Ellen Gable's Blog, page 2

An Open Book – April #anopenbook

I’m joining Carolyn Astfalk and Catholic Mom for An Open Book. Here’s what I’ve been working on or reading for the past month.

The Fire of Your Love (Chalice #3) by Erin Lewis

Coming Soon from FQP! Dallas Malone knows what God wants of him—but the eight-year path to the Catholic priesthood is a daunting one. Faced with self-doubts over a past criminal conviction, the unknowns of his fatherless history, and hostility from Daniel, a holier-than-thou seminary classmate who knows his secrets, Dallas wonders if he’s really cut out for this life. But his calling burns deep within him, and he must push himself to stay the course and forgive old, deep-cutting hurts. Will Daniel dredge up Dallas’s history and ruin his reputation along with all he’s tried to build for his future? Or will Dallas conquer the ghosts of his past to offer up his entire life in the service of Christ?

Love in the Eternal City by Rebecca Martin

Synopsis: Rome—once the heart of an empire, now the heart of the Catholic Church—has witnessed many love stories. When the Eternal City draws together a Swiss Guard and an American expat, a modern-day romance blooms in the shadow of Saint Peter’s Basilica.

Haunted by a broken engagement and betrayed by her best friend, Elena Gattino travels to Rome for a new job and the hope of a new life. Fueled by pasta and bolstered by prayer, she becomes brave enough to forge new friendships with the Rechsteiner siblings as she explores Rome and finds her footing at work.

Benedikt Rechsteiner is comfortable serving in the Swiss Guard, even if he recognizes his life lacks a special something…or someone. Simmering family tensions and uncertainty about his future have left Beni wary of relationships, but his unexpected feelings for Elena challenge him to face his fears.

Soon, Beni and Elena’s friendship turns into more, thanks to the matchmaking meddling of a Vatican spymaster, a Swiss Guard comrade-in-arms, and Beni’s overenthusiastic yet lovable sister. But then Elena’s past follows her to Rome, putting her in danger that even Beni may not be able to save her from. And if Beni wants to be with Elena, he’ll need to discern where his own future lies—and reconcile with his father after years of bitterness. Can the two forge a relationship strong enough to withstand the suffering that comes their way? Or will the tensions of their own lives pull them apart?

My review: I thoroughly enjoyed this clean romance set in Rome. For anyone who’s ever traveled to Rome, it’s fun reading a story that takes place in some of the most well-known parts of the city. Recommend!

The Last Girl by Nadia Murad

Synopsis: Nadia Murad was born and raised in Kocho, a small village of farmers and shepherds in northern Iraq. A member of the Yazidi community, she and her brothers and sisters lived a quiet life. Nadia had dreams of becoming a history teacher or opening her own beauty salon.
 
On August 15th, 2014, when Nadia was just twenty-one years old, this life ended. Islamic State militants massacred the people of her village, executing men who refused to convert to Islam and women too old to become sex slaves. Six of Nadia’s brothers were killed, and her mother soon after, their bodies swept into mass graves. Nadia was taken to Mosul and forced, along with thousands of other Yazidi girls, into the ISIS slave trade.
 
Nadia would be held captive by several militants and repeatedly raped and beaten. Finally, she managed a narrow escape through the streets of Mosul, finding shelter in the home of a Sunni Muslim family whose eldest son risked his life to smuggle her to safety.
 
Today, Nadia’s story—as a witness to the Islamic State’s brutality, a survivor of rape, a refugee, a Yazidi—has forced the world to pay attention to an ongoing genocide. It is a call to action, a testament to the human will to survive, and a love letter to a lost country, a fragile community, and a family torn apart by war.

My review: Ten years ago, I read about the plight of the Yazidi girls who were taken captive and forced into the ISIS slave trade, and I prayed for them every day. Now, Nadia gives us one girl’s story of this nightmare and how she escaped to freedom with the help of a kind Muslim family. More importantly, she testifies to the horrifying brutality of ISIS and those who follow extreme Islam. It’s a riveting story, one with overwhelming hope amidst the brutal treatment of her and thousands of other Yazidi girls. I highly recommend it.

Missing in Flight by Audrey J. Cole

Synopsis: From USA Today bestselling author Audrey J. Cole comes a harrowing thriller about a woman faced with the unthinkable, when her infant goes missing aboard a plane to New York.

Rushing back to her seat, Makayla Rossi is relieved that all’s still quiet. But when she checks on her sleeping baby, relief morphs into fear. The bassinet is empty.

Liam is gone.

It was a long flight from Anchorage to New York, and with every flight attendant busy, Makayla reluctantly ran to the restroom, asking a seat neighbor to watch her son. She stepped away for just a few minutes. Yet at thirty thousand feet, he still vanished.

Passengers and crew scour the plane to no avail, and since no one recalls seeing her with a baby, suspicions begin to mount about Makayla’s mental state. She’s certain this is nothing like her mother’s on-air memory meltdown. If only Jack, her husband, were there. He would believe her. A high-profile banker featured in Forbes, maybe he could even help.

But Makayla is squarely on her own. And she’ll have to think fast in order to find her son—before it’s too late.

My review: I just started reading this, but it looks to be a great story. Review coming soon!

