Carolyn Astfalk's Blog, page 22
May 10, 2019
First Line Fridays – The Noble Guardian
The Noble Guardian
by Michelle Griep
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Was it wicked to say goodbye with a smile?
I love introductory sentences packed with meaning! Nine words, but here’s what they convey:
Someone is happy to be leaving. So happy, in fact, that it brings a smile to her face. (I read ahead so, yes, it’s a woman.) And despite the boldness of her smiling – or contemplating smiling – she feels some compunction about its propriety. Either for its own sake or for the sake of those she’ll happily be rid of.
What’s the first line of the book you’re reading? Or the book nearest to you?
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First Line Friday – The Noble Guardian
The Noble Guardian
by Michelle Griep
[image error]
Was it wicked to say goodbye with a smile?
I love introductory sentences packed with meaning! Nine words, but here’s what they convey:
Someone is happy to be leaving. So happy, in fact, that it brings a smile to her face. (I read ahead so, yes, it’s a woman.) And despite the boldness of her smiling – or contemplating smiling – she feels some compunction about its propriety. Either for its own sake or for the sake of those she’ll happily be rid of.
What’s the first line of the book you’re reading? Or the book nearest to you?
THANKS FOR STOPPING BY! STAY A WHILE AND LOOK AROUND. LEAVE A COMMENT. SHARE WITH A FRIEND. IF YOU LIKE WHAT YOU SEE, PLEASE SIGN UP FOR MY AUTHOR NEWSLETTER TO KEEP UP-TO-DATE ON NEW RELEASES, EXTRAS, AND HOT DEALS!
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May 1, 2019
An Open Book
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In his travels, my husband has been listening to Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill. He reports that the author may have outdone his father, Stephen King, in creepiness. After all the content warnings my husband listed (graphic language, occult themes, sexual situations, and more), I’m fairly certain this book is not for me. As my husband said, “It’s [an exercise in] everything not to do.”
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Ancient Brews: Rediscovered and Re-created by Patrick E. McGovern and Sam Calagione weaves archaeology and science to uncover the world’s oldest beverages and the cultures that created them. The book is listed among Smithsonian magazine’s Ten Best Books of the Year about Food and includes re-created recipes for the intrepid home brewer. I have nowhere near the interest in beer that my husband has, but the history surrounding these brews is fascinating.
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I’ve been listening to The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers by Maxwell King. Having grown up watching Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, I had an immediate interest in Fred Rogers’ story. This biography seems well-balanced, neither elevating Rogers to sainthood status nor trashing the memory of a well-loved national figure. And while Mister Rogers’ personal story is interesting, I’m equally enthralled by the history told alongside the biography, namely western Pennsylvania history and the genesis of public television and children’s broadcasting. As a Pittsburgh native who studied broadcast journalism, there is so much here to interest me. The narration by LeVar Burton is well done.
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The Waves, Amy Matayo’s brand-new, clean, contemporary romance, was such fun! What could’ve been a stranded-on-a-desert-island cliché is a thoughtful story about a couple whose very human desires to be known and loved are laid bare by the worst of circumstances. A beautiful setting, a selfless and simmering romance, and the author’s skill at creating true-to-life characters made this a highly enjoyable escape!
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My Queen, My Mother: A Living Novena by Marge Fenelon is a sort of travel guide, reflective journal, history book, and prayer companion rolled into one! The author’s trek across nine novena-worthy Marian pilgrimage sites enlightened me to Church and national history. The uniquely American flair of the sites and stories and the ways in which the author connected those to prayer for the United States is fresh and inspiring.
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My sophomore son’s class has been reading William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, which I’ve read multiple times. I love that his classes place literature in context amidst their discussion of the Renaissance while also discussing Shakespeare and anti-Semitism through the play’s treatment of Shylock. My son has really enjoyed the play, citing great poetry, good characterization, and the friendship and romance overcoming Shylock’s hatred.
