Carolyn Astfalk's Blog, page 11

13 Spooky Reads to Download Today

For Kids The Case of the Haunted Chapel (Sisters of the Last Straw) by Karen Kelly Boyce The Monks’ Castle by A.J. Cattapan (Free!) Mandy Lamb and the Full Moon by Corinna Turner For Teens Shadow in the Dark by Antony B. Kolenc

Read the whole series: The Harwood Mysteries.

Battle for His Soul by Theresa Linden Elfling by Corinna Turner

13 Spooky Reads to Download Today (Catholic fiction edition) #HalloweenReads #SpookyBooks
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For Adults Black Bottle Man by Craig Russell Shadow Stalker by T.M. Gaouette Tortured Soul by Theresa Linden Brother Wolf by Eleanor Bourg Nicholson Bleeder: A Miracle? Or Bloody Murder by John Desjarlais

Read the whole series: Bleeder, Specter, and Viper.

Unfortunately, this series is only available in paperback, not in ebook format.

For Vampire-lovers A Bloody Habit by Eleanor Bourg Nicholson Jennifer the Damned by Karen Ullo

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An Open Book

Welcome to the October 2021 edition of An Open Book, hosted both at My Scribbler’s Heart and CatholicMom.com!

We have a kiosk of Catholic books in the narthex of our church with rotating titles. My husband frequents it. A lot. Last month, he picked up Marching Orders: A Tactical Plan for Converting the World to Christ by Dan McGuire is a military-style guide to evangelization from Catholic Answers. The author mines his experience as a Marine officer and applies it to sharing the Gospel by planning, using the correct tools, overcoming obstacles, and more.

Rhonda Ortiz’s debut novel, historical fiction set in colonial America, is a romance populated by rogues, spies, gossipy hens, and crusty sailors.  In Pieces, with its polyglot sailor who has a passion for theology, Josiah, and a strong, sensible, creative heroine in Molly, is a great start to a series I’m certain I’m going to love. Strong characters, solid writing, and attention to historical detail make for an excellent novel.

I enjoyed the second installment in Georgiana Daniels’ KC Crum Mystery series even more than the first. Crumb and Punishment picks up where the first book left off in Beaver Bluff, with KC and her mostly elderly pals stumbling across dead bodies. Their stealth investigation will take them to bingo, of all places, but even that can’t keep Office Hamson from discovering their involvement.

I read an advance copy of one of the stories in the yet-to-be-released 99-cent bundle Dangerous Pursuits: 15 Stories from Today’s Most Popular Mystery and Suspense Authors. Sleep Deprived by Therese Heckenkamp is ultimately a story about reconciliation between a grief-stricken husband and wife. The plot centers around a kidnapped infant and whether Mae, sleep-deprived and depressed, is the perpetrator. I’m looking forward to reading the entire collection.

The Party Planning Committee by Amy Matayo was just plain fun. And while it seems like an easy, superficial read (nothing wrong with that sometimes), there’s more beneath the surface, revealed when reality-TV life is scrapped in favor of real life. Charlotte and Lance are adorable, and like all Amy Matayo’s characters, their charm, biting wit and laser-sharp interior thoughts make them super fun to read about.

Susan Peek, who specializes in adventurous stories about little-known saints, recently released Saint Cloud of Gaul, The Prince Who Traded Kingdoms. This short novel has plenty of excitement, a lot of jeopardy, and a wee bit of romance. Cloud’s escape from his murderous uncles will keep your turning pages.

Speaking of saints, Corinna Turner’s Old Men Don’t Walk to Egypt is the second in her Friends in High Places series and demonstrates how relevant the virtues of St. Joseph are to modern youth. The author deftly tackles a pervasive issue among teens, sexting, in the most inoffensive way, focusing on virtue and modesty. Readers will recognize characters from the first book in the saint series.

In his first semester at college, my oldest son has been reading several short stories. One is Bartleby, The Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street by Herman Melville. I read this one in college as well, and my only memory is that I preferred it to Melville’s longer work, Moby Dick, which I intensely disliked. Other stories he’s reading are The Devil and Daniel Webster by Stephen Vincent Benet and The Birth-Mark by Nathaniel Hawthorne. 

My eighth-grade student is reading The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare with her class. The novel, set in colonial Maine, is a Newbery Honor book. Thirteen-year-old Matthew is left to guard his family’s cabin in the wilderness and meets a Native boy, Attean, who teaches him about his culture. 

My daughter also read The Fire of Eden by Antony Kolenc, which I covered here in August, and moved on to White Fang by Jack London, a book her older brother loved. (I’ve now been doing An Open Book long enough that we’re going to be cycling through books older siblings have read!) If you’re not familiar with the classic book or movie adaptions, White Fang is the story of a wild wolfdog. Fun fact: It was first serialized in a magazine.

