I was inspired this month by all the great books with “March” in the title: Middlemarch, The Ides of March, The March… There’s a wealth of month-centric literature out there, just waiting to be discovered! Your assignment for next month is to read something with “April” in the title (awesome suggestion).

1. Book Snobs. I’m not ashamed to admit that I am a book snob. I like big words and ironic titles and covers that belong in MOMA. When people reference the latest teen fantasy craze, I pretend to be ignorant. Likewise afflicted? The Lit Life Blog on Elle.com has the tag line: “a blog for fiction junkies with great taste.” Perfect.

2. Quality Control. If you’re going to be a good book snob, then you must also surround yourself with strong, critical, literary-minded people. Jessa Crispin gives us a little lesson called “How to Screen Dates with Books.” It’s number 4 that can be a real deal-breaker.

3. Book Rights. You know that one book that you found, abandoned in a hotel room or a bus station, that you read to pass the time? And you loved that book and cherished that book and no one has ever heard of it? Well, now you can get on The Neglected Books Page and start advocating for the appreciation that your precious story-orphan deserves.

4. Title Freaks. It would be really great if there was some sort of annual prize for the most bizarre book titles…click.

5. Self-Help. 25% of adults reported reading zero books last year. Tragic. And if that statistic isn’t enough to scare you straight, then check out these 26 Major Advantages to Reading More Books! Turns out, reading saves you money and reduces stress and makes you a better conversationalist (and then the ladies/gentlemen will like you).

6. For Writers. This is a little shout-out to those of you who are doing the good work, writing the stories, engaging the minds and hearts of literature-lovers–this is for those of you who could paper the walls of your studio apartment with rejection slips. Chin up. We need you.

7. WORDBIRD. As a lit blogger, I spend a lot of time shamelessly stalking other lit bloggers. I want to share Wordbird with all of you. Madeleine is a young reader, writer, and critic who actually reviewed The Girl Who Fell From The Sky (see?) this month, which is why I started reading her blog. And now I can’t stop.

8. The Cover-Frame. I ended last month’s roundup with a ReadyMade link, and I think I’ll do the same this month, because these people just really love mutilating books for home decor. Here, they make an old book into a nifty picture frame!

March, you came in like a lion and…are…also…going out like a lion. Good job.

-Susannah