I have fond memories of the circus, from elephant rides at the small circus that visited the local baseball field year after year to taking my children to see the animals arrive by train in advance of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. It’s a magical, wonder-filled world with a fascinating history. Let’s take a trip to the circus!
In the early 2oth century, Pippa, adopted by the prominent Ripley circus family, wants only to be seen, and as she begins to asserts her own will in the face of her domineering father and bossy fiancé, the secrets of her birth and the circus murders unravel.
In present day, Chandler, a chronically ill single mother set to renovate the abandoned circus buildings, must face her own struggle to see herself as capable and independent.
The last third of the book was my favorite as the threads of the plot begin to come together. The writing is solid, and the heroes are unconventional – a big plus! I’d have liked a bit more romance, but it’s the self-actualization of the heroines that drives this story. The circus setting, however, is the star in this book.
Against the backdrop of the hidden life of circus “freaks,” the novel also thoughtfully examines from where our value comes and in whose eyes our worth is best measured.
Welcome to the May 2021 edition of An Open Book, hosted both at My Scribbler’s Heart and CatholicMom.com!
I’ve been reading a couple of circus-themed books to round out an upcoming book review post. The Haunting of Bonaventure Circus by Jamie Jo Wright is a spooky split-time story set at the winter home of a traveling circus. Both timelines center around an unassertive woman struggling to find her footing and be recognized as competent and worthy. There’s a murder mystery that both timelines share related to a sketchy figure known as The Watchman. The author excels at creating a creepy mood and employing atypical heroes.
The Ringmaster’s Wife by Kristy Cambron is the other circus book on the docket. I’m only several chapters in and trying to get a handle on the shifts in timeline and continent. The writing is lovely, and the characters are intriguing. I’m looking forward to discovering what has become of the main character circus stars.
I won a copy of Myra Johnson’s The Rancher’s Family Secret, and it was a quick read for me on a quiet Saturday. A family dispute put Spencer and Lindsey at odds years ago, despite their childhood and teenage friendship. Spencer’s now trying to balance his family ranch obligations with his mission to foster abused and neglected horses and nurse them back to health. Lindsey is back at her widowed aunt’s neighboring ranch, trying to keep it afloat and in their possession. It’s a well-written contemporary romance.
I didn’t know Corinna Turner had planned on adding to her Three Last Things: or The Hounding of Carl Jarrold, Soulless Assassin novella, but A Changing of the Guard takes the story in a new direction following the poorly executed state execution in the first novella. This book, too, examines life, death, moral responsibility, and the capacity to change. Spiritual thriller is about an apt a description of the genre as any.
My older children both have an interest in mythology. My oldest, looking to wrap up school-related reading, checked Neil Gaiman’s Norse Mythology out of the library. He was slightly deterred by the knowledge that the author is responsible for Coraline, the movie adaption of which he wants no part of. (Not a Tim Burton fan. at. all.) Despite learning that fact, he’s looking forward to reading this. It may also have something to do with the Marvel Loki movie coming out.
My daughter and I have both been reading Our Constitution Rocks! by Juliette Turner. The book, written when the author was a teen, examines the United States Constitution and its amendments in a detailed fashion, providing explanation and historical context with words from the Founding Fathers. I was not as well-educated on our Constitution as I would have liked, but both my daughter and I have learned a lot from this book. It could use an update, as the world has changed since this was published in 2012. It’s almost amusing reading the hypothetical abuse of free speech that she mentions that has come to pass.
My seventh-grade daughter is working on a report on Louis Pasteur, the scientist who gave us the pasteurization process and the rabies vaccine. The Life of Louis Pasteur by Marcia Newfield is one of her resources. She’s only just begun the book and is learning about Pasteur’s childhood. The book, which she found at the library, seems to have limited availability (hence no cover image).
For St. George’s feast day, I read Saint George and the Dragon by Margaret Hodges aloud to the kids. This was unlike the saint stories they are accustomed to – more legend than biographical sketch. They identified it as a fairytale, and it is a retelling from Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queene. The Red Cross Knight slays a fierce dragon and gets the girl. The book is also a Caldecott Award winner.
My third-grade daughter read a more traditional style saint story, The Sword and the Cape by Pamela Love. This softcover picture book tells the story of St. Martin of Tours, who was a Roman soldier. As the description says, “Using the sword and cape from his Roman soldier’s uniform, he encounters Jesus in an unexpected way.”
The 3 Little Dassies by Jan Brett is a retelling of The Three Little Pigs. A dassie, also known as a hyrax, is smallish African mammal. As with other Jan Brett books, the illustrations are charming and share a familiar format—a main illustration on each open page with a preview of what’s happening next in a separate panel.
We also read Jan Brett’s Honey . . . Honey . . . Lion!, another African story. The story is about the cooperation of a honeyguide bird and a honey badger who share their sweet bounty. But what happens when the Honey Badger keeps all the sweet treat for himself?