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I haven’t seen a book outside of a classroom selection in my fifth-grade daughter’s hands lately, so I’ve given her Mission Libertad by Lizette M. Lantigua to read. I read this story of a Cuban family’s immigration to the United States in the 1970s earlier this year. Aside from the political and pop culture history that I enjoyed, there is a mystery and a faith element that make this an intriguing story for young readers.
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My first grader is getting a thorough introduction to the Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborne. She is reading The Knight at Dawn, in which siblings Jack and Annie visit the Middle Ages in the midst of a castle feast.
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I’ve fallen in love with Our Sunday Visitor’s Saintly Rhymes for Modern Times by Meghan Bausch, and am so happy to read it aloud to our children. These simple, easy-on-the-ears stanzas about modern saints (Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, St. Damien of Molokai, St. Josephine Bakhita, Venerable Fulton Sheen and many more) are such fun to read. And yet they capture the essence of each saint’s life and charisms. The matching illustrations are beautifully done and convey as much as the written words, making this a true treasure that has a place in every Catholic child’s library!
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My youngest son’s kindergarten class loves Pete the Cat, and this week we’re reading Pete the Cat and the Cool Cat Boogie by James Dean and Kimberly Dean. With bright illustrations, a rhyming refrain, and an opportunity to get up and move, I can see why this would be a classroom favorite.
What are you reading? Share it at An Open Book and find new book recommendations too! #openbook
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April 21, 2019
Bonnets, Baskets, & Bunnies: An Easter 2019 Link-Up
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He is Risen! Alleluia!
In past years, I’ve shared some Easter favorites – from candy and hymns to books and breads. There were family photos and stories of sick kids missing out on egg hunts. This year, I have something a little different. Something short and sweet. A little flash fiction featuring a new character who will be the protagonist in a forthcoming Christmas short story and eventually (God willing!) a novel. Meet Marigold.
I pressed my body as far back into the seat as humanly possible as a half-melted, decapitated chocolate rabbit and two rock-solid Peeps changed hands across my lap. If I survived the return trip from Easter Mass in the way-back of our mini-van without globs of pink sugar and splotches of poop-brown on my pale yellow dress, it would be an Easter miracle.
Crammed between my little brother and sister, Peter and Lily, I shifted in my seat, trying to find some leg room. Spacious, the back row was not – at least not for a fourteen-year-old.
Under normal circumstances, I sat in the middle row, which offered both leg room and a USB port. It didn’t protect me from assaults by the members of the peanut gallery behind me (who sometimes literally lobbed peanuts at me), but it in terms of comfort, it far exceeded the present situation.
Today, however, Grandma had accompanied us to Easter Mass, and she rightfully took my seat. At her age, with stiff joints and all, we’d never have gotten her out of the way back. Not to mention she’d probably emerge with a mild case of PTSD, courtesy of Peter and Lily.
Beside Grandma, in her car seat, Clementine snoozed peacefully, having cried herself out during Mass. Nothing seemed to please her, an ordinarily easy-going baby. Mom held her, rocked her, and nursed her. Dad bounced her. I even tried all my best tricks – making silly faces, tweaking her little toes, and cooing happily. Nothing worked.
Bad enough we’d been relegated to standing room only in the choir loft (thanks, Christmas- and Easter-only Catholics), but we were that family with a bunch of kids, including a screaming baby.
Grandma didn’t hear so well, even with her hearing aides, which thanks to Clementine, had probably been an advantage. Now, she sat quietly, staring out the window at the passing trees.
Pale green, tiny leaves graced the tips of lean branches, and here and there a blooming redbud tree stood out, its purplish-pink blossoms a stark contrast to the pale and dull colors still blanketing most hillsides.
On her lap, she clutched a small wooden cross with white Easter flowers attached – lilies and other flowers I couldn’t identify.
The van made a sharp turn, forcing me against Lily. Better the Peeps than the chocolate. Less chance of stains.
The van bumped and bounced as we pulled into a narrow gravel driveway and climbed a small slope. Beside me, the little kids made exaggerated noises and complaints as the vehicle rocked from side to side.
