Every year, we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day March 17 - this year, on a Sunday.

St. Patrick’s Day is both a religious and a cultural celebration. The day began to celebrate the life of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. These days, people use the day to celebrate being Irish. Roughly translated as “Ireland forever,” we express appreciation of all things Irish when we exclaim, “Erin go Bragh.”

At the library, we are reminded of the contribution to literature by Irish writers. Foremost among the many are James Joyce, Oscar Wilde, George Bernard Shaw and, my favorite, William Butler Yeats.

Not to be forgotten are three popular phrases associated with March: “In like a lion, out like a lamb”; “In like a lamb, out like a lion”; and “Beware the Ides of March.”

Before you think that the first two are just about the weather, think again. According to the astrological calendar, at the beginning of March, the constellation Leo, the lion, is the rising sun sign. By April, it is Aries, the ram/lamb, on the ascendant, hence, “In like a lion, out like a lamb.” On quite a different note, from the perspective of the Christian calendar, in March, Jesus arrives as the sacrificial lamb but returns in April as the lion of Judah, hence, “In like a lamb, out like a lion.”

On an altogether different note, “Beware the Ides of March” was a warning given to Julius Caesar by a soothsayer, most notably remembered in Shakespeare’s play “Julius Caesar.” The Ides of March is a day on the Roman calendar that corresponds with March 15. On March 15, 44 B.C., Roman politician and military general Julius Caesar was brutally assassinated by Roman senators, so we “Beware the Ides of March.”

There you have it! March is a month packed full of meaning.

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NEW BOOKS

Fiction: “Redemption,” David Baldacci; “Wolf Pack,” C.J. Box; “The Last Romantics,” Tara Conklin; “The Last Second,” Catherine Coulter and J.T. Ellison; “Celtic Empire,” Clive Cussler and Dirk Cussler; “Blood Oath,” Linda Fairstein; “All the Wrong Places,” Joy Fielding; “The A List,” J.A. Jance; “Dark Tribute,” Iris Johansen; “The Silent Patient,” Alex Michaelides; “Deep Harbor,” Fern Michaels; “Neon Prey,” John Sandford; “Someone Knows,” Lisa Scottoline; “The Island of Sea Women,” Lisa See

Nonfiction: “American Moonshot: John F. Kennedy and the Great Space Race,” Douglas Brinkley; “Mama’s Last Hug: Animal Emotions and What They Tell Us About Ourselves,” Frans de Waal; “Dannemora: Two Escaped Killers, Three Weeks of Terror and the Largest Manhunt Ever in New York State,” Charles A. Gardner; “Spearhead: An American Tank Gunner, His Enemy and a Collision of Lives in World War II,” Adam Makos; “The Threat: How the FBI Protects America in the Age of Terror and Trump,” Andrew G. McCabe; “Top Gun: An American Story,” Dan Pedersen; “Grateful American: A Journey from Self to Service,” Gary Sinise; “Kushner, Inc.: Greed, Ambition, Corruption. The Extraordinary Story of Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump,” Vicky Ward; “The Path Made Clear: Discovering Your Life’s Direction and Purpose,” Oprah Winfrey

Juvenile fiction: “Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid: Rowley Jefferson’s Journal,” Jeff Kinney; “Max and the Midknights,” Lincoln Peirce

Children’s picture books: “Hugs and Kisses for the Grouchy Ladybug,” Eric Carle; “We Are the Gardeners,” Joanna Gaines; “The Good Egg,” Jory John and Pete Oswald; “You Are My Happy,” Hoda Kotb; “Pup 681: A Sea Otter Rescue Story,” Jean Reidy; “Tiny T. Rex and the Impossible Hug,” John Stutzman