Review: Trauma Plan

Trauma Plan (Grace Medical)

About the Book:

Sidelined by injuries from a vicious assault, chaplain Riley Hale is determined to return to her former duties as an ER nurse. But how can she show she’s competent when the hospital won’t let her attempt even simple tasks? Determined to prove herself, Riley volunteers at a controversial urban free clinic despite her fears about the maverick doctor in charge.

Dr. Jack Travis defends his clinic like he’s commander of the Alamo. He’ll fight the community’s efforts to shut its doors, even if he must use Riley Hale’s influential family name to make it happen.

As Riley strives to regain her skills, Jack finds that she shares his compassion—and stirs his lonely heart. Riley senses that beneath Jack’s rough exterior is a man she can believe in. But when clinic protests escalate and questions surface about his past, Jack goes into battle mode and Riley wonders if it’s dangerous to trust him with her heart.

My Comments:

This is another winner by Candace Calvert.  While perhaps a bit more religious than her previous books, the book is far more about human romance than Divine love.  Both Riley and Jack are called to re-examine the goals they have for themselves and how they fit into God's plan.  

On the romance side the book embodies what I like best about Christian romance--because the author cannot send the characters to bed to show how and why they are attracted to each other, she has to actually build a relationship between them, and, hopefully, make it sizzle.  Calvert succeeds.  

There is a character that seems to get a lot of space on the page for what she adds to the plot and then ends up leaving town.  My guess is that Calvert's next book is about her.  I look forward to reading it.  

I'd like to than the publisher for making a review copy available via NetGalley.  I was not obligated to write a positive review.  Grade:  B+

Monday Memes

This month, Mailbox Monday is hosted by Cindy's Love of Books.  Bloggers list books that arrived in either snail mail or email.

Life Entwined with  Lily's 

Forever After: A Hanover Falls Novel

Darkroom

 It's Monday What Are You Reading is hosted by Sheila over at Book Journey. She asks what we read last week, what we reviewed last week and what we plan to read this week.

I missed last week, so since I last participated, here is what I have reviewed (Links go to my posts): 

The third book in a trilogy, Life Entwined with Lily's is about the family of a woman with Down' s Syndrome.  

I reviewed this great family cookbook, showed several recipes and shared one for Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo.   

How can and does the Church use the internet to spread the good news?   The Church and New Media has the answers.

My Stubborn Heart is romantic Christian fiction

Wildflowers from Winter tell the story of a faith life and of love.

A Callahan Wedding is a basic romance.

I enjoyed this latest Virgin River romance

All you need to know about Camping with Kids

What's up next?  Well, Darkroom (see above) is still waiting on me, and I have a Kindle full of freebies and NetGalleys, I just need to decide which ones!

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. I'm glad to have everyone here, and just want to remind you that posts linked below should contain a link back here.

Well, I'm back in the groove again.  This week I've posted about two books sent to me by Catholic bookstores:  Life Entwined with Lily's is about the family of  a woman with Down's Syndrome.  The Church and the New Media talks about using the internet to evangelize.  


I posted several times about a cookbook.  This is my wrap-up post, with links to the other posts.  


A Callahan Wedding is a basic romance. Wildflowers from Winter is Christian fiction, somewhat romantic.  My Stubborn Heart is a Christian romance.


What about you?

Catholic Company Book Review: Life Entwined with Lily's

Life Entwined with  Lily's 

About the Book:

A dark day in Beth Lovely's past casts a mournful shadow over her entire future. And although Beth has revealed her unspeakable secret to no one, her Aunt Lily is unwittingly responsible for a resuscitating breath of new hope. And so comes an unpredictable and satisfying conclusion to a trilogy that chronicles Lily's impact on three generations of family.

My Comments:

This is the third book in the Lily trilogy.  I loved the first one (Until Lilly)  and liked the second (Wherever Lily Goes).  I'd put this one in the "really liked" category.  

This book starts with Lily, a woman with Down's syndrome, dying.  She's in her mid-fifties and has had a stroke.  She never regains consciousness during the entire books so the part she plays in it is through family memories and how the family deals with her impending death.  

The main character in this book, as noted above, is Beth, Lily's niece.  Lily has lived with her since not long after her (Lily's) husband died (yes, Lily married).  Beth was the troubled teen in Wherever Lily Goes.  This is the story of exactly how troubled she was, how she still carries guilt from those days, and how she finally finds peace.  It is very much the story of her spiritual life and as such religion, in particular, Catholicism, is a very important and prominent part of the book.  I think the only sacrament that didn't get mentioned was Confirmation (and maybe I just forgot about it).   

