Welcome to the February 2025 edition of An Open Book, hosted both at My Scribbler’s Heart and CatholicMom.com!

After seeing the most recent Bob Dylan biopic, A Complete Unknown, my husband’s interest in the folk singer/songwriter was renewed. He’s been listening to Dylan Goes Electric!: Newport, Seeger, Dylan, and the Night that Split the Sixties by Elijah Wald. It covers not only Dylan’s artistic evolution from folk to rock and his relationship with other folk musicians but the political and cultural milieu.

I grabbed Tina Jost’s One Hour for My Priest: A Prayer Companion on my way out the door to Adoration on New Year’s Eve. Our family was pressed for time, so we weren’t there for quite an hour, yet I was able to complete one of the prescribed prayer options. This simple book makes prayer for our priests personal and concrete by creating structure and purpose.

I read Cooking Up Christmas by Jaycee Weaver as the first novella in a Christmas collection, An Evergreen Christmas. Ramsey is a chef; Bristol is hired to help with the business side of the restaurant. Work policy makes this a forbidden romance. The story is fun and entertaining, and the Christian treatment of forgiveness is well done. I’ll read more from this author.

What impressed me most about Sandralena Hanley’s The Stolen Princess is its moral depth. There’s an uncommon examination of guilt that results in not just forgiveness but penance, something both appropriate to the historical setting but also often overlooked. That’s not say the novel is heavy or maudlin. Its characters are likable, its pacing fresh, and this romance is sweet and endearing.

My oldest son had been looking for Tim Powers books at various secondhand book shops and finally came across the one he’d most wanted: Declare. This novel, set during the Cold War, is a World Fantasy Award winner. Double agent Andrew Hale traverses the Arabian desert, Berlin, and Moscow, culminating in a confrontation on Mt. Ararat. My son is about halfway through; I’m awaiting his verdict as I’ve long had Tim Powers books on my to-read list, and this was the one most-often recommended to me.

Gray Fox: Robert E. Lee and the Civil War by Burke Davis chronicles the history of the Confederate general. According to the description, it “humanizes this gentleman-soldier of tradition and makes him all the more awe-inspiring.” The Goodreads reviews are mixed, and I’m learning as I look at the books my son’s been reading that people have very strong views on biographies of historical figures—or maybe it’s on the figures themselves.

My oldest daughter tried a recipe from Bourbon Desserts by Lynn Marie Hulsman, a Christmas gift I snuck out of Kentucky this summer, right under her nose. I’ve read the introduction and perused some of the recipes, and I can’t wait to taste more from this book! My daughter baked the Light Chocolate Layer Cake with Bourbon and Cream Cheese Icing, and it was delicious!

For her Physics class, my high school daughter also read A Student’s Guide to Natural Science by Stephen M. Barr. It was a quick read that is (from her review) “a thorough explanation of the origins and history of science and mathematics, particularly relating to physics.” It explains the relationship between science and the Church. In sum, she says, “I think I understand the purpose and beauty of science and its basic tenets better.”

With her Literature class, she read The Crucible by Arthur Miller, the familiar play about the 17^th-century Salem witch trials (but also McCarthyism), which many of us read in high school. We also watched the 1996 movie adaption starring Winona Ryder, and I was reminded of how much I disliked Abigail Williams.

For the same class, she’s been independently reading Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring, the environmental classic written in 1962, that I’ve considered reading more for the author’s connection to Pittsburgh than anything else. My daughter has found it very dry, repetitive, and somewhat doomsday-ish, for lack of a better word. I think I’ll pass on it.

My middle-school daughter picked up several books from the school bookfair during Catholic Schools Week, including I Must Betray You by Ruta Supetys. It is set in 1989 Romania, during the fall of Communism and Nicolae Ceausescu. The protagonist is a seventeen-year-old blackmailed into becoming an informer. My daughter said the ending was hopeful, if not happy, but the climax was violent, as one might expect.

She also enjoyed Sarah Robsdottir’s Brave Water, which I read a couple of years ago. Set during a single day in modern-day Africa, the novel follows Talitha and her family, the only Catholics in their village. The daily task of procuring clean water for the village is the backdrop for the day’s events, which include an abduction. Deals with issues such as drug use and sexual trafficking as well as themes of forgiveness and redemption.

My middle-school son read Sammy Keyes and the Curse of Moustache Mary by Wendelin Van Draanen. I hadn’t heard of this junior detective mystery series, still stuck in the age of the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew as I am. Sammy and her meet Lucinda as she’s walking her pig. Yes, pig. Lucinda then shares the tale of her great-grandmother, Moustache Mary, leading Sammy to investigate the cause of Mary’s cabin fire.

