Relevant Fiction Reviews: Best YA Books of 2016

12/19/201612/26/2016 / CAstfalk / 2 Comments

Relevant Fiction Reviews

As 2016 comes to a close, I’ve collected reviews of the best Young Adult (YA) fiction I’ve read over the past year. Some of these titles are Christian fiction, some secular, but all are “clean” and appropriate for teens. (And for the enjoyment of old fogeys like me too.)

I did not include The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer here only because that series isn’t in need of more visibility. It’s an excellent series that fans of Star Wars or classic fairy tales will particularly enjoy. Fast-paced and tightly-written, there’s enough adventure, humor, scifi, and romance to please almost any reader.

At the end of this post, you’ll find some other YA favorites of 2016, including other books written by the authors featured below. (I stuck with one book featured per author.)

If you’re looking for more great books for teens, sign up for the B4CT (Books for Catholic Teens) newsletter! Continue reading →

An Open Book

12/07/201612/26/2016 / CAstfalk / Leave a comment

An Open Book CatholicMom

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

Now that December has arrived, the days are shorter and, at least it seems, busier! Despite the Christmas preparations, I love spending some extra minutes reading this time of year. Not much better than a good book, a warm blanket, and a hot cup of herbal tea. I’ll spare you my envy of a roaring fireplace and simply be grateful for a warm house on a cold night.

My husband’s between books, so I had to consult his to-be-read pile, and find out what he’d be reading next. Not sure if he’s trying to score brownie points, but he said he wants to read my book, Ornamental Graces, next. ‘Tis the season for Christmas romance and all. He’s also eager to read a book he bought from the rack in the narthex of our church: Love-Powered Parenting by Tom and Chaundel Holladay. It centers around six parenting principles: priorities, love, words, discipline and compassion, serving, and unselfishness. I don’t know precisely why my husband picked this up, but what family couldn’t use more love and unselfishness? Especially with us old, tired parents at the helm.

Sandwiched between books three and four of The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer (Cress and Winter), I snuck in two short Christmas reads. The first is 12 Days of Snowman by Sarah Monzon. I’ve yet to read her novels, which are in my to-be-read pile, but this short was enough to solidify their place there. Like one of those puffy, red- and white-striped Christmas peppermints, this story is short and sweet. It’ll dissolve quickly because at this length there’s not a whole lot of substance, but sometimes that’s what this busy Advent season requires. I followed that with Melissa Tagg’s One Enchanted Eve, which is the second in a series of Christmas romance novellas. I enjoyed One Enchanted Christmas last year, and this year’s installment didn’t disappoint. Hero Colin Renwycke is a simply a fun character, and I enjoyed revisiting his family’s Iowa farm and following his story as he grows into the man he wants to be, falling in love with uptight culinary instructor/recipe stickler Rylan. I’m already looking forward to the third book in this series, which I expect will be available this time next year.

My eighth grader’s class is reading Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol together. How sad is it that I’ve never read that? Even though my husband bought me a lovely hardbound collection of Charles Dickens’ Stories for Christmas to read aloud to the children years ago. Maybe I need to pull that book off of the shelf. My son’s also reading a DK biography of Thomas Edison by Jan Adkins.I also just picked up Michael Vey 6: Fall of Hades by Richard Paul Evans from our local library, and I’m sure he’s going to tear through that in no time.

I’m so happy to be digging out our Laura Ingalls Wilder books from the attic. My eight-year-old started reading Little House in the Big Woods after Thanksgiving. Best conversation starter in that book: how pig bladders apparently make good balloon-like toys! My daughter seems fixated on the fact that baby Carrie doesn’t have a larger part in the story and would Ma just do something with that little girl. At least her preoccupation doesn’t seem to be diminishing her enjoyment.

I’m having a hard time pulling the littlest ones away from the Skippyjon Jones books. After we met the author, Judy Schachner, at our library last month, we’ve been reading Snow What nonstop. I don’t mind. It’s a fun read aloud, and the author event was quite nice. With the advent of Advent, I was able to persuade them to read The Elf on the Shelf by Carol V. Aebersold and Chanda A. Bell a few nights to help them remember the “rules” to our elf game. (By the way, the Q&A on this product is hilarious.)

