The Sunday Gospels for Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter: My Review

 

The Sunday Gospels for Advent, Christmas

Lent and Easter

About the Book

This book presents the complete texts of the gospel readings for every Sunday throughout the three-year cycle of the Sunday lectionary in the Catholic Church during the seasons of Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter. It may be used for personal study to enhance understanding and appreciation of the Sunday gospel.

Each reading is accompanied by a short commentary, two questions for personal reflection and two prayers, to enable the gospels to be read in the contemplative tradition of Lectio Divina. These reflections have been written by the Revd Dr Adrian Graffy, a member of the Pontifical Biblical Commission.

The gospels are from the Revised New Jerusalem Bible, a bold new rendition of the scriptures designed for study and proclamation, and acclaimed for the richness, accuracy and inclusivity of its language.

A companion to this volume, The Sunday Gospels for Ordinary Time, will be released in January 2021.

Revd Dr Adrian Graffy was awarded a doctorate at the Pontifical Biblical Institute and taught Scripture for many years. He is now a parish priest in the Diocese of Brentwood and director of the What Good News website (www.whatgoodnews.org). He was appointed in 2014 to be a member of the Pontifical Biblical Commission, which takes a lead in Bible scholarship, interpretation and promotion for the Catholic Church.

My Comments

Yes, reflections on the Gospels of the day are a dime a dozen, can be emailed to you by any number of organizations/people and cover the entire spectrum of Catholic belief/practice from the Latin Mass aficionados to the Praise and Worship music fans to prolife leaders to social justice warriors.  This one is pretty middle of the pack ideologically.

It covers all all three Lectionary cycles but none of the "green" Sundays.  

To give you a taste of the style/content, I'm going to talk about the readings for today, the feast of Mary, the Mother of God.  Dr. Graffy points out that the Gospel is similar to one read on Christmas, the only difference is the addition of the last verse. He points out that the focus today is on Mary, without whom none of this could have  happened.  He ties in the second reading (which isn't printed in the book) which says that God sent his Son, born of a woman and that the first reading from Numbers invokes God's blessing on God's people as the new year begins.  He then asks the following reflection questions:

• Do I appreciate the courage and love of Mary and see her as an example?
• Do I imitate Mary's silence and her pondering of God's goodness in her heart?

Graffy then leads us in prayer

• We pray that we may follow the example of Mary, the first servant of Jesus Christ, who listened to God's word and responded with generosity. 
• We open our hearts to God at the beginning of a new year, that God may bless us day by day.

The author is English, the spelling is English but I looked him up and he is Catholic, not Anglican.  

If you are looking for something to lead you into prayer on the Sunday Gospels during these sacred seasons, this is a good option.  

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

Children's Book Review: Light for the World

Light for the World

About the Book:

Written and illustrated for your entire family, this softcover book explains Catholic traditions and feast days that we celebrate throughout the seasons of Advent and Christmas.

My Comments:

As Catholics, we celebrate the liturgical year, which has its own seasons and celebrations.  Light for the World takes us through the seasons of Advent and Christmas, touching on feast days, prayers and traditions.  Feasts discussed include the Annunciation, St. Francis Xavier, St. Nicholas (of course!), the Immaculate Conception, Our Lady of Guadalupe, St. John of the Cross, Christmas, St. John, Apostle and Evangelist, The Holy Innocents, The Holy Family, Mary the Mother of God, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, St. John Neumann,  Epiphany and the Baptism of Our Lord.  Traditions that are explained include the Advent Wreath, the Advent Calendar, the Nativity Scene, the Jesse Tree, the "O" Antiphons, filling stockings, presents and King Cake.  

The pages about the feast days give short stories about the feast or the celebrated saint and they often include prayers.  The Feast of the Holy Innocents page includes the following prayer;

Prayer for the Dignity of Human Life

Lord and giver of all life, 

help us to value each person

created in love by you.

In your mercy, guide and assist our efforts

to promote the dignity and value of all human life,

born and unborn.

We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen

The book has an Imprimatur and Nihil Obstat from the Bishop of Green  Bay, Wisconsin.  Scripture quotes are from the NRSV.

While marketed as a children's book, I see it as a book for family use.  I think there is too much text and that some of the words are too advanced for young children, such that giving them the book would not be using it to its full potential.  Grade:  B.  

I'd like to thank Catholic Word for sending me a review copy of the book.  Catholic Word describes itself as " a one-stop resource for leading programs and religious titles from over 35 top Catholic publishers. For over 15 years, Catholic Word has built a reputation based on quality, personal relationships and a devotion to excellence in service."  The mission they espouse is "to build up the Church one soul at a time through top quality Catholic materials and resources. Wherever a person is on their faith journey, we offer real help to taking the next step closer to God. Our motto is to do the right thing, in the right way, for the right reason."  They claim to be "100% faithful to the teachings of the Magisterium".  

