Cardinal Dolan Praying in Rome

 Cardinal Timothy Dolan brought down the house on September 3rd, 2013. No, not at St. Patrick's Cathedral, but on the "Colbert Report," where the good Cardinal traded jabs with host Stephen Colbert, and discussed his bestselling e-book original, Praying in Rome.

Praying in Rome is Cardinal Dolan's personal reflection of his time in the Conclave that elected Pope Francis in early 2013. Full of his characteristic good humor, the book chronicles the myriad of emotions he felt during the resignation of Pope Benedict and during the process of electing the next Vicar of Christ.

During his conversation with Stephen Colbert on Tuesday night, Cardinal Dolan joked that only his mother and Colbert had read Praying in Rome. In truth, his bestselling e-book has garnered enormous praise for its honesty, insight and humor.


Timothy Dolan Pt. 2: If Timothy Dolan were pope, he'd choose the name Stephen.

Information on ordering Praying for Rome here: http://imagecatholicbooks.com/book/234728/praying-in-rome

A Pilgrim's Tale, Ian Morgan Cron is Chasing Francis

"Pastor Chase Falson has lost his faith-and he did it right in front of the congregation of his mega church. Now the elders want him to take some time away. Far away. So Chase crosses the Atlantic to Italy to visit his uncle, a Franciscan priest, where he encounters the teachings of Francis of Assisi and rediscover his ancient faith."  (back cover)

Pastor Chase is a man on a spiritual mission. The life and church he created is no longer working for either Chase or the young people who need more than a "McDonaldized Jesus" and the empty promise of "...a more victorious spiritual life in three easy steps."

"So where is God?" becomes the question that needs more than a scripted answer...something more than an appealing and easily digested "...brand of religion...." When nine year old Iris dies Chase's carefully constructed faith is no longer logical or straightforward.

Chase Falson's story reads more like a memoir than a novel and is sure to inspire any reader who seeks to find their own story beyond the labels.  The second part of Chasing Francis offers seekers a wonderful guided pilgrimage based on the voluntary life of St. Francis of Assisi. (Note: the collected bibliography is truly a treasure for those readers who want to continue the journey.)

Bestselling author Ian Morgan Cron masterfully weaves lessons from the life of Saint Francis into the story of Chase Falson to explore the life of a saint who 800 years ago breathed new life into disillusioned Christians and a Church on the brink of collapse. Chasing Francis is a hopeful and moving story with profound implications for those who yearn for a more vital relationship with God and the world.

To learn more about the author and download two free chapters visit Ian's website here: http://www.iancron.com/

Last Chance

"...Last Chance, where inertia is a way of life."

 

A light blend of family dynamics and new love. It's summer in Last Chance, South Carolina and time for the Watermelon Festival. Single mom Amanda Wright, her young son and her colorful granny are ready to have some fun in the sun. Accompany the day is the mellow voice of DJ Grant Trumbull.  Best selling author Hope Ramsay has written another fun story set in the Last Chance Series. A perfect, fun afternoon read.

 

 

Last Chance Summer is a novella, a short story around 10,000 words.

 

 

The publisher, Forever (Grand Central Publishing) provided a reading copy in hopes of a review. My words are my own.  

   

Peter Gethers's popular memoirs, starting with The Cat Who Went to Paris, put his name on the literary map. In Ask Bob, Gethers tackles fiction, telling the story of Dr. Robert Heller, a prominent New York City veterinarian who also pens a newspaper column ("Ask Dr. Bob") addressing the concerns and woes of pet owners. Dr. Bob is no-nonsense in the delivery and approach of his column--and with his patients and their owners--but he's not as direct in his personal life. He comes from a dysfunctional family that has made his role as son, brother, uncle and lover a muddled, thorny challenge. When Bob meets and falls in love with a woman whose family has more issues than his, he takes solace in their romance and the security of his job, concluding that he understands animals better than people. But when tragedy strikes, Bob is forced to meet the challenge and tend to the people he loves and cares for the most.

Gethers has written a smart, lively novel infused with romance and heartfelt, real-life complications of family and domesticity, centered on the women in Bob's life who influence him the most over an 18-year period. Several of Dr. Bob's newspaper columns are interspersed throughout the novel, along with his charming, insightful notes about certain clients and important people in his life; these add levity and humor to the story's heavier themes. --Kathleen Gerard, blogger at Reading Between the Lines

Blue Plate Special, An Autobiography of My Appetities

“I began with eating and moved on to cooking just as I began with reading and moved on to writing. …Eating a good meal, like reading a satisfying novel, has returned me to myself during times when this disconnect was a profound internal chasm.” Kate Christensen

 

 

Author Kate Christensen’s has published six novels that according to her “…engage in some way with the same themes – struggling, loneliness, floundering, and excess, as well as food, love, art, marriage, and family.”  

 

“All of my novels are about, in one way or another, people whose lives are changing whether they like it or not, people who are faced with some degree of external crisis and have to scramble to deal with it. My protagonists are men and women, young and old, but they all share this. The older I get, the more my own life feels implicated in my own novels, and the clearer it is to me that all my characters’ concerns come directly from my own experiences.” 

Ms. Christensen goes on to explain just how her beginnings began to intrude on her life.  Putting aside the novel she was writing she began exploring her own experiences and memories. At age fifty her writing turned autobiographical. It was time to personally explore the themes that she had so consistently visited in fiction. 

Her earliest memory is a sunny Berkeley morning and a breakfast table littered with soft-boiled eggs and buttered toast. Seated at the weekday table with her mother and younger sister there seems to be no warning that life can turn ugly in the seconds it takes to make a request. Her two year old mind is unable to process the abuse or the suddenness of the attack. It will take 40+ years of living, searching, writing, and reflection before she truly understands who she is. 