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Top 10 Tuesday: Reasons You Should Read Intermission NOW

11/15/201611/21/2016 / CAstfalk / 2 Comments

Serena Chase’s contemporary Young Adult inspirational romance novel Intermission releases today on Kindle. This book quickly became one of my favorite novels of the year!

Sixteen-year-old Faith Prescott eagerly awaits the day she will exchange her small Iowa hometown for the bright lights of Broadway, but her success-driven parents want her to pursue a more practical career, labeling “artsy” people—including their daughter—as foolish dreamers worthy of little more than disdain.

When Faith meets nineteen-year-old Noah Spencer she discovers someone who understands her musical theatre dreams . . . because he shares them.

Continue reading →

Relevant Fiction Reviews: Pastor’s Kids

10/17/201610/22/2016 / CAstfalk / 4 Comments

Relevant Fiction Reviews

As a lifelong Catholic raised by lifelong Catholics, pastors’ families are something I have little familiarity with. Latin-rite Catholic priests with families are very few and far between. (But, yes, they do exist!) My inexperience did not diminish my enjoyment of these novels. Whether part of a pastor’s family or not, we all understand expectations, superficiality, and hypocrisy learned in myriad ways both inside of church and out.

It’s interesting to see how the themes and observations in these three books overlap despite three very different and distinct author voices. Continue reading →

An Open Book

10/05/201610/04/2016 / CAstfalk / 4 Comments

An Open Book CatholicMom

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

I’m re-reading a book I’ve read at least half a dozen times. It’s one of mine, and it’s due out in less than a week! At present, it’s pushed everything else off the table as I scour the proof for any lingering typos. Ornamental Graces is a contemporary inspirational Christmas romance set in Pittsburgh, PA. Dan, still dealing with the fallout from a failed relationship, is selling Christmas trees at a roadside lot when he first meets Emily, a schoolteacher with a thing for France who can’t seem to discover what God’s will for her life is. Despite a nudge from his matchmaking grandma, Dan can’t escape his past and make things work with Emily, who keeps ending up back in her brother and sister-in-law’s basement with a passel of nieces and nephews on her lap and at her heels. I think it’s a pretty good story, but then again, it came from my imagination. Despite the fact it spans three Christmas seasons, it can be enjoyed year round. It releases October 11.

As soon as Ornamental Graces is ready for prime time, I have two more October releases to read. The first is Nameless by Erin McCole Cupp. This is Book 2 in The Memoirs of Jane_E, Friendless Orphan. (I wrote about Book 1, Unclaimed in July.) I’m anxious to pick up where I left off as Jane assumes her duties for a mysterious employer. Jane Eyre is among my very favorite classics, and I’m thoroughly enjoying the author’s creative cyberpunk re-imagining. It releases October 8.

A Walk in Her Sandals, edited by Kelly Wahlquist and written by twelve Catholic women writers (including a favorite of mine, Stephanie Landsem) sounds like an intriguing mixture of fiction and nonfiction designed to draw the reader to the heart of Christ’s Passion. From the description: “Looking at six universal gifts of women through the eyes of women in the gospels, the book guides you on a prayerful and creative journey through the days of Holy Week, Easter, and Pentecost.” It releases October 10.

My teenager is reading The Giver by Lois Lowry, a 1994 Newbery Medal winner, with his eighth grade class. Within a day of his mentioning this book to me last month, I saw it turn up in one of the posts linked to the September An Open Book! The class isn’t too far along because they typically read it aloud together. (Not being allowed to read ahead would probably drive me nuts!) So far, my son says it’s suspenseful.

My daughter is STILL reading Trixie Belden. She’s on Book 3 now. In between, I caught her re-reading Fancy Nancy: Nancy Clancy, Secret Admirer by Jane O’Connor. This is the second book in a series of chapter books featuring Fancy Nancy from the picture books of the same name. This one is a Valentine’s Day mystery.

Finally, these are the books my little ones are asking for night after night. One of them pulled the books from the Halloween shelf at the library. The first is a favorite of mine that I’ve read to each of my children. The poetic verse and beautiful illustrations in Scary, Scary Halloween written by Eve Bunting and illustrated by Jan Brett have made it somewhat of a Halloween tradition for us. It’s a simple story written from the clever perspective of the cats beneath the porch on trick-or-treat night.

