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)
• 1994: 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 Last Policeman by Ben Winters: Why Investigate a Murder If the World is Ending?

The Last Policeman by Ben H. Winters

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The date that everybody knows is October 3, six months and eleven days from today, when a 6.5-kilometer-diameter ball of carbon and silicates will collide with Earth.

Reading this book, I mused that perhaps all this science is not the best thing for us. Surely the dinosaurs were just living life as usual right up to the last moment before that meteor hit. I'd rather have that be the case than have horrific scenes of doom from outer space hanging over my head for months.

As one might predict, some people are led to religion, some are led to anarchy, and many are led to self destruction. Among the great majority simply trying to go on living their lives is homicide detective Hank Palace. When an obvious suicide scene seems a little off, he begins investigating.

What's the point of investigating a possible murder when the world is ending in a few months? Palace isn't able to answer that question easily but, as we see a few other focused, balanced individuals appear throughout this narrative, an answer does emerge.

"One thing we can learn from Shakespeare, Hen, is that every action has a motive."

I'm looking at him, holding this drooping sandwich bag full of ice to my bruised forehead.

"Do you see it, son? Anybody does anything, I don't care what it is, there's a reason for it. No action comes divorced from motive, neither in art nor in life."

"For heaven's sake, dear," says my mother, squatting before me peering into my pupils to eliminate the possibility of concussion. "A bully is a bully."

"Ah, yes," Father says, pats me on the head, wanders out of the kitchen. "But, wherefore doth he become a bully?"

This is a murder mystery, a novel of self discovery, a pre-apocalyptic scenario, and it works on all those levels. I read in one evening and, needless to say, I really enjoyed it. Certainly I was surprised by the solution, which is in the best tradition of murder mysteries.

This is the first of a trilogy and I'm looking forward to the second book.

Asian BBQ Chicken

This chicken couldn't be easier or more delicious. Check it out at Meanwhile, Back in the Kitchen.

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.

Julie and Scott take a quick swim to the deep end of the pool (where all the cool kids hang out) to talk theology.

We bring the big guns to A Good Story is Hard to Find when we discuss Jesus of Nazareth: From the Baptism in the Jordan to the Transfiguration by Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI).

Worth a Thousand Words: Careful Steps

Taken by Julie Kenward

Many thanks to Owen for reminding me yesterday of Julie Kenward's stellar photography. You wouldn't think I need to be reminded since we have been online buddies for some time. However, I have trouble enough with Facebook's newfangled timeline ... and then throw in something like an "album" and I'm lost.

However, I'll be stalking Julie in the future for these great photos. Thanks Jules!

The Church Building as a Sacred Place by Duncan G. Stroik

The Church Building as a Sacred Place: Beauty, Transcendence, and the Eternal by Duncan G. Stroik

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Maybe it's because I'm a convert from complete secularism. I just don't see what's supposed to be so great about the new-fangled churches that look like cracker boxes. Or like space ships. Or like a crumpled up piece of paper.

Let's just say it here and name the elephant in the room.

What is so great about an ugly church?

One of the things I did understand, whether secular or Catholic, was that our surroundings influence how we think and feel and act. And the point of a beautiful church is to help lift our souls to the point where that curtain between us and God might, just might, be opened for a moment of personal connection.

That was highlighted for me when I was in Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal. A young man in his early 20s was standing in the middle of the main aisle with tears running down his cheeks. His companion, a young woman, turned to him in alarm, "What's wrong." He suddenly looked slightly embarrassed, "Nothing. I'm just having a moment. I mean..." and he waved a hand around, "...all this just got to me."

Precisely.

A transcendent moment of connection with the Almighty facilitated by a sacred place.

That is what this collection of essays by architect Duncan G. Stroik is all about, the importance of letting beauty flower in our sacred spaces, in our churches.

The architecture of the sacred presents Christianity in a three-dimensional form: visually, tactilely, and sonorously in time. The sacred must come to us through all the senses, to surround us with intimations of what Abraham felt in front of the burning bush, King David in front of the ark, Mary with the angel Gabriel, and the disciples at the feet of Jesus and at the foot of his cross. The stone underfoot, the wood of our seats, the smells of incense and of beeswax, the smoothness of marble, the strength of the cast iron grillwork and rails, and the paint on the canvas—all help to create a sense of the sacred and prepare us for the taste of sacred bread and wine.

Stroik discusses the history of church architecture, the importance of various design principles including the altar as center of the church, and the result of modern thinking on church architecture. This modern thinking he decries, by the way, is not only the effect of Modernism style in architectural philosophy, but also the tendency to have gift shops, ask admission fees in famous churches, and to think in terms of auditorium features ("Can you hear me now?").

The essays are accompanied with photography of many gorgeous churches, both old and new, as well as some that makes one want to weep for those condemned to worship in such stark, ugly surroundings.

However, Stroik doesn't just discuss the failures in vision. He holds out hope for future church building and renovation. I found Ten Myths of Contemporary Sacred Architecture to be particularly eye opening on this front. By presenting what conventional wisdom as myths and showing where they go wrong, Stroik shows how consideration and care can easily restore beauty as a desirable feature for church architecture.

Obviously, I already was disposed to agree with Duncan Stroik's essays. However, it was a pleasure to see what I felt fleshed out in these essays and photographs. I am not the author's intended audience but the essays were easy to understand and I actually enjoyed them. There is a bit of repetition since some of them originally went to a variety of publications, but I found that all to the good in thoroughly grasping the main points.

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in this subject at all and particularly to anyone at all involved in Catholic church design, renovation, and building.

Quick Flicks - What We Watched Over the Weekend

It seemed like the right time for a few movies that allowed us enjoyment without having to think a lot. Mission accomplished.

Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter
I realized Tom hadn't seen Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, so that was a must. (My review here.) Tom liked it and I enjoyed the second viewing. Let's face it, Lincoln in that movie is a righteous man, swinging an awesome axe. Period. Also, there is something about Timur Bekmambetov's directing style that I could just watch all night.

Casa De Mi Padre
This movie is entirely in Spanish with subtitles. That alone tells us it is not quite Will Ferrell's usual fare. It is like a cross between a Spanish telenovela and an old fashioned B-movie Western (definitely B-movie). Those elements made me somewhat interested in the movie and when a coworker said it was just funny without being broad, I gave it a try.

