Catching up on Book Reviews

It seems that ever since I started keeping a physical log of the books I read, I've been remiss posting reviews so it's high time I mended my ways. What triggered this confession is seeing Carol Baldwin's wonderful article on children's books that appeal to adults in Writer's Digest. Her debut historical novel, Half Truths, is one that definitely would appeal to adults, given it's set in 1950s and many people who were coming of age in that time are still alive and have memories of what it was like in North Carolina. But it's the timeless quality of the story itself. A young country girl coming of age, having impossible dreams, discovering family secrets long buried. It's a story about friendship, racial tensions, and societal mores. Although I guessed the secret early on, it did not deter from the pleasure of reading the story. I appreciated seeing how the real Horace Carter mentors the fictional Kate Dinsmore in journalism. Truth really does set you free. Carol Baldwin grounds us in the time and place deftly by having quotes from the Tabor City newspaper. Meticulously researched, beautifully written, and so very encouraging--this is a book 20 years in the making! You can learn more about Carol and Half Truths on her blog: Carol Baldwin's Blog: HALF-TRUTHS. Many thanks to Carol and Monarch Publishing for the ARC I read last year. 

I was so eager to read Joy McCullough's memoir, Suffer a Witch, because it deals with a very sensitive topic, being groomed and assaulted by a youth pastor, and how the author overcomes this breach of trust. Her prose poems are brutally honest and she pairs them with letters to women of the past (the vast majority of them burned as witches). What makes me doubly sad is that the author's own father was the senior pastor and although girls brought it to his attention, nothing was done. Although I can understand the author's rage, the book offers none of healing balm that I would've expected for others. I cannot recommend this book at all because it is full of hatred. I found myself praying for the author, that God will grant her the grace to forgive her youth pastor. And I pray that justice is served. That youth pastor should be brought to trial, punished, and not ever be placed in a position to groom and assault young women. Thanks to NetGalley for a review copy. 

Imagine Heaven: Near-Death Experiences, God's Promises, and the Exhilarating Future that Awaits You by John Burke was a great gift to me. I needed to read this after my father's passing and truly I am praying that he chose to be with Jesus. As the subtitle says, John Burke weaves near-death accounts with Scripture and it makes you long for heaven even more. What is clear is that there's a review of life that occurs--how our actions, good and bad, affected others, how even our failure to act affected others, and how much everybody wants to be with Jesus because of the unconditional love they experience. He had examples of NDEs from other faith backgrounds who converted to Christianity because they saw the truth--that Jesus is God. Burke also writes about NDEs where the people are given a vision of hell. It is truly horrifying. Many saints have had visions of hell, including the three little visionaries from Fatima, and so they spent hours praying for conversion so that poor sinners wouldn't go to hell. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in life after life... 

Piccolo Spoleto Concert

We're taking a much-needed week off from barbershop practice tonight after our Red, White, and Ringing concert the last day of the Piccolo Spoleto festival. So wonderful to celebrate our nation's 250th anniversary with a truly American tradition--barbershop! I was so grateful to sing from the risers, though I had a cane with beautiful blue flowers, borrowed from a parishioner, should I need it. It matched our blue shirts. I love how God takes care of even the smallest details, knowing how much I like pretty things. 

Below, a few recordings. Enjoy!

One of my favorites from Toy Story: 

1. You've Got a Friend In Me
   https://youtu.be/3eaKgqFFoPg

Holy City Harmony Quartet Debut:

1. America the Beautiful
   https://youtu.be/Tl546wWiuN0 

One of the few songs where we tenors get the melody. It's an emotional song; I saw some in the audience weeping. Music truly helps heal a hurting heart:

1. It Is Well with My Soul
   https://youtu.be/Hve7zXkYt9A

Most importantly, you too can sing along. Here's David teaching the audience:

1. When the Saints Go Marching In
   https://youtu.be/SS8oVJIUB7I

Local ladies, if you love to sing, we invite you to come join us for Guest Night June 22nd. No experience necessary.

