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!
1/15/23 Visual Thinking - Temple Grandin - Dr. Temple Grandin is a well-known autism advocate. I've read other books by her and I was eager to read this book because I am always interested in neuroscience, brain differences, and educational topics. This book covers all three. Dr. Grandin discusses the gifts of people who think in pictures and patterns rather than words. As a verbal thinker (I am a writer, after all), this is fascinating to me, especially since all three of my children fall in this category. She also explores the minds of geniuses. Dr. Grandin makes some valuable statements about how today's education system fails visual thinkers to the detriment of our future. Anyone interested in education should be aware of these concerns. There was also a discussion of animal brains, which not necessarily relevant to the main topic, was interesting.
1/15/23 Christmas Roses - Amanda Cabot - One last Christmas book for the season. I don't even recall where I saw this one listed (It is from 2012), but the title appealed to me and I requested it from the library. Set in 1882 Wyoming, it was a sweet Christmas romance about a widow and an itinerant carpenter. It was a light, easy short novel, great for a brief burst of escapism.
1/19/23 Loving Lydia - Susan Pope Sloan - This is an enjoyable Civil War romance between a millworker taken prisoner by Union forces and a Confederate soldier out to avenge his wife's murder. They'll both have to make peace with the past before they can move forward to their future. (Read for a book review publication)
1/20/23 The Diary of Saint Gemma- St. Gemma Galgani - One of the wonderful things about the Catholic Church is that there are so many saints to look up to, to emulate, and to be spiritual friends with. Not every saint is going to speak to every person. I wanted so much to love this book and make a new spiritual friend, but I just can't relate to St. Gemma. She was a mystic who lived from 1878-1903. During the course of her short life, she experienced visions of Mary and Jesus as well as her guardian angel. She also experienced the stigmata. She was often ill and in great pain. Under the order of her spiritual director, she wrote her autobiography and kept a diary of her experiences. Now, she is obviously a saint, but God works differently with different souls. Jesus and Mary in her visions were sometimes angry and punished her for seemingly small things, withdrawing their presence and their love. If Jesus and Mary were angry with her, I can only imagine how they feel about me! St. Gemma did remind me of valuable truths, namely to seek consolation only in Jesus and not in worldly things and to pray and sacrifice for the souls in purgatory. So, I will donate this book to my parish library where hopefully it will bless and speak more to someone else!
1/20/23 Let Go of Your Fear - Gary Zimak - I've been worried about so many things lately that I decided to pull this book out of my to-be-read pile (where it has been sitting for a year). I'm glad I did. Zimak offers meaningful reflections on the two stories of the apostles being caught in storms in the Gospels. If you are caught in one of life's storms, or just worried in general, I highly recommend this book.
1/21/23 Handcrafted Journals, Albums, Scrapbooks, and More - Marie Browning - I was browsing through the library and this book caught my eye. My daughter is learning bookbinding in her homeschool co-op and I wanted to learn more about it. This book features some lovely images and good how-to instructions. I don't think I will be pursuing this art form any time soon, but it was interesting to look at and I learned more about what my daughter is doing in class.
1/22/23 Thimbleberries Classic Country - Lynette Jensen - This was another book I picked up browsing in the library. I was looking for some eye candy to relax with and this fit the bill. I enjoyed looking at the pictures!
1/22/23 The Worlds of Tomie dePaola - Barbara Elleman - Like many moms, I read some of Tomie dePaola's books to my children when they were young, but I really didn't know much about him. This book offers a wonderful overview of his life and work. It is the perfect combination of text and image, with many depictions of his illustrations and his non-book art. I especially enjoyed the behind-the-scenes look at the development of his book Quiet. Reading book prompted me to request some of his books that I have not read from the library. If you have any interest in Tomie dePaola or children's book publishing, I highly recommend this book!
1/29/23 Quiet - Tomie dePaola - This is a lovely picture book to share with children about the importance of slowing down and paying attention to the beautiful world around you.
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 sophomore year).
1-9-23 On Duties by Cicero. I finished Cicero's thoughts on duties and ethics. The world would be a better place if more people followed Cicero's advice in this work. Much of it is very consistent with Christian thought.
1/14/23 Manual by Epictetus. Epictetus was a Greek Stoic philosopher who lived from 50-135 AD whose teachings were written down by his pupil Arrian. This is a short work, but its main focus is that we shouldn't worry about what we can't control. We have no influence over what other people say about us or do to us. We have no control over things that happen to us. We shouldn't let it bother us at all. We can only control ourselves. Focus on that. Don't be overly attached to anyone or anything because everything is transient. Don't get upset about anything. Let nothing disturb your inner tranquility. I have to say, his level of detachment was impressive!
My twelve-year-old daughter and I read the following books this month:
Usagi can hear a squirrel’s heartbeat from a mile away, and soar over treetops in one giant leap. She was born in the year of the wood rabbit, and it’s given her extraordinary zodiac gifts.
But she can never use them, not while the mysterious, vicious Dragonlord hunts down all those in her land with zodiac powers. Instead, she must keep her abilities—and those of her rambunctious sister Uma—a secret.
After Uma is captured by the Dragonguard, Usagi can no longer ignore her powers. She must journey to Mount Jade with the fabled Heirs of the Twelve, a mystical group of warriors who once protected the land.
As new mysteries unfold, Usagi must decide who she stands with, and who she trusts, as she takes on deadly foes on her path to the elusive, dangerous Dragonlord himself.
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1 comment:
Thanks for linking to An Open Book! I think I read that Amanda Cabot book years back and enjoyed it.
When we homeschooled, we'd ask St. Gemma Galgani to pray for us each morning (along with St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and some others). We really didn't find much about her other than her patronage. I can see where she may be difficult to relate to.
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