Julie Davis's Blog, page 7

Newbery Medal Winners Meme

From Mrs. Darwin, purveyor of so many good book-ish things, comes this meme. I'll just say that I have a special place in my heart for Newbery Medal winning books. Why? My great-grandfather's book won this award in 1925.

Keep in mind that my kids haven't been small enough to pay attention to this category of book for a while. So I have less exposure to the new ones than I'd like. Unless they're by Neil Gaiman because c'mon. It's a book by Neil Gaiman.

Bold means I've read it

Italics means I haven't read it but STILL have an opinion. You know that's how I roll.

** means I love it enough to own it (or loved it enough when I was a kid to own it and then hang onto it long enough to push on my own kids ... Dr. Doolittle, I'm lookin' at you here.)

2013: The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate (HarperCollins Children's Books)
2012: Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos (Farrar Straus Giroux)
2011: Moon over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool (Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children's Books)
2010: When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead (Wendy Lamb Books, an imprint of Random House Children's Books)
2009: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, illus. by Dave McKean (HarperCollins) -- loved it! **
2008: Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village by Laura Amy Schlitz (Candlewick)
2007: The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron, illus. by Matt Phelan (Simon & Schuster/Richard Jackson)
2006: Criss Cross by Lynne Rae Perkins (Greenwillow Books/HarperCollins)
2005: Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata (Atheneum Books for Young Readers/Simon & Schuster)
2004: The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread by Kate DiCamillo (Candlewick Press)
2003: Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi (Hyperion Books for Children) 
2002: A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park(Clarion Books/Houghton Mifflin)
2001: A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck (Dial)
2000: Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis (Delacorte)
1999: Holes by Louis Sachar (Frances Foster) My kids had to read this one and I avoided it like the plague after hearing their reactions.
1998: Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse (Scholastic)
1997: The View from Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg (Jean Karl/Atheneum)
1996: The Midwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman (Clarion)
1995: Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech (HarperCollins)
1 994: The Giver by Lois Lowry (Houghton) liked it well enough
1993: Missing May by Cynthia Rylant (Jackson/Orchard)
1992: Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor (Atheneum)
1991: Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli (Little, Brown)
1990: Number the Stars by Lois Lowry (Houghton)
1989: Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices by Paul Fleischman (Harper)
1988: Lincoln: A Photobiography by Russell Freedman (Clarion)
1987: The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman (Greenwillow)
1986: Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan (Harper) Ok - this is how important book covers are. I took one look at that cover and swore I'd never read it.
1985: The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley (Greenwillow)**  Not my favorite McKinley, but The Blue Sword which was written before this, remains a favorite. 
1984: Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary (Morrow)
1983: Dicey's Song by Cynthia Voigt (Atheneum)
1982: A Visit to William Blake's Inn: Poems for Innocent and Experienced Travelers by Nancy Willard (Harcourt)
1981: Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson (Crowell)
1980: A Gathering of Days: A New England Girl's Journal, 1830-1832 by Joan W. Blos (Scribner)
1979: The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin (Dutton) Began it ... never got further than two chapters in
1978: Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson (Crowell) 
1977: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor (Dial)
1976: The Grey King by Susan Cooper (McElderry/Atheneum) Listened to the audiobook and liked it well enough.
1975: M. C. Higgins, the Great by Virginia Hamilton (Macmillan)