I started reading Ginger Pye by Eleanor Estes aloud to the kids. I learned of this award-winner in An Open Book post by Read-At-Home Mom.  The story centers around the Pye family, headed by Mr. Pye, a “famous bird man.” We’re only a couple of chapters in, as the children, Jerry and Rachel, contemplate buying a pup, Ginger. Somewhere along the way, beloved Ginger is stolen, and I’m looking forward to seeing what ensues.

My younger daughter’s fourth-grade class will be reading a lot of books in the I Survived series this year, and they began with I Survived the Shark Attacks of 1916 by Lauren Tarshis. The story, set at the Jersey shore, features a 10-year-old, Chet, and his friends, that dramatize the real-life event. Let me just say that I’m glad they are reading this in September and not in the spring, in advance of everyone’s beach vacations.

Contributing to our apparent dog theme this month, my fourth grader is also reading a Magic Treehouse book, Balto of the Blue Dawn by Mary Pope Osborne. Some of my kids have enjoyed these books more than others. My oldest read dozens of books in the fun but educational series built on the premise of time-traveling siblings that get a lesson in a variety of historic events and cultures. This one takes them to 1925 Alaska, where they meet the Siberian husky charged with the final leg of the journey to get the diphtheria serum to Nome in time.

My youngest, a third grader, recently read Stuart Little by E.B. White. My husband, in particular, has a fondness for the little mouse adopted into the Little family. We recently re-watched the movie adaption starring Geena David and Michael J. Fox, and I was reminded what a lovely little story it is.

All three of the kids in the house have been spotted reading or re-reading various books in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. The latest to come home is The Getaway, the twelfth book in the popular illustrated series. I read the first several books before my oldest started reading them and thought that author Jeff Kinney had a keen, if a bit cynical, insight into childhood and family life. I’m not sure if the series has sustained its magic, but my kids, at least, seem to think so.

Saint Joseph, Watch Over My Family by Sabine du Mesnil is a beautiful board book from Magnificat US and Ignatius Press that I hope my children will turn to again and again. It introduces children to St. Joseph using scripture, shares the many and varied circumstances in which to call on St. Joseph, and includes prayers and miraculous tales. The prayers and recommendations for going to St. Joseph are beautiful and perfect for fostering devotion to this eminent saint.

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Relevant Fiction Reviews: Rock Stars

I’ll admit that I like a good rock star novel. Maybe it’s left over from my teen years, when I adulated some musicians a wee bit much. Maybe I like the grand gesture of someone giving up all the things the world prizes – fame, fortune, and celebrity status – for things more lasting, like love, faith, and family. At any rate, here are some novels with rock star characters that I’ve enjoyed over the years. Oh, and I’m interpreting “rock star” loosely here. Country stars count too.

Relevant Fiction Reviews: Rock Stars – Novels featuring those who've made it to the top! Where do they go next and what *really* matters? #relevantfictionreviews
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Love and the Silver Lining by Tammy L. Gray
Anyone who’s done all the “right” things and seen their dreams dashed will relate to Darcy, whose world is upended by her parents’ sudden divorce and the cancellation of the mission trip she’s painstakingly planned.

Mired in grief, anger, and depression, Darcy needs a soft place to land. Her lifetime best friend Cameron (a guy) offers his place, but instead Darcy accepts the invitation of Zoe, sister of Cameron’s bandmate Bryson. Darcy is glaringly oblivious to the feelings of both Bryson and Cameron, and that leads to trouble.

Love and the Silver Lining may be Tammy Gray’s best novel. The characters are relatable and multi-layered, the attraction palpable, and Darcy’s job readying abandonment dogs for adoption dovetails nicely with her own healing.
The Last Shot by Amy Matayo
As a writer, I may have been afraid to tackle this one: a romance instigated by a deranged shooter at a concert where the hero is both the star of the show and the target. But Amy Matayo makes it work, not minimizing the horror yet allowing the characters to develop an intimacy borne of tragedy but sustained by attraction and connection. I don’t know if any of my favorite authors get into a character’s head better. The characters sizzles with chemistry and a couple of heated kisses suited to a sex symbol country star and the woman who saves him – in more ways than one.
The Whys Have It by Amy Matayo
Amy Matayo gets into a character’s head perhaps better than any author I read. She gets in so deeply that the quirks, the contradictions, and the repeated turns of phrase all work together to draw the reader deeply into their broken lives.

Sam(antha) is as likable a heroine as there is – strong, good-hearted, and willing to endure whatever life throws at her without growing cynical or cold-hearted. Sad and lonely, yes, but cold-hearted, no.

Then there’s Cory, whose modus operandus when it comes to pain is to run, chasing fame, money, women, and whatever temporal pleasure he encounters. Until he can’t run anymore.

And that’s where the heartbreaking beauty of The Whys Have It lies. In two broken people who suit each other despite all the pain in their pasts, chasing their heels into the present.

