Reviews

Facts and Lessons from Unbridled Grace

February 17, 2012 By Sarah Reinhard 2 Comments

There are some things that seem too crazy to be true. The premise behind Dr. Michael Norman’s book Unbridled Grace: A True Story about the Power of Choice fits easily in those categories.

Dr. Norman, fresh out of college and saddled with a young family and plenty of loans, answers a classified ad that seems to be the answer to his prayer. It turns out, instead, to be the cause of a decade of drama.

Norman finds out he’s been working for the Mafia and he’s being indicted in a nasty, completely false, federal trial.

This book reads like a novel, complete with Bad Guys and Much Drama. I could see it being a made-for-TV movie, and maybe some smart producer will agree with me sometime in the future.

After each chapter, there’s a lesson drawn from the experience related in that chapter. These sections tied the book together and made it focus on faith.

This book is a testimony to the power of faith and the redemptive power of suffering, but, more than that, it’s also a witness to the heroism of ordinary people facing insurmountable challenges.

Dr. Norman was just a normal guy before his trial. He’s probably just a normal guy now. Thanks to this book, though, he’s also an inspiration to those of us who may face huge challenges ahead of us.

You can learn more about Dr. Michael Norman and the book at his website.

Filed Under: Books, Reviews Tagged With: Books, Michael Norman, Reviews

A Briefcase for Every Catholic

February 15, 2012 By Sarah Reinhard 2 Comments

I picked up Randy Hain’s new book, The Catholic Briefcase: Tools for Integrating Faith and Work, with a lot of excitement. I’ve been longing for good Catholic business resources for quite some time. About 18 months ago, after my husband asked me about it, and then someone emailed me for recommendations, I compiled a list of Catholic business books I could find, but it didn’t feel like much.

And joy of joys, on my to-read pile is ANOTHER Catholic business book!

Randy Hain doesn’t mess around in this book. It reads like the great business books I’ve read, and it offers suggestions that, though I’m arguably not as much in the business world as I am in the home world, applied to me.

For example, Randy suggests using an examen throughout the day. Inspired by this suggestion, I set alarms on my phone and retyped what he provides in the appendix of his book. This practice has helped me enormously in the few weeks I’ve been implementing it.

My favorite part of this book, though, is Randy’s attitude about the integration of faith and work. This is no surprise from the co-founder of the Integrated Catholic Life e-zine. Faith is not EVER separate from who we are, whether we are at work in an office, in our home, or out at the grocery store. This book is a handy guide, a helpful examination of priorities, and a barrel of possibilities. Randy’s deep faith is evident and his joy in the inevitable overlap of his business world and his faith are apparent.

Highly recommended!

Filed Under: Books, Reviews Tagged With: Books, business, Catholic business books, Catholic business resources, Randy Hain, Reviews

Using Theology of the Body for New Evangelization

February 9, 2012 By Sarah Reinhard Leave a Comment

In the fall of 2002, I was pregnant with my first child and a fairly new parish employee. I was tapped to drive a couple of teenagers to a neighboring town to hear Jason Evert speak. The talk was designed for teens, and though I cringe to call it a chastity talk (that just sounds so…boring, and the evening was more exciting than any of the concerts I’ve attended), that’s what it was.

Maybe Evert stole my heart when he mentioned that his wife would be there, except that she had just given birth to their first child.

More likely, though, it was Evert’s reference to John Paul II’s Theology of the Body and his enthusiastic endorsement of Christopher West. I followed his advice and purchased a CD downstairs.

Father Pat would tell you he hasn’t heard the end of it since then. My husband would tell you it’s a bit of an obsession of mine.

I would tell you that these three men–Jason Evert, Christopher West, and John Paul II–changed my life by changing my heart. They showed me the beauty of God’s design for our bodies and they made me dig into my Bible, Church teaching, and the world around me with a new appreciation.

Before I knew it, I was leading a book study on Good News About Sex and Marriage and listening to Naked without Shame. It wasn’t long before my Adoration time had me immersed in the text of John Paul II’s Theology of the Body and cross-referencing it with Christopher West’s companion, Theology of the Body Explained. I read the text a second time and then there was an updated version of TOB (which I have not, sadly, yet read).

All of that brings me to the latest book by Christopher West, At the Heart of the Gospel: Reclaiming the Body for the New Evangelization, which I read as part of the Patheos Book Club.