An Open Book – March #anopenbook

Today I’m joining Carolyn Astfalk and Catholic Mom for An Open Book. Here’s what I’ve been reading and working on over the past month. It’s Ash Wednesday and the first day of Lent.

Joline by Jim Sano (Fr. Tom #6)

Synopsis: Father Tom heads up to the small coastal village of Belfast, Maine, to visit a friend from the seminary in the sixth book of this award-winning series. While there, 19-year-old Joline is found dead floating in the harbor waters, and the town doesn’t know if it was an accident, suicide, or murder. Moved by compassion for Joline’s family and friends, Father Tom sets out to do what he does best, and the local sheriff, J.C. Coombs, begrudgingly comes to rely on Father Tom and his sidekick, Angelo, for help to uncover clues and a history of secrets and wounds of the intriguing characters who live in this small fishing village. Rich with faith, humor, friendship, forgiveness, redemption, and emotional healing, the plot keeps the reader guessing with twists and turns until the end as the town comes to terms with its loss.

My review: #1 New Release in Religious Mystery! New book from FQP, Joline by Jim Sano. This is the sixth in the Fr. Tom series. Lots of twists and turns.

Scraps of Grace by Jon F. Harmon

Amazon Synopsis: A single father grapples with the loss of self-identity in the wake of trauma, and begins to long for spiritual connection.

Twenty-six-year-old Tyler Manion is overwhelmed by the loss in his life. Six months ago, his wife died suddenly, and tomorrow will be his last day at General Motors. Raising his nearly two-year-old son alone, he puts up a brave front, pretending to have it all together. But he can’t seem to focus, and his spiritual attention deficit disorder is keeping him from any meaningful connection with the one who could help him most in his hour of need.

A high school girl basketball phenom, a gruff World War II veteran, a hippie nun and a beguilingly brainy graduate student will each help him rediscover his sense of identity, and perhaps find his spiritual bearings.

Scraps of Grace opens in Michigan in the summer of 1990, a time of turmoil and of hopefulness, across the world and at home.

Often irreverent in tone and detail, Scraps of Grace resides in the conflicted present moment but abides in the eternal.

At the end of the book, there is a page of discussion questions for book clubs, designed to deepen readers’ literary exploration of the themes of identity loss and spiritual renewal.

My review: I enjoyed this book by debut author Jon Harmon. As the summary says, it is “often irreverent in tone and detail.” The reader feels the main character’s sense of loss. My only criticism is that the book tries to deal with too many premises for one book. Recommend.

Lovingly Do I Call to You, Prayers to Saint Michael the Archangel by Carol Puschaver

Synopsis: For centuries, countless people have prayed to St. Michael the Archangel as their powerful intercessor, patron and defender, and with abundant good cause: St. Michael “wields the power of the Almighty by the Will of the Almighty.” With this “good cause” in mind, the author establishes another compelling reason for devotion to St. Michael: he is the Guardian Angel of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist! Most assuredly, the Archangel trusted to keep watch with God is capable of safeguarding all of God’s creation. What’s more is the relationship between St. Michael and Jesus is so deeply loving that a single word to the Archangel also touches the Sacred Heart of Jesus, for Whom all things are possible. (Cf. Matthew 19:26) Imagine the staggering power and efficacy of such a prayer!
This book, with its wide-ranging collection of more than one hundred prayers to St. Michael the Archangel, is sure to appeal to anyone interested in learning more about the Archangel or longing for a deeper spiritual relationship with him – and the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It is a beautifully written text to “pray without ceasing” and to pray lovingly.

My review: I had the honor of helping the author edit and publish this beautiful book. If you ever wanted a book compilation of prayers to Saint Michael the Archangel, this is ideal for you and for anyone who wishes to “pray without ceasing” to this powerful saint. Highly recommend.

To Crown with Liberty by Karen Ullo

Synopsis: New Orleans, 1795. In the wake of the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror, Alix de Morainville Carpentier—a former lady-in-waiting to Marie Antoinette, now married to her gardener—seeks peace and security in the Spanish colony of Louisiana. But her journey into the man-eating swamp called Attakapas reopens the wounds of her old life in France. Alix is forced to reckon with the choices that saved her life at the cost of her honor—and perhaps her soul.

In revolutionary France, the Old World is dying; the quest for liberty, fraternity, and equality has become a nightmare where the price of dissent is blood. In the wilderness of Spanish Louisiana, a new civilization is beginning to emerge—but in this budding New World, the slave trade perpetuates the systems of oppression that sparked the revolution. Caught between old and new, scarred by trauma and grief, will Alix ever find a home where she can truly be free?

To Crown with Liberty is a historical novel based on riveting legends from George Washington Cable’s Strange True Stories of Louisiana (1888).

My review: This is a book I’ve had on my to-read list for months. It’s a beautifully written historical novel that takes the reader through Louisiana in the late 18th century with flashbacks to 10-15 years previous in France. The characters are well-defined and developed, the story compelling, and the setting is exquisitely done. Historical fiction readers will love this book. Highly recommend.