I so quickly grew attached to these characters that the book was hard to put down. Amy Matayo remains one of my favorite authors, a must-read.
Infinity + One by Amy Harmon
“I can put this book down at any time. It’s different than Amy Harmon’s other books I’ve read.” That’s what I kept telling myself until I realized I was lurking outside my own bedroom door after 1:00 a.m. knowing I had to be up in under five hours but was intent on finishing the novel!

Amy Harmon creates wonderful characters who are simultaneously unique and universal. Take Finn Clyde. Probably not many ex-con/surviving twin/mathematicians in the reading audience, but plenty of people who know loss and loneliness. Or how about Bonnie Rae Shelby? Very few hillbilly singing/songwriting superstars, but lots of people who know how it feels to be trapped, not in control, or grief-stricken. That juxtaposition of ordinary and extraordinary makes the characters both memorable and relatable.

I love that Amy Harmon’s romances do not include explicit sex scenes for a host of reasons. When it became obvious **spoiler alert** that Finn and Bonnie were going to consummate their marriage I was anxious that it might degenerate into a description of parts and actions which, frankly, would have been a huge letdown. Instead, I was treated to about the most beautiful (non-explicit) description of married love I’ve ever read.

I thought I would be put off by the switch between the first-person and third-person point of view, but I wasn’t. It was seamless. As usual in Amy Harmon’s book, there are lots of interesting layers. There’s history, morality, action, romance woven all over the place.

Kudos, Amy! Another book that will stay on my Kindle indefinitely to be re-read and savored. One Night With a Rock Star by Chana Keefer
I read this book twice – an uncommon thing for me – back in 2013. Eight years later, it still holds a place in my heart. Without re-reading (again), I can’t say for sure how well it’d hold up to a reader who is now a writer, but I can say that this story of a wholesome faithful girl (Esther) with immovable convictions who influences a worldly rock star (Sky) inspired me in my own writing and hit all the right romance buttons, showing real human attraction and sexuality without comprising principles.

As I think about it now, I realize that One Night with a Rock Star got right what one of the most influential movies of my childhood, Grease, got wrong. Principles shouldn’t collapse for “love.” Love should rise to meet those principles. And maybe that’s why one reason why I loved this story so much. And who doesn’t love a rock star romance? One Night With a Rock Star: part deux by Chana Keefer
I loved One Night With A Rock Star so much I re-read it, something I rarely do. I eagerly looked forward to the sequel, Part Deux.

What struck me most about this book was the author’s willingness to take on evil, essentially freeing her hero of a demonic obsession. Not ordinary fare for a fairytale romance.

Kudos to Chana Keefer for her sobering and gripping depiction of the subtle manifestation of evil in our lives. My only qualm was what amounted to a lay exorcism of sorts, something I’d have preferred to seen addressed by a trained priest exorcist.

Part Deux reads more like a memoir than a romance in its storytelling. The upside is that the reader is further drawn into the lives of Esther and Sky, whose newlywed love is endearing. It’s a joy to witness (“offscreen”) the consummation and continuation of their married union and loving intimacy. It is real and sensual without become tawdry or in any way pornographic.

The downside to this type of storytelling is a rambling plot, which at times did not seem cohesive. It may be that I’ve become a more critical reader since I read One Night With A Rock Star, but this book felt less structured, lacking in foreshadowing, and therefore less satisfying. Again, the draw here is the characters.

There were some good subplots involving sex trafficking and the “adult” industry. The struggles of marriage, difficulties of superstardom, pregnancy loss, and incorporating faith into life with integrity and without compromise are all addressed. They are handled well, but I wondered at times if the author tried to tackle too much.

All in all, an enjoyable continuation of Esther and Sky’s love story. The One Who Rocked Away by Joanna Alonzo
The One Who Rocked Away is the second-chance romance of childhood friends Serene and Nolan. Serene is a pastor’s daughter with loving parents who has a deep experience of faith tied to her painting. Nolan’s parents are estranged, and he and his sister live in the shadow of their father and older brother’s addiction and eventual death.

Nolan benefits from the love shown by Serene’s family, but somewhere along the way, he puts Serene ahead of God as his greatest love, and bit by bit Serene and Nolan’s relationship begins to unravel despite their deep love for one another.

Enter the lures of fame and wealth for Nolan that eventually land him at rock bottom where (no surprise here) he and Serene can try again.

I liked the characters and the storyline well enough, and the ending resolved just as the reader would hope.
And, from the days before my compulsion to review everything I read: Some Enchanted Evening by Clari Dees Fifteen Minutes by Karen Kingsbury Cowboy by Staci Stallings Her Minnesota Man by Brenda Coulter

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5 Books about St. Joseph for Kids and Teens

Joseph, Guardian of the Holy Family by Marlyn Evangelina Monge, FSP

This sturdy board book with bright, simple illustrations is an ideal introduction for very young children. It accompanies Mary, Mother of Jesus and Jesus, Savior of the World, so that toddlers can meet each member of the Holy Family.