Share what you're reading with An Open Book and @CatholicMomCom #openbook Share on X

Want more details on An Open Book? You can also sign up for An Open Book reminder email, which goes out one week before the link-up. No blog? That’s okay. Just tell us what you’re reading in the comment box.

---

THANKS FOR STOPPING BY! STAY A WHILE AND LOOK AROUND. LEAVE A COMMENT. SHARE WITH A FRIEND. IF YOU LIKE WHAT YOU SEE, PLEASE SIGN UP FOR MY AUTHOR NEWSLETTER TO KEEP UP-TO-DATE ON NEW RELEASES, EXTRAS, AND HOT DEALS!

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Welcome to the January 2025 edition of An Open Book, hosted both at My Scribbler’s Heart and CatholicMom.com!

For weeks, my husband has been sharing interesting facts from the book he’s been reading. Yes, it’s another book about alcohol, but this one has broader appeal, I think —Doctors and Distillers: The Remarkable Medicinal History of Beer, Wine, Spirits, and Cocktails by Camper English. Sure, if you’re at all familiar with history, you know whiskey was used medicinally. But what about an Old-Fashioned cocktail? From ancient to modern times, alcohol has been used to treat and cure a variety of ailments.

I’ve made Belinda Terri Mooney’s Pray With Us: A Saint for Every Day part of my prayer routine in the new year. It features a saint for each day of the year—some familiar from the liturgical calendar and some lesser known. Each receives a paragraph summary and a prayer. One page per day, which is about all I can manage.

I’m still enjoying Christmas reading, including Saint Nick, by one of my favorite authors, Amy Matayo, who makes characters more real to me than perhaps any contemporary author I read. Nick, a young widow, has thrown himself into saying yes to others, in part to make up for the no he told his newlywed wife. He’s become the neighborhood dog sitter, repairman, and babysitter. When his neighbor leaves town and her podcasting therapist granddaughter moves in, his do-gooder status is challenged. Low Reed is all about saying no and setting boundaries; it’s her brand. But sparks fly when these two butt heads and take a chance on being honest and vulnerable with one another.

A Wood-Fired Christmas by Maddie Evans is set almost entirely in a Maine pizza shop. Ezra his kept Loveless Pizza in business, but now the hands-off owner is giving the business to his niece, Lacey, and she needs to make changes to keep the business afloat. Only Ezra doesn’t like changes. There’s a lot of opposition between these characters too, but once they decide they share the same goals, they’re able to work beautifully together—in the pizza shop and out.

Kortney Keisel’s One Foggy Christmas is a three-part story that shares Nash and Sadie’s love story, how their marriage falls apart after Sadie’s accident-induced amnesia, and their eventual reunion. There’s nothing to dislike about loyal Nash, but Sadie, well, she doesn’t remember loving Nash, and she doesn’t come around easily. This was my least favorite of the three Christmas romances I read in December, but still likable enough.

The Harwood Mysteries by Antony B. Kolenc is a wrap with the release of the sixth and final book in the series, The Devil’s Ransom. As the characters have matured, so have their challenges. The stakes are high as Xan and his new wife, Christina, their friend Lucy, and an assortment of friends fight a presumed demoniac outside the Moor-controlled city of Xelb. There’s a lot to enjoy here from the character growth to the history and lessons about discerning the moral course of action. I frequently recommend this series for tweens and teens.

For Christmas, my son received and read J.R.R. Tolkien’s Tales from the Perilous Realm. This collection of his shorter works and essays includes “The Adventures of Tom Bombadil,” “Farmer Giles of Ham,” “Leaf by Niggle,” and more. Illustrations by Alan Lee help bring the stories to life. If you like Tolkien’s philosophy and writing style, my son says you’ll enjoy it.

For Christmas, he listened to Letters from Father Christmas, also by J.R.R. Tolkien. Each year, Tolkien wrote letters to his children, arriving with a stamp from the North Pole. My son found it very endearing and inspiring to see how Tolkien used his talents to bring joy to his children. He said, “There is a bittersweet Narnia progression to the letters as Tolkien’s children slowly grow out of believing in Father Christmas one-by-one and grow up.”

Hamlet’s BlackBerry: Building a Good Life in the Digital Age by William Powers is helpful in managing technology use. It discusses different information revolutions in history and how we can use that history to navigate our own use of technology. The book is a practical guide for how to use technology in efficient and helpful ways without interfering with other aspects of our lives.

