Open Book for September 2023

 

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!

 

8-6-23 Write for Life: Creative Tools for Every Writer - Julia Cameron - I saw this book at the library and decided to pick it up. I've read other books by Cameron on creativity and enjoyed them. She is most famous for The Artist's Way. The author is a bit New Agey, but honestly this book had relatively little a Catholic couldn't agree with. She acknowledges that all creativity comes from God and that we need to appeal to God to help us in our creative efforts. While this book meanders in spots, it does have some valuable tools for helping writers write more consistently and better.

 

 

8-8-23 Catherine's Mercy - Nicole Evelina -  I review inspirational fiction for a book review publication. It is very rare to get a book that features Catholics as the main characters. I was so excited to be asked to read Catherine's Mercy as it tells the story of Venerable Catherine McAuley (whom I had never heard of before). She founded the Sisters of Mercy in the early 1800s in Ireland. She was a remarkable woman who stood up to both Ireland society, which was very anti-Catholic, and some members of the clergy, who felt that as a lay, unmarried woman she had no business establishing a home for disadvantaged women and children. Evelina explains in her author's note how she intertwines the historical facts of Catherine's life with the fictional story of Irish prostitutes whom she welcomes to her home. I recommend this one, not only because it is a good story, but also because supporting mainstream publishers who are willing to publish Catholic fiction is important. 

8-13-23 White Bird - R.J. Palacio with Erica Perl - I saw White Bird in a preview at the movie theater and decided to request the book from the library. It turns out I got the movie-tie-in novel based on the original graphic novel, but no matter. I highly recommend this story for pre-teens through adults about a young Jewish girl in hiding in World War II. I definitely plan to see this movie with my daughter when it is available on streaming services. 

8-20-23 Painting the Light - Sally Cabot Gunning - I visited Martha's Vineyard for the first time this summer. Soon after, I saw this book which takes place there. It takes place in the late 1890s and features a woman who once had a promising future as an artist. When her husband dies suddenly at sea, she's forced to take over their sheep farm. She and her husband's partner's brother also form a new relationship as they try to settle the estate and discover that all was not what it seemed with their business dealings. This is definitely a secular novel, but I enjoyed the twists and turns of this story about a woman trying to reclaim her life. It was a relaxing leisure read. 

8-23-23 A Winter by the Sea - Julie Klassen - This is the second book in a Jane Austen inspired series about a group of sisters running a boarding house in 1819. In this installment, Prince Edward of England is staying at the house next door and members of his staff will be staying with the sisters. Needless to say, romance ensues. This is an enjoyable series about young women trying to make their way in the world.
 

8-24-23 Holy Moments - Matthew Kelly. I enjoy Matthew Kelly's straightforward lessons in living a holy life. This is a simple book with a simple message. Choose the good one moment at a time. Make a difference in your immediate world that can then ripple to others. In our messy world, we can all use the reminder. 

9-3-23 The Wishing Game - Meg Shaffer - This is a story inspired by Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but this time the mastermind is a bestselling children's book author who is offering the chance to win the one and only manuscript of his newest book (which they could then sell or auction off for big money). He invites four special adults to take part in an elaborate game based on his books. "Charlie" in this story is Lisa, a teachers-aide who wants desperately to adopt a child that she knows who is currently in foster-care but lacks the resources to do that. The money from the book would make this possible. This story was well-written and, while I was never that much of a fan of Willy Wonka, I enjoyed this version.

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). 

8-8-23 The Fairy Queen - Edmond Spenser - Last month I wrote about how I have come to the conclusion that I am just not a fan of epic poetry. But I am happy to report that I finished The Fairy Queen. According to the introduction in the version I am reading, this was written in the late 1500s as a tribute to Queen Elizabeth I. The queen is held up as the embodiment of temperance who had the power to redeem female history. The queen was the earthly manifestation of God's light. Supposedly, this is a very Protestant book.

8-10-23 On the Teacher - St. Thomas Aquinas - This was a very short essay on the role of teachers and how individuals come to know anything. 

And with that, I finished the sophomore year readings (Freshman year took me two years; sophomore year took me two years and four months)! Woo-hoo!  On to junior year!

 8-15-18 On Sacred Doctrine - St. Thomas Aquinas - This was Part 1, Section 1 of the Summa Theologiae exploring questions about whether the study of sacred doctrine is a science and what the study of sacred doctrine includes. 

8-17-23 On God - St. Thomas Aquinas - This was Part 1, Question 2 of the Summa on the existence of God featuring St. Thomas' five proofs for the existence of God. 

8-23-23 On Law - St. Thomas Aquinas - This was Question 96 of the Summa on the power of human law. It explored why human laws are formed, what their purpose is, and whether all are subject to law.

Overall, I found reading these sections of the Summa to be interesting and thought-provoking. I'm sure in a classroom setting, there would be much conversation and debate about them. 

My twelve-year-old daughter and I read the following books this month:

8-14-23 Mandy - Julie Andrews Edwards - My daughter and I both enjoyed this lovely story about an orphan who finds an abandoned cottage and fixes it up to have a place of her own. She makes some more choices along the way (which can provide some discussion points), but it all turns out well in the end.

9-4-23 Moon Over Manifest - Clare Vanderpool - I learned of this book from Leslea Wahl who reviewed it over on my Today's Catholic Homeschooling site. It's a dual-timeline story that takes place in 1918 (in the midst of WWI and the Spanish flu) and in 1936 (during the Depression). Abilene Tucker has been sent away by her father for the summer to the small town of Manifest where her father had spent some time when he was young. As she makes new friends, she also comes to learn the story of the small town that shaped her father.

 

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