Eight years ago this month, I was powering through the early weeks of pregnancy nausea with my fifth pregnancy. At that point, I’d experienced two full-term pregnancies with two miscarriages sandwiched in between. I thought (hoped, maybe) that since my most recent pregnancy had ended after 41 weeks with a beautiful, healthy baby girl, that my miscarriages were behind me.
I was wrong. Continue reading
The Search for God and Guinness: A Biography of the Beer that Changed the World by Stephen Mansfield has been playing in my husband’s car, and I catch snippets of it at home while he’s shaving in the morning. More than a book about beer, this is a story beginning in 18th century Ireland and tracing the Guinness family’s faith and social responsibility. My husband has thoroughly enjoyed it.
Somewhat related, the other audiobook “open” here is A History of the World in 6 Glasses by Tom Standage. This book covers the Stone Age to the 21st century and examinees the creation of coffee, wine, tea, spirits, beer, and cola. It’s an interesting lens through which to view world history.
Crystal Walton has become one of my favorite clean/inspirational contemporary romance authors. I’m currently devouring the fourth book in her Home in You series. Chasing Someday is a friends to lovers story, and country boy Chase is the long-suffering friend who needs to convince Livy that there’s way more to their relationship than friendship. But first, she has to spill her secrets and overcome her past. (I’m halfway through and eager for Livy to get the message because Chase is a keeper – virtuous, patient, selfless, and charming.) I recommend the entire series.
I recently finished reading Leslie Wahl’s new mystery/adventure/romance Where You Lead. This is a fun, fast-paced story set in Washington, DC, in which teens Eve and Nick work to uncover lost gold treasure from the Civil War. (Nick is another super good guy – faith-filled and responsible – paired well with the lively Eve.) Tweens and teens will enjoy this fun novel.
In his trek through medieval literature, my son has moved on to The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer. He’d picked up a Penguin Classic copy of the book at a used bookstore on our summer vacation, and will now be reading it for his Humanities class. If you’re never read any of The Canterbury Tales, it is a group of diverse tales told by a group of pilgrims and includes romances, allegories, and farce.
My fifth grader was asking about First Friday Devotions, so I handed her Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque (and the Sacred Heart of Jesus) by Emily Marsh. She absolutely loved this illustrated chapter book and read it in a day! It’s an easy-to-read biography with a pronunciation guide, glossary, and prayers as well. I’m interested in doing an enthronement to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in our home, so I consider this my daughter’s primer.
Some nights, when we’re running late and I need to get the little kids in bed pronto, I choose a combination bedtime story/prayer. I have a couple of books that fit the bill, and my youngest daughter grabbed this one from the shelf a few nights ago. This Little Prayer of Mine by Anthony DeStefano and Mark Elliott is a simple, warmly illustrated prayer that teaches children to turn to God in all circumstances: fear, sadness, joy, thanksgiving, etc.
Secrets of the Rain Forest: A Shine-a-Light Book by Carron Brown is one of my kindergarten son’s favorite books! He loves turning out the lights and viewing the hidden rain forest creatures with a flashlight. Brightly illustrated and easy to read, this book makes a great gift as well. (You could even pair it with a flashlight!)
What are you reading? Share it at An Open Book and find new book recommendations too! #openbook Share on X
[inlinkz_linkup id=799749 mode=1]
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.
If you been following An Open Book or linking your reading posts, you’ll notice I’ve updated our images. They are fresh, crisp, and blend well with CatholicMom.com, which co-hosts the linkup!
An Open Book is a forum for you to share what you and/or your family has been reading. I include what every member of the family has been reading or listening to in my monthly post, but you can include only what YOU are reading, book reviews you’ve written, an Instagram post, a YouTube video, or whatever link-able content you’d like. Continue reading
Sixteen-year-old Eve Donahue’s lonely existence changes in an instant when visions of a mysterious stranger haunt her. Certain God is calling her for a mission, she bravely says yes and begins her quest to meet this young man.
Thousands of miles away, Nick Hammond has been dealing with his own unusual experience, an unwavering certainness to convince his father to run for political office.
When these two unlikely teens finally meet, their belief that God has called them to work together sets them on a journey of faith to untangle a web of deception involving international trade agreements, lost confederate gold, and a blossoming romance. As they follow century old clues, they realize God can call us all in big and small ways. We just need to listen and say “Yes Lord, I will go where You lead.” Continue reading
The Scarlet Pimpernel by Emmuska Orczy
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
While I was familiar with the book’s title, I had absolutely no idea what to expect from The Scarlet Pimpernel. I found the first few chapters slow, but once the narrative concentrated on Sir Percy and Lady Marguerite, I was hooked.
The Scarlet Pimpernel’s daring and courageous rescue of French aristocrats during the French Revolution made for exciting adventure. Coupled with the self-discovery made by the Blakeneys, I thoroughly enjoyed the tale. Their eventual humiliation (in the true sense of being humbled) and sacrifice for one another made for a satisfying ending.
