{"id":2590,"date":"2014-07-09T13:00:48","date_gmt":"2014-07-09T18:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/happycatholicbookshelf\/?p=2590"},"modified":"2014-07-07T15:09:05","modified_gmt":"2014-07-07T20:09:05","slug":"great-summer-reads-do-no-harm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/happycatholicbookshelf\/2014\/07\/great-summer-reads-do-no-harm\/","title":{"rendered":"Great Summer Reads: Do No Harm"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

I\u2019m a biiiiig fan of novels. In fact, I\u2019ve been known to reward myself with fiction after I\u2019ve read some certain number of nonfiction books.<\/p>\n

I used to think that made me something of a slacker. I mean, surely the great theologians don\u2019t read fluffy stories before bed. Of course the scholars are always immersed in heavy work. There can\u2019t possibly be a use for my favorite kind of reading\u2026can there?<\/p>\n

When I look to Jesus himself, though, I can\u2019t help but wrinkle my brows again. He wasn\u2019t exactly sharing\u00a0Harry Potter<\/em>\u00a0with his followers, but you can\u2019t help but notice how often he used stories, can you?<\/p>\n

Sometimes, a story just does the job better.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Enter\u00a0Do No Harm<\/em>, by Fiorella de Maria (Ignatius Press, 2013). It covers topics I am praying about and pretty sick-to-my-stomach about, topics I don\u2019t really know how to handle and things I don\u2019t ever want to read about.<\/p>\n

And yet I did. Because they are within the context of a story that gripped me from the beginning.<\/p>\n

De Maria\u2019s previous novel,\u00a0Poor Banished Children<\/em>\u00a0was an example of literature, and it shocked me to read it. Not because of the topic (though that was sit-up-and-take-notice material too), but because it was so good, so well-done, so thorough and completely wonderful to read.<\/p>\n

I was gripped by that story and even more by the clear characterization and vivid scenery. It could be used as an example for beginning authors of how flashbacks and memories can be used to move your story forward (as opposed to just being more muddle and fuddle).<\/p>\n

Back to her current release,\u00a0Do No Harm<\/em>. The topic: the legal battleground that the emergency room can (and has?) become. The situation: a British doctor saves a patient\u2019s life and is faced with criminal charges. The conclusion: oh, wait, I can\u2019t tell you that!<\/p>\n

The characters are flawless, the writing is beautiful (though not pandering or flowery).\u00a0There are twists and turns, and I can say with no duplicity that I was shocked at the end. This book is top of its class. It\u2019s not only fun and compelling to read, it\u2019s a brain-turner that makes you think and consider.<\/p>\n

Writing a book like this is no small feat. It\u2019s one worth reading and pondering.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I\u2019m a biiiiig fan of novels. In fact, I\u2019ve been known to reward myself with fiction after I\u2019ve read some certain number of nonfiction books. I used to think that made me something of a slacker. I mean, surely the great theologians don\u2019t read fluffy stories before bed. Of course the scholars are always immersed […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1133,"featured_media":1918,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[112],"class_list":["post-2590","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-review","tag-fiction"],"yoast_head":"\nGreat Summer Reads: Do No Harm<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"I\u2019m a biiiiig fan of novels. In fact, I\u2019ve been known to reward myself with fiction after I\u2019ve read some certain number of nonfiction books. 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