Author: CAstfalk

An Open Book

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An Open Book

Welcome to the April 2025 edition of An Open Book, hosted both at My Scribbler’s Heart and CatholicMom.com!

The Little Black Book

March was a slow reading month all around in our household. As Lent progresses, I’ve been reading the short reflections in The Little Black Book: Lent 2025 by Bishop Ken Untener. The short book provided to our parish includes both a story or informative section on a saint, Catholic practice, etc., and then a brief passage of John’s Gospel with a reflection. Since I didn’t select any other Lenten reading, this has been a useful resource for me.

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An Open Book

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An Open Book

Welcome to the March 2025 edition of An Open Book, hosted both at My Scribbler’s Heart and CatholicMom.com!

My Lucky Charm

Courtney Wash’s My Lucky Charm is the second in her Holidays with Hart series of low-spice rom-coms featuring professional hockey players and the Hart sisters. This one, tied loosely to St. Patrick’s Day, uses the grumpy/sunshine trope to good effect. Gray’s grumpiness would make him unlikeable were it not for how the author allows the reader a look behind his scowls and reticence. He’s a man of few words and few smiles, but Eloise, in all her babbling hilarity, can see through his facade. Eventually. When it comes to her sunshiny attitude and her attraction to Gray, she just can’t help herself.

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An Open Book

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An Open Book

Welcome to the February 2025 edition of An Open Book, hosted both at My Scribbler’s Heart and CatholicMom.com!

Dylan Goes Electric

After seeing the most recent Bob Dylan biopic, A Complete Unknown, my husband’s interest in the folk singer/songwriter was renewed. He’s been listening to Dylan Goes Electric!: Newport, Seeger, Dylan, and the Night that Split the Sixties by Elijah Wald. It covers not only Dylan’s artistic evolution from folk to rock and his relationship with other folk musicians but the political and cultural milieu.

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An Open Book

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An Open Book

Welcome to the January 2025 edition of An Open Book, hosted both at My Scribbler’s Heart and CatholicMom.com!

Doctors and Distillers

For weeks, my husband has been sharing interesting facts from the book he’s been reading. Yes, it’s another book about alcohol, but this one has broader appeal, I think —Doctors and Distillers: The Remarkable Medicinal History of Beer, Wine, Spirits, and Cocktails by Camper English. Sure, if you’re at all familiar with history, you know whiskey was used medicinally. But what about an Old-Fashioned cocktail? From ancient to modern times, alcohol has been used to treat and cure a variety of ailments.

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An Open Book

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An Open Book

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

Buffalo, Barrels & Bourbon

Following our Kentucky Bourbon Trail summer vacation, my husband has been listening to Buffalo, Barrels, and Bourbon: The Story of How Buffalo Trace Distillery Became the World’s Most Awarded Distillery by F. Paul Pacult. It recounts the distillery’s history from the early exploration of Kentucky to present day. It tells the story through American wars, Prohibition, the Great Depression, and more. Includes a variety of personalities and information about a variety of whiskey brands. This was one of our favorite distillery visits. Very family friendly and a great customer experience.

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An Open Book

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An Open Book

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

Faking After All

Last month, I caught up on Cece Louise’s most recent rom coms in the After All series. Faking After All includes the fake dating trope as well as enemies to lovers or grumpy/sunshine—take your pick. I really enjoyed this fun romance between uptight, ambitious executive Victoria and soon-to-be gym owner Caleb. She’ll help him with his grand opening if he’ll pretend to be her boyfriend for work functions. The characters are well-developed, and it is a quick, easy read.

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Bake Soul Cakes for Halloween

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Sometimes I feel as if my family is eating its way through the liturgical year. Cake for the guardian angels, cream puffs for St. Joseph, Mexican food for Our Lady of Guadalupe, king cake for Mardi Gras, Paska bread for Easter, and on and on.

So in addition to our secular yet delicious pumpkin, ghost, and bat butter cookies, we’re enjoying soul cakes, which a couple of my children have been prodding me to make for several years.

In conjunction with the release of the Catholic Teen Books anthology Shadows: Visible & Invisible, my daughters and I and fellow author Catholic Teen Books author T.M. Gaouette had the opportunity to test and tweak several soul cake recipes, finally landing on the one that appears at the end of the Shadows anthology. These cakes can easily be made with pantry staples.

I encourage you to learn more about souling traditions and the entire Halloween triduum by reading Shadows. Halloween has taken a dark turn in our culture in some cases, but it’s fascinating to see its Christian roots. Maybe by noshing a few soul cakes, we can revive some positive traditions from the past, and remind us of the reason for our celebrations.

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Celebrate the Life of JPII with A Boy Who Became Pope Anniversary Edition

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Like many Catholics of my generation, I have a great love for Pope St. John Paul II, who, along with St. Teresa of Calcutta, was the worldwide face of Catholicism in the 1980s and ’90s. How blessed we were to hear and see these living saints in real time as they ministered to the world with their love and wisdom.

As nearly two decades have passed since JPII’s death in 2005, I have grown to love and appreciate him even more. He is one of my favorite saints and one whose intercession I seek daily. I’ve long wanted a copy of A Boy Who Became Pope: The Story of Saint John Paul II. Despite the fact that my children have pretty much grown out of picture books, I treasure the anniversary edition copy sent to me by Pauline Books and Media.

A Boy Who Became Pope

The hardcover picture book is beautifully and lovingly written and illustrated by Fabiola Garza, a character artist at Disney Creative Group. It follows Karol Wojtyla from birth through his papacy and death, enumerating the deaths in his immediate family and demonstrating his persistent desire to discern God’s call.

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