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!
12-5-24 The Chronicles of Sir Rolland Paterlot is an innovative series that teaches children about conquering sin and practicing virtue. It is a seven-book series that focuses on a young boy (Rolland) who is sent to the Woodshire Academy of Dragon Slaying, where in addition to academic subjects, he will learn how to slay the dragons of sin. The story was interesting and it teaches valuable lessons in a conversational style. Even adults can learn while reading this with their children. I read books one and two in the series and enjoyed them!
12-8-24 The Christmas House - Victoria James - This is a Christmas romance, but it also features a whole lot of generational family trauma, coping mechanisms, and learning to heal and trust again. Charlotte and Wyatt knew each other as preteens when they were both growing up in dysfunctional families, but then Wyatt and Charlotte's father both left town on the same time, and Charlotte built a wall around her heart. When Charlotte's grandmother invites her to come see her for Christmas, Wyatt happens to live next door. He's now a single father with a challenging preteen daughter of his own. There is still a spark between them, but Charlotte has had her walls up for so long, it is hard for her to even entertain the idea of letting anyone in. I appreciated the way James treated trauma and complicated family dynamics.
Do you want to offer the young people in your life some inspirational stories of holiness? This book provides engaging profiles of children, teens, and young adults who made a difference and lived exemplary lives in the short time they were on earth. For each saint, there is a full-page illustration, a story featuring important moments in their life, a one-page graphic depiction, a timeline placing them in historical context, and a prayer.
12-15-24 Williamsbrug Christmas - Libbey Hodges Oliver and Mary Miley Theobald - This is an older book (1999) that I picked up from the library that talks about the history of Christmas decorations in Williamsburg, VA (where unlike my own state of MA Christmas was celebrated from the earliest days). It was an interesting history and I enjoyed the beautiful photos.
12-19-24 The Rancher's Unexpected Bride - Lauralyn Keller - This was an interesting suspense-filled romance set in 1887 Montana about a marriage of convenience that turns into more. Ella Mountbatten escaped her abusive father and fiance in Boston and headed for Montana. Cody Brooks is a rancher who was recently entrusted with the care of three young children after his best friend died. He needs a wife and she needs someone to protect her, but her father and ex-fiance aren't going to let her go easily. (Read for a book review publication.)
12-19-24 Signs of Hope: The Revolutionary Art of Sister Corita Kent - Mara Rockliff - I had never heard of Sister Corita Kent before reading this book, but in looking on Amazon, it appears that there are several books about her. She lived from 1918-1986 and was a member of the Immaculate Heart of Mary sisters, although she left the order after Vatican II. She was a Pop Art artist who was also involved in using art for social justice. This is a picture book designed for young children, told from the perspective of children in her art class. The author's note provides some background on her life for older readers. I enjoyed learning about this remarkable woman!
12-22-24 Christmas at America's Landmark Houses - Patricia Hart McMillan and David Strahan (2nd Edition) - This was a beautiful book full of large photographs of beautiful Christmas decorations at historical house museums around the country. It also featured some historical background on the houses and their holiday celebrations.
12-23-24 An Irish Christmas - Melody Carlson - I enjoyed this Christmas tale set in 1963. A widowed woman takes her young adult son to Ireland for Christmas in the hopes of connecting with him and finally telling him a hard truth he needs to know, but Ireland has some surprises for both of them!
12-25-24 An Amish Family Christmas - Shelley Shepard Gray - My last Christmas story for this year was this Amish story about a young single mother on the run from her abusive ex-fiance who finds love and acceptance in a new community.
12-28-24 Imagine the God of Heaven: Near-Death Experiences, God's Revelation, and the Love You've Always Wanted - John Burke - I've always been interested in near-death experiences and what they can tell us about the life after this one. This book is from a Christian, not Catholic, perspective (although it does feature the experiences of a couple of Catholics) but shows how near-death experiences are consistent with Scripture and how even those of other faiths encounter a person they identify as Christ when they have these experiences. Overall, these experiences illustrate that love of God and love of neighbor will be what we are judged on in the next world (which is what Jesus said). I wish I could give this book to everyone who has rejected God and decided that faith doesn't matter. I recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about near-death experiences.
12-30-24 Some Like it Scot - Pepper Basham - Yes, the title made me cringe, but this was a fun contemporary romantic comedy. Katie Campbell is a travel writer known for her misadventures, who has been sent to Scotland to take part in a three-week Edwardian experience. There she meets Graeme, a handsome Scotsman who has been wounded in love and has no desire to fall in love again but is yet captivated by the American. They are thrown together repeatedly, with him often rescuing her from her latest scrape, and their feelings for each other grow, but how can they have a future when they live in separate countries? I could definitely see this as a movie! (Read for a book review publication.)
12-30-24 Every Body Wonderfully Made - Courtney Siebring - This is a sweet picture book designed to help children celebrate the body God gave them and help counter the messages of gender confusion that fill our world today. I reviewed it on Today's Catholic Homeschooling.
1-2-25 The Ultimate Guide to Raising a Puppy - Victoria Stilwell - We had to say goodbye to my best furry friend in December (she was almost 18 years old) and so we are looking to get a new dog this spring. I took out a few books on puppy care and training from the library. It all feels very overwhelming, even having had a dog before because I know I didn't know much about caring for her when she was a puppy. I want to do better this time.
1-5-25 The Anthropocene Reviewed - John Green - This one was recommended to me by my twenty-two-year-old son. It is a random collection of essays reviewing various things in our modern world, such as Canada geese, teddy bears, air-conditioning, and more. It was interesting to read and I learned some new things. The author suffers from depression and anxiety so I could relate to some of his outlook on life. It was written in the midst of Covid (2020-2021) so it does come from that vantage point.
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).
12-8-24 Pensees - Blaise Pascal - Blaise Pascal lived from 1623-1662. At age 16, he wrote a treatise on conic sections, and at 18, he invented a computing machine. He was sickly most of his adult life and died at the age of 39. He had a deep conversion in his twenties, and from then on decided to live only for God. "Pensees" literally means "thoughts" and this work contains his thoughts on a wide range of topics including faith, reason, math, death, religion, philosophy, and more.
12-10-24 The Homecoming - Earl Hamner, Jr. - I grew up watching The Waltons on television, but I never read the books that inspired the series. I figured this Christmas story would be a good one to share with my daughter (who has never watched The Waltons), which it was. There was one short section about Clay-Boy (later known as John-Boy) experiencing lust, but other than that it was a clean heartwarming story. It mostly focuses on Clay-Boy, who is fifteen in this tale and is sent by his mother out in a snowstorm to find his missing father.
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