May 2023 Book Bracket

I was frustrated when I had as many false starts this month as I had books completed. However, that doesn't detract from how good some of the finished books were, and it is a little encouraging to think that maybe I'm doing better at dedicating time to better books or books that I know I'm enjoying or learning from (for reference, see a blog post from earlier this year where I talked about focusing my reading list).

Books Read

Interior Freedom, by Fr. Jacques Philippe

A fantastic spiritual writer outlines what is necessary to enjoy true interior freedom.

Why I picked it up: I acquired this book at the Spiritual Life Center because I knew I wanted to read more of his works than the St. Therese of Lisieux book and Searching for and Maintaining Peace.

My impressions: I admit that this book was actually finished the last day of April. However, I made it a May read because I already had four books for April's bracket - four being a beautiful number for a bracket, and multiple books already being strong candidates for winning. There were many wonderful quotes that I wrote down.

"Freedom can be diminished by overly strong attachments, by a dependence on someone whom we love too much (and in the wrong way), who becomes so indispensable to us that we partly lose our autonomy. But a refusal to forgive also binds us to the person we resent, and diminishes or destroys our freedom. We are as dependent on the people we hate as on teh those we love in a disproportionate manner." (p. 66)

"Only if we take our own conversion seriously do we stand any chance of seeing out neighbor converted too...It does more good to seek to reform our hearts than to reform the world or the Church. Everyone will benefit." (p. 75)

It was a lovely book and I felt called by it to try to overcome my tendency to try to live justified by the law, rather than living out of a place of faith, hope, and charity. It's a work that I know I should go back to as my morning spiritual reading. It was a small book - very like "Searching For and Maintaining Peace", but perfect for taking in small chunks at a time. Though it did not use the term "spiritual perfectionism" and it was not focused on that subject, it did dovetail beautifully with the book The Heart of Perfection, which I read earlier this year and loved. I recommend this book to any and all Catholic high schoolers and adults as spiritual reading.

Shadows and Images, by Meriol Trevor

This historical fiction novel follows Clem through her adult life, with Saint Cardinal Newman being one of the other key characters, and his life interwoven through the tale.

Why I picked it up: I think this was one of those books that I had on my "try to read this year" list from February. I even accidentally bought it twice.

My impressions: Well, knowing that the author wrote a biography of St. Cardinal Newman in the 1960's probably shaped my idea of the novel. It felt like she said to herself, "I want to write a historical fiction novel about Cardinal Newman," and then realized from her research that his life wasn't quite the thrilling material needed for a book. It was done well, with more focus being placed on Clem at the beginning, but with Newman becoming more and more prominent as the story progressed. There wasn't a plot - following the life of a woman in Victorian England - but I didn't mind too much. There were some parts that I thought were appropriate really only for adults - that surprised me - so I wouldn't recommend this book to high school students. For example, there's an doubly awkward situation where a character is in love with a married man...and it's her first cousin. Yikes. I think the book had the feel of verisimilitude, and I reckon it was well researched. I found it a quick read, even though it was over 200 pages long. I was curious about what was going to happen. Some of the more poetic parts didn't do much for me, but some were rather lovely and demanded a second, slower reading. I enjoyed the book, but it wasn't my favorite and probably won't be one I'll look to reread. However, it has gotten me more in the mindset to explore more of Newman's life and/or works, and especially to see if there's a version of his Apologia Pro Vita Sua that has footnotes explaining who is who.

Lead, Kindly Light: My Journey to Rome, by Thomas Howard**

This is the spiritual journey of a Protestant professor and writer from his beginnings as a Fundamentalist, to an Episcopalian/Anglican, to a Catholic.

Why I picked it up: I started listening to the audiobook on the Formed app within the last few months and decided it would be a good long-form break from podcasts during a teacher workday.

My impressions: The account is relatively short (five and a half hours, give or take), but clearly written by a man who did a lot of learning and soul-searching. He was no intellectual slouch. I liked hearing him talk about his experiences as a Fundamentalist and an Episcopalian/Anglican, because he didn't complain about it; he clearly loved Jesus throughout his life and seems to have had good experiences. He came across as having a very balanced approach, appreciating what was good in the different denominations and in Catholicism, as well as pointing out shortcomings of theology or lived faith, respectively. He talked about accepting some doctrines not merely as "blind faith", but as a trustful obedience to the Church he came to know as the safeguard of truth. Listening to his account and some podcasts I listened to around the same timed helped me think, "What would I say to someone about my reason for believing the Catholic faith?" and coming up with the answer, "Because it is true." This man sought Truth, trusted God to lead him, and sure enough, God brought him to it. I think this is a good work for cradle Catholics to read or listen to, because he does a great job of pointing out some things that might be missed or taken for granted for those who have lived the faith their entire lives. After listening about how others welcomed him into the Church, I want to be better at welcoming the "strangers" I encounter at my parish.

Embracing Edith Stein: Wisdom for Women from St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, by Anne Costa

One woman discusses her friendship with St. Edith Stein and outlines what she thinks women today can learn from her.

Why I picked it up: It was sitting on my sister's bookshelf and I felt the urge to snag this one, along with a couple others.