I’m less thrilled with A Woggle of Witches by Adrienne Adams. Unlike Frankenstein monsters, werewolves, or vampires, I’m always a bit uncomfortable reading about witches with the kids. Witches are real. I know because I’ve seen their bumper stickers. These witches, however, are of the typical pointy-hatted, bat-stew eating variety. The four- and five-year-old both enjoy the simple story and illustrations which, like Scary, Scary Halloween, involve hiding from trick-or-treaters.

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An Open Book

09/07/201609/12/2016 / CAstfalk / 3 Comments

An Open Book CatholicMom

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

My husband has been subjecting us to The Fellowship of the Ring audiobook by J.R.R. Tolkien. While my two older kids seem to enjoy the story in limited doses, I say “subjected” because it’s been the soundtrack of his choice for our recent travels. The little kids get bored. The big kids are okay with it if there’s not something else they’d rather be doing, and I must repeatedly slap my husband’s thigh while he’s driving and insist he open his eyes. That’s not to say this production isn’t well done. It seems to be. I think the particular times at which it’s being introduced to us is the biggest problem. For myself, I sincerely wish I enjoyed Tolkien more than I do. But, hey, I loved the Lord of the Rings movies!

I’m slowly making my way through Scarlet by Marissa Meyer. I zipped through the first book in the Lunar Chronicles (Cinder) quickly, but have slowed on this one. It’s not grabbing me right off that bat, but more to the point, I’ve had too many other obligations pulling me away from reading. I will return to it soon!

I’ve also been reading The Catholic Mom’s Prayer Companion, edited by Lisa Hendey and Sarah Reinhard, in order to review it. This is the one and only book I’ve reviewed without completing it, but, honestly, to read this book straight through seems to defeat its purpose, which is to provide short and simple daily meditations. So, I read a couple of months to inform myself of the quality, but I’m going to finish it day by day. And I’m going to be handing out a lot of these to Catholic moms at Christmas!

My son has been reading Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. Interestingly, he borrowed a paperback copy from the library even though we have it on Kindle. These kids and their paper books. Go figure. I read the book for the first time about a decade ago after pulling it off of the shelf at the beach house in which we were staying in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. I’d always wanted to read it, and enjoying it so close to where real pirates sailed made it that much better!

My boy’s also reading Roland West, Loner by my friend Theresa Linden. The book was one of our Christmas gifts to him, and I’m happy to see him reading something I enjoyed so much. I love that he asks me questions about the characters and other books in the series as if I have the inside scoop.

My daughter is STILL reading Trixie Belden, so no news to report there.

We did a little bit (very little bit) of cleanup, and shifted some boxes of books that were in my son’s bedroom. They are temporary storage for some of our favorite picture books. The littlest of our kids have no memory of these books, so they were excited to discover them. All of our children have loved Honeybee’s Busy Day by Richard Fowler. That little bee on the front cover is made of durable cardboard. Slip her out of her plastic pouch and take her through each page’s adventures by sliding her through the slots. There’s so much excitement over this book in our house that I have to strictly enforce taking turns. I’ve noticed that the author has a similar book, A Squirrel’s Tale, which is available at the gift shop in Shenandoah National Park, where we recently visited. I’m tempted to give that one a try too.

The kids have also been enjoying one of my childhood favorites, The Story of Little Black Sambo by Helen Bannerman. I barely recall the controversy over this book when I was young. It didn’t dim my love for the story, and I’m happy to see that all of my children love it as much as I do. Something about those tigers zipping around the tree so quickly they turn to ghi is simply magical! I haven’t revisited the hullaballoo over this book, but to say that the text is racist seems absurd to me. The characters are bright and industrious and in any case, they are not even African or African-American. They are Indian. With its tiger sounds and repeated dialogue between Sambo and the tigers, it’s a delightful story perfect for reading aloud.

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Relevant Fiction Reviews: Classics I

08/15/201608/19/2016 / CAstfalk / Leave a comment

Relevant Fiction Reviews

I enjoy reading books by contemporary authors, but now and then I like to pick up a classic. There are so, so many I haven’t read. These are three I had been meaning to read for a while. Interestingly, at the crux of each of these vastly different novels is the sin of adultery. And in each case, its ramifications are played out.