Why "really liked", rather than "loved"? To me some of the plot twists just turned out to be too much.  There aren't any of them that are unbelievable on their own, but the combination of all of them just made me think Sherry Boas was more interested in making certain points than in telling a realistic story.  The main point she made and made well is that Lily, born with Down's syndrome to a single mother in the early 21st century, Lily, who would have been aborted if her mother had done what most moms do, Lily was the means to salvation, both heavenly and earthly, for this family.  Grade:  B+

This review was written as part of the Catholic book reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Life Entwined with Lily's . They are also a great source for a baptism gifts or first communion gifts.

The Winning Recipe from Don't Panic: Quick Easy and Delicious Meals for Your Family

Don't Panic--Quick, Easy, and Delicious Meals for Your Family

About the Book:

Your family can have great meals even when you are on the run. The ladies who brought you Don't Panic--Dinner's in the Freezer now offer busy cooks Don't Panic--Quick, Easy, and Delicious Meals for Your Family. From quick meals made on the grill or in the sauté pan to crockpot dishes that require little prep and cook while you're out for the day, the recipes in this cookbook are tasty, nutritious, and require less hands-on preparation than traditional meals. Easy appetizers and desserts, one-dish casseroles and pastas, simple soups, salads, and side dishes, and even fast breakfasts round out the selections. Meals that are freezer-friendly are marked for those who want to make ahead.

You don't have to settle for feeding your family commercially packaged meals full of sodium and preservatives or fat-laced fast food. Serve them quick and healthy meals from your very own kitchen with this easy-to-use cookbook.

My Comments: 
I've been featuring this book this week and have done posts on Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo, Swedish  Blender Pancakes and Brown Sugar Shortbread Cookies.  I told you I'd publish one recipe today, based on reader request.  I chose the Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo, since it was the one my family liked best and there was no clear reader favorite.

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
20 oz fettuccine (I think you'd do fine with 2 12oz packages, there seemed to be enough sauce)
1/2 cup butter
2 cups heavy cream (I wonder if you could substitute fat free half and half--I just used the good stuff)
1 1/3 cups freshly grated parmesan cheese (my husband bought the usual stuff in the can, so I just used it)
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper

Grill chicken breasts over medium-high heat until done.  Slice across grain (1/2 inch slices)

While chicken is grilling, bring a large pot of salted water to boil.  Drop in pasta and cook according to directions.  Drain.

For alfredo sauce, melt butter in a large saucepan or skillet.  Add creme and bring just to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring, then add Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.  Turn off heat; leave pan on warm burner.

Pour alfredo sauce over cooked pasta.   Top with sliced chicken breasts and sprinkle with extra cheese.   Serve immediately.  Makes 8 servings.  502 calories per serving.  21.6 g fat--but it tastes GOOD!

If I didn't pick your favorite, you can always buy the book, or search to see if another blogger made it.  

Tiber River Review: The Church and the New Media

Popes John Paul II and Benedict XI have both expounded on the necessity of using the internet to evangelize.  The Church and New Media gives concrete examples of how this has been done and suggestions to those who want to use these new media successfully.  Those familiar with the Catholic blogosphere will recognize the names of Fr. Robert Barron, Jennifer Fulwiler,  Mark Shea, Father Dwight Longenecker and Lisa Hendey.  These big-name bloggers and others talk about how they started on the internet, what messages they try to spread and what they have learned to avoid.  

There is a chapter on the new media efforts by the Archdiocese of Boston that discusses how they integrate all their new media (basically different versions of electronic communications) efforts, as well as how they encourage the parishes to use electronic media.  

The basic point of the book is that people today use electronic media, be it facebook, twitter, email, text messaging or the internet in general.  If today's parishes, if today's Church is not on the internet, then it isn't meeting people where they are, it isn't enaging in their lives and it is missing a giant chance to evangelize.   When you compare the web presence and social media saavy of the average parish with that of the average business, the average parish comes in last, by a long way (I cringe when I look at my parish's website,  and yes, I've offered to help).   

If you are looking for some good Catholic blogs to read, this book mentions plenty.  It also offers suggestions for those thinking of starting a "Catholic" website--in short, be sure that what you are propounding is Catholic  teaching, not your own opinion.   

I'd recommend this book to anyone who basically understands the internet and is trying to develop an internet presence for some church ministry.  It pretty much pre-supposes a general familiarity with how facebook, Twitter, YouTube and podcasting work and what they do.  However, it is not a technical manual.  You will not know how to set up a parish website when you finish this book--but you will know that you should spend money to do it right.  

I'd like to thank the Tiber River Review program for furnishing a complimentary review copy of this book.  I was not obligated to write a positive review.  Grade:  B+

I wrote this review of The Church and the New Media for the free Catholic Book review program, created by Aquinas and More Catholic Goods, your source for Baptism Gifts and First Communion Gifts.

