Welcome to the October 2022 edition of An Open Book, hosted both at My Scribbler’s Heart and CatholicMom.com!

A cozy mystery. A fantastical dragon story. A comedy. Theologically-sound Catholic fiction. Murder Most Picante by Karina Fabian is all of these and more. I’m thoroughly enjoying the author’s humor delivered via Vern the Dragon’s first-person account of his trials in the world of the Mundane. (That’s where we live.) Smart, short, and entertaining. Now I know what all the fuss about Vern is for!

I’m a couple of chapters into Encountering Signs of Faith: My Unexpected Journey with Sacramentals, Saints, and the Abundant Grace of God by Allison Gingras. It’s a cohesive blend of the author’s experience adopting a profoundly deaf daughter from China, the Church’s sacramentals, and the saints. It starts with probably my favorite sacramental: the Miraculous Medal. I’m looking forward to learning more about some sacramentals I may be less familiar with.

Since I received a copy of Father Peyton’s Rosary Prayer Book: The Family the Prays Together Stays Together by Patrick Peyton, I’ve been taking it to weekly Eucharistic Adoration, when I have time to concentrate on the Rosary. Don’t get me wrong—I’m distracted at Adoration too, but possibly less so than in other places as I’m not rushed. This book fits so nicely in my hands, and with its short reflections, slows me down and helps keep me on track. I highlight lines that I want to contemplate and spend some minutes mulling over or return to later.

My husband has been reading The Lord of the Rings and the Eucharist by Scott L. Smith. As you’d likely guess from the title, the author examines author J.R.R. Tolkein’s devotion to the Eucharist and its significance in his novels, particularly the Lord of the Rings series. I don’t think my husband’s very far into the book, so it’s hard to say how this book fares in comparison to others that address Tolkein’s Catholicism as woven throughout his work.

My oldest son has been reading The Two Towers, also by J.R.R. Tolkein. I think the anticipation of Amazon’s Rings of Power series spurred his interest in reading the book after he’d listened to the first book of the trilogy, The Fellowship of the Ring, on audiobook. He’s enjoyed the books much more than Amazon’s LOTR-inspired series, The Rings of Power. While it’s visually appealing, he’s not enjoyed the TV series. (I asked why he keeps watching, and he says it’s like a train wreck. He can’t look away.)

I last mentioned Inherit the Wind: The Powerful Drama of the Greatest Courtroom Clash of the Century by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee in 2017, when my oldest son read it. My daughter is now reading it for her Humanities class, which blends perfectly with her history studies. Some of her friends are also cast in the school’s fall production of the play, so she’ll truly be able to appreciate this story and its context. The play is based on the 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial regarding a teacher accused of teaching the theory of evolution.

In addition to reading some books I’ve already shared here as her older siblings read them, my fifth-grade daughter is reading I Survived the Great Molasses Flood, 1919 by Lauren Tarshis. I don’t know how I made it to my forties without hearing of this disaster, but I’ve been absolutely fascinated by it since. (If you know a good book for adults on the subject, please share!) If you’re unfamiliar, the flood occurred in Boston when 2.4 million gallons of molasses rushed through the streets. Twenty-one people died and 150 suffered injuries. Weird, wild stuff.

Ascension Press publishes many sturdy, colorful, useable books for young Catholic children. My Catholic Picture Bible Stories by Jan Godfrey and Angela Jolliffe includes one- to two-page Bible stories with big, bright illustrations to capture the attention of the littlest kids. They’re organized and color-coded according to Ascension’s Great Adventure Bible timeline. It can serve as a great introduction to the best-known stories and characters of the Bible from both the Old and New Testaments.

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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Welcome to the August 2022 edition of An Open Book, hosted both at My Scribbler’s Heart and CatholicMom.com!

Somehow, I squeezed in a lot of reading in the past month. Maybe it was vacation. Maybe it was a string of good books. I even have a few books in progress that I’ll hold until next month. Let’s get to it!

