#OpenBook for March 2026

 

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!

2-5-26 The Ultimate Blindside - Leslea Wahl - This third book in an exciting series for teens continues the story of Jake Taylor, a world-renowned snowboarder, and his girlfriend, Sophie. A movie is being made of Jake's life and rise to fame, but even as their lives are playing out for the screen, they continue to deal with intrigue. Jake saves a woman and her daughter from a car trapped in icy water, but the woman is on the run from her dangerous husband and needs to stay in hiding. Jake and Sophie try to figure out who she is hiding from while striving to keep her and her daughter safe. Jake also has to deal with "friends" from his past and Sophie's laptop is hacked, wreaking havoc on her life. Teens and up will enjoy this fast-moving tale. I definitely recommend reading the whole series, starting with The Perfect Blindside. 

 

2-6-26 Circe - Madeline Miller - I read this one with my fifteen-year-old daughter. She had started reading it for school in the fall, and when she returned to homeschooling after the Christmas break, she wanted to continue with it. It is a mythological work told from the perspective of Circe, the witch best known for her appearance in the Odyssey. Fans of Greek myths will enjoy this one. Rated PG-13.

 

2-8-26 The Forget-Me-Not Library - Heather Webber - This is a feel-good story about a small town where people who need healing tend to end up because their cars break down as they are passing through. In the library is a cat who knocks books off the shelves to help people remember key moments from their past. Juliet Nightingale arrives in town grieving her grandfather and with a large chunk of her memory missing after being hit by lightning. Tallulah Mayfield is a single mom of two young daughters who recently began working at the library. Tallulah and Juliet become friends and help each other heal. They also discover love along the way. 

 

2-9-26 God Chose Me: Celebrating Who God Made Me to Be - Lexa Hale - This is a sweet board book celebrating how God makes each of us unique and loves us for who we are. 

 

2-10-26 Blossom as Saints: The Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary as Invitations to Awe and Wonder - Allison Ramirez - This is the final installment of this lovely series on praying the Rosary. This one focuses on cultivating awe and wonder in our lives as we contemplate the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary. I recommend the full series!
 

 2-11-26 When Will There Finally Be Peace: Answers to Questions about War, Violence, Refugees, and Reconciliation - Elisabeth Raffauf - This is a children's book on a difficult topic. It includes quotes from children from war-torn countries and provides an honest and age-appropriate look at the difficulties of war. It is published by Paulist Press, but it is not a faith-based book. 

 

2-17-26 Daughter of the Rebellion - Jamie Ogle - This isn't one I would have picked up on my own, but it was a fast-moving action-packed story about a gladiatrix in Rome and the Christian medicus who helps her realize her true value as a child of God. (Read for a book review publication)
 

 

 2-18-26 This Little Light of Thine - Susan Joy Bellavance - I admit I don't think much about the sanctuary lamp when I go to Mass, but this is a picture book that celebrates that light and how it reminds us that the True Presence of Christ is there. The illustrations by Byron Hamilton are magnificent. They are so warm and bright. They really have a heavenly feel to them! It is a lovely book to help teach children about the True Presence of the Eucharist.

2-21-26 Somewhere, a Boy and a Bear: A.A. Milne and the Creation of "Winnie-the-Pooh" - Gyles Brandreth - This is a biography of A.A. Milne (and to a lesser extent, his son Christopher Robin), who wrote the famous Winnie-the-Pooh stories. I had known little about Milne before reading this and found it interesting, even if the text meanders a bit. Milne was an accomplished playwright and novelist. The author had known Christopher Robin, and the work is well-researched. It shows the messiness of families and strives to be an honest portrayal of Milne's life. 

2-28-26 These Empty Places - Sarah Loudin Thomas - This story is set in 1930 in the Lake Toxaway region of North Carolina and highlights a strong friendship between two women. Claire Roth is a wealthy widow with a second chance at love. Lena Hawkins is a former socialite whose husband lost everything in the stock market crash. Claire and Lena become friends and Claire hires her to be her personal assistant and help establish a library in their community. (Read for a book review publication)
 

 3-2-26 Let Him Lead: An Invitation to Let Jesus Guide Your Heart & Your Life - Jeremiah Myriam Shryock, CFR - This is a collection of 27 powerful essays on living a God-centered life. Fr. Jeremiah wrote these "while living as a hermit at the Monastery of Bethlehem in Livingston Manor, New York," where he ministered to a group of sisters as chaplain. He often said Mass for the sisters and those on retreat, and these essays grew out of the homilies he gave. They are well-worth reading and reflecting on. 