Finally, we reached the crest, and Dad parked the van.
Bonnets, Basket, & Bunnies: An Easter Linkup with flash fiction for Easter!
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“Marigold,” Mom called, craning her neck to see me. “Would you help Grandma out?”
I unbuckled and wriggled out of my seat, then supported Grandma’s arm as she stepped out of the van and toward my mom. Peering up into the brilliant sunlight, I hopped out of the van and ambled across the grass with Mom and Grandma. Warm sun seeped through my cotton dress.
Grandma shuffled to a stop in front of a new marble headstone with Grandpap’s name engraved across the top. She stooped, Mom holding her steady, and leaned the cross against the stone.
We stood in silence a few seconds until Grandma’s muffled sobs sent a knife through my heart.
I squeezed Grandma’s hand, and Mom rubbed circles on her back until she regained her composure. Then we said a few prayers aloud – an Our Father, a Hail Mary, and a Glory Be for the repose of Grandpap’s soul.
When Grandma turned to head back to the van, I expected to see tear-streaked cheeks and puffy eyes. A look of utter grief and despondency. Instead, she smiled at me, her eyes watery but filled with joy.
“Ah, Grandpap’s the lucky one,” she said. “His first Easter in heaven.”
My heart swelled and tears filled my eyes. I’d been so pre-occupied with myself this morning – being displaced from “our” pew, the cranky baby, being smushed between my siblings and their sugar rush – that I’d given little thought to the meaning of Easter.
I knew, of course, about Easter. In great detail, in fact. But I hadn’t taken to heart what the Resurrection meant on a personal level.
The hopeful look on my grieving Grandma’s face taught me more about the hope of the Resurrection than any lesson ever could.
It meant joy in the face of grief. Hope in the midst of suffering. Life conquering death. And love as the source of all good things.
Mom hummed an Easter hymn, then sung aloud when she reached the chorus: “Resurrexit sicut dixit . . . “
I didn’t know Latin, but I knew that hymn. Grandma, in her warbly soprano, and I, louder than called for at a cemetery, chimed in:
“Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleuia!”
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April 18, 2019
Uplanned, The Passion, & Hidden Blind Spots
Like many who watched the recent Abby Johnson bio-pic Unplanned (based on Unplanned: The Dramatic True Story of a Former Planned Parenthood Leader’s Eye-Opening Journey across the Life Line), I was startled by the utter contradiction of a joy-filled baby shower being held in the same site where dozens of babies lives were lost that very day, dismembered and discarded as biological waste. Not only did Abby and her friends and co-workers fail to recognize the humanity of every child in the womb, but they condemned each to death according to the mother’s wishes.
At the same time, in the midst of a Lenten Bible study (No Greater Love: A Biblical Walk through Christ’s Passion by Edward Sri), I struggled to comprehend the failure of the Jewish people (especially the Sandhedrin) to recognize the Messiah they’d long awaited standing before them. Not only did they not recognize Him, but they condemned Him to death.
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I’ve long had difficulty reconciling disingenuous behavior and the gaping discrepancies between who one purports to be and who one is. I guess it’s the gap between values and virtues.
What rattles me most is the lingering fear that I have such a blind spot. That the hypocrisy plain to those around me is hidden behind a veil created by my own sinfulness.
Where am I blinded to the Truth? Open my eyes, Lord. #HolyWeek
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Have my sins dulled my heart so much that I, too, fail to recognize the truth? Isn’t that what the devil, the father of lies, does? He cloaks putrefaction in a seductive package, and, in our weakness, we are fooled.
In Black Bottle Man by Craig Russell, the devil personified roams the countrysides unrecognized, selling his tempting wares to those desperate to fulfill their own desires and become gods of their own making.
But there is one God, one Truth.
God help me when I fail to recognize Him in those whose lives cross my path.
God help me when I rationalize the miracles He works in my life.
God help me when my desperation for control, power, or pleasure blind me to Him.
God, rent the veil, lift the sin-created blinders from my eyes that I may recognize You.