Karen Witemeyer’s Christian historical romances are incredibly consistent in quality, but I particularly enjoyed In Honor’s Defense. It’s last in a series but can stand alone. I appreciated that the connection between a hardened, lonely cowboy/vigilante and an overlooked, citified woman was based on a connection more than skin deep. Damaris provides the compassion, tenderness, and stability that Luke has never had. He provides the affection and attention she’s never received. The story has plenty of action and a little mystery as they work to uncover who wants to take the land left to Damaris’s orphaned nephew by any means necessary.

Love and the Dream Come True by Tammy L. Gray is also last (I think!) in a series. I’m a third of the way through the novel focused on a character who’s had his share of time “on screen” in the first two books in the series. In both books, Cameron, an aspiring musician, has been dumped, to put it bluntly. The second instance left him bereft of the love of his life and his friends/bandmates. Now he’s reached stardom, but he’s as lonely and anxiety ridden as ever. Enter his sister’s friend, Lexie, who’s had a crush on him since they were young and has perpetuated an imaginary relationship with him for more than a decade while raising her sister’s daughter. Cameron still has a way to go to make me like him, so I’m eager to see how this turns out. 

I did a little Christmas in July reading with Crystal Walton’s Merrying the Cowboy. If you like Hallmark Christmas movies, you’ll enjoy this one. It follows the format closely with the career-oriented city woman returning to the small town to help her ailing mother. While there, she can’t escape painful losses or her old boyfriend, a cowboy with some regrets where she’s concerned. The story flows smoothly and easily.

Yet another third in the series is Denise Hunter’s Harvest Moon. It didn’t hurt that this series, set in a North Carolina Appalachian Trail town ushered in my hiking/camping vacation that included some Appalachian Trail hikes. Mulberry Hollow addresses some serious grief and unresolved issues between a divorced couple left with (temporary) custody of their friends’ young daughter. From book one, the reader knows that Laurel and Gavin buried their own young son, and Denise Hunter does a great job of drawing out the tension surrounding that loss until well into this third book. Like Karen Witemeyer, I find Denise Hunter’s writing very consistent.

Mulberry Hollow  immediately precedes Harvest Moon. It’s probably my favorite of the three books as it’s the most trail-oriented. Wes is hiking part of the Appalachian Trail for a fallen friend. He gets sick and ends up on the door of the local town’s health clinic where Avery, the town doctor, nurses him back to health. He can’t pay her, so he remodels a small guest property that Avery hopes will help lure another doctor to her practice to lighten her load. As you might guess, they’re attracted to one another, but Wes has promised to head north to the sister of his fallen friend, and Avery has committed herself to being single due to the possibility of a hereditary health condition. Don’t worry. It all works out.

Jocelyn by Sarah Monzon is another rom-com in the Sewing in So Cal series. I think I liked the first book, Molly, better, but this one is much like the first in tone and mood. These are relatively short, light reads that I’ve found refreshing. This one has a little of the cowboy/ranch hand thing going for it in a contemporary setting and is set apart by featuring a Black couple, which I don’t see a whole lot in Christian romance.

I did read more than romance in July, and here’s evidence. Child, Unwanted by Corinna Turner is the next in her Friends in High Places series. Daniel, the main character of the first book in the series is featured prominently in this story of a young boy, Miracle, scarred from birth by a failed abortion, who lands in foster care and then suffers a near-fatal accident. He’s got a lot to suffer. Daniel is there as a companion and so is St. Margaret of Castello. I knew very little about this recently canonized saint who suffered both physically and emotionally her entire life. As an aside, Corinna Turner is the only author I know who can confine her protagonist to a hospital bed in a single room and still make the story engrossing. (This isn’t the first time she’s done it.)

In the Shadows of Freedom by C. & C. Spellman is the first book in a dystopian series. In it, the United States is governed by what I’d call a totalitarian libertarianism, odd as that sounds. The story of a disaffected young woman, Amanda, includes supernatural elements and an exploration of freedom versus licentiousness. Amanda cultivates troublesome relationships that promote drug experimentation and draw her further from the faith of her childhood. 

