Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival

Hello, and welcome 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 participate, go to your blog and create a post titled Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival. In it, discuss and link to your posts for the week--whether they deal with theology, Catholic living or cute Catholic kids. I'm mostly a book blogger so my posts are generally book reviews, some Catholic, some not. Make sure that post links back here. Once you publish it, come back here and leave a link below.

We also have a yahoogroup; signing up for it will get you one weekly reminder to post. Click here to sign up.

Question of the Week:  May is the month of Mary.  Are there an Marian devotions other than the rosary which you use?  

My Answer:  No, though I did I like May Crowning when I was a kid.  

I"m starting to get back in the groove with reading and blogging, especially now that school is out and I don't have to supervise homework.  I went to my parents' house on Memorial Day and blogged about it here. I reviewed three books:  The Midwife is about and Old Order Mennonite midwife.  Dreamweaver and Beach Glass are general market romances.  

Review: Beach Glass

Beach Glass

About the Book:

Finding love means taking risks, letting go, and believing in second chances . . .

A devastating break-up—

Yes, I’m ready to be your wife after five years together. I’m ready to marry you, to do laundry together, to have kids with you and wake up in the middle of the night when they cry, and try to find time for sex, and laugh about it when we can’t. I’m ready for all of it, Daniel.

Katy McNamara is ready, but Daniel, her devoted but commitment-wary boyfriend, isn’t. When her thirtieth birthday comes and goes without a marriage proposal, she leaves the dull safety of an east coast freelance job for an assignment in Costa Rica, hoping the distraction of writing about yoga and surfing in a tropical paradise will help her heal.

Enter Carson Richardson—tanned, tall, and handsome, a world-class surfer who also happens to be smart, wealthy, and a very nice guy. 

A breathtaking new love—

Carson the surf god teaches me how to ride the waves. Carson sits with me on a surfboard, and we kiss as the sun sets behind us. Carson looks on with approval as I send a postcard home with one sentence that reads: I’m not coming back. 

Loving Carson opens a world of adventure for Katy, though the dangers of his sport always lurk at the edges of their happiness. If the unthinkable happens, will the fantasy be enough?

Falling in love means trusting, hoping, sharing—and learning to live for today. Falling in love means realizing that life is as fragile and as beautiful as beach glass.

My Comments: 

Who are you?  To what extent are you the person you are perceived to be, and to what extent are you something else?  Put another way, can you choose to be someone else by acting like someone else?  In some ways that is what Katy does in this book.  After realizing that the boyfriend she has had for five years doesn't want marriage and children (gee, it took her five years to figure that out?), Katy heads to Costa Rica to work on a story.  She is "undercover" so she calls herself Kate and starts doing things she would never do.  While there, she falls in love, but Carson isn't who he seems to be.  

I guess I'me getting old, but like I said in the first paragraph, it took her five years to figure out that Daniel wasn't marriage material?  I saw red flags galore when it came to Carson but as the story evolved, whether Katy saw those flags or how she dealt with them turned out to be irrelevant.  Still I enjoyed watching Katy take control of her life and become who she wanted to be.  

By the end of the book a lot of the characters had changed, for the better and Katy got her happily ever after.  

I did not like how much of the book took place in the bedroom and had to wonder if the characters would have had the problems they did if they had gotten to know each other outside the bedroom as well as they did in it. 

I'd like to thank the publisher for making a review copy available via NetGalley.  Grade:  B.

The Midwife: My Review

The Midwife

About the Book:

The Past -- Graduate student Beth Winslow was sure she was ready to navigate the challenges of becoming a surrogate. But when early tests indicate possible abnormalities with the baby, Beth is unprepared for the parents' decision to end the pregnancy -- and for the fierce love she feels for this unborn child. Desperate, she flees the city and seeks refuge at Hopen Haus, a home for unwed mothers deep in a Tennessee Mennonite community.

The Present -- As head midwife of Hopen Haus, Rhoda Mummau delivers babies with a confident though stoic ease. Except in rare moments, not even those who work alongside her would guess that each newborn cry, each starry-eyed glance from mother to child, nearly renders a fault through Rhoda's heart, reminding her of a past she has carefully concealed.