3-1-26 Canticle - Janet Rich Edwards - This is a fictional account of an invented medieval saint, whose story was inspired by actual medieval saints. Aleys longs for God. She rejects marriage and joins the Franciscans, but they have nowhere for her to live, so they put her with the beguines, an independent group of religious women, in the hopes that she might gain recruits. However, she begins to have visions and perform miracles, which puts her in danger. So, she ultimately becomes an anchoress, living on her own. This is a well-written, deeply researched book. While relying on Catholic sources, at the end, it dips a bit into teaching that would not pass orthodox muster (and indeed, the subject of heresy comes up). I did enjoy it, however, and it made me think about the challenges that holy women faced during the medieval period. 
 

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 junior year). 

2-7-26 Discourse on the Origin of Inequality - Jean Jacques Rousseau - In this work, written in 1754, Rousseau puts forth the idea that all men were created equal and in early times, lived in a state of that equality, but then society formed and leaders claimed power. The rich took over and the poor suffered. Among forms of government, he argues that democracy is the best because that puts power in the hands of the most people. He also maintains that man is naturally good, but became wicked due to advances in society which lead men to hate each other. The practice of virtues can help save society. 

2-9-26 Declaration of Independence and Articles of Confederation - I've read these before, but it was a good refresher on the founding documents of our country.  

2-10-26 The Constitution of the United States - I've read this one before as well, but it was well worth reading again, especially in light of current events.  

3-2-26 The Federalist Papers - Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Jay -  These were written by the Founding Fathers to help pave the way for the ratification of the Constitution. It was interesting to read the original intent of the Constitution and the safeguards that the writers attempted to put in place. 

 

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The Bellbind Letters: Inside the Devil's Plan for Your Motherhood

 

I'm honored to be part of the launch team for The Bellbind Letters: Inside the Devil's Plan for Your Motherhood by Samantha Stepheson. 

In C.S. Lewis’ classic epistolary novel The Screwtape Letters, Screwtape is a senior demon teaching Wormwood, a younger demon, the art of temptation. In The Bellbind Letters: Inside the Devil’s Plan for Your Motherhood, Samantha Stephenson takes that format and centers the instruction on how the devil, referred to as “Our Father Below,” wants to keep mothers from following God, a.k.a. “The Enemy.” According to Stephenson, “this book seeks to emulate Lewis’s rhetorical brilliance in order to highlight the temptations Christian mothers face on the road to sanctity.”

This is an extremely well-written book that sheds light on the many temptations mothers face in their everyday lives. It is entertaining to read but also forces mothers to look at their own faults and failings, which is never a pleasant experience. It is meant to be an uncomfortable book, a literary examination of conscience, designed to have you running to the Lord for mercy and forgiveness.

Stephenson acknowledges that it can be difficult to have our weaknesses exposed and encourages mothers to “resist the urge to accuse or despair.” Rather, we should “surrender all our broken pieces to the tender mercy of Christ the healer, who makes all things new.” This is true, but it is much easier said than done, and as I read the letters in this book, I couldn’t help but feel discouraged, which I suppose simply illustrates the point that the devil is at work in my life.

The letters cover a wide variety of topics and situations that a mother might face. Prayer, screen use, rest, consumerism, vanity, friendship, attending Mass, dealing with the challenges of pregnancy, the pain of miscarriage, loving one’s husband, taking care of a home, devotion to Mary and the saints, caring for children, and anxiety are some of the topics covered. In most cases, Boomslang encourages Bellbind to get the mother to follow something other than a middle virtuous path, to veer to one extreme or the other.

For example, when it comes to caring for one’s appearance, there is the temptation to put too much emphasis on it, but there is also the temptation not to care about it at all. When it comes to rest, mothers should not feel that they are so important that they can’t leave their families to take time for themselves, but on the other hand, taking too much time away is wrong. When parenting one’s children, one can be either too strict or too permissive. One can either reject the inherent gifts of femininity or embrace them so much that one looks down on those who don’t live up to feminine ideals. One can devote oneself to being a mother to the exclusion of everything else or not spend enough time and energy on motherhood.

The Bellbind Letters is a worthwhile Lenten read. While you read, you can reflect on your life and the ways you struggle as a wife and mother. It can help you recognize how the devil may be tempting you away from the holy path. You may wish to keep a list of sins to bring to the Sacrament of Reconciliation. There is a discussion guide in the appendix, and Stephenson offers an additional letter and study guide at https://www.snstephenson.com/bellbind.

 

#OpenBook for February 2026

 

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!