My impressions: I thought that book was a pretty good introduction to St. Edith Stein and hew works. I read a work by Alistair MacIntyre about her philosophical work in phenomenology and that was pretty brain-bending - it was really nice to have a more approachable approach to this woman and her work. I'm still not sure how difficult her works will be to read, but it was interesting to have a kind of overarching framework of what women might learn from her. Note, I said might learn because this book really was one woman's reflections on Stein's life and work. I think a lot of the conclusions she draws from considering the saint's life are the fruit of prayer and likely to be reflective of other women's experiences, but I couldn't help feeling that some of it was more subjective than objective. The parts of the book that I really liked included an early chapter that covered Edith's life in a brief-ish biography (one of my favorite parts), and pointing out a strong connection between Edith's work and JPII, who I've often heard was influenced by her, but always in a way that didn't seem to make an awful lot out of the influence. There were times when, based off the author's comments, I was wondering, if Edith wrote so much that is applicable to women today, why aren't more women, or people in general, familiar with her works? I do hope to read some her actual essays on women in the near future and get to the original source, but I'm glad to have dipped my toes into the water. I think this is a good book for those desiring an introduction to Edith, specifically regarding women.

Bracket Play

Four books makes for a nice, neat bracket! The one work of fiction fell to Interior Freedom, while the autobiographical account of an Anglican converting to Catholicism lost to the reflective work on St. Edith Stein. While I liked various aspects of the book about St. Edith Stein, Fr. Jacques Philippe's Interior Freedom won overall because it was excellent from beginning to end and is a work that I hope to cycle back to again for my morning meditation.

Books Started and Put Down

Tress of the Emerald Sea, by Brandon Sanderson

A young girl finds herself adventuring in a dangerous world of deadly spores and pirates to save her love from an evil sorceress.

Why I picked it up: A gal pal and I agreed to read this as part of our book-club-of-two.

Why I put it down: It was not bearing good fruit in me as I read; I was feeling very off when I put it down, and even when I tried to skim parts to find out what happened. I may just be very sensitive right now, but I didn't like the author's/narrator's tone and found some of his humor off-putting, as well as graphic descriptions of ways characters died. It's a little uncomfortable for me, knowing that I'm going to show up to a discussion of this book and having to admit I couldn't really handle it, but I want to be as present to my husband as possible, and this book was making it difficult. It wasn't all bad; there is a good bit of humor, but also some pretty high stakes for the main character. Sanderson has a great turn of phrase now and then and some cool characterization (I like what he did for Tress's father, for example). It's interesting, and while it has some politics, I thought it was not too heavy and helps advance, not hinder, the story.

May B, by Caroline Starr Rose

A book-in-verse tells the tale of Mavis, who must survive after events leave her alone in a sod house on the prairie with winter coming.

Why I picked it up: I heard the author speak on the "Read Out Loud Revival" podcast and thought it sounded interesting.

Why I put it down: I don't think books in verse do it for me. I don't consider them poetry, but I do think they use language and poetic structures beautifully. Out of the Dust was, from what I remember, somewhat depressing, and I found this one wasn't much better. It's tone sounded so negative to me and carried a strong sense of discontent from the beginning. It felt real, which probably works well for some people and for the story, but it wasn't the kind of real I was wanting. I'm waiting for a book in verse that is real about different emotions, (and settings), perhaps. It was quick reading and I appreciate seeing how much an author can pack into limited numbers of words, but if someone's going to write a survival tale, I'd much rather have it be like The Cay or Call it Courage or Abel's Island.

The Little Book of Hygge: Danish Secrets to Happy Living, by Meik Wiking

The author explains what hygge is (as well as how it is pronounced), outlining what elements make for a nice, cozy feel in any setting.

Why I picked it up: I commented on it when I saw it at my sister-in-law's house, and she invited me to take it.

Why I put it down: The book wasn't bad. But it started going into candles and it just made me think of "Theology of Home", which I think I'd rather go through again instead of reading this new book which addresses a lot of the coziness, but without the heart or soul of a Catholic perspective. Also, there are simply too many books I want to read - and even more now that I'm listening to the "Read Aloud Revival" podcast and getting mountains of recommendations from that show.

The Library Book, by Susan Orlean

The author delves into what happened when the Central Library of Los Angeles caught on fire in 1986.

Why I picked it up: I saw it at a garage sale and it had the look of one of those non-fiction books one finds on display tables at Barnes & Noble. I think one of my friends read it.

Why I put it down: Like so many other books, it wasn't bearing good fruit in me. It's aggravating, especially when some parts of it were so interesting, but some skimming revealed there wasn't going to be a straightforward account of what happened. There was a lot of personal experience from the author, which worked fine at the beginning, but was less interesting to me once I'd kind of lost my taste for the book. There were some personal details about one person I didn't like knowing and, of course, can't unknow now, and when the history of book burning came up...well, let's just say when the Catholic Church was mentioned, it wasn't commendatory. (I'm not saying members of the Catholic Church never make mistakes or act wrongly...it's just I feel like I've got a chip on my shoulder, and by habit feel skepticism about narratives that consistently seem to put the Church in a negative light.) Now, seeing as I skimmed most of the book, it is entirely possible the author made positive mention of Catholics or the Church and I just missed it. All in all, it's probably an interesting book for a lot of people who like libraries and books, but I found some parts dragging a bit - I wanted the action. It's probably just as well that I'm moving on because there are too many books I really want to read!