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April 15, 2019
Inspiring Adventures with An Edge: An Interview with Author Glenn Haggerty
Your author tagline is “Inspiring Adventures with an Edge.” Elaborate on what that means pertaining to your novels for teens.
I aim to write adventures that will grab the interest of young readers and provide hours of exciting entertainment. Life is edgy, so keeping the story is real as possible without crossing the line is the key to entertainment. Entertainment first, then it isn’t difficult to write from the perspective of hope. I want to give kids hope that they, too, can conquer this difficult period of life and walk away from this story feeling good about life and themselves.
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Your Intense series is clean and age-appropriate without being saccharine or shying away from real issues teens face, such as divorce, drugs, and bullying. How do you strike the balance of being relevant while still writing an entertaining, edifying story?
Talking with tweens and teens, or their teachers and youth leaders, reveals that kids today are facing these issues whether we acknowledge it or not. By delving into these things as a writer, effective plots seemed to flow naturally. I also believe that you can find humor and irony in most situations, so I look for those opportunities as the plot is developed.
Escape (Intense Book 1) Run (Intense Book 2) Chase (Intense Book 3)Intense Series Companion Bible Study for Run : Finding Friends & Handling Bullies
What are the keys to writing a relatable hero, the kind with enough foibles to keep him human but who manages to to defeat the bad guys in the end?
Embody the contradictions of young students (especially boys) in the hero’s character. Boys want to be included, and yet they want their space. They want to be the hero, but struggle with fear and insecurity. They want independence and yet crave real family relationships. They want to do things their way, yet for those who exercise faith, they can experience God doing extraordinary things through them.
What role does good fiction play in a vibrant faith life?
I believe that a Christian worldview most easily and fully reflects reality. Therefore, if fiction accurately reflects life, then nearly everything about life can point to faith. From God speaking the universe into being, to His wanting a close and dynamic relationship with each one of us, to Him providing a way for human redemption and forgiveness, all of these things can be found or applied to stories. So entertaining faith-based fiction is not only exciting and real, but can stimulate faith and draw us closer to God.
TobyMAc – “Everything”
“I see you in everything, all day
And every beat of my heart keeps reminding me”
Being an author wasn’t your first career. How did you come to writing fiction?
I’ve always loved reading and would often find myself daydreaming about a book and then taking it on a tangent. But I never considered writing; I didn’t think I was good enough. And between family, my business and ministry, I didn’t have the time—writing was out of the question. But glaucoma changed all of that. Suddenly I had lots of time but had to figure out—really find grace to navigate a new situation. I began telling stories to my children . . .
Read Escape for FREE on Kindle!
What project(s) are you working on now?
My next book in the Intense Series is tentatively titled, Hide, (but I’m also considering Nowhere to Hide, and Open Water). This adventure is set in Boca Raton, Florida, where Tyler is vacationing with his cousins. They are caught up in a mysterious disappearance that has to do with modern day pirates, a couple of nosy oceanographers and treasure buried in plain sight. I’ve researched the Spanish Gold Fleet of 1715 that was destroyed by a hurricane leaving the wrecks of fourteen ships scattered from the Florida Keys to the Sebastian Inlet on Florida’s east coast. Two of the ships are unaccounted for . . .
I want to give kids hope that they, too, can conquer this difficult period of life and walk away from this story feeling good about life and themselves.
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Glenn writes inspiring adventures with an edge. No matter how dark the day, finding hope to pursue the prize is the core of all his novels and studies. An award-winning author, he is a graduate of Vision Loss Resources and Bethel Seminary. His short stories have been published in Splickety, Havok, Cadet Quest and Partners magazines. Father of six and grandfather of seven, Glenn enjoys tandem biking, kayaking, and daydreaming. He lives in Minneapolis with his wife.
Links:
Website: http://wwwglennhaggerty.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GlennHaggertyAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/grhaggertyjr
Amazon Author Page: https://www.Amazon.com/Glenn-Haggerty/e/B015RN2C28
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/15943355-glenn-haggerty
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April 8, 2019
What’s a Piggy Bank Worth?
