an open book

An Open Book

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An Open Book CatholicMom

Welcome to the July 2016 edition of An Open Book, hosted both at My Scribbler’s Heart AND CatholicMom.com!

The Art of Work by Jeff GoinsAlmost from the time we began dating in 1993, my husband has been searching for his vocational niche. In the course of his off and on search/discernment of what he should be doing, he’s read a variety of books on the subject. This is one I bought for him last year. I opted to add the audiobook to the discounted ebook, and he’s been going back and forth between the two using Whispersync for Voice. You can see The Art of Work: A Proven Path for Discovering What You Were Meant to Do by Jeff Goins has some pretty impressive Amazon ratings: 4.7 with 566 reviews. As someone who floundered around until absolutely forced to declare a college major, I see the value in this type of book. According to Michael, in some cases it is about finding your life’s calling rather than merely a job. In other cases, it may have specific vocational applications.

No One Wants to Read Your Sh*t by Stephen PressfieldI have a virtual pile of promised reviews and beta reads ahead of me this month, but I’m squeaking in a quick writing-craft read: No One Wants to Read Your Sh*t: Why That Is And What You Can Do About It by Stephen Pressfield. As you may guess from the title, a language warning comes with this one. It’s an easy, engaging read, and I’m taking away some useful pointers on constructing a novel. The author’s The War of Art has been on my to-be-read list for a long time. I even checked it out of the library once, but didn’t get to it. Maybe later this summer.

Sunflowers in a Hurricane by Anne FayeOnce I zip through that book, it’s on to Sunflowers in a Hurricane by Anne Faye. I enjoyed The Rose Ring by the same author, and I’m looking forward to reading and reviewing this inspirational fiction as well. The flowers on the cover alone make me happy, especially since many of the sprouts from the seeds my daughter planted have been eaten by an unknown critter.

Unclaimed by Erin McCole CuppI’d be remiss if I didn’t mention a book I read this spring which releases TODAY: Unclaimed: The Memoirs of Jane E, Friendless Orphan by Erin McCole Cupp. Unclaimed is the first book in a series of three. It’s a sci-fi/steampunk retelling of the classic Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. Tonight is the Facebook Book Release Party at 7:30 EDT. I’ll be there! Please stop by and learn more about my friend Erin’s fabulous book. I’ll be posting more about it at My Scribbler’s Heart on next week. Here’s a snippet of my review: “Jane Eyre has long been a favorite of mine, and I enjoyed the first part of this retelling immensely. While appealing to the modern reader’s ear, it remains faithful to the truth of the original, even retaining the charm and tone of Bronte’s voice.”

The House of the Scorpion by Nancy FarmerFor his summer reading assignment, my teenager has chosen to read The House of the Scorpion by Jane Farmer. This is his first foray into dystopian fiction. He read huge chunks of the book on our recent trip across the state, engrossed enough to choose reading over watching a Star Wars LEGO program with the other kids. At least for a while. The book includes some bioethical issues, and we’ve already had some discussions about the morality of human cloning and destroying human embryos and fetuses for their parts.

Trixie Belden by Julie CampbellMy newest avid reader, my soon-to-be third grader, is still traveling through Narnia. She took a break, however, to read The Secret of the Mansion (Trixie Belden Book 1) by Julie Campbell. I had completely forgotten about the fictional Trixie Belden’s existence until I saw it mentioned on Reading Is My Superpower, my favorite book blog. I promptly requested it from the library with the hope my daughter would like it, and she did! She’s participating in the library’s Chewsy Reader summer program for children her age. Each week, they share lunch and discuss what they’re reading. She’s eager to take Trixie along next time. I recall liking young sleuth Trixie more than Nancy Drew, but it’s been so long now, it’s hard to remember. My daughter recommends it for both mystery lovers and horse lovers.

Fox in Socks by Dr. SeussI’ve been exercising my tongue by reading Fox in Socks by Dr. Seuss aloud to my littlest children. My youngest yanked it from the library bookshelf and added it to our stack, so home it came. I think  this must be good for my brain or my eye-tongue coordination or something. I certainly hope so, because this endless series of progressively more challenging tongue twisters is taxing on my weary, old, mom brain. I’m not a huge fan of Dr. Seuss, but this one I like quite well despite the torturous oral contortions it demands.

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An Open Book

/ CAstfalk / 6 Comments

An Open Book CatholicMom

Welcome to the June 2016 edition of An Open Book, hosted both at My Scribbler’s Heart AND CatholicMom.com!

Drinking with the Saints coverMy kids and I gave Drinking with the Saints: the Sinner’s Guide to Happy Hour by Michael P. Foley to my husband for Father’s Day last year (along with The Catholic Drinkie’s Guide to Home Brewed Evangelism, which I mentioned last month). This reference book is often open at our house, too. My husband and I were raised in suburban Pittsburgh in what could be called a shot-and-a-beer town. When our parents cleaned out their liquor cabinets, we inherited a few dusty bottles of vintage liquors that we didn’t know how to mix. In other words, we were completely ignorant of cocktails, mixing, and anything more sophisticated than a can of Iron City. Organized according to the church calendar, this fascinating book matches the feasts of the saints with an appropriate drink. For instance, to commemorate St. Norbert on June 6, drink a White Spider, which is made with vodka, white crème de menthe and light crème de cacao. Why? Because “One of St. Norbert’s symbols in Christian art is a spider. As the story has it, he was celebrating Mass when he noticed a venomous spider in the Precious Chalice but drank anyway rather than pour it out. He was miraculously preserved from harm.” This beautiful hardcover book, complete with detailed recipes and illustrations of the saints, makes a beautiful and thoughtful gift. It has introduced us to some delicious beers and cocktails, as well as some extraordinary legends. My husband often shares the stories behind the saints and the drinks with the whole family even if he is the only one enjoying a drink.