Armando (Will Ferrell) is the good hearted, somewhat simple, son of a Mexican rancher. His brother, Raul, is an unsavory seeming character who lives in the city and brings his gorgeous girlfriend, Sonia, on his latest visit. Sonia is soon predictably torn between Armando's love of the land and Raul's money and influence.

There are also a local drug lord, American DEA agents, good-hearted vaqueros, scantily clad maids, and much more.

We really enjoyed this movie. It wasn't perfect, but neither was Blazing Saddles which is the closest equivalent I can think of. Anyone who has ever taken in part of a telenovela is going to recognize key elements of the movie. Also, there are just funny elements that anyone who has ever seen low budget television is going to understand. (Here, I am thinking of some of the painted backdrops and in particular one scene where Armando admiringly says to Sonia, "You ride well. That is a difficult horse." And they are clearly riding fake horses.)

Casa De Mi Padre is a perfect movie to kick off summer viewing. Light, amusing, and doesn't require you to run your brain at full speed.

Well Said: Freedom of Choice

From my quote journal.

I support freedom of choice. My choice is not to support abortion, except in cases of a clear-cut choice between the lives of the mother and child. A child conceived through incest or rape is innocent and deserves the right to be born.

Roger Ebert, How I Am a Roman Catholic

Worth a Thousand Words: Thrush Nightingale

Thrush Nightingale
taken by Remo Savisaar

Look at the way this little guy is singing his heart out. I have been hearing and seeing so many songbirds all over our neighborhood doing the exact same thing. Most specifically loud and insistent yesterday was a gorgeous cardinal who was staking out our yard as his own. (Click through to Remo's blog to see the photo full size.)

Happy Birthday, Dear Rose

Far from home, in exotic L.A. (where I'd like to be myself), Rose is still plugging away in the entertainment industry. Specifically, she's doing free lance editing for a company that produces promos for syndicated shows.

That means that she and Zoe (our Boxer who has become Rose's Boxer) are far from home on her 23rd birthday. She is planning to go again this year to Porto's Bakery (which I spoke of in our L.A. Diary) and select a decadent cake.

Perhaps the Parisian? (Devil’s food chocolate cake, layered and decorated with chocolate whipped cream. Finished with chocolate shavings.)

Or the Red Velvet Cake? I'm not crazy about red velvet cakes but look at those lovely rose petals on top. (Layers of red velvet cake and cream cheese filling. Finished with cream cheese icing. Decorated with red velvet crumbs and fresh rose petals.)

Or possibly the Checkers Cake? (Two layers of white sponge cake, layer of Bavarian cream, layer of chocolate mousse, finished with chocolate ganache.)

If memory serves, last year she chose a Chocolate Raspberry cake. Chocolate and raspberries is a combination Rose is passionately fond of.

I'd rather have her here and be making a cake (if memory serves, she prefers a Chocolate Buttermilk Layer Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting). It wouldn't be as pretty, but I bet the company would make up for it. I've sent gifts (fingers crossed they got there on time) and I can buy her cake, but I can't give her a hug.

So I miss Rose on her birthday but I hope it is a wonderful day for her. She will be celebrating with friends, one of whom shares a birthday with her.

They will be barbecuing and going to see The Great Gatsby. Rose loves Baz Luhrmann's movies and does not care much about the original F. Scott Fitzgerald movie. So from what I have read, she should have a wonderful time.

Happy Birthday, Rose!

Once a Spy by Keith Thomson

Once a Spy by Keith Thomson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I came across this thanks to Mystery Scene magazine where I have found many great recommendations.

Imagine a super spy managing to live long enough to develop Alzheimer's. What happens when he may inadvertently let slip some of the big secrets he knows?

Such is the premise of this really enjoyable book. Drummond Clark is the aging spy in question. His son Charlie is addicted to betting at the track and desperately trying to figure out how he's going to pay back a Russian mobster when his father turns up missing. All Charlie is trying to do is to return his father home and figure out which assisted living facility would be best, while skimming enough to pay his debts. However, repeated "coincidental" attempts on their lives send them on the lam for a simultaneously humorous and touching attempt to escape.

The scene at the beginning of the book when the father slips his leash of "company" monitors is a great example of the combination of unconscious trained stealth and Alzheimer's with which Charlie must deal for the remainder of the book. Along the way Charlie and his father spend time together, some lucidly and some not, in a way they never did before ... and Charlie discovers that his gambling career and natural talent combine unexpectedly to help keep them alive.

Worth a Thousand Words: Library Cat

Library Cat
by Belinda Del Pesco

The Man Behind "The Booth at the End"

We are latecomers to The Booth at the End but enthusiastic nonetheless. The premise is simple but pure story telling:

A mysterious Man sits at a booth at the end of a diner. People approach him because they've heard The Man has a gift. He can solve their problems: A parent with a sick child, a woman who wants to be prettier, a nun who has lost her faith. The Man can give these people what they want. For a price.

Read more about it at my link above.

For those who have seen it already, Joseph Susanka has a real treat which I can't believe I haven't mentioned until now.

He's been sharing his ongoing conversation with Christopher “C.K.” Kubasik, creator and writer of The Booth at the End. The entire thing is a delight for anyone who loves storytelling.

Just to give you a tiny taste, C.K. gives a lot of credit to his Catholic upbringing with his rich appreciation of story and symbolism. (He isn't Catholic now, just fyi.)

• Part I
• Part II
• Part III

With a fourth part promised! Thank you Joseph and C.K.!

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.

Grab Bag

All sorts of good info I haven't had a chance to mention until now.

This Just In: Strange Gods by Elizabeth Scalia

Yes. That Elizabeth Scalia. The Anchoress! The subtitle is: Unmasking the Idols in Everyday Life. So we can see this is a book we all probably need. I was lucky enough to read the first bit of it some time ago, for which I wrote a blurb that is in the front of the book. I love Elizabeth's writing anyway, but this is right on target for me.

I did notice when I was looking at the cover that the stained glass is made up of little icons of all the things that distract us, grab us, that we can't let go of ... in short that we let get between us and God. Nice concept. (And you may have noticed I don't pass around that praise lightly.)

The Knox Bible

You may recall that I was very, very (very) happy that Baronius Press reprinted Ronald Knox's translation of the Bible (my review here). This is a good time to mention that the Knox Bible has become the one sitting around various rooms of my house, ready to hand for my afternoon prayer. Or to compare a translation. Or to check the context around a snippet of Scripture quoted in a book. In other words, I like it a lot.