When my oldest son was about five, we launched our allowance system that incorporated four piggy banks. Taking a cue from Dave Ramsey, we set up piggies for long-term savings, short-term savings, spending money, and charity.
That system served us well for eleven years. My youngest son just joined the allowance crowd (as his older brother is about to turn sixteen and, God-willing, find a “real” job), and it was time to overhaul the system.
For my children’s spending habits, short-term savings and spending money overlap, so we’ve consolidated things into a three-bank per child system, at least until the oldest needs his own checking account.
Our collection of piggy banks is a motley crew of plastic and ceramic swine. We’ve got a heavy-duty stream train engine, Star Wars characters, giant Crayon-like metal canisters, fragile gift banks, hand-me-downs, credit union plastic pigs, and homemade banks.
I never considered buying banks. For the most part, we’ve just accumulated them over the years. We’ve filled the gaps with banks made from baking powder, flavored milk powder, and oatmeal canisters.
As we culled the pig collection, I eliminated a few homemade banks that had outlived their usefulness and were not needed in our streamlined system. Into the trash went the store-brand rolled oats container covered in yellow paper and decorated with my pathetic stick figure rendering of a pig.
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The owner of the “classic” bank wasn’t on hand, but his sister protested that it was a “childhood treasure” that shouldn’t be thrown away.
Not the sentimental sort myself, I left it in the trash.
Later, the owner of said “childhood treasure” heartily agreed with his sister and retrieved the pathetic piggy bank from the trash. “I remember making that with you,” he said.
I don’t. Not really. I know we did it together, as I’ve done hundreds of seemingly meaningless little tasks with my kids over the years. Only on their end, they apparently aren’t meaningless.
These throwaway “crafts,” if you can even dignify them with that moniker, were investments. Not of the piddly coins dropped in them but of treasured moments spent between a mother and child.
Like thousands of other mundane tasks from diapering to playing make-believe, neither of us may recall the details. But we recall the love.
To all the parents of little ones endlessly feeding those piggies by listening to terrible knock-knock jokes, enduring potty training, singing lullabies until you’re hoarse, or molding snakes out of Play-Doh, your time is not wasted. It’s a deposit, an investment in perhaps the most important job you’ll ever be tasked with. Almost sixteen years out from the birth of my first baby, I’ll bet it’s an investment neither one of you will regret.
It's a deposit, an investment in perhaps the most important job you've ever been tasked with.
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April 3, 2019
An Open Book
Welcome to the April 2019 edition of An Open Book, hosted both at My Scribbler’s Heart AND CatholicMom.com!
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With his new job, my husband is spending more time traveling and therefore enjoying more audiobooks. He’s been listening to some Stephen King novels he last read in the 1980s, which have helped him complete our library’s winter reading program. And, self-serving as it may sound, he’s been listening to a couple of my audiobooks, including Rightfully Ours. (I know when he’s listening because he sends me messages about this or that familiar-sounding event or some detail that doesn’t jive.) Rightfully Ours by Carolyn Astfalk (me!) is a coming of age story about two teens in Williamsport, Pennsylvania who are drawn together by grief and circumstances. Together, they embark on a treasure hunt for lost Civil War gold, falling in love in the process.
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I’ve been listening to Hurt Road by Bruce A. Stewart, a (mostly) easygoing story set in Lousiana in the 1960s and ‘70s. An orphaned teen moves from Detroit to the South to live with his grandparents, whom he hardly knows. The family farm on Hurt Road proves to be the place where Hank matures and falls in love. Likeable characters, light romance, and some suspense. I recommend this professionally-narrated novel.
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No Greater Love: A Biblical Walk through Christ’s Passion by Edward Sri is the paperback companion to the Ascension Press Bible Study I’m participating in this spring. While it complements the workbook and video series well, it can be read as a standalone. Although filled with biblical typology, it’s not a series of dry and dull references. The insights have opened my heart to Christ’s passion in a new and deeper way.
