Welcome to the January 2022 edition of An Open Book, hosted both at My Scribbler’s Heart and CatholicMom.com! My husband stumbled across a book I’d given…
12 CommentsRelevant Fiction for Body & Soul
Author: CAstfalk
Carolyn Astfalk is a wife, mother, and author of contemporary Catholic romances, including her latest, All in Good Time. She formerly worked as a communications director and now works just to keep her head above water. Find her books on Amazon and her other words scattered around the blogosphere and social media.
I didn’t quite hit my Goodreads reading goal this year. I usually do. But circumstances were different this year, and that meant less reading and almost no writing. I’ve also become pickier and pickier about what I read and more and more critical, a hazard of being a writer and consuming many books.
In looking back over the 90+ books I read last year, these five-star books stood out. I didn’t double-check, but I’m fairly certain these are all 2021 releases. (Or, in the case of The Work of Our Hands, late 2020.)
About the Book:
Teenager Evie Gallagher is stunned when her 45-year-old father dies tragically and suddenly. Too many unanswered questions accompany Evie’s challenging journey to adulthood. When she finally discovers the reason her father led such a troubled life, shock turns to anger. She is determined to find justice for her father.
Nervous about the first day of his freshman year, 14-year-old Hank Gallagher steps inside Holy Archangels High School for the first time in September of 1954. Although the majestic Holy Archangels statues inside the school’s grand lobby present an air of protection, it is not long before Hank passes right under them and into the hands of a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Confused and cornered by threats, Hank attempts to abandon his secret to the past, but a horrible wound on his heart eventually leads to a catastrophic breakdown.
Based loosely on actual events, chapters alternate between Evie and Hank to reveal a life haunted by betrayal and a revelation of true justice and hope.
1 CommentWelcome to the December 2021 edition of An Open Book, hosted both at My Scribbler’s Heart and CatholicMom.com! Life has conspired to limit both my and…
4 CommentsWelcome to the November 2021 edition of An Open Book, hosted both at My Scribbler’s Heart and CatholicMom.com! The Halloween/All Saints/All Souls ‘spooky season’ means we…
9 CommentsFor Kids
The Case of the Haunted Chapel (Sisters of the Last Straw) by Karen Kelly Boyce
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…
11 Comments
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.
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