While fiction shines on this blog, front and center, nonfiction titles naturally dominate this list for self-improvement in 2020. No diet or exercise books here, just some books that are both easy to read and helpful in growing in one way or another without becoming another task to tick off of your list or adding a radical change to employ overnight.
If you’d like to read my full reviews, visit my Goodreads shelf.
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This month’s selections are the inspiring stories of saints! Saintly Rhymes for Modern Times is a rhyming book for children whose inclusion here as fiction is a stretch, but I love this book so much, I couldn’t resist! (And Saint Clare and Her Cat is more of a picture book.) Susan Peek is over-represented below, and yet I’ve not even included all of her books. So, if you’re looking for more saint stories for children and teens, visit Susan’s website.
Relevant Fiction Reviews: Novelizations of the lives of saints for children, teens & adults. #RelevantFictionReviews Share on X Continue reading
I’m linking up with Seven Quick Takes at This Ain’t the Lyceum for some thoughts about Christmas caroling.
The darkness descends early this time of year, and I confess to dreading leaving the house at any time after 5:00 p.m. But, caroling is traditionally a nighttime thing, so I braved the darkness twice in three days for two caroling events, one hosted by my daughters’ 4H Club and another by my son’s Cub Scout Pack. We visised an assisted living center and a nursing home.
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I’ve reached the point in the run-up to Christmas (otherwise known as Advent) in which my mind turns to baking. Memories of baking with my mother while sharing a couple of glasses of wine. Lists of teacher, bus drivers, and friends to whom we’ll give cookies. Parties for which we’re expected to bring treats.
I’ve got a bazillion recipes and a handful of favorites, but I’m looking for a well-loved Christmas treat that will stand the test of time.
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A blinding flash … then darkness.
Bria Ford and her three closest friends are stranded on a country highway in the middle of a November night.
No phones. No cars. No lights.
Helpless and hundreds of miles from home, Bria and her friends put their lives in the hands of the handsome Jonah Page and his flinty sister, East, strangers who somehow know the secrets of Bria’s past. Secrets that not even she knows, but that offer them all the hope of survival.
The Light is Book One in this fast-paced, character-driven, Christian series that will leave you wondering who would I become if the world fell away?
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My husband and I are going to be reading 33 Days to Morning Glory: A Do-It-Yourself Retreat in Preparation for Marian Consecration by Michael E. Gaitley together. I did St. Louis de Montfort’s Marian consecration years ago, but I’ve been lax about renewing it, mainly because I found his book tedious and boring. (There, I’ve said it. Take back my Catholic card.) This looks like more of a user-friendly book including not only the words of St. Louis de Montfort, but also St. Maximillian Kolbe, St. Teresa of Calcutta, and Pope St. John Paul II.
I love a good Christmas novella, and Julie Lessman has been adding them to her popular series of novels each year. This year, she released A Gift Like No Other: An O’Connor Christmas Novella, which features the original couple from her Daughters of Boston series, Faith and Collin. (A Passion Most Pure). This book pertains largely to marital intimacy, and though there are scenes of married couples in some pretty passionate embraces, there is no explicit or lurid content. I appreciate that in keeping with her tagline “passion with a purpose,” Julie Lessman refuses to gloss over sensitive issues such as sexuality, temptation, and chastity. (Maybe we have a little in common.) In a world that wants to keep God out of the bedroom at all costs, she introduces Him through characters who welcome Him into every aspect of their lives. I grew a little jealous of the circle of O’Connor family women, who frankly share their most personal problems and are surrounded with prayer and support. On the other hand, I wanted to shake Collin since as a Catholic, he’d do well to avail himself of sacramental confession. I guess that proves his character has become real to me!
Mind Games by Nancy Mehl was a relatively short audiobook that moved at a good clip. FBI profiler Kaely Quinn is paired with a new agent, Noah, to apprehend a serial killer who may have them both in his sights. Going by the killer’s creepy elephant poem, they must stay a step ahead of the killer. I’m happy to say the killer wasn’t whom I expected. The best twist didn’t come from the resolution of the murder mystery but from revelations about Kaely herself. I’m looking forward to listening to the next book in the series.
I’m halfway through Her Stand-in Cowboy by Crystal Walton, and it’s a light-hearted romance that makes me smile. Ainsley is a single mom trying to care for her infant and run a farm. To appease meddling family, she’s claimed Connor Allen is her cowboy/veterinarian boyfriend. Only he’s really her chiropractor from New York City. Add some stinky farm animals and southern charm, and you’ve got an enchanting story. And if you are or have been a nursing mom, there’s some extra humor in store for you!
My high school junior is reading The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane. This is his second go-round with this classic, having read it in middle school as well. He enjoyed this Civil War novel the first time. This is another classic that somehow never made it into my hands. So much to read and so little time!
My sixth-grade daughter has been enjoying a book she selected for completing the local library’s summer reading program. At the Battle of Yorktowne: An Interactive Battlefield Adventure by Eric Mark Braun is a choose-your-own-ending book, and I’ve had fun going through it as a French woman. You can be a French officer, a patriot woman, or a patriot slave as well. This girl loves the colonial era, so this was a perfect fit for her. She said it was a good book “because there were so many different ways to die!”
She’s also been reading Poetry for Young People: William Shakespeare to help fulfill her class reading goal that requires her to read in a variety of genres. While she’s not very familiar with poetry, she seems to be enjoying these poems and recognizing the origins of many popular phrases.
My second-grade daughter likes to keep about a half-dozen books going at once. I don’t get it, but at least she’s reading. In addition to the Puppy Place series she can’t get enough of, she’s reading Judy Moody Saves the World by Megan McDonald. This one is an environmentally-friendly themed story. I like to see her laughing at the illustrations, which are always such a treat in early chapter books.
At bedtime, she’s been bringing out her sister’s Mary Engelbreit’s Nutcracker by Mary Engelbreit, obviously. The beloved Christmas ballet is close to my heart, and I love seeing my kids enjoy this story! The illustrations are colorful and inviting, and it’s the perfect book to bring out year after year.
With The Mandalorian series being replayed frequently in our house, the Star Wars Character Encyclopedia: Updated and Expanded from DK Publishing has found its way out again. For Star Wars fans, this is a great reference for all of the unusual species spotted in cantinas and marketplaces. The book is from 2011 but still relevant, at least in our home, where Star Wars is timeless. I’m linking here to the most recent version, from 2019.
Junie B., First Grader: Boo . . . and I Mean It! by Barbara Park is the paperback my first grader is toting around the house. It’s such fun to see him reading “big books” now in addition to picture books. He likes all of the “scary secrets” in this book and was anxious to get to the candy corn part!
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.
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It’s that time of year when I start ramping up my Christmas reads, looking for both books for my children to enjoy and myself. Here are nine new recommendations, but please check the links below for others. After all, good Christmas books don’t expire, they can be enjoyed year after year!