Further Thoughts on Embracing Edith Stein

One of these days, I'm gonna figure out what formatting I'll do for titles...italics for books and quotation marks for articles, or quotation marks for everything...and where do commas go when quotation marks go around a title? Do they go inside or outside the marks?

Well, I just looked it up on grammarly.com and it seems I've been doing it wrong. Major works are italicized, and commas go inside the quotation marks. Ah. It is good to know.

Alright, I wrote my notes up above for the most part, but some of the more striking quotes are going to be listed here.

"[JP II's] apostolic letters and encyclicals dedicated to the topic of women's issues are based largely on Edith's writings and have energized and inspired a whole new generation of Catholic women." (p. 79)

"In humility, a woman ultimately forgets herself; forgets both her shortcomings and accomplishments equally and strives to remain empty of self to make room for Jesus, just as Mary did." (p. 84) This is what I desire to reach.

"Today's generation of women seems to be asking, 'Can we really have it all? And if we can, do we really want it?' Even as the lives of women are more varied and creatively rich than at any other time in human history, our myriad of choices come with an equal number of distractions. The more responsibilities we have, the more potential stress we have. The more roles we play, the less likely we are to truly know ourselves. Even with the world as our oyster, so to speak, and with no limits to what we can become, women's sphere of influence still begins with our families and extends out into the world like so many concentric circles or ripples in a pond. And yes sometimes that pond feels like a virtual tidal wave when it comes to sorting through everything that needs to get done!

Some women have made the choice to stay at home against the tide of working women. Some are choosing to home school, embracing in a particularly concrete way their roles as the primary teachers of their children. Other women have the desire to carry this out but cannot due to economic responsibilities or other constraints on their families. Some women are raising and supporting children on their own. Others, though fulfilled by motherhood, see the value in also pursuing a profession that utilizes their gifts and talents outside the home. Still other women are not called to physical motherhood but instead take on the role of spiritual mother in the Church or in the community in which they live. And finally, we can't forget the women in our midst who are godmothers, grandmothers, and great-grandmothers; each on has a vital role to play." (pp. 26-27)

This section spoke to me as a woman who has been aggravated by the very traditional idea the women belong in the home...to the exclusivity of anywhere else, it sounds. This isn't Edith talking, but the author, who sees that every woman has some "vital role to play." In a way, Edith does seem to agree with the idea that women can and maybe should be in the regular workforce with the following line, quoted a little after the previous passage:

"The participation of women in the most diverse professional disciplines could be a blessing for the entire society." - Edith Stein, quoted p. 27

"The duties and cares of the day ahead crowd about us when we awake in the morning (if they have not already dispelled our night's rest). Now arises the uneasy question: How can all this be accommodated in one day? When will I do this, when that? Thus agitated, we would like to run around and rush forth. We must then take the reins in hand and say, "Take it easy! not any of this may touch me now. My first morning's hour belongs to the Lord. I will tackle the day's work which he charges me with, and he will give me the power to accomplish it." - Edith Stein, quoted p. 33

Edith understands! I want to remember that the first moments and routines of my day should be focused on God, not on things I want to check on my phone.

Edith "describes this maternal mission and calls woman 'to war against evil and to educate her posterity to do the same; this has been true of woman including the Mother of the Son who conquered death and hell, but it will have to remain so until the end of the world.'" (p. 87)

Boy, does this make women's vocations sound exciting! Fighting evil and teaching the kids to fight evil, too! Woohoo! It's not something just for physical mothers to do; it is something that is part of every woman's spiritual motherhood, and it seems more exciting and concrete to think of forming children as warriors fighting for God against the forces of darkness. Thank you, St. Edith Stein!

My Thoughts: Tales of Faith

 I don't expect this review to be quite as extensive, but there was enough in the first and last portions that I wanted to record my thoughts on this work.

The first chapter was, by far, my favorite part of this book. It's almost worth buying the book and having it around just so that I can access that first chapter whenever I want.

"Although this book has a practical purpose, I wish to emphasize at the start the importance of encountering literature on its own terms: as an experience that we enter into, and as something that we receive as a good in itself, not merely something that we use for other ends, however laudable." (p. 7)

"We need to be careful never to take a utilitarian approach. If we treat literature as a mere tool to achieve our purposes (however good those purposes may be), we will find that it breaks in our hands. In contrast, when we draw upon works of literature that are beautiful and intriguing in their own right, in a spirit of genuine appreciation, we can confidently invite others to join us in discussing these tales. There is no 'bait and switch,' only the confidence that these classic works of literature also lead us to reflect on the truths of the faith." (pp. 7-8)

I wanted to type out all of pages 8 and 9, for the most part, but I'm not sure that the copyright police would approve of my typing all that up here. Suffice it to say, it's all really good.