Saint Joseph: Watch Over My Family by Sabine du Mesnil and Hengling Zang

This beautiful hardcover ideal for small hands and nightstands belongs in every Catholic home. It introduces children to St. Joseph using scripture, shares the many and varied circumstances in which to call on St. Joseph, and includes prayers and miraculous tales. 

The prayers and recommendations for going to St. Joseph are beautiful and perfect for fostering devotion to this eminent saint.

Even as an adult, I gained so much from this little book and look forward to incorporating its prayers into our devotions.

5 Books about St. Joseph for Kids and Teens #stjoseph #yearofstjoseph
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Staircase for the Sisters by Pamela Love

I’m so happy to see a children’s adaption of this familiar (true) story of the mysterious creation of the staircase in the Santa Fe chapel of the Sisters of Loretto!

Illustrated, but not overly simple, this books is a short, easy read for children about 8 years and up. My children (ages 8-13) and I love it!

Old Men Don’t Walk to Egypt (St. Joseph) by Corinna Turner

Kudos to author Corinna Turner for tackling a pervasive issue among teens, sexting, in the most inoffensive way while also introducing young readers to St. Joseph, patron of chastity.

Readers of the Friends in High Places series will recognize characters from Book 1, but this book can stand alone as well. The incorporation of a saint project and a woodworking project seemed a little contrived, but they do the job of tying all the pieces together for a short contemporary book that’s thematically tied to the earthly father of Jesus. (The virtue of St. Joseph, still relevant after 2,000 years!)

There’s more to the book than the story, including various St. Joseph prayers and devotions at the end that are worth the reader’s time as well.

I’m so glad to see that teens have this book (and Turner’s Do Carpenters Dream of Wooden Sheep) available to them during the Year of St. Joseph.

Do Carpenters Dream of Wooden Sheep?: St. Joseph’s Story as Dreamt by a Sleeping Teenage Boy by Corinna Turner

While many Christians are taking a closer look at Saint Joseph during the year dedicated to him, many of us are so familiar with Joseph that it’s become difficult to see his life with the freshness necessary to assess his role in the Holy Family and his humble sanctity. Corinna Turner has given St. Joseph and the Incarnation a fresh twist with a futuristic setting influenced by Bladerunner.

Framed by the journey of a character introduced in another of Turner’s saint stories (The Boy Who Knew), the reader gets a glimpse of the courage, faith, and fidelity required of Saint Joseph in safeguarding and raising the Son of God.

If you’re looking for something a little different to deepen your understanding of St. Joesph and his mission, this is it. 

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An Open Book

Welcome to the September 2021 edition of An Open Book, hosted both at My Scribbler’s Heart and CatholicMom.com!

While on our long car ride from Pennsylvania to Maine and back, we listened to an audiobook I’d mentioned here in July of last year: Dooku: Jedi Lost. The whole family enjoyed this lively Star Wars audio drama. I love a well-done audiobook, but an audio play, with actors voicing each character, is something else altogether. If you have a favorite audio production, please share it in the comments. I’d love to find some more to enjoy.

While traveling, my husband often picks up local lore books. In Maine, he grabbed Haunted Lighthouses: Phantom Keepers, Ghost Shipwrecks, and Sinister Calls from the Deep by Ray Jones. Four Maine lighthouses are included in the book, which promises “spine-chilling tales.” His favorite part of these types of books is not so much the spooky stuff, but the history that the stories necessarily entail.

Heaven’s Hunter by Marie C. Keiser is an action/adventure space saga with a bit of military detective procedural thrown in. Add to that the faith element that Major Randall Yung uncovers as he seeks to avenge the death of his only friend, and it becomes a story of self-discovery, moral complexity, and integrity. I think science fiction fans will enjoy Heaven’s Hunter and the way the Catholic faith is incorporated into the story.

I can always count on Karen Witemeyer for a well-written historical Christian romance. I needed an enjoyable distraction, and The Heart’s Charge, the second in the Hanger’s Horsemen series, fit the bill. There are two romances for the price of one and a mystery to be solved—who’s snatching orphaned children from town and what for?

Jennifer Rodewald is nearing the end of her Murphy Brothers Stories that I’ve enjoyed so much. Who You Are is a bit lighter than some others and concerns the second youngest brother, Brandon, who’s entered a trial engagement with a virtual stranger, Megan. Megan is spoiled and immature, and her parents invite family friend Brandon to teach her a little about hard work, integrity, and the kind of man she should be seeking.

Amy Cattapan (A.J. Cattapan) has just released her first nonfiction book, Sweet Jesus, Is It June Yet? 10 Ways the Gospels Can Help You Combat Teacher Burnout and Rediscover Your Passion for Teaching. In it, the author shares her own successes and failures inside and outside of the classroom as she relates lessons gleaned from the greatest teacher of all time, Jesus. This book makes a great teacher gift.