1-8-26 The Bookshop of 99 Doors - Jaime Jo Wright - This is a spine-tingling dual-timeline historical mystery set in Ambrose Fields, a mansion in Pennsylvania. One story is set in the 1880s, twenty years after a grisly murder took place at the mansion in the aftermath of the Battle of Gettysburg. There are rumors that the murderer, a Civil War captain, still roams the halls, as well as mention of a 100th door that allows the spirits of the dead to enter. In the present-day, a young woman trying to escape her ghost-hunting family takes a job as the bookshop manager at Ambrose Fields, but when her family is brought in to study the paranormal activity, she must work to help them find the elusive door before danger comes to them all. This one definitely kept me turning pages! (Read for a book review publication)

1-10-26 Hello Sleep: The Science and Art of Overcoming Insomnia Without Medications - Jade Wu, Ph.D. - I read this book, hoping to get some tips for my daughter, who has never slept well. It was an interesting read. While it wasn't particularly helpful for her particular challenges, it does offer advice for those who have trouble falling or staying asleep. If you have difficulty sleeping, it can't hurt to read this and garner whatever help you can from it.

1-11-26 The Library of Lost Dollhouses - Elise Hooper - I had requested this one from the library last year, but then had to return it before I had the chance to read it. So, I requested it again when I had fewer books in my to-be-read library pile. I'm glad I did. In 2024, librarian Tildy Barrows discovers two exquisite dollhouses hidden in a secret room, which sends her on a historical quest to determine the story behind them. A second timeline is set in the early 20th century, focusing on Cora Hale, who made the dollhouses. I've always loved dollhouses, libraries, and history, so this one was a definite win for me. Content alert: This story does feature some lesbian romance (nothing graphic).

1-15-26 Harbor Pointe - Irene Hannon - This is one of a series of books based in the small town of Hope Harbor, Oregon. I have read and enjoyed some of the books in this series (though not all) and one of the beautiful things is that each can be read by itself. Some of the townspeople are the same in each book, including a Catholic priest who is both wise and funny. In this one, a successful NYC ballet dancer returns home to care for her sister, who was in a coma, and meets a handsome widower, but how can they make a relationship work when they live on opposite sides of the country?
 

1-16-26 Help! My Kid Hates Writing: How to Turn Struggling Students into Brave Writers - Julie Bogart -Teaching writing can be hard. Julie Bogart wrote this book to help homeschooling parents and those whose children attend traditional school but wish to encourage and support their children as they develop their writing ability. It is a very useful book with lots of practical tips.  

1-20-26 The Seagull on the Chapel - Eric A. Clayton and Shannon K. Evans - This is a charming picture book for children ages 4-8 inspired by the seagulls that were hanging out on the Sistine Chapel roof during the 2025 papal conclave. Maggie longs to be a dove because she wants to be beautiful and special, but she ends up having a place of honor during the conclave and realizes that she might have a place in God's story as well. It is a great reminder to young and old to value how God made you and realize we are special in His sight. 

1-24-26 Unabridged: The Thrill of (and Threat to) the Modern Dictionary - Stefan Fatsis - Back in 2017, I read Word by Word by Kory Stamper, which introduced me to the behind-the-scenes world of creating a dictionary. She then worked at Merriam-Webster, which is based in my hometown. This is a book in that same vein, but it also reflects all the ways the world has changed in the past decade. Fatsis isn't a trained lexicographer. Instead, he is a writer and reporter who was given multi-year access to Merriam-Webster and who helped create definitions as part of that role. This is a meandering book, part history, part social commentary, part homage to words, but it will be interesting for anyone who wants a behind-the-scenes look at how dictionaries are made and words are defined.

1-25-26 The Martha's Vineyard Beach and Book Club - Martha Hall Kelly - This one was a Facebook recommendation from Lisa Hendey. It is a dual-timeline story set in 1942 and 2016. After her mother's death, Mari Starwood visits Martha's Vineyard after finding a slip of paper with the name Elizabeth Devereaux among her mother's things. Mrs. D. then tells the young woman the story of the Smith sisters during World War II and Mari's unexpected connection to them. It will appeal to fans of women's historical fiction and World War II fiction.  

 

1-26-26 Look and Learn Vocations - Casey Pawelek - This is a picture book designed to help young children start to think about what vocation God might be calling them to: Priesthood, Religious Life, Marriage, or Single Life. It illustrates how these various vocations each serve God. One feature that was interesting about this book was that it highlighted different religious orders, such as Franciscan, Carmelite, Dominican, Benedictine, Jesuit, and Salesian. 