Past and present collide when a young woman named Amelia arrives in the sweeping countryside bearing secrets of her own. As Amelia's due date draws near, Rhoda must face her regrets and those she left behind in order for the healing power of love and forgiveness to set them all free.

My Comments:

The story is told in the first person with chapters told by different characters at different times.  Each is headed by the character's name and the date, so keeping track isn't that hard.  I actually liked the writing style and the way the story was told.  Unfortunately, by the end of the book the main thought running through my mind was "unbelievable" and not in a good way.  Too many things were interconnected, too many things that weren't likely to happen had to happen and did.  As an example, toward the end of the book a girl from this home for unwed mothers goes into labor unexpectedly.  The baby is in the footling breach position (coming out feet first) and these very experienced midwives don't know what to do.  It turns out that an unexpected visitor to the home that night trained as an obstetrician over twenty years ago (though he's never practiced) and he delivers the baby vaginally.  He knows better than those midwives how to do that?  I doubt it.  I won't spoil the story with all the interconnections but suffice to say I thought there were too many.  

While the book really drew me in an I loved the writing, I've got to give this one a C+ for the total lack of credibility at the end.  

Thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy via NetGalley.

Question for my readers?   Do you expect to be able to believe the story being told when you read a book?

Review: Dreamweaver Trail

Dreamweaver Trail: An Eternity Springs Novel

About the Book:

After another lonely Valentine’s Day, Gabi Romano trades mountain snowfall for sunshine and sand at a luxurious Caribbean getaway. There she finds not one but two thrilling new passions: creating art glass, and Flynn Brogan, the sexy caretaker next door who brings her fantasies to life. But when violence interrupts their romantic interlude, she learns that Flynn is living a lie. Heartsick, she decides to concentrate on her craft. Playing with fire is safer than loving a man like Flynn.

Flynn is determined to make things right with Gabi—until his enemies interfere. Now damaged and driven by a need he cannot define, he seeks out Gabi’s Colorado community as a mystery man searching for peace, though not expecting redemption. But he never imagined a place like Eternity Springs, where lives are changed, second chances are given, and the possibility exists for two wounded souls to find their way home . . . to each other. 

My Comments:

This is another one of those books that doesn't suffer from excessive realism.  The original premise isn't too far-fetched:  The dog-sitter for the rich folks meets the guy she thinks is the pool boy next door, only of course he isn't.  It turns out they are both running from their pasts to some degree.  I enjoyed watching them get to know each other, but somehow neither Flynn or Gabi really came alive for me.  In short, a basic formula romance with a couple of dreamy settings.  It is part of a series so there are some useless characters running around, but the back story isn't really significant to this story.  

I'd like to thank the publisher for making a review copy available via NetGalley.  Grade:  B-

This That and the Other Thing at My Parents' House

As my regular readers know, my Dad passed away April 15.  My Mom died in 2007.  It is time to go go through their stuff.  The question is what to do with it.  Some of it is easy--those 2008 Christmas cards can hit the trash.  I want the dining room and my youngest wants the twin beds. The unwanted clothes, furniture, kitchen stuff etc can go to Goodwill or someplace similar--or maybe we can task the young adults with holding an estate sale (and let them keep the proceeds).  But what about the other stuff?  Genealogy was my Dad's retirement hobby and he had extensive files on all sorts of branches of the family.  I know what to do with the files on his side of the family--they will be boxed up and sent to a first cousin of mine who is into genealogy.  What about the stuff on my Mom's side?  As far as I know none of my cousins have adopted that hobby.  Dad was in contact with some folks from her side, but they are old and to send that stuff to them just means their kids will have to deal with it--and that if I want it back some day, it will be hard to find or not in existance.  And then there are the family pictures.  Some I recognize; some I don't.  What do I keep?  What do I pitch?  What do I do with my Mom's college yearbook?  My Dad's Air Force yearbook?  Dad's Ph.D. diploma?  Mom's college transcript?  Today I found letters my parents exchanged while engaged.  Do I keep them?  Why?  Will my kids care?

