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Return to Paradise, by Tim Speer - Book Review

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Return to Paradise , by Tim Speer, makes for an interesting read. David Martin, a Catholic investment banker from Dallas, Texas, is in the process of driving to his hometown in Missouri.  OOPS! His car suffers a little mishap near Spring River Missouri, requiring that he stay in town for a few days. While in Spring River, David learns of some unsavory financial happenings in town.  Such dealings promise to make life miserable for many of the local citizens. David suspects that the action is illegal. His moral values of truth and righteousness urge his conscience to investigate the unsavory business dealings. Might there be anything he could do about it? Read more...

Dying for Revenge: Book Review of Catholic Fiction

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Wow! Oh, wow! Dying for Revenge , the debut novel by Barbara Golder is fantastic! Talk about page-turners! Barbara Golder had me hooked from page one. The characters are deep and riveting, to the point where you won’t truly understand the depth of each character until you read the last page of the book. And don’t skip a word! Everything within the storyline is important – very well laid out. The lead character, Dr. Jane Wallace, is the Forensic Pathologist for western Colorado, unable to forgive, let alone have any mercy for the murderer of her own husband. To handle the pain, she steels herself from human interaction by engrossing herself with autopsies on the dead in the little resort town of Telluride, Colorado. To Jane’s surprise, murder follows her to Telluride, and she finds herself in... Read more (and enter to win your copy) 

Becoming More Like Christ: A Daily Prayer Guide

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Becoming More Like Christ: A Daily Prayer Guide to Living the Beatitudes by Monsignor David E. Rosage Christ is sending me a message, and I am hearing it loud and clear. As with last month’s book review of Blessed are the Stressed , by Sister Mary Lea Hill, the Holy Spirit seems to have placed another book in my path centered on the Beatitudes! Becoming More like Christ , by Monsignor David E. Rosage, is a wonderful daily prayer guide to living the Beatitudes. Given that the Beatitudes are focused on discipleship, via the embrace of such virtues as humility, meekness, peace, and justice, I was in my glory reading this book. Monsignor Rosage took pains to find the most appropriate 365 Scriptural passages and aligned them with the Beatitudes, so that... Read more...

Blessed are the Stressed - Book Review

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Blessed are the Stressed: Secrets to a Happy Heart from a Crabby Mystic, by Mary Lea Hill, FSP Feeling stressed, but not necessarily blessed? Do you want to feel better about the direction of your life? Well, Blessed are the Stressed: Secrets to a Happy Heart from a Crabby Mystic , by Sister Mary Lea Hill, FSP focuses on reducing your stress by embracing the tenets of the Beatitudes. Specifically, this book addresses the importance the Beatitudes play in your life, especially in a culture that tells us that happiness can be found in a slick new car, or a fancy new house. According to Sister Mary Lea, true happiness, or blessedness, is found in... Read more...

A Messy and Foolish Book Review

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As usual .. I don't offer your typical review: IT is a small book.  I like small books. Get to the point and do it in the shortest amount of time - life is busy.  Check! Build the idea of your book on the words of Pope Francis.  I like Pope Francis. Talk about getting to the point! I was on Copacabana Beach at World Youth Day, 2013, when Papa Francisco said, "Go!...the experience of this encounter must not remain locked up in your life or in the small group of your parish, your movement, or your community.  I want a mess. I want people to go out!"  Check! Remind people they have been commissioned by their Baptism to share the good news, to be heralds of the Gospel - that it is not just for their benefit.  In fact, if we are not willing to take bold risks -to be MESSY & FOOLISH, For much much more... read here ! All rights reserved, Allison Gingras 2016

Seven Stories for Christmas - Book Review

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Christmas stories add to the joy of the Christmas season, and Seven Stories for Christmas by Henry von Blumenthal, provides a wonderful take on the birth and life of Jesus from St. Luke’s perspective. Mr. von Blumenthal takes us back in time, to when St. Luke was doing his research for, what we today call, the Gospel according to St. Luke. In his research, Luke, known as Dr. Lucan, first visited with Mary to learn what Jesus was like as a child. He then met up with Zacchaeus, the tax collector to hear his story of what Jesus was like. Mr. von Blumenthal weaves through each chapter discussing... Read more...

