Book Review: Finding Flannery by Christina Brajkovich, Karen Anne Mahoney, and Roxane B. Salonen (ARC)

Any time I meet a Flannery O'Connor fan, I find myself feeling that I have found a kindred spirit. I encountered three such women in Finding Flannery: A Travel Memoir Exploring the Mystique of Flannery O'Connor and the Legacy She Has Left Us All. In this unique memoir told in three voices, Christina Brajkovich, Karen Anne Mahoney, and Roxane B. Salonen shared the story of their trio's visit to Flannery's home, Andalusia, and surrounding landmarks in Flannery's hometown of Milledgeville, Georgia. Each chapter of this book focuses on a different aspect of Flannery's legacy: her faith, her writing, her perseverance in the face of illness, her relationship with her mother, her friendships, etc. Within every chapter, each of the authors has a section marked by individual birds they chose to represent themselves, and each one reflects on the theme of that chapter. The result of this three-part narration is the sense that the reader is in conversation with fellow travelers, all of whom love and appreciate Flannery.

I have long wished I could visit Andalusia, but this book is truly the next best thing. I loved experiencing Flannery's world vicariously through these three writers' eyes and I enjoyed hearing how they discovered Flannery and became so interested in her. I've read a lot about Flannery, so a lot of what they discussed was familiar ground for me, but there were little tidbits here and there that were new to me, and some fresh perspectives I had not considered. I think my favorite part was the chapter focused on Flannery's relationship with her mother, Regina, and on Regina herself as a mother. I have always found their dynamic fascinating, and it was interesting to see each writer reflect on it.

Flannery fans will adore this book, but I think it might also win over some Flannery skeptics, who, even if they struggle with her fiction, won't be able to resist her personality and strong faith after spending time with these devoted fans. I'm grateful to Roxane for the review copy. It's going on my Flannery shelf!

Read-at-Home Mom Report: October 2025

October Favorites

A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway

I love Hemingway's writing. This was really sad, and I didn't love it as much as The Sun Also Rises, but I still really enjoyed it. I also loved learning that he wrote so many different endings before deciding on one. 

A Merry Little Lie by Sarah Morgan
I always enjoy Sarah Morgan's holiday books. This was a perfect blend of family drama and romance.

The Shock of Holiness: The Romance of Everyday Life by Michael Pakaluk 
I reviewed this excellent essay for Catholic Mom. Read my review for my full thoughts.

Ordinary Jack: Being the First Part of the Bagthorpe Saga by Helen Cresswell
This was a hilarious and entertaining read aloud. The kids loved it, and so did I. 

Family Reading Lists

M. (girl, 11 years, 10 months)

*She provided the star ratings.

• Invincible Louisa by Cornelia Meigs ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinneli ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• I, Juan de Pareja by Elizabeth Borton de Trevino ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Jo's Boys by Louisa May Alcott ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

C. (girl, 10 years, 1 month)

• A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle 
• Lost Evangeline by Kate DiCamillo
• When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead 
• The Rescuers by Margery Sharp
• Veronica Ganz by Marilyn Sachs 

E. (girl, 8 years)

• This New Land by G. Clifton Wisler
• The Man Who Was Don Quixote by Rafaello Busoni (selected sections)
• The Adventures of Don Quixote by Leighton Barret and illustrated by Warren Chappell  (selected sections)
• Homes in the Wilderness: A Pilgrim's Journal of Plymouth Plantation in 1620 by William Bradford

R. (boy, 5 years, 7 months)

• Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary
• Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary
• White Bird by Clyde Robert Bulla 
• Summer Magic by Ruth Chew 
• The Hidden Cave by Ruth Chew 
• Halloween Treats by Carolyn
• The Little Leftover Witch by Florence Laughlin 

A. (girl, 5 years, 7 months)

She read a ton of easy readers, including: 

• The Tortoise's Gift by Lari Don
• Never Trust a Tiger by Lari Don
• I Wish I Was a Wolf by Jennifer Bove
• I Wish I was a Llama by Jennifer Bove
• I Wish I Was a Gorilla by Jennifer Bove
• I Wish I was a Kangaroo by Jennifer Bove
• I Wish I was a Monarch Butterfly by Jennifer Bove
• The Witch Who was Afraid of Witches by Alice Low
• Gus Gets Scared by Frank Remkiewicz
• Hoot, Owl! by Shelby Alinsky
• Slither, Snake! by Shelby Alinsky
• Emmett's Pig by Mary Stolz
• Railroad Engineers and Airplane Pilots: What Do They Do? by Carla Greene
• Hidden Animals by Millicent E. Selsam
• Edgar the Super Dolphin by Nathaniel Benchley
• George the Drummer Boy by Nathaniel Benchley
• Monkey Friends by Edward W. Dolch 
• Tony's Birds by Millicent E. Selsam
• Woodchuck by Faith McNulty
• Happy Jack by Malcolm Carrick
• The Bug that Laid the Golden Eggs by Millicent E. Selsam
• This is the House Where Jack Lives by Joan Heilbroner 
• Warton and Morton by Russell E. Erickson
• Who's a Pest by Crosby Bonsall
• Tom and the Two Handles by Russell Hoban 
• Abu Ali by Dorothy O. Van Woerkom
• Baltimore Orioles by Barbara Brenner
• Elephant Seal Island by Evelyn Shaw
• Steven and the Green Turtle by William J. Cromie
• Seahorse by Robert A. Morris
• Flap Your Wings by P.D. Eastman 