While on vacation, my college-age son picked up a small book about the lives of the mountain families whose homes were taken by eminent domain to establish Shenandoah National Park. Shenandoah Heritage: The Story of the People Before the Park by Carolyn Reeder and Jack Reeder features stories of families and individuals who resisted leaving their homes. Many of the residents were stereotyped as uneducated and lazy and became part of a campaign to relocate residents against their will, for their own good, of course. It was terribly unjust.

The Scourging Angel: The Black Death in the British Isles by Benedict Gummer was snagged at a library sale and has sat on our shelf for a while. My son picked it up and dug in. It includes information on the plague itself with a focus on Britain and how it was affected by the disease and related upheaval. I imagine this is more interesting reading having lived through the last couple of years.

Based on a recommendation from an An Open Book post last month, I requested The Beatryce Prophecy by Kate DiCamillo from the local library. My almost fifth-grade daughter has enjoyed many of Kate DiCamillo’s books, and she enjoyed reading this one at our campsite on vacation. This illustrated story set in medieval times traces the journey of Beatryce, who is nursed to health by a monk. There’s a prophecy about Beatryce, and the king is after her. 

The same daughter is reading Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder, the second book in the beloved series. Interestingly, I heard her spouting facts she’d learned from this and the first book while we were hiking. She’s picking up on natural history and pioneer survival skills. This book involves the Ingalls family traveling by covered wagon to Kansas territory.

My youngest son picked Splatoon Vol. 10 by Sankichi Hinodeya from the library. I don’t have much to say about these books, which are comic book adaptions of the video game. You defeat enemies by spraying them with paint. The interesting thing to me about these books is that they are read from back to front as one would do in Japan.

If you’re looking for readable Bible stories for children, Catholic Bible Chronicles: 70 Bible Stories from Adam to the Apostles may fit the bill. The stories, adapted by Amy Welborn for Ascension Kids, are illustrated with a single picture and include a reference to the relevant Bible chapters. Stories are organized according to Ascension’s The Bible Timeline, which orders books according to Salvation History. It’s a large, sturdy hardback that can survive heavy use by many little hands.

An Ark Full of Animals by Renita Boyle is a colorful picture book adaption of the story of Noah’s Ark that works best as a read aloud with rhyming, alliteration, and fun, descriptive language. The book is sturdy and visually appealing, something I’ve come to recognize as a quality of books from Ascension Kids.

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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Welcome to the June 2022 edition of An Open Book, hosted both at My Scribbler’s Heart and CatholicMom.com!

John Eyre: A Tale of Darkness and Shadow by Mimi Matthews is an intriguing gender-swap take on the Charlotte Bronte classic, Jane Eyre. John Eyre, a teacher leaving behind a past marred by the death of his friend Helen, arrives to instruct Mrs. Bertha Rochester’s wards at Thornfield Hall. He’s instrumental in restoring the boys’ health from a weakened state, though they do not speak. Mrs. Rochester’s husband, whom we meet in letters Mrs. Rochester exchanged with her friend Miss Ingram, is not so much ill as, well, I don’t want to spoil it for you. Let’s say his malady is not a mental illness but a literary-style curse. While the twists the author introduces are interesting, the book is missing the chemistry of Matthews’ other novels and even of the original classic. I also think the switch in the main characters’ genders weakens their roles, but I’m less than two-thirds of the way through the book, and I may still be swayed. It’s not at all a bad book; as a reboot, it invites comparison.

The third installment of Georgiana Daniels’ KC Crumb Mystery, A Crumby Way to Die, brings KC’s man-bun wearing ex-boyfriend James into the plot as KC and her eccentric pals work to solve another case. There’s been a shish kebab stabbing at the bed and breakfast, and KC and her two canine pals are back to sleuthing. James’ presence has put KC at odds with love interest Officer Antonio Hansom, and she needs to exonerate James and send him packing so she and Antonio can resume their almost-romance. An entertaining cozy mystery!