1-27-26 The Bellbind Letters: Inside the Devil's Plan for Your Motherhood - Samantha N. Stephenson - This is a literary examination of conscience that utilizes the format of C.S. Lewis' Screwtape Letters and adapts it to apply especially to mothers. It is very well-written and entertaining but also incredibly uncomfortable to read. Mothers will no doubt see their faults and failings played out in these pages. It is designed to make you want to rush to the Lord's mercy in the Sacrament of Confession. 

1-27-26 Translation of Wonder: The Mysteries of the Rosary and Stations of the Cross in Verse - Tim Bete, OCDS - This is a lovely collection of poetry that will help you reflect on The Mysteries of the Rosary and Stations of the Cross in a new way.

1-31-26 Dollhouses from the V & A Museum of Childhood - Halina Pasierbska - After reading The Library of Lost Dollhouses, I decided to request some books from the library on dollhouses and miniatures. This one highlighted dollhouses in the Victoria and Albert Museum of Childhood in England made from 1673-2001. It was interesting to look at the various dollhouses and learn about their histories.

2-1-26 Victorian Dolls House Projects: A Day in the Life - Christine Berridge - This was a combination primer on Victorian life and a how-to book for how to make Victorian accessories for your dollhouse. It was interesting to look at and had some fun ideas for crafting miniatures. 
 
 

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 junior year). 

1/30/26 The Critique of Pure Reason - Immanuel Kant - Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) was a Prussian Lutheran who wrote on science, logic, metaphysics, and philosophy. He wrote the Critique of Pure Reason, a Transcendentalist manifesto, in 1781. This work discusses what it means to know something, how we learn about things, the notions of space and time, as well as examining the proofs of God. I wish I could say I understood this book, but I really didn't. 

 

This post contains Amazon affiliate links. Purchases made after clicking a link help support this site. Thank you!

#OpenBook for January 2026

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!

12-3-25 The Gift of the Angel Tree - Catholic Teen Books Writers -  The talented writers at Catholic Teen Books collaborate each year to write a short Christmas tale. This is a beautiful story about a grieving man in late 19th-century Chicago who rediscovers the spirit of Christmas. I absolutely loved this story. It is perfect for a quick feel-good holiday read. 

 

12-4-25 The Extraordinary Orbit of Alex Ramirez - Jasminne Paulino - This is a middle-grade novel written in free verse about a seventh grader in a self-contained special needs classroom who dreams of being an astronaut one day. But to do that, he'll need to take science with the mainstreamed kids and he has to convince both his parents and his teachers that he can handle it. Some of the text in this book is in Spanish, so some familiarity with that language is helpful. (Read for Catholic Library World)

 

12-7-25 Twice - Mitch Albom - Books by Albom are always thought-provoking and worth reading. This one features a man who has the ability to relive moments in his life to try to get them right, but he is stuck with the second version of events. As with any time-travel story, you can't think about it too hard, but it raises the question: If you could go back in time and change things, would you? 
 

12-13-25 - The Light of Christmas - Richard Paul Evans - I'm a big fan of Evans' adult Christmas books, so I checked out this children's tale. It is a lovely story of a young boy who is rewarded richly for an act of selfless charity.

12-14-25 The Christmas Ring - Karen Kingsbury - This story was released as both a book and a movie. I haven't seen the movie, but I did enjoy the book! Young widow Vanessa Mayfield loses a Christmas ring that her great-grandfather found on D-Day and that had been passed on through the generations. She searches for it for years, but when her search brings her to Miller's Antique Shop, she meets Ben Miller and finds something even more precious than the ring - a second chance at love. This was a touching, feel-good romance.

12-15-25 When They Met Again - Leslie Gould - This friends-to-more Amish romance develops over the course of several years, as Adam and Joanna meet, and then met again, and again, but the timing was always off, until they both end up working for Adam's grandparents. (Read for a book review publication)
 

12-15-25 Pocket Bear - Katherine Applegate - I enjoyed this middle-grade novel and learned some things about the history of teddy bears. It features a pocket bear, a bear made to accompany a soldier and bring comfort during WWI, and a cat, Zephyrina, who helps to rescue abandoned stuffed animals and bring them home to their owners, a Ukrainian mother and daughter who escaped the war-torn country. The mother and daughter fix up the toys and help them find new homes, but they have to look out for an unscrupulous toy collector.  