Happy Thanksgiving

Reposting a picture from our pilgrimage to St. Augustine, FL where the first Thanksgiving was celebrated Sept. 8, 1565 with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Our pastor wrote, "The Catholic origins of Thanksgiving don't stop there. Squanto, the beloved hero of Thanksgiving, was the Native American man who mediated between the Puritan pilgrims and the Native Americans. Squanto had been enslaved by the English, but he was freed by the Spanish Franciscans. Squanto thus received baptism, and became a Catholic. So, it was a baptized Catholic Native American who orchestrated what became known as Thanksgiving." 

I am so thankful to God for all He has done, all He is doing, and all He will do. I especially grateful for my family, friends, and the road to better health. This is the last year it will just be the Bodachs four...I'll post a picture tomorrow. Right now I have the house to myself because the menfolk have gone for bourbon and cigars and Dagny is out with Ian and their friends. Introvert heaven! The kitties are enjoying the quiet too.

Michael has done such an outstanding job in the garden. New this year: sweet potatoes, kohlrabi, turnips, ginger and turmeric. We have an abundance of greens so we eat a lot of salad. I've also taken to making vegetable broth as well from all the stems; might as well extract every ounce of goodness from them before putting them into the compost. We also harvested honey from the top bar--life is sweet! I pray you all have a blessed and happy Thanksgiving. 

Marian Eucharistic Conference Recap

This is an annual retreat for us--it's a small conference that has grown but not too much. I'm estimating about 300 people... What I like best is the quality of the speakers who come and help us grow deeper into our faith. There are always lots of wonderful books to purchase and I still haven't read all the ones from previous years. And then there are others that I read over and over. So this year, I was so excited that we could offer our books to the attendees. There aren't very many children at this conference, but when the organizer discovered I was a children's writer, she suggested that I invest in a table, because she would like to have children's books to offer to the attendees as well. So here we are and the best part was that we were right next to a priest from Peru, who had brought these exquisite religious paintings--all hand painted, each one unique. He had Our Lady of Guadalupe taped to the side of his table and my eyes were drawn continually to her serene expression. I knew we had to purchase one of these to grace our home so I asked Michael to take some time to go through them. We both loved the Holy Trinity with the Holy Family best (and within our budget) so it shall be properly framed and displayed. I loved St. Philomena (what is it about teenage saints that gives my heart courage?) and Madonna of the Grapes by Pierre Mignard (I have a little triptych in my office  that I picked up from the sacramental box at church shortly after I joined the Seven Sister Apostolate--I thought it was such a lovely wink to me from Mary herself, given she's one of the patronesses of the apostolate under this very title). 

I really enjoyed talking with the people who stopped by our table and learning about their children and grandchildren. So fun to be able to recommend books for them. Many Seven Sisters were excited to see Tina's book, One Hour for My Priest--it almost sold out. It's a hidden apostolate so we don't always know who's involved but what a blessing to learn so many Seven Sisters are praying for their priests. The book is a wonderful resource. We were also able to attend many of the lectures and hear Mass and go for Adoration because there's only one track and typically there aren't too many people milling about during them. So win-win. I'm excited to return next year and hope we'll have even more offerings. I'm so happy that all of us in our critique group have several more readers of our stories. 

Tidbits from the conference speakers. You can learn more from their excellent books and talks online:
Fr. Larry Richards is such an energetic priest. He speaks the hard truths that we don't always want to hear. I love how he runs his parish--he makes the people take three classes on: Jesus is Lord; worship; service. If you want to be an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion, then you'd better have extraordinary devotion to the Holy Eucharist, meaning spending time with Him in Adoration.
How are you? Blessed. Who's the first who said it? Mary in her Magnificat. We have one purpose in life--to do God's holy will. He speaks but we don't listen. Be still and silent. Sit with the Scriptures with an open heart. We need the Heart of Jesus. Offer your poor heart to Him and He'll give you His Heart. Learn to love from Him. 
Fr. Larry told us a story about a American and a Japanese in a POW camp. The Japanese man was very sick, so the American would share everything he had with him, be it food or a blanket. When he realized that the man might die, he thought, I've shared everything except Jesus, my Savior. So he told the dying man about Him, and the dying man said, "If Jesus is anything like you, I can't wait to meet Him." 

