In reverse order of which I read them, here are a dozen reading recommendations for Respect Life Month. They are a varied bunch! Romance, dystopian, women’s fiction, mystery, young adult, short stories, and suspense. And, yes, even adventure dinosaur dystopian!
Through midnight tonight, Monday, October 7, 2019, you can still register for the Harrisburg Diocesan Women’s Conference. This year’s theme is Women of Light, Sisters in Christ! and the keynote speaker is Helen Alvare, professor of law, author, and speaker.
I am offering an afternoon session entitled “Read Your Heart Out: Faith and Fun with Catholic Fiction.”
For details, visit the event web page.
While he’s driving about, my husband has been listening to a variety of books, including Andrew Carnegie by David Nasaw. (We were born and raised in Carnegie, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh, so this has particular interest for him.) If you’re not familiar with this titan of the Industrial Revolution, Carnegie emigrated from Scotland at thirteen and became a wildly successful businessman and philanthropist. Even on audiobook, my husband says this work is daunting, clocking in at more than thirty-two and a half hours, or nearly 900 pages in paperback.
And to illustrate his varied interests, he’s also listening to Monsters Among Us: An Exploration of Otherworldly Bigfoots, Wolfmen, Portals, Phantoms, and Odd Phenomena by Linda S. Godfrey. I could use this as research for one of my works-in-progress, but I digress. Godfrey has written a dozen books on this topic (including one mentioned here) and is a frequent radio and TV guest expert on cryptozoology.
Not entirely unrelated on the otherworldly spectrum is Manual for Spiritual Warfare by Paul Thigpen. This, however, is less about entertaining curiosities and more about practical advice. It’s highly rated on Amazon (and a good number of the few low-star reviews are download or binding issues not related to content). There is an unseen battle going on around us, inside our families, our homes, and our hearts. Important stuff here.
His last selection is one for beer nerds and foodies (because it’s tied to the Slow Food movement): The Audacity of Hops: The History of America’s Craft Beer Revolution. If your town is like ours, craft breweries and beer pubs have been popping up like dandelions in the spring. This movement, however, has been brewing (see what I did there?) since the 1960s. Interestingly, the author, Tom Acitelli, is a Jim Beard Award finalist, which gives me a perfect segue into what I’m listening to!
The Saturday Night Supper Club by Carla Laureano features a Jim Beard Award-winning Denver chef who is bought out of her upscale restaurant when an essayist’s screed against the coarseness of public discourse on social media goes viral, slandering the chef by hyperlink. And that’s as far as I’ve gotten, though I’ve seen many positive reviews of this book.
The Butterfly Recluse by Therese Heckenkamp was a quick read with a sweet romance and a suspenseful twist I didn’t see coming. We’re tending some Eastern Black Swallowtail caterpillars right now, so the butterfly element was right up my alley.
David Liss’s The Whiskey Rebels wasn’t at all what I expected, but I loved it just the same. My interest was piqued by having grown up within miles of the Whiskey Rebellion of 1794. (See Andrew Carnegie above.) This novel, which includes fictional and historical characters, is filled with intrigue and financial machinations. It follows disgraced Revolutionary War patriot and spy Ethan Saunders and widowed frontierswoman Joan Maycott. I dare say I laughed outloud more during this book than any I’ve read. Ethan Saunders, while hardly a paragon of virtue, has a fantastic dry wit. Kudos to David Liss for Saunders’ dialogue! (For sensitive readers: there are some scenes of non-graphic brutality and a few instances of coarse language.)
My high school junior is reading The Crucible by Arthur Miller. I haven’t read the play since high school, but I think I also read it in the fall, which seems appropriate for the run-up to Halloween. My son enjoyed the first act, but by the second act, he said he loved it. Witchcraft accusations are flying left and right by that point. I feel a re-read coming on.
In middle school, my daughter’s sixth-grade class is reading Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli. This Newbery Award winner concerns an orphaned boy and tackles issues of racism, poverty, and homelessness. I confess I’ve never read this one, but my daughter is enjoying it as much as her brother did when he was in sixth grade.
While looking at the library’s selection of puppy books for my younger daughter, I came across Lydia the Patriot: The Boston Massacre by Susan Martins Miller. We visited Boston this summer, a treat for our colonial-history buff daughter, so I thought she’d enjoy this. Turns out it has Christian themes as well, so, bonus!
In the second grade, my younger daughter’s class has already covered several books, starting with Freckle Juice by Judy Blume. I was treated to a re-telling of the awful freckle juice ingredients (said to produce freckles): grape juice, vinegar, mustard, and more.
You could say the second grade in our parish school is frog-themed because their teacher has an affinity for frogs – or F.R.O.G. (Fully Rely on God) Our Principal is a Frog by Stephanie Calmenson seems like a good fit for the class! My daughter thought this was a fun book.
