An Open Book: April 2025 Reads

A new (and very rainy) month has arrived, so I'm linking up with An Open Book to chat about my recent reading adventures. I didn't read many books, but the ones I picked up were a fascinating mix of fiction and non-fiction. Let's dive in!

Seeking Space and Time, by Amy Schisler (Chincoteague Sunsets, Book 3)

In this novel, the newly graduated, seventeen-year-old Molly returns to Chincoteague to spend her summer being a "normal teenager." The problem is, nothing about her is normal. As she grapples with being a young Harvard grad and the expectations that everyone around her has for her future, Molly also grapples with being a Catholic who is very interested in science. Adding to the mix is a crime that takes place at a local NASA facility. Seeing how Molly navigated the different challenges was really interested, and I enjoyed seeing her deal with the hardships and joys of being a teenage college grad. I also really enjoyed the setting, especially as someone who re-read Misty of Chincoteague many times as a child. Parts of Molly's story didn't grip me very much (for example, I was a bit annoyed at her decision to have a boyfriend "for the summer"), but overall, this was a fun coming-of-age novel. 

Mother to Mother: Spiritual and Practical Wisdom from the Cloister to the Home, by Mary Elizabeth Cuff, PhD

What can moms of kids learn from nuns? Quite a lot, as Cuff discusses in this fantastic book. This book is divided into different topics, each which begins with a short reflection by Cuff on the struggles and joys of being a mom. She then presents different questions that she posed to contemplative nuns about those topics and provides the nuns' reflections. I loved this book, and I enjoyed hearing the distinct voices of the different nuns who come from a variety of religious communities. My favorite reflections were those offered by the Byzantine Carmelite nun in Pennsylvania (a community that I was formerly unaware of!), but they were all great. This book is for mothers in all ages and stages of motherhood, and I can easily see it being valuable to come back to at different times in one's mothering journey. 

This Present Paradie, by Claire Dwyer

This book had been on my list for the past year or so, and I was excited to finally read it! Through short reflections, Dwyer draws on her own struggles and experiences to reflect deeply on the life and witness of St. Elizabeth of the Trinity, and the ways that this saint can guide us to draw more closely to God. The writing was beautiful, and I really loved learning about this saint. This is a book that I definitely want to go back through at some point, so I can take more time with the reflection questions. It also made me want to read St. Elizabeth's actual writings, so I may have to do that at some point. I loved it! 

Mara, Daughter of the Nile, by Eloise Jarvis McGraw

In this delightful novel, set during the reign of Hatshepsut in Egypt, Mara is a slave girl who secretly reads and longs for freedom. One day, she is sold to a man who offers her a chance to live a semblance of freedom as an undercover spy. Then, she is approached by someone who wants her to act as a spy for an opposing force of people. Mara decides that she will be a spy for each side and come out on top at the end--but things don't go exactly as she planned. This book was fast-paced and gripping and the setting and characters were wonderful. I had seen this on many homeschool reading lists as a kid, but I never read it. I'm glad I finally picked it up! I loved this, and I'm excited to share it with my kids someday. 

Thanks so much for joining me this month! If you have any recommendations, please drop them in the comments!