Children's Book Review: The Midwife of Bethlehem

The Midwife of Bethlehem

About the Book:

A beautifully illustrated telling of the Christmas nativity through the eyes of the women who may have come to help Mary give birth.

My Comments:

We always see the Nativity Scene with Jesus, Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, the angels and the kings, but realistically speaking, there was probably a midwife or perhaps a female family member around to help Mary during labor and delivery.  As noted above, this is the nativity story through the eyes of a first century Jewish woman.  She quotes Old Testament scripture,wondering when the Messiah will be here, and talking about what He will be like.  It is a wonderful way to tie together the Old and New Testament, but the dialogue comes across as a little unnatural.

The pictures in the book are beautiful and the story, of course,  timeless.  

I'd like to thank Rebecca Brown at Cadence Marketing Group for providing a complimentary review copy.  Grade:  B.

Review: Christmas in Mustang Creek

Christmas in Mustang Creek (The Brides of Bliss County)

About the Book:

Charlotte Morgan grew up in Mustang Creek, Wyoming, and couldn't wait to escape to the big city. But life in New York isn't as fabulous as she'd like to admit—she's lonely, doing a job she doesn't love and dating too many frogs she meets online. 

There was one potential prince, though—Jaxon Locke, a veterinarian with definite possibilities—but his move to Idaho to fill in at his dad's vet practice ended things just as they were getting interesting. What Charlotte doesn't know is that he misses her, more than he expected… 

Meanwhile, Charlotte's great-aunt Geneva—the woman who raised her—needs to enter an assisted-living facility. So, just before Christmas, Charlotte moves back home. When Jax catches wind of her move back West, he's determined to get to Wyoming and do whatever it takes to win her back. 

Christmas in Mustang Creek is a magical time in a magical place, not least because of a mysterious visitor named Mrs. Klozz. She knows that love is the greatest gift of all, and she's ready to help out Santa by giving these two a push in the right direction!

My Comments:

It is a Linda Lael Miller Christmas romance.  That really says it all.  It was a quick, sweet, hometown (if your hometown features ranches and mountains) story of family, long-time friends, snow, animals, and a little Christmas magic.  The only real conflict is inside Charlotte's head, and there isn't much of that.  Grab your hot chocolate, curl up in front of the fire and enjoy this holiday treat.  Grade:  B.

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

Kindle Freebie Review: Home for the Holidays

Home for the Holidays

About the Book:

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS - a heartwarming Christmas novella about true friendship, helping those in need, and falling in love. . .What's a girl to do when she falls in love with her lifelong best friend? Small town librarian Lauren Forrester moves to St. Louis so that handsome contractor Jeffrey Warren can find a wife without having to deal with Lauren's moods. But when Jeffrey shows up on her doorstep to convince her to come home for a country Christmas, will the hardheaded pair lose their friendship or find something even more precious?

My Comments:

I got this when it was an Amazon Freebie, though it is not free at the time I am writing this (in July).  It's an old story--they have been best friends forever.  Each is secretly in love with the other, afraid to take the next step for fear of losing the friendship.  Toss in Lauren doing a good deed for a family in distress and you have all the makings of a charming Christmas read.  Grade:  B- (sweet, charming, not very original). 

Review: A Proposal for Christmas

A Proposal for Christmas: State Secrets\The Five Days of Christmas

About the Book:

New York Times bestselling authors Linda Lael Miller and Lindsay McKenna present two enthralling stories about the redemptive power of the holiday season  

STATE SECRETS 

Linda Lael Miller 

Secret Service agent David Goddard never expected to spend his Christmas surveilling the president's cousin. But after weeks of studying her, he finds that Holly Llewellyn's life continues to remain a mystery. Tangled in the controversy swirling around them, David wonders, is it her secrets that fascinate him…or Holly herself? 

THE FIVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS 

Lindsay McKenna 

Morgan Trayhern's toughest mercenary, Colt Hamlin, is looking to lie low this Christmas, but he may just have a change of heart when his matchmaking boss puts him in the path of Montana's prettiest widow.

My Comments:

Both these stories are oldies that have been recycled for this collection.  If you don't think life has changed much recently, think about the last time  you followed a phone cord to find the phone in a messy room.   Of the two, I preferred The Five Days of Christmas.  I could at least figure out what those two saw in each other.  In State Secrets I saw plenty of lust, but most of the love was between the adults and the kids.  

If you like sweet but hot romances, you'll probably like these, but they aren't anything that anyone who isn't a romance junkie will care to read.  Grade:  C+

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

Christmas Roses: My Review

Christmas Roses

About the Book:

Celia Anderson doesn't need anything for Christmas except a few more boarders, which are hard to come by in this small mining town. She certainly doesn't have a husband on her Christmas wish list. But when a wandering carpenter finds lodging at her boarding house, she admits that she might remarry if she found the right man--the kind of man who would bring her roses for Christmas. It would take a miracle to get roses during a harsh Wyoming winter. But Christmas, after all, is the time for miracles . . .

