Wednesday 31 July 2024

My Simple Prayer Book - Pierpaolo Finaldi and David Belmonte - CTS Children’s Books

My Simple Prayer Book
Pierpaolo Finaldi
David Belmonte (Illustrations)
ISBN 9781784691141
ISBN 1784691143
CTS Booklet CH65

My Simple Prayer Book - Pierpaolo and David Belmonte - CTS Children’s Books

As of the reading of this book over the last few years I have read over 397 volumes from the Catholic Truth Society. This is one of only a few books in the CTS Children's Books I have read, but I will be tracking down more. The few I have read are all excellent volumes, both for the young and the young at heart!

The description of this book is:
 
“This simple prayer book for children brings to life well-known Catholic prayers in an attractive and child-friendly style, helping children to engage with their faith. It also encourages them to pray, and explains how to do it and why it is important.

Each prayer is accompanied by a simple commentary to help the child to understand the purpose or origin of the prayer and the ways or circumstances in which it is used.

Includes:

– Basic Catholic prayers (Sign of the Cross, Our Father, Hail Mary, etc.)
– Morning and evening prayers
– Prayers for before, during and after Reconciliation
– Prayers before the Blessed Sacrament
– The Rosary and other Marian Prayers
– Saintly prayers
– Pope Francis' Five Finger Prayer
– The Beatitudes.”

The sections in this book are:

Basic Prayers
     Sign of the cross
     Our Father
     Glory be to the Father
     Hail Mary
I Believe
     The Apostles’ Creed
Morning Prayers
     Morning Offering
Night Prayers
     Prayers before going to bed
Prayers At Noon
     The Angelus
     The Regina Caeli
Prayers To My Guardian Angel
     Angel of God
Grace at Meals
     Grace Before Meals
     Grace after meals
Confession: When We Are Sorry
     The Confiteor
     Examination of conscience
     Sacrament of Reconciliation
A Visit To The Blessed Sacrament
     Act of Adoration
Prayers to the Holy Spirit
     Come, Holy Spirit
     Prayer of St Augustine to the Holy Spirit
Prayers to Mary
     The Memorare
     Hail, Holy Queen
The Holy Rosary
     The Five Joyful Mysteries
     The Five Mysteries of Light
     The Five Sorrowful Mysteries
     The Five Glorious Mysteries
Psalms
     Psalm 150
     Psalm 8
     Psalm 22
Prayers for Others
     Prayer for my family
     Prayer for those who have died
Saintly Prayers
     Prayer of St Ignatius Loyola
     Prayer of St Francis of Assisi
     Prayer of St Patrick
     Prayer of St Richard of Chischester
     Prayer of St Michael
     Prayer of St Theresa of Avila
The Five Finger Prayer
The Beatitudes

This is a wonderful little prayer book. It is intended for children but I liked it so much I have ordered another copy for myself. Pierpaolo Finaldi both compiled the volume and wrote the explanatory texts. It is illustrated by David Belmonte, the illustrations are wonderful. Bright and vibrant and really engaging. 

This is a wonderful little picture prayer book. My children are well past the age of picture books but I have loved this and the other CTS Children’s Books I have picked up we donate to their school library. My youngest finished grade 8 (or year 9) this spring but I will continue to pick up CTS Children’s books to give them to the school library. The librarian and teachers have loved them. 

We enjoyed this much we are donating a copy to the School Library, the primary school our children have attended has a resource section for the teachers and we thought this would be a wonderful addition. This is an excellent resource from the Catholic Truth Society. I am very thankful I picked it. A great resource I can easily recommend for church, home, or school library or even classroom prayer corner. I am looking forward to reading other books by Pierpaolo Finaldi and from the CTS Children’s Books series.


My Simple Prayer Book - Pierpaolo and David Belmonte - CTS Children’s Books Sample 1

My Simple Prayer Book - Pierpaolo and David Belmonte - CTS Children’s Books Sample 2

My Simple Prayer Book - Pierpaolo and David Belmonte - CTS Children’s Books Sample 3

My Simple Prayer Book - Pierpaolo and David Belmonte - CTS Children’s Books Sample 4

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2024 Catholic Reading Plan! For other reviews of books from the Catholic Truth Society click here.

For reviews of other books in the CTS Children's Books series click here.

Book by Pierpaolo Finaldi:

Books In Polish:
Moja Mala Ksiazeczka do Nabozenstwa
Mój Mały Modlitewnik

Why Does Mary Wear Blue - Pierpaolo, Ettore and Mattia Finaldi - CTS Children’s Books

Tuesday 30 July 2024

Matt Talbot Hope for Addicts - Father Morgan Costelloe

The Mystery of Matt Talbot
Father Morgan Costelloe
Veritas
ISBN 9781853905483
2005
32p
 
Matt Talbot Hope for Addicts - Father Morgan Costelloe

This is one of two volumes written about Matt Talbot by Father Costelloe, who at the time of writing this volume was the Vice-Postulator for the cause of Venerable Matt Talbot, the other is titled The Mystery of Matt Talbot which was published in 1987, with reprints in 2001 and 2005 by the Irish Messenger Publications. This is one of several volumes I have read about Matt Talbot over the last year and a half, this is the tenth such volume, and I have at least that many I would still like to track down. This is one I finally found a copy of in my price range. 

