Welcome to the June 2026 edition of An Open Book, hosted both at My Scribbler’s Heart and CatholicMom.com!
I was looking for a historical Christian novel to read for the sesquicentennial celebration, and I settled on The Belle of Chatham by Laura Franz, set mainly in New Jersey and New York during the American Revolution. I borrowed it from the library, and my youngest daughter read it ahead of me. The writing is smooth and enjoyable, the attention to historical detail excellent, and the romance moving. The main characters, Mae and Rhys, are likable and relatable, even if I questioned their behavior, on occasion. The secondary characters are also well-developed, split as they are between Patriots and Loyalists, which creates some suspense and conflict.
The Secret of the Goldfish by Mark Guiney is a middle-grade novel from OSV Kids that shines in its real-life portrayal of both family life, grade school shenanigans, and the drama inherent in both. The author is an astute observer of the details that bring this mystery to life. Who tried to kill Pokey the goldfish at the school science fair? In trying to uncover the answer, Gloria Treddle causes a commotion at home and at school. Along the way, she gets a little lesson in what it means to be “poor in spirit.”
Looking for an introduction to the Arthurian legend, my adult son read The History of the Kings of Britain by Geoffrey of Monmouth. While the book wasn’t quite what he was looking for, he found it interesting and helpful for learning about the legendary period in which the Arthur legend is set.
After hearing the book referenced in an episode of Pints with Aquinas, my son also listened to the audiobook of Martin Shaw’s Liturgies of the Wild: Myths That Make Us, narrated (well) by the author. He enjoyed the stories shared and would’ve liked more of them. The book ably provided an examination of how we can learn from folklore and myths and how the absence of such storytelling has been a loss to the modern world.
Turning to fiction, my son really enjoyed The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper. It reminded him of Treasure Island, another adventure written in the same time period. He found its depiction of the noble savage well done, with Cooper striking a good balance between respect and admiration for the Indian cultures while recognizing their savagery and also the good and bad elements of the colonizing European cultures.
G.K. Chesterton’s biographies Saint Thomas Aquinas and Saint Franics of Assisi are a cure for modern thinking. They are meant to be sketches of the saints’ lives, but my son felt they really dived deeply into the significance of each man. His takeaways: Thomas Aquinas’s study of Aristotle and “baptizing” his thought provided a balance to Augustinian and Platonian thought and can still be a guide for us today. Saint Francis’s asceticism was borne of his deep love for God, and he became a troubadour for God, singing the praises of His wonder and creation. Most interesting to me, my son thought this biography burned away the hippie perception of Saint Francis by explaining that he was restoring a rightful relationship with nature. Brother Sun and Sister Moon are our companions, side by side, not to be elevated above man in a distorted manner.
Why We Think What We Think: The Rise and Fall of Western Thought by Dan Leroy places Western thought into a story narrative the traces its rise and fall, beginning with the Greek philosophers. It hits its height with Augustinian and Thomistic thought, then descends into the modern era, which the author characterizes as an abyss of nihilistic thinking. My son found it a good launch pad for studying philosophy, and it includes many helpful references for further study. The book was best when the author discussed the philosophers he obviously favors, less so when discussing those whose philosophies he denounces, such as Rousseau.
My middle-school daughter read Past Watchful Dragons: Biblical Stories Retold by Rose John Sheffler. My daughter really enjoyed the parallels found in these fantastical/fairy tale retellings of Bible stories. She found that the retellings and beautiful illustrations made the stories easier to understand, especially for younger children. She particularly enjoyed the final story, regarding Christ and His bride, the Church.
She also loaded up on more Agatha Christie novels at the public library, including Three Blind Mice and Other Stories. After “Three Blind Mice,” the basis for The Mouse Trap play, half of the stories are solved by Miss Marple and half by Hercule Poirot.
At Bertram’s Hotel is another Miss Marple Agatha Christie mystery. While on holiday in London, Miss Marple enjoys a stay at Bertram’s hotel. The entrance of an eccentric guests sets a violent chain of events into motion, and Miss Marple must uncover the danger hidden by the hotel’s top-notch décor and service.
The ABC Murders (also by Agatha Christie) traces a serial killer working his way through the alphabet, each letter pertaining to a victim and a location (Alice Ascher in Andover, Betty Barnard in Bexhill, etc.). Hercule Poirot and Arthur Hastings must discover who the killer is before he runs through all the ABCs.
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