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My teenager picked up Darth Plagueis: Star Wars Legends by James Luceno on a recent library visit. I later breezed past the book lying on the dining room table and said, “Ooh, Death Plagues,” for which I was laughed at. Master of Careful Reading, that’s me. I was then schooled in the whole master/apprentice system by which the Sith endure. (For those not in the know, Darth Plagueis was Darth Sidius/Emperor Palpatine’s master.)
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In my daughter’s fifth grade class, they are reading Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan, which is the recipient of many awards. A privileged Mexican girl’s family experiences a reversal of fortune, forcing young Esperanza to work on a California farm during the Great Depression. Her mother’s illness and a labor strike further complicate matters for Esperanza.
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While my oldest was choosing his Star Wars book, my first grader grabbed a couple of joke books and Cat Poems by Dave Crawley. We picked up the book on a whim, and I’m so glad we did! The poems are clever and sweet, and the illustrations are delightful and include a guide to various domestic cat breeds featured in the book.
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My kindergartener is now privileged to bring home books from the school library. You and Me, Little Bear by MartinWaddell tugged on my heartstrings. In it, Big Bear (the Daddy) is too busy to play with Little Bear. Little Bear tags along with Big Bear while he completes his chores, then busies himself while Big Bear dozes before finally getting to play with his dad. But play they finally do. A sweet picture book that most parents and children will enjoy.
What are you reading? Share it at An Open Book and find new book recommendations too! #openbook
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March 26, 2019
My Top 10 Favorite Podcasts
Linking up with That Artsy Reader Girl for Top 10 Tuesday . . .
I’ve come late to podcasts. Very late. Until recently, I’ve had very little quiet, uninterrupted time in my life. Even now, if I try to listen to audio when my family is around, I end up frustrated by near-constant interruptions. So, I save listening to audiobooks and podcasts for when everyone is asleep or out of the house.
We also had an issue with a shared Apple ID, which essentially meant my husband and I sharing a podcast app. That was problematic, so I deleted the app from my phone and didn’t look back.
Now, however, we have separate Apple IDs, and a world of podcasts has opened up to me. I’ve been sampling some, listening here and there, and I’ve found one I absolutely love (the top spot below) and many others worth a second or third listen.
I’ve always called radio my “first love,” so it’s fun to venture into these audio adventures. Maybe I’ll even get more housecleaning done with them playing in the background!
Here’s what I discovered I don’t like: near-constant laughter, rambling conversations with no discernible direction, and co-hosts talking over one another. Those elements are either not present or kept to a minimum in the podcasts I’ve named below.
These podcasts stick to some of my main areas of interest: Catholicism, motherhood/women’s issues, writing and literature.
My Top 10 favorite podcasts! @CMAstfalk
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Fun, slightly irreverent but thoroughly orthodox with irresistible topics. Like hanging out with a bunch of friends.
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On brand and professionally done, yet informal enough to put the listener at ease. Great support to Catholic moms in their vocation.
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Danielle Bean is easy to listen to. Her friendly but professional demeanor creates a great opportunity for fellowship among Catholic women.
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Christopher and Wendy West answer questions about the Theology of the Body from listeners. I like the husband/wife dynamic that keeps the responses practical rather than lofty.
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Cameron Fradd is authentic, engaging, and respectful in this informal format focused on women. While it runs a bit long, the conversation stays on track.
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The Storytellers with Tony Agnesi
Tony Agnesi has a great radio voice and a down-to-earth manner that makes his interviews a pleasure to listen to.
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The tagline, Stories of the American Catholic Experience, sums it up well. History, literature, and more.
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Hosted by Anne Bogel (Modern Mrs. Darcy), it’s exactly what it purports to be. Book talk to help you decide what you’d like to read next.
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Straight interviews with lots of solid information aimed at Catholic women. “Femininity in the modern age.”
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Ancient mythology brought to life by narration and audio play sequences, episode by episode.
Name your favorite podcasts in the comments, and I’ll check them out!
