An Open Book – March #anopenbook
Today I’m joining Carolyn Astfalk and Catholic Mom for An Open Book. Here’s what I’ve been reading and working on over the past month. It’s Ash Wednesday and the first day of Lent.
Joline by Jim Sano (Fr. Tom #6)
Synopsis: Father Tom heads up to the small coastal village of Belfast, Maine, to visit a friend from the seminary in the sixth book of this award-winning series. While there, 19-year-old Joline is found dead floating in the harbor waters, and the town doesn’t know if it was an accident, suicide, or murder. Moved by compassion for Joline’s family and friends, Father Tom sets out to do what he does best, and the local sheriff, J.C. Coombs, begrudgingly comes to rely on Father Tom and his sidekick, Angelo, for help to uncover clues and a history of secrets and wounds of the intriguing characters who live in this small fishing village. Rich with faith, humor, friendship, forgiveness, redemption, and emotional healing, the plot keeps the reader guessing with twists and turns until the end as the town comes to terms with its loss.
My review: #1 New Release in Religious Mystery! New book from FQP, Joline by Jim Sano. This is the sixth in the Fr. Tom series. Lots of twists and turns.
Scraps of Grace by Jon F. Harmon
Amazon Synopsis: A single father grapples with the loss of self-identity in the wake of trauma, and begins to long for spiritual connection.
Twenty-six-year-old Tyler Manion is overwhelmed by the loss in his life. Six months ago, his wife died suddenly, and tomorrow will be his last day at General Motors. Raising his nearly two-year-old son alone, he puts up a brave front, pretending to have it all together. But he can’t seem to focus, and his spiritual attention deficit disorder is keeping him from any meaningful connection with the one who could help him most in his hour of need.
A high school girl basketball phenom, a gruff World War II veteran, a hippie nun and a beguilingly brainy graduate student will each help him rediscover his sense of identity, and perhaps find his spiritual bearings.
Scraps of Grace opens in Michigan in the summer of 1990, a time of turmoil and of hopefulness, across the world and at home.
Often irreverent in tone and detail, Scraps of Grace resides in the conflicted present moment but abides in the eternal.
At the end of the book, there is a page of discussion questions for book clubs, designed to deepen readers’ literary exploration of the themes of identity loss and spiritual renewal.
My review: I enjoyed this book by debut author Jon Harmon. As the summary says, it is “often irreverent in tone and detail.” The reader feels the main character’s sense of loss. My only criticism is that the book tries to deal with too many premises for one book. Recommend.
Lovingly Do I Call to You, Prayers to Saint Michael the Archangel by Carol Puschaver
Synopsis: For centuries, countless people have prayed to St. Michael the Archangel as their powerful intercessor, patron and defender, and with abundant good cause: St. Michael “wields the power of the Almighty by the Will of the Almighty.” With this “good cause” in mind, the author establishes another compelling reason for devotion to St. Michael: he is the Guardian Angel of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist! Most assuredly, the Archangel trusted to keep watch with God is capable of safeguarding all of God’s creation. What’s more is the relationship between St. Michael and Jesus is so deeply loving that a single word to the Archangel also touches the Sacred Heart of Jesus, for Whom all things are possible. (Cf. Matthew 19:26) Imagine the staggering power and efficacy of such a prayer!
This book, with its wide-ranging collection of more than one hundred prayers to St. Michael the Archangel, is sure to appeal to anyone interested in learning more about the Archangel or longing for a deeper spiritual relationship with him – and the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It is a beautifully written text to “pray without ceasing” and to pray lovingly.
My review: I had the honor of helping the author edit and publish this beautiful book. If you ever wanted a book compilation of prayers to Saint Michael the Archangel, this is ideal for you and for anyone who wishes to “pray without ceasing” to this powerful saint. Highly recommend.
To Crown with Liberty by Karen Ullo
Synopsis: New Orleans, 1795. In the wake of the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror, Alix de Morainville Carpentier—a former lady-in-waiting to Marie Antoinette, now married to her gardener—seeks peace and security in the Spanish colony of Louisiana. But her journey into the man-eating swamp called Attakapas reopens the wounds of her old life in France. Alix is forced to reckon with the choices that saved her life at the cost of her honor—and perhaps her soul.