In the first grade, my son’s teacher has been reading some Junie B. Jones books by Barbara Park. At home, we’re reading Our Lady of Guadalupe: The Graphic Novel by Natalie Muglia and Sam Estrada. It’s a beautifully illustrated story within a story as St. Juan Diego’s encounters with the Blessed Mother are re-told to future Cristero martyr St. José Sánchez del Río. You can read my review at CatholicMom.
What are you reading? Share it at An Open Book and find new book recommendations too! #openbook Share on XWant 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!
Final days to enter this exciting giveaway for Catholic schools and libraries! Enter to win, then designate your favorite school (US only) as the recipient. Contest ends September 30, 2019.
Welcome to new member Amanda Lauer, author of the Heaven Intended series of historical romances.
I recently became a little worn out by prayer. Not by morning prayers, the Rosary, or any of the many little prayers I throw heavenward each day, but by intercessory prayers. Specifically, requests for them.
What prompted you to write about your decades of experience as an EMT?
Several years back, my son Thomas and I were involved in a terrifying elevator accident. It was ten o’clock in the morning on a beautiful October day. We had just visited with his doctor. After we saw the doctor, we stepped out into the hallway, and I decided spur-of-the moment to take the elevator. Usually, I prefer the stairs, but I figured that an elevator ride would be more fun for Thomas, who was almost three years old at the time.
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Win a dozen books written especially with Catholic teens in mind for your favorite Catholic school classroom or library! The books, valued at more than $150, are suitable for both boys and girls. Recommended ages vary by title, but some are suitable for middle grade readers and others, high school readers. All are”clean” reads with stories that edify and never denigrate the Catholic faith.
Contest runs through September 2019. For more information on Catholic Teen Books and these titles, visit CatholicTeenBooks.com.
At the recommendation of the priest/leader at my husband’s annual men’s retreat, he’s been listening to Be Healed: A Guide to Encountering the Healing Love of Jesus in Your Life by Bob Schuchts. Using personal stories, the author guides the reader to physical, emotional, and spiritual healing by way of the sacraments and the Holy Spirit. From what my husband has said about it, this sounds like a very effective tool for examining interior brokenness and finding hope and peace.
He’s also been listening to An Introduction to the Universe: The Big Ideas of Astronomy by Vatican astronomer Dr. Guy Consolmagno, SJ, PhD. More than purely an astronomy book, religious texts are woven into this talk filled with the wonder of the universe.
Death Panels: A Novel of Life, Liberty, and Faith by Michelle Buckman has been on my reading list for years. This near-future dystopian novel with a large cast of characters depicts a society overly reliant on government in nearly every aspect of life but most grievously in deciding who lives and who dies. Ultimately, Death Panels shows what happens when people turn a blind eye to reality and how small acts of resistance and cooperation can begin to turn a culture around.
I loved listening to Karen Barnett’s Ever Faithful: A Vintage National Parks Novel on audiobook. Each book in the series features a sweet romance set in the early 20th century at one of America’s beautiful national parks along with a Christian faith theme and a touch of suspense. This is my favorite of the three books in the series so far with its well-developed minor characters and the fact that the author didn’t settle for the easy resolution. And that’s all I’m going to say about that.
The Power of Forgiveness (Companion in Faith) by Patrice Fagnant-MacArthur is a short but solid resource for those struggling with forgiveness (which is most of us at one time or another). Readers can return to the short verses, reflections, and prayers, using them as needed while struggling to overcome past hurts.
For his summer reading assignment, my high school student chose Ender’s Game (The Ender Quintet) by Orson Scott Card. In this science fiction novel for young adults, a boy genius – who becomes a respected leader—is sent to Battle School to train for defense against alien attack. My son loved this book—until the ending.
My junior high student read Saint José: Boy Cristero Martyr in a day! Fr. Kevin McKenzie brings to life the story of St. José Sánchez del RÍo, a fourteen-year-old Mexican boy martyred during the 1920s Cristero War. My daughter was impressed that the author spent ten years researching the saint’s story for this book. Saint José was canonized by Pope Francis in 2016.
Even my little kids had summer reading projects, and my second grade daughter, who loves all things cute, cuddly, and furry embarked on The Puppy Place series starting with Goldie by Ellen Miles. I’ve got to say that it’s no chore staring at the adorable little dogs that grace the covers of these books. This kid is wearing me down for a dog!
Inspired by his older sister, my youngest son wanted God’s Mighty Warrior Devotional Bible by Sheila Walsh from the display in the back of church. Surprisingly, I see him with pen in hand writing in the book. So, maybe it wasn’t just about what his sister got (God’s Little Princess Devotional Bible). These boy/girl sets of children’s Bibles are sturdy, attractive, and designed for parent/child interaction related to the biblical stories and concepts.
What are you reading? Share it at An Open Book and find new book recommendations too! #openbook Share on XWant 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!