The description of this volume states:

“Matt Talbot: Hope For Addicts presents Venerable Matt Talbot as a providential and timely light in the dark ness and despair that is drug addiction, one of the scourges of the twenty-first century.

After a horrific struggle, Matt Talbot, a chronic alcoholic, eventually found sobriety through devotion to the Eucharist, prayer, self-discipline and spiritual direction. The Matt Talbot Retreat Movement has discovered that on his way to sobriety he covered the 'Twelve Steps Programme' of Alcoholics Anonymous. although they were not created until long after his death.

Pope John Paul II has proposed Matt Talbot as a model for drug addicts; hundreds of favours though his intercessions have been reported for addicts and their families throL1ghout the world; and in the United States, the Matt Talbot Retreat Movement for recovering alcoholics claims over 25,000 members.

Matt Talbot: Hope For Addicts is the ideal introduction to the story and inspiration that is Matt Talbot. In the words of a recovering addict ·1 believe that what God did for Matt he can do for me'.”

About the author we are informed:

“Fr Morgan Costelloe was appointed Vice Postulator for the Cause of Venerable Matt Talbot in 1974. Since then he has lectured and preached about him in Ireland. Britain, the United States and Australia. In 1990 he delivered the keynote address, 'Matt Talbot: A Man of the Eucharist', at the Calix International Convention in Lincoln, Nebraska. His first booklet is entitled The Mystery of Matt Talbot. Fr Costelloe is the parish priest of Beechwood Avenue, Dublin.”

I highlighted a few passages while reading this volume some of them are:

“But Matt Talbot, known to his drinking friends as 'Barney', did not return to O'Meara's. At that time he was a chronic alcoholic. His life was totally unmanageable. He was part of the drug culture of his day and today he would probably be a junkie. After a horrendous struggle he overcame his addiction through the grace of God.”

“The habit of heavy drinking passed from father to sons, and many years later, when most of the sons were working, the family were living at 5 Love Lane, Ballybough. The name of the district spoke for itself Ballybough - in Irish, Baile na mBocht – meaning the 'town of the poor'. It was their worst slum dwelling.”

“Matt's Dublin of 1856 was an overcrowded city. Its population of a quarter of a million had been swollen by the famine refugees of the forties. These unfortunates had fled the countryside when the potato crop failed and sought work in vain in the cities. Many chose Dublin rather than New York, Boston or Liverpool. There were more than sixty thousand people in the Dublin hovels in laneways and side streets, so there was no room for the new arrivals.”

“Matt Talbot grew up against that background of poverty and hopelessness. He went to school for the first time when he was eleven years old. It was long before the introduction of compulsory education and he really only enrolled in order to make his first Holy Communion and to receive the sacrament of Confirmation.”

“Together with his capacity to drink, Matt showed a tremendous capacity for work. He was small. Tenacious and very strong and acquired the reputation of being a first-rate hodman. Unfortunately, the pattern of life that would plague him for the next twelve years was taking shape. He was progressively spending more money and time after hours in a local public house. 'Barney' Talbot was a regular patron of O'Meara's on the North Strand.”

“After a while Phil walked away, but Matt retired to a nearby bridge and thought deeply about the rejection. He appeared to grasp 'suddenly and clearly the state of his life: a young man who had become a slave to drink, a person who had willingly endured great humiliation to satisfy his craving. The suddenness of his conversion has been compared with that of St Paul and St Augustine. The stubborn determination that characterised the rest of his life asserted itself: he would try to break the habit. He would take a pledge to abstain from alcohol for three months.”

“Matt went to Clonliffe College, the Dublin diocesan seminary, about a mile from his home. He asked to see a priest and went to Confession. He had been away from the sacrament for a number of years and while he never missed Sunday Mass - even though he regularly saw the priest and congregation through the haze of a hang-over - he had failed in other areas. It seems that his confessor gave him great encouragement. Matt took the pledge for three months. He left the College with a lighter step. The fight-back had begun”

“Even before he met Father Walshe, Matt had decided that he needed spiritual help to keep his pledge for three months. He resolved to attend Mass and receive Holy Communion every morning at 5.00 a.m. before going to work. It was a revolutionary idea in 1884, when pious laymen went to Mass only on Sunday and received the Eucharist just twice a year. But Matt concluded that he needed all the help he could muster to overcome the pressure and temptation to return to the drink. How right
he was!”

“As a result of that experience, he made a resolution that he kept for the rest of his life. He never carried money on his person. His reasoning was very simple: no money, no drink.”