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March 18, 2019
Relevant Fiction Reviews: Anxiety & Depression
Anxiety, depression, and panic disorder are featured in these recommended books. They are, in my opinion, well-depicted with realism and authenticity. Often, mental illness is isolating, and these books remind those who suffer from these disorders that they are not alone. They also help those who haven’t experienced these disorders to understand what it might be like to live with them.
For reasons unknown (or not recalled), I didn’t review two other books I’ve read and would recommend that include this topic: Undeniably Yours by Becky Wade and Song of Silence by Cynthia Ruchti.
Fiction featuring characters struggling with anxiety or depression. Relevant Fiction Reviews @CMAstfalk
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A Single Bead by Stephanie Engelman
You might think a book about rosary beads would be a little dull. Maybe a little dry, dusty, and dated. You’d be wrong.
A Single Bead by Stephanie Engelman is real, relevant, and, in spots, riveting. It doesn’t gloss over the suffering from which none of us escape. Kate, whose immediate family is marginally Catholic, at best, is grieving the loss of her grandmother. More troubling, however, is her mother’s inability to cope as she sinks into a pit of depression.
A single bead provides hope to Kate, and as the story progresses, to all of her family. Through a single bead, the discovery of subsequent beads, and the experiences of those who possess them, hope and faith bloom. In the end, A Single Bead is a beautiful testament to the power of a prayer and a touching portrait of the love that accompanies each prayer.
For those new to the Rosary or skeptical of Catholic practices, you’ll get a thorough (not preachy) explanation. Any notions of superstition or “magic” associated with the prayers or objects is handily dispelled.
Despite the fact that the point of view character is a sixteen-year-old girl, I think boys would enjoy the story as well. It’s honest and human – not girly in any way. Appropriate for teens of all ages. (And enjoyable for adults, too, because we all need a reminder of the power of prayer.)
Bleeder: A Mystery by John J. Desjarlais
Excellent! Well-paced mystery, superbly drawn main character (Reed Stubblefield), and though I had an inkling as to who the murderer was, the possibilities proffered kept me doubting and guessing clear to the end.
So much is done right here – the writing for sure, but the faith elements, the pacing, the voice, and the themes woven throughout, from the wisdom of Aristotle to death, to faith, and supernatural reality.
Highly recommended!
‘Tis the Season by Olivia Folmar Ard
Olivia Folmar Ard is building a reputation for relevant, contemporary women’s fiction with soul. ‘Tis the Season, while short enough and, on the surface, light enough for a Christmas read, is a character-driven story. It is THE story most of us need to read at the holidays. It’s a reminder to be more transparent and less concerned with appearance, more merciful and less retaliatory, and more generous than envious.
At one time or another, we all think we’ve got the market cornered on suffering and deprivation – maybe now more than ever thanks to social media. ‘Tis the Season is your antidote – or maybe you’re prophylactic – meant to be read before you head over the river and through the woods to a houseful of passive-aggressive or narcissistic family members. (Fill in your own family dysfunction.)
However or whenever it’s read, it’ll leave you with a spirit of generosity, perfect for strengthening strained relationships and receiving the joy of the season into your heart.
A Season to Love by Nicole Deese
All the technical (but important) writing craft stuff aside, there’s an intangible character about certain books that make them memorable. A Season to Love‘s got it.
This quick, easy read had me propping up my Kindle so I could read while I handled laundry and cooked dinner. At its climax, empathy for Willa left me with a bittersweet ache in my chest. I also found my non-sentimental self doing things I don’t ordinarily do – highlighting passages, rooting for characters, and pushing back tears.
Willa and Patrick’s relationship never feels rushed or forced, developing naturally out of their friendship. The sibling relationship between Willa and Weston is just as authentic and moving.
Nicole Deese shares not only a sweet and tender love story, but beautiful lessons about fear, anxiety, courage, and control that merits reading and re-reading. I can’t wait to revisit Lenox!