My son’s also been lugging around our copy of John Adams by David McCullough, a book I read when he was just a baby. The Pulitzer Prize-winning, acclaimed biography of one of America’s great founders includes his roles as a patriot, president, and husband. I remember it as a fascinating, easy-to-read biography of a great man.

My high school daughter read Old Christmas by Washington Irving. I listened to the audiobook version of this book six years ago and found it disjointed as I was expecting something other than a series of vignettes. My daughter knew exactly what she was getting, and she loved reading about the old Christmas customs and traditions. She thought the illustrations by Randolph Caldecott were charming.

For Christmas, she received a copy of Roseanna M. White’s Christmas at Sugar Plum Manor, which she also really enjoyed. It’s just as warm, inviting, and Christmasy as the cover, and I knew the sweet romance with an emphasis on whimsy, Christmas traditions, and Christmas baking was something she would love.

While she was recovering from pneumonia, my middle school daughter read A Place to Hang the Moon by Kate Albus, something I saw recommended on another An Open Book post. This WWII historical novel follows three siblings who bounce from home to home in the English countryside, hoping to find a new family after their grandmother’s death. They eventually find comfort with the village librarian, Nora.

For Christmas, she received and read Regina Doman’s first fairytale retelling, The Shadow of the Bear. Set in New York City, a tough street kid, Bear, encounters two sisters—Rose and Blanche. Bear befriends them, but his connections could prove dangerous to the girls’ family.

My middle school boy also liked Every Day on Earth: Fun Facts That Happen Every 24 Hours by Steve Murrie and Matthew Murrie. It includes facts about all sorts of things—animals, sports, nature, technology, food, etc., all framed by what happens in a 24-hour period.

My youngest son tore through his Christmas book, the latest installment in Jeff Kinney’s Wimpy Kid series, Hot Mess. I can’t believe this series has stretched to nineteen books. This one is set in a tiny summer beach house during a family vacation. There’s also a little mystery to uncover—the recipe for Gramma’s famous meatballs.

Share what you're reading with An Open Book and @CatholicMomCom #openbook Share on X

Want more details on An Open Book? You can also sign up for An Open Book reminder email, which goes out one week before the link-up. No blog? That’s okay. Just tell us what you’re reading in the comment box.

---

THANKS FOR STOPPING BY! STAY A WHILE AND LOOK AROUND. LEAVE A COMMENT. SHARE WITH A FRIEND. IF YOU LIKE WHAT YOU SEE, PLEASE SIGN UP FOR MY AUTHOR NEWSLETTER TO KEEP UP-TO-DATE ON NEW RELEASES, EXTRAS, AND HOT DEALS!

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Welcome to the December 2024 edition of An Open Book, hosted both at My Scribbler’s Heart and CatholicMom.com!

Following our Kentucky Bourbon Trail summer vacation, my husband has been listening to Buffalo, Barrels, and Bourbon: The Story of How Buffalo Trace Distillery Became the World’s Most Awarded Distillery by F. Paul Pacult. It recounts the distillery’s history from the early exploration of Kentucky to present day. It tells the story through American wars, Prohibition, the Great Depression, and more. Includes a variety of personalities and information about a variety of whiskey brands. This was one of our favorite distillery visits. Very family friendly and a great customer experience.

Continue reading →

Welcome to the November 2024 edition of An Open Book, hosted both at My Scribbler’s Heart and CatholicMom.com!

Last month, I caught up on Cece Louise’s most recent rom coms in the After All series. Faking After All includes the fake dating trope as well as enemies to lovers or grumpy/sunshine—take your pick. I really enjoyed this fun romance between uptight, ambitious executive Victoria and soon-to-be gym owner Caleb. She’ll help him with his grand opening if he’ll pretend to be her boyfriend for work functions. The characters are well-developed, and it is a quick, easy read.

Continue reading →

Welcome to the October 2024 edition of An Open Book, hosted both at My Scribbler’s Heart and CatholicMom.com!

Many years ago, when I belonged to a local library’s writing group, I became aware of Maria V. Snyder’s Poison Study. The author was a local success story in publishing, and there was often mention of her. It took me a decade or more, but I’ve finally gotten around to reading the novel. In this fantasy, a young woman is spared execution and offered a position as food taster for the commander of Ixia. She’s kept captive by the need for a daily dose of antidote only her captors can supply. So far, so good.

Continue reading →