One of my brothers is getting the house.  He lives behind it and therefore wants control over what happens to it (or more precisely, what type of neighbors he has).  It is a 1950's ranch house that had two large rooms added to the back of it.  It is close enough to the beach to have high insurance premiums and far enough away that it lacks the glamour of beach-front property (and there is plenty of empty beach-front property since Katrina since the insurance is so costly).  In short, people who can afford to insure that house can afford nice houses, and  it isn't.  The kitchen cabinets and paneling are original to the house.  The wood floors need refinishing.  It has popcorn ceilings.  The moldings were not professionally done after Katrina and you can tell.  The house next door sold for $30,000, and like my brother said, there aren't too many people who would buy a $30,000 house that he wants to live next to.  Right now, the option getting the most consideration is the bulldozer.

We are keeping the house as is until it clears probate--and maybe longer.  I'm the only one who wants any major contents.  Until my brother decides what to do, it is there for folks to  use, and we are hoping extended family comes down, but the reality is that most of us have no desire to own that house and pay the bills associated with it.  It is either going to be torn down, rented or sold.  It is not going to become a family vacation home.  It is going to be sad when we start taking apart the home in which we were raised but the day is coming.

Have you dealt with your parents' house?  What did you do with the stuff?  How did you decide what to keep and what to let go?

Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival

Hello, and welcome 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 participate, go to your blog and create a post titled Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival. In it, discuss and link to your posts for the week--whether they deal with theology, Catholic living or cute Catholic kids. I'm mostly a book blogger so my posts are generally book reviews, some Catholic, some not. Make sure that post links back here. Once you publish it, come back here and leave a link below.

We also have a yahoogroup; signing up for it will get you one weekly reminder to post. Click here to sign up.

Question of the Week: What are your plans this summer?

My Answer:  Nothing all that exciting.  The youngest is going to camp at school for six weeks; after that, it will depend on what her sibs are doing.  At this point they are both looking for jobs.  My daughter will have an interview Monday.  We are planning a family vacation to Orlando in August, but where we go will depend on who is going, and if the older two are employed, they may be staying home.  

No posts for me this week--too much Candy Crush, not enough reading. 

Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival

Hello, and welcome 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 participate, go to your blog and create a post titled Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival. In it, discuss and link to your posts for the week--whether they deal with theology, Catholic living or cute Catholic kids. I'm mostly a book blogger so my posts are generally book reviews, some Catholic, some not. Make sure that post links back here. Once you publish it, come back here and leave a link below.

We also have a yahoogroup; signing up for it will get you one weekly reminder to post. Click here to sign up.

Question of the Week:  My calendar says that today is Armed Forces Day.  How about a shout-out an thanks to family members who have served.

My shout-out goes to my dad,may he rest in peace.  This was taken at his retirement ceremony, which was quite a few years ago.  I'm the oldest child.  

I'm starting to get back into the swing of things.  We had a birthday party for my baby today--hard to believe she is ten already.  

This week I reviewed a ghost story/romance, a story set in the Amana Colonies,   a Bible handbook for children and a Christian medical romance. 

 

Inn at Last Chance

Inn at Last Chance

About the Book:

Jenny Carpenter is the unrivaled pie-baking champion of Last Chance, South Carolina's annual Watermelon Festival and the town's unofficial spinster. With her dream of marriage and children on hold, she focuses on another dream, turning the local haunted house into a charming bed-and-breakfast. But her plans go off course when the home's former owner shows up on her doorstep on a dark and stormy night . . .

Mega-bestselling horror writer Gabriel Raintree is as mysterious and tortured as his heroes. His family's long-deserted mansion is just the inspiration he needs to finish his latest twisted tale, or so he thinks until he learns it's been sold. The new innkeeper proves to be as determined as she is kind, and soon Gabriel finds himself a paying guest in his own home. As Jenny and Gabe bring new passion to the old house, can she convince him to leave the ghosts of his past behind-and make Last Chance their first choice for a future together?

