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!
7-2-26 We Wish You a Messy Christmas - Melody Carlson - One of the perks of being a book reviewer is getting to read Christmas books in the heat of summer, and Carlson's are always a delight. This one features a young couple who grew up as neighbors but fell in love when they reconnected in a nearby city. Unfortunately, the young woman's mother is a perfectionist who can't stand the young man's "messy" family. This was a fun read, and Carlson does a good job of portraying a woman with OCD and its effect on herself and her family. (Read for a book review publication)
7-2-26
In Vital Harmony: Charlotte Mason and the Natural Laws of Education - Karen Glass - Charlotte Mason is a big name in homeschooling circles, and I read this book to review for my
homeschooling site. Glass does an excellent job of distilling Mason's thoughts on education for modern readers. It is recommended for anyone interested in learning more about Charlotte Mason and her educational philosophy.
7-4-26 The Supper Club Saints - Claire Swinarski - I'm not sure how I felt about this story that portrays a Catholic family dealing with grief, change, and a daughter who had left to join a community of single moms led by an influencer who turned out to be dangerous. On the plus side, it is a Catholic novel published by a mainstream publisher (Avon). It features more swearing than I appreciate in a story; however, I acknowledge that, unfortunately, that is how most people speak today. The story is well-written, but it lacks the feel-good vibes that I tend to look for in my leisure reading. It's also the second book I've read about the dangers of influencer culture recently (I read Yesteryear, which I didn't include in my #OpenBook recommendations because it is rated R). If you are looking for an honest look at a family that loves each other but is struggling in many ways, this is a good one for you.
7-9-26 Unwavering Heart: The Story of Rebekah - Angela Hunt - I never read biblical fiction on my own, but I was assigned this one for review. Hunt does a great job of making the tale of Isaac and Rebekah and their sons seem exciting and new, even though most people will be familiar with the story! If you enjoy biblical fiction, this is one you will want to read. (Read for a book review publication)
7-12-26 Rose in Bloom - Louis May Alcott - I had read Eight Cousins with my daughter and decided to read this sequel on my own. I did like this one a bit more. Rose is all grown up and trying to find her place in the world, including determining how to spend her large inheritance and deciding whom she should marry (of course, her main choices are all her first cousins, which I realize was done back when this was written, but now has a certain ick factor). Also, the one Asian character is portrayed in a ridiculing light (also normal for that time period, but once again, ick). This is a book I no doubt would have loved as a young girl, but it hits differently as an adult.
7-16-26 The Forbidden Caller - This is the enjoyable second book of the Amish Widows Club series, but it can be read alone. Jenna Gruber is a young widow raising her daughter on her own after her husband died in a workplace accident at a lumber mill. The owner of the mill feels responsible for the accident and does all he can to help out Jenna and her daughter. Over time, their feelings for each other deepen, but he is Englisch and she's Amish, plus Jenna's in-laws are adamantly opposed to Jenna moving on from her grief. (Read for a book review publication.)
7-17-26 Mimi and Maurice: A Novel Based on a True Story - Jo Taylor - This story is based on the real-life relationship of someone a grandmother of a friend of the author knew and was put together based on their letters. The names have been changed. The two are distant cousins who never meet, but fall in love via letter. He is in Belgium and the Congo, while she is in San Francisco. They get engaged in 1936 and plan to meet in three years, but just as it seems they may get their happily-ever-after, World War II intervenes. The story covers the span of over twenty years and features several excerpts from their letters. It is an interesting historical portrait of a unique relationship, but because it was based on real life and real life is often messy, it may leave readers feeling unsatisfied. (Read for a book review publication.)
7-18-26 All for Her: The Autobiography of Fr. Patrick Peyton, C.S.C. - I am a writer for CatholicMom.com, which is part of Holy Cross Family Ministries, which began with the work of Ven. Patrick Peyton (1909-1992), a priest who devoted his life to promoting the Rosary and family prayer. It was amazing to read how God opened doors for him and the wonderful response to his message. It is a message that is so, so needed in our world today. If families would only pray together, life would be so much better, and yet, I know what a hard sell that is, even in my own family. Still, this book was informative and inspiring, and I highly recommend it.
7-24-26 A Plain Confession - Suzanne Woods Fisher - This is the third book in a series I've enjoyed about a former Amish woman who returns to serve the Amish community as a doctor. Her brother is the local bishop. This one featured a couple of medical mysteries and a man who ran away from the Amish when he was sixteen, leaving his pregnant girlfriend behind, who has come back to seek forgiveness and the child he never met before he dies. (Read for a book review publication)
7-26-26 All Booked Up - Melody Carlson - After reading Carlson's newest Christmas book (above), I realized that she had another new book out I hadn't read. This was a delightful leisure read about a widowed woman in her early sixties who decides to rent out rooms to other older women in her spacious Victorian home in order to keep her house. They are an eclectic mix of women and trying to live together peacefully will be more of a challenge than they expect.
