Becoming a Great Godparent: Everything a Catholic Needs to Know by Paraclete Press My rating: 5 of 5 stars “I do have one godparent who has really been supportive of me my whole life. She has pushed me to become a better version of myself, and has supported me in the difficult decisions I’ve had to make. She treats me like I know she would treat her own kids.” ======= “Sadly, none of my godparents have really had an impact... Read more
Try to imagine for a second how today’s culture would respond to something like Mary’s yes to the angel Gabriel when he came to ask if Mary would bear the Son of God. Would Mary update her Facebook status? Would Gabriel be tweeting the play-by-play? Would the tabloids be filled with dramatic photos of Mary and Gabriel? Or, would the blogosphere be silent, the news networks oblivious? Whatever the case, you can be sure the reaction would be disproportional to... Read more
I’ve had a reading “crush” on YA fiction for quite some time. And given the number of young readers in my life, I have an interest in it on a lot of levels. In the last couple of months, I’ve read some books that bear mentioning here. These are all worthy of being read whether you’re an adult looking for a book (which will be a fairly quick read) or a parent looking for something for the younger reader in... Read more
A young woman I know told me she loved the title of this book, saying, “You had me at bodacious!” A lot of people love that word — bodacious. This review is for the rest of us, the ones who see “bodacious” and cringe a little. I am here to tell you, “Be not afraid.” What Pat Gohn really is writing about is what Blessed John Paul II called “the feminine genius.” What Pat Gohn does, beautifully, is contrast what... Read more
I’ve gotten into a wonderful conversation over at the Catholic Writers’ Guild blog. It goes on in the comments box of whatever book review I’ve posted lately, but carries on the same conversation. Don has begun dipping into Robert Heinlein’s writing and his comment is a really wonderful review of Stranger in a Strange Land. It is insightful and ties together with my review of Save, Send, Delete in a way that is really right but never would have occurred... Read more
Pope Francis: The Pope From the End of the Earth by Thomas J. Craughwell is the latest entry in the biographies of Pope Francis pushed out. This one is put out by Saint Benedict Press. Having read some of Mr. Craughwell’s other books I was not surprised to find it nicely researched and well written. This book offers a fine balance of standard biographical information while also being peppered with personal stories from those who knew him. The three biographies... Read more
Anathem, by Neal Stephenson, is that most odd of things: philosophical science fiction. By which I mean that in order to enjoy it fully, you really need to have at least a passing acquaintance with the history of Western philosophy from Thales on down; and the more you know, the more you’ll enjoy watching it play out. Not that this is a book of philosophy, or that you have to be a philosopher to read it. There’s plenty of action,... Read more
The prolific philosopher Peter Kreeft has a new book out titled: “Jacob’s Ladder: Ten Steps to Truth” Like some of his previous books it is set around a dialogue between two characters. This time both characters are fully fictional and set in the year 1977. Libby Rawls is a young women that is a nominal Christian and a skeptic. The other is “Mother” an older mixed-race women who is willing to lead Libby along these steps of a Jacob’s Ladder.... Read more
Middlemarch: A Study of Provincial Life by George Eliot My rating: 5 of 5 stars This was highly recommended by everybody, including Rose, so it went on my 2013 Goals Reading List. What do we live for, if it is not to make life less difficult to each other? This is a gentle tale of many courtships and marriages, of the relationships in community (as we can tell from the subtitle “A Study of Provincial Life”), and above all of... Read more
Recipe for Joy: A Stepmom’s Story of Finding Faith, Following Love, and Feeding a Family looked interesting, but I’ll be honest: I almost didn’t read it. There are a number of reasons why, but none of them are as huge as the feeling of “Wow, I am SO GLAD I read that!” that I felt late on Saturday night, with the whole house asleep, as tears streamed down my face and I closed the back cover. This was great read that... Read more
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