Amanda Cabot invites readers to cozy up with a romantic, heartwarming tale of the greatest gift of all--love.

My Comments:

I read this short Christmas novella (172 pages) in just a few hours.  It was a sweet Christmas romance, and while it had definite spiritual content and message, it wasn't really preachy and was an enjoyable way to spend the evening.  

Celia was widowed a few months ago.  While she had grown to love her husband and considered him a good man, she did not want to enter into another arranged or convenience marriage.  Mark came into town looking for the father who had abandoned his family years ago.  As they get to know each other love blooms...

Ok, it wasn't the most original plot in the world and one of them had to find God before they got to live happily ever after, but I already told you it was a Christmas story, so I doubt you ever wondered if Celia and Mark would get together.  

I'd like to thank Donna Hausler of Baker Publishing for providing me with a complimentary review copy of this book.  “Available September 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”  Grade:  B-

Review: A Winter Wonderland

A Winter Wonderland

About the Book:

In "A Winter Wonderland" by Fern Michaels, Angelica Shepard leaves New York for Christmas in Colorado to relax and unwind - but an out-of-control snowboarder almost has her laid to rest. When she wakes up in the hospital, all she remembers is the handsome angel who saved her. "The Joy of Christmas" by Holly Chamberlin introduces Iris Karr, who thinks "not all happiness is good for you," when she decides to move away instead of marrying her sweetheart Ben. Even years later, living with that decision isn't easy - until a familiar face comes to call her home for the holidays. In Leslie Meier's "The Christmas Thief," Elizabeth Stone is ready for a white Christmas in Tinker's Cove, Maine - until a fancy Yule ball at the Florida hotel where she works dumps snow on her plans. The sponsor's jewels have gone missing and the police are asking about her ties to a cute mystery guest. Good thing Elizabeth's mother, Lucy Stone, flew down to surprise her. 'Tis the season for a little investigating. In "The Christmas Collector" by Kristina McMorris, estate liquidator Jenna Matthews isn't one for Christmas nostalgia. But when one grandmother's keepsakes suggest a secret life, unwrapping the mystery leads Jenna - and her client's handsome grandson - to the true heart of the holiday spirit.

My Comments:

The fun thing about Christmas anthologies is that they give you a chance to sample writers whose works you keep seeing, but not buying.  I've never read any of these authors before but will definitely give Holly Chamberlin another chance.

None of these stories was terribly sophisticated or long and they were easy reads.  "A Winter Wonderland" was a pretty basic romance set in Colorado.  She's an actress who figures her time on stage is about at an end; he is a surgeon who just lost a patient and isn't sure he wants to remain a surgeon.  I really enjoyed "The Joy of Christmas".  It was a little darker than the average Christmas romance, but in the end... I really didn't care for "The Christmas Thief" but those who like a little "who dunnit" with their romance probably would like this one--it is part of a series about some crime solving old ladies.  "The Christmas Collector" fell flat for me but it included a second chance at first love.

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

Review: My Kind of Christmas

My Kind of Christmas (A Virgin River Novel)

About the Book:

The Riordan brothers may have a reputation for being rough-and-tumble, but Patrick has always been the gentle, sweet-natured one. These days, his easygoing manner is being tested by his high-octane career as a navy pilot. But for the Riordan brothers, when the going gets tough...the tough find the love of a good woman. 

Except the woman who has caught Patrick's attention is Jack Sheridan's very attractive niece. 

Angie LeCroix comes to Virgin River to spend Christmas relaxing, away from her well-intentioned but hovering mother. Yet instead of freedom, she gets Jack Sheridan. If her uncle had his way, she'd never go out again. And certainly not with rugged, handsome Patrick Riordan. But Angie has her own idea of the kind of Christmas she wants-and the kind of man! 

Patrick and Angie thought they wanted to be left alone this Christmas-until they meet each other. Then they want to be left alone together. But the Sheridan and Riordan families have different plans for Patrick and Angie-and for Christmas, Virgin River– style!

My Comments:

This book was very typical of the Virgin River series.  Patrick is military and has been given extended leave after an accident in which his best friend was killed.  He is trying to decide whether to return to the Navy, or to marry his best friend's wife (not that he has consulted her about this).  Angie  is an academic overachiever who, after a serious accident, has decided to pursue the social side of life.  They meet and .....

Like the other Virgin River books it contains pre-marital intimate scenes and when they start, both characters characterize their relationship as a fling.  

Like most books that are part of a series, this one contains a large cast who play little role in the story.  However, the story is simple enough and their appearances brief enough that it really doesn't matter if you've read the other books.  Unlike many Christmas romances, this is a full length book.  