Baronius Press asked if I accept advertising. I don't. But for a product which I enjoy using so much and which has enriched my Catholic life so much, I am more than happy to run a banner absolutely free to remind everyone about it. Voila!

Strange Notions

Brandon Vogt's got some exciting news.

This morning I launched a major evangelistic project which I've been working on for two years.

It's called StrangeNotions and it's designed to be the central place of dialogue between Catholics and atheists. The implicit goal is to bring non-Catholics to faith, especially followers of the so-called New Atheism. As a 'digital Areopagus', the site includes intelligent articles, compelling video, and rich discussion throughout its comment boxes.

Go check it out: Strange Notions. He's got some heavy hitters collaborating on this and it looks promising.

Angels and Saints at Ephesus

The Benedictines of Mary, Queen of the Apostles just released their second album—Angels and Saints at Ephesus.

The sisters' second album, a year-round collection, will entertain and inspire, featuring 17 English and Latin pieces sung a cappella for the feasts of the holy saints and angels. Recorded once again at their Priory in the heartland of America, this new album is a dynamic yet pure fusion of their contemplative sound. The sisters call to mind the glory of the future vision of God in the company of all of His angels and saints.

Well Said: Don't Cry

From my quote journal.

Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened.

Dr. Seuss

A Perfect Mom Moment

We don't have a Publix but I'd shop at it if there was one nearby. Just on the strength of this ad. Beautiful.



Via The Anchoress.

Rose and I Are on SFFaudio This Week

I narrate Beside Still Waters by Robert Sheckley for Jesse at SFFaudio ... and then we follow up with a discussion in which Rose was included. Who knew so much could be packed into a short story?

Giveaway Winner - Norma Jean!

Norma Jean is the lucky winner of Blessed, Beautiful and Bodacious by Pat Gohn.

Congratulations, Norma! Contact me (julie [at] glyphnet [dot] com) with your address and I'll get your book in the mail.

Dappled Things: Ideas, Art, and Faith - New Issue Online

Bernardo Aparicio García drops me a line about the latest issue of Dappled Things:

Just wanted to let you know that the new DT is available online now. We've made a lot of goodness available for this issue: an interview with Ron Hansen, a really excellent essay on form in poetry that ends up being an insightful diagnosis of the post-modern condition, a historical fiction piece about St. Robert Southwell, SJ (might be particularly interesting to readers now that we have a Jesuit pope), and a mirror sonnet called "How to Rise From the Dead" (really do check that one out, the effect of the form, especially given the topic of the poem, is quite stunning).

He's not just a whistlin' Dixie, y'all. Check it out!

Scott struggles with the plow. Julie washes the floors. They both contemplate the work of art which is Of Gods and Men.

At A Good Story is Hard to Find podcast Scott and I discuss a "faith" movie.

What I'm Reading: Fire of Mercy, Heart of the Word

Fire of Mercy, Heart of the Word: Meditations on the Gospel According to Saint Matthew by Erasmo Leiva Merikakis


Yes it's 700 pages and only covers the first third of the Gospel of Matthew.

And your point is ...?

That I might not live long enough to finish all three books?

If I don't finish the 2,100 pages or so by then, hopefully I'll be in a place where God will fill me in on what I missed.

Actually I'd been circling around this book for several years. It took Will Duquette's enthusiasm to tip me over the edge.

Flipping through this doorstop, I came across a paragraph that stopped me in my tracks.

The Virgin Mary is called the [Greek words] (the "book of the Word of life") by the Greek Church. The book of the Gospel, the book of Christ's origins and life, can be written and proclaimed because God has first written his living Word in the living book of the Virgin's being, which she has offered to her Lord in all its purity and humility—the whiteness of a chaste, empty page. If the name of Mary does not often appear in the pages of the Gospel as evident participant in the action, it is because she is the human ground of humility and obedience upon which every letter of Christ's life is written. She is the Theotokos, too, in the sense that she is the book that bears, and is inscribed with, the Word of God. She keeps her silence that he might resonate the more plainly within her.

In fact, it almost knocked me out of my seat. So I'm reading these meditations, holding myself down to one per day. I must say that the author's translations are as inspiring as his meditations. There is a vivid sense of "action" that I just don't find when I try different translations to see the equivalent. It feels ... living ... alive ...

Full disclosure: I skipped the lengthy introduction, except for the parable about Aleph which rings loudly every time I see the Aleph after each meditation to remind us to leave space for God to enter in.

When I am craving yet another meditation, I'll begin working through the intro.

Worth a Thousand Words: Your WPA at Work

Your WPA at Work in Schenley Park
from Father Pitt

We see similar improvements around White Rock Lake all the time. I love the fact that they seem both dated and timeless, as the pictures at the original post show.

Cardinal Dolan Receives 2013 William Wilberforce Award

I am impressed both by Cardinal Dolan's speech and the group who honored him with the award.

The annual William Wilberforce Award is given to present its recipient as an example and model of the witness of real Christianity making a difference in the face of tough societal problems and injustices. It is named for the eighteenth-century British parliamentarian, whose impassioned, well-reasoned debates and writings helped end Britain’s slave trade and reform the corroding values of England. The example of Wilberforce and his friends sparked a sweeping spiritual movement throughout the country, which in turn transformed a variety of social ills.

In a similar vein, this award is presented both to encourage Christians to follow its recipient’s example and to demonstrate to the secular world the benefits of Christian influence in society.

The purpose of the award has never been to venerate, enrich, or magnify an individual, but—through lifting that person up as an example—to inspire others to action.

Hard Boiled Action Ensues ...

... with chapter 5 of The Mouse in the Mountain by Norbert Davis ... ready for your listening pleasure at Forgotten Classics.

Quick Flicks: What We've Been Watching

Erroll Garner
No One Can Hear You Read
(documentary)

Some of the best 53 minutes you'll ever spend on a documentary. This makes you appreciate Erroll Garner's jazz genius in improvising, communicating joy, and inspiring others. Little time is spent on his personal life, which may be just as well based on the few things his daughter said (which pretty much broke my heart). But I don't watch documentaries to find out whether musicians were kind to their daughters. I watch to find out why their music was brilliant or different. And this does that very, very well.