1974: The Slave Dancer by Paula Fox (Bradbury)
1973: Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George (Harper) (I think I've read this.)
1972: Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien (Atheneum)
1971: Summer of the Swans by Betsy Byars (Viking)
1970: Sounder by William H. Armstrong (Harper)
1969: The High King by Lloyd Alexander (Holt)
1968: From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg (Atheneum)
1967: Up a Road Slowly by Irene Hunt (Follett)
1966: I, Juan de Pareja by Elizabeth Borton de Trevino (Farrar) 
1965: Shadow of a Bull by Maia Wojciechowska (Atheneum)
1964: It's Like This, Cat by Emily Neville (Harper)
1963: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle (Farrar) ** A classic for good reason. Are there households that don't have a copy of this book?
1962: The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare (Houghton)
1961: Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell (Houghton) 
1960: Onion John by Joseph Krumgold (Crowell)
1959: The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare (Houghton) I know I read this but I recall nothing of it. Which speaks for itself.
1958: Rifles for Watie by Harold Keith (Crowell)
1957: Miracles on Maple Hill by Virginia Sorensen (Harcourt)
1956: Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham (Houghton)
1955: The Wheel on the School by Meindert DeJong (Harper)
1954: ...And Now Miguel by Joseph Krumgold (Crowell)
1953: Secret of the Andes by Ann Nolan Clark (Viking)
1952: Ginger Pye by Eleanor Estes (Harcourt)
1951: Amos Fortune, Free Man by Elizabeth Yates (Dutton)
1950: The Door in the Wall by Marguerite de Angeli (Doubleday)
1949: King of the Wind by Marguerite Henry (Rand McNally) Oh, Scholastic Book Club, where would I be without the many fine books you lured me into buying and reading? This was one and I still recall a lot of it.
1948: The Twenty-One Balloons by William Pène du Bois (Viking) 
1947: Miss Hickory by Carolyn Sherwin Bailey (Viking) 
1946: Strawberry Girl by Lois Lenski (Lippincott) 
1945: Rabbit Hill by Robert Lawson (Viking) I know I read it. But that's all I know about this book.
1944: Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes (Houghton) This may well be the book that began my love of historical fiction. A damn fine book.
1943: Adam of the Road by Elizabeth Janet Gray (Viking)
1942: The Matchlock Gun by Walter Edmonds (Dodd) 
1941: Call It Courage by Armstrong Sperry (Macmillan)
1940: Daniel Boone by James Daugherty (Viking)
1939: Thimble Summer by Elizabeth Enright (Rinehart)
1938: The White Stag by Kate Seredy (Viking)
1937: Roller Skates by Ruth Sawyer (Viking)
1936: Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink (Macmillan) I seem to recall this as a different sort of "Little House" book. And Laura Ingalls Wilder owned that category for me. So this book was just annoying.
1935: Dobry by Monica Shannon (Viking)
1934: Invincible Louisa: The Story of the Author of Little Women by Cornelia Meigs (Little, Brown)
1933: Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze by Elizabeth Lewis (Winston)
1932: Waterless Mountain by Laura Adams Armer (Longmans)
1931: The Cat Who Went to Heaven by Elizabeth Coatsworth (Macmillan) 
1930: Hitty, Her First Hundred Years by Rachel Field (Macmillan)
1929: The Trumpeter of Krakow by Eric P. Kelly (Macmillan) 
1928: Gay Neck, the Story of a Pigeon by Dhan Gopal Mukerji (Dutton)
1927: Smoky, the Cowhorse by Will James (Scribner)
1926: Shen of the Sea by Arthur Bowie Chrisman (Dutton)
1925: Tales from Silver Lands by Charles Finger (Doubleday)** Not the easiest read these days because the language is old fashioned. But still we all dutifully read the stories when I was a kid since he was a relative ... and they weren't half bad! In fact, I read a couple of them on Forgotten Classics.
1924: The Dark Frigate by Charles Hawes (Little, Brown)
1923: The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting (Stokes) ** How I laughed at the Pushmepullyou ... and all the various adventures the doctor had.
1922: The Story of Mankind by Hendrik Willem van Loon (Liveright)

The Ark of the Covenant, H.P. Lovecraft, and Dagon

In the mornings, while I'm feeding the dogs, I have begun reading a bit of The David Story by Robert Alter. This is his translation of the books of Samuel (and a tiny bit of the first book of Kings).