Probably the most fun I’ve had with a classic! Continue reading
By most standards, my mother didn’t accomplish anything noteworthy in her 91 years.
She came from a Depression-era household, a row home filled by her parents and 10 siblings. They spoke one language.
She didn’t finish high school.
Once she had her first child at age 28, she was never employed again.
My mother was married only once, for 50 years. She bore four children, and buried one.
Ten miles was about the limit of how far she’d drive from her home. I don’t recall her ever driving in the city. The farthest west she traveled was Illinois, and she never left the lower 48 states.
She never posted a single thing on social media. In fact, she never owned a cell phone or used a computer.
Her home was decorated simply; the only wall decorations I recall are a crucifix and a mirror. At Christmas, we added matching Styrofoam Santa heads and a beer can wreath. At least until Home Interiors and Gifts found her in the 1980s.
Over a few days greeting her friends and family at the funeral home this summer, her legacy become clear:
She baked. Continue reading
My husband and I have been trying to get a BINGO (or two or three) to complete our local library’s summer reading program. We are both ending with a mystery. He chose to listen to The Man Who Knew Too Much by G.K. Chesterton. (I’ll be reading The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle). He’s been listening to the series of short detective stories in the car. While he’s enjoying them, the narrator’s British accent is requiring more concentration than he’s able to muster while driving. He might do better with an American narrator or a book.
I am thoroughly enjoying the second book in the Flowers of Eden series by Myra Johnson. Castles in the Clouds is set in drought-ridden Arkansas during the Great Depression. A sweet romance blooms between a reticent young woman studying to be a teacher and a nearly blind missionary who has returned to the United States from Kenya.
I thoroughly enjoyed this simple yet instructive new book by Lindsay Schlegel: Don’t Forget to Say Thank You: And Other Parenting Lessons That Brought Me Closer to God. With lessons built around the phrases we parents often repeat to our children, this personal, reflective book is a great way for moms to re-focus on their vocation and their faith life as we embark on a new season. (Read along with the Don’t Forget to Say Thank You Book Club at Catholicmom.com!)
I thought I was doing my son a favor by picking up a graphic novel for him to read in order to complete his library summer challenge. But I’m the one that ended up reading it! I’d heard good things about Dean Koontz’s Frankenstein books, so I thought we’d give the comic book treatment a try. In the Introduction to Frankenstein: Prodigal Son, Koontz writes, “We live in a hubristic age, when politicians imagine themselves to be messiahs and when many in the sciences frankly discuss their dreams of creating a ‘post-human’ civilization of genetically engineered supermen, ignorant of the fact that like minds have often come before them and have left no legacy but death, destruction, and despair.” (Take note: This likely marks the first and last time you’ll see a bare-chested man cover in An Open Book.)
The kids each got to choose a book to keep upon completing the summer reading program, and my teenager grabbed Newbery Medal winner The Westing Game, by Ellen Raskin. I’m only familiar with this book because I know A. J. Cattapan’s 7 Riddles to Nowhere operates on a similar premise. In both books, a wealthy man has chosen a virtual stranger to inherit his fortune – provided he can solve a challenge.
Having discovered the inter-library loan program, my fifth grader has jumped back into the Childhood of Famous Americans series. She most recently read Abraham Lincoln: The Great Emancipator by Augusta Stevenson. Although she was disappointed that the book didn’t extend to his assassination, she enjoyed the book. (Most of the biographies extend into the subject’s adulthood.) So far, she’s only set aside one book in the entire series: a biography of Jim Henson, and that was because of the writing.
I’ve been reading Grandmama’s Pride by Becky Birtha and Colin Bootman to my little children. (It will be featured in this month’s Sabbath Rest Book Talk.) This picture book that does what fiction does best: puts you into the shoes of someone different. A different time. A different place. A different race. The book follows Sarah Marie’s 1956 summer trip from Pennsylvania to the South to visit her grandmother. While there, she experiences racial segregation for the first time (although her grandmother does a great job of operating as if the discrimination is irrelevant.)
My five-year-old picked out a simple, brightly illustrated easy reader for his free book from the library. Monster Munchies by Laura Numeroff and Nate Evans is the kind of book that holds only passing interest for me but which the little kids love. It’s ideal for young learners in its simplicity, emphasizing both rhyming words and counting, all couched in a context that leaves the kids giggling at its silliness.
What are you reading? Share it at An Open Book and find new book recommendations too! #openbook Share on X
[inlinkz_linkup id=795894 mode=1]
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 the temperatures cool and the days shorten, the prospect of cozying up with a good book is more and more appealing. (That is, if you need an excuse to enjoy a good book.)
The back-to-school season is marked by new routines and new ventures, and if you’re looking to read more books or make new friends, a book club may be just what you’re looking for.
You may be able to find an active group at your local library, church, or by asking friends. If you have no luck with in-person groups, search for some online options on Goodreads or Facebook. Continue reading