Barring catastrophe, I’ll read a lot more this summer than this list. Books I’m proofreading, beta reading, writing, or reviewing for a particular purpose. Some nonfiction books, some spiritual reading, and books I read to or with my kids. But these books are the ones I want to get to this summer, just for me! I’m thinking of also adding a re-read of Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind to the list because it’s been far too long.
What must-read book should I add to this list? (If you can’t tell, Christian or clean romance is my favorite, but I love books outside of those genres too.)
Whether your children are new to Mass, have been away from it, or are there every Sunday, they, like us, are prone to distraction. A child’s missal or book about the Mass can help them to understand the Mass and to follow along. Here are several to help re-focus and to comprehend. (My First Interactive Mass Book is currently sold out.)
I have fond memories of the circus, from elephant rides at the small circus that visited the local baseball field year after year to taking my children to see the animals arrive by train in advance of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. It’s a magical, wonder-filled world with a fascinating history. Let’s take a trip to the circus!
In the early 2oth century, Pippa, adopted by the prominent Ripley circus family, wants only to be seen, and as she begins to asserts her own will in the face of her domineering father and bossy fiancé, the secrets of her birth and the circus murders unravel.
In present day, Chandler, a chronically ill single mother set to renovate the abandoned circus buildings, must face her own struggle to see herself as capable and independent.
The last third of the book was my favorite as the threads of the plot begin to come together. The writing is solid, and the heroes are unconventional – a big plus! I’d have liked a bit more romance, but it’s the self-actualization of the heroines that drives this story. The circus setting, however, is the star in this book.
Against the backdrop of the hidden life of circus “freaks,” the novel also thoughtfully examines from where our value comes and in whose eyes our worth is best measured.
Welcome to the May 2021 edition of An Open Book, hosted both at My Scribbler’s Heart and CatholicMom.com! I’ve been reading a couple of circus-themed books…