My college-bound son has been reading Assasin’s Creed: Forsaken by Oliver Bowden. The book, based on the video game, begins in 1735 London and tells the backstory of the assassin Connor’s father and how he is drawn into the ongoing battle between the Assassins and the Templars. It’s a companion to the games, more or less. I’ve not played any of the games, but I’ve been impressed by the painstaking attention to historical detail in them.

My eighth-grade daughter discovered a Newbery Honor Book set in Maine amongst the stacks of books at our parish’s festival flea market. She read Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy by Gary D. Schmidt while we were in New England and really enjoyed it. Set in early 20th century Phippsburg, Maine, it is told from the point of view of Turner, who becomes friends with spunky Lizzie. Lizzie introduces him to the wonders of the rocky coast of Maine as they work to prevent the island from becoming merely a lucrative tourist destination. I want to read this one too.

I read the youngest kids, now third- and fourth-graders, a couple of books by Robert McCloskey both set in Maine. The first was the ever-popular Blueberries for Sal (a Caldecott Honor Book), in which Sal and Sal’s mom and a bear and its cub get all mixed up while picking fresh blueberries on the mountainside. It’s such a simple story, but the illustrations are wonderful, and the kids love it.

The second book was on the shelf in the 1860s farmhouse where we stayed in rural Maine. It’s a lesser-known book of McCloskey’s, I think—One Morning in Maine. In this book, we see an older Sal, who’s got a loose tooth, set off across the bay with her father to go to town. It’s a lovely picture of coastal Maine life.

My kids are big fans of The Berenstain Bears books, especially the older ones, and we discovered a Berenstain Bears chapter book on Kindle Unlimited. The Berenstain Bears: The Trouble with Tryouts by Stan and Jan Berenstain follows poor Sister Bear as she is denied a spot on the soccer team but offered a spot as team manager. 

My husband picked up a copy of A Squirrel’s Tale of a Crow’s Feat by Michae Rothan at a recent Catholic men’s retreat. Father Rothan, who baptized our oldest son, was the retreat master and has written several books, including this one for kids. It’s an illustrated morality tale about the discord between the squirrels and the crows and the common enemy they unite to resist. Father Rothan has an unusual experience, related at the end, of raising some abandoned baby squirrels.

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An Open Book

Welcome to the August 2021 edition of An Open Book, hosted both at My Scribbler’s Heart and CatholicMom.com!

Piggybacking on one our favorite summer cookbooks that I shared in July is another useful reference, Smoked Meat: The Essential Guide to Real Barbecue by Jeff Phillips. We’re big fans of meals from our smoker, and my husband has prepared us delicious pulled pork, chicken, salmon, meatloaf, pies (yes, apple pie!) and more. This book takes you through the basics of smoking with lots of great entrees but also sides and a few desserts too. I’ve been after my husband to try the smoked cheddar cheese too.

I’ve only read the first chapter of Things Worth Dying For: Thoughts on a Life Worth Living by Charles J. Chaput, and I am spellbound. I’ve always loved how Archbishop Chaput shares insightful truths that are inherently Catholic and culturally relevant. It’s so eloquently written and sagacious that I may have highlighted more sentences in one chapter than I typically do in an entire book.

The Lacemaker: A Novel of St. Zélie Martin by Anne Faye is a diary-style chronicle of the life of the mother of St. Thérèse of Lisieux. It’s an intimate look at the worries, struggles, joys, and sorrows of a working mother of saints, herself a saint as well. It left me with a reminder of the fragility of life and the virtue found in everyday living.

Full Quiver Publishing’s September 1 release, Eternal Light of the Crypts by Alan Van’t Land, took me by surprise. Would-be monk and scribe Aristeus and former military scout Egilolf spend months ping-ponging between destinations, either eluding or escaping capture as they traipse across western Europe with sacks of saint bones. Or maybe they aren’t saint bones. It gets a little muddled, even for the relic hunters themselves as they seek to explain their finds to the various parties who’ve set them on their journey seeking holy relics for various locales. This debut novel is highly entertaining—comic but with historical and theological depth.

Love and the Silver Lining by Tammy L. Gray is the second in the author’s State of Grace series. I love the covers on these books, but the interiors are equally attractive. If you’ve ever done all the “right” things only to have everything fall apart, you’ll relate to Darcy, whose parents’ divorce and failed plans for a mission trip leave her life in utter disarray. As she muddles through her anger, grief, and confusion, an opportunity to ready some abandoned dogs for adoption brings purpose. She must also take a look at her lifelong friendship with a man whose attachment could stand in the way of an unexpected romance with her friend’s bandmate.

The third book in the Harwood Mysteries by Antony G. Kolenc, The Fire of Eden, takes young Xan away from the abbey as he accompanies Brother Andrew on the (literal) road to priesthood. There are new challenges for Xan, new characters to encounter, and a new mystery (tied to Brother Andrew) to solve. An easy, enjoyable read for teens and adults.