My husband 

• American Sons: The Untold Story of the Falcon and the Snowman by Christopher Boyce
• Scoop by Evelyn Waugh
• The Haunted Bookshop by Christopher Morley
• Bilgewater by Jane Gardam

 

Read-at-Home Mom Report: September 2025

September Favorites

Overdue by Stephanie Perkins
The romance in this is not completely closed door, but the descriptions are tame compared to a lot of what's out there. I gave it five stars despite a few things I didn't like because the writing was impeccable, I loved the library setting, and I was deeply invested in the slow burn romance.  

Becoming a Writer by Dorothea Brande 
My writing friend Jenn recommended this to me, and I listened to the audiobook. I will never write in the morning as the author suggests, but a lot of her other advice was very practical and no-nonsense. I would read this again. 

Pumpkin Patch Proposal by Susanne Ash
I especially liked this cozy little fall romance from the Alphabet Sweethearts series.

Family Reading Lists 

M. (girl, 11 years, 10 months)
*she provided the star rating 

• We Alcotts by Aileen Fisher and Olive Rabe ⭐⭐

C. (girl, 10 years)

• The Moved-Outers by Florence Crannell Means 
• Staying Nine by Pam Conrad 

E. (girl, 7 years, 11 months)

• The King's Beard by Leonard Wibberly 
• The Patchwork Girl of Oz by L. Frank Baum

*The twins have been reading so many books, I can't keep track of them all. But here are some highlights.  

R. (boy, 5 years, 7 months)

• Elisa series by Johanna Hurwitz
• Tree House Mystery by Gertrude Chandler Warner 
• Snowbound Mystery by Gertrude Chandler Warner 
• Caboose Mystery by Gertrude Chandler Warner 

A. (girl, 5 years, 7 months)

• Arnold Lobel easy readers
• Mildred and Sam easy readers
• Johnny Lion easy readers 

My husband 

• A Few Fair Days by Jane Gardam 

Homeschool Summer Session 2025

Because we moved right at the end of the summer, I am behind on homeschool updates, so there will be a few posts in a row as I play catch-up. 

Our summer session this year ran from June to mid-August, and it included history, science, math, Latin, reading, writing, and P.E. 

For history, each of the three older girls had an assigned American history book or series to read. M. (11) read Story of America by John A. Garraty, C. (9) read the Drama of American History series by Christopher Collier and James Lincoln Collier and E. (7) read the American Story picture book series by Betsy and Giulio Maestro. Together with me they watched Early American History: Native Americans Through the Forty-Niners with Linwood Thompson from the Great Courses.

For science, everyone, including R. (5) and A. (5), listened to me read aloud Archimedes and the Door of Science by Jeanne Bendick, and we watched a series called Full Proof through a service offered by the public library.  

M. and I worked our way through some lessons from Jensen's Format Writing to help her learn to write well organized paragraphs. 

All three girls watched videos and did exercises from So You Really Want to Learn Latin? 

All five kids went to the pool a lot and everyone is now a capable swimmer. 

Read-at-Home Mom Report: August 2025

August Favorites

No images this month because we just moved, and I'm behind on everything. August wasn't a great reading month, but here are my favorites.

Light in August by William Faulkner
I always love Faulkner. I didn't understand everything in this book, but I followed a good YouTube discussion and really appreciated the excellent, if odd, writing. 

The Bicycle Messenger by Joan Elizabeth Bauer 
I was on the launch team for this beautiful Catholic novel about generational trauma. Chrism Press only publishes five-star books, and this was no exception. 

A Few Fair Days by Jane Gardam 
This vintage middle grade collection of vignettes set in England between the world wars made me laugh out loud, and it's also one of the best-written books I've read in a long time.  Just a delight. 

Kindly Penned by Susanne Ash
I really enjoyed this installment in the Alphabet Sweethearts series. This one involved notes in a Little Free Library, so of course I loved it. 

Family Reading Lists 

M. (girl, 11 years, 9 months)

(She provided the ratings, so I figured I'd share them!)

