#OpenBook for July 2024

 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!

 

6-6-24 Libraries of New England - Margaret Haller - This book is out of print and I got it through my local library system. (I don't even remember how I heard about it!) I'm a big fan of all libraries, but there is a special place in my heart for the old ones that smell that books. This book was written in 1991. I'd venture to say that at least some of the libraries featured in it have since been replaced by newer modern versions, but I have had the pleasure to visit at least some of the ones highlighted in my travels through New England. I was a bit disappointed that neither the Springfield, MA, library (a fine example of a Carnegie library) nor the Chicopee Main Library of my youth were highlighted, but I still enjoyed flipping through the pages. 

Here are a couple interesting facts I came across: 

The South Leicester (now Greenville, MA) library was established in 1793. "The books were not to be kept over six weeks, with a fine of four pence for every leaf turned down and every drop of tallow found in any volume." 

The Richard Sugden Library in Spencer, MA once had an emergency room in the basement!

The Hungerford Memorial Library in Harwington, CT, stands over the grave of Theodore Hungerford. As of 1991, the library was vacant but they planned to use it as a community center.

6-7-24 Eucharistic Saints: Twenty Stories of Devotion to Jesus - Meredith Hinds - This new book for children ages 5-12 includes twenty vignettes about various saints who had a devotion to Jesus in the Eucharist such as St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Jacinta Marto, St. Catherine of Sienna, Blessed Imelda Lambertini, and Blessed (soon to be Saint) Carlo Acutis. The book does achieve its purpose of emphasizing devotion to the Eucharist, but the scenes are told in isolation with little background info on the saint. If you are already familiar with the basics of the saint's life, that is not a problem, but otherwise, one feels a bit thrown into the story of the saint. Still, this would make a lovely addition to a home or parish library, especially for children preparing for First Communion.

6-7-24 Leaving Loneliness Behind - Regina Boyd - There is a loneliness epidemic in our world. Regina Boyd is a licensed mental health counselor and marriage and family therapist. In this combo book/workbook set, she offers some at-home therapy for those who want to connect more deeply with others to work on their relationships. She explores being vulnerable with others, communicating during conflict, healing past wounds, and giving of ourselves to others. She also offers lists of questions to help get to know other people better. Overall, I was impressed by this set and can see how it might help people both work on their own healing/issues and nurture relationships. (Read for Catholic Library World)

6-9-24 The Lost Bookshop - Evie Woods - This story set in England and Dublin features three POVs - Opaline (1920s) trying to escape an overbearing brother who wants her to enter a marriage of convenience, Martha (today) who is running from an abusive husband, and Henry (today) who is searching for an elusive manuscript to write about for his dissertation. This story features a lot of magical  fantastical elements such as the bookshop which appears at will, a woman who can read minds, one character who may or may not be real, and other inexplicable happenings. It also touches on those wrongly placed in insane asylums and the abuses that took place in them. Overall, I enjoyed it even if I didn't fully understand it (I'm not sure you are supposed to "get" the whole story). It definitely kept me turning pages. It is a secular novel which includes some premarital sex (nothing graphic) and taking the Lord's name in vain a few times. 

 

6-13-24 A Healing Touch - Suzanne Woods Fisher - Dr. Ruth "Dok" Stolzfus was raised Amish but left to pursue her education. Now in her late fifties, she serves as a doctor to both the English and Amish. When a baby is left on her practice's doorstep, she and her husband decide to serve as foster parents, which deeply changes her outlook on life. Another plot line features Dok's assistant Annie, a shy young Amish woman who loves learning about medical issues and wants to become an EMT. Suzanne Woods Fisher is a well-known writer in the Amish fiction genre and her stories are always enjoyable. (Read for Publisher's Weekly)

6-16-24 Hidden in Plain View: A Secret Story of Quilts and the Underground Railroad - Jacqueline Tobin and Raymond Dobard, Ph.D. - This book was published twenty-five years ago. I picked it up because I love quilting and was interested in learning more about the historical significance of quilting. I just happened to read it the week of Juneteenth, which seemed very appropriate! It discusses the secret code held in quilts as well as spirituals to help slaves find their way to freedom. It also discusses Masons a great deal. I know Masons and Catholics have a problematic history, but in this case, it seems like they were doing some good, helping slaves escape. It was an interesting book. 

 

6-24-24 Glorious Encounters with Mary: A Guide to Living the Mysteries of the Rosary - Maria V. Gallagher. Gallagher follows up Joyful Encounterswith Mary: A Woman’s Guide to Living the Mysteries of the Rosary with this book focusing on the five Glorious Mysteries: The Resurrection, The Ascension, The Descent of the Holy Spirit, The Assumption of the Blessed Mother, and the Coronation of Mary as Queen of Heaven and Earth. In addition to explaining each mystery, Gallagher shares a personal story of how this mystery has been relevant in her life, offers ways for readers to grow in the virtue associated with that mystery, and profiles a saint who exemplifies that virtue. 

6-24-24 Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt - Deborah Hopkinson - This is a children's book that goes along with the book I read earlier this month about how quilts were used to help guide slaves to freedom. In this one, young Clara makes a map on her quilt to help show her fellow slaves how to make their way to the Underground Railroad. It is a wonderful book to read and share with children to help them learn about this chapter of our nation's history.
 

 6-28-24 The Christmas Gathering - Shelley Shepard Gray, Lenora Worth, Rachel J. Good - This was a lovely collection of three Amish romance novellas. I do enjoy Christmas stories, even in the middle of summer! The stories featured three couples that had to beat the odds. The first was an Episcopalian man and an Amish woman, the second were two young Amish from feuding families, and the third were two non-baptized Amish youth who had to choose whether God or their love of music (and each other) were more important. (Read for a book review publication)

6-29-24 The Art of Correspondence - The Editors of Victoria - Sometimes I just want to look at some pretty pictures. This was that type of book. It is a coffee table book that has large spreads of photos and sparse text. The text focuses on writing letters and journals and such, which I enjoyed, but this one was mostly about the images. It was very relaxing and enjoyable to look at! 

7-2-24 Defend Us in Battle:The Promises of St. Michael and the Heavenly Angels - Marge Steinhage Fenelon - Fenelon introduces readers to the Chaplet of St. Michael which includes "nine salutations (like decades of the Rosary), each addressed to one of the choirs, and each asking for a particular grace." Each chapter focuses on one of the choirs of angels along with how they can help us resist a particular vice. There is a whole lot of evil in our world and we need the angels to help protect us from it.

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). 

6-16-24 The Discourses - Machiavelli - This is a lesser known, longer work by the author of The Prince, in which he examines the history of Rome to provide guidance for current and future governments and the roles of leaders. He discusses the cyclical rise and fall of civilizations. I did not read every word of this tome, but I skimmed it all and got the general idea. 

Next up on the reading list is a collection of Shakespeare's works.

6-25-24 Julius Caesar - Shakespeare - I first read this play as a freshman in high school. I have much more historical knowledge and appreciation now to put it in context. It turns out it was based on Plutarch's lives of Julius Caesar, Brutus, and Marc Antony, which I have also read. It was first written and performed in 1599 and published in 1623. Shakespeare did take some historical liberties, compressing three years of history into six days of action. 

 

My thirteen-year-old daughter and I read the following book this month:

6-13-24 Daddy-Long-Legs - Jean Webster - This was a book they read in the Mother-Daughter Book Club series we've been reading. I had never heard of this book before. It is about a girl who grew up in an orphanage who has a secret benefactor who pays for her to go to college with the aim of her becoming a writer. We enjoyed it!

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