Wake of Malice by Eleanor Bourg Nicholson

Synopsis: When Father Michael Walsh, a Jesuit priest on the western coast of Ireland, faces a charge of embezzlement, a London newspaper sends expatriate Irish reporter Hugh Buckley home to deliver a story—or else. Buckley and his photographer colleague Frederick Jones arrive in the village of Doolin to find themselves embroiled in a tangled mess of parish politics, occult practices, and bloody murder. By night, as wicked things rise from the earth, Buckley faces his own long-repressed struggles with his country, his abandoned faith, and his dead family. By day, he finds help, both professional and personal, from English Dominican friar Father Thomas Edmund Gilroy, OP, who has come to Doolin to support his friend Father Michael and to aid in the spiritual battle against the occult.

Can Hugh and Freddie save their employment—and their skins—as the grotesque violence intensifies? Or will they and the rest of the village of Doolin be consumed by dark powers lurking within the mysterious landscape of Ireland?

My review: This is another book I’ve had on my to-read list for a while. I thoroughly enjoyed the author’s crisp writing style and humor, and the story had me guessing until the end. Another book I can highly recommend.

When the World Fell Silent by Donna Jones Alward

Synopsis: 1917. Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Nora Crowell wants more than her sister’s life as a wife and mother. As WWI rages across the Atlantic, she becomes a lieutenant in the Canadian Army Nursing Corps. But trouble is looming and it won’t be long before the truth comes to light.

Having lost her beloved husband in the trenches and with no-one else to turn to, Charlotte Campbell now lives with his haughty relations who treat her like the help. It is baby Aileen, the joy and light of her life, who spurs her to dream of a better life.

When tragedy strikes in Halifax Harbour, nothing for these two women will ever be the same again. Their paths will cross in the most unexpected way, trailing both heartbreak and joy its wake…

My review: I just started reading this but it looks like it will be a great story. When I homeschooled my boys, one of the Canadian history events we studied was the Halifax explosion. It was the greatest loss of life outside of Europe during WW1. Review coming.

Season of Mercy: Lent and Easter by Catherine Doherty

Synopsis: A guide to entering into the mystery and celebration of Lent and Easter! Lent is the time of re-learning how to run towards God, instead of aimlessly wandering…. Lent is a training for love…. Lent is a corridor that leads us to the face of the Father. After-dinner talks by Catherine Doherty, spiritual readings around the dining room table on the spirit, liturgy and customs of Lent, Holy Week, the Easter Triduum and Paschaltide. Catherine speaks on such topics as how to Prepare for Lent; Why Fasting; The Motive is Love; Sin, Repentance, Conversion. Also on Palm (Passion) Sunday; Holy Week; Holy Thursday: Priesthood and Eucharist; Good Friday; Holy Saturday: Christ’s Descent into Hades; and Christ is Risen! Then Paschal time and Christ’s Ascension, Pentecost. A rich tapestry of scriptural reflections and Customs and Traditions to bring it all to life! We’re in a fantastic world when we’re in the world of Lent! We’re in the world of repentance, of forgiveness. Now is the moment to repent of our own sins and to forgive everyone. Excellent for personal and group study. A wonderful resource for preachers and teachers! Volume one of this series is Donkey Bells: Advent and Christmas Meditations and Traditions by Catherine Doherty, also available.

My review: Since this is the beginning of Lent, this book will remain on my desk or bedside table throughout the season. Highly recommend.

Joline by Jim Sano Now Available

Joline by Jim Sano (Fr. Tom #6)

Number 1 in New Releases in Religious Mystery and Catholicism!

Synopsis: Father Tom heads up to the small coastal village of Belfast, Maine, to visit a friend from the seminary in the sixth book of this award-winning series. While there, 19-year-old Joline is found dead floating in the harbor waters, and the town doesn’t know if it was an accident, suicide, or murder. Moved by compassion for Joline’s family and friends, Father Tom sets out to do what he does best, and the local sheriff, J.C. Coombs, begrudgingly comes to rely on Father Tom and his sidekick, Angelo, for help to uncover clues and a history of secrets and wounds of the intriguing characters who live in this small fishing village. Rich with faith, humor, friendship, forgiveness, redemption, and emotional healing, the plot keeps the reader guessing with twists and turns until the end as the town comes to terms with its loss.

To buy the Kindle edition, click here.

To purchase a print edition, click here.

Open Book February #anopenbook

Today, I’m joining Carolyn Astfalk and Catholic Mom for An Open Book.

Here’s what I’ve been working on or reading this past month.

Window Notes by Kim Kramer

Amazon Synopsis: All Mackenzie (Mac) Hawkins wanted was a peaceful, low-key summer. She had it all figured out. She would break up with her boyfriend and spend the summer with her sister, Abby, and best friend, Tessa. Everything was going as planned until Hunter Keating moved in next door with his carefree and confident personality. He had his own set of plans until she interrupted them, forcing them both to run to what was comfortable, leaving the other hurt. As she navigates how to deal with her abandonment issues from her mother and trust issues with her father, she comes to realize God uses messy, ordinary lives to fulfill His will.

My review: This is a new FQP book (just published on January 21) and I highly recommend it. Ideal for teens or young adults searching for a compelling novel with realistic and well-developed characters as well as a great story. I wish I had this kind of book when I was a teen.