• Little Men by Louisa May Alcott ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
• No Time Like Show Time by Michael Hoeye ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Little House in Brookfield by Maria D. Wilkes ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Little Town at the Crossroads by Maria D. Wilkes ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Little Clearing in the Woods by Maria D. Wilkes ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
• About the B'nai Bagels by E.L. Konigsburg ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• On Top of Concord Hill by Maria D. Wilkes ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
• The Silver Chair by C. S. Lewis ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
• The Black Stallion by Walter Farley ⭐⭐⭐
• The Noonday Friends by Mary Stolz ⭐⭐⭐⭐

C. (girl, 9 years, 11 months)

• Five Little Peppers and How They Grew by Margaret Sidney 
• Amy and Laura by Marilyn Sachs 
• The Secret of Terror Castle by Robert Arthur 
• About the B'nai Bagels by E.L. Konigsburg 
• The Number Devil by Hans Magnus Enzensberger
• The Noonday Friends by Mary Stolz 
• The Black Stallion by Walter Farley 
• Doctor Dolittle on the Moon by Hugh Lofting 
• Beyond the Heather Hills by Melissa Wiley 
• High-Rise Secret by Lois Lenski 
• The BFG by Roald Dahl 
• Fog Magic by Julia L. Sauer 
• Underground Alley by William Mayne 
• Black Beauty by Anna Sewell 
• The Gauntlet by Ronald Welch 
• Blue Willow by Doris Gates 

E. (girl, 7 years, 10 months)

• The Emerald City of Oz by L. Frank Baum
• High-Rise Secret by Lois Lenski 
• What Katy Did at School by Susan Coolidge 

R. (boy, 5 years, 6 months)

• The Happy Hollisters and the Sea Turtle Mystery by Jerry West
• The Happy Hollisters at Pony Hill Farm by Jerry West
• Danny Dunn and the Anti-Gravity Paint by Jay Williams 
• Danny Dunn on a Desert Island by Jay Williams 
• Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective by Donald Sobol 
• Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Secret Pitch by Donald Sobol
• Ribsy by Beverly Cleary
• The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner 

A. (girl, 5 years, 6 months)

• Bears on Wheels by Stan Berenstain
• Go Dog Go By P.D. Eastman
• Put Me in the Zoo by Robert Lopshire 
• Robert the Rose Horse by Joan Heilbroner 
• More Tales of Oliver Pig by Jean Van Leeuwen 
• Johnny Lion's Bad Day by Edith Thacher Hurd 
• A Fish Out of Water by Helen Marion Palmer 
• More Riddles by Bennett Cerf 
• Uncle Elephant by Arnold Lobel 
• Because a Little Bug Went Ka-Choo! by Rosetta Stone 

My husband 

• Father and I Were Ranchers by Ralph Moody  (this was an audiobook we all listened to in the car)
• A Few Fair Days by Jane Gardam

Read-at-Home Mom Report: July 2025

July Favorites

This was a month of mostly four-star reads, but there were a few five-star standouts. 

Storybook Ending by Moira Macdonald

This is one of the best books I've read this year. It reminded me of Anne Tyler, who is my favorite. 

The Triplets' Summer Adventure by Laurel Blount

This is a Harlequin romance, but it is one of the best-written clean romances I've read. I was surprised to be very impressed.

Wes and Addie Had Their Chance by Bethany Turner

I loved this series, and this was a fitting conclusion. 

Seas the Dating Coach by Laura Langa 

The dialogue in this one is excellent. I have the novella (Holiday Tides) that belongs to this series (Wilks Beach) on my Kindle and plan to read it soon. 

Family Reading Lists

M. (girl, 11 years, 8 months)

• The Disaster Days by Rebecca Behrens 
• Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary
• Strider by Beverly Cleary
• Henry Reed's Journey by Keith Robertson 
• Little Men by Louisa May Alcott 

C. (girl, 9 years, 10 months)

• Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson
• The Emerald City of Oz by L. Frank Baum 
• Maida's Little House by Inez Haynes Gillmore 

E. (girl, 7 years, 9 months)

• The Orphelines and the Enchanted Castle by Natalie Savage Carlson
• Martin the Warrior by Brian Jacques

R. (boy, 5 years, 4 months)

• The Bathwater Gang by Jerry Spinelli 
• The Ghost of Windy Hill by Clyde Robert Bulla 
• Shoeshine Girl by Clyde Robert Bulla
• The Street of the Flower Boxes by Peggy Mann
• Margaret and Taylor by Kevin Henkes 
• The Sword in the Tree by Clyde Robert Bulla 
• My Friend the Monster by Clyde Robert Bulla 
• Henry Huggins by Beverly Cleary
• Henry and Beezus by Beverly Cleary
• Henry and Ribsy by Beverly Cleary
• Mitch and Amy by Beverly Cleary
• The Tree House Mystery by Carol Beach York
• Key to the Treasure by Peggy Parish
• Hermit Dan by Peggy Parish
• Lester and Mother by Myra McGee
• C is for Cupcake by Carolyn Wood 
• Heartwood Hotel: The Greatest Gift by Kallie George 
• Heartwood Hotel: Better Together by Kallie George 
• Heartwood Hotel: Home Again by Kallie George 

A. (girl, 5 years, 4 months)

• The Whales Go By by Fred Phleger 
• Small Pig by Arnold Lobel
• Mouse Tales by Arnold Lobel 

My husband

• Seven Little Australians by Ethel Turner
• The Story of Science in America by L. Sprague de Camp

Read-at-Home Mom Report: June 2025

June Favorites 

*I'm behind this month, so I'm going to take a break from adding book covers so that I can get this posted in a timely manner! 