I am conversant with the big parts of David's life, and even the highlights of Saul's life before him. However, I haven't ever read these books from beginning to end. Therefore, I don't know a lot of the details other than knowing about Hannah's plea to God for a son (hellooo Samuel), God calling to Samuel when he was small, and a few choice bits of scolding to the kings (well-deserved, I might add).

In other words, I know the basics as much as any Catholic who attends weekly Mass and pays reasonable attention to the readings.

So, you could have knocked me over with a feather when I read this at the beginning of chapter 5.

And the Philistines took the Ark of God and brought it to the house of Dagon and set it up alongside Dagon. And the Ashdodites arose on the next day and, look, Dagon was fallen forward to the ground before the Ark of the Lord.

Dagon! Wait, I know that name!

I think I'd have listened more intently in Mass if they ever read these bits of 1 Samuel.

Hey, I may only know the basics about the books of Samuel, but I know much more about the stories of H.P. Lovecraft. Dagon is an early Lovecraft story and is mentioned again in The Shadow Over Innsmouth, which I just listened to recently (a fine and free narration by Mike Bennett).

Alter's note, which I read with extra interest, points out that once it was widely imagined that Dagon used to be associated with fish (aha! Lovecraft, you clever fellow, no wonder those horrible worshippers were from the bottom of the sea). However, they now believe Dagon was actually a vegetation or fertility god.

I might be kind of freaked out if my god mysteriously fell at the feet of the Hebrew's Ark of God.

But wait. Maybe Dagon's statue just happened to fall over. That could happen to any statue, right?

So the Philistines thought (and hoped and prayed, probably). Read on...

And they took Dagon and set him back in his place. And they arose the next morning and, look, Dagon was fallen forward to the ground before the Ark of the Lord, and Dagon's head and both his hands were chopped off upon the threshold--his trunk alone remained on him. ... And the hand of the Lord was heavy upon the Ashdodites and He devastated them, and he struck them with tumors, Ashdod and all its territories.

Not just tumors, y'all. Tumors "in their secret parts."

Fish god or fertility god, when the hand of the Lord falls heavy upon you, there's no mistaking it. Time to send that Ark back where you got it.

Alter's note once again adds context.

This second incident, in which the hands and head of the idol have been chopped off, offers to the Philistines clear proof of divine intervention. Hacking the hands and feet off war prisoners was a well-known barbaric practice in the ancient Near East, and similar acts of mutilation are attested in the Book of Judges.

Uh huh. Message sent. And received.

Philip K. Dick's World ... And Ours

So what does Dick have to say about surviving and prevailing in this world?

[...]

Instead he focused on human decency, as expressed through empathy and sacrifice. In his work, characters often come through by doing the hard thing at the right moment. ...

This is what Dick has to offer -- something beyond mere politics; a glimpse at what makes us human. The moral law within, the ability to tell good from evil without actually being able to define them. In a literary world teeming with Mailers, and Vidals, and Thompsons, overrun with the cynical, and the vicious, and the twisted, Philip Dick stood alone in his defense of the human values.

Many thanks to Leah for pointing me to this article positing that Philip K. Dick was a prophet who foretold the times in which we now live. Jarring as that seems to anyone who has read a Philip K. Dick novel, it also hits a strain of truth.

I was just listening to Movies on the Radio where host David Garland and composer Michael Giacchino were discussing the continuing appeal of the original Star Trek series. They concluded it was because Star Trek was made in a time when there was great hope of using our technological power to do good. That sense is carried on through the movies, to a large degree. It is true that sense of optimism was the prevailing attitude and one saw it then in a lot of ways, especially in science fiction.

Unfortunately, it seems as if we live now in times where there is depression instead of optimism. From my limited exposure to Dick's writing, we could all do worse than to read Galactic Pot-Healer and then go out to face our challenges.

The Good Thing for Me About the New Pope?

I don't know much about this pope. But I can't find any books he's written. Thank goodness because it's going to be years before I finish working my way through Benedict's writing and homilies!