Mommy, Mommy, When You Pray?

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  Mommy, Mommy, When you P ray,  by Kimberly Cook, is a delightful picture book, written and illustrated by a mother with an eye for colour and an ear for lyrical language. This little book will capture the hearts and minds of children as well as their parents. Images and words work together harmoniously as her colourful illustrations and words vibrate with joy. I smiled as I read every page. continue reading

Review: Judy Landrieu Klein’s Miracle Man

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Miracle Man  by Judy Landrieu Klein  is an engaging, well-written, dramatic read with flawed, lovable characters who will wriggle their way into your heart.  However, this book is much more than a good read;  it offers insightful nuggets of wisdom about life, death, marriage and parenting, seamlessly nestled  into the narrative tale   Whether you are a seeker, an agnostic or a cradle Catholic,  Judy’s  down-to-earth language will pierce through your defenses, triggering your own deepest longing for His touch. continue reading

From the Hub to the Heart

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I am pleased  Ellen Gable Hrkach of Full Quiver Publishing   asked me to be part of a book-launch blog tour for  Andy LaVallee’s  book,   From the Hub to the Heart.  His new book  tells of a journey from “fast living to living the fast”. Although I have not read it yet, I can’t wait because  the reviews are fantastic. Others on this blog tour, who have read his book, love Andy’s warm, personal voice. They are riveted by his dramatic conversion and the power of both the Holy Spirit and Mother Mary in his life. Andrew LaVallee lived the fast life.A man of extremes, LaVallee grew up in a tough neighborhood and he drank, swore and gambled his way through most of his adult life. He achieved financial and worldly success in his bakery distribution business.  After his conversion, LaVallee embraced the Catholic faith of his youth and felt God calling him to promote fasting.,... continue reading

Dynamic Women of the Bible: A Review

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Awesome, awesome book! When I received this book from the publisher, it was in a format that I could only read on my computer. Honestly, I blew off reading it for a month because the last thing I wanted to do was read a book on my computer. Three hundred pages? Staring at a computer screen? Please! Once I started, however, I had a hard time stopping. The writing was entertaining and engaging. I was easily able to read all 334 pages on my computer, and thankfully, you won’t have to. To read more of the review, including an unfortunate warning for Catholic readers, visit True Dignity of Women .

Gay and Catholic: A Review

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I, a straight married woman with a young child, learned something and got inspired by this book. I mention that right off the bat because I want to make it clear that you don’t have to be gay and Catholic to get this book. Gay and Catholic  written by well-known blogger  Eve Tushnet  in part chronicles her discovery of her sexuality and her conversion to the Catholic faith. This is not the majority of the book, but it sets the foundation for everything she says later on. She’s been there. She is one of a very few gay Catholics who openly talk about their struggles being faithful in a world that approaches chastity with suspicion or disdain... Read more of my review here at True Dignity of Women .

"Navigating the New Evangelization": A Book Review

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Father Raniero Cantalamessa's latest book "Navigating the New Evangelization"   provides a valuable addition to a growing body of books of the subject of evangelization in the church today. The book is a very readable compilation of teachings which Father Cantalamessa delivered to the Papal Household on the subject of evangelization during Advent 2010 and 2011. It would be a useful read not only for those who are directly involved in the work of the New Evangelization, but also for every Catholic who wishes to learn more about the history of evangelization in the church and how to respond to the current challenges facing the spread of the Gospel today - challenges faced by lay Catholics in the workplace, at backyard parties and among family members.   Read my full book review here:

Review - Something Other than God - 10 Reasons to Love Jennifer Fulwiler's New Book

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As I was reading Jennifer Fulwiler's new book,  Something Other Than God , I kept having the strangest feeling of deja vu...the feelings of satisfaction and gratification as I finished each chapter were so familiar to me. Then it hit me - the feelings I had from this book were very similar to the ones I experienced more than ten years ago when I read Scott and Kimberly Hahn's  Rome Sweet Home . In retrospect that seems very fitting, because in my opinion, Something Other Than God will probably bring as many conversions from atheists and agnostics looking for truth, as Rome Sweet Home did for Protestants in the 90s. There are 10 reasons I really loved this book.   Continue reading here - spoiler alert!  