The Stations of the Eucharist: From Melchizedek to the Book of Revelation by Denise Mercado

Review: Denise Mercado’s book is a timely and profound exploration that bridges the rich tapestry of Old Testament covenants with their ultimate fulfillment in the New Testament. This book provides a transformative guide that takes the reader from head knowledge to heart devotion. By examining key biblical moments that prefigure the Eucharist, Mercado draws out the richness of God’s eternal covenant, helping readers encounter the mystery of the Eucharist in a deeply personal way. This book is an invitation to not just learn about the Eucharist but to experience it as the spiritual nourishment God has provided throughout salvation history. A truly inspiring devotional for those seeking to deepen their love for the Eucharist.
Rev. Eric L. Boelscher STL, Pastor of St. Joseph Parish, Crescent Springs, Kentucky

My review: This is an excellent book that takes the reader from the Old Testament to the New Testament and describes “The Stations of the Eucharist.” Fascinating read. Highly recommend.

Come My Beloved: Inspiring Stories of Catholic Courtship, edited by Ellen Gable and Kathy Cassanto

Amazon Synopsis: Come My Beloved: Inspiring Stories of Catholic Courtship is a celebration of faith and enduring love. This compilation includes 12 courtship/dating stories which will inspire, captivate and entertain readers. Included are the following stories: A widow with eight children meets a widower with six children; a woman prays to God for a husband and years later, finds herself falling in love with a seminarian; a man asks his live-in girlfriend “What if we stopped having sex?” and is greeted with tears of joy; an atheist falls in love with her Catholic Prince Charming; a couple meet through a Christian introduction service. What these couples have in common is a deep faith in God and faithfulness to the Catholic Church’s teachings.

Ideal book for Valentine’s Day! And only .99 on Kindle.

Stay With Me by Eileen Leamy

Amazon Synopsis: In this uplifting sequel to her award-winning memoir Crazy Love, Eileen Leamy tells “how God remade me after losing the love of my life,” giving her comfort, strength, and a path forward. Stay With Me is her often humorous, always poignant testament to how God’s love brought her through devastating grief into a joy-filled life.

My review: Beautiful book that continues the author’s journey through grief with God’s unconditional love after the death of her husband, Harry. Recommend!

The Midnight Dancers: a Fairy Tale Retold by Regina Doman

Amazon Synopsis: When teenaged Rachel Durham finds a way that she and her eleven stepsisters can sneak out of their Chesapeake Bayside home after midnight, their troubled fundamentalist father enlists the help of Paul Fester, an ex-soldier and traveling juggler, to find out what the girls are up to. A modern retelling of Grimm’s fairy tale “The Twelve Dancing Princesses.”

My review: I recently reread this book. My review from 15 years ago reiterates my love of this book.

The Midnight Dancers is the fourth in Regina Doman’s series of “Fairy Tale Novels,” and this, by far, is my favorite of her four books. The story takes place in Bayside, Maryland and is a new take on Grimms’ “The Twelve Dancing Princesses,” and involves twelve sisters (six sisters and their six stepsisters) who are being raised in an extremely strict Christian household with little or no room for freedom.

The book’s main character, Rachel Durham, 18, is the oldest daughter who believes that goodness is not interesting and she yearns for adventure. Her father, a colonel in the army, and worried about his daughters and stepdaughters, he secretly enlists the help of an army friend, Paul, a medical student and part-time juggler, to keep an eye on the girls. Her stepmother is a rather unlikeable woman who seems to only speak to Rachel to ask her to take care of her younger brothers or to clean up a mess.

Rachel and her sisters discover a secret door (an old Underground Railroad escape, no doubt) in their bedroom which leads outside and which brings them to an old cave by the beach near their house. Every night, the girls decide to venture outside (in the dark) and swim in the bay, visit with boys and eventually take a boat to a forbidden island. Daytime becomes monotonous and tiring (“the light is boring” metaphor). Keeping this secret from their parents, the girls’ new taste of freedom brings them into many different kinds of trouble.

Paul knows about the ventures, but doesn’t at first share this information with the girls’ father, since he is keeping an eye on them, trying to make sure they don’t get into any more trouble. In the climax of the book, he is shown to be the epitome of goodness (with some metaphors to Christ-like behavior) and the girls, most especially Rachel, finally realize that goodness is anything but boring.

I would highly recommend this book. It is a delightful read with a little bit of everything: romance, suspense and action. For the most part, the characters are rich, well-developed and believable. Because of the mature nature of some of the themes, I would recommend it for ages 13 and up. It is a compelling, entertaining page-turner not only for teens, but also for adults who are looking for a great story and solid, engaging writing.

Rapunzel Let Down by Regina Doman

Amazon Synopsis: A teen summer romance in New England has disastrous consequences when the daring son of a conservative senator forms a secret relationship with the isolated daughter of a reclusive scientist. A modern retelling of the classic tale ‘Rapunzel.’

My review: This is another Regina Doman I recently reread. It’s one of my favorites and the most controversial of her books. It is definitely the darkest of her novels, and it’s not appropriate for innocent, naïve teens. However, adults will enjoy this compelling story. My review from 12 years ago is below:

Like her other novels, Regina Doman’s new book is based on a fairy tale, this time Rapunzel. As usual, Doman puts a modern spin to the story. To her credit, though, she is able to give us a totally different story filled with twists and turns while at the same time keeping it close enough to the original tale. In the summary of the book, the author asks “Can sex destroy love?”