"Intellectual hospitality means seeking first to understand and only then to critique as necessary. It's in short supply these days, sadly undermined by our media consumption and by the generally polarized nature of discourse today. Our modern culture is a hypercritical one: our first reaction to anything different tends to be fault-finding." (p. 9)

This hypercritical attitude tends to be my default mode, as well. If anyone has a different perspective than what I think is right, then the judgment immediately starts. 

"It's very easy for an evangelist to end up always on the defensive. If we're only responding to objections, we never have the chance to make a positive case. We need to be able to turn the tables and show the goodness of Christianity." (p. 10)

I love this idea! We spend so much time in apologetics talking about talking points for how to counter questions or attacks on the faith...but as it says in the first letter of St. Peter, "Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope, but do it with gentleness and reverence, keeping your conscience clear..." (1 Pet. 3:15-16). We are called to be ready to give reasons for why we embrace the Church - it's not because of vacuums in reality (e.g., there was nothing better); it has to be because there is a positive, living something - or rather, Someone - that has changed us and our lives.

"Evangelization and discipleship are always slow processes if we are doing them well." (p. 12)

Chapters

Ancient Greek and Roman

And now, I'll spend a bit of time on specific chapters. The first one tackled some myths of the ancient Greeks. These works are super classic in pretty much every sense of the word, but it's not quite the flavor of literature that I enjoy reading for fun. However, I loved that one of the discussion questions highlight realizations I've already have; Jesus, the Lord, acts differently than Greek gods - and the comparison alone says a lot about Christianity. The other questions look like they'd be excellent for getting conversations going, as well. It was fun looking up some of the classical works of art inspired by this mythology. 

The next part of the first chapter addresses Homer's "Odyssey", and specifically, the encounter with the Cyclops. The additional resources listed have me wanting to look up C.S. Lewis' "Preface to Paradise Lost". The best discussion question, I think, asks readers to consider how the faith life is like an odyssey. The next segment of the chapter looks at "Oedipus Rex," most certainly NOT one of my favorite reads from high school. I don't have much to report on this part, so we'll move ahead to the "Aeneid", the classic epic written by the Roman Virgil. It was interesting reading about his journey through the underworld, and seeing where we get the meaning for the word "tantalizing". It was also interesting to think about Dante's "Divine Comedy" and compare the two different takes on Hell/Hades.

Medieval Literature

"The Dream of the Rood" was the first work considered in this chapter, and Ordway's explanation of it blew my mind - I don't remember learning that the speaker for at least part of the poem is actually the Cross. Ordway does a good job of providing necessary background information to help modern readers understand what is happening in the work and I appreciated that it didn't seem like she took too terribly long to explain, although some explanations were lengthy enough. "Beowulf" appears next, and I think it was good to have smaller snippets from different parts of the poem included instead of one long excerpt, because, (as I learned/relearned), Beowulf goes through some character development over the course of the poem. I thought her recommendations about translation choice were interesting - not going with Tolkien's translation because it "focused on linguistic accuracy" and was supposed to be a teaching aid, not a published work - ultimately listing Heaney's version as her preferred translation. That's cool, because I remember hearing Heaney mentioned in my Brit Lit 1 class as a major translator of this work. It makes me more interested in rereading "Beowulf" sometime.

The next part of the chapter talks about the elegy poems "The Seafarer", "The Ruin", and "The Wife's Lament". I didn't spend too much brain power reflecting on these in my review. I was, however, quite fascinated by the Exeter Book manuscript's long poem "Christ". I would be interested in learning more about parts I, II, and III someday. It was also pretty neat to learn about what the "O Antiphons" are (I hear about them every year during Advent, but never took the trouble to learn what they actually are).

The last work considered in this chapter is "Pearl", which I'd long seen on Newman's shelves in the bookstore, but never sat down to read. I was just fascinated by one question in particular, which asks the readers to reflect on the fact that many people find the idea of an afterlife boring. I admit that I've struggled with this myself, and it's led to some really cool discussions with my husband. I want to work on building up a positive idea of what Heaven might be like - for myself, but also for others if it comes up. While I personally struggle with the last "Chronicles of Narnia" book for various reasons, I really love how it makes Heaven sound like a place that would absolutely captivate everyone.

Late Medieval Literature

This chapter focused on the Divine Comedy. It's a work I've read and not really fallen in love with, so I'll skip over it. I'll just say that "Paradiso" is just as ethereal and hard to imagine (and really attend to) in excerpt form as it was reading it the first time all the way through.

Summarizing Last Chapter

Ordway does a nice job of wrapping up the book with ideas about how this book and/or the works in it might be practically discussed in real life.

"As to which texts to choose for your students: select texts that you, personally, find engaging and that you can have fun with. As the instructor, if you are enthusiastic about the readings, you have a good chance of helping the students to be enthusiastic as well. Of course, you should never expect enthusiasm - or at least, not visible enthusiasm. Teenagers and college students often make a substantial effort to act as if they are bored, because they are painfully self-conscious and afraid of the disapproval of their peers if they should do something so socially unforgivable as to enjoy what they're studying in school. But your enthusiasm and interest will not be wasted, and you may well find expressions of sincere engagement on their part coming through in their writing, even if not in person." (p. 171)

I don't plan to homeschool, but I like the encouragement to go with works I'm excited by if I'm going to read out loud or something. It dovetails quite nicely with my reading theory - life is too short to read books you don't enjoy. Of course, one can't realistically stay in one genre forever, so some stretching is good, but at least one is "allowed" to pick favorites from a wider selection to teach. It looks like those who like to practice liturgical living could really double down and work in some of these literary classics pretty naturally. And, of course, all the recommended resources for this final chapter struck my fancy. My to-read notebook is going to be getting pretty full in the next few days.