For his birthday, my college son received the Darth Bane Trilogy (Star Wars) by Drew Karpyshyr. My son prefers to pretend these books are still part of the Star Wars canon and not expunged from the record by Disney. The first book, which he’s begun reading, is Path of Destruction. This series centers on the evil Sith, and it begins by relating Dessel’s transformation from a miner hiding amidst the Sith army to an acolyte in the Sith academy.

In eighth grade, my daughter’s class read Words on Fire by Jennifer A. Nielsen. The story is set in late 19^th century Lithuania, during Russian occupation. When Audra’s parents are captured and sent to Siberia, she becomes part of an underground network of book smugglers. While her classmates enjoyed this book because of its intrigue, she disliked it. For one, she was frustrated by the main character’s propensity for changing her mind. Too “flippity-floppity,” she says. She also thought too much emphasis was placed on the necessity of books for preserving the Lithuanians’ heritage.

My daughter was inspired by Helen Keller: From Darkness to Light by Tanya Savory. In fourth grade, I studied Annie Sullivan, Keller’s teacher, for a student game show, and I used to know quite a bit about their story. For my daughter, this book served as a good introduction to Keller’s life as a blind, deaf, and mute person. Her only disappointment came at the end when she learned that Keller, Sullivan, and Sullivan’s husband were all socialists and birth control advocates.

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie fit a need for the eighth grade reading challenge wrapping up along with the school year. My daughter loved this mystery, the first she’s read by Agatha Christie. She enjoyed the twists and the detailed clues, which reminded her of the Edgar Allan Poe stories she read in the fall. She wanted so much to talk about the book with me, but I’m making her wait until I read it as well. 

A couple of years back, this same daughter was out measuring the girth of our maple trees to see if they were mature enough for tapping. They were not, but it did not surprise me when she picked up Sugaring Time by Kathryn Lasky. This informational book explains the history and practice of creating maple syrup as well as the differences between the various grades through the Lacey family’s sugaring experience. I also learned the origin of the expression “sugar bush,” which my mother said frequently.

My younger daughter has been consulting Amphibian, a DK Eyewitness Book by Dr. Barry Clarke. We love these DK books for their colorful photographs and interesting details. As you might guess, this one looks at both familiar and unfamiliar amphibians with details about their anatomy, behavior, and environment. Flipping through the book makes me want to take the kids to a pond with a bucket, where we can gather some tadpoles, something I loved doing as a kid.

My youngest son has been reading 101 Ways to Bug Your Teacher by Lee Wardlaw. Steve Wyatt is a brilliant inventor. So intelligent, in fact, that he can be promoted to high school. In order to avoid skipping ahead, Steve sets out to cause so much trouble he can’t advance. Looks like a fast-paced and funny story for kids.

To Serve and Protect by Leslea Wahl is an adorable story about a family pet who steps into the role of protector while Dad is deployed. The text is simple enough for the youngest children, and the illustrations, including the dog (Siena), are adorable. Follow Siena as she does her best to guard the family from perceived threats. A great story for military families, but any child will enjoy it. (Though if they don’t have a family pet, it may leave them begging for a dog!)

I had heard of Saint Zita, but I didn’t know a thing about her until I read A Miracle in the Kitchen: A Legend about Saint Zita by Pamela Love. This story from Pauline Books & Media emphasizes the ordinary way in which a woman attained sainthood: working hard to serve others, even doing menial tasks, and by being a compassionate friend and caring for the sick. What will jump out at young readers is the miracle in which an angel appears and bakes bread for Zita’s employer in her stead and how that miracle led others to faith.

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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Welcome to the May 2022 edition of An Open Book, hosted both at My Scribbler’s Heart and CatholicMom.com!