Rebecca coverWhen I was a child, my parents took me to a weekly series of classic movies, some of which were directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Among them was the haunting Rebecca (1940), which I loved. When I saw the Daphne du Maurier novel Rebecca available as a prize at our library’s summer reading program last year, I snagged it. I’ve just begun reading it, on the heels of a book hangover from Amy Harmon’s The Song of David. (Amy Harmon’s storytelling mesmerizes me.) Anyway, I’m looking forward to immersing myself in Rebecca, although my cover isn’t as modern and attractive as the one shown here.

Onion John coverWhen I was scouring the library last month for historical fiction for my seventh grader, one of the librarians recommended Onion John, a Newbery Medal-winning novel by Joseph Krumgood. Frankly, the Amazon reviews are mixed. My son, however, is enjoying it although he said it got off to a slow start. The description reads: “The story of a friendship between a 12-year-old boy and an immigrant handyman, almost wrecked by the good intentions of the townspeople.” A Newbery winner and no one could come up with a tad longer blurb? Not that it makes a difference, but my son is reading the 1959 hardcover copy with what now looks to be a hokey cover image. It’s interesting how the same novels are repackaged to suit the times (see Rebecca above).

Gus Was a Friendly Ghost coverI’ve done more middle-of-the-night parenting with my second-grade daughter than with any of my other children. She suffers from fleeting belly aches and headaches that sometimes require the comfort of mom at two a.m. I often read aloud to help distract her from her discomfort. Our go-to books for healing, for some reason, are the Berenstain Bears. Not able to locate those books, I turned to Gus. Our hardcover version of Gus Was A Friendly Ghost by Jane Thayer belonged to my husband, but the second I first removed it from a box his parents had given us, I knew it. I had the same book, which my own mother read to me again and again. Each glimpse at the orange and purple illustrations in this book is so sentimental to me that I’ve lost all objectivity. Simply put, it’s the story of a ghost who takes in a cranky mouse during the winter. Try it; you might like it!

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus coverAfter storytime at the library, my three-year-old selected Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems, a Caldecott Honor Book. (I prefer Mo Willems’ Knuffle Bunny books.) My little boy and his four-year-old sister love these pigeon books, which have grown on me over time. With simple text and equally simple illustrations, these books and the interaction they encourage seem to appeal to preschoolers.

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An Open Book

/ CAstfalk / 7 Comments

An Open Book

Before I dive into what’s being read in our household this month, I have some exciting news to share! Starting in May, An Open Book will be hosted at this site AND at CatholicMom.com! So, when  you add your link here, it will appear there as well. You may see a little CatholicMom logo added to the post and image, but everything will operate in the same way. Now, on to the books.

My husband is still slogging through the Star Wars novel he’s been reading. In addition, when he stopped by a local author festival I attended Saturday, he snagged a couple more Star Wars novels for cheap. Now that Disney owns Star Wars, apparently many books have fallen from the official canon and are now merely legends. Either which way, the books by Joe Schreiber that he picked up look more promising than what he’s currently reading.

No Lifeguard on DutyThis week, I’m reading A Black Horse Campground Mystery Book 2: No Lifeguard on Duty by Amy Bennett. I picked it up on the heels of Book 1, End of the Road. It seems unlikely I’ll be able to stop there. Two more books in the series await, and I’ve grown so attached to the characters, I may need to read straight through! Amy Bennett’s writing is crisp and polished, which makes it a pleasure to read. In addition to the central mystery, there’s a gently simmering love triangle involving campground owner  Corrie and two law enforcement officers: her former boyfriend Sheriff Rick Sutton and former narcotics agent J.D. Wilder. I don’t read mysteries often, but I find myself wondering why.

Game OverThe GiantMy seventh-grader also snagged one of Joe Schreiber’s books at the author festival. Game Over, Pete Watson reminded him of a couple series he’s enjoyed: the Origami Yoda and Jedi Academy series. He zipped through the book in a day. He’s also reading The Giant and How He Humbugged America by Jim Murphy. It tells the story of the Cardiff Giant, a 19th century hoax that became a big attraction. (Apparently, the apple does not fall far from the tree, since this is right up my crypto-lovin’ husband’s alley. )

The Third WheelThe second-grader in the household discovered her older brother’s Wimpy Kid books. She’s currently reading The Third Wheel (Diary of a Wimpy Kid Book 7) by Jeff Kinney. This from the kid who experienced inexplicable terror at the sight of the infamous playground cheese slice responsible for “the cheese touch.” Apparently, she’s over that.

Easter Bunny's Amazing DayMy preschoolers were pretty engrossed by the free book about animal pets that they got with their chicken nuggets at Chick-Fil-A last week. (God bless you, Chick-Fil-A, for giving kids books instead of more crappy toys.) Since it’s still Easter season, we’ve also been reading Easter stories at bedtime. The picture book Easter Bunny’s Amazing Day by Carol Benoist and Cathy Gilmore is the newest Easter book in our collection, and the kids are enjoying the simple story of a fearful rabbit who ends up as witness to the greatest miracle.

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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 FROM MY AUTHOR NEWSLETTER TO KEEP UP-TO-DATE ON NEW RELEASES, EXTRAS, AND HOT DEALS!

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