My thirteen-year-old daughter had little interest in the Harry Potter series when she was younger but has finally picked up Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and really enjoyed J.K. Rowlings’ writing style. Her nose was buried in our Nook for a few days while she devoured it. She’ll be reading more in the series.

To supplement her 4H project book on  beekeeping, my daughter also picked up Honey Bee Hobbyist: The Care and Keeping of Bees  by Norman Gary from the local library. Not only are the pictures often beautiful, but she’s already learned a lot about these amazing little creatures inhabiting our gardens.

The Secret Lives of Backyard Bugs: Discover Amazing Butterflies, Moths, Spiders, Dragonflies, and Other Insects by Judy Burris and Wayne Richards has proven to be useful. In two days, we identified a Polyphemus moth caterpillar and a lacewing egg. Close-up illustrations of bugs in each stage of the life cycle are very helpful, as is an easy comparison guide.

My fourth grader has been on a Sisters of the Last Straw reading binge! It started with The Case of the Campground Creature, the newest addition to the series. (She’s since read or re-read the six preceding books by Karen Kelly Boyce and is eagerly awaiting the next.) The Sisters’ camping adventure goes awry, and something is lurky outside the tent. Could it be Sasquatch?

My younger kids had not read Flat Stanley: His Original Adventure by Jeff Brown. They recently read it aloud together at bedtime over a few nights. I’d nearly forgotten the Lambchop Family’s adventure after a bulletin board falls on Stanley’s head, reducing him to only a half-inch thick. We’ve never bothered with the sequels. Are they any good?

Continuing our reading about financial topics for kids (for my little over-spender), we pulled out our copy of Alexander, Who Used to be Rich Last Sunday by Judith Viorst. The amount of money Alexander wastes is dated, but it’s a great example of how frittering away money without a plan gets you to broke real fast.

The Cow Who Fell in the Canal by Phyllis Krasilovsky survived my husband’s childhood and made its way to the top of a pile of books here recently. It’s the story of a bored cow, Henrika, who longs to visit the city in Holland. The illustrations and text follow her adventures through Amsterdam.

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Relevant Fiction Reviews: Forgiveness & Mercy Over Revenge

Forgiveness is a common theme in literature. Why? Well, we’ve all been hurt. We have justified reasons for our anger and resentment. But the bitterness that festers when we don’t forgive . . . well, there’s plenty of internal and external turmoil for a writer to draw from. Here’s a selection of books that highlights forgiveness and mercy over revenge.

Relevant Fiction Reviews: Forgiveness & Mercy Over Revenge
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The Haunted Cathedral by Antony Barone Kolenc
The Haunted Cathedral flows so easily as Xan, Lucy, and some new friends work to uncover the ghost behind the seeming haunting of Lincoln Cathedral. At the heart of the story is Xan’s struggle to forgive the wicked bandit responsible for his parents’ death. His journey from seeking retribution to forgiveness is a slow struggle, making it all the more real. No easy solutions, just gentle prodding from Brother Andrew, the sterling example of Lucy, and God’s slow work in his heart.

As Xan moves toward manhood and decisions about his future, Harwood Mysteries is proving to be a great series for young teens with just the right recipe of spookiness, mystery, history, camaraderie, and moral edification to make it a story readers will return to.
Gentleman Jim by Mimi Matthews
Mimi Matthews’ books read so smoothly and easily, meaning she makes writing look easy!

Gentleman Jim had great tension, both romantic and in establishing the hero’s identity. Its revenge theme hearkened to Dumas’s Count of Monte Cristo – a nice homage.

The final chapters were the most exciting and intriguing and resolved in a satisfying way. (How’s that for not giving too much away?) The Vines of Mars: Murder on a Small Colonial Planet by A.R.K. Watson
The Vines of Mars brings small-town murder mystery off-world in this strong debut by A.R.K. Watson. The red planet and its vines are another character in a cast of intrepid Mars inhabitants who alternately seek and obfuscate the truth.

Sci-fi fan or not, Tomas’s search for his sister Maria’s killer is bound to intrigue, drawing you further into familial and community entanglements. People are people, whether on Earth or on Mars, and the universal themes of loss and forgiveness resonate.
More Than Meets the Eye by Karen Witemeyer
Karen Witemeyer’s historical romances are light, fun and simply well done; she’s incredibly consistent. More Than Meets the Eye is no exception.

Eva is a sweet, innocent, and resilient heroine. Logan is a loyal, upstanding hero. Their romance is rounded out by a delightful cast, including Eva’s brothers and Christie, whom they adopt into the fold. Add a little danger and intrigue, and you’ve got yourself a great story.

The theme of forgiveness is well done, with enough well-placed spirituality to make it real without being preachy. Tortured Soul by Theresa Linden
Tortured Soul is a unique supernatural thriller!