–>Read the rest of my review and comments over at the Patheos Book Club blog.

Want to win a copy? It’s part of my big February book giveaway, so be sure to enter!

Filed Under: Books, Reviews, writing Tagged With: Books, Christopher West, New Evangelization, Patheos, Reviews, Theology of the Body, writing

Strengthening Your Family: A Review

February 7, 2012 By Sarah Reinhard Leave a Comment

It probably reveals way too much about me that, a chapter or two into Marge Fenelon‘s new book, Strengthening Your Family: A Catholic Approach to Holiness at Home, I was struggling with feelings of inadequacy and wondering if I could hire Marge to come and mother my children.

It speaks highly of this book, then, that I was able to put it down after finishing it and feel pretty hopeful.

I can do this, I thought to myself.

I credit this book for my new mommy policy: I will make something homemade once a week for after-school snacks (or end up at my mother-in-law’s, where she will make something homemade). The reason has to do with that warm feeling I get when my kids delight in eating freshly baked cookies and with the light in my seven-year-old’s eyes when she walks in the door and sees the goodies.

Much of what I read in Strengthening Your Family was not news to me, but it was refreshing and well-ordered. Fenelon speaks from experience, but she also commiserates with those of us still very much in the trenches of young motherhood. She offers suggestions, but she also offers prayer. She provides many ideas, but she also provides many caveats. Her foundation is not “being an awesome family,” but rather “getting your family to heaven.”

There’s a big difference between being awesome and getting to heaven, and I don’t know that I spent any time considering that before I picked up this book. It’s designed for Catholic families with kids, though I wouldn’t restrict it to kids of any age. If you have teens, you’re sure to find help within its covers, and if, like me, you have grade school and younger, you will get bolstered and emboldened.

Strengthening Your Family is a wonderful resource and guidebook for Catholic families. I’m glad to have read it, and plan to reference it in the coming years!

Filed Under: Books, Reviews Tagged With: Books, Catholic resources, family life, Marge Fenelon, resources, Reviews

Lent Prep – A Book for Your Journey

January 17, 2012 By Sarah Reinhard 2 Comments

I sat down to read Simplifying the Soul: Lenten Practices to Renew Your Spirit, by Paula Huston, with the intention of just reading the first section. Then I decided I could read the first couple of sections.

And then I read the whole book.

In my defense, I had a whole evening before me and I needed to get the review written for the Patheos Book Club. What I found with this book, though, was much different than what I expected.

I don’t know what, exactly, I expected, but I’m sure it had to do with preaching and a feeling of insignificance at the end. I was excited at the premise and what the book jacket promised, but maybe a little sure that I would not be able to approach Lent using this book as an actual resource.

“It will be good for someone, though,” I thought, “and I can surely read it and see what I have to look forward to.”

(Negative much?)

I was gloriously, wonderfully WRONG. I found myself reading, shaking my head, and looking forward to Lent, when I can dig in.

Will I fail? Yeah, probably. I do every year. In the failure is the kernel I need from Lent, I think, and success isn’t usually about what I plan, but about what graces I allow God to work.

Each day of Lent has a task, with a reflection by the author from her own experience, and then an brief description of the task or practice for the day.

Throughout the book, you get to know Paula Huston as your guide, someone walking beside you and encouraging you, even as she doesn’t settle for less than what you can at least try to do. She’s gentle, but tough. She weaves humor in with what I can only call teaching: she makes the Desert Fathers and Mothers an accessible crew, even for a busy mom in the Midwest.

Not only will I be embracing this book to the best of my ability this Lent, but I encourage you to do the same. It’s not too much, but the seed it will plant and tend during Lent, I believe, will grow into habits that make me a better Christian.

Filed Under: Books, Reviews Tagged With: Books, Faith, Lent, Paula Huston, resources, Reviews

Teaching the Sacraments & Gushing about Women

January 14, 2012 By Sarah Reinhard Leave a Comment

This week, I used an object lesson to introduce my fifth-grade class to the sacraments during our parish’s evening religious education classes. I wrote about it over at Amazing Catechists, and there are already some great ideas in the comments. Hope you find it useful, and please do share your ideas or suggestions if you have them!

image credit

Over at Catholicmom.com, I wrote a review of a book that I dub a must-read for all Catholics, Women, Sex, and the Church: A Case for Catholic Teaching, edited by Erika Bachiochi.