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Edited by Kelly M. Wahlquist, Alyssa Bormes, and Allison Gingras
Called by Name is a 365-day devotional from WINE: Women In the New Evangelization designed to empower and equip you to draw near to Jesus and use your God-given gifts for the Church. With meditations on scripture and encouraging insights from popular Catholic authors and speakers in the WINE community, this is the perfect daily companion for women who want to connect with the heart of Jesus and live every day in the light of his truth and love.
Welcome to the April 2021 edition of An Open Book, hosted both at My Scribbler’s Heart and CatholicMom.com!
My husband has just begun reading Immortal Combat: Confronting the Heart of Darkness by Fr. Dwight Longenecker. Books on spiritual warfare seem to have risen in popularity lately, and this book is part of that trend. It calls on Christians to show heroic virtue in the face of evil while rejecting a feel-good, nonconfrontational gospel.
All That Really Matters by Nicole Deese is superb! Deese, whose work I have always enjoyed, has become one of the best in her genre (contemporary Christian romance/women’s fiction), in my opinion. All that Really Matters is a timely tale that examines the superficiality of life lived behind a screen. There is so much to reflect on in Molly’s journey from YouTube beauty influencer to, well, you should read it and find out. While Molly is the force behind the novel, Silas, the director of a transitional home for young adults, has his own engrossing story.
Courtney Walsh’s latest novel, Is It Any Wonder, pairs Coast Guard officer Cody Boggs with his teenage love, Louisa Chambers, as they uncover the secrets surrounding the death of Cody’s beloved father. Both are carrying a heap of guilt related to his death, and ultimately Is It Any Wonder is a story of forgiveness and letting go of the residual anger that can keep us from truly living. A well-written Christian romance.
Be Bold in the Broken: How I Found My Courage and Purpose in God’s Unconditional Love is Mary Lenaburg’s follow-up to her acclaimed debut, Be Brave in the Scared. Her author voice is characterized by humor and authenticity, which make her books so easy to read and relate to. This book pairs stories from her childhood and adulthood that show how pinning her worth on others’ opinions and expectations ultimately failed her.
If you like witty cozy mysteries, look no further. Georgiana Daniel’sCrumbs of Passion is the first in a series. I enjoyed this mystery and its cast of sometimes-kooky characters. It kept me guessing and laughing. I’m looking forward to the next installment.
The Circus of Stolen Dreams by Lorelei Savaryn is a well-written, imaginative middle grade novel that veers occasionally into the creepy. Twelve-year-old Andrea must unravel the lies and secrets keeping kids trapped in both dreams and nightmares under the guise of a “one-night” circus. It examines the perils of trying to escape suffering indefinitely rather than facing it head-on.
Amy Matayo’s Before Time Runs Out is a fun, clever, time travel romance/adventure. This Dickensian time hop is the first in a series and features modern-day Bree and 20th-century war veteran Theodore as they try to discover a way back to their respective eras. As you might guess, that decision is complicated by their growing affection for each other.
Candide by Voltaire is my oldest son’s selection for independent reading in his literature class. His description: a naïve young man gets mixed up in crazy adventures in 18th-century Europe and the Americas. The humor holds up better than he thought it would in the 21st century.
My daughter is readingCrusader King: A Novel of Baldwin IV and the Crusades by Susan Peek in tandem with her history studies. This is the only little-known saint novel of Susan Peek’s that I’ve yet to read. Baldwin IV suffers from leprosy, and I’ve been peppered with a dozen or so questions about the disease. Apparently, it’s the most striking element of the book so far, and I’m anxious to see what my daughter thinks of the entire story and to read it myself.
After seeing it recommended elsewhere, I read Harriet Tubman: Freedombound by Janet Benge and Geoff Benge aloud to my children. I realized rather quickly that I knew shockingly little about this revered woman. The biography covers Harriet Tubman’s childhood through her escape from slavery and travels on the Underground Railroad to her death. It’s appropriate for children without minimizing the brutality and inhumanity of slavery or the complicated nature of politics.
We’re Sailing Down the Nile: A JourneyThrough Egypt by Laurie Krebs is a rhyming picture book about both ancient and modern Egypt. The simple story is followed by several appendices with more information about geographic and historical locations, ancient scripts, and various gods and goddesses. The illustrations are bright, colorful, and fun.
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.
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Morgan is looking forward to junior high school and all the adventures it holds in store for her. But after a collision on the volleyball court, she wakes up on the first day of school trapped inside her mom’s teenage body circa 1974. It doesn’t take long for Morgan to discover that living life as a seventh-grader in the ‘70s and dealing with everything going on in her mom’s life back then — from uncool parents, to annoying older brothers, balancing friendships, and to ultimately doing what she can to survive bullying at the hands of the school’s biggest jock — is anything but groovy.
Welcome to the March 2021 edition of An Open Book, hosted both at My Scribbler’s Heart AND CatholicMom.com!
Like many others, if what I’m seeing on social media is any indication, my husband and I began readingConsecration to St. Joseph: The Wonders of Our Spiritual Father by Donald H. Calloway. My husband is thoroughly enjoying this consecration, and I appreciate that it seems more accessible (read: easier to understand amidst distractions) than some of the other consecrations we’ve completed. We recommend it for developing a devotion to this great but often-overlooked saint during this year dedicated to him.