“When Matt was drunk he lost his reason, but he never lost his faith. He did not desert God in his addiction and God did not desert him in his crisis. The Holy Spirit was prompting him. Matt found his 'Higher Power' quickly. Within a few hours of his conversion, he was on his way to Clonliffe College.”

“A good Confession means turning away from sin and turning one's will back to God. From the moment Matt Talbot went to Confession that Saturday he stood unflinchingly by that decision. He had a fierce struggle ahead but God would see him through. He turned to daily mass and reception of the Eucharist. He would survive from one encounter with Christ to another - an early form of 'one day at a time'. He dropped into a church in the evening to renew his strength by prayer and thank the Lord for another day without a drink. These were the early days of his conversion. Later he expanded his spiritual programme to imitate the rule of the early Irish monks.”

“Father James Walshe, whom Malt chose as his spiritual director, would help with these. But certain failings in justice would stand out in his mind that Saturday - unpaid debts and sins against justice, against his mother and the blind fiddle player. His confessor would have reminded him that these required restitution whenever Matt was in a position to make it.”

“Receiving that sacrament was not just a forgiveness or a cleansing for Matt. There was that aspect to it: ‘Though your sins are like scarlet they shall be as white as snow' (Is 1:18). But the Sacrament of Reconciliation was also the source of divine power that enabled him to reform his life.”

“He chose the rule of the early Irish monks. It was summarised by St Columbanus: 'Pray daily, fast daily, work daily, study daily'.”

“Many addicts have a low self- image. Sadly, they do not realise that every person is precious to God and has been redeemed by the blood of Christ. Pain, loss, or rejection is often behind an addiction and this brings us to the mystery of suffering. Acceptance can come by realising that all suffering acquires value when united with Christ's Passion. The Paschal Mystery - the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus - tells us that pain, loss and rejection can bring us closer to God.”

“The credit for discovering that Matt Talbot practised almost all the 'Twelve Steps' within his recovery programme goes to the Matt Talbot Retreat Movement of the United States. It was founded in May 1942 as a non-profit corporation by a small number of recovering alcoholics. They were all members of Alcoholics Anonymous and were making a retreat at a Jesuit Retreat House in New Jersey. They had
retired for a few days to work on the spiritual steps of their programme.”

“The story of Matt Talbot has been an inspiration to its members for almost fifty years. They can identify with him easily. He understands their problems. For he was not just an alcoholic whose illness brought suffering to himself and his family, but he later saw one of his brothers die from the effects of excessive drinking. Matt's recovery shows that the conversion demanded by the 'Twelve Steps' programme
Is possible, even to the stage where the recovered addict becomes a candidate for canonisation.”

“This booklet is not intended to be a biography of Matt Talbot. It sets out to show that he was born into a subculture where drinking alcohol was almost inevitable. But. having become an addict, he fought his addiction primarily with a spiritual programme and recovered.”

“The fact that he practised almost all of the 'Twelve Steps' of the Alcoholics Anonymous programme fifty years before they were conceived makes Matt Talbot .a prophetic figure. His successful recovery gives hope to addicts while highlighting the need for a spiritual dimension in their rehabilitation.”

This was a fascinating read. It was very different than any of the other volumes about Matt I have read. And being written by the then postulator it was intriguing to see what he focused on compared to other works of this saintly man that I have read.  

This book is an excellent resource. It is an amazing read, and I can easily recommend it. Matt is a man whose witness we need today even more than in his time. My own brother overdosed at the beginning of the pandemic in the spring of 2020. I wish I had discovered Matt and his story years ago to share with my brother. The number of people addicted to alcohol, weed, opioids and other drugs are constantly on the rise. I wish this volume was back in print and available as an eBook, there are dozens of people I would recommend it to. It is well worth tracking down and giving a read. I can easily recommend this for anyone struggling with addictions of for those with friends or family who struggle.

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2024 Catholic Reading Plan

For all reviews of books about Matt Talbot Click here.

Books about Matt Talbot:
Matt Talbot and His Times - Mary Purcell
Matt Talbot: His Struggle, His Victory over Alcoholism - Susan Helen Wallace 
Matt Talbot - Xavier Carty 
Spotlight on Matt Talbot  - Edward O'Connor, S.J.
Matt Talbot - Simon O'Brynne 
The quest for Matt Talbot - Philip Rooney 
We knew Matt Talbot - Albert H Dolan
Matt Talbot - James F. Cassidy. 
An address to Pope John Paul II from the Parish of Matt Talbot, The Worker. 
Matt Talbot : the Irish worker's glory - James Francis Cassidy 
Matt Talbot - Albon White 
The Story of Matt Talbot - Malachy Gerard Carroll

The Mystery of Matt Talbot - Father Morgan Costelloe

The Mystery of Matt Talbot - Father Morgan Costelloe

The Mystery of Matt Talbot - Father Morgan Costelloe











Monday 29 July 2024

Praying with Mary - Juliette Levivier and Anna Gravier - CTS Children’s Books

Praying with Mary
Juliette Levivier
Anna Gravier (Illustrations)
Hardcover
ISBN 9781860825361
ISBN 1860825362
CTS Booklet CH14
Paperback 
ISBN 9781784690830
ISBN 178469083X
CTS Booklet 

Praying with Mary - Juliette Levivier and Anna Gravier  - CTS Children’s Books

As of the reading of this book over the last few years I have read over 396 volumes from the Catholic Truth Society. I stumbled upon them while doing research on an author, and have been hooked ever since. This is one of only a Few books in the CTS Children's Books I have read, but I will be tracking down more. One of the first was another volume by Juliette Levivier, and I am attempting to track down the 9 she wrote that are available in English. It should be noted there appears to be both hardcover and paperback editions of all of Juliette’s CTS books.