Castles in the Clouds by Myra Johnson
I thoroughly enjoyed this second book in the Flowers of Eden series set in drought-ridden Arkansas during the Great Depression. A sweet romance blooms between a reticent young woman studying to be a teacher and a nearly blind missionary who has returned to the United States from Kenya.
I also enjoyed glimpses of characters from the first book in the series, whose story is still unfolding. Fans of Christian historical fiction will enjoy Castles in the Clouds.
The King’s Prey: Saint Dymphna of Ireland by Susan Peek
Martyrdom is brutal and doesn’t necessarily lends itself to a lighthearted treatment. Then again, this is the Church that made St. Lawrence, roasted to death over a slow fire, the patron saint of cooks.
Susan Peek, wisely I think, intertwines St. Dymphna’s difficult story with that of two Irish orphan brothers, Turlough and Brioc. Both will come to her defense, seeking to save her from her insane widowed father’s attempt to force her into marriage to him.
While Dymphna’s father, the king, is largely an unsympathetic character, for obvious reasons, Brioc’s character allows the reader to delve into the mind of someone struggling with mental illness – not a murderous, villainous person, but a good and kindhearted person who has suffered numerous losses and traumas.
Interspersed with mortal peril, swashbuckling, and glimpses of mental illness are lighter moments, many of which come via the overgrown wolfhound, Sam, loved by Brioc and, begrudgingly, Turlough. The novel also delves into the fractured relationship between Brioc and Turlough, the seemingly insurmountable distance between Brioc and his pregnant wife Lynnie, and several minor characters.
In the end, you’ll be left with a fuller sense of the horror of St. Dymphna’s struggle, the beauty of loving sacrifice, and the power of those sacrifices when offered to God for the sake of another. Ultimately, as with every Christian story, there is a message of hope.
As in all of Susan Peek’s books, the pace is quick, the stakes high, and action nearly nonstop, making it a smooth read.
Liberation, (Book #3) could have, with some adjustments, served as the conclusion to the I Am Margaret series. With that in mind, I wondered where Bane’s Eyes would take the story.
Corinna Turner does a great job in bringing the reader into the darkness – both literal and figurative – pervading Margaret and Bane’s fledgling marriage. Margaret’s growing burdens and increasing isolation are palpable.
Beyond their marriage, the final installment turns every relationship inward as multiple characters wrestle with forgiveness and conversion. From Bane and Margaret to Major Everington, Kyle, and others, they have to learn live with themselves, whatever becomes of the EuroGov.
In addition to the interior struggles, plenty of exterior tension and action move the story forward as the Underground uses both political maneuvers and media savvy to create a groundswell of support for peaceful revolution.
All loose ends are tied up in a satisfying conclusion filled with hope despite those who have been lost and the challenges sure to come.
I Am Margaret is a series I look forward to re-reading. Filled with action, tension, romance, and courage, it’s not only a thrilling read, but a profound reflection on the things that matter most – those that are worth dying for.
The Partition of Africa by Olivia Folmar Ard
We know from the outset of The Partition of Africa that Hattie Greene has gotten herself in a mess of trouble. From there the reader travels back in time to witness Hattie’s descent into a moral quagmire of her own making.
Despite the fact there are no earth-shattering events in the book – no deaths, disasters or external upheavals, the author lays an intriguing trail of bread crumbs for the reader to follow in examining how Hattie hit rock bottom. Who is Cameron to her? What happened over Thanksgiving? What’s behind her roommate Claire’s promiscuous behavior?
Olivia Ard allows the reader to see through Hattie’s eyes, learning from her missteps as she does. Not everyone is as they seem – not Cameron Walcott, not Professor Campbell, not Claire, and not Hattie. Only through her journey of self-discovery will she gain the courage to renounce her mistakes and realize her self-worth.
The novel is well-written and paced. Attention to little details such as early pregnancy symptoms, panic attacks, and college life enhance the telling. A linear timeline may have leant more clarity to certain aspects of the story and allowed for more natural development of Hattie’s involvement with Professor Campbell in my opinion, but did not detract from the heart of the story, which is Hattie’s maturation.
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