April 2023 Book Bracket

 April Book Brackets

I love and despise months like this, in which most books I finished were good, if not completely amazing. I wish I could spread the wealth to weaker monthly brackets!

With All Her Mind, edited by Rachel Bulman

This collection of essays by Catholic women explores the intellectual life in many of its facets, including especially its ties to the spiritual life.

Why I picked it up: It sounded interesting to me; what began as me trying to sneak in reading a gift before I gave it to a bridesmaid resulted in me getting a little food on the page and buying her a brand new copy. So now I own this amazing book!

My impressions: You can read all the impressions in the previous blog post. It was fantastic, with this being a conclusion that, although realized, truly came home to me only after reviewing each essay and typing out what stood out to me. I've said this in person and written it down as well, but this is one of the first "directed specifically at women" works that I felt encouraged me to pursue excellence and deep topics in the spiritual life. I highly recommend it to all women, Catholic or Christian and possibly even otherwise; I bet men could take away something from it too, but I don't know that they'd find it nearly as applicable.

Theology of Home, by Carrie Gress, Noelle Mering, and Kim Baile (photograper)

Women consider what a home is from a Catholic perspective.

Why I picked it up: The priest who was giving me and my now-husband marriage prep dropped this title during one of our meetings; I put it on the wedding registry, and one of my cousins very generously got it (and the second one!) for us.

My impressions: I hope to do a deep dive into my impressions of this work later, modeling it on the reflection I did on "With All Her Mind". However, I can summarize here. This book is great. I hadn't even gotten very far into it before I was recommending it to one of my sisters-in-law. This book moves slowly and just about demands that the reader take time to ponder its words. This book is beautiful, from the illustrations lining the inside of the cover to the photographs of real homes and families to the interspersion of text and picture. I make the same recommendation here that I did for "With All Her Mind."

The Blood-Red Crescent, by Henry Garnett

This fictional account of the Battle of Lepanto centers around the coming-of-age adventures of Guido as Europe readies for battle with Turkish forces.

Why I picked it up: I think this one had made it onto my "to-read" list at some point and it was available through the Formed.org app for free.

My impressions: I think the poem by G. K. Chesterton is better. This is a good book for folks who are or were enamored of the tale of the Battle of Lepanto; it's a full novel and has some exciting episodes in it. Although there are chapters here and there that have some very engaging action sequences, there isn't much in this book that's going to make it memorable - at least for me. I think its a solid work of historical fiction, but it was slow to get into and easy to put down after the more interesting bits ended; the pacing was not all that I hoped for, and the final battle felt like it carried equal climactic value with other action sequences. The writing style worked most of the time, but sometimes my progress would be arrested by the way something was worded (I know, I'm not really one who ought to make that criticism). However, there were some writing decisions that I thought worked well, such as naming specific figures, and giving some allusive hints about them (e.g., calling one Turkish captain a "Christian renegade") but not explaining any more - this made me want to learn more about them. Some people might like that certain historical figures appear and have speaking roles in this tale, but I didn't appreciate how Cervantes was portrayed - too much like his creation, Don Quixote, and not enough like the rather ironic person I imagine he was. I'm not sure that descriptions of the Turkish warriors sat well with me - perhaps it was a reflection of the views at the time and historically accurate, but I felt uneasy reading them at times. Some readers might find descriptions of violence and death in this book a little graphic. I think the best audience for this book would be young lads who want action and battles and the victory of good over evil.  I bet GKC would have appreciated this book.

Tales of Faith, by Holly Ordway

Evangelist and college professor discusses how pre-modern literature can provide fruitful ground for discussion and evangelization, building a base with excerpts from select works and discussion questions.

Why I picked it up: You know my story from how I got into reading "With All Her Mind"? Duplicate that, but exchange "food" with "water."

My impressions: This is a good book and makes me wish that I was formally working through literary classics with others. I don't desire that enough to actually go and do it, but it reminded me of some of the joys of being a college student. I absolutely loved the first chapter or so, as Ordway was laying the groundwork - her discussion of "intellectual hospitality" was especially excellent. I can't say that I loved the works she discussed, but it's alright to not love specific works - although it is beneficial to appreciate them. I'd recommend this book to high schoolers, college students, and those teaching them, as well as evangelists. 