Take a moment and check out that new photo at the top of my blog (copied below so that those of you in feed readers and on email can just stay comfortably there).

It comes courtesy of my four-year-old, who loves lining up her horses. And her brother’s cars. And her sister’s markers. It may be my favorite blog-topper EVER.

Filed Under: Books, Education, Faith, Reviews, writing Tagged With: Amazing Catechists, blogging, Books, catechesis, CatholicMom.com, Education, Erika Bachiochi, Faith, Reviews, sacraments, writing

Recent Reading: What I Read Last Week

January 5, 2012 By Sarah Reinhard 5 Comments

Some goodies, indeed! Between being offline and just allowing myself some unrestricted reading time through the day, I had a great time.

My reading included a friend’s manuscript and an advance copy of a novel that’s not out yet, so I think, with these four, I set some sort of personal best, at least for my one-a-week-if-I’m-lucky trend of the last few years.

Mind Over Mind, by Karina Fabian

A friend, whose taste I highly respect, predicted that Mind Over Mind would be Karina Fabian’s breakout novel.

After savoring it, rushing through it, and all but writing the author to demand the sequel, I have to agree.

It has all the elements of a good story, a bit of romance, a mind-tickling plot, and characters who are fun to spend time with. Oh, and there are regular names for the characters.*

As a thumbnail review, I know this lacks a lot, but I so hate ruining a story for other people. This earned all five of the stars I gave it at Goodreads, and I’m waiting impatiently for the next installment.

Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment, by James Patterson

I keep an eye on YA, in large part because of the younger readers in my life. I also agree with a friend who once said that, with good YA you get a good story minus some of the adult material that you don’t really need in mainstream fiction (explicit sex scenes, etc.). Two of these younger readers have been raving about the Maximum Ride series, and I was really looking forward to joining the discussion.

Wow, was I ever disappointed.

Not only is this book poorly written, but it presents an unreal picture of the young people I know. For one thing, they don’t talk that way. Maybe the young people I know aren’t representative of the ones this book is marketed to, but it smacked of “adult trying to write for teens” to me.

Though I was curious about some of the outcomes that will surely be revealed in future books, I was so disgusted with the writing that I won’t be reading them. I can live without knowing.

I don’t know that I have any real objections to the books aside from the fact that I am always annoyed to spend time reading something that’s not good.

Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott

In fourth grade, Little Women was the one book my mom would let me buy from one of those book flyers. I was so disgusted and disappointed that I sulked and pouted like a champ.

And then I proceeded to read the book until the cover came off. I think I clocked at least four readings before sixth grade.

I wanted to revisit my old friends, the Marches, after having a conversation with one of the young people in my life that went something like this.

“Oh! Little Women! Have you read it?”

“I saw the movie.”

“But…but…it’s a great book. You should READ it!”

“Yeah. Hey, have you read Maximum Ride yet?”

I started this about midway through my tour through the first Maximum Ride novel and it was probably the only reason I was able to plow through that book.

It was delightful and just as wonderful as I remembered it being. The March family held all its appeal, I still sided completely with Jo and wanted to be her, wondered at the curious femininity of Meg and Amy, and loved Beth, though I shook my head at her.

I paid more attention, this time around, to the role Mrs. March played, and since I’m also the mother of girls, couldn’t help but take a few pointers from her. My girls won’t be playing Pilgrim’s Progress, mind you, because I threw the book across the room more than once early last year when I tried to read it. Then again, the idea of it doesn’t demand reading the book…

I want to reread Jo’s Boys and Little Men sometime this year too. And did you know Louisa May Alcott has a whole host of other books? (I didn’t…but now I do!)

All in all, as fantastic a reading as could be had.

Women, Sex, and the Church: A Case for Catholic Teaching, edited by Erika Bachiochi

Now here’s a book that needs its own post, and it will get that sometime soon. It’s a compilation of essays by highly-qualified contributors about the Catholic Church’s teaching about issues related to women, including abortion, contraception, sex, infertility treatments, and even balancing work and family. There were two chapters that were so good I marked them and asked my husband to read them. On the back cover, Kimberly Hahn calls it a “tour de force” and that nails it. A great read and it gets my highest recommendation.

*I find myself sensitive to character names of late. Forgive me, ye of the SFF bend, but why can’t people just have names like Henry and Maude? Remembering that Lacklehivey is a girl and that she’s married to Hineyhovey is, well, hard. I’m going to need many years to get over my initial annoyance.