Be an "Aquinas Angel" ... Every Little Bit Helps

Heartened by the support shown when they announced they would have to close their doors, Aquinas and More is stepping out in faith, in this year of faith, to see what the Lord has in store. More importantly, to see if we care enough to be His hands and support them both as a Catholic bookstore and online presence. Read the message below. And then see if you are moved to help out.

My dear friends and customers,

I write to you today with some news. As most of you know by now, after more than 10 years of business, Aquinas and More Catholic Goods announced it would be closing at the end of February. Admittedly, this was not an easy decision for us at all.

A funny thing happened on the way to the closing: the outpouring of support for Aquinas and More from our customers, our friends, and fellow Catholics was a bit unexpected, but also very kind and rather humbling.

To tell you the truth, it made us take pause and prayerfully consider what we should do next. Our heads tell us that we cannot realistically continue in our present state of affairs. Yet our hearts tell us that the void in Catholic shopping and Catholic service left by the closing of Aquinas and More is also real. We've always felt that Aquinas and More was truly a mission. So, are we being called to continue? Are we not? I know what I want, but I also know that -- more importantly -- I want God's Will.

To better discern our next step, we've decided to launch an “all-or-nothing” crowdfunding campaign over the next two weeks, so we can return Aquinas and More to its mission of serving others with our authentic Catholic online shopping experience. The campaign begins today, March 5, and ends on March 19, the Feast of St. Joseph. We've named it the "Aquinas Angels" campaign.

Our goal is to raise $250,000 in two weeks. At this point, we need to replenish inventory, overhaul the website and messaging, and focus on retaining excellent Catholic customer service and results. We know it's a big number. But we also know that we have more than 30,000 Facebook and Twitter fans, and over the last decade, we've served more than 200,000 customers. We have been richly blessed. So we have joy and hope, gaudium et spes.

Dear friends, I ask you first to pray for our campaign. We will be praying the Saint Michael the Archangel prayer daily for this endeavor. Will you pray too? Second, please take a moment to visit our “Aquinas Angels” site, where you can read more about what brought us to where we are right now and what our plans for the future entail. You can visit the site at: http://www.gofundme.com/aquinasangels


I want you to know that if we don't reach our goal, your Angel donation will not be processed. It's as simple as that – it's all-or-nothing. We will not be benefiting from any support until and unless our goal is reached. And if we don't reach it, Aquinas and More will likely shut down. So, our next step is in His hands. If you choose to join us, we have different levels of support, and will be "giving back" for your generosity.

I also ask you to please help us spread the word about our “Aquinas Angels” . With the relationships we've built over the years, I firmly believe this is a “We” Campaign. We can't succeed without your help! If you would like the work of Aquinas and More to continue, if you have had a positive experience with us, please share our story, our site, and your story out there with others you know.

Aquinas and More is truly not just a Catholic store. Aquinas and More is a way of life for myself, for my wife, for my ten children. We are unabashedly and authentically Catholic in all that we do – our policies, our products, and our outreach projects. You know the value of our Good Faith Guarantee.

As part of the Year of Faith, we are called to deepen our faith, believe in the Gospel message, and go forth and proclaim the Gospel. That is the essence of Aquinas and More. Giving to our “Aquinas Angels” Campaign means helping to build and restore an authentic Catholic culture. I know in my heart that there's nowhere else out there where you can find such a ministry and mission – a living and serving, Catholic approach to shopping. I'm willing to put myself out there like this to keep it going.

We would be honored and grateful if you can become an Aquinas Angel for us and help us reach our $250,000 goal.

I thank you for taking the time to read my message. I thank you all for your support throughout these ten wonderful years. Whatever happens, I am grateful for having had the privilege to know and serve you in our little way.

Ian

Oremus,

Saint Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle.
Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray;
and do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host -
by the Divine Power of God -
cast into hell, satan and all the evil spirits,
who roam throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen.