The description of this book is:
 
“Learn about Mary and how you can pray to her. A little book to help children discover the important moments in the life of Mary and pray to her with tender trust.”

The sections in this book are:

Mary, specially loved by God
Mary’s names
Immaculate Mary
Mary, full of grace
Mary, radiance of joy
Mary’s Yes
Mary, filled with the Holy Spirit
Mary, mother of Jesus
Holy Mary
Mary, mediator
Mary’s faith
Mary in suffering
Mary at the foot of the Cross
Mary, mother of mankind
Mary, mother of the church
Mary, gate of heaven
Mary, our Queen
Our Lady of Prayer
Our Lady of the Rosary
Our Lady of the Smile
Our Lady of Mercy
Mary, Mother of God

A sample section is:

Mary
Mother of God

The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.
John 1:14

What great rejoicing there was in Ephesus one fine day in the year 43I. All the Christians were singing and dancing in the streets, with immense joy, because the Bishops in council had just proclaimed Mary as “Theotokos”. That's a Greek word that means “Mother of God”. This is the greatest and most beautiful thing that can possibly be said about Mary. What could be more extraordinary than being called “Mother of God”? What an honour!

Mary is the Mother of Christ, true man. She brought him up, she formed his human heart.

Mary is the Mother of Christ, true God. She learnt from him who God is, and the greatness of God's love for all men.

How great and powerful Mary is! And yet the Mother of God is also my own mother, and I'm so little!”

A couple of the prayers that really caught my attention were:

“Holy Virgin Mary
every day you had
to find your way
of saying yes to God.
_ Every day you had
to start discovering God
in your life again
in a completely different way
from the one you expected.
Teach us not to be
a page that’s already written on,
but a clean page I
every day
where the Spirit of God can
write the marvels he works”

-from a prayer by Cardinal Roger Etchegaray

“O Mary, my mother,
so holy and so good!
Make me understand
the great value of the silence
in which I can hear God!
Teach me to keep quiet and listen to him.
Help me to make that into
a perfect prayer,
in faith, trust and love.” 

-from a prayer by Marthe Robin

I picked this up just to give a read and pray through it once. I picked up the hardback edition. I was surprised how much I loved praying many of the prayers in this volume. CTS has both a hard back and softcover editions. The illustrations are fun, the colours are bright and vibrant. This is one of several books by Juliette available from the Catholic Truth Society, and there appears to be editions in French and maybe even Spanish of many of her children’s books. It looks like the French and English editions were published originally both in 2008.

We enjoyed it so much we donated the copy we tracked down to the School Library, the primary school our children have attended has a resource section for the teachers and we thought this would be a wonderful addition. This is another excellent resource from the Catholic Truth Society. I am very thankful I picked it up and wish I had it when my own children were younger. A great resource I can easily recommend for church, home, or school library.  

Praying with Mary - Juliette Levivier and Anna Gravier  - CTS Children’s Books Sample Page 1

Praying with Mary - Juliette Levivier and Anna Gravier  - CTS Children’s Books Sample Page 2

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2024 Catholic Reading Plan! For other reviews of books from the Catholic Truth Society click here.


Books by Juliette Levivier:
Francis: the Poor Man of Assisi
Prayers Around the Crib
Praying with Mary
Praying with the First Christians
Praying with the Friends of Jesus
Praying with the Holy Spirit
The Rosary


Saturday 27 July 2024

Prayer of the Day Pray for a Seminarian

Prayer of the Day Pray for a Seminarian

God, our Father, Thank you for calling ... name ... to prepare for the priesthood. Grant him the grace to grow closer to you through daily prayer.

Help him form his personality as a credible witness to others. Bless him while he studies Your word and the teachings of the Church and give him a generous heart to serve Your people.

We ask this through Your Son, Jesus Christ, our great High Priest. Amen.

Prayer of the Day Pray for a Seminarian Image

I have tried to pray this prayer daily for almost 5 years now. The first seminarian I was praying for has now been ordained and I am praying for another at the same seminary in Poland now. My parish is staffed by a Polish Pallottine priest and when our parish started praying for the Pallottine seminarians we tried to get at least 2 families praying for each active seminarian.



