Book Review: Come My Beloved: Inspiring Stories of Catholic Courtship

Come MyBeloved is a compilation of the “courtship” stories of 12 Catholic couples.  I always enjoy a good love story but this book is not just a love story- it is a dozen love stories!  The vignettes tell not just of the love between a man and a woman, but each one tells a tale of the love between a man, a woman, and God.  And the stories are all absolutely true.  The average romance novel cannot hold a candle to this book!  

I can’t express how much I enjoyed reading about the varied and unique ways that couples were brought together.  I loved that they each relied on God’s guidance to find not only a spouse, but a soul mate.  In its own way, each story reveals God’s creativeness, His unpredictability, and, of course, His loving plan.  Together the stories illustrate the importance of entrusting our relationships to God even before they begin.  

A vocation to marriage is not an easy path of flawless communication, perfect trust, and romantic candlelight dinners.  It takes work and commitment and faith in God to make a marriage what it should truly be- a self-giving, self-sacrificing relationship of love.  The stories in Come My Beloved speak to these truths as well as any theological thesis or philosophical discourse ever could.  And they’re a whole lot more fun to read! 

In a culture that does everything to discourage self-sacrifice and sacramental marriage, this book gives hope that God is still at work.  Come My Beloved entertained me and, even more, it inspired me to look at my own marriage anew and reminded me to appreciate the gift that the sacrament of marriage truly is. 

Book Review: Kneel and Prey (Gabby Wells Thriller #1)

I read a lot of young adult fiction.  And I read a lot of Christian fiction.  In fact, those two genres pretty much sum up my entire literary life these days….

Kneel and Prey, the 1^st Gabby Wells thriller, is like no other YA fiction I have come across before though.  Kneel and Prey is no light feel-good Christian fluff either. Full of mystery, suspense, and action, the story explores dark, evil themes taking the reader on an exciting and emotional ride.  Main character, Gabby Wells, is a motherless high school student who attempts to take on a terrorist and save a whole town from destruction. As she tries to stop a madman with a sinister agenda, she must also face her own inner struggles and personal losses.  

I love that Gabby Wells is a flawed and realistically sinful character.  She is Catholic and truly desires to serve and follow God. But even as she strives to do what’s right, she questions God and makes choices contrary to His will.  Gabby’s a little rough around the edges but, somehow, that makes her even more likable and genuine… and easy to relate to. 

Kneel and Prey was a welcome departure from the less intense Christian fiction I usually read.  The story had me gripping my Kindle with white-knuckles, tense and engrossed in the action right up to the unpredictable ending. And Gabby Wells, herself, had me cheering her on and praying for a happy ending right along with her. 

Book Review- Finding Grace

            From the moment I got my hands on Laura Pearl’s novel, Finding Grace it surprised me by being so much more than I expected.  

 

Knowing only that it was the story of a 13 year old girl with a name that was a challenge to live up to, I expected a somewhat simple tale.  I was surprised to find that Finding Grace was anything but a short one-dimensional story….

Instead of the quick read of maybe 150 pages or so that I had envisioned, the book boasts well over 300 big pages.  This is book is no quick afternoon read.    

Instead of just introducing the reader to young Grace Kelly in her early teen years, the book follows her all the way through high school and college.  

Instead of a sweet, light-hearted glimpse into the ordinary struggles and innocent awkwardness of adolescence, the book delves deep into difficult and mature themes.  

Pearl tackles issues that may have been relatively new and disturbing in the 1970’s but have become commonplace and “normal” in our day and age.  She confronts such difficult subjects as pre-marital sex, underage drinking, contraception, the feminist movement, moral relativism, and much more all while staying true to the plotline and never losing sight of the story itself.  

There was much I liked about Pearl’s debut novel.  First, the book did not come across as overtly preachy yet the main characters never failed to stand up for what they believe in.  There are also a great variety of secondary characters with who Grace shares her life and her story.  Each of the secondary characters adds to the lessons of the book, some by the wise choices they make, others by their poor choices.  Amazingly with such a large cast of characters, Pearl does a wonderful job of developing each of them so thoroughly and making each one so unique and memorable that I had no trouble keeping them all straight in my mind.  

Second, the relationships between characters were full of complexity and substance.  And amid those sometimes challenging, continually honest interactions in Grace’s life, many of the most important messages in the book are revealed.  

And lastly, the story promotes all the things I value as a Catholic.  Morality, truth, virtue, faith, it’s all there.  The traditional, old fashioned ideals of Grace’s close knit family become the lens through which she views the changing world around her.  Her family and her faith are what allow her to navigate the often thorny path of the narrow road.  Interwoven into the fabric of the story are compelling reasons for staying true to the precepts of the Catholic faith.   As a bonus, through Grace’s always believable life experiences, is revealed beautiful examples of holiness from the lives of the saints. 

All in all, Finding Grace was full of unexpected surprises that I found to be both enjoyable and insightful.  Grace is a character who sincerely strives to practice the virtues that lead to sainthood, never giving up even when the endeavor proves difficult. I look forward to sharing her story with my own daughters.  

In Name Only- a book review

            I really enjoyed Ellen Gable’s third novel Stealing Jenny and, having found a true treasure in Gable’s writing, was optimistically eager to read her earlier works.  Going in backward order, I recently finished Gable’s second book, In Name Only.  The two stories are very different- one, a contemporary tale of a happily married couple anticipating the birth of their sixth child, the other, a historical fiction book about a young girl starting her life all over after the death of her beloved father.   Despite their obvious differences both books were very well-written and both held my attention from their first pages to their equally captivating endings.

            In Name Only, which is set in the late 1800’s, tells the tale of Caroline Martin.  It is a story of extremes, namely extreme joy and extreme sorrow.  As the story begins, Caroline is a young naïve girl in the grips of grief having just lost her beloved father.  She sets off to start anew in the home of her well-to-do uncle and his sweet, friendly daughter.  As she grows and matures, Caroline experiences many wonderful blessings and many difficult trials.  From the joy of her young marriage to the doting, dashing man of her dreams to the shock and devastation of his unexpected death.  From the beautiful, hope-filled moment of her daughter’s birth to the pain of a forced marriage of convenience to her womanizing, arrogant brother-in-law.  

Through the unfathomable struggles she faces, Caroline grows.  She becomes stronger, more confident, and more faith-filled.  Throughout it all, she is compassionate and selfless but it’s never easy.  She is continually tested by a life that, even in its blessings, is never easy and never predictable.

I think what I liked most about In Name Only were the varied characters.  Gable’s characters, both the good and bad, are complex and believable.  They have strengths and weaknesses and sometimes their strengths are their weaknesses and sometimes their weaknesses are their strengths.  

Caroline and all the people she loves, and struggles to love, experience life with its ups and downs.  They react in ways that are authentic and realistic.  They face their challenges and they revel in their successes all while being true to themselves and to the personalities Gable has bestowed upon them.   They’re easy to relate to and once you are drawn into their lives, you cannot help but root for them and hope for them.  

For my review of Stealing Jenny click here.

Making summer plans?

Summer is coming.  I am seeing in increasing number, ideas for fun summer activities to do with children.  The blogs I read and the Pinterest boards I follow are filling up with great suggestions.  Since our thoughts seem to naturally turn to summer plans at this time of year, I thought I’d chime in with a great idea of my own….

So you can find here an amazing resource for summer- or anytime- fun!