New Bookish Things for the New Year

2021. Wow. I don’t even know what to say about the first week of this year, so I’m not going to try.

Instead I’m going to write about books. Because that’s where I’m at.

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RAR Subscription

I got the BEST birthday from a friend who knows me oh so well, and I just have to share about it because it is so cool.

Its a subscription to Read Aloud Revival. If you haven’t stumbled across Sarah’s podcast or website yet, click over and be delighted. There’s plenty of free content, but I’ve really appreciated the quality and depth of the subscription. I’ve listened to one of the master classes on choosing books for your kids; G adores the drawing lessons with different illustrators, and we are halfway through a writer’s workshop on “noisy writing” by the author of one of our very favorite books, The Noisy Paint Box . Now that we’ve gotten hooked, I could see this becoming a staple of our homeschool.

Book Journals

G has become the voracious independent reader I always hoped she would. Since she’s devouring books constantly these days, I wanted to create a way for her to record her reads in a way that wasn’t overly burdensome but also left her with enough information to spark her memory down the road.

I went hunting for one that would suit our needs and could not find one that I liked. So I created one with her in mind, and then I created a journal for our whole family to record our favorite read aloud books.

And just in case you’ve got a similar kid or family desire to keep a log of all the books that bring you joy- you can find the whole set on Amazon now.

(if you buy them and like them, please do let me know what you think, and leave a review too, it’s so helpful!)

Reading Challenge

In case you missed the earlier post: I’m hosting a little reading challenge, and I’d love you to join us. Kathryn, my dear friend from above, is a librarian and knows all the best books. She’s helping to put together a list of great recommendations each month centered around a theme to help all of our families find some great reads while building our domestic churches. You can check out the January book list here.

A Book Trailer

One of the things I have loved most about getting to publish Marian Consecration for Families with Young Children has been the opportunity it’s given me to learn new things. A skill I recently learned was how to make a book trailer. You can check it out at the bottom of the post. I think it came out pretty well for my first try!

My Current Reads

Because what would a book post be without some books?

• The Firebird I read this one twice it was so good. I am always amazed when an author can weave timelines together and Susanna Kearsley does this seamlessly
• The Art of Spiritual Writing I’m still very new to the craft of writing, and it was such a joy to read the wisdom of someone far more skilled than I.
• A Pathway Under the Gaze of Mary was a book I read as part of some research for a new project. It’s a wonderful biography of one of the seers of Fatima, and follows her through her whole life.

Upcoming Projects

I’m really excited about the next two books that I’m working on with OSV:

My picture book on the four women Doctors of the Church is slated for release this year. The illustrator for this book is Adalee Hude, who is oh so talented and the author/illustrator of Light of Heaven. She’s sent me some of her sketches for each of the women, and I am in love with the way that she’s managed to capture the essence of each.

And just before Christmas I signed a contract with them to complete my Jesse Tree for Families book, which will release September of 2022. Mark your calendars and get excited! It’s going to follow the same format as Marian Consecration, and I’ll share more details as we get closer.

I’ve got a couple of other things cooking, and am enjoying researching and learning and growing as an author.

Linking up with Kelly

I’m linking up with Kelly this week, and she’s written some great books herself, so make sure you take a look at her shop when you click over.