Welcome to the January 2023 edition of An Open Book, hosted both at My Scribbler’s Heart and CatholicMom.com!

It’s such fun to see my kids enjoying the books I got them for Christmas! But first, a couple of books I read.

Her Stand-In Christmas by Crystal Walton is everything that’s been filling my social media feeds this season. It’s a contemporary rom com Christmas road trip with an illustrated cover. I’m starting to weary of the similarities among them, but I tip my hat to authors who are more savvy and less stubborn than I am about writing to market. I’ve enjoyed so many of this author’s books, including the first (non-Christmas) book in this series. The writing felt a little forced to me, and some of the many pop culture references were whizzing by me, but it hits all the marks for the genre and delivers a light Christmas romance with warm holiday themes of love, family, and forgiveness.

My friend Theresa Linden is about to release another book in her West Brothers series, Summer at West Castle. This one is a straight-up sweet romance filled with romantic moments and light humor but also a powerful Christian message about seeing yourself and others through God’s eyes, not holding onto past sins or prejudices. Summer at West Castle provides the backstory to Linden’s new adult mystery Anyone But Him. Having gotten acquainted with Jarret West over eight books now, I think he’s one of the most memorable characters I’ve read and a testament to the transformative power of Christ.

My oldest son has an interest in mythology and has lately been focused on Old Norse myths and legends. I purchased a book he’d had his eye on for Christmas: The Saga of the Volsungs wiith the Saga of Ragnor Lothbrok translated by Jackson Crawford. These translated sagas recount seven generations of a heroic family, including Viking Chieftain Ragnor Lothrbrok. I think these sagas gained popularity in the wake of the TV series Vikings. My son has found that series a bit hit or miss, but I think it reinvigorated his interest in all things Norse.

My high school daughter received The Quiet Little Woman: A Christmas Story by Louisa May Alcott as her prize for completing the local library’s summer reading program. There are three short Christmas stories contained in this pretty hardcover that’s perfect for reading on a cold night in the light of the Christmas tree, which is pretty much how my daughter enjoyed it. It’s the kind of simple book that makes for a lovely Christmas tradition.

For her literature class, the same daughter read the The Epic of Gilgamesh. This is the world’s oldest epic, the tale of Gilgamesh, the King of Uruk, and his companion, the wild man, Enkidu. From the description of this Babylonian epic: “A timeless tale of morality, tragedy and pure adventure, The Epic of Gilgamesh is a landmark literary exploration of man’s search for immortality.”

But back to mythology. This freshman class is also reading portions of Edith Hamilton’s Mythology, which includes a variety of Greek, Roman, and Norse myths. It is praised as a readable classic, sharing the tales of Olympus and Valhalla that are so influential in Western culture.

My fifth grader was excited to receive The Sisters of the Last Straw: The Case of the Missing Maps by Karen Kelly Boyce. She has thoroughly enjoyed the entire seven-book series and was eagerly awaiting this new book. This one involves more mystery with clues for finding gold—but can the sisters find the treasure before their sourpuss neighbor, Mr. Lemon?

My youngest son read through Jeff Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Diper Överlöde in a couple of days. I can hardly believe this is Book 17 in the series! I haven’t read any recent books in the series, but my kids tell me the author has managed to maintain the quality and feel of the early books. Even the smell of them is nostalgic to my 19-year-old! This one is about Roderick, the older brother of the main character, Greg, and his band, Löded Diper.

For class, he also read I Survived the Attacks of September 11 by Laura Tarsis. It’s a little surreal to have my child reading about a historical event that still seems so fresh in my memory. It’s the story of a boy named Lucas, who arrives at the New York City firehouse where his uncle works on the morning of 9/11.

On the recommendation of Catholic Mom and Daughter, I reserved a copy of The Christmas Story from the Gospels of Matthew and Luke with artwork from the Metropolitan Museum of Art from my local library. This is a lovely book to read and re-read each Christmas with your family. The Gospel stories are simply retold, and the medieval and Renaissance paintings that accompany them—from the Annunciation through the Flight to Egypt—are beautiful to study.