My Comments:

While I enjoyed this book, I'd say it was my least favorite of the series.  While I've said the other Last Chance books seemed like a cross between Christian fiction and trashy romance, this one was a cross between a ghost story and a romance, and I'm just not a fan of ghost stories.  Also, I found the climax/resolution scenes to be very unlikely.  Still, for a fan of the series it was a fun visit to a charming town.  

Thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy via NetGalley.  Grade:  B-

Review: A Shining Light

Shining Light, A (Home to Amana Book #3)

About the Book:

West Amana, Iowa, 1890

After Andrea Wilson receives the devastating news that her husband has been lost at sea, she returns home to Iowa with her young son, Lukas. But what she finds there causes more heartache: The family farm has burned and her father has died, leaving Andrea with nothing.

Andrea must rely on the kindness of the people from the nearby Amana village who invite her to stay with them for a time. She discovers much generosity and contentment among the Amanans--especially from the tinsmith, Dirk Knefler, who takes her son under his wing. But is the simple, cloistered life in Amana what Andrea wants for Lukas's future? Is she willing to give up the comforts and freedom of the outside world? And when yet another round of shocking news comes her way, will Andrea ever be able to find the serenity and hope that have eluded her for so long?

My Comments:  

While I enjoyed this story, I was a bit disappointed because I really didn't much sense of who the Amana people were.  We learned they were from Germany and that they lived communally but that was about it.  The story itself is a pretty formula romance with Andrea's husband as the force keeping her from true love.  Like all good romances, it ends with a happily ever after.  

I'd like to thank the publisher for sending me a review copy. I suspect I'm late with this review but I got the book during the time I was busy worrying about my Dad.  Grade:  B-

Blog Tour: Candle Bible Handbook

Candle Bible Handbook

About the Book:

Travel through Bible history with this comprehensible exploration of the Bible, following the key narratives from Genesis to Revelation. Perfect as a child’s first Bible reference, he will travel through Bible lands and times and discover how the people lived: the foods they ate, the homes they occupied, the clothes they wore, and the work they performed. There are sections of study questions throughout to further learning, as well as glossaries and FAQs to help understanding.

My Comments:

This is an attractively illustrated book printed on quality paper.  It is done magazine style, with photographs, diagrams, text boxes and inset features.  The only problem I saw with it from a Catholic perspective is that it lacks the Deuterocanonical books.  Each covered book from the Bible gets a couple of pages in this book.  Included on those pages are a short summary of the contents of the book, an outline of the book, study questions, frequently asked questions and often, a feature on something about the time of the book.  The language is simplistic but I would say the book is aimed at the 10-13 age group.  My ten year old grabbed it eagerly but has not picked it up after the initial flip-through.  I think she was expecting more of a story book.  

I'd like to thank the publisher for providing a review copy.  Grade B+ .  

Review: Life Support by Candace Calvert

Life Support (Grace Medical)

About the Book:

Nurse Lauren Barclay put her life on hold to keep a watchful eye on her troubled sister. It’s why she’s back in Houston. But that means confronting the brooding physician assistant who caused painful turmoil in her family—and left Lauren with memories her heart can’t forget.

PA and single parent Elijah Landry is no stranger to stormy relationships, including one with his father, who is threatening him with a restraining order. It won’t stop Eli from protecting his disabled brother—or from making peace with Lauren. He wants that and so much more.

But as Lauren and Eli draw closer, a powerful hurricane roars toward Houston. Survival instincts take priority and everything changes. Can hope weather the storm?

My Comments:

This was an enjoyable romance that touched on some serious issues--life issues regarding the disabled and mental health issues--without becoming bogged down with those issues.  While the level of engagement with those serious issues kept this book focused on the romance (and with a cover like that, there is little doubt that the romance is what is being sold) the fact that those issues were there brings a depth to the book that is often missing in romance novels.

The book is set in Houston during hurricane season.  Some of the characters are transplants from Louisiana and I'm afraid Calvert misses on at least one occasion with them.  They are eating muffulettas, which are described as a Cajun sandwich.  Nope, they are Italian.  They are served on a round loaf of Italian bread and are made from cold cuts, cheese and olive salad.  I can't stand them, but my husband made olive salad for years and also worked at a shop that was famous for them. Cajun they are not.  Also, I found her descriptions of hurricane damage to be more serious than would be expected from the category storm she had hit.  

