An Open Book: July 2026

I read a lot in July, perhaps because I was enjoying the air conditioning inside the house? Whatever the case, I'm linking up with An Open Book to share about my recent reads-and there were some fascinating ones! 

An Open Book: June 2026 Reads

Another month is here, so it's time to link up with An Open Book to chat about my recent reads! 

An Open Book: May 2026 Reads

June is here, so it's time to link up with An Open Book to chat about what I read last month. Before I dive in, though, I do have a prayer request: at the very end of May, moments after bouncing into a routine 16-weeks prenatal appointment, I learned that my unborn baby had died. As I continue to grieve and process, I may eventually put more here on the blog about this experience-but for now, please send up a prayer for me and my family. Thank you! And thank you so much to the many people who have already been lifting our family up in prayer for these past several days, I truly appreciate all of the prayers and support. 

Looking back on all the reading I did in May, I am grateful that I got to read a ton of fun and/or deeply insightful books, and I have many fond reading memories. I mostly read fiction, with some nonfiction sprinkled in there too. Let's dive in.  

An Open Book: April 2026 Reads

 Y'all, April was a full month (mostly in good ways) and I'll share some tidbits about it all in my upcoming newsletter. In the meantime, we need to talk about the books that accompanied me through the month! (As usual, I'm linking up with An Open Book.) My big reading goal was to finish Brothers Karamazov, and then I promptly let myself get distracted by other books (part of my justification was that Brothers K was just way too big to hold while I lay in bed, so I needed other books as "bedtime reading" haha!). But, by some miracle, I did manage to finish reading Brothers K in addition to the other books. Let's dive in! 

An Open Book: March 2026 Reads

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!

An Open Book: February 2026 Reads

The daffodils are blooming and it is time to share about the books I read last month! I'm linking up with An Open Book, so make sure to hop over there for more book recommendations :) 

An Open Book: January 2026 Reads

I don't know how we're already into February, but here we are! I am belatedly linking up with An Open Book to share about the books that I started off the year with. I thoroughly enjoyed the books I read, and I'm excited to see what I pick up in the coming months!

2025 Reading and Writing in Review

I always enjoy taking time to reflect back on the previous year and think about the books that I read and the writing projects that I worked on. Not only do I love looking back at what I read during the various events of the year, but when I look back at my writing life, I often see that I accomplished quite a bit throughout the year. 

(When life is overwhelming and I'm tempted to think that "I'll never get this project done or have time to write again," I remind myself that when I do my annual writing review, I'll be able to see that somehow, the writing happens.)

Without further ado, let's dive in! 

An Open Book: December 2025 Reads

 Happy New Year! I'm linking up with An Open Book to share about the books that I read at the end of 2025. Last month, I read three books, all very different and fascinating. Let's dive in!

An Open Book: November 2025 Reads

Happy Feast of St. Francis Xavier! With a new month beginning, it's time to link up with An Open Book to chat about what I read last month. November was a bit of a handful in many aspects of my life, so I only read three books-but they were all quite different from each other and very enjoyable. Let's dive in! 

An Open Book: October 2025 Reads

Another month is here (how is it already November???) and I am so excited to share about the books I read last month. I wound up reading way more than I anticipated and it was a fabulous mix of fiction and nonfiction, books geared towards adults and those geared towards children. As always, I'm linking up with An Open Book-make sure to check that out for even more book recommendations! 

A Literary Feast: The Story of a Reading Life

I grinned as an elderly woman spread an array of food across the round table: a platter of gochujang-spiced tteokbokki, a plate of crispy egg rolls, and little plates with kimchi, sweetened potatoes, crispy Korean coleslaw, and little pieces of fish cake. Steaming silver bowls of rice stood tall and proud in the sea of little white plates, and large platters of thinly sliced beef, pork, and chicken soon joined them. I passed my plastic mug around the table, sharing sips of a simple soup, crafted from wakame seaweed, fresh mushrooms, and hot water. 

This meal, this spontaneous Saturday evening feast at a hole-in-the-wall restaurant, offered a visual representation of how I approach literature.  

People often comment about the number of books I read, and I struggle to express my reading habits in a succinct manner. I often mention that well, I read lots of genres, or I really just love to read, and let the conversation rest with those points. However, as I mull over my approach to reading, I realize that the answer goes beyond these statements. 

Over the years, my literary diet has become similar to the Korean dinner I recently enjoyed with my husband and children: a feast of flavors and textures, both nourishing and adventurous. 

An Open Book: September 2025 Reads

I am finally coming up for air after a whirlwind of a September, and I'm excited to link up with An Open Book to share about the books that I read over the month! I read way more than I anticipated, so I'm going to do a rapid-fire recap. Onto the books! 

An Open Book: August 2025 Reads

August flew by, and it was a really fun reading month. I'm linking up with An Open Book to share what I read. There were some children's books, a historical fiction novel for adults, and I also finished a couple of nonfiction books that I had been working on for a while. Let's dive in!  

An Open Book: July 2025 Reads

Happy Feast of the Transfiguration! I'm linking up with An Open Book to discuss what I read last month; it was a fun mix of fiction and nonfiction. Let's dive in! 

An Open Book: June 2025 Reads

Somehow, it's July. Where did June go???

Last month was packed with many wonderful things, including a large reading stack! I mostly read fiction in June, which was a great way to relax and unwind. I'm linking up with An Open Book as I review my recent reading adventures. Let's dive in!

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! 

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!

An Open Book: March 2025 Reads

March somehow completely flew by, and it's hard to believe that Easter is almost here! I'm linking up with An Open Book to chat about the books that accompanied me last month. There was some great nonfiction about the Lenten season, as well as a fun mix of fiction books. Let's dive in!  

An Open Book: February 2025 Reads

It is finally March--and Lent! I'm linking up with An Open Book to chat about the books that took me through the wild month of February (what is it about that month???). I didn't read many books, but some of them were pretty big and I really enjoyed all of them. Let's dive in!