Fr. Chris Alar is passionate about Divine Mercy. And Mary as the mother of Mercy. He quoted Fr. Don Calloway: "If you could make your mother, wouldn't you make her perfect?" Mary is the guide to Jesus. In Genesis, who crushes the head of the serpent? Mary. Who does Satan fear more? God or Mary? He then told us a story about wrestling in high school. He lost to a Japanese national champion. Yet, both his father and his coach said, "good job." But when he was in 4th grade, he drew a girl, who was confident. He was terrified--to lose to a girl would be complete humiliation. Likewise, Satan knows God is God. But to lose to a 15-yr-old Jewish girl is absolute humiliation. It wounds his pride.  

There are four Marian Dogmas: her Immaculate Conception, her Assumption, her Perpetual Virginity, her Maternity--she is the mother of King Jesus. She is our advocate. Protestants have a difficult time with Mary. And because our barbershop chorus is practicing Christmas songs for a concert, I'm reminded why we have songs like Mary Did You Know? It's a lovely lullaby that invites us to ponder like Mary, but the second half of the first verse is flat out wrong [I propose a revision to make it theologically sound because words matter]: 

Did you know

That your baby boy has come to make you new? [make us new]
This child that you've delivered
Will soon deliver you [has done delivered you]

See, she was already delivered from all stain of original sin by the foreseen merits of Christ's Sacrifice on the Cross. She is the Immaculate Conception. Her DNA has no sin. Not a single molecule of her being is under sway of Satan. She is 100% opposed to him. She lives completely in the Divine Will. But I digress. 

The second reading of that Sunday was from Hebrews and Fr. Alar preached on the priesthood. It is so terribly misunderstood. What is the purpose of the priest? To offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. You cannot have worship without sacrifice because the penalty for sin is death. Either you die or someone else dies on your behalf. Mass is the re-presenting the sacrifice. Jesus presents Himself to the Father through the power of the Holy Spirit. We are at Calvary. We enter sacred time. We must be present to receive the grace (when I lie in bed with my kitties and listen to Mass, I am not receiving the graces I would if I were present at Mass). Everything comes from the Father and everything returns to Him. There are three acts of Love and Mercy: God the Father creates; God the Son redeems; God the Holy Spirit sanctifies us so we can return to the Holy Trinity.

There were more lectures. Fr. Bartholomew, a Maronite priest, spoke about the early apostolic churches, their timeline, how they spread to the East and the West. I've been told by a couple of Eastern Rite Catholics how much I would enjoy experiencing their liturgies but we've not managed to go to one. Perhaps when we're praying/singing only one Sunday Mass, we might get the opportunity.

Dr. Ray Guarendi, a psychologist, encouraged us to be strong parents and grandparents, steering our kids in righteousness. It's not easy when the culture tells them the opposite, normalizing sin and making it sound like fun. I used to love listening to his show on Catholic radio on my way to pick up the kids from school and I found his books on discipline and family life especially useful. I was so pleased to meet him and let him know what a difference his books made when we went through a rough patch with our kids.  

Fr. Chris Smith, pastor of Prince of Peace, also spoke about building a Christian culture. It begins with us, at home. As always, we ended our retreat by hearing a beautiful High Mass at Prince of Peace for the Feast of Christ our King. What joy to sing: Christus vincit, Christus regnat, Christus imperat!!! Come, Lord Jesus!!!

Caroline: Little House, Revisited

Every once in a while you come across a book so exquisite, words fail you. Today I started reading Caroline: Little House, Revisited by Sarah Miller and I am in awe. She is a beautiful writer, a bold one, taking on the voice of her character. She inhabits Caroline--Ma Ingalls--of the Little House books so perfectly, I'm lost in her. If you loved the Little House books, you will love Caroline.

I learned about Sarah when she used to hang out on the Blueboards, a generous contributor. Sarah's first book was Miss Spitfire: Reaching Helen Keller in Annie Sullivan's voice. I loved Helen's autobiography so it was a joy to read from Annie's POV. This is Sarah's strength--to immerse herself completely in the person she's writing about, truly bringing history to life.