Prayer of the Day Pray for a Seminarian 1

Prayer of the Day Pray for a Seminarian 2

Prayer of the Day Pray for a Seminarian 3

Friday 26 July 2024

Mentored for Good - Keith Lilek - My Life Changing Lessons from Life Changing Leaders

Mentored for Good: 
My Life Changing Lessons from Life Changing Leaders
Dan Spencer (foreword)
Kenyon Brady (illustrator)
ISBN 9798882893674
ASIN B0D5MCGPGY

Mentored for Good - Keith Lilek - My Life Changing Lessons from Life Changing Leaders

I admit I struggled with this volume at first. Reading the eBook there seemed to be pages and pages about how great a guy Keith was at the beginning of the book. Now it should be noted the format of the book is 8.5 inches square. So maybe it was just 2 or 3 pages in the print edition. I could not find a preview online to check, having checked Amazon, Google Play and even a general search. And when I first say the cover I thought maybe Bruxy Cavey was making a comeback. I also saw Father Dwight Longenecker when looking at the cover. But I was asked by a friend to give it a read and see what I think, a friend who is an author and publisher I trust. After reading the 17 promo’s for the man and the book I almost put it on my ‘did not finish’ pile. That would have been my loss. Once I got going on the actual text I could hardly put the book down.

The description of this volume is:

“Are you happy with who you have become? I am. But I didn't get here by myself. I am the beneficiary of many God-inspired mentors placed throughout my life. Do you remember who lifted you up at various times in your life? Who inspired you to actively change your course? Do you remember what they taught you? I do. I remember. I remember them all.

Mentored for Good is the story of how a willing mentee was shaped and molded by the mentoring he received all throughout his life and how his character was shaped to the benefit of all those he came in contact with. Life's struggles. Life's uncertainties. How can we succeed? How can we be better at anything we want to try? All too often we don't take advantage of those creative people all around us who are willing to share their stories, their actions, and their solutions. It's hard to go through this life alone. But there are many people we come in contact with that can and do inspire us to live more fruitful lives if we are open to it. In Mentored for Good, the author revisits the lessons taught to him in sonnet form that captures the impact each lesson has had on him, his friends and family, and hopefully his readers.”

The chapters and sections in the book are:

What People are Saying About the Author
Dedication
About the Author
Foreword
Introduction

Chapter 1: A Willing Mentee (Be Open-Minded)
     Enlightened Self-Interest
     Mentor Dad
     Confess to a Friend
     I Listen, Yes, I Hear the Call
     My Vow to My Lord and You
     Knock on Wood at Life’s Un-Flammable Tree

Chapter 2: Finding Purpose (First Lessons)
     Living Life’s Priorities
     Baby Jesus, I Believe
     I Am Your Earthly Father
     We Laid Hands on Him Today
     My Lord’s Eyes
     Street-Corner Strays
     You Saved Me With Your Eyes

Chapter 3: Walking It Out (Living Lessons)
     Lileks Are Leaders
     Save Money for Your Children’s Children
     Chastity Ring
     I Life You
     A Dad Makes All the Difference
     Fall on Your Sword
     I Promise
     It’s How You Say It
     It’s Time to Attend

Chapter 4: Living in Joy (Observing Life)
     Finding the Right Wife
     My Puppy Sets Me Free
     Charlie the Calico Cat
     Beard or No Beard?
     More Than You’ll Ever Know
     Virus Cameo

Chapter 5: Reflecting Light (Praising Others)
     Your Grace
     Ellen, Get Right Back Up
     Character Sets the Bar High
     My Son’s Father-in-Law is a Doctor!
     Sullivan’s Bizarre

Epilogue: Coming Full Circle
Acknowledgments

I highlighted a few passages while reading this book, some of them are:

“Keith’s mentoring philosophy created an environment where all employees would circle up and start every day in prayer, even video conferencing in those who were out of town. Keith claimed that any business run by him was doomed to fail, so he invoked Christ into his daily work life to garner success.”

“I crossed paths with many mentors, friends, and influencers of all types as I grew up. I was a sponge throughout my life. I learned that there is really no separation between your home and work life. They are a continuation of the same behaviors.”

“Do you have fond memories of your father? How does his mentoring style compare to yours? And how does his legacy live on in your next generation?”

“O my God, I am sorry for my sins because I have offended you. I know I should love you above all things. Help me to do penance, to do better, and to avoid anything that might lead me to sin. Amen.”

“Getting married completed me, and I knew it. She helped me make decisions and was much more intuitive than I could ever be. She was wiser, more caring, more loving. I knew she was the one when I made the decision to marry her. It took me years to realize it but when I did, I couldn’t wait!”

Street-Corner Strays 

Picking up the strays in life 
applies to more than dogs; 
It’s for anyone who needs your help, 
you’re called to be the light within the fog. 

It’s Jesus saying, “Do you see me? 
This is my loving test. 
When you look at them, you’ll see me, 
and know that they are blessed.” 

At one time or another, I needed a lift, 
and you were there to raise me up.”
“Was it because you knew me well 
that you freely lent your cup? 