Lent: Books

WHAT I'M READING

As often happens, I am already reading two books that are really hitting me where I live. I can just keep going with them through Lent. I realize they are Pope Benedict-centric which is just going to make me miss him all the more upon his retirement in a couple of weeks. Oh well. It will just add to my feeling of Lenten penance I suppose.

Take Five: Meditations with Pope Benedict XVI by Mike Aquilina and Kris Stubna

Discover Pope Benedict's wise and visionary perspective as a guide for daily spirituality. Each topic begins with a simple excerpt from Pope Benedict's writings or teachings, followed by helpful prompts for thoughtful meditation.

Jesus of Nazareth (I) by Joseph Ratzinger (a.k.a. Pope Benedict XVI)
I have always meant to reread this book. Scott Danielson selected it for our next Catholic book discussion at A Good Story is Hard to Find podcast (in May). So that is the perfect excuse. This book is one that requires slow, thoughtful reading so I began it a couple of days before Lent began, not even thinking about what perfect reading it makes for now.

OTHER GREAT BOOKS - Fiction
Here are some other books that I either have read for Lent or would gladly read. Some may be familiar because I just can't stop pushing them (or rereading them).

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
Or, since Lent is only 40 days, at least the first book, The Fellowship of the Ring. I recently finished listening to the audio books of this and was blown away by how much the audio experience added to my understanding of the richness and depth of the story. Admittedly, as regular readers here know, it was also greatly helped by The Tolkien Professor's class sessions on this book. You will be hard put to find a better primer on sacrifice, redemption, and many other key lessons for Christian life. (Note: the movies are not enough and I have found, to my sorrow, that often they give the exact opposite message about a character than the books do.) And you could do worse than to read The Hobbit for starters.

Night Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko
The "Others" live among us, an ancient race of humans with supernatural powers who swear allegiance to either the Dark or the Light. Night Watch is three stories, each is told by former file clerk Anton, a Light Other who is now getting field experience in keeping the treaty between the Light and the Dark. The way the three stories all look at Light and Dark, treaties and compromises, and even what it means to be unyielding on one side or the other ... is all not only a good story but food for thought about our own lives. My full review is here.

The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold
A bedraggled, galley ship survivor, despite his best efforts to the contrary, finds himself in the middle of royal intrigue. If that weren't enough, he is also pulled into the the affairs of the divine as a result and this complicates his life as one might imagine. This is a land of various gods and strong, dark magic. It is, however, also a land where free will matters in the outcome of events. Will Duquette calls this "theological science fiction" and I agree. The way that free will is intertwined with what the gods desire, as well as what is "right," is fascinating and a good way to examine our own motives the next time we turn away from what God may be asking of us. My full review is here.

The Reapers Are the Angels by Alden Bell
Of course, I'm still pushing this book. It is rare, to find a book about the zombie apocalypse that addresses the larger themes that one finds in science fiction apocalyptic literature. The Reapers Are the Angels is just such a rarity. Author Alden Bell looks beyond the popular appeal of zombies to the depths of the human soul. The column I wrote for last Lent about this book is at Patheos.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Harry is an incredible Christ-figure as I discovered when I reread the series recently. Of course, this only works for those who have read the series before. For more depth and as accompanying materials, readers may want to listen to Episode 26 of A Good Story is Hard to Find podcast where Scott Danielson and I discuss the book and the entire series from a Catholic point of view.

In This House of Brede by Rumer Godden
This extraordinarily sensitive and insightful portrait of religious life centers on Philippa Talbot, a highly successful professional woman who leaves her life among the London elite to join a cloistered Benedictine community. That's the official description but it doesn't begin to cover the richly woven tapestry Godden weaves with nuanced personalities, mysteries to solve so that the order may continue, Philippa's internal struggles, and much more.

