#OpenBook for November 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!

 

10-6-23 The Seamstress of Acadie - Laura Frantz - This is a leisurely work of historical fiction that unfolds slowly, tracing the life of Sylvia Galant, who works as a seamstress in Acadie (present-day Nova Scotia) in the 1750s, but then her family is driven from their land and she ends up in Virginia after a shipwreck, where she must build a new life. I never knew much about the Acadian people (who were French Catholics) or their history. This is a long work (over 400 pages), but if you enjoy historical women's fiction, it is worth checking out. (Read for a book review publication)

10-9-23 The Country of the Blind - Andrew Leland - Leland has retinitis pigmentosa, a condition that has caused him to steadily lose his vision since he was in his teens. Now in middle age, he still has some vision, but it is markedly reduced. In this book, he tells his story of adjusting to life while losing his sight. He also shares some fascinating information on the development of assistive tools for those who are blind. There is also a discussion of what it means to be disabled, whether blindness is a disability or simply another way of being in the world. 

10-9-23 Messages of Patience for Advent and Christmas 2023 - Michael White and Tom Corcoran - With Advent right around the corner, it is time to review Advent devotionals. This one offers short devotions with a Scripture verse, brief reflection, and a question to ponder. The theme is on having patience as we listen to God and discern his will for our lives. 

10-13-23 The Shakespeare Requirement - Julie Schumacher - This is the second book in a trilogy about a disgruntled English professor who is currently the head of his department in a school where there is a movement to downsize the English department and get rid of a Shakespeare requirement for English majors. This series is a bit more vulgar than books I usually read, but there is something about the humor of it and its portrait of academic life that appeals to me.

10-14-23 The English Experience - Julie Schumacher - This is the third book in the series. It was recently published. I had seen this one advertised and decided to read the full series, but this one works great as a stand-alone. Honestly, I think it is the best of the three books. The disgruntled English professor is roped into taking a group of college students to England for a three-week intensive.

10-20-23 In Every Life - Maria Frazee - This is a lovely picture book designed for young children. It has a simple text and beautiful illustrations about the blessings found in every life. This is one of those soothing books that I could see being read night after night as a bedtime story.  

10-17-23 The Bookbinder - Pip Williams - This book is tangentially related to Williams' first book, The Dictionary of Lost Words, which I read and enjoyed, but you don't need to have read that one to appreciate this one. This book focuses on Peggy Jones and her intellectually-challenged twin sister, Maude, who both work as bookbinders for the Oxford University Press. They are supposed to bind the books, not read them, but Peggy takes home books and fragments of books that did not pass quality inspection and adds them to her library. World War I, however, will sharply change everyone's lives. I enjoyed this story. I never even thought about bookbinders before reading this book. It is a secular novel and does have a few racy passages.

10-30-23 Draw Near: Daily Prayers for Advent and Christmas - This Advent/Christmas book features a Scripture or spiritual quote to reflect on, a reflection, a prayer for morning, a question to reflect on during the day, and a prayer for evening.

 

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). 

10-20-23 Politics - Aristotle - I found this exploration of different types of governments and their pros and cons interesting. Regarding politics, it seems like not much has changed since ancient times. At the end of the work, Aristotle discusses marriage - according to him the ideal age for a woman to get married is 18 and a man at 37 (he states this is when both are at their prime and will decline together). A man should not, however, sire children past the age of 55. While a woman is pregnant, she should eat healthy and exercise her body but not her mind. He also endorses abortion and the killing of any deformed infants. He also discussed education which he felt should be completely under the control of the state.

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

 

 

 

 

 10-12-23 Before We Were Free - Julia Alvarez -This book is listed for ages 12 and up and I definitely second that recommendation. It has been compared to being reminiscent of The Diary of Anne Frank, only this time the girl in hiding is in the Dominican Republic in the early 1960s. It deals with some very difficult themes (the possibility of rape and murder) as well as all the coming-of-age issues that a 12-year-old girl faces. The main characters are Catholic. 

 

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Chalice of the Gods - We're almost done this one. I think I was even more excited than my daughter to read this one! I've always enjoyed this series and this new book is a great addition. I think it is the first book of a new trilogy. Percy is now a senior in high school and needs to complete three quests to get letters of recommendation for college.

 

 

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