After being unceremoniously evicted from her family home by her overprotective brother Erwin and his growing family, Jeannie Lyons must create a new home in the rental house Erwin has found for her.

Lonely and unable to let go of the grief still binding her to her deceased parents, Jeannie and her three-legged cat try to make the best of it.

But something strange is happening in the house. Noises, movement, a specter.

Jeannie must confront not only her grief and loneliness but the terrifying ghoul in the corner of her bedroom. Her family and her parish priest dismiss her concerns, leaving Jeannie with only Oliver, Erwin’s quirky photographer friend, to confide in.

The Christmas setting and snowy, isolated landscape lend an eerie quality to this story that looks like a ghost story, but is really a story about mercy.

Not only will you be entertained – and maybe a little spooked! – but you’ll be mindful of praying for those who need it most.
The Siege of Reginald Hill by Corinna Turner
The Siege of Reginald Hill is different from any book I’ve read. (Of course, Corinna Turner is probably the most original writer whose work I regularly read.) Most of the book takes place in 1-2 rooms with little outward action. And yet, it held my attention and interest throughout.

The book is an examination of what it means to “love one another as I have loved you” in the most dire of circumstances. Why and how does one love one’s mortal enemies?

The heart of the book is the conversations between former Eurobloc bad guy/all around evil villain Reginald Hill and young priest Kyle Verrall. Reginald Hill’s soul is in jeopardy, and Fr. Kyle is bound and determined to be God’s instrument in bringing him to salvation by any means available to him.

There are some twists and turns and appearances by Kyle’s brother-in-law Bane, who remains my favorite character in the series.

If you’re interested in only the theology and spirituality, you can dive into the I Am Margaret series here. However, without knowledge of the many, varied characters and their histories, I think you’d be somewhat confused by their roles. To get the most out of the book, I recommend reading from the beginning of the series.

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8 Novels for the Catholic Classroom

Incorporating literature written from a Catholic worldview into the Catholic school classroom is easier than ever. The books featured below are representative of what is available from contemporary Catholic authors.

Each of the authors below are members of Catholic Teen Books, and this is a just a sample of what you’ll find there: well-written fiction in a variety of genres. For educators or those organizing book clubs, most books also provide either a discussion guide, study guide, teacher’s guide or curriculum guide.

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It’s my hope that you’ll click through to Catholic Teen Books (see especially the For Educators tab) or the Amazon links below to learn more about the books from the descriptions and reviews. You can also support a Catholic bookseller by buying at Good News! Book Shop. (Then talk to your school or parish about bringing the Good News! Book Fair to your community.)

Once children have read the book, plan an in-person or virtual author visit and allow students to connect with the author.

I’ve organized the books below loosely by age-appropriate level starting with younger readers and working up to mature teens. You’ll find specific grade/age appropriate guides on the Catholic Teen Books For Educators tab and content guides for most books within the book’s individual listing. (Look for the little white circle in the upper right.)

Now, on to the books!

7 Riddles to Nowhere by A.J. Cattapan MYSTERY.
Because puzzles are fun.The Other Side of Freedom by Cynthia T. Toney HISTORY.
Because decisions are tough.Shadow in the Dark by Antony B. Kolenc HISTORY.
Because spooky is cool.A Single Bead by Stephanie Engelman SPIRITUALITY.
Because prayer is critical.Fire Starters by Theresa Linden SACRAMENTS.
Because grace is essential.Where You Lead by Leslea Wahl ADVENTURE.
Because life is for living.I Am Margaret by Corinna Turner DYSTOPIAN.
Because Truth matters.Shadow Stalker by T.M. Gaouette THRILLER.
Because evil is real.

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An Open Book

Welcome to the July 2021 edition of An Open Book, hosted both at My Scribbler’s Heart and  CatholicMom.com!

Now that summer is here, my husband is making good use of our smoker. One of the cookbooks we turn to most often is Smoke & Spice: Cooking with Smoke, the Real Way to Barbecue by Cheryl and Bill Jamison. We’ve bookmarked recipes for salmon, coleslaw, and barbecue sauces, and I haven’t even skimmed the surface. In addition to sauces, side dishes, and breads, it includes salads and relishes, desserts, and drinks. I’m eying the Texas Peach Cobbler for when local peaches come in season.

My husband is finally working outside of the home again and that means he’s listening to audiobooks again too. He’d wanted to begin The Devil and Karl Marx: Communism’s Long March of Death, Deception, and Infiltration by Paul Kengor on a family trip, but it proved too creepy for the kids. He was drawn to it by Michael Knowles’ introduction (see below). His observation at only a quarter of the way through is that his family thought little of hotheaded Marx. Oddly, his son even referred to him as “my demon.”

While driving, my husband’s also begun listening to Michael Knowles’ Speechless: Controlling Words, Controlling Minds. He really enjoys his podcast as he considers Knowles articulate, thoughtful, and very knowledgeable about Catholicism. This new release examines political correctness, free speech, and the First Amendment in the context of contemporary American culture.

