An Open Book: May 2025 Reads

Another month has arrived, which means I'm linking up with An Open Book to talk about what I read last month. Buckle up, because there are A LOT of books here, courtesy of a non-napping baby who just wanted to cuddle and nurse. Homeschooling, werewolves, postpartum life, Vatican II, and the U.S. military are just a sampling of the topics I read about, both fiction and non-fiction. Let's dive in! 

Real Learning: Education in the Heart of the Home, by Elizabeth Foss (first edition)

I borrowed this classic from my mom because it's been on my TBR list for a really long time, and I'm so glad I finally picked it up! Foss draws together the wisdom of Charlotte Mason as well as St. Edith Stein (also known as St. Teresa Benedicta) and discusses a variety of homeschooling topics, including ways that the author has helped her children learn different subjects. I thought it was very cool to see a Charlotte Mason/Edith Stein mashup, and I really appreciated Foss's insights. It was reassuring to read her section on math and see that my ongoing question to provide a holistic math education for my kids is not something new-because she touches on that very topic. There are some great book lists in the back of this book, too. I loved it, and since this was written over twenty years ago, I may pick up her Real Learning Revisited someday to see her current take on this initial approach to homeschooling. 

Wormwood Abbey, by Christina Baehr (The Secrets of Ormdale Book 1) 

Drake Hall, by Christina Baehr (The Secrets of Ormadle Book 2)

Castle of the Winds by Christina Baehr (The Secrets of Ormadle Book 3)

City of Serpents, by Christina Baehr (The Secrets of Ormadle Book 4)

Valley of Dragons, by Christina Baehr (The Secrets of Ormadle Book 5)

I tore through these delightful books in probably a week, and I partially credit them for helping me stay somewhat sane in the exhausting days of life with a baby. In the first book, Edith, the daughter of a clergyman, and her family travel to their estranged relatives' estate in England, where they discover secrets and intrigue and their lives are completely turned upside-down. I think of this series as How to Train Your Dragon set in Victorian era England. It is absolutely enchanting, the narrator's voice is fantastic, and the characters are really well done. Not only that, but each book is a fairly cozy, quick, easy read, while still touching on some weighty themes in a really tasteful way. And there are some fun references to classic literature! At the conclusion of the final book, one of the characters has some thoughts about St. Michael that I wasn't a fan of, but I loved reading this series! I am so excited to share it with my kids someday (due to some themes/topics--like generational trauma and human trafficking--I'm guessing it's probably best suited to preteens or teens and up. If you read anything this summer, please do yourself a favor and at least give the first book a try! 

Baby and Beyond: Overcoming Those Post-Childbirth Woes, by Allison Auth

Drawing from her own experience of giving birth several times, Auth shares the nitty-gritty reality of postpartum life. Tackling topics like mental health, marriage, and nutrition, she brings together research and her own stories to offer solidarity and hope to new moms who are struggling. This book is very vulnerable and honest, and I think it could be really helpful to a lot of new moms, especially those who are having a hard time adjusting to life with a baby. To be honest, a lot of the information wasn't new to me (simply because I've read up on a lot on postpartum things throughout the course of having five kids) but what this book did for me was open my eyes to how the hospital experience works for birthing women. I've given birth in the hospital a couple times, but this book helped me see clearly that my midwife-assisted experiences were far different from what's commonly offered to women. 

REREAD: Rediscovering Vatican II, by Fr. Blake Britton

In this fantastic book. Fr. Britton builds Church unity by encouraging people to move past the divisive opinions surrounding Vatican II and learn what the Council actually said. The chapters in this book correspond to the order of the major documents from Vatican II, and Fr. Britton brings together both excerpts from the documents and his own experiences as a pastor to talk about ways that we can live out the unity that God invites us to. This is a great introduction to the Second Vatican Council, and I'll be facilitating a discussion on this book in a few weeks for CatholicsRead-it's free to participate, so come join us! 

The Lord is my Shepherd: a novel of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, by Anne Faye

This historical fiction novel walks through the life and adventures of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, a fascinating woman who died in 1821. The author does a fantastic job engaging the reader in this story that's rooted in history, and it made me realize that although I've long known about St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, who married, became widowed while her children were young, and then began a religious order, I haven't really known her. I enjoyed reading this novel and pondering her life, and now I want to know more about this woman and her legacy. I recommend it! 