Reading

It's been a while since I shared some good books. So without further ado:

My Sister, My Soul: An Arabian Night's Tale by Joan Friday is an imaginative look into the lives of Sheherezade and her sister Dunyazad. I love stories about the bonds of sisterhood and Ms. Friday delivers with a superbly crafted story. Both characters are richly drawn and come to life and their growth through the 1001 nights is beautifully rendered. The details of life in the harem with both their luxuries and confines made me grateful to live here and now with all the freedoms I enjoy. It also made me want to have someone pour scented water over me, feed me peeled grapefruit, dress me in silky soft gowns, and tell me stories. Ah, the life.

The Woman in the Trees: a novel about America's first approved Marian apparition by Theoni Bell was another beautiful story about family. Think Little House meets a saint. In this case, the saint, Adele Brise, is real and Slainie's family is fictional. It starts with the terrible Peshtigo fire that killed thousands of people but which miraculously spared the chapel and the people on its grounds no doubt because of the prayers of Adele and Our Lady of Good Help. The author backtracks to Slainie's childhood, her family's emigration from Belgium to Wisconsin and the hardships they endure. Slainie's story resonated deeply with me, especially since she struggles with an unbelieving mother. I also enjoyed all the places mentioned because we lived in Belgium for a couple of years and I have a couple of writing friends in WI and keep thinking I need to make a pilgrimage to the Champion shrine. All in good time.   

The Joy of Encouragement: Unlock the Power of Building Others Up by David Jeremiah was a book that came upon my radar in such a timely manner. This Advent, the Lord placed "encourage" upon my heart and no wonder, with so many people losing hope at the way our nation is going, we need to be salt and light. I am striving to live this daily. 

Ship of Fools: How a Selfish Ruling Class is Bringing America to the Brink of Revolution by Tucker Carlson is not the typical book I read. But when I saw this at the thrift store, I knew I would understand better what is going on in the US. And indeed I do. What I appreciated most is how unbiased and fair he is in his reporting, something the mainstream media seems to have forgotten.

I, of course, have no answers for the problems besetting our nation, except to pray. So at this time I want to include a very special picture book that my friend Michelle Shahid made in a limited edition: Offer it Up to the Heavenly Cup. She packed the essence of Salvifici Doloris by Pope St. John Paul II for kids.  

 

Finally, a few artsy books: The Snuggle is Real: a Have a Little Pun Collection by Frida Clements is pure fun. 

My Friend Fear: Finding Magic in the Unknown by Meera Lee Patel is thoughtful and reminded me that perfect love casts out fear. I copied a couple of quotes: Fear is here to uncover your greatest wish. Every fear is connected to a wish or hope I have. Fear invites the impossible to happen.

Brilliant! 25 Catholic Scientists, Mathematicians, and Supersmart People by David and Jaclyn Warren is a wonderful introduction to several Catholic scientists, some who are saints, accompanied by beautiful black-and-white art. This is a book that many children and adults will enjoy and perhaps spark an even greater interest in learning the mind of God, for science is exactly that--giving us a glimpse into our Creator. 

Happy reading, friends. And please do tell me what gems you've come across.

Reading

These reviews are long overdue but between book deadlines and the Carolinas conference reviewing these new books fell to the side. So without further ado:  

Disappeared by Francisco X. Stork was a deeply moving story told through the alternate viewpoints of a brother and sister, who are involved in exposing the disappearance of beautiful girls in Juarez, and who now must disappear themselves, because their lives are in danger. My heart broke for their mother, but I have hope that they will be reunited. The boy, Emiliano, has to make many difficult choices. I love characters like this who do the right thing eventually, but struggle throughout. It took me a few chapters to get used to third-person present tense narrative, but the story is so compelling, it was no longer a distraction. He's an author I've followed closely since he published Marcelo in the Real World because at the heart of each of his books is a moral dilemma.  