My Stubborn Heart: My Review

About the Book:

A Sensational CBA Debut in Contemporary Romance!  This summer author Becky Wade makes her CBA debut with a fun -- and funny -- contemporary romance.  Amidst the light-hearted banter and laugh-out-loud moments is a compelling spiritual journey of one woman's choice to listen to God and wait on him.  Filled with humor and authentic romance, My Stubborn Heart is shaping up to be the hit of the summer.

Kate Donovan is burned out on work, worn down by her dating relationships, and in need of an adventure. When Kate's grandmother asks Kate to accompany her to Redbud, Pennsylvania, to restore the grand old house she grew up in, Kate jumps at the chance.

Yet, she discovers a different kind of project upon meeting the man hired to renovate the house.  Matt Jarreau is attractive and clearly wounded -- hiding from people, from God, and from his past.  Kate can't help but set her stubborn heart on bringing him out of the dark and back into the light... whether he likes it or not.

My Comments:

As Catholics, we believe marriage is a vocation, a calling from God, and that like other callings such as those to the priesthood or religious life (convent, monastery etc.) that call is not given to all, but for those to whom it is given, it is a way to holiness, a way to God.  As spouses united in the sacrament of Holy Matrimony, we called to help our spouses get to heaven.  That's what it says in the books, but for many people, marriage is seen as a right, not a calling, and it is lived as a way to gain personal happiness, not as a way to help our spouses to heaven.  That may be the reason there are so many broken marriages.

Kate Donovan in this book wants to be married, but she wants to be married to the man God picked for her.  She's not completely abnormal--Kate has dated, she'd had serious relationships, and she's  had her heart broken.  Kate doesn't want to be hurt, but when she feels God telling her to befriend Matt, she puts herself on the line and does so.  As they grow closer, she still holds back, she still can't believe someone like him would want someone like her.  She listens to God and even obeys when she doesn't like what she hears.  

If you don't like religious books, this one is too religious for you.   Matt has to find his way back to God before they can live happily ever after, and Kate has her moments of questioning Him too.  While much more a romance novel than a book about religious faith, the two are very intertwined, though I wouldn't call the book preachy.  

One interesting facet of the book is that besides the romance between Matt and Kate, there was also a romance between a couple of senior citizens.  I liked the way the woman told Kate that once you realized you could be happy alone, you could become very picky about the guys you dated.  

I enjoyed this book and would like to think the publisher, Bethany House, for making a review copy available.  I was not obligated to provide a positive review.

Brown Sugar Shortbread

Don't Panic--Quick, Easy, and Delicious Meals for Your Family

The final recipe I made while reviewing this book was Brown Sugar Shortbread.  It made a very rich shortbread cookie.  The directions called for using softened butter and I softened mine in the microwave.  Maybe I got it too soft because my dough was too sticky to roll as instructed. However, ten minutes in the freezer solved that problem.  I liked the cookies but my kids  prefer to have stuff in their cookies.  

Contest Rules:

I have posted about Fettuccini Alfredo, Brown Sugar Shortbread and Swedish Blender Pancakes.  Leave a comment on the post which shows the recipe you would like me to publish.  I'll publish the winning recipe on Friday.

Wildflowers from Winter: My Review

Wildflowers from Winter: A Novel

About the Book:

A young architect at a prestigious Chicago firm, Bethany Quinn has built a life far removed from her trailer park teen years. Until an interruption from her estranged mother reveals that tragedy has struck in her hometown and a reluctant Bethany is called back to rural Iowa. Determined to pay her respects while avoiding any emotional entanglements, she vows not to stay long. But the unexpected inheritance of farmland and a startling turn of events in Chicago forces Bethany to come up with a new plan.

Handsome farmhand Evan Price has taken care of the Quinn farm for years. So when Bethany is left the land, he must fight her decisions to realize his dreams. But even as he disagrees with Bethany's vision, Evan feels drawn to her and the pain she keeps so carefully locked away.

For Bethany, making peace with her past and the God of her childhood doesn't seem like the path to freedom. Is letting go the only way to new life, love and a peace she's not even sure exists?

My Comments:

I have been known to pan some religious fiction as being preachy or moralistic.  Yet, I really like books that are basically about a character's spiritual struggle.  I guess when it comes right down to it, if I want to read a romance novel I want to read about him and her and their relationship--and having either one of them spend a lot of time talking about faith often comes off as a phony add-on.  There is romance in Wildflowers from Winter but it is really much more the story of Bethany's faith journey--why she became estranged from God and how she comes back.  Through interactions with other characters we see how tragedy and faith interact, for better and for worse.   

One thing I did not like is that periodically the book would jump between first person (told by Bethany) and third person.  I found it distracting, though not hard to follow.

I'd like to thank the publisher for providing a complimentary review copy via the Blogging for Books program.  Grade:  B+.  