Dad is Fat, and Other Big-Family Belly Laughs

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"You know what's funny? Catholicism!" proclaimed the  Washington Post  recently. More and more Catholic public figures cheerfully crack jokes as they evangelize, including stand-up comic Jim Gaffigan, Stephen Colbert of the Comedy Central television network, and even Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York. The new book  Dad is Fat , by Irish-American comedian Jim Gaffigan, is a perfect blend of hilarity and wisdom about parenting a large Catholic family. Gaffigan hides parenting advice amidst the jokes in the same way some moms try to hide pureed zucchini in their chocolate-chip cookie recipes -- and he's probably way more successful. Gaffigan says it best in his own words, so following is his advice on everything from home birth to bedtime. Enjoy! Read more here...

Diary of a Country Mother: a review

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Cindy Montanaro is a Secular Carmelite and former homeschooler. She is also the mother of Tim, a boy she and her husband adopted as an infant. Tim had Tourette Syndrome, phobias, and other mental health issues. In 2005 he died tragically. Their story was published recently by Roman Catholic Books. Dairy of a Country Mother --so named by Tim when no one dreamed he was soon to pass away--is a gem to share with any mother this May. "Five years ago today I picked up my pen and started a year-long journey of prayer, meditation, and writing. I envisioned an extended period of time in which to record, before memory failed me, all the little humorous and profound incidents that made up my son Tim's short life. " So begins this beautiful memoir of a boy who loved people. It is a story of the joy he brought to everyone he met. It is a record of his mother's faith and acceptance. It is an exploration of the meaning of Tim's life, which Cindy generously s

The Myth of Persecution

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Te Martyrum candidatus laudat exercitus .~ from the Te Deum When I wrote to Dr. Moss requesting her latest work The Myth of Persecution , I received a prompt and gracious reply assuring me of a copy. Dr. Moss hoped that I would not see the book as an attack upon the Church. I responded that I did not see the book as an attack on the Church and even if it was, the Church has been through worse. We have nothing to fear from the truth of history. After reading the book my reply is not altered. It is a well-written book with clear explanations indicative of a skilled teacher. However, I recommend Myth to others with reservations, since in spite of the genuine scholarship which Dr. Moss shares with us, there is a contemporary political slant given to the narrative which clouds the objectivity of how the historical evidence is presented. For instance, my cognitive processes are strained to envision St. Justin Martyr (pp. 109-112) and Glenn Beck (p. 250) as conf

"Cravings:" On Human Hunger and Being Wonderfully Made

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I'm going to go ahead and review Mary DeTourris Poust's latest book, Cravings: A Catholic Wrestles with Food, Self-Image and God, without having finished it. This is a wonderful book. This a book on the relationship of spirituality to food and the first, its publishers say, written from a Catholic perspective. Keep Reading...

Prayer in the Digital Age: a review

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  Matt Swaim's  Prayer in the Digital Age has some solid advice for users of digital media who want to improve their spiritual lives. At the same time, it gives a conflicting message about the importance of setting time aside daily to devote to mental prayer. Due to this significant shortcoming, I give the book 3 stars. Read the entire review .

New book review at Catholicfiction.net

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    I restrict book reviews on Contemplative Homeschool to those dealing with the spiritual life or home education. However, I volunteer to review Catholic fiction at Catholicfiction.net. My first review, on Rumer Godden's Five for Sorrow, Ten for Joy, is being featured today. Please click through to read it and support new Catholic publisher Tuscany Press. A cautionary note: Five for Sorrow, Ten for Joy deals with adult themes. Even the review is inappropriate for children. I also write reviews at Goodreads . I will slowly be adding reviews (as time permits) on many living books we use for homeschool. Look for recommendations to pair with specific Bible stories, virtue studies, or historical periods. I also review literature and non-fiction books for adults. Please join my circle of friends and share your favorite books with me as well!

Beg, borrow, or steal buy: Fire Within

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In this occasional series of posts, I recommend resources for you and your family in 100 words or le ss. More detailed reviews may come later. Read the review of Fire Within.