Hermes and his family are spending the summer in their New England summer house. Hermes is 18 and has been raised in a faithful Catholic family and his father is a prominent politician. Hermes is “sick and tired of sharing his life with his father’s political career and his overbearing older brothers.” He and his brothers eventually discover a house nearby with a tower; one of his brothers dares him to climb the tower. The dare ends up with Hermes falling, but not before discovering there is a girl in the tower.

Hermes eventually climbs the tower successfully. He meets and becomes infatuated with 15-year-old Raphaela, a girl with unusually long hair, smart but innocent. She is kept in the tower supposedly for protection by her adoptive mother, a radical feminist doctor who is part of “Womyn,” a group that believes men are the reason for whatever is wrong in the world.

However, Hermes can’t seem to stay away from Raphaela, despite the fact that visiting her is dangerous for a variety of reasons. This attraction leads him to make selfish choices and the couple eventually become sexually active (these scenes are brilliantly done, without graphic description). The answer to the author’s question “Can sex destroy love,” is illustrated as we journey with the characters throughout the rest of the story.

Surprisingly enough, Hermes’ secret visits to Raphaela continue for weeks; that is, until Raphaela begins exhibiting nausea, fatigue, breast tenderness. Her mother, the radical feminist doctor, recognizes the symptoms, asks her when her last period was, then gives her a pregnancy test which turns out to be positive. Knowing that an unknown male has made her daughter pregnant, she sets a trap. Hermes is eventually arrested and Raphaela taken away. Raphaela, the previously sheltered naive girl, is surprised to be pregnant but happy until her mother and feminist friends convince her that she should have an abortion. Eventually, she comes to realize that her mother is going to force her to abort. So she escapes to keep her unborn baby safe. She disguises herself and spends times in various places in order to stay hidden from her mother and her radical feminist friends.

Eventually, Raphaela is kidnapped and taken to an undisclosed location. The climax of the novel was compelling and I was clicking ahead quickly on my Kindle to read.

The strength of this particular book is Doman’s ability to illustrate the consequences of immoral sexual behavior. Even though this was the darkest of her Fairy Tale novels, this has become my favorite. I had a hard time putting this book down. It is written beautifully, the characters are well-developed and believable, the story fast-paced.

Note to parents: this novel deals with mature themes and there are scenes of sexuality and violence (although not graphic).

Highly recommended for 17 and up.

The Oystercatcher of Southwark by Erica Colahan

Amazon Synopsis: Philadelphia, 1897—On the shores of the Delaware River, Italian Catholic Mary Paragano dreams of a happily ever after. However, when she defies her family and runs away to marry Jakob, a Jewish boy, her fairy tale takes an unexpected turn. Disowned by her father, abandoned by Jakob, and pursued by a jealous gangster, Mary’s life spirals into tragedy, culminating in accusations of attempting to harm her own children and a harrowing end in an asylum.

Philadelphia, present day—Bella, Mary’s great-great-granddaughter, grapples with the aftermath of her recent divorce. Amidst her pain, a mysterious stranger named Sophie enters her life, claiming to be related to Jakob, the man who left Mary to her devastating fate over a century ago. Together, Bella and Sophie unravel the layers of Mary’s haunting past, question the stories they’ve been told, and uncover the impact of these historical secrets on their modern-day lives.

Based on the remarkable true story of the author’s great-great-grandmother, The Oystercatcher of Southwark takes readers on a poignant journey through the immigrant neighborhoods of South Philadelphia. This deftly woven novel explores the profound love of a mother for her children and the redemptive hope that transcends time.

My review: This was an interesting book (and even more compelling because it’s based on a true story), and it kept my attention throughout. I also enjoyed the setting, as I’m originally from the Philadelphia area. Excellent historical fiction. Highly recommend.

Window Notes by Kim Kramer is Now Available!

Synopsis: All Mackenzie (Mac) Hawkins wanted was a peaceful, low-key summer. She had it all figured out. She would break up with her boyfriend and spend the summer with her sister, Abby, and best friend, Tessa. Everything was going as planned until Hunter Keating moved in next door with his carefree and confident personality. He had his own set of plans until she interrupted them, forcing them both to run to what was comfortable, leaving the other hurt. As she navigates how to deal with her abandonment issues from her mother and trust issues with her father, she comes to realize God uses messy, ordinary lives to fulfill His will.

Full Quiver Publishing has just released this new teen novel and I highly recommend it!

#FREE on #Kindle Life From the Bottom Shelf

Today through Friday, my book, Life From the Bottom Shelf, will be FREE on Kindle.

Synopsis: Have you ever gone to a public bathroom to find the mirrors so high that you can only see your forehead? Do young children stand beside you and exclaim, “I’m as tall as you!” When you drive, do you still have trouble reaching the pedals even when you’ve moved the seat all the way forward? If you’ve never experienced these situations, then it’s quite likely you’re well over five feet tall.

In her new book, award-winning author Ellen Gable, along with seven other contributors, share the ups and downs of being short-statured in a tall world. Gable, who is four feet, eight and a half inches tall (the average height of a nine- to ten-year-old girl), has always tried to keep a sense of humor about her height. This is a book about embracing one’s size and finding the joy and humor in it.

