Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival

I'd like to welcome everyone to Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival.  We are a group of Catholic bloggers who gather weekly to share our best posts with each other.  To particpate, go to your blog and create an entry titled Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival.  In it, highlight one or more of your posts from the past week that you believe would be of interest to Catholic bloggers---whether they are posts reflecting on spiritual matters or posts about antics of Catholic kids, or anything in between.  Come back here and enter the URL of that post below.  Finally, go visit other participants, and leave comments!  If you want a weekly reminder to post, join our yahoogroup.

Thanks for joining us.  Last week I was late so this week, I'm early--it all evens out in the end, right.  I'd like to thank those of you who purchased Saving Jenny after clicking on my link--at least I assume the purchaser(s) was/were Sunday Snippets readers.  In case you don't realize it, I (and most other book bloggers) use affiliate links, meaning that generally we provide links to bookstores where you can purchase the books we review, and those bookstores give us a small commission.  I'm going to have to sell a lot more books before I can quit my day job but if you decide to buy a book on the basis of a blog review, a nice way to say "thanks" to the blogger is to use his/her link to purchase it.

My posts this week haven't been Catholic (though I did get a new book from the Catholic Company and have a couple of Catholic NetGalleys so there should be some Catholic reviews coming soon).  The Snowman's Revenge  is a cute kids book.  Just Tacos is a cookbook.  What's for Dinner tries to help you answer that question. The Christmas Wedding is a sweet but unrealistic Christmas read.  The Wonder of Your Love is Amish fiction.  My Top Ten Tuesdays post highlights some Catholic bloggers.

Review: The Snowman's Revenge

The Snowman's Revenge

About the Book:

If you were left out in the cold snow all by yourself, would you be mad? Of course you would! Well, this snowman is out for revenge, especially after he sees those kids in the nice warm house, eating cookies and drinking hot chocolate! So, let's see what happens in this delightful story, nicely flowing with rhymed verse, beautifully illustrated and quite humorous indeed. So loveable, it's sure to be an instant favorite and a timeless classic with "kids" of all ages.

My Comments:

In my opinion good children's books should have attractive pictures, tell an interesting story and be fun to read.  The Snowman's Revenge wins on all three points.  As you can see above, the pictures are bright and colorful, and you can see more at the book's photo gallery.  The story of the snowman who gets mad when everyone else gets warm is cute, and though there is a little suspense that the tiniest people might find a little scary, everyone (except the snowman) lives happily ever after.  The book could be a good introduction to what snow is for southern kids like my daughter, who, at four, was surprised to find out that snow is cold and wet.  Finally, I love the way the book is written in verse,with rhythm and rhyme.  I don't know why, but I think books written that way are so much more fun to read aloud.

I'd like to thank Rebecca at Cadence Books for sending me a complimentary review copy.  My daughter would like to thank her too.  She also liked the book.  Grade:  B+

You can learn more about the book at the author's website.

Cookbook Review: Just Tacos

Just Tacos: 100 Delicious Recipes for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

About the Book:

Once a staple of Mexican street food, tacos have crossed the border to great popularity. Taco’s endless variety of great-tasting flavors satisfies any time of day—in all kinds of ways. Convenient, portable, and affordable, tacos are equally welcome at a dinner party, for brunch, or as an afternoon snack. Just Tacos celebrates this versatility with 100 original recipes featuring beef, pork, lamb, seafood, vegetables, breakfast ingredients, and more. Easy-to-make and easy-to-eat, adults, teens, and kids can all try their hand at turning out a tasty taco (or making their own tortillas), whether it’s filled with ethnic ingredients or pantry staples. And in these pages tacos don’t go it alone—information-packed sidebars offer up excellent salsas, sauces, fun drinks, and solid how-to techniques. Just Tacos is a great showcase for this much-loved comfort food.

My Comments:

Tacos are one of my older daughter's favorite meals so when I requested this from NetGalley I really hoped it would be one for my Kindle, that I could keep. Alas it is a temporary file on my computer.  It is a nice cookbook that takes you from making the tortillas to stuffing them with all sorts of things--both those you'd consider Mexican and those you would not.  There are some photos, but not a lot.  For taco lovers, I'd say it's worth a try.

Review: The Wonder of Your Love

The Wonder of Your Love (A Land of Canaan Series)

About the Book:

Katie Ann Stolzfus lives in the small Amish community of Canaan, Colorado. At forty she is widowed and raising her first child. But baby Jonas will never know his father, and Katie Ann wonders if her Heavenly Father hasn't forgotten about her as well. Is it really God's plan for her to be a single parent?

Eli Detweiler has come to Canaan for a wedding and a long vacation. Having raised six children following the death of his young wife, Eli is finally an empty-nester. He's enjoying the slower pace of having no one to care for but himself.

When Katie Ann and Eli meet, there is an instant connection. Yet as strong as the attraction is, they both acknowledge that a romance would never work. He is done parenting, while she has just begun.

But as their friendship slowly blossoms into feelings that are as frightening as they are intoxicating, Katie Ann and Eli question if the plans they made for themselves are in line with God's plans.

Can Katie Ann entrust her heart to another man, and rediscover the wonder of God's love?

My Comments:

This was an enjoyable Amish romance.  Katie Ann and Eli have both been married before.  Her husband left her for another woman before he died.  His wife died giving birth to their youngest child, and despite the Amish tradition of remarrying quickly, he has not.  He has raised a houseful of children, mostly girls, without a wife, but he's ready to move on with life.  After years of trying to get pregnant, Katie Ann finally learned she was pregnant after her husband leaves.  She's just starting the parenting journey; he's glad to be done and looking forward to free time--but is attracted her Katie Ann.  

One character I really liked was Katie Ann's friend and neighbor, Martha.  Martha is "English" but worships with the Amish and is friend with them.  Her wedding was a combination of Amish (for her, even though she's not Amish) and Catholic for her groom.  I doubt such a thing would ever happen, but it made a nice story.  Grade:  B.

Check out what other bloggers have to say about this book.

Beth is celebrating the release of Book 2 in the Land of Canaan series with a Fabulous Facebook party on November 1st. She'll be giving away one of her OWN paintings, several mini prize packs and a sneak peak at the next book in this heartwarming series.