Spell the Month in Books March 2023 Linkup

Spell the Month in Books is a linkup hosted here on Reviews From the Stacks on the second Saturday of each month. The goal, inspired by a hashtag I first encountered on Instagram, is to spell the current month with the first letter of book titles, excluding articles such as ‘the’ and ‘a’ as needed. That’s all there is to it! Some months there are theme challenges, such as “books with an orange cover” or books of a particular genre, but for the most part, any book you want to use is fair game! To participate, simply make a post, comment, or picture of the books you choose. They can be books you physically own or simply titles you have come across. Most of the time I create a virtual bookstack from titles on my Goodreads shelves. If you make a list, please share a link to your post in the comments so that I and other participants can see! There is also a Spell the Month in Books button which you can use in your posts. To use it, copy the code from the box below my list and paste it into your blog editor in HTML mode (for WordPress users, insert a “Custom HTML” block and paste the code there).

Theme: Spring

M – The Mini Farming Guide to Vegetable Gardening: Self-Sufficiency from Asparagus to Zucchini by Brett L. Markham

Nonfiction; Published 2012

Make the most of your vegetable garden with Brett Markham, author Mini Farming: Self-Sufficiency on ¼ Acre. This comprehensive new handbook covers everything you need to know about maximizing and harvesting the best vegetables you can possibly produce. With each chapter addressing a different vegetable, you’ll learn tips and tricks about varietal selection, nutritional merits, how to begin, special hints for growing, and how to deal with particular pests and diseases, plus one or two creative recipes to get you started. With over 150 of Markham’s own photographs guiding you every step of the way, you’ll find this an honest, straightforward guide and a must-have for any vegetable mini-farmer.

Comments: This is the perfect time to read up on gardening information! While I’m not doing much gardening this year, this is a book I’ve used in the past and will likely refer to again in the future.

A – The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson

YA Science Fiction; Published 2008

Who is Jenna Fox? Seventeen-year-old Jenna has been told that is her name. She has just awoken from a coma, they tell her, and she is still recovering from a terrible accident in which she was involved a year ago. But what happened before that? Jenna doesn’t remember her life. Or does she? And are the memories really hers?

Comments: The Jenna Fox Chronicles is such an underrated series. I loved reading it in college a few years ago! This first book introduces us to most of the main players and the world, and kept me guessing with every page.

R – The Roots of My Obsession: Thirty Great Gardeners Reveal Why They Garden edited by Thomas C. Cooper

Nonfiction; Published 2012

Why do you garden? For fun? Work? Food? The reasons to garden are as unique as the gardener. The Roots of My Obsession features thirty essays from the most vital voices in gardening. They show that gardening is a passion and obsession that cannot be conquered or abandoned, only indulged. Each gardener tells a compelling story. Whether their muse is the quest to achieve a personal vision of ultimate beauty, a mission to heal the earth, or the attempt to grow a perfect heirloom tomato, the writing is direct, engaging, and from the heart.

Comments: Another gardening book, this one of a different nature! I stumbled across this book while writing a research paper a few years back and enjoyed reading it very much.

C – Christ Arose: A Tomb’s Tale by Faith Blum

Historical Fiction; Published 2017

And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.

No longer could I say I was lonely. But oh, how I wish I could! Who could have done such a thing to the Creator of the world? Who had so much hatred for Him?

Comments: A short story describing the resurrection of Christ from the tomb’s perspective. This is an interesting take on it and one I’m glad to have read! Since this is a short story it doesn’t take much time to read, but gives plenty to think about.

H – Hope in Times of Fear: The Resurrection and Meaning of Easter by Tim Keller

Nonfiction: Published 2021

Hope in the Time of Fear is a book that unlocks the meaning of Jesus’s resurrection for readers. Easter is considered the most solemn and important holiday for Christians. It is a time of spiritual rebirth and a time of celebrating the physical rebirth of Jesus after three days in the tomb. For his devoted followers, nothing could prepare them for the moment they met the resurrected Jesus. Each failed to recognize him. All of them physically saw him and yet did not spiritually truly see him. It was only when Jesus reached out and invited them to see who he truly was that their eyes were open. Here the central message of the Christian faith is revealed in a way only Timothy Keller could do it–filled with unshakable belief, piercing insight, and a profound new way to look at a story you think you know. After reading this book, the true meaning of Easter will no longer be unseen.

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I hope you have a wonderful month, Reader! Spring weather has already brought its trademark chaos to my region and beyond, so stay safe and aware whether you’re sinking into a good story, planting something with a hope toward beauty, and/or going through everyday life.

If you took the challenge to #SpellTheMonthInBooks, leave a comment below and link back to this post so that others can see the books you discuss!

Next Linkups:

April 1, 2023: No theme/freebie

May 6, 2023: Animals (May 1 is save the rhinos day)

June 3, 2023: Set someplace you have never lived

Until the next chapter,

Jana