Jellybean: A Baby’s Journey to God Theoni and Bastian Bell Bernadette Gockowski (Illustrator) Holy Heroes ISBN 9781959418160 A few years ago I read the novel The Woman in the Trees by Theoni and was greatly impressed by it. My own children are well past the age of picture books, so it has been a few years since I have reviewed one. I chose to read and review this one because of the author and the subject covered, though it is not an easy topic. I have known a number of friends who have been through this process at various stages of pregnancy. This volume handles the subject well, with sensi ..read more

Kapaun's Battle Jeff Gress Ian Gorman Faye Walker 3rd Coast Books ISBN 9781946743480 eISBN 9781946743503 ASIN B09BCGVLHT I have very mixed feelings about this book. I have read much about Father Emil Kapaun, watched some stuff about him, and have a deep personal devotion to him. My son who at this point wants to be a military chaplain also has a devotion to Kapaun.  The description of this volume: “Kapaun's Battle is a powerful testament to the heroism of US Army Chaplain Emil Kapaun (Medal of Honor). The story follows him, from the start of the Korean War until his death as a Prison ..read more

Raven The Carter Files Book 2 Lori Janeski Tuscany Bay Books ISBN 9798879044201 ISBN 9798879044362 ASIN B0CTMFSD4K Wow! I loved the first volume in this series, and this second offering took it to a whole new level. For a sophomore offering it is an incredible read! I absolutely love this book and series! I picked this up book one, Phoenix, three reasons. First author Declan Finn recommended it, and having read all of his books except one series currently out of print, I needed another read. Second I have been impressed by everything I have read from Tuscany Bay Books to date. And th ..read more

Dusklight Raven Mistcreek Book 2 N.R. LaPoint Mistcreek Publishing ISBN 9798520154136 ISBN 9798884957008 ASIN B097N5VFCY This is the sixth novel and seventh story I have read by LaPoint. With each I am more impressed with his style, skills, and range. I had not read the description before picking this up. I picked up all his available books wile in the middle of reading a previous story. I loved the first book in this series, Chalk, and this one took the action, adventure and horror to a whole new level.  The description of this volume is: “Raven Mistcreek was hoping for a p ..read more

Untroubled by the Unknown: Trusting God in Every Moment  Sunday Homilies with Fr Mike Schmitz Collection Fr. Mike Schmitz Ascension Press ISBN 9781954882027 eISBN 9781954882034 ASIN B0CLWK644R This is the fourth of 6 volumes currently available in the ‘Sunday Homilies with Fr Mike Schmitz Collection’, that I have read, and it an excellent resource! Over the last several years I have read and listened to a lot of Father Mike Schmitz’s offerings. This is one of 6 volumes of Homilies that have been released by ascension press. The first four volumes seem to have had eBook relea ..read more

Seeing Red T.M. Doran Ignatius Press ISBN 9781621646396 eISBN 9781642292787 ASIN B0CWR6CHBT This is the fifth volume I have read from T.M. Doran the first three were in the Toward the Gleam series, the second was Iota, that was very different volume. And this one is very different from both of them. Much of this story is dark and it is often disturbing. From very early on I had a clear idea where the story was going. And I could just not put it down. The description of the book is: “This book is a thriller set in an alternate America both familiar and unfamiliar—a darkening society in ..read more

Mary MacKillop: Australia's First Saint 15-Minute Books 623 Jeannie Meekins Learning Island eISBN 9781310884344 ASIN B00HOXDRIS This was the first volume I have read by Jeannie Meekins. According to amazon she has over 120 unique titles geared for young readers. Many are biographies, some are in a Fun Facts Series, and other appear to be short fiction. This one was recommended I believe because I had already read two volumes on Mary MacKillop. This is part of a series tagged as 15-Minute Books, which are geared to get children reading for 15 minu8tes a day.  The description of this vo ..read more

Manalive! G.K. Chesterton Ignatius Press ISBN 9781586174798 eISBN 9781681493237 ASIN B015P7CQLS While reading this I often thought ‘what in the world am I reading?’ I did not know anything about the book before starting to read it. And to be honest I almost gave up on it a few times, and came close to dropping it on the ‘ did not finish’ pile. But I know several people who are big Chesterton fans and members of the Chesterton Society. SO I knew there had to be something I was not getting. Prior to reading this I had read 1 short story, and a few books about Chesterton, and even a fictional ..read more

Charity In Truth Encyclicals & Exhortations of Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI Ignatius Press ISBN 9781586172800 eISBN 9781681490687 ASIN B002GPGZ7O Over the last few years, I have read a number of books by and about Pope Benedict XVI. Of the popes in my lifetime, I find his writings of immense spiritual benefit. I would state that I underappreciated him until his resignation. And since then, I have read much. And with each piece I read I appreciate his wisdom, faith, and stand against modernism. This was an excellent read. There are two editions of this work, and they are nearl ..read more

Come to the Altar:  Worshipping God with Your Whole Heart Sunday Homilies with Fr Mike Schmitz Collection Fr. Mike Schmitz Ascension Press ISBN 9781954882225 eISBN 9781954882232 ASIN B0CSF3N8MC This is the third of 6 volumes currently available in the ‘Sunday Homilies with Fr Mike Schmitz Collection’, that I have read, and it is amazing! Over the last several years I have read and listened to a lot of Father Mike Schmitz’s offerings. This is one of 6 volumes of Homilies that have been released by ascension press. The first four volumes seem to have had eBook releases in 2022 ..read more