Open Book January 2025 #anopenbook

Today I’m joining Carolyn Astfalk and CatholicMom.com for An Open Book.

Octave of All Souls by Robert Eady

Synopsis: A woman considered mad by many local townspeople due to an earlier very public suicide attempt visits the local cemetery for eight days in November to pray for and help send to heaven those who have died the previous year. After returning from the cemetery, she writes letters to a friend in Brazil describing everything she knows about the deceased townsfolk she has prayed for, thereby laying bare the soul of a small Ontario town. Lives described include a drug-dealing widow robber murdered with the help of a woman waiting for years to settle an old score; a reclusive wood carver who transformed his home into a house of horror; a tough-as-nails proprietress who has turned her restaurant into a shrine for her dead son; an irascible councilor who uses “easements” as a weapon to wield power over the entire town.

My review: Coming!

Twenty-Six Seconds: A Personal History of the Zapruder Film by Alexandra Zapruder

Amazon Synopsis: The moving, untold family story behind Abraham Zapruder’s film footage of the Kennedy assassination and its lasting impact on our world.

Abraham Zapruder didn’t know when he ran home to grab his video camera on November 22, 1963 that this single spontaneous decision would change his family’s life for generations to come. Originally intended as a home movie of President Kennedy’s motorcade, Zapruder’s film of the JFK assassination is now shown in every American history class, included in Jeopardy and Trivial Pursuit questions, and referenced in novels and films. It is the most famous example of citizen journalism, a precursor to the iconic images of our time, such as the Challenger explosion, the Rodney King beating, and the 9/11 attack on the Twin Towers. But few know the complicated legacy of the film itself.

Now Abraham’s granddaughter, Alexandra Zapruder, is ready to tell the complete story for the first time. With the help of the Zapruder family’s exclusive records, memories, and documents, Zapruder tracks the film’s torturous journey through history, all while American society undergoes its own transformation, and a new media-driven consumer culture challenges traditional ideas of privacy, ownership, journalism, and knowledge.

Part biography, part family history, and part historical narrative, Zapruder demonstrates how one man’s unwitting moment in the spotlight shifted the way politics, culture, and media intersect, bringing about the larger social questions that define our age.

My review: This was a fascinating account of the origins of the Zapruder film and the challenges that the family has faced throughout the years. Highly recommend.

The Christkindl’s Gift by Kathleen Morgan

Amazon Synopsis: When Anna Hannack’s father-in-law brings home a wounded stranger only days before Christmas, Anna’s not happy. Christian charity moves the Hannack family to help the injured man, but the young widow Anna keeps her distance. The tragedies of life have shattered her trust, and she’s determined not to let another stranger threaten her family. Could it be, though, that this rugged Scotsman is actually the gift Anna’s young children have asked of the Christ child this Christmas?

My review: I don’t know why this has a low rating on Amazon. This is a lovely, clean Christmas romance. I read this every few years as I enjoy Morgan’s writing style. Except for one anachronism, it’s a beautiful story. Recommend. 4/5.

Stay With Me by Carolyn Astfalk

Amazon Synopsis: With her sister Abby’s encouragement, Rebecca has moved out of their overbearing father’s home. When a chance encounter with Chris ends with an invitation, Rebecca says yes. The authentic way Chris lives his life attracts Rebecca and garners her affection. Chris loves Rebecca and her innocence, but he’s confounded by the emotional scars she bears from her parents and an attempted assault. Her father’s disdain for Chris’s faith and career only make matters worse. With the counsel of their friend Father John, can Rebecca and Chris overcome every obstacle and bridge the deepening gulf between them and her dad? Or will a crucial lapse in judgment and its repercussion end their relationship?

My review: This book was published by FQP in 2015, so it’s almost ten years old. The first time I read it, I could not put it down. This book has something for everyone: romance, believable characters, a rich and detailed setting, humor, and the theology of the body. I read it every few years when I have time for pleasure reading–that’s how much I love this book! And thank you, Carolyn, for giving me the honor of publishing this book. Highly recommend!

Christmas Miracles: Magical True Stories of Modern Day Miracles by Jamie Miller, Laura Lewis and Jennifer Sander

Amazon Synopsis: At Christmas, our hearts are touched by reports of wondrous occurrences that make us stop, reflect, and hope. This luminous book shares true accounts of Christmas miracles — inspiring events that happened to real people at Christmas time, including:

A Christmas Mystery: A deaf boy’s generosity is miraculously rewarded

First Christmas: Newlyweds take part in the local Christmas pageant — and receive a surprising lesson in timeless love

My Christmas Angel: A pro baseball player visits a children’s ward to cheer the patients, and is himself transformed

A Heart for Christmas: A series of coincidences brings new life to a little girl

The Stranger: A gentle, mysterious Christmas Eve visitor awes a family

Christmas Saved My Mother: A rabbi tells how his mother, fleeing the Holocaust, was spared on Christmas Eve

George Misses a Shift: Sudden car trouble on Christmas night saves a couple’s life… and more.

Albert Einstein said, “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as if everything is.” If you believe in miracles — or want to — let Christmas Miracles light the candle of hope in your heart this year.