If you don’t know them, I understand; 
you may not wish to give. 
Try this trick: find out their name,
for it will help them learn to live. 

Jesus asks us to plant the seeds, 
then he’ll help them with their growth. 
The strays in life can be anyone; 
it could be you, or me, or both. 

So, see the face of Jesus 
in the strays you come to know. 
You’ll be better off for helping them; 
you’ll be their Holy Joe!”

“One of my other mentors stood up and told all of us not to forget that as fathers, we are called to support our families, and that alone comes with its challenges. But he pointed out that we need to be there for one another because it is in that support that we save ourselves from failure.”

“It’s difficult to navigate life on our own. Make the effort to put good people in your path to help you along your way. Then do the same for others. Pay it forward. A reminder like a nice handwritten note goes a long way in this “electronic” world of ours.”

I hope those few samples and that one sonnet give you a feel for this volume. 

This wisdom in this volume feels like it could be a book by John Maxwell, Matthew Kelly, or Patrick Lencioni, but with a few sonnets to convey the message or highlight it in a different way it feels a little more like Dan Millman or Robin Sharma. And all of that is to say it is wisdom earned by experience and wisdom shared with the best of the other at heart. And for a book about being a mentee or mentor that is the highest praise I can give it.

The book has the wisdom and information of a business leaderships volume or a Christian spiritual development book, but packaged as a coffee table book. The large square size is not one I would have picked up as a physical book. And the eBook keeps the same square cover. There is a lot of great material in this book. And it is one you could easily return to again and again, either reading it from cover to cover or skipping around as the needs may. 

The sonnets are a different way to communicate a message, and because of the format they stick with you more and hit a little different. I really enjoyed this book and would be interested in giving some of his other works a try, especially the announced Mentored by Prayer! My only recommendation would be to skip the accolades until after you have read the book.

An intriguing way to convey such an important message. I remember in campus ministry about 20 years ago there was a recall emphasis on the fact that men need a Paul, a Timothy, and a Barnabas in their lives. In this volume Keith shows examples where he has been all three, in his own growth and in helping develop others. Keith is pretty open and transparent about some of his failures and his opportunities for growth and that vulnerability adds a lot of strength and power to the message shared. 

For anyone who leads others, or who is being led, at home, at work, in the community or church this volume offers some great lessons. It is a book almost any ready would benefit from. I can easily recommend it.

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2024 Catholic Reading Plan

Books by Keith Lilek:
The Sonnets of Laina's Life
Champion Mentors
My Grieving Hand
Getting Back to God
Mentored by Prayer

Thursday 25 July 2024

Faker - Gordon Korman

Faker
Gordon Korman
ISBN 9781338826753
eISBN 9781338826760
ASIN B0CD3BRBKG

Faker - Gordon Korman

This is the latest release from the pen of Gordon Korman. It was published in June of 2025 and is the 104th book published by Korman. My introduction to Korman’s works was the 39 Clues back in 2009. Since then I have read 44 of his books. Hardly a drop in the buck, but with each one I read I am entertained and often challenged. My son often reads these books to me or with me. 

A description of this volume states:

“The story of a family of liars... and the son who wants to break the family tradition.

Trey knows the routine. His dad gets him into a school full of kids with rich parents. Trey makes friends, and his dad makes connections. Soon, there's the con, where Trey's dad suckers the other parents into investing in one of his schemes. Once the money's in the bank, Trey, his sister, and their dad are on the run... until they set up somewhere else and start again.

Trey believes his father when he says no one's getting hurt. After all, these parents have money to spare.

But Trey's starting to get tired of running ... and lying... and never having a friend for longer than a few months. But how do you get your family to stop lying when your lives depend on it?”

This story is as humorous as many of Korman’s other works, but it also has a very serious side. Trey wants to get out of the family business. He wants to live a normal life. He is tired of lying and cheating, and he has come to realize that they do not just always target people who can afford it. He wants real friends and most of all he wants stability. These wants and realizations appear to have been brewing for a while, but between an ethics module at school, a cute girl and a close friend the heat is turn up for him to do something about it. 

There is a lot of action in this story, from a scam about a show dog, to a new electric car that gets twice the mileage of a Tesla. But there is also a group of kids trying to reclaim a park and wild life area in town. And a younger sister that needs protecting and maybe most especially from herself.

This is another great School Story from one of the greatest masters in the genre. It is a story about family, friends, and finding your place in the world. And in this case it means Trey must learn to be true to himself even if it means standing up against family and how he has been raised his whole life! 

It is another excellent offering from Korman’s pen. I just wish Scholastic would release eBooks of these older titles by Korman. A great read I can easily recommend. 