I’m still finishing my summer reading list from 2021. (Don’t judge me.) On it is Under the Magnolias by T.I. Lowe. I downloaded it to my Kindle while it was on sale after seeing so many rave reviews, despite not having read any of the author’s other books. I don’t think I even read the book description, so each page has unfolded as a surprise—and I quite like it that way. I knew only that it was set in the 1980s. For whatever reason, I expected a traditional Christian romance. That’s not what this is. Under the Magnolias is Southern fiction, a coming-of-age story, a YA romance, and more. I’m just over halfway through, but I’ve grown to love the quirky tobacco-farming family led by eldest daughter Ox, who is trying to raise six younger siblings while her widowed father descends into madness.

Nicole Deese is probably my favorite contemporary Christian romance author, and she’s hit the ball out of the park with All That It Takes (a follow-up to All That Really Matters). Val, a single mom living without the constant support of her parents for the first time, has landed a spot in a prestigious documentary competition that will cause her to come to terms with a past she’s kept well-hidden. She’ll do that while living above (and falling in love with) Miles, a pastor who’s been shuffled out of his megachurch missionary work to a less exciting, less visible role. There’s so much to say about this book and these characters, but its heart for women who come alongside other women in crisis is tender, touching, and a story that needed to be told. I highly recommend All That It Takes.

I also worked in a quick read of Jody Hedlund’s The Heart of a Cowboy, second in a series. A young, widowed scientist, Linnea, travels the Santa Fe Trail with a group of botanists and Flynn, who’s moving a herd of cattle and his younger siblings to his estranged older brother’s Colorado ranch. Jody Hedlund ramps up the chemistry between Linnea and Flynn, so there’s a lot of will they/won’t they throughout the journey. A couple details kept me from identifying fully with Linnea, but it was an enjoyable book, and I’ll be reading more in the series.

Maria V. Gallagher’s Joyful Encounters with Mary: A Woman’s Guide to Living the Mysteries of the Rosary is new from Marian Press. It gave me an opportunity to slow down and contemplate the Blessed Mother’s life through each Joyful Mystery. Through personal stories, the lives of the saints, and gentle questions, Maria Gallagher guides the reader beyond rote recitation of prayers to living the scriptural mysteries alongside Mary. Perfect reading for Mary’s month, May, or as a gift for a Catholic mom in your life.

My eighth-grade daughter finished a book I may have read more times than any other: The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. By halfway through, she’d become invested in the story of 1950s Oklahoma greasers and their fateful encounter with the upper-class Socs. It’s such fun when my kids read and love novels that were close to my heart at their age. Now we’ll be able to watch Francis Ford Coppola’s movie adaption together, the cast of which may have had something to do with my love for the book.

In fourth grade, my daughter has been reading the second in a series by Gordon Korman that she began last month. Zoobreak (Swindel #2), as you might guess based on the title, involves animals being broken out of a zoo, where they are badly treated. Then the animals must be hidden. And then broken in to a better zoo.

A slew of Catholic children’s books has passed through my hands recently. One is The Curious Story of Jonah by Bob Hartman from Ascension Kids. This colorful hardcover picture book is a faithful retelling of the biblical tale aimed at young children. While most stories of Jonah focus almost exclusively on his being in the belly of the whale, this story gives equal time to what came before and after. I love the bright illustrations by Honor Ayres.

The Wordless Weaver by Claudia Cangilla McAdam is set before Passover in Jerusalem. Shira, a talented young weaver, wants to create something beautiful for Yeshua. The story follows Shira, who is mute, as she is a witness to the crucifixion and has an encounter with the apostle John. It’s a sweet, hopeful story perfect for the Easter season but enjoyable any time of the year.

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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Welcome to the April 2022 edition of An Open Book, hosted both at My Scribbler’s Heart and CatholicMom.com!

I was the lucky of winner of some Lent-themed books from Catholic Mom, and my husband is benefitting. His Lenten reading during weekly Adoration is What Jesus Saw from the Cross by A. G. Sertillanges. The author is a priest who lived in Jerusalem, and the book was originally published in French in 1930. Sophia Institute Press has reprinted this “devotional book [which] gives you vivid and dramatic details not included in the Gospel.”