Nevertheless, I liked the characters and enjoyed watching them grow to love each other.  

I'd like to thank the publisher for making a review copy available through the Tyndale Blog Network.  I was under no obligation to write a positive review.  Grade:  B.

Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival

Hello, and welcome 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 participate, go to your blog and create a post titled Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival. In it, discuss and link to your posts for the week--whether they deal with theology, Catholic living or cute Catholic kids. I'm mostly a book blogger so my posts are generally book reviews, some Catholic, some not. Make sure that post links back here. Once you publish it, come back here and leave a link below.

We also have a yahoogroup; signing up for it will get you one weekly reminder to post. Click here to sign up.

Question of the Week: Next week is Mother's Day.     Today is the anniversary of my First Holy Communion (it is also my son's birthday).  Tell us any memories you have of your First Holy Communion (and share photos if you'd like).  Or tell us about your kids' First Communions.

These are pictures of my youngest on her First Communion day.  She's wearing my veil.  This day as also my Dad's last solo trip to New Orleans; this was in May, by October he had given up driving.  

I'm starting to get back into the reading habit; writing reviews is next on the list.  I did publish one this week:  A Perfect Spring. 

Blog Tour: A Perfect Spring

One Perfect Spring: A Novel

About the Book:

Claire Summers is a determined, independent single mother who is doing her best to make lemonade out of the lemons life has handed her. Keith Watson is a results-oriented workaholic with no time for a social life. As the executive assistant to a local philanthropic businessman, he's used to fielding requests for donations. But when a letter from Claire's eleven-year-old daughter reaches his desk, everything changes. The girl isn't asking for money, but for help finding the long-lost son of an elderly neighbor.

As Keith digs reluctantly into this complicated assignment, he has no idea how intertwined his life and Claire's will become--nor how one little girl's kindhearted request will touch so many lives and reap so many blessings.

Through compelling characters and surprising plot twists, Irene Hannon offers readers this tenderhearted story of family connections that demonstrates how life is like lilacs--the biggest blooms often come only after the harshest winters.

My Comments:

This book begins with an unlikely premise and finishes with a pretty happy, and in my opinion, very unlikely conclusion.  In between though I came to admire the characters.  Keith works for a construction company owned by a former workaholic.  His boss is determined that his protegee will not suffer the same fate, so he gives Keith the job of sorting through donation requests.  What that doesn't have the desired effect, he gives Keith the assignment of personally helping Claire's neighbor.  In the end,guess what happens?  Like I said earlier, unrealistic, but I liked the way Irene Hannon looked at the proper role of work in the life of a person.  I also liked the different perspectives on adoption.  

I'd like to thank the publisher for making a review copy available for this blog tour.  Grade:  B.  

Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival

Hello, and welcome 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 participate, go to your blog and create a post titled Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival. In it, discuss and link to your posts for the week--whether they deal with theology, Catholic living or cute Catholic kids. I'm mostly a book blogger so my posts are generally book reviews, some Catholic, some not. Make sure that post links back here. Once you publish it, come back here and leave a link below.

We also have a yahoogroup; signing up for it will get you one weekly reminder to post. Click here to sign up.

Question of the Week: Next week is Mother's Day.  Share a story about your Mom.  

My mom was not a swimmer; in fact, I'm sure she didn't like the water at all.  However, she was a good mom and made sure all her five kids got plenty of pool and beach time.  She also was a willing volunteer for just about anything.  One year she had the four of us in swimming lessons at the base pool.  Now, this was a large pool and there were LOTS of kids.  The beginning swimming class was divided into 10 stations, each of which had a couple of skills to master.  The stations were staffed by volunteers both in the water and on the deck.  The lifeguards kept a general eye on things and tested the kids to see if they were ready to move up a station.  One day the mom who was supposed to teach the station about how to move your arms didn't show.  My mom was the only deck mom who had her suit with her so she, who couldn't swim at all, was there teaching these kids how to swim--and they learned.

This week I posted about Defy the Night, a book about Vichy France during WWII.