A Cat in Paris
(Animated • French • dubbed)

A charming animated film about a cat who spends her days with her little girl and her nights accompanying a cat burglar. The two plots come together when the little girl follows her cat one night. Kind of "That Darn Cat" for the French. If our girls were still small we'd have to buy this and it would be daily viewing.

I liked the animation style, the jazzy soundtrack, and especially the way they showed what was happening in pitch darkness.

Pixar Short Films Collection: Volume 2
(Animated shorts)

This collection features the short animated pieces that appear before every Pixar full-length movie. Unfortunately viewing them in sequence makes it obvious that the quality is very uneven. Some are simply brilliant like Night and Day and La Luna. Presto was a throwback to old style cartoons that was thoroughly enjoyable. Others are extensions, back story if you will, of lesser characters from Wall-E or Up, which are amusing enough for what they are.

The losers are the shorts that push Toy Story or Cars characters into situations which, frankly, don't have stories to justify being viewed. One wonders if this was when Disney was more in control because it certainly feels as if the viewers' intelligence weren't being taken into consideration.

I still recommend the collection if only to have Night and Day, La Luna, and Presto available. They demonstrate what respect for story and creativity can do.

Of Gods and Men

(French)

I watched this for discussion on A Good Story is Hard to Find podcast, which will air on May 2.

This is a rich, meditative film which shows a group of Trappist monks in Algeria who must choose between the practical, understandable choice to abandon their monastery when extremist Muslims terrorize the area ... or following a spiritual calling even when there seems to be no reason to do so. The monks are intertwined in the local Muslim community, but all are equally helpless in the face of the extremists. The monks' choices are not portrayed as heroic or sentimental but simply as human, as each man each must pray for guidance, consider his place in the area, and face what it means to fully live one's faith.

The Abbey by Chris Culver

The Abbey by Chris Culver

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Ever seen those books from the 1960s where one volume had two books, with one printed upside-down and back-to-back with the other?

That concept is why wound up with this book. I requested The Outsider from the Amazon Vine program. I found ... lucky me! ... that the publisher had the first book in the series upside-down and backed up to it. Turns out The Abbey was a huge seller as an ebook and is now coming out in print.

I may not have been a very good Muslim, but my religion called me to seek and foster justice. It’s a divine edict as stringent as any command in any faith. Nobody gets a pass, least of all somebody who hurt my niece.

I was intrigued by the protagonist being an American Muslim police detective but the story itself was pretty interesting. Detective Sergeant Ashraf Rashid hasn't worked homicide in a long time but his niece is murdered and he asks his ex-partner to let him look into it. Ash knows his niece wasn't a drug user so when the coroner calls it an overdose, he turns up the heat. A string of deaths, pressure to stop investigating, and anonymous threats to his family add to Ash's problems. The plot goes into overdrive and is somewhat overblown by the end, but I forgave it because I was unwilling to stop reading and flipping pages ever faster. I read it in one evening ... the author clearly hooked me.

What made the story stand out was Ash himself. He rationalizes his drinking despite the fact that he shouldn't as a practicing Muslim. Heck, he rationalizes drinking as a husband when he rinses with mouthwash before going home, and as a cop, which we see when he's busted while driving. Clearly Ash is struggling with his profession.

What really fascinated me were the threads of faith woven throughout ... as it defines Ash's identity, as it is seen within his family, and how it is practiced in everyday American life (he can’t go to a certain diner for pancakes because they are cooked on the same griddle with bacon). These points aren't dwelt upon but are just ever-present in his life, just as my Catholicism is for me (I couldn't have eaten that bacon on a Friday). That made Ash into a much more developed character than we'd have seen otherwise and lifted the book above the common.

Overall it was an enjoyable book and I'm glad to have the sequel, The Outsider, as close as flipping the book over and opening the "back" cover.

Book Review: Becoming a Great Godparent

Becoming a Great Godparent: Everything a Catholic Needs to Know by Paraclete Press

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

"I do have one godparent who has really been supportive of me my whole life. She has pushed me to become a better version of myself, and has supported me in the difficult decisions I've had to make. She treats me like I know she would treat her own kids."

=======

"Sadly, none of my godparents have really had an impact on my life. Two of them were involved with me early on, but I haven't spoken to them for years. The other two haven't really had an influence on my life at all."

These are among the responses from teenagers about their godparents which begin Becoming a Great Godparent. For me they are the whole point of this book and the reason both my husband and I read it with such interest. I long to be the first sort of godparent and have a terrible dread I will end up as the last sort. Certainly I am haunted by that last statement which drifts through my mind when I ponder how to be involved with our new godchild, Magdalena.

This handy little book is easy, quick read and offers excellent, simple advice for those who have been honored by being asked to help with a child's spiritual formation. It tells what godparents should do, gives ideas on how to stay close, has a very brief history, and answers commonly asked questions.

In short, this book is just what a new godparent needs to help them get off on the right foot and stay the course. Highly recommended.

Note: I received a review copy from the publisher. Would've loved it even if I'd have bought it for myself.

Weekend Joke

This is an old one but it made me laugh when I came across it today ... so let's have it again!

Thanks to Doug Savage for letting me share this. See more at Savage Chickens.

Ten Things to Do Instead of Wallowing

Has life ... or the economy or politics or the state of the world ... got you down?

After a while, reading the headlines stops informing you and starts deflating you. You think you're filling your brain with information so you can be spurred to action, but you're really just filling your heart with despair until you feel like there's no point in even trying to act.

We can't control most of those things. Simcha Fisher has a list of things you can do "What can you do right now, when you're sitting in your kitchen..."

I share it because in the last six months or so I have taken to doing about half the things Simcha shares on her list for the same reason. And I've begun pushing them on people.

The one I've found most helpful in my own life? Turning off the news and computer. It really allows you to reclaim your real life instead of the artificial one being poured out of every media outlet.

The one I hadn't thought of but am now thinking about? Writing an actual letter.

The thing I'd add? Read a book. Adventure, romance, history, mystery. There is something out there that will whisk you away to another world or give you a balanced perspective or ... maybe both at once1

Thank you Simcha for writing the post that has been in the back of my mind for a while now!

In which our heroes finally get to Los Altos and we see Doan in action.

