I recently received The Loser Letters-A Comic Tale of Life, Death and Atheism by Mary Eberstadt from The Catholic Company to review.  I wasn’t sure if I’d like it or not, especially after reading the first few pages and seeing God referred to as “Loser”.  Plus all the slang, pop culture references, etc where a little annoying.  But, once I adjusted to the language it was a fun and thought provoking read.  I would call it a modern retelling of the C.S. Lewis classic The Screwtape Letters.   The basic premise is a newly converted atheist is sending letters to her atheist heroes in an attempt to help them improve the way they go about presenting their views.  The main character, A.F. (a former) Christian is showing them all the ways they “mess up” in converting others to atheism and because she has been on both sides of the fence she figures she’s the one to guide them.   She actually makes a lot of very good points, in a very witty fashion.  The topics covered range from the sexual revolution to abortion to why people have believed in some form of deity though nearly all of human history, to why religious art is nearly always better than secular art, etc. And I liked that it was about belief in God, not necessarily belief in any one particular religion.  This book can be for anyone of faith–Jew, Muslim or Christian.

I think this would be a good read for a teen getting ready to go to college.   Overall, I enjoyed the book and would definitely recommend it to anyone who has a teen planning to go to a secular college.

I recently received Small Steps for Catholic Moms from The Catholic Company.   This book has been such a blessing.  I’d been wanting a copy ever since I saw Elizabeth Foss mention it on her blog months and months ago.  So when I got the chance to review it, I jumped on it!  I have always had the hardest time finding a time to pray and just begin my day with Jesus.  It’s been a struggle for years, but this book has been exactly what I needed.  This is a calendar of prayer in book form.  Each day is a quote from a saint, a prayer and some kind of action.  The months are divided by themes (June is gentleness) and each quote, prayer and action revolve around the monthly theme.  It has been just what I needed to spark my prayer life.  I find that if I read my page first thing in the morning, and then again in the afternoon (sort of a refresher) I can really focus and continuously pray over it throughout the day.  It helps me keep my focus on God, instead of letting all the little things throughout my day distract me from Him.

I received Unlikely Spiritual Heroes from The Catholic Company to review.  I really enjoy reading biographies and books about inspiring people.  This was definitely in that category.  Brennan R. Hill gives us 8 short biographies ranging from laypeople to John Paul II.   The biographies are pretty complete in themselves, but they give just enough info that you want to search out more information.   I like that many of the people were missionaries.  I’ve had a hard time in the past finding books about Catholic missionaries to share with my children.  This book wasn’t written for children, and some of the stories (Jean Donovan immediately comes to mind) are definitely not for children.  But, it’s nice to know enough about them that I can retell the jist of the story to my children.  It would make good reading for a high schooler though.

From the back of the book:

“No one is born a hero”

Jean Donovan – a Harley-riding businesswoman, turns missionary and martyr.

Helen Prejean – a religious sister, befriends and advocates for murders on death row.

Dorothy Stang – a religious sister and schoolteacher, champions the environment and loses her life doing so.

Pedro Arrupe – a medical school dropout and priest, survives a nuclear holocaust and becomes a great Jesuit leader.

Thomas Merton – a party-going ladies’ man, becomes a Trappist monk and peace activist.

Maximilian Kolbe – a sickly, eccentric Franciscan, turns publisher and dies in Auschwitz, trading his life for a Jewish prisoner.

Joseph Bernardin – a bookish, shy son of Italian immigrants, becomes one of the most outspoken prelates of our time.

John Paul II – a young Polish poet and actor whose election to pope changes history.

I had many big plans for Lent this year, but I found that a couple weeks in, I started  to feel burnt out.  I tend to overwhelm myself with ideas and information, and, as always, I overdid it.  I ended up doing nothing at all, and feeling very guilty.  And then I received Consoling the Heart of Jesus by Michael E Gaitley, MIC for review from The Catholic Company. I was so blessed by this book.    It’s meant to be a do-it-yourself retreat that can be done in a weekend.   I, and I’m sure most people, don’t have a whole weekend to be alone and read a whole book straight through uninterrupted.  However, this is the sort of retreat you can do in whatever little snippets of time you can find.  And it is EXACTLY what I needed this Lent.

This book helped to understand many things that just hadn’t really occurred to me before.  The first half of the book is the actual retreat–which is really a retreat about mercy.  It uses excerpts from the works of St. Therese and St. Faustina to explain how we can console the heart of Jesus.  Now there’s a concept I’d never considered–that Jesus is continually suffering and needs to be consoled.  Michael E. Gaitley explains this beautifully, and in ways that anyone can understand.  You do not need a degree in Theology to understand this book.   Even a tired, frazzled mom can get so much out of it.  I especially loved the meditations–I’m a very visual person, and being able to “see” Christ as I was praying really helped me to focus.

The second half of the book are appendices containing Rules for the Discernment of Spirits (for little souls), excerpts from the Diary of St. Faustina, and references and notes.  It’s not essential to the retreat to read this half of the book–it’s more for afterwards, to help you continue–sort of like you’re Fourth Day, (for those familiar with Cursillo.)  This book could really be you’re entire Lenten sacrifice.  In fact, I think I’ll be rereading it next Lent.