My review: I bought this book 25 years ago, and every year, I read it again. It’s jam-packed with wonderful stories! Highly recommend.

An Open Book – December #anopenbook

I’m joining Carolyn Astfalk and Catholic Mom for An Open Book. Here’s what I’ve been working on or reading this past month.

A Very Chapel Falls Christmas by Amanda Lauer

Amazon Synopsis: An epic breakup finds Nik Forrest, a world–famous musician, back in his quaint hometown at the same time his ex–fiancée returns, making for a Christmas holiday with its share of surprises, calamity, laughter, and love—if the two of them can learn from the mistakes that drove them apart in the first place.

When she moves back to Chapel Falls, Noelle Clark was never expecting to see Nik again, except for on the cover of magazines. Try as she might to avoid him, the two exes keep running into each other throughout the holiday season. From the Ugly Sweater Shuffle to the Christmas Cookie Crawl, Nik and Noelle begin reconnecting at the renowned Christmas festivities that put their city on the map.

Now Noelle is starting to fall, again, for the charming musician. But their future is tested when Nik’s storied past comes knocking. Willow, the woman who dumped him at the most prestigious award ceremony in the world, shows up at Chapel Falls with a ring on her finger and a business offer Nik can’t refuse.

Nik must choose between the dream he has chased for years that cost him his first chance with Noelle or the hope of a second chance with the girl of his dreams. . . if it’s not too late for good. Can Nik prove to himself and to his true love that he has moved on from Willow, the fast life of Nashville, and moved back to Noelle, just in time to pull off a picture–perfect Christmas surprise and start their life together?

My review: This is an entertaining Christmas rom-com. Highly recommend!

Two Patients: My Conversion from Abortion to Life-Affirming Medicine 

Amazon Synopsis: After a terrible misjudgment in the delivery room, Dr. John Bruchalski realized that with every pregnant woman he attends, there are two patients—the mother and her unborn child. In addition to this discovery, two remarkable spiritual experiences deepened his understanding of the kind of man he had become and the one he was called to be.

Two Patients is the story of how a physician who practiced abortion came to question the medical status quo and to pioneer an approach to reproductive medicine that respects female fertility, honors the dignity of unborn children, and care to patients regardless of their financial situation. Such health care, writes Dr. John Bruchalski, is merciful medicine, and his memoir gives a glimpse of just how merciful the relationship between a doctor and his two patients—mother and child— can be.

My review: This was a wonderful conversion story. Highly recommend.

Waiting for Baby Jesus by Emily C. Klein, Illustrated by Amy Klein

Amazon Synopsis: “Waiting for the baby, where can He be? Waiting for the baby, waiting to see.”

Through cheery rhyme and whimsical illustrations, this charming picture book tales two children’s happy assembly of the family crèche during Advent.

PLP proudly presents mother and daughter-in-law team

Emily C. Klein (debut author) and Amy Klein (award-winning illustrator).

My review: Delightful new Advent book that I thoroughly enjoyed. Highly recommend.

Donkey Bells: Advent and Christmas by Catherine Doherty

Amazon Synopsis: Discover how Christians celebrated Christmas before the days of television, shopping malls, and the Internet…

Catherine Doherty is well known for reviving many holy Christian traditions. In Donkey Bells: Advent and Christmas, Catherine s three-in-one book on this most expectant of holiday seasons, you ll receive wonderful gifts:

Meaningful and heartwarming stories, the telling of which will surely become a family Christmas tradition. Including: The Little Christmas Angel O’Ryan, How Pride Became Humble, The Christmas Gift, Christmas in Harlem, The Bruised Reed, and others.

Customs which you can adopt into your own Christmas celebration, such as: The Advent Wreath, The ‘O’ Antiphons, Baking Christmas Foods and Decorating, and The Blessing of The Christmas Tree. Traditions surrounding important Advent and Christmas feast days are presented, including: St. Nicholas, The Immaculate Conception, Feast of the Holy Family, New Year’s Eve, Epiphany, and more.

Earthy and inspiring meditations to prepare the entire family for Christ’s coming, including: A Candle in Our Hearts, Little Things, The Gurgle of a Baby, Where Love Is God Is, Looking into the Child’s Eyes, Advent: A Modern Bethlehem, A Short Season–A Long Journey, and many more.

My review: It’s Advent again, and it’s time to mention my favorite Advent book. If you haven’t read this book yet, I highly recommend you purchase a copy. It’s available on Amazon and also at the publisher’s website here.

Five Days in November by Clint Hill

Amazon Synopsis: On November 22, 1963, three shots were fired in Dallas, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, and the world stopped for four days. For an entire generation, it was the end of an age of innocence.

That evening, a photo ran on the front pages of newspapers across the world, showing a Secret Service agent jumping on the back of the presidential limousine in a desperate attempt to protect the President and Mrs. Kennedy. That agent was Clint Hill.

Now Secret Service Agent Clint Hill commemorates the fiftieth anniversary of the tragedy with this stunning book containing more than 150 photos, each accompanied by Hill’s incomparable insider account of those terrible days. With poignant narration accompanying rarely seen images, we witness three-year-old John Kennedy Jr.’s pleas to come to Texas with his parents and the rapturous crowds of mixed ages and races that greeted the Kennedys at every stop in Texas. We stand beside a shaken Lyndon Johnson as he is hurriedly sworn in as the new president. We experience the first lady’s steely courage when she insists on walking through the streets of Washington, DC, in her husband’s funeral procession.

