March was another good reading month for me. I have started a personal curriculum (which I’ll do a separate post on shortly) but the theme for March/April is birds and you can see that reflected in several titles I read this month. Here’s my thoughts on the 6 books I finished in March.

Bog Queen by Anna North: I have been fascinated by the bog people for years. I’ve watched a number of documentaries on the forensic analysis around the ones that have been found, so when this title popped up, I grabbed it. It is historical fiction, told from 3 points of view: A contemporary one with the neurodivergent forensic pathologist who examines the body, the story of the young Celtic woman found in the bog during her Iron Age timeframe, and the moss itself. Very engaging read and I was delighted at how seamlessly the author advanced the story through the 3 perspectives. I am also appreciative of the environmental impact aspect she discussed as a natural/integrated part of the historical story.

The Minuscule Mansion of Myra Malone by Audrey Burgess: My book club read for March, and a magical realism title. This one also had dual timelines, one contemporary and one from the early 1900s. Quirky and definitely a light read, this one was just okay for me. I found the main character difficult to relate to for most of the first half, although I did enjoy the charming magical aspects.

Where the Falcon Lies by Adam Shoalts: This one feels like it should be a part of my “birds” themed book list for the month, but it only peripherally talks about birds. In this nonfiction title, the author chronicles his journey (mostly by canoe but some hiking) from Lake Erie in the United States northward through Canada and into the Arctic, ostensibly in search of the peregrine falcons’ breeding locations in the Arctic. Part travelogue, part history, part natural science, I enjoyed this one (although this isn’t a journey I would EVER undertake in the way he did it.)

The Library of Fates by Margot Harrison: I really enjoyed this one, also a magical realism title, and also a dual timelines book. A mix of dark academia with a splash of library magic thrown in, along with a fast pace as the story unwinds. If you liked A Discovery of Witches, you’ll probably enjoy this one too!

Flight Paths by Rebecca Heisman: I picked this one up to learn more about how birds migrate, but the title really focuses more on how we (as humans) have figured out how birds migrate. This nonfiction title traces the history of the science behind tracking bird migrations (mostly in the United States) in the last 125 years or so. From early attempts to simply count the birds as they flew over to today’s highly sophisticated geotracking technology, there’s been a lot of science over the years to help us better understand this phenomenon.

The Feather Thief by Kirk Wallace Johnson: Another nonfiction title and this one is a combination of true crime, ecology, and nature history. Honestly? The story of a musical child prodigy who breaks into a Victorian museum in Britain to steal almost 300 bird carcasses to support his fly-tying habit is so bizarre, it feels more like fiction. I knew nothing about this case, but appreciated the history of bird collecting in the age of Darwin and Wallace that is covered in-depth at the beginning of the book to help understand the bigger picture of the crime.

More bird titles to come in April, along with a few other titles I’ve got on my TBR for the month!