I recently received a copy of To Be Like Jesus – Inspiration from the Gospel of Luke to review from The Catholic Company. This book is a gem.  Sister Ann Shields gives us 31 passages from Gospel of Luke followed by a reflection on the scripture.  She also includes an additional scripture at the end of each chapter for further reflection.  The book is set up to be read once a week in preparation for Sunday Mass, as the Gospel of Luke is read during Ordinary Time Cycle C.  However, I think this book makes a great devotional for any time of the year.  The reflections are really practical and thought provoking.  Even a passage that I’ve heard a million times, Sister Ann puts a new spin on it and helps me see something new.  I think this makes great pre-lent reading–it really helps me to set my focus on being more Christ-like.

Review from Nov. 22, 2009
I recently received a copy of Awakening by Claudia Cangilla McAdam to review from The Catholic Company.   This was such a great little book!  I’m always looking for new books for my bookworm daughter, and I suspect she’s going to love this little gem.  

The basic synopsis is that Ronni has a big fight with her mother about going to spend Easter Triduum on a ski trip with her friend.  She suddenly becomes ill, falls asleep and wakes up in 33AD 2 days before Jesus is crucified.  She thinks she’s sent back to stop the crucifixion for happening and makes several attempts to stop it.   I would go on, but I don’t want to spoil too much–obviously we know how the story ends, but I think the way Ronni is entwined with all the “characters” from the bible–Joseph of Arimathea, Mary Magdalen, Veronica….it was very well done.   I especially appreciate that everything Jesus says in the story is straight out of the bible.  

I thought this was a very well written, moving story.  The only qualm I had was the romance aspect between the main character and Mark.  I could have done without that and felt at times that it took away from the main storyline.  I think this would make excellent Lenten reading children ages 10+.   In fact, I’m definitely giving this to Sarah to read during Lent.  I think she’s going to really like it.

Review from Nov. 3, 2009

I recently received The Shadow of the Bear: A Fairy Tale Retold by Regina Doman to review.  I was excited to read it, because I adore her picture book Angel in the Waters and love retellings of fairy tales.  I was not disappointed.  This is a retelling of Snow White and Rose Red.  I have to admit, I’ve never read the original Grimm’s fairy tale.  I must seek it out now so I can compare.  

The inside cover of the book says:
Once upon a time in New York City…

Review from Sept. 24, 2009

I, like many Catholic homeschool mothers, like to have lots of books about saints around the house for my children to browse.  I hope that they will find some heroes of the faith to admire and emulate.  So when I received Christians Courageous by Aloysius Roche, I hoped to be adding another gem to the collection.  This is a wonderful little book about Catholic martyrs.  I tend to think of martyrs as only being in the early church, but this book covers from Rome up to the late 1800s.   There are 14 stories in all, and their from all over the world.   When I asked dd what she thought of the book, her words were, “I’m sure the stories are great, but the words are a little too big.” I agree–the stories are great, but I’m going to put this away for a few years, because it is a difficult read.   I think this would make a fantastic companion to a high school world history course.

This review was written as part of The Catholic Company product reviewer program.  Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Christians Courageous.

Review from July 26, 2009

I just finished reading The Story of the Church Revised and Expanded by Alfred McBride, and I have to say, it’s a fantastic book!  It’s divided into 4 sections–Early Church, The Middle Ages, The Reformation, and The Modern Church.  He uses little plays, prose and fictional diaries to keep it interesting.  There are also discussion questions at the end of each chapter, making it ideal for group studies.  And actually, as I read, I kept thinking to myself how well this text would work as part of a homeschool curriculum.  I’m thinking of using it when my oldest gets to around 9th grade, as a spine to teach Church history.

I think what I love most about this book, is that he makes a subject that could easily becoming dry and boring, come to life.  I love history, but worried that this book would overwhelm me.  I was pleasantly surprised that it was so readable.  I highly recommend this to anyone who might want to learn more about Church history.

This review was written as part of The Catholic Company product reviewer program.  Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on The Story of the Church, Revised Edition.

Review from May 18, 2009

A few months ago I received this book from The Catholic Company to review.  I’m sorry to say it took me that long to read it, but with the new baby, things have been hectic.  I was glad to finally get a chance to read it.

I found this to be a really nice quick read–perfect for a mom with a brand new baby at home.    Giacomo Biffi gives us a profile of Jesus–who he was as a man, as well as who he is as God.   

It says in the introduction: 

The intent of this inquiry is to draw people closer to Jesus of Nazareth.  Like those who were with him during his life on earth, we shall first focus on his human side by revealing his personality and character….

We have no photographs, portraits, voice recordings of Christ, or manuscripts written by him.  We do have eloquently phrased and specific information: his words, the testimony of those who were with him and the historical dates surrounding him.

These precious resources have been gathered, organized, compared and contrasted.  The image of Jesus created from them is accurate and truthful.

I highly recommend this book.   I love that it was a quick easy read, and that it paints such a thorough picture of Christ.  I could see this being a great book to give to a new Christian, or even one just beginning their journey.

This review was written as part of The Catholic Company product reviewer program.  Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on The Man Christ Jesus.