Welcome to the April 2019 edition of An Open Book, hosted both at My Scribbler’s Heart AND CatholicMom.com!

With his new job, my husband is spending more time traveling and therefore enjoying more audiobooks. He’s been listening to some Stephen King novels he last read in the 1980s, which have helped him complete our library’s winter reading program. And, self-serving as it may sound, he’s been listening to a couple of my audiobooks, including Rightfully Ours. (I know when he’s listening because he sends me messages about this or that familiar-sounding event or some detail that doesn’t jive.) Rightfully Ours by Carolyn Astfalk (me!) is a coming of age story about two teens in Williamsport, Pennsylvania who are drawn together by grief and circumstances. Together, they embark on a treasure hunt for lost Civil War gold, falling in love in the process.

I’ve been listening to Hurt Road by Bruce A. Stewart, a (mostly) easygoing story set in Lousiana in the 1960s and ‘70s. An orphaned teen moves from Detroit to the South to live with his grandparents, whom he hardly knows. The family farm on Hurt Road proves to be the place where Hank matures and falls in love. Likeable characters, light romance, and some suspense. I recommend this professionally-narrated novel.

No Greater Love: A Biblical Walk through Christ’s Passion by Edward Sri is the paperback companion to the Ascension Press Bible Study I’m participating in this spring. While it complements the workbook and video series well, it can be read as a standalone. Although filled with biblical typology, it’s not a series of dry and dull references. The insights have opened my heart to Christ’s passion in a new and deeper way.

My teenager picked up Darth Plagueis: Star Wars Legends by James Luceno on a recent library visit. I later breezed past the book lying on the dining room table and said, “Ooh, Death Plagues,” for which I was laughed at. Master of Careful Reading, that’s me. I was then schooled in the whole master/apprentice system by which the Sith endure. (For those not in the know, Darth Plagueis was Darth Sidius/Emperor Palpatine’s master.)

In my daughter’s fifth grade class, they are reading Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan, which is the recipient of many awards. A privileged Mexican girl’s family experiences a reversal of fortune, forcing young Esperanza to work on a California farm during the Great Depression. Her mother’s illness and a labor strike further complicate matters for Esperanza.

While my oldest was choosing his Star Wars book, my first grader grabbed a couple of joke books and Cat Poems by Dave Crawley. We picked up the book on a whim, and I’m so glad we did! The poems are clever and sweet, and the illustrations are delightful and include a guide to various domestic cat breeds featured in the book.

My kindergartener is now privileged to bring home books from the school library. You and Me, Little Bear by MartinWaddell tugged on my heartstrings. In it, Big Bear (the Daddy) is too busy to play with Little Bear. Little Bear tags along with Big Bear while he completes his chores, then busies himself while Big Bear dozes before finally getting to play with his dad. But play they finally do. A sweet picture book that most parents and children will enjoy.

What are you reading? Share it at An Open Book and find new book recommendations too! #openbook Share on X

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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.

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Welcome to the March 2019 edition of An Open Book, hosted both at My Scribbler’s Heart AND CatholicMom.com!

My husband stumbled across The Lost Art of Reading Nature’s Signs: Use Outdoor Clues to Find Your Way, Predict the Weather, Locate Water, Track Animals – and Other Forgotten Skills while searching for a book about hammocks. (Yes, there are books about hammocks.) Not only do I love this cover, but this book is filled with so many fascinating, practical observations about animals, the weather, plants, the sky, and more, that I’m eager to bring it outdoors and put it to use, should spring weather arrive.  The author, Tristan Gooley, has an Indiana Jones thing going on in his author photo and is a seasoned world traveler.

If you like split time novels, Hidden Among the Stars by Melanie Dobson is a beautifully written story set in both present day and during the Nazi occupation of Austria. It  follows the lives of a handful of young Austrians. One is a gifted Jewish musician, one is the young man who loves her, and another the childhood friend who loves him. Interwoven is the story of Callie, aka Story Girl, a lonely bookstore owner in possession of two books connected to Austria and hidden treasure. There is mystery, romance, and tragedy, but, in sum, it’s a novel about the power of stories – children’s stories and our own stories – internalizing them, living them, and marveling at the way the master storyteller has perfectly interwoven each of them.

I loved the highly original Attachments by Rainbow Rowell. Both fun and touching, it is told in part through the email exchange between two women friends/co-workers and part through narrative from the man charged with monitoring their interoffice messages. I loved almost everything about this story – the author’s voice, the characters, the setting (a newsroom at the brink of Y2K), the romance. I could’ve done without a liberal sprinkling of the F-word, but it was not excessive and always in character. Also worth noting here: reference to “off-screen” premarital sex.

Connections: Five Stories Celebrating Renewal and Redemption by R. L. Mosz is a quick read of varied short stories that include both Catholic and other-worldly elements. These hopeful stories are great when you have fifteen or so minutes to read. My favorite is the first story, “Golden Boy,” about a man’s fall from grace.

I’ve just started reading Awakening by Claudia Cangilla McAdams, and what a great time to share a perfect Lenten selection for teens! A contemporary young teen awakes to find herself in Jerusalem, 33 A.D. Think The Wizard of Oz meets The Passion of the Christ. In what I’ve read so far, the author captures a young teen’s thoughts and feelings very, very well.

My sophomore’s class is moving into the Renaissance, and he’s reading some of The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli. This kid’s curriculum makes me want to go back and re-read so much of classic literature that was somewhat wasted on me in high school. The Prince discusses how a great man conducts himself and the conventions of princely government.