Bracket Play

This was a great month of reading. I finished four books, all of which I'd started before my wedding. Three of the books were strong enough to make even part of the first round more difficult than usual. "With All Her Mind" won easily against the weak "The Blood-Red Crescent", which, though an admirable attempt at Catholic creative writing, was not a real delight to read. However, it was a little sad to see Ordway's "Tales of Faith" go down in the first round. I'm confident that the right book won, but I think Ordway's book is well done and has a lot of potential to lead readers and discussion groups towards great pondering. The second round was also a little saddening because I couldn't really pick both. Both of these works led me to slow down, think, and engage more deeply with what I was reading. I loved thinking about "home," as in, what it is, and what we are ultimately pointed to by our desires for a more perfect home. That hit me in all the right places. But I also loved considering what the intellectual life is, how it can be so well integrated with the spiritual life, and what I might consider doing to deepen it - and more importantly, my spiritual life. "With All Her Mind" won in the end - almost every essay having some delight to ponder or quote to take away - but "Theology of Home" was similar in that sense. It easily could have won in a different month. Well fought, books of April! Well done!

March 2023 Book Bracket

March Book Bracket

Just a few books this month, but they were stellar books! I'm not doing a bracket this month like I usually do; there will be more details below.

The Heart of Perfection, by Colleen Carroll Campbell

Drawing from her own experiences and the lives of the saints, the author outlines what perfectionism is, why it's problematic for the spiritual life, and what can be done about it, through God's grace.

Why I picked it up: My spiritual director recommended the book. I was surprised to find it in the public library system, since it is definitely a very Catholic book.

My impressions: This is one of those months where I made the mistaking of waiting until well after a month later to record my impressions. Oh well! I know that reading this book was a good thing for me. I cried while reading the first chapter because the perfectionism she described resonated so strongly with my own experience of it. She did a great job of explaining why we should care about combating spiritual perfectionism - and the person she referred to as an example of spiritual perfectionism gone wrong has stuck with me. Reading this book confirmed me in my goal to read something by St. Alphonsis Liguori and the Rule of St. Benedict. It has also made me want to read the letters of St. Therese of Lisieux and maybe work on improving my devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. All in all, I'd say this was a great book and anyone who thinks they might struggle with perfectionism...and maybe those who don't think they do.

The Fellowship of the Ring, by J. R. R. Tolkien**

This is the first part of the epic tale chronicling the journey of Frodo and his eight companions to destroy the Ring of Power.

Why I picked it up: I picked up the audiobook version from my local library system because I was desperately behind in reading this book for the book club of two.

My impressions: I won't spend too much time here. Tolkien is a great writer. This is a great story. I love it. It would be great if everyone else loved it too.

Not-Bracket Play

I didn't want to give the victory to Tolkien automatically because I love The Fellowship, but I feel like it would be wrong to let any other book beat it because I love it. So, this month, I decided that I would not count The Fellowship as an individual work. I'll combine it with The Two Towers and The Return of the King (the reading of both of which is, I think, inevitable), count them as a single work (as Tolkien would have desired), and woe to any other books in the month it its finished! This also will presumably free up a month or two for other books to "win" the bracket.

 February 2023 Book Bracket

The Sinner's Guide to NFP, by Simcha Fisher*

This collection of essays from a Catholic wife and mother discuss the real difficulties - and beauties - of practicing NFP faithfully.

Why I picked it up: This book showed up "recommended" on Amazon when I purchased another book. The ebook was pretty reasonably priced and this title was on my "to read" list, so it made sense to purchase it.

My impressions: This book is a quick read, even if you take only about ten minutes at a time to read an essay here and there. I really loved some of her points and her humor was spot-on. I did take issue with some of her comments - one in particular was a pretty strong claim, but she had nothing to reference and admitted that there wasn't much objective information out there regarding what she'd stated. That bothered me. So, I would say this book could be good to read, particularly for those who practice NFP or are interested in doing it, hopefully well - but I have to say, take it with a grain of salt...there's no bibliography for works referenced at the end.

On Marriage and Family Life, St. John Chrysostom

This collection of excerpts from works by a saint are a blend of reflections on Scripture passages and pastoral counsel.

Why I picked it up: I think I first purchased this work from Eighth Day Books because marriage was something coming up in the next year. This was my morning post-Scripture meditation read. I'd seen a few lines of St. John Chrysostom online that I'd liked, so I wanted to read more of his works.

My impressions: I liked that St. John Chrysostom took some time to dig deep into passages from St. Paul as well as the Old Testament story of a servant finding a wife for Isaac, Abraham's son. He speaks to his audience with love and with firmness and intelligence. One takeaway stuck with me and helped me realize that I'm really not my own anymore, but I - my body - belongs to my husband in marriage. It was a solid read and I'd recommend it to Catholics who are married or hope to be someday, especially engaged couples.

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse, by Charlie Mackesy

A mix of artwork and short snippets of conversation, this book takes a "minimalist" look at the relationship between a boy and three animals as they wander during the cold, early springtime.

Why I picked it up: I had planned to watch the short film on Apple TV Plus when I had it free for a month; even though that didn't happen, I decided I needed to read the book first.

My impressions: This book has a distinctive art style of watercolors and what looks to be thick ink or thin paint strokes that people might recognize if they've spent time on social media; in fact, I first encountered this author/artist through Facebook pictures. The book is short - probably only 20-30 minutes read if you spend a bit of time reflecting on it as you go. The introduction was helpful to setting the stage for what follows, which is a plotless ramble reflections captured in conversation or monologues. It is, I think, meant to provide food for thought on our emotions - how we interact with others and view ourselves. However, I didn't find this story to be impactful for me. It came across to me as an assortment of sort of general "be kind to yourself, make allowances for others" ideas in an artistic setting. I think some people probably need to hear these things and would be impactful for some readers, but for me, it's not a must-read. I definitely think it would be best appreciated as a physical book, so I'm glad I was able to find this copy at my local library.