On the recommendation of Catholic Mom and Daughter, I bought a copy of The Sermons of St. Franics de Sales for Lent. I’ve been reminded why I liked the saint’s Introduction to the Devout Life so much, and I’m doing something I never do: using a highlighter to mark all the bits of wisdom shared. It’s easy to do since De Sales’ sermons are well-organized. It may have been written in the 17th century, but the lessons are still applicable to 21^st-century life.

Lost in Darkness by Michelle Griep quickly became my favorite book I’ve read so far this year. With great characters, excellent pacing, and nods to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, this Gothic romance is a reminder of the importance of full reliance on God. The brother of heroine Amelia Balfour is a noble, tragic “monster,” who becomes a wiling victim of the true monster of the tale, a misguided surgeon. Luckily, there is an honorable, kindhearted hero on hand.

I revisited the 1980s—an era I more frequently wish to return to—with A.J. Pittman’s Pride and Prejudice retelling, Pudge and Prejudice. Beloved nostalgia aside, I enjoyed the parallels to the classic, and I become more invested in Elyse and Billy’s happy ending than I ever was in Elizabeth’s with Mr. Darcy. A 1980s Texas high school setting worked remarkably well, and particularly Billy Fitz’s character (Mr. Darcy), rang true.

My oldest son continues to read through the Star Wars series he discovered in the attic. Vector Prime by R. A. Salvatore (The New Jedi Order) takes place twenty-one years after the Battle of Endor depicted in Return of the Jedi, when the New Republic faces a new threat from the Outer Rim. He gives the series a thumbs up!

My teenage daughter has begun reading Cece Louise’s Forest Tales series, beginning with Desperate Forest. She loved the first novel in this historical fantasy series. Princess Roselynn flees to Eternity Forest after the murder of her father and is captured by an outlaw, Jay. He might be her enemy—but he might also be the love interest. We know how that goes, right? I’m so glad my daughter liked this fun, clean YA book. She’s eager to continue the series.

With her eighth-grade class, she is also reading Restart by Gordon Korman. Chase has a case of amnesia after a fall. Apparently, before the fall, he was a jerk. Now he has a chance to be someone different. Someone better, as the tagline would suggest: Lose your memory. Find your life. My daughter is enjoying this book a lot.

My younger daughter is reading another Gordon Korman book with her fourth-grade class. Swindle is described thusly: “Ocean’s 11 . . . with 11-year-olds, in a super stand-alone heist caper.” The stolen item is a valuable baseball card and the obstacles to its safe return are a nasty guard dog, a high-tech security system, and the disadvantages of being 11-year-old kids. Looks fast paced and fun.

We have lots of crossover reading going on here not only with Gordon Korman books, but with this daughter reading Stuart Little, which I’m sure I’ve included here before; The Wild Robot, which her younger brother read a couple of months ago; and Flora and Ulysses, which her young brother is currently reading.

Flora and Ulysses by KateDiCamillo is a Newbery Medal winner about a superhero squirrel named Ulysses, and Flora, the girl who discovers him. The book includes not only text but comic-style graphics and full-page illustrations. It seems that the friendship between Ulysses and Flora and how it affects others is what makes the story beloved.

Just as we eat a healthy diet with some junk on the side, so is my son reading both the old, giant Illustrated Treasury of Children’s Literature and Splatoon Squid Kids Comedy Show by Hideki Goto. I don’t expect much from books based on video games, but he liked this illustrated book, zipping through it quickly. (In true Japanese fashion, it’s read from right to left.)

Finally, I saw What to Do When Your Temper Flares: A Kid’s Guide to Overcoming Problems with Anger by Dawn Huebner recommended in a Facebook group and thought someone in my household could benefit from it. We haven’t worked through the entire book yet, as it has some exercises to do, but it seems practical and helpful. It guides kids and parents through techniques for dealing with anger as it arises— “anger dousing” methods, as they are called. It seems like a positive and productive means of helping a child learn to cool his temper.

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