Another exciting chapter of The Mouse in the Mountain is ready for your listening pleasure at Forgotten Classics.

An Absolutely Spiffing Review of Stranger in a Strange Land

I've gotten into a wonderful conversation over at the Catholic Writers' Guild blog. It goes on in the comments box of whatever book review I've posted lately, but carries on the same conversation.

Don has begun dipping into Robert Heinlein's writing and his comment is a really wonderful review of Stranger in a Strange Land. It is insightful and ties together with my review of Save, Send, Delete in a way that is really right but never would have occurred to me.

Now he's found a cordial nook of the library thanks to a librarian who is delighted to have a fellow science fiction fan. When that happens can Terry Pratchett books be far behind? Of course not!

This is why we do it, people. The blogging and reviewing and such. Because the friends we make are so much fun.

Go read it.

Cats of the Day

Via Jeremy Schwab at Catholic Addicts on Facebook

Middlemarch by George Eliot

Middlemarch: A Study of Provincial Life by George Eliot

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This was highly recommended by everybody, including Rose, so it went on my 2013 Goals Reading List.

What do we live for, if it is not to make life less difficult to each other?

This is a gentle tale of many courtships and marriages, of the relationships in community (as we can tell from the subtitle "A Study of Provincial Life"), and above all of how our actions affect others.

People glorify all sorts of bravery except the bravery they might show on behalf of their nearest neighbors.

At about page 600 the story threads suddenly intertwined at a highly accelerated pace and I was fraught with anxiety for Mr. Bulstrode, then for Dr. Lydgate, and at last realized how much Dorothea's suffering had matured her. It made for a highly satisfying ending which was capped by Eliot's final summing up of everyone's lives.

People are almost always better than their neighbors think they are.

Throughout Eliot, as omniscient narrator, drops gentle observation appropriate to the story which are also appropriate to our lives in general.

Blameless people are always the most exasperating.

I cannot possibly share enough of them, or the plot in general, to do this book justice. I see that I also have forgotten until now to mention the humor running throughout the book. Perhaps that is what captured me first of all. George Eliot has a fine sense of irony and an even finer way of bringing it to our attention. You must simply try it for yourself.

Well Said: What we live for

From my quote journal.

What do we live for, if it is not to make life less difficult to each other?

George Eliot, Middlemarch

Weekend Joke: Cowboys

Three cowboys are sitting around a campfire, out on a lonesome Texas prarie, each with the bravado for which cowboys are famous. A night of tall tales begins.

The first one says, "I must be the meanest, toughest cowboy there is. Why, just the other day a bull got loose in the corral and gored six men before I wrestled it to the ground by the horns with my bare hands."

The second cowboy can't stand to be bested. "Why that's nothing. I was walking down the trail yesterday and a fifteen-foot rattlesnake slid out from under a rock and made a move for me. I grabbed that snake with my bare hands, bit its head off and sucked the poison down in one gulp. And I'm still here today."

The third cowboy remained silent, silently stirring the coals with his hands.

"The whole country is watching you, they just don't know it."

Lester Siegel: Okay, you got 6 people hiding out in a town of what, 4 million people, all of whom chant "death to America" all the livelong day. You want to set up a movie in a week. You want to lie to Hollywood, a town where everybody lies for a living. Then you're gonna sneak 007 over here into a country that wants CIA blood on their breakfast cereal, and you're gonna walk the Brady Bunch out of the most watched city in the world.

Tony Mendez: Past about a hundred militia at the airport. That's right.

Lester Siegel: Right. Look, I gotta tell you. We did suicide missions in the army that had better odds than this.

Fascinating story, excellent acting and directing, and above all a sense of history which seemed spot on. Although I knew the outcome, I was still in suspense up to the last moments of the escape.

As someone who was in college when the Iranians took the American embassy workers hostage, I was suddenly mentally right back in that time as the shots of the mob and protests were shown. It was like watching the news every night all over again.

I was impressed not only by the quality of the acting but by the script which didn't have much time to tell everybody's story but which gave us enough to make us understand and care. Perhaps one of my favorite characters was the Iranian cultural official who was giving a tour of the bazaar. He was obviously just a normal person, excited to be connected with a movie, who had his own idea of what would make a good flick. The way that normal characters like that were interspersed with the fanatical revolutionaries was a nice touch to remind us that amongst the chaos there were regular people trying to live under trying circumstances.

This movie deserved every award it received.

Julie and Scott did NOT switch bodies for this podcast ...

... Night Watch, urban fantasy straight from Russia, is the book we're discussing at A Good Story is Hard to Find podcast.

The Big Book of Ghost Stories by Otto Penzler

The Big Book of Ghost Stories by Otto Penzler

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a treat for myself after getting a free lance writing job. I read the entire book over a long period of time by opening it at random to one of these short stories. There are classics (The Monkey's Paw; Oh, Whistle and I'll Come to You My Lad) and stories from much more modern authors like Donald Westlake, Isaac Asimov, Chet Williamson, and Andrew Klavan. There are so many stories in this "big book" that it took me some time to finish, especially at the meandering, leisurely pace I favor for short story collections. I really enjoyed it because I rarely came across a story I didn't like. I also really enjoyed Otto Penzler's introduction to each of the authors. He gave a good idea of what their overall work was like without giving away the story itself.

My only quarrel is with the categories in the table of contents that tend to give away the surprise for too many of the stories simply by playing on the twist. That actually was the reason for just opening the book and reading the story I found there so that I kept the element of surprise as long as the author's skill allowed.

Kudos to the publisher, Black Lizard, for their production values ... the cover is not only atmospheric because of the vintage image, it is also sturdy. The paper for the pages is lower quality, as one would expect, but the binding is such that you can tell it will hold together no matter how many times that book flops open. The binding also allows the book to lie flat on a surface which is a definite advantage considering the size. And the print is a pleasing size, not the gigantic type which too many modern publishers use to either pad out pages or pander to older eyes.

Everybody Loves ... Kostya

Review: Exporting Raymond (documentary)

Phil Rosenthal created hit television show Everybody Loves Raymond. When the Russians called, wanting his input in creating a Russian version (Everybody Loves Kostya), he gets on a plane and finds ... a whole new sort of comedy. Are families and comedy the same everywhere? How does one navigate the Russian entertainment business? Can he keep the heart and soul of the American show while translating it to a different culture?