Abel's Island, by William Steig**

Abel, a newly-wed mouse who gets caught in a storm and marooned on an island, must learn how to live without the niceties of civilization and return to his beloved bride.

Why I picked it up: This audiobook (available through my local library system) was mentioned in the "Read Aloud Revival" podcast, and I needed something to listen to during parent-teacher conferences.

My impressions: I did not expect much of this book (in spite of the recommendation) - perhaps it was the fact that the cover art looked childish and the characters were anthropomorphic creatures - but I was happily surprised by what a solid story it was. It wasn't a story in which I had to know what happened next, but it had great character development with a strong motivation. It had the intrigue of learning to survive, but it had a lot of heart as well. It was straightforward and had an ending that I appreciated very much. The audiobook version had a solid narrator. I think this book would be enjoyed by children, but also by adults as a read-aloud story or even as a children's literature pick.

Just David, by Eleanor H. Porter**

A talented young violinist is orphaned in the death of his father; while he must learn to live a different sort of life with the hard-working farmers who take him in, he teaches them and those he encounters lessons about life, living, and encountering beauty.

Why I picked it up: This was another book that I started listening to during parent-teacher conferences; it was recommended somewhere online as one of Porter's best books, and it was available for free via Librivox (with the same narrator for the whole book, which I appreciated).

My impressions: This was a solid story - it reminded me of the author's other work, "Pollyanna", which I've watched a movie of, but never read. It was one of those old-fashioned stories where all the loose threads tie together at the conclusion for a feel-good ending. I think this book would be a good read for elementary aged students, but it may not catch everyone's interest. It's just a good bit of children's literature about life in bygone times of the United States.

Books Attempted and Put Down

Meeting Jesus and Following Him, by Francis Cardinal Arinze

This was an audiobook on the Formed app; a cardinal gave a retreat to - I think - the papal household about the priesthood.

Why I picked it up: I wanted to listen to something from the app.

Why I put it down: I wasn't really getting into it because the focus was on priests, and I am not a priest.

Book Bracket

This is one of those months where bracket play is hard for me. The initial round was easy enough to decide, with the weaker works falling to the better ones - the competition wasn't close. St. John Chrysostom's work won over the slightly fluff-read "Just David", although Porter's work wasn't bad. The championship round was the most difficult for me - ask me on a different day, and the saint's work wins over the children's book. "Abel's Island" won today because when I thought of the two, my heart warmed to it more when I thought of it than when I thought of Chrysostom's work. I feel rather guilty that the work of a Church Father loses to children's fiction, but that's where I am right now. This doesn't detract at all from the wonderful things to be learned from St. John C.

 January 2023 Book Bracket

In a moment of extreme "believe it or not", I actually did "read" some books this month, even with preparing a wedding, getting married, and starting life together with my husband happening.

Matilda, by Roald Dahl**

An extraordinarily smart girl raised by neglectful parents finds herself making friends with students and her teacher at a boarding school and enemies with the evil headmistress.

Why I picked it up: I needed a book to listen to and saw a trailer for a movie based on the musical based on this book.

My impressions: This wasn't really my type of book. I remember starting to read this one as a kid and then Mom and Dad must have read the back or something because I remember them saying something about how they didn't like that respect wasn't shown to the parents. I put the book down then, but figured, hey, I'm an adult now, I think I'll give it a try. Well, Mom and Dad weren't wrong. I didn't love the attitude the author took towards a majority of the adults in Matilda's life, or the implicit suggestion that, when you don't have power, pranks are the way to get back at those who wrong you. It was an interesting story, certainly - I wondered how everything was going to end - and it surprised me at a few points. The best part of this audiobook (through the public library system) was Kate Winslet's narration. However, this isn't a book that I would recommend to others. The author is a well-known children's author, but I didn't like this work.

Hans Brinker; or, the Silver Skates, by Mary Mapes Dodge**

In Holland, virtuous teen Hans works hard to support his family, win a race, and maybe cure his addled father.

Why I picked it up: I needed a book to listen to and this one was available in the public domain.

My impressions: This book was a mix of interesting and not-so-interesting. There was a trip taken by a group of school boys in the middle of the book that, as far as I could tell, didn't need to happen. That stood out to me. However, the book was also very enjoyable. The author spent a lot of time talking about how things are in Holland and even made a few comments about how different things are there compared to where her supposed audience of readers resides, but there was also some good setting-building taking place through that. It was a sweet story and I enjoyed some of the connections made by the end of the story, but it wasn't my favorite or the best-written story out there. I think some people might enjoy reading this book, and others wouldn't...it just depends.

Snow Treasure, by Marie McSwigan**

Children help the adults smuggle gold out of the country when Nazi Germany occupies Norway.

Why I picked it up: I needed another audiobook; this one had made it onto my "to read" list, and it became available through the public library system.