Swedish Blender Pancakes

Don't Panic--Quick, Easy, and Delicious Meals for Your Family

The first recipe I tried from this book was Swedish Blender Pancakes.  It made thin, crepe-like pancakes that I served with strawberries.  My family liked them and if I had been able to use a larger griddle I might have been more fond of them, but due to the large number I needed to make and the small number I could cook at one time, I found my standard way of making pancakes (an add water only mix) to be much quicker.

Ingredients go in the blender

I thought pancakes were supposed to be round

This one isn't round either

This is nicely plated!

Couldn't get the second batch round either

Ready for the table!

Strawberries and syrup!

Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo

Don't Panic--Quick, Easy, and Delicious Meals for Your Family

This cookbook's version of Fettuccine Alfredo is made with grilled chicken breasts and took me about thirty minutes from start to table.  According to the book it made eight servings.  We fed five people with enough leftovers that I would serve it for another meal.  The recipe called for 20 oz of pasta, which was a pack and a half of what we bought; next time I'll just use two packs as there was plenty of sauce.  My family likes cheesy things and this was a real hit.

I microwaved some of the leftovers tonight for supper and while they tasted good, the sauce was clumpy and separated so that I could pour some butter off of it.  Perhaps another reheating method would work better--I just put my portion on a plate, heated until hot and stirred.

Grilling the chicken

Making the sauce

Assemble the dish

Plate and serve (and wish I'd been to culinary school to learn how to make it pretty)

Blog Tour: Don't Panic--Quick Easy Delicious Meals for Your Family

Don't Panic--Quick, Easy, and Delicious Meals for Your Family

About the Book:

Your family can have great meals even when you are on the run. The ladies who brought you Don't Panic--Dinner's in the Freezer now offer busy cooks Don't Panic--Quick, Easy, and Delicious Meals for Your Family. From quick meals made on the grill or in the sauté pan to crockpot dishes that require little prep and cook while you're out for the day, the recipes in this cookbook are tasty, nutritious, and require less hands-on preparation than traditional meals. Easy appetizers and desserts, one-dish casseroles and pastas, simple soups, salads, and side dishes, and even fast breakfasts round out the selections. Meals that are freezer-friendly are marked for those who want to make ahead.

You don't have to settle for feeding your family commercially packaged meals full of sodium and preservatives or fat-laced fast food. Serve them quick and healthy meals from your very own kitchen with this easy-to-use cookbook.

My Comments:

This one is a keeper.  The recipes I've tried (three of them) are tasty.  All have been reasonably easy to prepare and the time involved has pretty much been as noted in the book.  There are a lot of kid-friendly recipes using thing that I either generally have in the house or which my husband can easily find at the grocery store.  None of these are recipes that will dirty every dish in the kitchen.  The authors have previously written freezer cooking cookbooks and this shows in what there are some freezer-friendly treats in this book that include directions for making large quantities as wells as proper freezing techniques.   In short, this is a real cookbook for real moms cooking for real families.  Grade:  A

Tour Special:  

As I noted, I have made three different recipes from this book.  I'm going to post about them on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, letting you know what they are, how they were received at my house and how easy they were to make.  I also have pictures.  The publisher has given me permission to reprint only one recipe so I'm going to let you, my readers, decide which recipe, of the three I made, will be published.  A comment is a vote.

Books You May Like:

Review: A Callahan Wedding

A Callahan Wedding (Harlequin American Romance)

About the Book:

"Holy Smokes. I'm A Father."
Sabrina McKinley broke Jonas's heart when she left him for another man. Then the eldest Callahan brother gets the surprise of his life when he sees her again…holding his son. Even at six months, his bouncing baby boy was wearing the legendary Callahan smile!

Which means Sabrina has got to marry him, even if Jonas has to drag her to the altar.

Sabrina's been head over heels for the hunky cowboy doctor since the day she first came to Rancho Diablo; it's always been Jonas keeping her at arm's length. She won't settle for anything less than the real deal—the love and happiness that Jonas's five brothers have found.

But when a revelation about a family secret comes out, Sabrina can see Jonas is ready to look toward the future. He won't be the last bachelor on the ranch. After all, he's a Callahan!

My Comments:

You can tell by looking at the book that it is no serious piece of literature.  It is a romance novel and it pretty much follows the basic format.  The subplot about Jonas' parents is interesting and my guess is there is a sequel that will pick up where this book stopped.  I liked the way Sabrina went for what she wanted in life, and the way family was important to all the characters.  Grade:  B- (about the best I give this type of book).

Thanks to the publisher for making a review copy available via NetGalley.  I was not obligated to write a positive review.

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. I'm glad to have everyone here, and just want to remind you that posts linked below should contain a link back here.

Another week of not many posts for me; I have a backlog of books I need to review and no real plans this weekend, so next week may be different.  This week I published two reviews:  Sunrise Point is a general market romance; The Down and Dirty Guide to Camping with Kids  is just what it sounds like.