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Welcome to the December 2022 edition of An Open Book, hosted both at My Scribbler’s Heart and CatholicMom.com!

It’s been a season of sickness over here and the reading has taken a hit. For all of us. But, here’s what we’ve got, going into the Advent season:

If you’re looking for a clean, fun Hallmark-esque Christmas novella, I recommend CeCe Louise’s Christmas After All. The enemies-to-lovers story plays out much as you’d expect with a couple misunderstandings, but the journey is an enjoyable one with smooth writing and as well-developed characters as you can create in a novella. Melissa and Tucker have some bad blood from her rejection of him in high school. But now he’s back in their hometown, a country singing star, and apparently his old feelings for her haven’t completely disappeared, despite the song he wrote about her that propelled him to stardom.

I started listening to The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb because the premise intrigued me. My library loan ran out, and someone else is in line to borrow, so I don’t know whether I’ll get back to this one. Ray McMillian’s heirloom violin is stolen before the international Tchaikovsky Competition. Can he get it back? (I’m guessing he does, even if I don’t get the audiobook loan back.)

With a group of honors students, my son read the introduction to The Closing of the American Mind by Allan Bloom. I don’t think they are reading the entire book, but now my interest is piqued by a book that slipped by me while still in high school. This descriptor, from a book written in the late 1980s, seems accurate in 2022: “Bloom argues that the social and political crises of contemporary America are part of a larger intellectual crisis: the result of a dangerous narrowing of curiosity and exploration by the university elites.” Have you read it?

My daughter’s class is reading the Book of Job and then Neil Simon’s God’s Favorite, a modern look at the biblical character. Based on how few reviews of editions are out there, it doesn’t seem to be a widely read play. Maybe it’s more often viewed; I don’t know. Straight from the description: “Successful Long Island businessman Joe Benjamin is a modern-day ‘Job’ with a demanding wife, ungrateful children, and wise-cracking household employees. Just when it seems things couldn’t get any worse, he is visited by Sidney Lipton, a.k.a. A Messenger from God (and compulsive film buff) with a mission: test Joe’s faith and report back to ‘the Boss.’” I like that this teacher often uses plays in the classroom, something I had little experience with beyond Shakespeare and a few others.

My younger daughter recently read Roald Dahl’s Matilda for a school book report. Matilda is a sweet, smart young girl who faces off with a mean school head mistress—Miss Trunchbull. In the course of fending off the Trunchbull, as they call her, Matilda discovers some remarkable powers. My fifth grader enjoyed this book, though she said she prefers books with more action.

My youngest son has been reading more of Big Nate, specifically In the Zone, book six in the eight-book series by Lincoln Peirce. The book description doesn’t say much, at least not in the way of a plot, and I think this series has cashed in on Diary of a Wimpy Kid’s popularity. Not to say it’s not good in its own right, but it’s a similar illustrated story of a middle school boy’s shenanigans and mishaps.

My son’s class is also reading I Survived The Bombing of Pearl Harbor, 1941 by Lauren Tarshis. The books are a handy way to teach history, and his teacher has timed this read well for the bombing’s anniversary. The story is from the perspective of an 11-year-old American boy playing on his favorite Hawaiian beach when the attack by the Japanese commences.

I’ve begun reading The Curious Christmas Trail by Haley Stewart (The Sister Seraphina’s Mysteries), though I think it will be more fun to start over with the little kids next to me on the couch. The illustrations by Betsy Wallin are cute, cozy, and make me want to crawl into the adorable little mouse world. The book itself is a lovely hardcover chapter book that would be a nice addition to a child’s Christmas collection. I’ve only read one chapter, but it seems to be a sweet, pleasant story centered about the Christmas pageant and the mystery of missing Sister Dymphna at Saint Wulfhilda’s Abbey.

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.