In revolutionary France, the Old World is dying; the quest for liberty, fraternity, and equality has become a nightmare where the price of dissent is blood. In the wilderness of Spanish Louisiana, a new civilization is beginning to emerge—but in this budding New World, the slave trade perpetuates the systems of oppression that sparked the revolution. Caught between old and new, scarred by trauma and grief, will Alix ever find a home where she can truly be free?
To Crown with Liberty is a historical novel based on riveting legends from George Washington Cable’s Strange True Stories of Louisiana (1888).
My review: This is a book I’ve had on my to-read list for months. It’s a beautifully written historical novel that takes the reader through Louisiana in the late 18th century with flashbacks to 10-15 years previous in France. The characters are well-defined and developed, the story compelling, and the setting is exquisitely done. Historical fiction readers will love this book. Highly recommend.
Wake of Malice by Eleanor Bourg Nicholson
Synopsis: When Father Michael Walsh, a Jesuit priest on the western coast of Ireland, faces a charge of embezzlement, a London newspaper sends expatriate Irish reporter Hugh Buckley home to deliver a story—or else. Buckley and his photographer colleague Frederick Jones arrive in the village of Doolin to find themselves embroiled in a tangled mess of parish politics, occult practices, and bloody murder. By night, as wicked things rise from the earth, Buckley faces his own long-repressed struggles with his country, his abandoned faith, and his dead family. By day, he finds help, both professional and personal, from English Dominican friar Father Thomas Edmund Gilroy, OP, who has come to Doolin to support his friend Father Michael and to aid in the spiritual battle against the occult.
Can Hugh and Freddie save their employment—and their skins—as the grotesque violence intensifies? Or will they and the rest of the village of Doolin be consumed by dark powers lurking within the mysterious landscape of Ireland?
My review: This is another book I’ve had on my to-read list for a while. I thoroughly enjoyed the author’s crisp writing style and humor, and the story had me guessing until the end. Another book I can highly recommend.
When the World Fell Silent by Donna Jones Alward
Synopsis: 1917. Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Nora Crowell wants more than her sister’s life as a wife and mother. As WWI rages across the Atlantic, she becomes a lieutenant in the Canadian Army Nursing Corps. But trouble is looming and it won’t be long before the truth comes to light.
Having lost her beloved husband in the trenches and with no-one else to turn to, Charlotte Campbell now lives with his haughty relations who treat her like the help. It is baby Aileen, the joy and light of her life, who spurs her to dream of a better life.
When tragedy strikes in Halifax Harbour, nothing for these two women will ever be the same again. Their paths will cross in the most unexpected way, trailing both heartbreak and joy its wake…
My review: I just started reading this but it looks like it will be a great story. When I homeschooled my boys, one of the Canadian history events we studied was the Halifax explosion. It was the greatest loss of life outside of Europe during WW1. Review coming.
Season of Mercy: Lent and Easter by Catherine Doherty
Synopsis: A guide to entering into the mystery and celebration of Lent and Easter! Lent is the time of re-learning how to run towards God, instead of aimlessly wandering…. Lent is a training for love…. Lent is a corridor that leads us to the face of the Father. After-dinner talks by Catherine Doherty, spiritual readings around the dining room table on the spirit, liturgy and customs of Lent, Holy Week, the Easter Triduum and Paschaltide. Catherine speaks on such topics as how to Prepare for Lent; Why Fasting; The Motive is Love; Sin, Repentance, Conversion. Also on Palm (Passion) Sunday; Holy Week; Holy Thursday: Priesthood and Eucharist; Good Friday; Holy Saturday: Christ’s Descent into Hades; and Christ is Risen! Then Paschal time and Christ’s Ascension, Pentecost. A rich tapestry of scriptural reflections and Customs and Traditions to bring it all to life! We’re in a fantastic world when we’re in the world of Lent! We’re in the world of repentance, of forgiveness. Now is the moment to repent of our own sins and to forgive everyone. Excellent for personal and group study. A wonderful resource for preachers and teachers! Volume one of this series is Donkey Bells: Advent and Christmas Meditations and Traditions by Catherine Doherty, also available.
My review: Since this is the beginning of Lent, this book will remain on my desk or bedside table throughout the season. Highly recommend.