A story that has taken Clint Hill fifty years to tell, this is a work of personal and historical scope. Besides the unbearable grief of a nation and the monumental consequences of the event, the death of JFK was a personal blow to a man sworn to protect the first family, and who knew, from the moment the shots rang out in Dallas, that nothing would ever be the same.

My review: I read this every year around the anniversary date of the JFK Assassination. Although I was only four years old, I remember the events as if they were yesterday. Highly recommend.

Advent Cartoon

copyright James and Ellen Hrkach. Please do not use without permission!

An Open Book – November #anopenbook

Today I’m joining Carolyn Astfalk and Catholic Mom for An Open Book. Here’s what I’ve been reading and/or working on for the past month.

My new book is now available: Life From the Bottom Shelf.

Synopsis: “Even the smallest person can change the course of history.” Galadriel to Frodo in the movie The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring
Have you ever gone to a public bathroom to find the mirrors so high that you can only see your forehead? Do young children stand beside you and exclaim, “I’m as tall as you!” When you drive, do you still have trouble reaching the pedals even when you’ve moved the seat all the way forward? If you’ve never experienced these situations, then it’s quite likely you’re well over five feet tall.

In her new book, award-winning author Ellen Gable, along with seven other contributors, shares the ups and downs of being short-statured in a tall world. Gable, who is four feet, eight and a half inches tall (the average height of a nine- to ten-year-old girl), has always tried to keep a sense of humor about her height. This is a book about embracing one’s size and finding the joy and humor in it.

The Better Part of Worse by Denise-Marie Martin

Coming in January 2025!

Synopsis: The Better Part of Worse is a gripping family saga that explores the meaning of family, the devastation of mental illness, the resilience of love, and the enduring hope that survives even the most overwhelming challenges. Set against the backdrop of the 20th century’s most tumultuous decades, the story follows Jamie Murphy, a former seminarian turned family man, as he grapples with his wife Katie’s mental illness in the late 1920s. For three decades, Jamie and his daughters hold on to the faint hope of Katie’s recovery.

Katie’s journey sheds light on the harsh realities of mental health care and the restrictive social norms of the time. It also highlights the groundbreaking impact of the first antipsychotic medications, such as Thorazine, which offered new hope for treating severe mental illness.

An unforgettable love story marked by human brokenness and powerful redemption, the novel bears witness to God’s miraculous ability to bring light out of the darkest circumstances.

My review: I absolutely loved this book. The characters are well-developed, the setting and time period well-represented and well-researched and the story compelling. It’s not an easy read, but it’s an important one that defines the uniqueness and the irreplaceability of every human being, no matter how they were conceived. If I could give it more than five stars, I would. Highly recommend!

Shadow of the Titanic by Andrew Wilson

Synopsis: A riveting and groundbreaking account of what happened to the survivors of the Titanic.

We think we know the story of the Titanic—the once majestic and supposedly unsinkable ship that struck an iceberg on its maiden voyage from Britain to America—but very little has been written about the vessel’s 705 survivors. How did the events of that horrific night in the icy waters of the North Atlantic affect the lives of those who lived to tell the tale?

Drawing on a wealth of previously unpublished letters, memoirs, diaries, and interviews with their family members, award-winning journalist Andrew Wilson brings to life the survivors’ colorful voices, from the famous, like heiress Madeleine Astor, to the lesser known second-and third-class passengers, such as the Navratil brothers, who were traveling under assumed names because they were being abducted by their father.

More than one hundred years after that fateful voyage, Shadow of the Titanic adds an important new dimension to this enduringly captivating story.

My review: I picked this up on sale and found it to be a compelling and interesting read about the aftermath of some of the survivors. Highly recommend.

500 Miles From You by Jenny Colgan

Synopsis: What happens when two medical professionals–ex Army medic from a village in the Scottish Highlands and an inner city nurse from inner-city London—switch jobs for three months and become unlikely pen pals?

Lissa, is a nurse in a gritty, hectic London neighborhood. Always terribly competent and good at keeping it all together, she’s been suffering quietly with PTSD after helping to save the victim of a shocking crime. Her supervisor quietly arranges for Lissa to spend a few months doing a much less demanding job in the little town of Kirrinfeif in the Scottish Highlands, hoping that the change of scenery will help her heal. Lissa will be swapping places with Cormack, an Army veteran who’s Kirrinfeif’s easygoing nurse/paramedic/all-purpose medical man. Lissa’s never experienced small-town life, and Cormack’s never spent more than a day in a big city, but it seems like a swap that would do them both some good.

In London, the gentle Cormack is a fish out of the water; in Kirrinfief, the dynamic Lissa finds it hard to adjust to the quiet. But these two strangers are now in constant contact, taking over each other’s patients, endlessly emailing about anything and everything. Lissa and Cormack discover a new depth of feeling…for their profession and for each other.

But what will happen when Lissa and Cormack finally meet…?

My review: What made me pick up this book is the unique and interesting cover — and the fact that it was on sale. A charming story. I didn’t care for the ending. Recommend.