Useful Books I Keep At Hand

I see many people online asking about the best way to begin to learn the Catholic faith. I looked over my shoulder to the stack of books I keep at hand nearly all the time, even when I must dig through piles of books, these three stay on top: The frog helps to prevent other books from being placed on top to annoy me when I reach for my Bible.  That is THE DIDACHE BIBLE put out by Ignatius Press in partnership with the Midwest Theological Forum. The translation is the RSV-CE, considered by many Catholic scholars to be one … Continue reading

Modest does not equal Frumpy

Our culture mocks modesty. It is said that modesty is frumpy but this is NOT true! Modesty is feminine and beautiful without being salacious or cheap.  Just because you don’t see modest feminine and beautiful clothing in the ladies magazines and fashion magazines does not mean that it does not exist. How do I know this? Because there are clothing stores online such as Holy Clothing where you can find beautiful, feminine, modest clothing. They make their clothing in Maxi, Midi and Mini. The Maxi is ankle to floor length depending on your height, the midi is tea length and … Continue reading

STRANGERS IN A STRANGE LAND-a recommendation

I read Archbishop Chaput’s book STRANGERS IN A STRANGE LAND: Living the Catholic Faith in a Post-Christian World earlier this year and forgot to blog about the book. I don’t think it was as good as his previous book RENDER UNTO CEASAR but timely in its commentary. The author describes how our culture has abandoned its Christian roots so totally that like the first Christians, we are indeed living as strangers in a strange land. Citizens of the heavenly kingdom, we find ourselves living in a world of vice hailed as good, and virtue mocked as idiotic. Into this culture … Continue reading

HABITICA-a marvelous tool for productivity

Habitica is a marvelous online tool for organizing your day. The way Habitica works is to turn your work day into a role playing game. In this way, those things you need to do anyway are given instant rewards in a fun and stress free game setting. You have this little icon, and some options for hair and skin color and clothing. The tasks that gain you gold and experience points are all linked to whatever tasks you input on the Task Page where you list your Habits (like practicing a musical instrument), Dailies (like home schooling, or showering), and … Continue reading

Book Review: FOR GOD AND PROFIT

FOR GOD AND PROFIT is a small book, written by Samuel Gregg, and subtitled, HOW BANKING AND FINANCE CAN SERVE THE COMMON GOOD. The forward is written by George Cardinal Pell. I am simply loving this book. Quotes of Popes and Church Fathers, a clear understanding of our economic system, and written in a way that our High School age students will be able to benefit in their understanding of our economy and how their decisions can influence it so it serves the common good. FINALLY a Catholic book on Finance that actually uses all the documents of the Church … Continue reading

Books! Catholic Fiction and Non-Fiction

After enjoying a lovely conversation on religion and history, I promised to send a write-up of the books I had mentioned. Maggie, this post is for you. 🙂 Catholic and fun and history. So, I will begin with the works of fiction I thought she would enjoy. Declan Finn writes wild action adventures, in modern settings, but often with historical roots and themes. The Pius Trilogy is my first suggestion. These are: A Pius Man, A Pius Legacy, and A Pius Stand. In addition are books such as Pius Tales which are background short pieces on some characters, and Pius … Continue reading

“Infinite Space, Infinite God II,” by Karina Fabian

Twelve science fiction stories featuring great adventure with a twist of faith. Summary: Twelve science fiction stories featuring great adventure with a twist of faith. Infinite Space, Infinite God II spans the gamut of science fiction, from near-future dystopias to time travel to space opera, puzzles of logic to laugh-out-loud humor and against-the-clock suspense. A great read for any science fiction fan; a must-read for those seeking something new in their fiction. If you enjoy science fiction that recognizes faith, especially the Catholic faith, as an integral part of human society, you’ll love ISIG II. However, Karina has another surprise … Continue reading

Prophet, Priest and King: The Christlike Roles in Fictional Characters By Karina Fabian

Today’s post is a guest post by Karina Fabian, writer of the Mind Over trilogy and other marvelous fiction and a member of the Catholic Writer’s Guild.                                                                                                                                  When I’m around Catholic writers, they sometimes ask me why … Continue reading

Historical Fiction for U.S. History

Did you know that Louis L’Amour would scour libraries, court houses, and museums for original source materials such as diaries, old letters, records of all sorts, in addition to newspapers before writing his stories? Supplement a unit study with his books or build an entire unit study around them, Mr L’Amour’s intense research makes his stories a good source for educational enrichment. His westerns are Historical Fiction and better researched than nearly anything else in that genre.  Westerns are a form of Historical Fiction that often gets overlooked. As parent educators we have the opportunity to bring history to life for … Continue reading

CHILDREN’S BOOK: Sisters of the Last Straw, Case of the Stolen Rosaries

This month, the Catholic Writers’ Guild is touring’s book Karen Kelly Boyce’s delightful children’s book Sisters of the Last Straw, Case of the Stolen Rosaries. It’s an SOA winner as well as an award-winning novel. Summary: The Sisters of the Last Straw are a group of sisters struggling hard to overcome their bad habits. Sister Krumbles forgets everything. Sister Shiny can’t stop polishing and cleaning everything. Mother Mercy has a terrible temper. Yet when the misfit nuns band together to form a new order, lessons on tolerance and forgiveness (as well as much hilarity!) ensue. In this, the third of … Continue reading