While Phil Rosenthal answers these questions, we see where a lot of the humor of the television show came from. He's quick with comic insights to everyday life that sound remarkably similar to those we see in clips of the show. As we follow his efforts, we get a new look at Russia, one that makes us feel remarkably at home in some cases.

Above all this made me want to rewatch Everybody Loves Raymond.

Well Said: Thanks be to Thee, my Lord Jesus Christ

Recorded at his deathbed. This, to me, seems to be the perfect daily prayer. You may know it as the simplified song from Godspell.

Thanks be to Thee, my Lord Jesus Christ
For all the benefits Thou hast given me,
For all the pains and insults Thou hast borne for me.
O most merciful Redeemer, friend and brother,
May I know Thee more clearly,
Love Thee more dearly,
Follow Thee more nearly.

St. Richard of Chichester

Free Book! One Day Only!

Free book! One day only

Posted by Lars Walker @ 7:52 pm EDT
Filed under: Bookselling

In our infinite benevolence and generosity, Ori and I are making my new e-book, Hailstone Mountain, available for free download on Tuesday, April 16.

One day only! Act now! Unless it's not Tuesday yet. Or it's Wednesday.

Free on Tuesday. That's the deal. Tell your friends.

Lars from Brandywine Books speaks and I listen. (And get my free book.) I've always meant to read one of his books and now the price is right. 

Ok, you saw it here ... I told my friends. Go get it!

The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins

The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I've never been that interested in this book or anything by Wilkie Collins for that matter. Collins had that stigma (for me) of having written "classics" and "the first detective novel." Which just killed any interest I'd ever have had because classics and "first ever" books are musty, boring, and stale, right?

I know that isn't true, but I still have a hard time shaking that idea.

However, when B.J. Harrison, narrator extraordinaire of The Classic Tales Podcast offered the first five hours of this book as a free sample I couldn't resist. I soon gave in and ordered the entire books. I was hooked in just a few chapters.

I really didn't expect Gabriel Betteredge, the first narrator, to be so funny. He spends his spare time reading and rereading Robinson Crusoe which is his ultimate guide to any tricky decision he must make.

The second narrator is equally hilarious, a maiden aunt whose dedication to the Christian cause is such that she spends a considerable amount of time hiding religious tracts in people's homes to trick them into reading them. I actually laughed out loud at some of the tract names. Now that I think of it, I knew that Collins and Charles Dickens were good friends and I suppose I should have expected a good sense of the ridiculous.

Not every narrator is humorous but the characterization is strong for everyone. Rachel Verinder's outburst to Franklin Blake toward the end of the book made me applaud her strong common sense while I sympathized with her situation. I was moved to pity by Ezra Jennings' plight and delighted in Sergeant Cuff's penchant for roses.

Harrison's reading emphasized humor without being over the top and pointed out the pathos without being maudlin. His reading was the key to my thorough enjoyment of this Victorian tale complete with a family feud, a cursed diamond, three untrustworthy Indian jugglers, and a small boy nicknamed Gooseberry.

The ending was of its time and incredible by today's standards, but I was on tenterhooks as each revelation was made. In fact, I put off listening to a brand new book in a series I love so that I could get to the end of this mystery.

Harrison is offering the entire book for $5 which is an amazing bargain. I'm sure how long that offer will stand so if you're interested check out the link above.

Jeff Miller's review of Save Send Delete

Here it is ... he liked it just as much as I did.

The often long emails that take so many divergent paths are a wonder to read. They are so funny, pointed, and filled with the realities of life. Political correctness has not only taken a vacation, but I think had run away in alarm.

And, I'll just say it here, I'm a book stalker of Jeff's. So it evens out.

In which there are shady doings in Los Altos while the bus passengers are still on the road.

Chapters 2 and 3 of The Mouse in the Mountain by Norbert Davis at Forgotten Classics.

The Brits and the Yanks ... We Just Don't Get Each Other

Here are 10 American Habits Brits Will Never Understand.
(I'm just sayin', y'all never got corn stuck in your teeth? Floss matters, people!)

And, the corresponding 10 British Habits Americans Will Never Understand
(After watching Doctor Who, I see that grabbing a cuppa tea in an emergency is more practical than you might think.)

Via Brandywine Books.

Well Said: True Interpreters of Scripture

From my quote journal.

The saints are the true interpreters of Holy Scripture. The meanings of a given passage of the Bible becomes most intelligible in those human beings who have been totally transfixed by it and have lived it out. Interpretation of Scripture can never be a purely academic affair, and it cannot be relegated to the purely historical. Scripture is full of potential for the future, a potential that can be opened up when someone "lives through" and "suffers through" the sacred text.

Joseph Ratzinger, Jesus of Nazareth: 

From the Baptism in the Jordan

to the Transfiguration

Well Said: Solemnity and Bacon

From my quote journal, originally from Jennifer Fitz who gives a recipe to go with it.

Nothing says “solemnity” like bacon on a Friday.

Jennifer Fitz

Of course, you've got to be of the "no meat on Fridays crowd for this to really hit home ... or to even be comprehendible.

The Bones of the Old Ones by Howard Andrew Jones

The Bones of the Old Ones by Howard Andrew Jones

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is the highly enjoyable sequel to the excellent Desert of Souls (my review here). I really enjoyed it and if Goodreads allowed half-stars the rating would 4.5.

Asim and Dabir are pulled into adventure when a young woman (Najya) begs them for help escaping kidnappers. The kidnappers have some very strange powers and the young woman seems to have been put under a spell. Investigating how the spell and how to shake the kidnappers propel our heroes into realms resplendent with sorcery, old gods, giant battles, and much more. And there's a flying carpet. That made me very happy.

If someone crossed The Arabian Nights with Robert E. Howard, you'd have Bones of the Old. Asim is a captain of the guard. Dabir is a knowledgable scholar. The classic mixture of brawn and brains are well paired again as the two friends encounter old enemies and solve puzzles from mythical times while traveling through the ancient Arabian desert, albeit one covered with snow.

It is a well-told adventure that I read in 24-hours. It was more of a straight-forward rescue tale than Desert of Souls and, for that reason, I docked it a half star. But that half star is a small one.

I wish these were available as audio books because they are right down SFFaudio's alley and I'd love to have a read along about them. (hint, hint)

However, for those of us who don't mind actual reading, my advice is to get both books and waste no time in jumping feet-first into adventure.

