There is certainly a wealth of book regarding apologetical arguments to use with Protestants. Some that help you get across these arguments at the personal level. Devin Rose’s new book Navigating the Tiber: How to Help Your Friends and Family Journey Toward the Catholic Faith combines both of these aspects. I really enjoyed how this book was laid out. The first chapter addresses the fact that Protestantism in not monolithic in any way. So it is important to have at... Read more
The Divine Comedy Vol. III: Paradise by Dante Aligheri, translated with an introduction, notes, and commentary by Mark Musa See my reviews of Vol. I: Inferno and Vol. II: Purgatory! Having ascended to the top of Mount Purgatory, Dante the Pilgrim is ready to leave Virgil behind and be led by the love of his life, Beatrice, through Heaven. Heaven is divided into concentric spheres, one each for the moon, the five known planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn), the... Read more
Whenever Trent Horn of Catholic Answers releases a new book I am always eager to read it. This time around he writes about Bible difficulties taking a systematic approach to approaching these difficulties and hard sayings. Hard Sayings: A Catholic Approach to Answering Bible Difficulties I have read some books in this area, but as Trent Horn notes there is generally little by Catholic on the subject in recent times. I read and enjoyed Free from All Error: Authorship Inerrancy... Read more
Boxers written and illustrated by Gene Luen Yang Little Bao is a young Chinese boy who loves the springtime festivals, especially the outdoor operas that tell the great stories of Chinese history and myth. Things are not as peaceful as they seem in 1890s China. A foreign priest visits the town and smashes the local idol, claiming they should worship the One True God, Jesus Christ. The villagers send Little Bao’s father to the local magistrate to protest. He get... Read more
Saints written and illustrated by Gene Luen Yang In the mid-1880s, a girl is born into a Chinese family. She was the fourth daughter, though her three older sisters are already dead. The family doesn’t name her and takes to calling her “Four-Girl.” “Four” is a homonym for “death,” so it’s sort of a joke. She’s isn’t well respected. Her grandfather even calls her a devil. She embraces this and starts making a devilish face. After a while, her mother... Read more
Father Gaetano’s Puppet Catechism by Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden World War II Sicily is home to much hardship. The church of San Domenico has just lost its priest so young Father Gaetano is assigned. The parish rectory has been converted to an orphanage that is supported by nuns from the next-door convent. The children (a mixture of boys and girls) are taught by the nuns but catechism class falls to Father Gaetano. He has trouble connecting to the children... Read more
The Divine Comedy Volume II: Purgatory by Dante Aligheri, translated with an introduction, notes, and commentary by Mark Musa Here’s the link to my review of Volume I: Inferno. Dante the Pilgrim continues his journey through the afterlife. Having slogged his way through Hell and come out on the other side of the earth, he and his guide Virgil (author of the Aeneid) begin their ascent of Mount Purgatory. Instead of the circles in Hell, Purgatory has various terraces where... Read more
Inferno by Dante Aligheri, translated with an introduction, notes, and commentary by Mark Musa The Divine Comedy is a classic of Western literature. Completed in 1320, Dante Aligheri’s epic poem is a journey through the afterlife. The first part is called Inferno and describes his trip through Hell. The poem starts on Good Friday eve, 1300 AD, and Dante wakes up in a dark valley where he is pursued by three wild animals. He runs into Virgil, the Roman poet.... Read more
So I had noticed a social media acquaintance had published a book, and so bought it in the interest of friendship. When it comes to self-published books I have lost some of my prejudice towards them as I have found some exceptionally good ones. Specifically I am speaking of Vikings at Dino’s: A Novel of Lunch and Mayhem by William Duquette who blogs over at Cry ‘Woof!’. The initial premise is that when Michael Henderson goes to lunch a band... Read more
Galileo’s Daughter: A Historical Memoir of Science, Faith, and Love by Dava Sobel Among his other accomplishments, Galileo Galilee had three children out of wedlock. His son was eventually “legitimized” by the Grand Duke of Tuscany; the daughters, probably unmarriageable due to their illegitimacy, became nuns in the convent of San Matteo in Arcetri, a town that was basically a suburb of Florence, Italy. Despite the situation, Galileo was a devoted father and kept in touch with his children, eventually... Read more
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