O Pioneers! by Willa Cather
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The depth and grandeur of O Pioneers! didn’t catch up with me until the end. I’d read My Antonia in college and Death Comes for the Archbishop a decade ago, and loved both. O Pioneers! only confirmed my appreciation for Cather’s writing.

I was struck again by the beauty of her prose and imagery. Continue reading →

An Open Book

08/03/201609/12/2016 / CAstfalk / 6 Comments

An Open Book CatholicMom

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

I was oblivious to the existence of Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery until fairly recently. After reading so many beloved remarks about the irrepressible Anne Shirley and learning of some other readers coming to meet Anne well into adulthood, I decided I should read it, too. I grabbed a Focus on the Family radio Radio Theater adaption from our library and listened to it with my children as we ran errands over a week or so. The thirteen-year-old reacted with a certain amount of cynicism, but he was also typically the first child to ask “Can we listen to Anne of Green Gables?” when we got into the minivan. He and my eight-year-old daughter enjoyed it most. I liked it as well, although I think it would’ve made a greater impression had I read it as a young girl. Anne’s spirit and the simple, small-town tales are hard to resist.

Novellas are a mixed bag in my mind. Because of their length, they sometimes feel rushed, particularly where romance is concerned. When I find a well-written one, however, it’s a sweet indulgence. I love zipping through a story in a matter of hours. I always enjoy Becky Wade’s contemporary inspirational romances, so I know I’ll enjoy Love in the Details. More than halfway in, I’m missing some of the smart banter and interplay I’m accustomed to in her Porter Family Series, but the writing is still good, and I’m withholding final judgment until the end. She’s set her own bar so high in my estimation, she’s made it hard to meet her own standard.

When we visited the Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh last month, my son discovered this book in the gift shop. Because his spending money for souvenirs was limited, he bought the book later from Amazon at a reduced price. I guess watching his dad brew beer has inspired him. So far he’s brewed only a batch of ginger beer, which was fresh and delicious! I think some of the root beers and a lemon-lime soda caught his eye first, but, sweet kid that he is, he chose the ginger beer since he thought it might help relieve the severe sore throat I had at the time. Here’s a review in his own words:

“Homemade Root Beer, Soda, and Pop by Stephen Cresswell is a great book for people just beginning to make their own soda. It includes many helpful tips and alternatives to certain equipment. It also gives helpful advice on the process of making the soda and gives tips about choosing your bottles. After you do the basic recipes (root beer and ginger ale) there are many other recipes you can try. If you are tired of the recipes in the book then read a chapter with guidelines and advice for making your own recipes. I recommend this book to anyone interested in making their own sodas; I think that most kids should be able to do it, although some may need adult supervision.”

During a recent trip to Pittsburgh for a family funeral, my teenager read National Geographic Treasury of Norse Mythology by Donna Jo Napoli. This is something I know NOTHING of. It’s a beautifully illustrated book, and he read through it quickly. His verdict: “Norse mythology is depressing.” That didn’t stop him from retelling various odd myths, including the Norse creation myth, to his younger siblings.

My eight-year-old is still working her way thought the collection of Narnia books and progressing in the Trixie Belden series with #2, The Red Trailer Mystery by Julie Campbell. The littlest kids have been enjoying the Humbug Witch by Lorna Balian. My crazy three-year-old plucked it from the library shelf despite the fact it’s a Halloween book. Come to think of it, maybe that’s why he’s started asking about trick-or-treat and costumes. I’m not big on witches in general, but this little story of dress-up is cute and innocent enough.

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Carolyn Astfalk, Author

Relevant Fiction for Body & Soul

book review

Relevant Fiction Reviews: Best YA Books of 2016

An Open Book

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

Top 10 Tuesday: Reasons You Should Read Intermission NOW

When Faith meets nineteen-year-old Noah Spencer she discovers someone who understands her musical theatre dreams . . . because he shares them.

Relevant Fiction Reviews: Pastor’s Kids

An Open Book

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

An Open Book

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

Relevant Fiction Reviews: Classics I

An Open Book

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