I like the Virgin River books, so I liked this one.  If you have read and not liked others in the series, this one is just more of the same.  Grade:  B.  

Book Review: A Christmas Home

A Christmas Home: A Novel

About the Book:

Watching their children move out and live independently is a difficult task for many parents -- but for George and Mary Ann McCray, it's nearly impossible. Even though Todd, their disabled son, is in his twenties, George and Mary Ann fear that he cannot thrive without their support and supervision. But Todd is determined to be his own person -- and he has a dog named Christmas and an entire community ready to help him find his way.

My Comments:

As the mother of a young adult with a disability I could relate to Todd's parents--both to his father who tried very hard to respect Todd as an adult who could manage his own affairs and to his mother who wanted to make sure her son was ok.  It is hard for any parent to watch their children leave the nest, even though you know they should and you want them to; it is even harder when you know there are so many things they can't do.  I liked Todd.  He realized he had a disability (not sure whether it is a reading problem or an intellectual problem--his parents' level of care suggests something more disabling than dyslexia, but he manages life pretty well on his own) but he tried to make his own way in the world.  

The story itself is a sweet and short one, the kind of story that would make a great Hallmark Christmas special.  However I found the writing to be weak.  

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

Review: An Outlaw's Christmas

An Outlaw's Christmas (Mckettricks)

About the Book:

Celebrate the holidays with a brand-new McKettrick tale by beloved #1 New York Times bestselling author Linda Lael Miller

With his wild heart, Sawyer McKettrick isn't ready to settle down on the Triple M family ranch in Arizona. So he heads to Blue River, Texas, to seek a job as marshal. But in a blinding snowstorm he's injured-and collapses into the arms of a prim and proper lady in calico.

The shirtless, bandaged stranger recuperating in teacher Piper St. James's room behind the schoolhouse says he's a McKettrick, but he looks like an outlaw. As they wait out the storm, the handsome loner has Piper remembering long-ago dreams of marriage and motherhood. But for how long is Sawyer willing to call Blue River home?

As the gray skies clear, Piper's one holiday wish just might bring two lonely hearts together forever.

My Comments:

Now what exactly did you expect when you saw that cover and that title?  Yup, that's what you get.  The rugged handsome guy who is just bad enough to be interesting, coupled with the prim and proper schoolteacher who lets humanity come before prim and proper.  As they spend the week before Christmas cooped up in the schoolhouse of this rural Texas town sparks fly and eventually... However, they don't consummate the marriage until after the marriage, and there is one other intimate scene in the book where readers get to watch the action.  In short, it is a short Christmas novella totally typical of what Linda Lael Miller writes.  Grade:  B-

Blog Tour: The Christmas Shoppe

Christmas Shoppe, The

About the Book:

The small town of Parrish Springs is not ready for Matilda Honeycutt. A strange older woman with scraggly gray hair and jewelry that jangles as she walks, Matilda is certainly not the most likely person to buy the old Barton Building on the town's quaint main street. When it becomes apparent that her new shop doesn't fit the expectations of Parrish Springs residents, a brouhaha erupts. After all, Christmas is approaching, and the last thing the town needs is a junky shop run by someone who looks and acts like a gypsy. But as townsfolk venture into the strange store, they discover that old memories can bring new life and healing.

Once again, Melody Carlson delivers a Christmas story that will touch hearts and delight the senses. Sure to be a classic, The Christmas Shoppe is filled with the special magic the best Christmas stories share--that intangible mixture of nostalgia, joy, and a little bit of magic.

My Comments:

This is a sweet read, but it's more than a little on the strange side.

I'd like to thank Donna Hausler at Baker Publishing for providing a review copy.

A Christmas Prayer by Amy Parker, Illustrated by Marijan Ramljak

A Christmas Prayer is a charming board book that tells about the characters in the Christmas story via the prayer of a small child. It opens with the family, including two little ones, gathered around the tree. The child's Christmas prayer is one of thanks, not for toys and dolls. First, he gives thanks for his family, and then, on succeeding spreads, for Gabriel, Mary, Joseph, the donkey, the manger, the shepherds, the star, and then, for the perfect Christmas gift, Jesus. As the child thanks God for each of these gifts, a toy is added to the sofa. The final words are 

                            God, I know that Christmas 

                            Is more than toys or lists.

                            Thank You for loving me so much

                            And for these Christmas gifts.

My first grader and I read this tonight for our bedtime story and she enjoyed it.  I liked the fact that the Annunciation got mentioned; it isn't always in non-Catholic children's Christmas stories.  The child figures are cute and the way they are drawn, I don't really think you can say whether they are girls or boys, (though they do have a pink doll cradle and dolls).  I think six is about the upper end for this book though.  

Grade:  B+

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”