The Werewolf of Whitechapel, by Suzannah Rowntree (Miss Sharp's Monsters, book 1)

This novel follows Miss Elizabeth Sharp, a young woman whose memory began two years prior, when she woke up at a hospital in London, with werewolf scars on her face and no memories of her childhood or family. When people begin dying in Whitechapel, Liz is convinced that a werewolf is on the loose. However, since it's known that only non-British royalty are monsters (werewolves, Sirens, vampires), the police--not wanting to cause a rupture in diplomatic relations--turn a blind eye. However, when Liz is hired to serve as a lady's maid/bodyguard for Princess May, she also becomes flung headlong into the mysterious killings. For some reason, it took me a little while to get into this book, but once I really sunk into it, I was fully invested and really enjoyed it! 

The prisoner in his palace: Saddam Hussein, His American Guards, and What History Leaves Unsaid, by Will Bardenwerper

In this book, Bardenwerper bounces across history, sharing snippets of Saddam Hussein's upbringing and adulthood and horrific crimes, as well as the stories of the 12 Americans who were tasked with guarding him 24/7 for the final months of his life, and what happened when these Americans--some of them very young--were presented with this secret mission. I was absolutely riveted. Although the timeline got to be a little hard to keep track of at times, I could not put this book down. It was completely fascinating to see how the 12 soldiers, for the most part, were forced to see the humanity of this man who had done so many horrific things. It was really beautiful to learn about the ways in which they sought to treat him with dignity, and it was super sad to learn about how many of these soldiers had a difficult time following Saddam's execution and their time in the military. This book has so many things to consider and discuss and it felt ironic to read this on Memorial Day, because let me tell you, I felt rather salty about how our government treats (or rather, doesn't treat) veterans-though hopefully it's gotten better in the twenty years since the events of this book. No matter what your opinions are on politics, the military, the death penalty, etc. I think this book is a must-read and such a good reminder that every human person has dignity and value. 

Anarchist on the Orient Express, by Suzannah Rowntree (Miss Sharp's Monsters, book 2)

This follow-up to the events of Book 1 was so hard to put down! In this book, Liz and her employers head East, and she finds herself trying to navigate a vampire, a werewolf, and several anarchists-all of whom are trying to wreak havoc on Europe. Alongside all of this, Liz searches for the answers to her past, so she can learn who she really is. This was a really satisfying follow-up to the first book and it makes me really excited to read the final book and learn what ultimately happens! 

How Your Book Sells Itself: 10 ways your book is your ultimate marketing tool, by Bethany Atazadeh with Mandi Lynn

I stumbled across these authors on Youtube, and have enjoyed many of their videos on self-publishing. They mention this book series in some of their videos, and our library had it, so I gave it a try. This book was a pretty quick read, but had some good insights on the book creation process. I think it's easy to assume that when you think "I'm going to write a book," you write a draft or two and are done (I totally used to think this LOL). These authors helpfully draw from their own experiences to talk through the different aspects of creating a book, and while a lot of this focuses on self-published authors, some of it could apply to traditionally published authors, as well. A lot of this book echoed things these authors have said in their videos, so I'll probably stick with listening to their videos instread of picking up the rest of the books in this series. 

The Four Hour School Day, by Durenda Wilson

I really enjoyed this discussion on homeschooling from a mom of 8 who, at the time of the book's writing, had graduated 7 of her kids. However, I found the title of the book misleading. This isn't a "how to set up a four-hour school day," as the title may lead you to think; instead, this is a gentle discussion on the value of homeschooling and ways that you can gently step into the homeschooling lifestyle with your kids. The author encourages readers who are thinking about homeschooling to try it for just a year, which I thought was a really cool challenge. She breaks down how she approaches different phases, like the toddler phase, the elementary school child, and teenagers. A lot of what she says in here resonated with me, in very specific ways. Also, I LOVED the fact that one of her chapters focused a lot on how awesome boys are and ways that we can help them receive the education that they, as boys, need. AMEN! This author and I seem to have a very similar approach to home education, so I'll definitely be looking for more of her books in the future. 

Whew! Thanks for joining me this month! While this was a great reading month, I think I'm definitely going to focus on fewer--perhaps weightier--books for the rest of the summer. Maybe haha. If you have any recommendations, please drop them in the comments!