The first Wednesday of each month, Carolyn Astfalk hosts #OpenBook, where bloggers link posts about books they’ve read recently. Here’s a taste of what I’ve been reading:
Fiction
Emma’s Hero by Carrie Walker.
One word sums up this book and that is HOPE. So many of the characters are seeking that bright spark of hope in their lives, and in various ways, they end up bringing that hope to each other. When you look at the synopsis and see that the story is about a mom with a baby who has a life-threatening condition, don’t assume that means this is a downer of a story. In fact, the tears I cried while reading this were happy tears!
I loved seeing the transformations in each character—Emma, Ben, and Mason—that happened because of hope. I cannot wait for future books in this series.
The Oystercatcher of Southwark by Erica Colahan.
This split-time novel tells the story of Mary, a young first-generation Italian-American woman living in South Philly and working at a sweatshop while she helps her father manage the grocery store for which he’s beholden to mob boss Rocco. Mary has captured the hearts of three men: the brutish Rocco, who insists Mary’s father “owes him” and must let him marry her; Cenzo the kindly fishmonger; and Jakob, a young Jewish man who becomes embroiled in shady business deals after Mary becomes pregnant and they elope and set up housekeeping in Newark, NJ. The present-day story line follows Bella, who’s brokenhearted after a recent divorce and shocked to learn that some of her ancestors were Jewish: this story had never been told to the younger generations. Together, Bella and a newfound older cousin piece together the story of Mary’s eventual return to Philadelphia with her children.
It’s lovely to read historical novels when the scene is set so well. As I read, I felt like I could very well have been walking those streets of South Philly where this novel takes place. Erica Colahan has taken the true story of her own great-great-grandmother and brought the people as well as the place to life. The novel explores the life of a young mother and tells how she, driven to desperation, seeks to protect her children from all harm. I can’t wait to read this novel a second time! (Advance review copy received from the publisher, but I’ve already preordered my own copy from Chrism Press. Releases July 2024.)
Love in the Eternal City: A Swiss Guard Romance by Rebecca W. Martin.
At last: a heroine who isn’t perfect and doesn’t try to pretend she is! Elena’s fiance and best friend betrayed her professionally and romantically, and her confidence is shaken by continuing panic attacks after a terrifying cyberstalking situation. Seeking a new start, she heads to Rome with a scrubbed social media profile and a new job, only to meet Benedikt (Beni), a Swiss Guard who’s spent his life failing to measure up to his father’s expectations.
Working in the Vatican, Elena and Beni are in frequent contact with highly-ranked clergy, including the pope, and both the pope and Elena’s boss inject wisdom and humor in difficult situations. Those two characters charmed me from their first mention, and one of them has made it his mission to get the Elena and Beni together.
There’s a surprising espionage subplot, a couple of kindly landlords, and a not-so-little stepsister who becomes a BFF to Elena and a friend to her older brother Beni.
All in all, this is a charming novel with engaging characters–and I guarantee you’ll be hoping those characters get engaged, pretty much as soon as you meet them. It’s a lovely read. (Advance review copy received from the publisher, but I’ve already preordered my own copy from Chrism Press. Releases August 2024.)
Canary Girls by Jennifer Chiaverini.
Set in Britain during World War I, this novel follows the lives of several young women who work as “munitionettes,” assembling explosive shells in a converted sewing-machine factory, frantically trying to keep up with demand for ammunition as they support their families and try to ignore their worsening health due to the poisonous effects of the TNT they’re packing into the ammunition each day. The yellow color of their skin (a symptom of liver dysfunction caused by the TNT exposure) earns them the nickname “Canary Girls.”
Anything but delicate or birdlike, these women are strong and determined, hoping to keep morale up by forming football (soccer) teams and supporting each other. This book, along with others like The Radium Girls, brings home the truth of the sacrifices made by women on the home front, underscoring how they often took invisible but extreme risks to support the war effort.
YA/Children’s
Because of You by Hannah Currie.
When 16-year-old Chloe sets out on the mission trip she’s looked forward to since the age of 10, she doesn’t know what to expect, and the boot camp held by the Christian organization running the trip didn’t prepare her much. But when she arrives in an extremely primitive orphanage for girls in a remote part of Thailand, she’s also not prepared to lose her heart to the 40 young children who’d been rescued from traumatic situations and, in some cases, saved from lives of human trafficking.
Chloe has to learn survival skills like washing her dishes, clothes, and hair in an icy-cold river—and her ability to make friends is tested by one of her fellow teen missionaries, who spends most of the time crying and complaining that she misses her mom. Some of the most valuable lessons Chloe learns have nothing to do with orphans, Thailand, or survival: they’re lessons of trust, faith, and friendship.
Definitely recommended for any teen hoping to participate in a mission or service trip! This is the first book I’ve read by this author, but I’ll be checking out her backlist after reading this one. (Advance review copy received from publisher WhiteSpark Books; releases May 15).
Links to books in this post are Amazon affiliate links. Your purchases made through these links support Franciscanmom.com. Thank you!
Where noted, books are review copies. If that is not indicated, I either purchased the book myself or borrowed it from the library.
Follow my Goodreads reviews for the full list of what I’ve read recently (even the duds!)
Visit today’s #OpenBook post to join the linkup or just get some great ideas about what to read! You’ll find it at Carolyn Astfalk’s A Scribbler’s Heart and at CatholicMom.com!
Copyright 2024 Barb Szyszkiewicz
Images copyright 2023 Carolyn Astfalk, all rights reserved, used with permission
These books all look so good! I’m particularly struck by Canary Girls-I read The Radium Girls a while back and enjoyed it (although it was really sobering) so I definitely want to pick up this one!
I read a fictional version of “The Radium Girls” but I couldn’t find it in a quick scroll through; that one was set in Iowa, I think, rather than NJ, but basically the same story and they referenced the NJ case. I cannot remember the title offhand. “Canary Girls” was very good. I’ve read and enjoyed many books by this author.
These look great! I’m already enjoying Love in the Eternal City. The jaundice in Canary Girls is too close to my bout of liver dysfunction with mono – LOL. Maybe someday. Thanks for linking to An Open Book!