A Super Fantastic Review of Happy Catholic (the book)

"I am suddenly nostalgic for the good old days," Davis remarks, "when you could smoke a cigarette, have a burger, or sip a cocktail without fear of getting a dirty look." What's that got to do with Catholicism, you ask? Davis doesn't hammer her point home in this essay, or in any of the others. She sketches out the main points, and leaves it to the reader to fill in the blanks, to connect the dots. In this essay, she is commenting on British jockey and crime writer Dick Francis' observation that in America, people think that one can fend off death indefinitely by jogging or adopting other healthy habits.

Davis could have produced a thousand-word essay supporting her points with exacting details; she doesn't. Her comments are trenchant and brief, as if you were seated next to a very witty and provocative dinner companion. Americans worship health and equate death with guilt, she remarks. It's almost like we've turned healthy living into a secular religion. And then you realize, oh, that's right. I'm reading a book by a Catholic about being Catholic. You put two plus two together, and before you realize it, you are asking big questions and thinking profound thoughts. You didn't need the thousand-word essay. You just needed a few inspirational bon mots from this erudite, sophisticated, literate Catholic woman.

Danusha Goska, author of Save Send Delete, has a review of Happy Catholic that knocked my socks off! Didja see that? Bon mots. Erudite. She said it, folks, not me. Though it did make me very, very (very) happy.

Danusha's review is generous and kind and ... I'm going to go read it again another time or two (or three). If you are interested I urge you to do the same because what is given above is a mere taste.

Thank you Danusha!

This Just In: Selfless: The Story of Sr. Theophane's Missionary Life in the Jungles of Papua New Guinea

Selfless: The Story of Sr. Theophane's Missionary Life in the Jungles of Papua New Guinea by Reida Immolata

This was a surprise review book that showed up on my doorstep via UPS last night. The cover and photos inside remind me of Story of a Soul (St. Therese of Lisieux's autobiography). This is not an autobiography but is written so far in the same sweet, gentle style of the early-middle 1900s.

I'm still on Sr. Theophane's (Inez's) youth but that little tomboy's earnestness and devotion is getting to me. It probably helps that this is reminding me somewhat of Cheaper by the Dozen in the New York state setting and time period.

I look at this woman's life spent giving to others for love of Christ (the overview makes that clear although I am not far into her actual life). Then I look at the people spending so much time and energy blabbing about changing things to their own tastes (ordaining women priests and suchlike) ... things which they do not have the power to change, for one thing, so they are doing nothing but raising acrimonious feelings on both sides.

It makes me think that if we stopped talking and began doing, giving, serving the less fortunate all around us, how much better the world would be. And our own souls. And, hopefully, the souls of those around us.

It may be that the life of this little anonymous missionary is a true message for our times much along the lines of that of the more famous Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta.

Just a train of thought that this book began in me as I was washing dishes, musing over the book ...

Bleg: A Good Book About Catholicism and End-of-Life Issues?

A pal of mine is in the medical profession, just entered the Church, and was asking about a good book to read for end-of-life issues.

Any suggestions are welcome.

Thank you!

The Universe Within by Neil Shubin

The Universe Within: A Scientific Adventure by Neil Shubin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

All the galaxies in the cosmos, like every creature on the planet, and every atom, molecule, and body on Earth are deeply connected. That connection begins at a single point 13.7 billion years ago.

This book takes a big scientific fact and then links it back to life on Earth and our lives specifically. For example, the Big Bang created particles that exist on Earth and in living creatures today (including us). Along the way he tells the stories of scientists whose "wacky theories" just happened to be right and what happened in the process of proving them. Those personal stories, along with Shubin's own scientific exploration which is interspersed throughout the chapters, bring the science to a personal level and keep the reader engaged.

I particularly enjoyed the fact that Shubin celebrates the science and connections without imposing any philosophical opinions on us. I have seen some complaining about his lack of concern about climate change and it was then that I realized how refreshing it was to just get the facts without the author's personal opinion as well.

The book is only 240 pages so clearly it is an overview, but it is one with just enough details for those who, like me, have just a smattering of scientific knowledge.

Note: I received this review copy from the Amazon Vine program.

Eternal rest grant unto Roger Ebert, O Lord.

I was instructed long ago by a wise editor, "If you understand something you can explain it so that almost anyone can understand it. If you don't, you won't be able to understand your own explanation." That is why 90% of academic film theory is bullshit. Jargon is the last refuge of the scoundrel.

Roger Ebert blog entry, Nov. 10, 2008

Roger Ebert lived by those words, eschewing jargon with a vengeance. He wound up becoming an American icon. I was surprised that I became a bit weepy when hearing the news. He'd had cancer since 2006 and I recall thinking just recently about what a good run he'd given it all this time, still reviewing movies and weighing in on his blog about whatever caught his interest.

It was on his blog that he recently wrote about being a Catholic in every way except that of belief in God. I pray for his soul and hope that at that last moment of choice, he chose wisely and clasped the hand extended to him from Heaven.

Eternal rest grant unto Roger Ebert, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

April 8th HHS Contraceptive Mandate Comment Period Closes

Go here to leave a comment.

Many thanks to Jen Fitz for reminding me of this. I read her comments and used the first line to launch off on my own.

Do you believe that mentally competent, grown women are capable of making their own purchases? I do. If you don't take all my income with taxes, I'll be able to do so very nicely, thank you.

I can also pick my own health insurance. (It's a shock I know, but try to bear up under it.)

I don't need the government to patronize me in the process. Oops, too late.

In which Doan and Carstairs board the bus to Los Altos and meet their fellow passengers.

Doan and Carstairs are back in The Mouse in the Mountain which sees our hard-boiled duo on the beginning of a Mexican vacation. Hear it at Forgotten Classics.

Now sweded for your viewing listening pleasure ...

... and because all the tapes got erased somehow.  Julie and Scott talk about Be Kind Rewind on A Good Story is Hard to Find podcast.

What I'm Reading: Extinction Machine (Joe Ledger #5) by Jonathan Maberry

Extinction Machine by Jonathan Maberry

Joe's back.

Pulled off vacation, Joe Ledger is knocking on research lab doors with Top and Bunny, looking into cyber-attacks so clever they can't be tracked back to anyone. But no one's answering, even though all the lights are on. Until a couple of men in black, who seem strangely inhuman, step onto the loading dock.

