Welcome to the March 2024 edition of An Open Book, hosted both at My Scribbler’s Heart and CatholicMom.com!

For the first time in An Open Book history, it’s a week late. If you even noticed – sorry! I’ve been under the weather for, well, longer than I’ve ever been under the weather, but each day I’m a little better, and thanks be to God it seems it’s merely viral and not anything of a serious nature. 

If I can say anything good about being sick and fatigued for so long, it’s that I was able to complete the lengthy Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell much more quickly than I anticipated. After all these years and coming to it with a mature perspective and greater knowledge of both life and history, it’s still a five-star novel for me. Now, on to what else we’ve been reading!

When I was feeling worst, I needed relief from the brutality of war and death in Gone with the Wind, so I picked up Pepper Basham’s Authentically, Izzy. I always enjoy her writing, and this novel was chock full of fun literary references and likeable characters set in both the Blue Mountains of the American South and a fictional Scottish-like isle. It’s mainly an epistolary novel, which I enjoy, although I think by its nature, it increased the book’s length beyond what was necessary. The repetition of the characters’ bookish natures and the heroine’s wonderful creativity became somewhat tiresome. Still, it suited my mood and was an enjoyable contemporary Christian rom-com.

Last month, I forgot to include one of my oldest son’s Christmas gifts, which he read on his break between semesters. King Alfred: Burnt Cakes and Other Legends by David Horspool came recommended by one of his instructors. As you might guess, it includes legends surrounding the 9^th century English king. From my son’s review: “This book provides a well-rounded, all-around view of Alfred, not only relaying the history of King Alfred, but exploring the historiography, popular perception, and legends of the famous king. Each chapter takes a specific legend or notion about Alfred, explores the history behind the story, and then shows how that story has affected Alfred’s perception over the years. I had no idea how prominent of a figure Alfred was, maintaining a status as a household name until around the mid-twentieth century, and the book really introduces the reader to the prominence and importance of both the figure and this period in history.” He also appreciated the genealogy chart and maps included, though more maps of Viking and Anglo-Saxon movements would have been helpful.

Continuing with his Star Wars reading list, my son also read Balance Point by Kathy Tyers, part of The New Jedi Order series. He gave this one four stars but is ready for a break from the series. Refugees fleeing a murderous race are sent to the overcrowded planet Duro. The Solos and Skywalkers get tangled up in the drama as the Yuuzhan Vong target Duro next.

Michael Crichton’s Prey was a quick spring break read. From his review: “A stay-at-home dad who has fallen on hard luck in his programming career is one of the only people who can stop unrestrained, intelligent, and evolving nanotechnology from becoming man’s most fearsome predator in Michael Crichton’s Prey. The book draws primarily on developments and theories from both biology and computer science (topics that I found easier to comprehend than those in other Crichton novels) in this thrilling sci-fi suspense. The novel is like a cross between Jurassic Park and Sphere in terms of story and themes with some elements of The Thing and Invasion of the Body Snatchers.” (By the way, you can follow my son’s Goodreads reviews; I’m biased, but I think his reviews are top-notch.)

Continuing his reading for a class on leadership, he also read Leadership Insights for Wizards and Witches: Exploring Effective Leadership Practices Through Popular Culture by Aditya Simha. As you might guess, the book uses examples from the Harry Potter series to demonstrate successful and unsuccessful leadership techniques.

My high school daughter was on a bit of a Jane Eyre binge after we watched another movie adaption. After re-reading her favorite passages from the Charlotte Bronte classic, she began reading Erin McCole Cupp’s Unclaimed from The Memoirs of Jane E, Friendless Orphan trilogy. It’s a wonderfully creative cyberpunk adaption of the literary classic. It seems especially timely, once again, since this orphan Jane was an unclaimed embryo.

For Lent, she’s also been reading the spiritual classic The Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of The Little Flower by Saint Therese of Lisieux. Saint Therese’s writing is accessible enough that my younger daughter has been snatching this away from her sister and reading it as well.

With her class, my middle school daughter is reading The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke, a book that appeared in An Open Book in 2020. In summary, a gang of orphans on the streets of Venice steal from the wealthy, and a pair of runaway brothers find their home with them.

Our school ditched Scholastic for its most recent book fair, and we were very pleased with the selection of books offered by I:55 Book Fairs. My daughter picked up Lines of Courage by Jennifer A. Nielsen and devoured it. The book relates the interconnected stories of five children living in different parts of Europe during World War I.

Also on my daughter’s reading pile were Leslea Wahl’s Blindside books—The Perfect Blindside and eXtreme Blindside.(It’s getting difficult to keep up with this child’s reading pace.) These teen adventure mysteries with a little romance and faith themes are fun, easy reads. Both feature Olympic snow boarder Jake and high school journalist Sophie. They make a fun pair as they solve mysteries, and I always happily recommend these books for teens.

When I received an advance copy of Antony B. Kolenc’s Penny and the Stolen Chalice from OSV Kids, my daughter snapped it up. Penny is a new, non-Catholic 6^th grader at a Catholic grade school, and she doesn’t understand exactly what the big deal is about a stolen chalice. When her friend Jayden is accused of the theft, they team up to uncover the truth. I’m looking forward to reading this too and passing it on to my youngest son.

Finally, my youngest son enjoyed Minecraft: The Island by Max Brooks. (Interestingly, I noticed the audiobook version is narrated by actor Jack Black.) The hero is stuck within the world of Minecraft and must uncover the secrets of the island he is stranded on to survive. My son said it was alternately funny, sad, and scary. Who would’ve thought Minecraft would have this level of staying power? Not me.

In addition to reading the Star Wars Jedi Academy series, which appeared here several years ago, my son is reading Rules by Cynthia Lord with his fifth-grade class. It’s a Newbery Award winner about a twelve-year old, Catherine, with an autistic brother. New friends, including a paraplegic boy, force her to examine what it means to be normal.

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