Five for Sorrow, Ten for Joy by Rumer Godden
Another Godden book about a completely different order of nuns. This is an inspiring tale of conversion and redemption told in flashback sequence. We meet Lise when she is being released from prison where she has served her term for murder. She is going to join an order that ministers to those on the fringes of society. Through Lise's thoughts, we watch her go from being a young WWII staffer in Paris, become seduced by a man who has a brothel and eventually turns her into a prostitute where later on she becomes the manager. The reasons behind the murder become clear as the threads come together again in the people around Lise in current time. My full review is here.

OTHER GREAT BOOKS - Nonfiction

When the Carpenter Was King by Maria von Trapp
Unable to answer questions from her children about what Jesus ate for breakfast, von Trapp began asking priests and collecting books to find out about daily life for the Holy Family. She then wrote this account which, although simple, I find strangely riveting. It is just brushed slightly with the fiction brush, being largely a historical "you are there" book to bring us into what life was like for a faithful Jewish family back then. My full review here.

Lectio Divina books by Stephen J. Binz
I can't express how much I love these books, but this review for his Advent and Christmas book will give you an idea. Stephen Binz is a passionate advocate of Lectio Divina, the ancient practice of studying and praying using Scripture. The point of lectio divina is to personally encounter God and that is something I can relate to very well since I can't count the number of times I have had "aha!" moments of connection when I'm reading. Actually, that's what this big list is all about, right? He's got a book out for Lent (which I don't have) and one that just came out for Easter which I will be reviewing soon. See all of them at Word Among Us's page.

Night of the Confessor by Tomas Halik
Night of the Confessor is rich and deep, with somehow simple ideas. Just when the author says something that I have a knee-jerk reaction of "that's not how faith works" he goes further and deeper so that I understand the reasons behind the surface statement ... and usually agree. This is thoughtful and thought provoking writing which I am letting sink in. And it is enriching my internal life. A fuller review is here with a lengthy excerpt.

Gospel of Mark, The (Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture) by Mary Healy
This is a really great commentary. Healy combines a lot of the information that I have in a variety of other commentaries (both Catholic and Protestant), but then pulls it all together with additional observations that make it very accessible while still being scholarly. She follows up many sections with items for reflection. My review is here.

To Know Christ Jesus by Frank Sheed
Sheed looks at Jesus' life by weaving together all four Gospels. He also takes into consideration the times in which Jesus lived, how the people then would have interpreted Christ's teachings and witness, links to the Old Testament, teachings of the Chruch Fathers, archaeology, and more. The goal of all this is to give us a richer, deeper understanding of Jesus since to know the Father you must know the Son ... and there is nowhere better to meet him than through the Gospels.

The School of Prayer: An Introduction to the Divine Office for All Christians by John Brook
Interestingly Brook partially presents this introduction to promote ecumenism for he points out that praying from the Psalms makes Protestants feel right at home in the practice. This book not only tells about the divine office, but has an explication of the psalms commonly prayed so that we more easily find Christ in them.

Beginning to Pray by Anthony Bloom
This book is written with complete simplicity but yet somehow contains depths that one thinks of for some time afterward. Let's just begin with this ... "If you look at the relationship (us and God) in terms of mutual relationship, you would see that God could complain about us a great deal more than we about Him. We complain that He does make Himself present to us for a few minutes we reserve for Him, but what about the twenty-three and half hours during which God may be knocking at our door and we answer 'I am busy..."

Contemplating the Trinity: The Path to Abundant Christian Life by Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa
He was the preacher to the papal household for Pope John Paul II and continued in that capacity for Pope Benedict XVI, at least for a while. I always have found his writing and homilies to be both easy to understand and inspirational. This book to be the same sort as The Interior Castle in that reading a few paragraphs a day lets the message sink in each day. I read this during Lent a few years ago and it was wonderful.