7-27-26 Women of Wisdom: God Called, They Answered - Dawn Rusinko, OFS - This is a Bible study guide that would be a good resource for a Catholic women's group. Rusinko offers studies of Rahab, Hagar, the Widow of Zarephath, Susanna, the Hemorrhaging Woman, Jael & Deborah, and shows how God worked in their lives, along with lessons we can learn from them. Discussion questions are included.
7-27-26 Lord of the Flies - William Golding - I read this classic written in 1954 with my fifteen-year-old daughter. It tells of a group of British schoolboys who are alone on a deserted island, their efforts to stay alive, and their descent into warring factions and savagery. It is a novel about "the darkness of man's hearts."
7-28-26 The Lamb of God: The Story of Our Lady of Knock - Fr. Donald Calloway and Patrick O'Hearn - This picture book provides a lovely introduction to the Marian apparition at Knock, Ireland, on August 21, 1879, in which a group of visionaries of all ages saw Our Lady, St. Joseph, St. John the Evangelist, and an image of a lamb with a cross behind it. While no words were spoken, the vision still provided a powerful message of hope to the people struggling with the Irish famine.
7-30-26
Devoted to Love - Tracie Peterson - This is the third book in a series about a philanthropic Minnesota family, but it can be read as a standalone. This one is set as the winds of World War I are blowing in Europe, and America will likely enter the war soon. But back in Minnesota, a young heiress opens a home for society girls facing unplanned pregnancies to honor her friend who was sent away when she became pregnant and then died in childbirth. This story has a content warning in the front matter because one of the girls she helps is a teen who was repeatedly raped by her father's political associate. (Read for a book review publication)
7-31-26 The 6 Types of Working Genius: A Better Way to Understand Your Gifts, Your Frustrations, and Your Team - Patrick Lencioni - Lencioni covers six types of "geniuses" that relate to getting things done, whether it be in the workplace, church, or at home. He emphasizes that most people have two areas they are strong in, two areas that they are competent in, and two areas that really frustrate them, but a team needs to have some members that can do each of these if it is going to function well. This book gave me insight into my own strengths and weaknesses, and it also prompted some interesting conversations with my family members as we discussed what gifts they each had and how that relates to their respective workplaces and in our family. As a side note, this book had a Catholic dimension, as one of the stories dealt with getting ready for a festival at a Catholic church.
8-1-26
The Midnight Train - Matt Haig - This thought-provoking novel features an old man who dies and faces the review of his life before moving on to eternity. He gets on a train with a bookseller he knew in his youth as his guide, and the train stops at various moments in his life (both good and bad) that changed him. It got me thinking about what scenes in my own life I might see. It was a compelling story with shades of
A Christmas Carol and
The Five People You Meet in Heaven.
8-2-26
Free Form Quilts + Patchwork - Jessie Cutts - This is a good book on quilting for those who want to try out quilting without being too fussy about it. Cutts' method uses scraps you have on hand and doesn't rely on patterns. It is a fun introduction to quilting that also allows you to use up scraps of materials and recycle them into something new.
Since the 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 senior year). 7-1-26 Metaphysics - Aristotle - In this work (which I admit I didn't understand a whole lot of), Aristotle defines a whole bunch of philosophical terms and discusses causes, being, and substance.
7-7-26 On Being and Essence - Thomas Aquinas - This document had the blessing of being short! I am not a philosopher, and much like Metaphysics above, I didn't understand much of this one. As the title suggests, Aquinas is exploring being and essence, the composition of material substances and the essence of immaterial substances. He also discusses the unity of body and soul, which, according to the footnotes on the version I was reading, was a radical change from those who came before him who preached a dualism of body and soul.
7-23-26 Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy and His System of the World - Sir Isaac Newton - I primarily skimmed this massive tome full of mathematical proofs beyond my comprehension. It featured his laws of motion (which I recognized!) and the motion of bodies, especially those in space. I have since begun reading Opticks by Newton. In the preface of that book, I. Bernard Cohen discusses how Principia was difficult for even trained scientists to understand: "Not only was the masterpiece written in an austere mathematical style, consisting largely of definitions, theorems, scholia, and demonstrations, but it was in a definite sense written in archaic mathematical language." I feel better about my ignorance now.
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