12-18-25 A Heart on Consignment - Mindy Steele - No one in her Amish community of Havenlee, Indiana, wants to court Salina Stolzfus, but that doesn't stop her mother from inviting every eligible young man to dinner. When Seth Weaver comes to town after being jilted right before his wedding, the last thing he wants to do is fall in love, but he soon becomes friends with Salina, especially as they work together to open a consignment shop to help people in need. (Read for a book review publication)

 

12-18-25 One Star, Three Kings: The Journey of Epiphany - Rebecca Grabill - This picture book provides some backstory for Balthasar, Caspar, and Melchior as they follow the star to search for the Christ child. Interspersed within the story are nonfiction sections that describe what we know about the magi, the prophecies from the Old Testament that guided their search, what the star may have been, the gifts they brought, and the way Epiphany is celebrated. I wish that the story and the nonfiction sections were separated, with one in the front and one in the back, because I think it disrupts the storytelling value of this book, but it is a lovely picture book to share for Epiphany.  

12-22-25 A Very Chapel Falls Christmas - Amanda Lauer - This story will appeal to fans of Hallmark Christmas rom-coms. A famous singer returns to his hometown of Chapel Falls, where his ex-fiancee just happens to have gotten a job working for the mayor. As they get thrown together at various Christmas events, old feelings start to grow, and well, you know where this is going. 

 

12-25-25 The Christmas Stranger - Richard Paul Evans - I had requested this book from the library back in October and it finally came in right before Christmas, which was great because it was the perfect book to read Christmas Eve and Christmas. Paul Wanless lost his wife and son in a car accident on Christmas Eve three years earlier. With nothing to live for, he plans to end his life until he encounters a mysterious stranger who talks him out of it and sets him on the path to find new love and meaning in his life. 

 

12-27-25 Steeped in Stories: Timeless Children's Novels to Refresh Our Tired Souls - Mitali Perkins - Perkins explores classic works by C.S. Lewis, L.M. Montgomery, Johanna Spyri, Maud Hart Lovelace, J.R.R. Tolkien, Louisa May Alcott, and Francis Hodgson Burnett, exploring their value for today and how to discuss their more problematic elements. It was an interesting read.

 12-28-25 My Beloved - Jan Karon - I had read many (though not all) of the Mitford books years ago and was excited to see this was a new one. It was also an unexpected Christmas story! It was a delight to be back visiting old fictional friends in this story, and it was also unusual in that two of the sets of main characters are elderly (one set in their 80s, the other in their 90s). However, this book had many characters and storylines to keep track of, and I got lost in parts. 

 

1-1-26 Encounters with Angels: The Invisible Companions of Our Spiritual Life - Odile Haumonte - This is an English translation of a French book. It explores angelic encounters in Scripture and with saints, as well as how angels can help us in our daily lives. I didn't enjoy this one as much as I hoped, but it was a good reminder of the presence of angels in our lives and to ask my guardian angel for help. 

 

1/2/26 Your Valentine - Anthony DeStafano - This picture book introduces children to the true St. Valentine, who lived in Rome in the third century. It is a lovely book, suitable for a home, parish, or school library. 

1-3-26 Smithsonian American Women - Smithsonian Institution - This was a fascinating look at objects in the Smithsonian collection that relate to American women's history. I've always been interested in women's history, and it is remarkable the light that certain items can shed on that story. 

 

1-4-26 What Does it Feel Like? - Sophie Kinsella - Kinsella, the author of the Shopaholic books, died in December 2025 of a brain tumor. This is her fictionalized account of life with that tumor. It is a short novel, well worth reading, for its insightful and honest look at life with incurable cancer. The story ends on a hopeful note, made all the more poignant by the fact that we know there wasn't actually a happy ending. 

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 junior year). 

12-6-25 The Social Contract - Jean-Jacques Rousseau - Rousseau was born in Geneva in 1712. He worked as an engraver's apprentice and became a Catholic convert (although he fathered five children and abandoned them to a foundling home). In 1762, he wrote this work, which was his crowning achievement of political philosophy. He discusses various forms of government and how they came to be as well as the innate rights of people.  

12-21-25 Discourse on Metaphysics - Baron Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz -  Leibniz (1646-1716) was a German polymath, best known for helping invent calculus. This was a philosophical work more geared to theology that I found interesting as he wrestled with many of the big questions of life that I have also struggled with - such as the problems of evil, free will vs. God's omnipotence, why God makes people, etc. There are no certain answers to any of these questions. Some things we just need to take on faith; others are beyond are understanding. But it was interesting to read, and I hope that someday (in the next world), I understand these things. I liked that he believed animal souls are eternal (I do, too).

 

This post contains Amazon affiliate links. Purchases made after clicking a link help support this site. Thank you!