Paul Among the People by Sarah Ruden
Sarah Ruden goes to great pains to put St. Paul's writings in the context of Paul's "modern times" of Greek and Roman culture so we can see just what cultural forces he was referring to when he wrote his letters. By juxtaposing her knowledge of those cultures (which were considerably cruder and more hostile to Christian religious concepts than we would think) and writings of the people (not high-brow philosophers) with Paul's writings and concepts, a new picture emerges of just what was being battled and why Christian concepts would be so welcome and revolutionary. My full review is here.

Happy Catholic for Lent
There are two other books that could make good Lenten reading:

Happy Catholic - my book! In either softcover or Kindle / Nook format.

Lord, Open My Heart (this is only available as an ebook now, but is I wrote it specifically for Lenten meditation last year)

Vote for Your Favorite Catholic Books, Blogs and More

Every year, the About Readers' Choice Awards showcase the best products, people, organizations, and services in multiple categories, from technology to hobbies to parenting to religion. The readers of About.com make the nominations; each About.com Guide chooses the finalists (up to five in each category) from among the nominees; and the readers and others vote to choose one of the finalists as the best in the category for that year.

The About.com Catholicism GuideSite first participated in the Readers' Choice Awards in 2011, and the response was overwhelming, with thousands of nominations and tens of thousands of votes.

There are ten categories including everything from Catholic Books to Catholic Apps to the your favorite Catholics to follow on Twitter.

Be sure to check it out and nominate your favorites.

Thanks to Sarah for mentioning this at Happy Catholic's Bookshelf or I'd never have known about it.

My 2013 Personal Reading Challenge

My 2012 book challenge was so rewarding, making me pick up books I would just keep skipping over in favor of lighter reading. I'm doing it again this year. Some books are carried over from last year and some I dropped because they just didn't look interesting to me right now. But you can see I have plenty of others to fill in the gaps.

As before, I may not get through all of them in a year, but I will be trying always read one of them despite other distractions. In no particular order.

Classics
• Les Miserables - Victor Hugo (required of self after seeing musical)
• Middlemarch* - Eliot
• Belly of Paris* (Emile Zola)
• Wuthering Heights* - Charlotte Bronte (began this in 2012, finishing it in 2013)

Modern
• Momento Mori - Muriel Spark
• Last Call* - Tim Powers  (not a true classic, I know ... but still a "challenging" read which is what all these are for me)
• Galactic Pot Healer - Philip K. Dick(I wanted to try a novel instead of short stories and this was recommended as being one of the most complete stories told in a novel.)
• Journal of the Gun Years - Richard Matheson (I'm so curious to see what sort of Western Matheson writes since he was such a science fiction award winner)

Religion
• Introduction to the Devout Life* - St. Francis de Sales (began this in 2012, finishing it in 2013)
• The Way of Perfection* - St. Teresa of Avila
• A Song for Nagasaki - Glynn• The Scarlet and the Black - Gallagher

Rereading
• The Sand Pebbles*
• Nine Princes in Amber - Zelazny

Nonfiction
• Tolkien's Letters
• The Inklings - Humphrey Carpenter
• H.V. Morton travel book
• King Peggy

* Carried over from the 2012 Book Challenge.

FINAL: My 2012 Personal Reading Challenge

FINAL results on books I've read (or dropped) thus far. Originally written in December 2011.

One Sunday, when we'd gone to the Vigil Mass on Saturday to avoid getting embroiled in a local marathon that shuts down all the streets around our church (don't ask ... Tom has been enraged before to the point of risking arrest for civil disobedience).

Wait, what was I saying?

Oh. Right.

Anyway, we were sitting around until about 1 p.m. in our jammies talking about cabbages and kings and whether pigs have wings ... and about reading and classics. I realized that I have a handful of certifiable classics which I really want to read but that I keep acting as if the Reading Fairy is going to drop extra time and a book on my lap when I'll suddenly begin reading.

Bravely taking responsibility on myself, I made a list.

I love making lists. Don't you? And crossing things off them.