Books by Gordon Korman:
MacDonald Hall Series:
         (formerly The War With Mr. Wizzle)
The Zucchini Warriors (1988)
Light’s Camera, Disaster (1991)
          (aka Macdonald Hall Goes Hollywood)
The Jokes on Us (1995)
          (formerly Something Fishy at Macdonald Hall)

Bugs Potter Series:

Jeremy Bloom Series:
The D−Poems of Jeremy Bloom (1992)
The Last-Place Sports Poems of Jeremy Bloom (1996)

Monday Night Football Series:
The Quarterback Exchange (1997)
Running Back Conversion (1997)
Super Bowl Switch (1997)
Heavy Artillery (1997)
Ultimate Scoring Machine (1998)
NFL Rules! Bloopers, Pranks, Upsets, and Touchdowns (1998)

Masterminds Series:
Masterminds (2015)

Slapshots Series:
The Stars From Mars (1999)
All-Mars All-Stars/The Dream Team (1999)
The Face-off Phony (2000)
Cup Crazy (2000)
Ouch I got slapped (2023)
4-in-1 Slapshots: The Complete Collection (2008)

Nose Pickers Series:
Nose Pickers from Outer Space! (1999)
Planet of the Nose Pickers (2000)
Your Mummy Is a Nose Picker (2000)
Invasion of the Nose Pickers (2001)
4-in-1 The Ultimate Nose-Picker Collection (2006)

Island Series:
Shipwreck (2001)
Survival (2001)
Escape (2001)
3-in-1 Island Trilogy Collection (2006)

Son of the Mob 2: Hollywood Hustle (2004)

Everest Series:
The Contest (2002)
The Climb (2002)
The Summit (2002)
Everest Trilogy Box Set (2002)

Dive Series:
The Discovery (2003)
The Deep (2003)
The Danger (2003)

On the Run Series:
The Stowaway Solution (2005)
Public Enemies (2005)
Hunting the Hunter (2006)

Kidnapped Series:
The Search (2006)
The Rescue (2006)

Swindle Series:
Swindle (2008)
Zoobreak (2009)
Framed (2010)
Showoff (2012)
Hideout (2013)
Jackpot (2014)
Unleashed (2015)
Jingle (2016)

Titanic Series:
Unsinkable (2011)
Collision Course (2011)
S.O.S (2011)

The 39 Clues Series:
Vespers Rising (2011)
The Medusa Plot (2011)
Flashpoint (2014)

Hypnotists Series:
The Hypnotists (2013)
Memory Maze (2014)
The Dragonfly Effect (2015)

Ungifted Series:
Ungifted (2012)
Supergifted (2018)

Slacker Series:
Slacker (2016)
Level 13 (2019)
...

Non Series Books:
Losing Joe's Place (1990)
The Twinkie Squad (1992)
The Toilet Paper Tigers (1993)
Why Did the Underwear Cross the Road (1994)
The Chicken Doesn't Skate (1996)
No More Dead Dogs (2000)
Maxx Comedy: The Funniest Kid in America (2003)
Jake, Reinvented (2003)
Born To Rock (2006)
Schooled (2007)
Pop (2009)
Restart (2017)
Notorious (2019)
War Stories (2020)
Game On (contains The Chicken Doesn’t Skate and The Toilet Paper Tigers (2021)
Unplugged (2021)
Linked (2021)
The Fort (2022)

Some Gordon Korman Books


Wednesday 24 July 2024

Ceres 2525 - Micheal Lee Nelson

Ceres 2525
Gravity Well Press
ISBN 9780996563000
ASIN B01MY3XT0O

Ceres 2525 - Micheal Lee Nelson

This story took me back 40 years to when I was first learning to overcome my dyslexia and fell in love with Science Fiction. It reminds me a lot of the Bio of a Space Tyrant by Piers Anthony, The Stainless Steel Rat Series by Harry Harrison, or the later Phule’s Company book by Robert Asprin. That is to say reading it was both fun and entertaining. It was a great read and to be honest one that left me wanting more. As a debut novel it is impressive, and a solid 4/5 stars. 

The description of the book states:

“Desperation is the father of invention. In CERES 2525 you fly along on the Sci-fi Action Adventures of Ceres Tauri, 25, superstar of the zero-gravity league. He desperately searches for his mother, long held captive among the Galactic's 500 colony worlds. When he too is kidnapped by the pirate fleet, forced to duel to the death to save a slave with powerful secret abilities, he determines to fight his way to the top of the pirate ranks. Can Ceres justify this within his objective moral code? Will his faith, his soul, survive?”

An earlier description of the book says:

“In CERES 2525 you fly along on the Sci-fi Action Adventures of Ceres Tauri, 25, playboy superstar of the zero-gravity league. He desperately searches for his parents, long held captive among the Galactic's 500 worlds.

When he too is kidnapped by a pirate fleet, forced to duel to the death to save a slave with powerful secret abilities, he determines to fight his way to the top of the pirate ranks.

Will Ceres have to kill his own father to rescue his mother? Who will save his soul, from himself?”

About the author we are informed:

“Lee Nelson resides near Baton Rouge, Louisiana near his son. He enjoy's the single life, Jeep Life, Cajun Cuisine, cooking, eating, and writing military scifi like it's the end of the world.