Fellow author (and homeschooling mom) Quenby Olson mentioned The Thrifty Guide to Ancient Rome: A Handbook for Time Travelers, and I knew I had to get my hands on a copy for my daughter to read. Written by Jonathan W. Stokes and illustrated by David Sossella, the book presents a lot of interesting facts about Roman life and history in an easy-to-read, fun manner. Cleopatra’s Perfectly Normal Family Tree, color-coded according to means of murder, is hilarious.

While I haven’t yet gotten a hard-cover copy of Lisa Hendey’s new book for children, I read an advance electronic copy and am eager to read I Am God’s Storyteller aloud to my youngest children.  The picture book traces salvation history from creation through the Old Testament and then Christianity using the framework of stories and storytellers, including the prophets, Jesus, and the Apostles. It beautifully nourishes the divinely sparked creativity in each of us, but especially in children, who naturally gravitate to stories.

We’re coming up on Dr. Seuss’s birthday, and it’s time for me to help my kids dress up as a character from one of his books. (Last year, my son dressed as Sam I Am with his green eggs and ham.) I like some Dr. Seuss books better than others, but my favorite as a child was On Beyond Zebra!, and that’s the one we’re reading here. In classic, tongue-twisting, silly Seuss fashion, it takes a look at the letters that come after Z.

What are you reading? Share it at An Open Book and find new book recommendations too! #openbook Share on X

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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.

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Welcome to the November 2018 edition of An Open Book, hosted both at My Scribbler’s Heart AND CatholicMom.com!

This month, my husband has been listening to Career Match: Connecting Who You Are with What You’ll Love to Do by Shoya Zichy and Ann Bidou. It includes a self-assessment to determine your personality style and then a corresponding chapter with potential career choices. It’s intended not only to help you manage a career but discover what work you’re most suited to in your existing job.

For a Halloween listen, my husband downloaded a book by one of his favorite authors from his teen years: Stephen King. LT’s Theory of Pets, read by the author, is a short (hour-long) story of a man whose wife takes off, leaving behind their Siamese cat. He’s hopeful that his wife is still alive, whatever has become of her.  It “explores the bonds between husbands, wives, and pets.” (Language warning.)

In between books for this month’s Sabbath Rest Book Talk, I’ve been reading Courtney Walsh’s latest novel, Things Left Unsaid. It reminds me of The Things We Knew by Catherine West in that it involves neighboring families returning to a summer home, each bearing a secret related to a death that deeply affected them all. Things Left Unsaid takes place in the fictional resort town of Sweethaven, Michigan, which is featured in some of the author’s other books. I’m zipping through the book, eager for these characters to communicate better with each other, to resolve all of their past hurts, and make up. Well-written and enjoyable. I’m anticipating a big helping of grace to be doled out before the end.

Next on my list is a debut novel by author Vijaya Bodach called Bound. Since I’m just beginning it, here is the blurb: “Seventeen-year-old Rebecca Joshi, an adopted girl from India, burn survivor, and primary caretaker of her intellectually disabled sister, Joy, has one dream – to be a physician. Her traditional Indian father relies upon Rebecca to care for Joy while he buries himself in work to drown his grief over his wife’s death. Leaving home is the only way Rebecca can envision reaching her goal. She helps Joy develop greater independence, and is devastated when Joy becomes pregnant. Rebecca tussles – with her father and with herself – over who is responsible for Joy and her baby. When Rebecca discovers the truth of what happened the day she was burned, she struggles to hold onto her dream while wrestling with questions of life, love, and responsibility.” I’m in!

My high school sophomore is reading The Eighth Arrow: Odysseus in the Underworld by J. Augustine Wetta, O.S.B. In it, Odysseus (of Homer’s classic epic poem) breaks out of Dante’s hell. The novel includes a journey through the Underworld with Diomedes and encounters with various characters from Greek mythology, ancient history, and Renaissance literature. My son, who always thought it unfair of Dante to relegate Odysseus to hell, is loving the book. It melds well with the classics he studied last year in his Humanities classes.

My daughter’s fifth grade class has been reading Holes by Louis Sachar. This Newbery Medal winner features Stanley Yelnats (check out that palindrome!), who is sent to a boys’ detention center and made to dig holes. What is the warden looking for beneath a dried-up lake? My daughter guessed right away, but she’s enjoying it enough that not being permitted to read ahead is her only complaint.

The Haymeadow by Gary Paulsen is the book she’s been reading at home. Fourteen-year-old John Barron is tasked with spending the summer tending his family’s sheep. John must rely on his wits to withstand encounters with coyotes, a bear, a flood, and more. As in the author’s Hatchett series, this book involves the protagonist using  his ingenuity to succeed.

My first grader, who has pretty much taken over my bedtime story duties, needed something a little more challenging than most picture books, so I found a trio of Judy Moody books her sister read. She’s reading the first book, Judy Moody (was in a mood) by Megan McDonald. Judy is a feisty third grader who takes the reader on a series of little adventures.

Pete’s a Pizza by William Steig  has long been a favorite around here – both reading it and acting it out. My kindergarten son seems to particularly enjoy it and asks to read it many nights. One rainy day, a boy is forced to stay inside with his parents, who brighten the afternoon by making him into a pizza – kneading him, topping him with pepperoni and cheese, and “baking” him in an oven (the couch.)  Warning: there is tickling involved!

What are you reading? Share it at An Open Book and find new book recommendations too! #openbook Share on X

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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.

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Welcome to the October 2018 edition of An Open Book, hosted both at My Scribbler’s Heart AND CatholicMom.com!

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

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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.

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