I started my summer reading with a historical romantic escape by Mimi Matthews. Gentleman Jim draws not only on the conventions of a traditional romance but alludes to the classic The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas and a book I’m not familiar with, Tom Jones by Henry Fielding. For its part, Gentleman Jim revisits the forbidden youthful romance of a wealthy squire’s daughter, Margaret Honeywell, and Nicholas Seaton, her lowly-born love. Enter Viscount St. Clare, who bears a strong resemblance to Nicholas, and, well, you have to read it to find out.

Only Time Will Tell by Amy Matayo is the second book in her Charles & Company Romance series. This series is light on the romance and focused more on the conflict created by couples whose main obstacle is getting “home” from whatever unfamiliar life they find themselves in. These are fun summer reads with light Dickensian themes.

My friend Erin McCole Cupp’s nonfiction debut from Our Sunday Visitor proves she’s a versatile talent. All Things New: Breaking the Cycle and Raising a Joyful Family is a gift to parents burdened by the dysfunction and abuse of their childhoods. It’s a wonderful synthesis of inspiration, wisdom (both secular and capital-W Wisdom), and practical suggestions for moms and dads who want to be better and do better than their parents did. It’s organized around the Beatitudes and steeped in Scripture.

I think after catching a couple of episodes of Miss Scarlet and the Duke that his sister and I were watching, my oldest son decided to return to Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Novels and Stories, Vol. 1 by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. They share a similar style of deductive mystery-solving. In picking up this book again, he had a particular mystery in mind: “The Final Problem,” which introduces Professor James Moriarty, whom Holmes describes as the “Napoleon of Crime.”

My oldest daughter read a book we initially rejected in audiobook format due to the poor quality of the narration: The Huntress of Thornbeck Forest by Melanie Dickerson. This book precedes another we’d read in this historical romance series that alludes to various fairy tales. This story is a little Robin Hood, a little Swan Lake and is aimed at young adults.

The Haunted Cathedral by Antony B. Kolenc is the second book in the Harwood Mysteries series, and my daughter liked this one almost as much as the first. (Many like this book even better.) Orphan Xan, in the care of Benedictine monks, is drawn to the spirt that haunts Lincoln Cathedral. Can it reconnect him with his dead parents? (No worries about anything too spooky or occult here as this is solid Catholic fiction.)

I Am Margaret by Corinna Turner has most recently been keeping my teen parked on the couch with her nose in the book. I read this first book in the Catholic dystopian series about seven years ago, and I’m eager to see what my daughter thinks of it. She has more knowledge of the English martyrs that inspire Margo’s story than I did, and I expect she’ll get even more out of it for that reason. It has about everything you could love—adventure, high-stakes drama, romance, and faith.

I’ve been somewhat careless about reading to my youngest children at bedtime, especially as the pandemic and homeschool year wore on. But, we’re back to our nighttime reading routine. We’ve pulled out a few favorites, like Who Pooped in the Park?: Shenandoah National Park: Scat and Tracks for Kids by Gary Robson. I’ve read this book dozens of times to all four kids, but still enjoy it (despite the focus on feces). The story is simple, but there’s lots for kids to learn about identifying common park animals from the things they leave behind.

My youngest’s love of spending every cent to pass through his hands inspired a trip to the attic to retrieve our set of financial guru Dave Ramsey’s picture books (Life Lessons with Junior). Careless at the Carnival: Junior Discovers Spending was a particular favorite after our visit to the local firemen’s carnival. (We probably should’ve re-read it beforehand.) While the stories aren’t instant classics, the kids find them humorous, and the eighteen-year-old can attest to their memorability. The lessons they share about working, saving, spending, and sharing are simple and solid.

The two youngest kids have also been reading Plants vs. Zombies Volume 15: Better Homes and Guardens (that’s not a typo) by Paul Tobin. (Yes, we started at volume 15.) They seem to enjoy re-reading this graphic novel aloud to one another, and we’ve requested more books in the series from the library. I’d rather see them reading about plants and zombies than begging to play the games.

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5 Catholic Bibles for Kids

How do you best introduce a child to the Word of God? Stories. We all begin with simplified versions of the most important stories in the Bible, including Noah’s Ark, the Nativity of Jesus, miracles, and the Resurrection.

These books meet the needs of a variety of ages, from infants to preschoolers. Peruse the details of each and take a look inside to find simple narratives, lift-the-flaps, visual searches, and more. They make wonderful baptism, birthday, Christmas, or Easter gifts. Then spend a few minutes with a child on your lap, sharing the wonderful love story of God and His people – us!

My First Catholic Bible Stories Board Book (Ascension Press) God’s Love for Us: Bible Stories for Children (Liguori Publications) Seek & Find Bible (Loyola Press) My Catholic Picture Bible Stories (Ascension Press) My Bible: God’s Word for Me (Pauline Books and Media)

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