#OpenBook for September 2024

 

 Welcome to #OpenBook. I'm joining up with Carolyn Astfalk who hosts an #OpenBook Linkup on CatholicMom.com. Here's what I've been reading this past month. The dates indicate when I finished the books. Thanks for stopping by!

 

8-8-24 Elizabeth Seton: American Saint - Catherine O'Donnell - It took me most of the summer to read this book. I worked on it a little at a time, taking notes for a potential writing project. This is a comprehensive biography of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. The beauty of St. Elizabeth Seton is that she left a vast written record to pull from when examining her life. and so, much like St. Zelie Martin, whom I have  written about (The Life and Lessons of St. Zelie Martin), one is able to get a full picture of who she was as a person. She had her ups and downs, trials and tribulations. She was profoundly human and struggled with her children (which, for some reason, gives me great comfort). I've found a new heavenly friend in her.  

8-10-24 The Five Wishes of Mr. Murray McBride - Joe Siple - I don't recall where I heard about this book - Facebook post? #OpenBook post? - but I'm so glad I added it to my to-be-read list. Mr. Murray McBride is 100 years old and doesn't have much to live for until he meets a 10-year-old boy who is dying and has five wishes he wants to fulfill before he goes. Murray decides to help the boy and the adventure is on! This is such a good story that made me cry harder than I have at a book in a while. Even better, Murray is Catholic and his parish priest plays a supporting role! 

8-15-24 Love in the Eternal City - Rebecca W. Martin - I originally read this contemporary debut romance by Rebecca Martin in April as a preview, but it is now available online so I am sharing it again!. After being dumped by her ex-fiance and sabotaged by her former best friend, Elena goes to Italy to begin a new life. She meets Benedikt, a handsome Swiss guard who is quickly enamored with the attractive American. However, her past and her mental health issues and his family dynamics cause some major issues for their relationship. Stalking and an assassination plot up the stakes.There's plenty of intrigue in this book to keep readers turning pages. This is a wonderful debut and I look forward to reading more fiction from this writer. 

8-18-24 Real Clothes, Real Lives: 200 Years of What Women Wore - Kiki Smith - Clothes can tell a lot about people and how they lived. The Smith College Historical Clothing Collection focuses on the everyday clothes of women over the past 200 years. It is a fascinating social history. This coffee-table style book features many images. It would be of interest to anyone who enjoys women's history, social history, or fashion. 

 

8-11-24 The Prayer Box - Lisa Wingate - I enjoyed this leisure read about a single mom, Tandi, trying to rebuild her life. When she is hired to clean out the house of an old woman who recently died alone, she discovers her prayer boxes, filled with letters to God and family secrets. Through learning about the old woman and following her example, Tandi learns how to have faith and take steps to put her own life back together for her and her children. 

9-1-24 Frostbite: How Refrigeration Changed Our Food, Our Planet, and Ourselves - Nicola Twilley - I can honestly say before reading this book I had never given much thought to refrigeration, other than to be thankful for it when I took the time to consider it. Mostly, having a refrigerator / freezer is one of those things I take for granted. This book provided a fascinating look at the history of refrigeration as well as how food from farms is cooled and makes it way to our local store. For better or worse, you'll never look at your refrigerator or your food in the same way after reading this book.

Since spring of 2019, I have been making my way through the Great Books Curriculum of Thomas Aquinas College (I'm currently working on the readings for junior year).

I'm making my way through a collection of Shakespeare's works. 

 

8/11/24 Othello - Shakespeare - This tragedy was written in 1603 and deals with themes of passion, jealousy, racism, and more. Othello is a Moorish military commander who married his wife over her father's objections. Iago is Othello's ensign who is angry and jealous that Othello promoted someone above him. So, he stokes Othello's jealousy, leading Othello to kill his wife. 

8/30/24 Twelfth Night - Shakespeare - This romantic comedy was written in 1601-02. It is about twins Viola and Sebastian who look very similar and were separated in a shipwreck. Not that I remembered much about it, but I once saw a version of this play set in space!

 

My thirteen-year-old daughter and I read the following book this month:

 Wish You Were Eyre - Heather Vogel Frederick - We are almost finished with the sixth book of the Mother-Daughter Book Club series. This time the Mother-Daughter book club is reading Jane Eyre. One of the moms is running for mayor of Concord, and two of the daughters get to go on exciting adventures, one to Paris and one to Minnesota. There is also a French exchange student who seems to have a way of making all the young men (including the ones with girlfriends) fall at her feet.

 

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