And mayhem ensues.

Yep.

Joe's back.

Sorry Moonstone. Sorry Jane Eyre. Sorry Middlemarch. Sorry stack of audiobooks that I just got in the mail. You're sweet and ... uh ... we'll always be good friends. But I've got to go.

I've got a date.

Joe's back.

And I've got to slip into my slinkiest pair of earbuds.

(Review copy from Audible, via SFFaudio.)

- Patient Zero (#1)
- Dragon Factory, The (#2)
- King of Plagues, The (#3)
- Assassin's Code (#4)

Reviews of the Pope's Performance

Dr. Boli hits the nail on the head (as always).

Save Send Delete by Danusha Goska

Save Send Delete by Danusha Goska

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I became excited when Moyers identified you as a skeptic who questions everything. I actually put down my fork and stopped chewing my pasta fazool. I question everything, and I find that makes me very lonely. If you want to talk about Islam and terror, for example, you know that the Politically Correct, self-identitied "Patiots" won't allow any critical statements about US petro-dependency. Abortion, euthanasia, gay marriage: people bring so many agendas to these matters that real, probing questions are never asked or answered. But you were as dogmatic in your atheism as a Monty Python parody of a pope.

One night after watching a celebrity atheist on a talk show, devout Catholic Mira does the unthinkable. She sends him a long, forceful, clever email that she knows will never get past his secretary. Except that he answers. And he won't let her off the hook with a polite apology.

We see only Mira's side of the correspondence, which soon pulls us into her life, their growing friendship, and doesn't let anyone off the hook in considering faith, love, and what it means to be human. "Save Send Delete" refers to what Mira chooses to do after she's written each email we've read. I was delighted by the way this clever device let us see not only Mira's actual email but her inner thoughts as she hesitated or deleted what she'd written.

Monday 1:20 a.m.
Rand! Good grief, I see that you've written back already. I can't read that right now.

I was drifting off to sleep and I remembered. In my first e-mail to you I called you a "git" and a "wanker." And here I am chastising you for stereotyping me.

But that was so long ago Rand, and we are different people now, and we're doing something different here, aren't we? And it hurts when you refuse to see me.

SAVE send delete

Monday 1:34 a.m.

save SEND delete

I cannot possibly do this book justice. But, of course, you know that's not going to stop me from trying.

The book is a thinly fictionalized version of what really happened to author Danusha Goska. However, don't let that give you pause. It is a finely crafted work of literature, no matter the origin of the ideas conveyed.

It is going on my 2013 Best Books list.

I was really excited reading the first half of the book because I related to the conversations. I've been blogging long enough to have had many long email exchanges about faith or lack thereof. I was cheering in Mira's section as she said all the things that intelligent Christians know and sometimes would like to hurl at unthinking atheists smugly giving knee-jerk answers. (And know this now, there are as many unthinking, knee-jerk atheists out there as there are unthinking, knee-jerk Christians. No group is exempt from this.)

Mira makes her points respectfully, with credit given where it is due, but she doesn't back down. She is adamant about truth being shown and acknowledged by all sides. And, of course, that's another thing I loved about this book. Truth, honesty ... those are hard qualities to come by.

Watching Mira struggle to keep conversations honest was fascinating and taught me some valuable lessons. I want to stress here, that this book is not just for Christians. Both Goodreads and Amazon contain 5-star reviews from all sorts of believers and doubters. All praise Danusha Goska's writing and thinking in this book.

The second part of the book changes in tone as Mira and Rand grow closer and more honest with each other. It becomes less about intellectual answers and more about real life, about finding God or meaning in life when times are hard. This was when the spotlight turned on me and it wasn't comfortable.

It is not that I pulled back or wasn't engaged with the book. It was as if I were reading that other very different yet also great book, The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom, which this section of the book made me think of for some reason. Mira's life has been hard and it made me realize how very fortunate my own life is. I always know my life is fortunate, but there is a tendency to think one's life is more difficult than it actually is. When one comes up against real hardship, it holds up the mirror, shakes us up (just as the prophets were sent to shake the people up), and gives the corrected perspective so that one may continue. This tendency is actually discussed very compassionately by Mira in a section about house-sitting for a professor.

I couldn't put the book down, as Mira and Rand's story propelled me forward.I spent a good deal of time pondering my actions versus mere lip service (none of us are exempt from our unthinking, knee-jerk moments, remember?). And that's a good thing.

Ultimately, the core message of Save Send Delete is one we all understand. We want to be seen, to be heard, to be known for who we really are, deep down. It is that which we hope and strive for from friends, family, loved ones. The lack of being known devastates us when we have trusted someone deeply enough to allow ourselves to become vulnerable. That is the ultimate betrayal.

What Christians find in God, in Jesus Christ, is that he knows us, in a way we don't even know ourselves. And when He breaks through so that we can recognize it, we are stunned and overwhelmed.

That is why words are so inadequate.

Usually.

Danusha Goska's words ... her original, insightful story ... is up to the task.

Do not miss this book.

NOTE: There is some bad language. Just skim over it if that's a problem.

DVD Review: Understanding Sunday Mass: A Kid's Point of View

A review from Scott Danielson. I have to say this looks like a good resource.


What a great idea this movie is. Understanding Sunday Mass: A Kid's Point of View's goal is to teach young people the mass, and it unconditionally succeeds at being both entertaining and informative.

The film opens with a scene we see nearly every Sunday. A family, including two kids, are attending mass. We see dramatic eye-rolling sighs of the kids as they prepare to tolerate another hour in church. "I confess, to Almighty God," says the priest as their eyes wander around the church, trying to find something to help them pass the time… but then everyone and everything freezes. Father Jerry, with his magic remote control, appears from the back of the church, and spends the rest of the time explaining the mass to the two kids while using the remote to fast forward or reverse.

What's an "ambo"? A "chasuble"? What does "Liturgy of the Word" mean? How about "Liturgy of the Eucharist"? Father Jerry explains it all.

In today's world, as catechists compete with movies, TV, YouTube, and a host of other shiny objects for the attention of students, it's wonderful to have this effective and entertaining film that was created by people who clearly understand that engaging the imagination is a terrific way to educate.

You can find all the information you need about this DVD at http://www.sundaymass4kids.com.