My impressions: This is a sort of spy adventure that I wish I had loved, but only ended up being somewhat entertained by. It had all the right ingredients for this sort of story - secrecy, an uncle who's a spy, clever deceits and a portrayal of a strong community - but I found myself being distracted from the story while I worked on other things. I think this would be a good story for its intended audience, but at least for where I am in life right now, it didn't do so much for me.

Bracket Play

The bracket was straightforward this month. "Matilda" lost to "Hans Brinker", but "Snow Treasure" won this month; it didn't have the extraneous content that bogged down the middle of Hans Brinker.

My hope is that I'll be more intentional about what I read in the next months.

2023: Bucket List of Books and Reading Plan

 I spent a long time working on the 2022 book stats posts. 

Over the course of several days, I had time to sit, crunch numbers, and switch between different tabs on the web browser and two different Microsoft Excel spreadsheets. At the end of the sitting and thinking and comparing, I realized something.

When I read books, I don't really make a plan. Sometimes, upon finishing a book, I'll just look at what is sitting on my shelf. If I don't see anything that sounds interesting in the moment, I might browse my little notepad full of handwritten notes on book titles that have caught my interest through the years.

I'll find some likely titles (probably from under the "Children's Books" heading) and then hit the local public library website to see if any are readily available.

More often than not, though, in 2022, I pulled up the Librivox or Libby or Formed apps when I was tired of podcasts and searched for something that I could listen to while I worked on other projects. That sort of search was even more sporadic and hit-or-miss than looking for physical books.

Every once in a while, someone would mention a book and I'd decide it had to be mine. Purchase, and then read immediately, or set it on the shelf for later.

The Result...

This system resulted in a rather eclectic collection of works that I read or listened to over the year. The variety of works doesn't bother me; I like to see some (limited) diversity in my reading choices. However, as I was working on the book stats posts, I was troubled at the number of months during which I thought I hadn't read anything really great - May, September, October (excepting the oft-read "Searching for and Maintaining Peace"). I also didn't love how many books I listened to that were alright because they were available and entertaining, but were still mostly "fluff" reads. I also noticed that many of the books I listened to were not books that had made it to my notepad; they were just what happened to be free at the time I needed them.

I want more months like April. That month, I read or listened to four really great books, any of which could have taken the winner's line on the bracket. I know that not every book I read is going to be stellar. Not every book is going to wow me. Not every book is going to be my new favorite. But there are many books out there that can teach me, push me, make me think, make me feel something. Lots of books can entertain in shallow way or alleviate boredom to a certain extent. But I want to read books that I can look back on this year and say to myself, "I'm really glad I read that book."

The Plan

So, I'm going to mix things up a little bit this year. I'm going to make something of a reading plan. I don't want the whole year planned out. I just need some specific titles to focus on and a general direction to go in. I'm looking in my notepad, and anything I've already finished or am currently reading, I'm crossing out. Anything I've written down multiple times, I'm going to make a point of reading if I can. My total book number that I want to read is 50 books by the end of 2023, and I want a good number of these books to have some substance to them or to come from my "to-read" list.

Multiples in the List

- Something by St. Alphonsus de Liguori

- Pope Benedict XVI's Regensburg Address

- Pope JPII's "Letter to Women"

- "Shadows and Images" by Meriol Trevor

- "The King of Ireland's Son" by Padraic Collum

- "Egg and Spoon" by G. Maguire

- "Made for Love" by Fr. Michael Schmitz

- "The Message Behind the Movie - Reboot" - D. Beaumont

- "My Sisters the Saints" by Colleen Carroll Campbell

- "Treasure in Clay" by Fulton Sheen

- "The Spear" by Louis de Wohl

- "Abuse of Language, Abuse of Power" by Josef Pieper

- "The Sound of Beauty" by Michael Kurek

- "The Relevance of the Stars" by Lorenzo Albacete

There were more multiples than I expected. Oh well!

Targeted Reads

There are some specific books I'd like to read this year.

- "The Betrothed" by Alessandro Manzoni

- "Three to Get Married" by Fulton Sheen

- "Love and Responsibility" by Karol Wojtyla

- "Planet Narnia" by Michael Ward

And some books that are already on my shelf and/or being read now:

- "Theology of Home" (I and II) by Noelle Mering

- "The Maid of Orleans" by Sven Stolpe

- "The Good, the Messy, and the Beautiful" by Edward and Beth Sri

- "Wisdom and Innocence: A Life of G. K. Chesterton" by Joseph Pearce

- "Louis and Zelie: The Holy Parents of Saint Therese" by GinaMarie Tennant

- "The Prayers of Jane Austen" by Jane Austen

- "With All Her Mind: A Call to the Intellectual Life" edited by Rachel Bulman

- "Tales of Faith: A Guide to Sharing the Gospel through Literature" by Holly Ordway

- "Signs of Life" by Scott Hahn

- "The Heart of Perfection" by Colleen Carroll Campbell

If I try to tackle the list as it is here, I have over half my books picked out for the rest of the year. There's no guarantee I'll get to them all (highly unlikely, in fact), and doubtful that I'll seriously consider all of them...but I feel excited to have a plan written out. God is good! And now I should probably go and get some reading in!