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

Library Lovebirds by Katie Fitzgerald provided a nice break from reading longer works. This collection of library-centered sweet romances is charming. What impressed me most is how the author helped me to identify with and care about the characters in so few words.

If you like well-written Hallmark-esque sweet romances set in quaint towns with cozy feels, you’ll probably enjoy Crystal Walton’s latest series, Love in Willow Creek. The Corner Bookshop is the second book in the series. Maddy Ellis, who’s struggling to keep her little bookshop in business, makes a bet with stranger Nate O’Connor that she can make him fall in love with smalltown life. Nate’s reason for being in town is destined to put he and Maddy at odds, but it all works out in the end.

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

For varied reasons, our summer reading took a turn in August, and, collectively, we read far fewer books than last month (my oldest son excepting).

The description for The Year of My Humiliation by C.J. Sursum didn’t appeal to me, but I’m so glad I read this excellent psychological drama tracing the developing psychosis of a cold and arrogant surgeon following the death of his young daughter. Through roughly a year’s worth of the surgeon’s, Michael’s, journal entries, the author deftly shares stories and assumptions, leaving them like breadcrumbs for the reader to uncover the truth of Michael’s mental state, character, and the details surrounding his daughter’s death. Well-written, complex, insightful spiritual observations, and difficult to put down.

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

Uneasy Street by Becky Wade is the third book in her Sons of Scandal series. Of the three, this one wasn’t my favorite, but enemies-to-lovers is always a hard sell for me. I was, eventually, mostly won over to the hero, Max. This book wrapped up several threads in the series, including family matriarch Fiona’s story. There are a couple of mysteries in this one, so there’s a lot going on in addition to the romance between wildly successfully entrepreneur Max and his former partner-turned-etiquette expert, Sloane. Some interesting twists and a light Christian theme help make this an enjoyable contemporary romance.

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

I’m supposed to have more time for reading in the summer, right? I’m not working outside the home and the kids’ activities are diminished. Or they’re supposed to be. So far, my kids have had ample time for reading. Me, not so much, but I’m hoping to make room for more books as we ease into summer.

I quickly read Karen Witemeyer’s latest, To Love a Beast, a Beauty and the Beast retelling set in late 19^th-century Texas. It read so smoothly and was such a pleasant diversion. While the plot and characters had nods to the classic fairy tale, it was infused with a realism I enjoyed. As always, Karen Witemeyer’s books are well-written and include faith themes that resonate.

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

We’re slipping into summer reading mode here. Several of the kids are re-reading familiar favorites or family-favorite classics I’ve shared here before. I’ve gotten everyone signed up for the local summer reading programs, and we’re looking forward to a summer where the students, at least, get a little more say in what’s being read. I’ll also be less inclined to tell anyone around here to put down their book and go to bed.

My husband has been listening to The Power of Silence: Against the Dictatorship of Noise by Robert Cardinal Sarah off and on. The book is presented as a conversation between Cardinal Sarah and Nicolas Diat and examines the importance of silence in hearing the voice of God and the detriment of a world filled with near-constant noise. (Is it too much to hope my husband will decrease the TV and podcast volume more often or turn off the white noise machine at night when he’s done reading this?)

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

The Tire Swing by Crystal Walton is the light read I needed after slogging through some other books. It’s a small-town romance set in scenic Virginia. Ellie returns to Willow Creek to take care of her Aunt Bev’s estate—including a willful stallion. Cole, her high school love, never left Willow Creek, but a business opportunity might lure him away. They need to work through their past before they can build a future.

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

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

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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