Christ is risen! As I soak up the Eastertime relaxation after the beautiful exhaustion of Holy Week, I'm linking up with An Open Book to chat about what I read last month. I had mentioned that I'm rereading Brothers K; well, I'm still slowly making my way through that but also wound up jumping into several other books (I wasn't entirely avoiding Brothers K; sometimes, a smaller book is much easier to hold and read while a child sleeps in my lap haha!). Let's dive in!
Feast Faith Flourish: Holistic wellness in light of eternity, by Katie Gearns and Samantha Worthing
This beautiful book is a collection of essays/reflections, recipes, and gorgeous photographs that tie together the liturgical seasons and the natural world. I like how it went beyond trendy "liturgical living" topics and dove into traditional practices like Ember Days, and also talked about health, the importance of minerals, and that kind of thing. This book was created by women associated with the Ember Collective, which I hadn't been familiar with, but seems like a pretty fantastic ministry/resource. My only critique of this book is that it is heavy on the idealism and inspiration (so many photographs of ladies in white/light-colored dresses as they pick flowers next to their chickens!) and lacking in the practical how-to of striving for holistic wellness when you can't walk to the local farmer's market and several small children need help all at once.
Lunar New Year Love Story, by Gene Luen Yang and Leuyen Pham
I really enjoyed this graphic novel about Valentina, a high-schooled Vietnamese-American girl who used to love Valentine's Day but becomes convinced that her family is cursed in love. She starts to explore Lion Dancing and also begins her own pursuit of romantic relationships, all the while plagued by the brokenness in her family tree. Through a series of adventures with her classmates and with her Catholic grandmother, Valentina begins to experience healing and clarity in her life. I really enjoyed this story (and how the author brought in some fun Catholic characters), but I was annoyed when a minor character was revealed to be in a same-sex romantic partnership towards the end of the book.
REREAD: The End of the Affair, by Graham Greene
This classic novel follows Bendrix, a writer who is grappling with the aftermath of his affair with Sarah, a married woman. Bendrix reflects on the different moments throughout his relationship with Sarah (and her husband, Henry) as well as Sarah's eventual breaking-off of the affair and her ultimate death. Throughout all of this, the reader is offered deep insights into how destructive jealousy is, as well as the mysterious ways in which God draws people to Himself. Although the story comes through Bendrix's perspective, during this reread, I found myself focusing more and more on Sarah, and that was a neat way to approach the book. I love this book and the edition I read (Word on Fire Classics version) was really lovely, too-it had a nice introduction and a beautiful cover.
The Black Knight, by Michael Halloran
This novel relates the story of Winthrop, an outlaw who encounters a "black knight" named Sir Judas. The knight is on a quest to defeat the monster Goliath and all forces of evil before the darkness completely absorbs the Earth. On the journey, Winthrop, his adoptive son, and Sir Judas encounter all sorts of characters-magicians and demons, devout Catholic townspeople, and nobles. There was a lot going on in this book, and I honestly struggled to keep it all straight-I got the impression that the author had a lot of really great ideas and wanted to pack them--along with some random tangents on the Trinity and Catholic doctrine--all into one novel that was nearly 600 pages long. This novel had potential, but I think it could have benefited from more revisions to streamline the events and offer clarity on both the storyline and the worldbuilding.
The Eighth Arrow: Odysseus in the Underworld, by J. Augustine Wetta, O.S.B.
In this utterly delightful novel, we see Odysseus and Diomedes try to break out of hell. They journey through the different circles of Dante's hell and meet a variety of characters from mythology. Throughout this adventure, Odysseus slowly comes to question his lifelong reputation and lifestyle as a liar and deceiver, and he contemplates the consequences of his choices during life on Earth. This book was at times funny, at other times heartbreakingly beautiful, and at all times thoroughly entertaining. The author also provides a helpful glossary at the back, which is especially helpful if you haven't read Dante or Homer in a while. I loved this book and I am excited to share it with my kids when they are older!
Thanks so much for joining me this month! If you have any recommendations, please drop them in the comments!
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