- just so I have an excuse to take my time wandering around looking at books.

Kara is our prize drawing winner for February’s reading challenge. She read The Rosie Project.

Loved that book! Congrats, Kara!

It's looking like the original reading challenge may be a little harder than expected, so we're going to open it up a bit and say any book where there's change, renewal, or rebirth of some sort-- after all spring is a time of all these things.

Hopefully, this makes finding a book a little easier.

I read The Language of Flowers for this challenge and really enjoyed all the meaning behind flowers and how they were used to communicate. I enjoyed this more than the actual story, and wish I had Victoria's blue box of flower photos and descriptions to look through.

Egg and Spoon by Gregory McGuire fits this one, the timing is the end of Winter going into Spring.

I have read Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey. Set primarily in the Spring, Benden Weyr is the only dragon weyr on Pern still having any dragons and dragonriders. And the Red Star draws close bringing, after a 400 turn (i.e. year) threads free pass, the threadfall which threatens all life on the planet. With only one weyr, when there should be six, how will weyrleaders F'Lar and Lessa provide the protection to Pern that is the dragon weyr's duty?

Becky wrote: "I'm hoping to have time to read The Language of Flowers for this challenge."

I hope you find the time. It is one of the books I have enjoyed reading most in the past 12 months.

I am going to listen to "A Hundred Flowers" by Gail Tsukiyama.

I have also finished another book, part of my Newbery reading plan, Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!: Voices from a Medieval Village by Laura Amy Schlitz, Robert Byrd (Illustrator). It is a collection of poems and prose for young people to perform as part of learning about the Middle Ages. Some of the pieces are set in Spring.

Debbie wrote: "I have read Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey. Set primarily in the Spring, Benden Weyr is the only dragon weyr on Pern still having any dragons and dragonriders. And the Red Star draws c..."

I'd totally forgotten this book took place in spring, though I really enjoyed reading it. I haven't picked up one of Anne McCaffrey's books recently, though I love her writing. It's great that she's written so many books. (You can bet I'm going to be browsing her works for my next read.)

Finished The Egg and Spoon by Gregory Maguire. It was a very interesting prince and pauper type story.

Does this have to be Fiction book, or could it be nonfiction Garden book?

I vote yes on the garden book. What could be more about renewal than the flowers that bloom in the spring, tra la. I would count it, if I were reading it.

Tammy wrote: "Does this have to be Fiction book, or could it be nonfiction Garden book?"

A garden book sounds perfect! I hadn't even thought of that direction, but gardening totally fits with the spring theme.

I finished "A Hundred Flowers". A book so beautifully written, thst I hated for it to end.

I read The All You Can Dream Buffet (which is a Reader's Choice right now)-- lots about the lavender blooming and about growth and "coming of age" (even if you're technically an adult) and finding yourself.

I read that also, Britt. A fun read, even if it was a little too "happily ever after" for my taste.

Jackie wrote: "I read that also, Britt. A fun read, even if it was a little too "happily ever after" for my taste."

Not quite my style either, but it wasn't bad. I try to read as many of the Reader's Choice as I can. :)

I accidentally stumbled across and read a quaint book called 'Elizabeth and Her German Garden' by Elizabeth Von Arnim. It was about her love of gardens and the time she spends in it and planning the flowers she will plant throughout the year. Very enjoyable.

Did I miss the post about the winner for the March challenge?

Ann has begun posting them in the "next month" challenge. So the one for March was reported in April and April's winner was posted in May. Which I find very confusing. It was always nice to have it and it's congratulations as the final post for the month's challenge.

I don't offer congratulations now because it seems like clutter instead of appropriate.

Thanks, Debbie. I just missed it in the May post. :)