A contrarian to the mass Scifi Action & Adventure market, Lee is writing to infuse the galaxy-wide setting of his Ceres novels with a hopeful, positive, and spiritually rich flavor of life.”

The story is written in a classic science fiction style and could be the beginning of an epic space opera. The plot is expansive, the characters larger than life. And the action stop and go right from the beginning. This was a great summer read. 

The questions outlined in the description of the book are only partially answered in this volume. But Ceres and Serenity are characters we find ourselves rooting for both in their quest for freedom but also in battling the Space Pirates that have put them in this position. The narrative is written in a visually stunning way. The reader will feel themselves a part of the fights, battles and other moments through the book. The Void Viking draw from a few mythologies and have unique structure of leadership. And much like the Riddick series you keep what you kill or defeat. And Ceres is not willing to play games he is here with his own mission and becomes a huge disruptor right from the start. 

Can Ceres outwit out think and out plan his father, at his own games. Or will he become fodder in his father’s quest for conquest? This is a fun story, great for fans of classic science fiction or space opera. I can easily recommend this book.

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2024 Catholic Reading Plan

Ceres 2525 - Micheal Lee Nelson

Ceres 2525 - Micheal Lee Nelson (Original cover)


Tuesday 23 July 2024

Why Does Mary Wear Blue - Pierpaolo, Ettore and Mattia Finaldi - CTS Children’s Books

Why Does Mary Wear Blue
Pierpaolo Finaldi
Ettore & Mattia Finaldi (Illustrations)
ISBN 9781860826948
ISBN 1860826946
CTS Booklet CH30

Why Does Mary Wear Blue - Pierpaolo, Ettore and Mattia Finaldi - CTS Children’s Books

As of the reading of this book over the last few years I have read over 396 volumes from the Catholic Truth Society. This is one of only a few books in the CTS Children's Books I have read, but I will be tracking down more.

The description of this book is:
 
“Why does Mary wear Blue?
And other Questions

Real questions about Our Lady, asked by school children are answered in a simple language infused with Catholic wisdom and tradition. Illustrated throughout with classic art, photographs and Children’s own pictures."

We are informed that the illustrations are by Ettore & Mattia Finaldi and the children of Year 5, Holy Cross School, Catford. And they make this a magnificent little volume.

The sections in this book are:

'Mother of Jesus and Our Mother' 
Who were Mary's parents? 
Why was Mary chosen to be the Mother of God? 
Did Mary have any other children?
Why has Mary appeared to people like St Bernadette and the
three children in Fatima?
Why is Mary called the Immaculate Conception? 
Why do we pray to Mary? 
Why do we say so many Hail Marys in the Rosary? 
Why does Mary wear blue? 
Why is Mary sometimes shown standing on a serpent? 
How did Mary die?

Each question and answer spans a two page spread. Each also contains a photo or replication of famous artwork as well as an illustration from a child. At the bottom of the second page is a question to see if the child or children the book was being read to are paying attention. 

This is a wonderful little picture book. My children are well past the age of picture books but I have loved this and the other CTS Children’s Books I have picked up we donate to their school library. My youngest finished grade 8 (or year 9) this spring but I will continue to pick up CTS Children’s books to give them to the school library. The librarian and teachers have loved them. 

A sample section from this volume:

“Why was Mary chosen to be the Mother of God?

E very one of us has been chosen by God to do some special job that only we can do. We are free to say yes or to say no to his plan and do only what we want. It is a mystery why God chooses us, but he always has a plan to help us and the people around us to get to heaven.

In Mary's case God had been planning to save all of mankind from the beginning of time. She had been prepared from before her birth for the great task that God would ask her to do. God wanted to show how much he loved the human beings he had created by becoming one of them. He wanted his son to be born from a woman just like every other child.

When the Archangel Gabriel asked Mary if she wanted to to be the mother of the son of God she was full of fear but trusted God and said yes. Her 'yes' was what made Mary worthy to be the Mother of God!

‘Why was Mary chosen to be the mother of God?’”

We enjoyed this much we donated the copy we tracked down to the School Library, the primary school our children have attended has a resource section for the teachers and we thought this would be a wonderful addition. I hope the sample station give you a feel for this volume. This is another excellent resource from the Catholic Truth Society. I am very thankful I picked it. A great resource I can easily recommend for church, home, or school library. I am looking forward to reading other CTS Children’s Books and books by Pierpaolo Finaldi.

Why Does Mary Wear Blue - Pierpaolo, Ettore and Mattia Finaldi - CTS Children’s Books Sample 1

Why Does Mary Wear Blue - Pierpaolo, Ettore and Mattia Finaldi - CTS Children’s Books Sample 2


Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2024 Catholic Reading Plan! For other reviews of books from the Catholic Truth Society click here.

For reviews of other books in the CTS Children's Books series click here.

Book by Pierpaolo Finaldi:

Books In Polish:
Moja Mala Ksiazeczka do Nabozenstwa
Mój Mały Modlitewnik