Mr. Stork also read my book! It is so wonderful when an author you admire reads your work. He said, "Bound is a realistic, honest, portrayal of a young woman's struggle to overcome physical, emotional and social burdens. Her journey toward the growth that is found at the heart of those burdens is one we should all make. A courageous book about courage." 

The Lucy Variations by Sara Zarr was such a joy to read. I think the lessons of music can be applied to writing. But I'm getting ahead of myself. The story is about Lucy, a concert pianist before the age of 14, but who is now trying to live a more typical life (as if there's any such thing) going to school, having friends, etc. This is another family story, with the weight of expectations weighing down its young characters, but I found the parents strangely absent, both physically and emotionally. It's the grandfather who has the big personality. Lucy's return to the piano via the younger brother's piano teacher is a road to healing. I don't typically go for stories about the rich and famous, but Zarr is an amazing storyteller, her characters unique and flawed, and it's always satisfying to accompany them on their journey.

I don't often talk about book design but I really liked how scenes were separated by quarter notes, flashbacks in the Intermezzo, and the different sections of the book labelled: Tempo Rubato, Free Cadenza, Con Brio Con Fusco, Da Capo. 

So, at the top of the book it says: Play like no one is listening. How do you write? Do you write with an ideal reader in mind? Or just for yourself? Do you write to the market? Would you write if you knew nobody would publish your work?   

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys is a book that focuses on four characters out of the thousands of refugees who are desperate to board the ill-fated Wilhelm Gustloff. I didn't know this piece of WWII history in which Poles, Prussians, Lithuanians, Latvians, and Germans evacuated because the Russian troops were advancing. The Russians torpedoed the Wilhelm Gustloff and over 9,000 people perished. I must admit that I'd have preferred a nonfiction book over the fictionalized version. Jumping back and forth from these four characters' viewpoints (the chapters are really, really short so you don't inhabit any one character for more than 2 minutes) was disorienting. Perhaps that was the author's intent. Yet, Ruta is an amazing storyteller because I kept reading in spite of my annoyance. She quotes Primo Levi at the beginning: "We the survivors are not the true witnesses. The true witnesses, those in possession of the unspeakable truth, are the drowned, the dead, the disappeared." She exhorts us to think about how we remember history and to not let the truth disappear when the survivors are gone. I knew Ruta from the Blueboard and still remember when she sold her first book, which remains a favorite: Between Shades of Gray. 

Second Nature: A Love Story was compared to Bound in a review, so I had to check it out, especially since it's written by one of my favorite writers, Jacquelyn Mitchard. I was immediately drawn into Sicily Coyne's story. Burned and left without a face at the age of 13, in the same fire that cost her father his life, the story continues with Sicily engaged to be married to her childhood sweetheart, only to discover a terrible secret. She walks away from the marriage and agrees to a face transplant (still in its infancy) to begin a new life. She embraces it fully and with it come consequences that force her to make even more difficult choices. I loved how Sicily's life meshes with those of the Cappadoras (I knew them from The Deep End of the Ocean), how detailed all the medical descriptions are. They never feel forced because Sicily is an artist, specializing in drawing the human body in all its glory. I've always loved the intersection between art and science and this book delivers. It also brings many ethical questions to mind, including the entire medical transplant industry. What I found extraordinary was the beauty of the statistically impossible. Miracles, really.

What all these four authors have in common is...me. If you like their writing, you will enjoy mine. If you like mine, you will enjoy theirs. When I was in queryland, I often used both Francisco Stork's and Sara Zarr's books as comp. titles. I think it really helps to know where your book fits with others. 

A friend and I were discussing what constitutes a YA book. He felt that Bound is for adults. It's true enough that adults can enjoy it and get tremendous satisfaction. However, the story is solely from Rebecca's point of view and she's still not grown up. It's a very different matter when you have a character like Scout looking back at events from long ago as Harper Lee does in To Kill a Mockingbird. So, it's the sensibility that makes one book YA and another adult. That said, I knew that Bound would have a crossover appeal to adults. I think the best stories don't have an age limit or barrier. I'm still reading beautiful picture books.  