The 10: A Memoir of Family and the Open Road by E. A. Hanks
This author was a year behind me in college, and we were dorm neighbors, but I don't think we ever actually met. I read this out of curiosity, and because her dad is Tom Hanks, but I was pleasantly surprised by how excellent the writing is, and I stuck with the book for its own merits and not the celebrity connection. 

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald 
This was a re-read, my third time reading it since high school. I love all these twentieth century American novels, but I think I actually slightly prefer The Sun Also Rises. 

Meet Me at Wonderland by Julia de Villiers 
This YA workplace romance was very sweet and exactly like the books I remember borrowing from the library in my early teens. It was just a cozy, gentle feel-good story with a quirky setting and absolutely nothing objectionable. 

A Long Way from Verona by Jane Gardam
This vintage British children's novel published in the 70s and written about WWII has a strong first-person voice that really grabbed me, and I loved the unique flavor of the author's writing. I also appreciated the very resilient attitude it had about things like bombings. 

The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis 
I didn't want to finish this series because I was afraid the ending would be sad. I wasn't exactly right about that, and I'm actually really impressed that I went so long in life without reading it and no one spoiled it for me. A beautiful, fitting ending, and one of my favorites of the seven. 

The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings 
I remember hating this book in 7th grade, but after reading it aloud to my kids I had to change my Goodreads rating from one to five stars. The writing is so vivid, and the story has so much more depth than my 12-year-old mind took from it. 

Everything's Coming Up Rosie by Courtney Walsh 
Another hit from a favorite author! This was more women's fiction than romance, which is fine with me. I loved the retirement community setting, the sweet romance, and most of all, watching Rosie come into her own. 

Welcome to the World, Baby Girl! by Fannie Flagg 

This was another re-read, inspired by the fact that I found the final book of this series at a book sale on our family visit to New York. I read it the first time when I was in college, and I liked it just as well this time.

Riley + Sam by Ashley Schaller

I read an ARC of this forthcoming YA romance, and it was so adorable! I am always a big fan of a side character with a big personality, and Riley's younger cousin, Lou Lou, is my new favorite. 

DNF

• Life and Art: Essays by Richard Russo 
• Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry 
• Sing Me Home to Carolina by Joy Callaway (but I'm planning to try this one again)

Read-Alouds 

• Rich Inheritance by Winefride Nolan (with me) 
• A Boy of Old Prague by Sulamith Ish-Kishor (with Dad)
• Castaways of the Flying Dutchman by Brian Jacques (audiobook in the car)

Family Reading Lists 

M. (11 years, 7 months)

• Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
  (She finally finished it! And every single one of her predictions was wrong. Poor girl.) 

C. (9 years, 9 months) 

• Americans to the Moon: The Story of Project Apollo by Gene Gurney
• Moonshot by Brian Floca 
• The Honest Dollar by Dorothy Simpson 

E. (7 years, 8 months)

• Mattimeo by Brian Jacques
• Dr. Dolittle's Garden by Hugh Lofting 
• Curious Missie by Virginia Sorensen
• The Road to Oz by L. Frank Baum

R. (5 years, 3 months)

• The Happy Hollisters and the Ghost Horse Mystery by Jerry West  
• Rip-Roaring Russell by Johanna Hurwitz
• Busybody Nora by Johanna Hurwitz
• Two Times the Fun by Beverly Cleary 
• Riding the Pony Express by Clyde Robert Bulla 
• Heartwood Hotel Book 1: A True Home by Kallie George 
• Thimbleberry Stories by Cynthia Rylant 

A. (5 years, 3 months)

• Little Bear by Else Holmelund Minarik 
• Father Bear Comes Home by Else Holmelund Minarik 
• A Kiss for Little Bear by Else Holmelund Minarik 
• More Tales of Oliver Pig by Jean Van Leeuwen 

My husband 

• Castaways of the Flying Dutchman by Brian Jacques
• A Long Way from Verona by Jane Gardam
• A Boy of Old Prague by Sulamith by Ish-Kishor
• Rich Inheritance by Winefride Nolan
• The Haunted Wood: A History of Childhood Reading by Sam Leith