Welcome to the October 2022 edition of An Open Book, hosted both at My Scribbler’s Heart and CatholicMom.com!
A cozy mystery. A fantastical dragon story. A comedy. Theologically-sound Catholic fiction. Murder Most Picante by Karina Fabian is all of these and more. I’m thoroughly enjoying the author’s humor delivered via Vern the Dragon’s first-person account of his trials in the world of the Mundane. (That’s where we live.) Smart, short, and entertaining. Now I know what all the fuss about Vern is for!
I’m a couple of chapters into Encountering Signs of Faith: My Unexpected Journey with Sacramentals, Saints, and the Abundant Grace of God by Allison Gingras. It’s a cohesive blend of the author’s experience adopting a profoundly deaf daughter from China, the Church’s sacramentals, and the saints. It starts with probably my favorite sacramental: the Miraculous Medal. I’m looking forward to learning more about some sacramentals I may be less familiar with.
Since I received a copy of Father Peyton’s Rosary Prayer Book: The Family the Prays Together Stays Together by Patrick Peyton, I’ve been taking it to weekly Eucharistic Adoration, when I have time to concentrate on the Rosary. Don’t get me wrong—I’m distracted at Adoration too, but possibly less so than in other places as I’m not rushed. This book fits so nicely in my hands, and with its short reflections, slows me down and helps keep me on track. I highlight lines that I want to contemplate and spend some minutes mulling over or return to later.
My husband has been reading The Lord of the Rings and the Eucharist by Scott L. Smith. As you’d likely guess from the title, the author examines author J.R.R. Tolkein’s devotion to the Eucharist and its significance in his novels, particularly the Lord of the Rings series. I don’t think my husband’s very far into the book, so it’s hard to say how this book fares in comparison to others that address Tolkein’s Catholicism as woven throughout his work.
My oldest son has been reading The Two Towers, also by J.R.R. Tolkein. I think the anticipation of Amazon’s Rings of Power series spurred his interest in reading the book after he’d listened to the first book of the trilogy, The Fellowship of the Ring, on audiobook. He’s enjoyed the books much more than Amazon’s LOTR-inspired series, The Rings of Power. While it’s visually appealing, he’s not enjoyed the TV series. (I asked why he keeps watching, and he says it’s like a train wreck. He can’t look away.)
I last mentioned Inherit the Wind: The Powerful Drama of the Greatest Courtroom Clash of the Century by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee in 2017, when my oldest son read it. My daughter is now reading it for her Humanities class, which blends perfectly with her history studies. Some of her friends are also cast in the school’s fall production of the play, so she’ll truly be able to appreciate this story and its context. The play is based on the 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial regarding a teacher accused of teaching the theory of evolution.
In addition to reading some books I’ve already shared here as her older siblings read them, my fifth-grade daughter is reading I Survived the Great Molasses Flood, 1919 by Lauren Tarshis. I don’t know how I made it to my forties without hearing of this disaster, but I’ve been absolutely fascinated by it since. (If you know a good book for adults on the subject, please share!) If you’re unfamiliar, the flood occurred in Boston when 2.4 million gallons of molasses rushed through the streets. Twenty-one people died and 150 suffered injuries. Weird, wild stuff.
Ascension Press publishes many sturdy, colorful, useable books for young Catholic children. My Catholic Picture Bible Stories by Jan Godfrey and Angela Jolliffe includes one- to two-page Bible stories with big, bright illustrations to capture the attention of the littlest kids. They’re organized and color-coded according to Ascension’s Great Adventure Bible timeline. It can serve as a great introduction to the best-known stories and characters of the Bible from both the Old and New Testaments.
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The Lord of the Rings and the Eucharist sounds fascinating! I’ll have to add that to my to-read list!
It seems there’s no end to books on Tolkien and his writing. I’m just amazed at the care and detail in his world-building.
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I’ve been very curious about Murder Most Picante, thank for the review. It’s always fun to see what your clan is reading!
I didn’t really know what to expect, but it was fun.
I have never heard of the Molasses Flood-now I want to look into that! Murder Most Picante sounds pretty delightful and I’ll have to pick that up, too.
Also, I find it amusing that your son continues to watch Rings of Power even though he doesn’t like it-that’s quite a time investment haha! While I do have some quibbles with the show, I have to confess that I’m enjoying it (but I’m also not a Tolkien purist-I once read someone call it “Lord of the Rings fanfiction” which I think is a pretty good description for it).
I heard a long rant from my son about the show on Sunday. LOL He’s committed to watching the season finale, but he’s not in for Season 2. I think the fact that he watched The Silmarillion right before watching the series really emphasized for him what the series was compared to what it could be.