On Generational Spirits

I spent a most enjoyable hour petting the kittens as I listened to Fr. Chad Rippenger (sorry, but I can't seem to make a direct audio link)expand upon the article he'd written a couple of years ago in the Latin Mass Magazine on generational spirits through the last hundred years. It's a fascinating account of both social and spiritual history, and a reasonable explanation of how we've managed to sink so low. Here's a summary as part of Fr. Anderson's homily.

The generation that came of age during WWI suffered a great deal but did not express it, especially talking about the virtue of embracing the cross. Their children, who grew up during the Great Depression and fought in WWII are called the Greatest Generation (remember Tom Brokow's book?) and although they did what had to be done, they lacked a "spirit of mortification." They never wanted their children to suffer as they had and so they indulged their children. These are the Baby Boomers (Michael and I are both in this generation and the way we spent our 20s and 30s reflects what follows). Their parents “did not pass on the traditions of their fathers which required discipline and self-denial," which led to lack of temperance. This made them indocile (not following authority, people who know more, their betters). Yup. That was definitely us: we were our own gods. 

 

The children of Baby Boomers are known as Generation X and Y (born in the 70s and 80s), also called the 'me-generation' because they are noted for sense of entitlement. They are not necessarily immoral, but rather, amoral. Their children are known as Generation Z (our children fall in this category given that we had our kids later). "It is the generation that has gone without a coherent moral code, religious doctrine, or societal norms." This describes our children up until the time of our conversion and in fact, it was the lack of anything authoritative beyond us that made us realize we needed God desperately. Thank GOD! However, we still suffer from all the generational sins because it is very difficult to uproot what you've sown. Only by the grace of God are we growing in faith and virtue. And we hope and pray to keep the faith until the very end.

I will never forget this pivotal moment in our lives: Michael and the children receiving baptism and with it sanctifying grace. Tears of joy!

The Sixth Generation is the one being born now. “This generation will have a spirit that is not like any of the other generations. It is a spirit of paganism, fueled by the licentiousness and depravity passed down from the last couple of generations."

Depressing, no?

As you can see, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree for a reason, and the sins are compounded. From a "spirit on non-communication" we have reached a "spirit of depravity." Note that not everyone is affected by these. Those who try to live a sacramental life, doing their duty in their state of life, obedient to God do not succumb to the spirit of the ages.

Have hope.

Fr. Anderson says: "The Holy Spirit is at work among the young generation today. Many who are coming of age today recognize the truth and beauty of the Catholic faith in all its richness. They readily see how the rejection of traditional, orthodox Catholicism has deprived them of their spiritual inheritance, but they are claiming it back. Each generation is called by God to accomplish certain tasks, to fight off certain evils, and to achieve certain perfection. The Holy Spirit is now giving this generation what was not passed down to them. They are receiving Catholic tradition and they love it."

 

I have copied a prayer from Sensus Tradionis website. They have others as well.

 
Binding Prayer

Spirit of N., I bind you in the Name of Jesus, by the power of the most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ and by the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Michael the Archangel, the blessed Apostles, Peter and Paul and all of the saints, and I command you to leave N. (Name of person or object) and go to the foot of the Holy Cross to receive your sentence, in the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

I like to sing St. Patrick's Breastplate and I hope someone will sing it for me when I die.

Three generations of Bodachs -- Greatest, Baby Boomers, and Gen X, Y, Z. Parce Domine! 

Chronicle of a Last Summer

I had very mixed feelings about Yasmine El Rashidi's CHRONICLE OF A LAST SUMMER: A Novel of Egypt. The writing was evocative and I learned much about how a small child perceives the political landscape. She captures the confusion and heavy silences about her father's absence well. The family relationships come to life and I got a sense of what Egypt was like in 1984. Claustrophobic. Repressive.

However, I'd hoped that in Parts II and III, when the little girl is no longer little, but a young university student studying film, and then a writer examining the past, that we'd have more insight. Alas, the author continues to write observations (beautifully) without giving the historical context. I don't know much about Egyptian history so I had to study it to make sense of her book. Frankly, it felt like reading someone's thesis for a creative writing course.

I do thank Blogging for Books for a review copy. And am posting this on Amazon.