We’ve also been turning daily to Praying with Jesus and Faustina during Lent and Times of Suffering by Susan Tassone. Each day’s entry is short but filled with wisdom from St. Faustina that blends beautifully with the penitential lessons of Lent. I’ve learned so much about and from St. Faustina through Susan Tassone’s daily devotionals.
Star Wars Art: Ralph McQuarrie caught the eye of my Star Wars fan of a husband years ago. Look at the price tag, and you’ll see why it took a while for him to pull the trigger on this purchase. The set includes two large, hardcover books with full-color artwork that has inspired Star Wars in all of its incarnations. A great gift for the die-hard Star Wars fan in your life.
I’ve just begun reading Jennifer Rodewald’s next release, This Life (Murphy Brothers #4). This second-chance romance between a married couple is, I think, also a road-trip story. Nothing like putting characters on the brink of divorce in a confined space and seeing what happens! This couple, Jacob and Kate, have played minor roles in the other Murphy Brothers books, and they were not very likeable characters, so I’m enjoying how the author has broken their hearts open for the reader to see and for God’s hand to work in their lives.
Speaking of unlikeable characters, Sally Bradley had a couple of those to work with in Homestands, another second-chance romance. I picked this book from my virtual shelf as I was searching for more baseball-themed books. Mike is a major league ballplayer whose marriage to Meg ended badly. Both have behaved terribly to one another, but their son helps them open the door to forgiveness and reunion (though it’s a rocky path). There’s also an added element of suspense, which keeps the story progressing at a nice clip.
Laura Frantz writes lovely, sweeping historical novels, and the early colonial Jamestown setting of Tidewater Bride really appealed to me. Xander is a widowed tobacco farmer with close ties to the Powhatans, and Selah is the daughter of a merchant and a neighbor to Xander’s plantation. There is an element of mystery and suspense to the story, and the lush setting is wonderful. I’d hoped for a little more to the story, as it didn’t grip me near as much as Frantz’s other books, but it was still enjoyable.
While I contributed a short story (“Danke”) to the Catholic Teen Books Anthology Treasures: Visible & Invisible, I hadn’t read the stories, connected by a treasured object linked to Saint Patrick, from start to finish until I gave it a final proofread. How thrilled I was at how these stories, set over the span of more than a thousand years and in two continents, fit together so well. Timed for Saint Patrick’s Day, these stories in a variety of genres are suited to middle school-age readers on up.
My seventh grader readThe Story of Rolf and the Viking Bow by Allen French, which covered the same ground as some history she’d been studying. Rolf sets out on a quest to prove that his father’s death was unlawful. There are Christian values in the story though she says the story is accessible to anyone.
For Lent, she’s also picked up Lent: One Day at a Time for Catholic Teens by Katie Prejean McGrady & Tommy McGrady. Advent and Christmas: One Day at a Time for Catholic Teens by the same authors enriched the Advent season for her, so she was pleased to discover this book as well. It’s also introduced her to the convenience of ebooks since she can complete the short devotions, Scripture readings, and reflections conveniently on our iPad or my iPhone.
As a birthday gift from her cousin, she received Crochet Cute Critters: 26 Easy Amigurumi Patterns by Sarah Zimmerman and loves it! Amigurumi is a Japanese term for the art of crocheting or knitting stuffed toys. So far, she’s made a beloved zebra for her little brother and is eager to try a jellyfish next. (There is a critter pattern for each letter of the alphabet.)
My youngest daughter has begun reading one of her Christmas gifts: Saving Mount Rushmore by Andrea Jo Rodgers. She’s already enjoying this adventure, which includes historical intrigue that reminded me a bit of National Treasure. I like that she gets a little history lesson with the fun story.
Just about the whole family re-readFerdinand by Munro Leaf as one child was studying Spain, another child was looking to fill the “book-to-movie” category of his library BINGO card, and a third wanted to cross off the “nostalgia’ box for the same BINGO. This story of a peaceful bull who shuns bullfighting was a childhood favorite of mine. Can anyone tell me if the movie adaption is worth watching?
One of the kids was studying Asia and another is about to study China, so The Story About Ping by Marjorie Flack came home from the library with us. Ping, a duckling left behind on the Yangtzee River, separated from his family, is a delightful story I could read over and over again. I’d glossed over the illustrations of the cormorants fishing for fisherman in previous readings. I’d recently read about the traditional fishing method and was pleasantly surprised to see it depicted in the picture book.
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!
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Frankly, I’m not sure when baseball begins this year. It looks like my son may have a Little League season in 2021, which didn’t happen in 2020. Beyond that, I don’t know what’s on and what’s off anymore, but I do know that the advent of spring makes me long for baseball.
Here are some baseball books – some with a little baseball on the side, some with baseball as the main course. They range from Little League (All in Good Time) to high school sports (An Unexpected Role) to minor leagues (The Bird and the Bees) to major leagues (The Thirteenth Chance, Homestands).
The Haunting at Bonaventure Circus by Jaime Jo Wright