So here are my "must reads" ... I may not get through all of them in 2012, but I will be trying to always be reading one of them despite other distractions. In no particular order.


2012 Classics

The Brothers Karamazov - Dostoyevsky (begun on Jan. 1 - dropped in a few weeks. Looking for either an audio version or a different translation as I just couldn't connect with that one, though I read 150 pages. Began it again a month later. Dropped it again.) Turns out that our book club chose this for 2013 ... so I will be reading it but will take it off my "personal" reading list since it is no longer a self-imposed book.
Bleak House- Dickens ... loved it! (review here,  review/discussion at A Good Story is Hard to Find)
Middlemarch - Eliot
Belly of Paris (Emile Zola)
Last Call - Tim Powers (not a true classic, I know ... but still a "challenging" read which is what all these are for me)
A Movable Feast - Hemingway
The Four Quartets - T.S. Eliot
Wuthering Heights ... partway through and then had to take a break because I just hate Catherine and Heathcliff so very much. Will resume in 2013.

2012 Religion

Introduction to the Devout Life - St. Francis de Sales ... have begun this.
The Way of Perfection - St. Teresa of Avila
The Sabbath - Abraham Heschel (read this in the spring and, although Heschel's writing could be high concept at times, found it riveting. The idea of living in sacred time, of time being our temple on earth is fascinating and one that I find very helpful in prayer.)
Introduction to Christianity - Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI LOVED IT! Dense but accessible in tons of places. (excerpts and review at Goodreads)
Joan of Arc - Mark Twain

2012 Rereading

The Sand Pebbles
Fahrenheit 451 - Bradbury (read this for A Good Story is Hard to Find podcast and found it very thought provoking and more poetically written than I recalled.)
Fire and Hemlock - Diana Wynne Jones
Lark Rise - Flora Thompson

2012 Nonfiction

A Short History of Nearly Everything - Bryson (tried it a couple of times and realized that I didn't actually care about the short history of nearly everything. Not Bryson's fault. So it is off the list.)
Keeping House: The Litany of Everyday Life - Margaret Kim Peterson
On Pilgrimage - Jennifer Lash
Twain's Feast - Beahrs
Politically Incorrect Guide to English and American Literature (A good although flawed look at how revisionist tactics and understanding literature do not mix. The flaws come more from the author's vehemence and also some surprising gaps in authors covered. I mean to say, can one really discuss American literature without even mentioning Steinbeck?)

Best Books of 2012

Top books I read in 2012 with descriptions in 10 words or less. In no particular order.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
A great book. Too bad she didn't stop at that one.


Gospel of Mark (Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture) by Mary Healey
Very accessible while still being scholarly. (my review here)


Coraline by Neil Gaiman
A children's story that isn't just for kids. I listened to Gaiman's excellent narration. (discussion/review at A Good Story is Hard to Find)


The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara
Made me wish both sides could win the Battle of Gettysburg. (review at Goodreads; discussion/review at A Good Story is Hard to Find)


Howard's End is on the Landing by Susan Hill
A book about books, people, places, and life. (review at Goodreads)


The Hidden Princess by Stephanie Angelini
 Enchanting new "classic" fairy tale (My review here)


The Art of Faith:A Guide to Understanding Christian Images by Judith Couchman
Just what the subhead says (my review here)


Heidi by Joanna Spryy
An old classic still has the power to surprise. (my review here)


The Beckoning Fair One by Oliver Onions
Subtle ghost story a la Turn of the Screw (review at Goodreads, audio reading/discussion at SFFaudio)


Bleak House by Charles Dickens
Mystery, horror, romance, character examination, and riveting  (review here,  review/discussion at A Good Story is Hard to Find)


The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit... reread. (review and related items here,  review/discussion at A Good Story is Hard to Find)


Introduction to Christianity by Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI)
Dense but accessible in tons of places. (excerpts and review at Goodreads)