Ms. Christensen is a hardworking writer (her goal is 1,000 words a day), who shares her life and her recipes in a way is inspiring and thoughtful and honest. If you’re curious about your own relationships, successes and failures and what to do with them perhaps you will find yourself and your story among these pages.

Gillian Flynn, the author of Gone Girl, Dark Places and Sharp Objects calls Kate Christensen a great American writer and has this to say about Blue Plate Special: “It’s an expert guide on inspiration, ingenuity, heartbreak, buoyancy, home, love, family, screwing up, bouncing back, and perfecting the bacon-cheddar biscuit.”

(Doubleday Books © July 2013)  A heartfelt thank you to Doubleday Books for the Bound Galley sent my way for review purposes. I had not read Kate Christensen before; she is however, now on my radar. I’m looking forward to reading her novels. Her blog is here: http://katechristensen.wordpress.com.

Fresh Recipes and Fresh Air! Greetings, from Pinecraft, Florida

Simply Delicious Amish Cooking

Recipes and Stories from the Amish of Sarasota, Florida
By Sherry Gore

             Need a recipe for Amish Baked Hamburgers? Aunt Mary’s Corn Bread?  Or how about tips for caring for your rolling pin?  Check out this delightful new cookbook from Zondervan Publishing.  Author Sherry Gore is editor-in-chief of Cooking  & Such magazine and columnist for the national edition of the 120 year-old Amish newspaper, The Budget where she writes about food for the Plain People.   

            There are great, glossy pictures (readers are warned ... a glance at the Chocolate Whoopie Pie is engineered to make you swoon) and interesting stories and memorable quotes contained within these pages. If you’re curious about the food and social life of the Plain People or searching for true comfort food look no further. There’s even a recipe for Shoofly Pie.

            And if you’re ever in the neighborhood stop by Yoder’s Restaurant (opened 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday) for a true sample of the local cuisine … where, if you’re lucky, you just might run into the Ms. Gore.

A copy of Simply Delicious was provided by Thomas Nelson for review purposes. My words are my own.

Living With Autism

Random House
New York, New York

 

"From the beginning, I knew that I wanted to approach autism differently."     ~~Kristine Barnett

If you believe, as I do that the Universe will present the right book at just the right moment you will understand my appreciation for Kristine Barnett's The Spark.  Although my own family has been affected by an autism diagnoses (nearly six years ago) I continued to struggle with what the future holds and to understand the actions of those confronted with the daily task of meeting his needs. I had many questions, and few answers.

Dr. Thomas R. Insel, Director of the National Institute of Mental Health* offered the following: "People with autism are likely to be viewed differently by pediatricians, child neurologists, child psychiatrists, developmental psychologists, behavior therapists, special education experts, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, and any of the other range of providers. Like the blind men and the elephant, different providers can offer completely different perspectives on the problem and the treatment. ..."

No wonder I was confused. Even the experts don't agree. The scarce information I received was coming second, even third hand. The Spark provided many answers and ultimately a great deal of hope. Kristine Barnett easily won my admiration.

This is an inspiring and intimate memoir of a mother determined to save her child. She made the life-changing decision to trust herself and her son and follow her true heart.  Against the advice of her husband and the developmental professionals treating their son Ms Barnett chose to follow her own intuition. Believing that all children will outperform our expectations if we can find a way to feed his or her passion she got to work. Using what she calls her "mother gut" she helped Jacob find his real, authentic self... his spark.  It is a story of what to do when typical therapy isn't working.

Despite her own challenges, and there were many, Ms. Barnett saw only possibilities. This is the story of a mother's unselfish love for her son and so much more.

Kristine Barnett lives in Indiana with her husband, Michael, and their children. In 1996 she founded Acorn Hill Academy, a daycare serving local families. She and Michael currently run a charitable community center for autistic and special-needs children and their families called Jacob's Place. Find out more here:
Jacobbarnett.org/Kristine-Barnett

*Thomas R. Insel, M.D., is Director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), the component of the National Institutes of Health charged with generating the knowledge needed to understand, treat, and prevent mental disorders. His tenure at NIMH has been distinguished by groundbreaking findings in the areas of practical clinical trials, autism research, and the role of genetics in mental illnesses. http://www.nimh.nih.gov/about/director/2013/the-four-kingdoms-of-autism.shtml

Note: This book was provided by the publisher, Random House, for review and for that I am grateful. This is a well-written book that will be well-received. The Spark will be available April 2013. 

Note: This review has been posted on GoodReads.com

Lisa Samson's Newest Novel

The Sky Beneath My Feet tells the curious story of stuck in the 80s Beth, former Quaker, current self-absorbed mother to two teenage sons, married to St. Rick who has retreated to the couple's backyard hideaway. Written in first-person, the reader is treated to Beth's misguided view of the world and those closest to her. (Surely I am not the only reader who wonders why Beth doesn't march across the yard and demand answers.) Like a lot of women  (and men) she is oblivious, projecting, and quick to blame others for her unhappiness (a recognizable passive/aggressive personality type). But she also comes across as sad, conflicted, familiar. Who is to blame for her reality? Her actions (and non-actions) will launch many a book club discussion.

I've long been a fan of Ms Samson's writing. She draws her characters with grace and determination. Her stories open thoughtfully and move swiftly. Not afraid to tackle life's uncomfortable themes I consider her a "writers writer" and occasionally used her novels in the classroom. Aspiring novelists pay attention, Ms Samson is a gifted storyteller.

Tea and Empathy: Lisa Samson. Publisher Weekly Update http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/authors/profiles/article/55878-religion-update-february-2013-tea-and-empathy-lisa-samson.html

The Sky Beneath My Feet was provided by the publisher, Thomas Nelson, for review. The words are my own.

Note: This review has been posted on GoodReads.com