Saturday, 26 April 2025

A Mom with Blue Feathers - Corinna Turner - An unSPARKed Story

A Mom with Blue Feathers
unSPARKed Prequel Story
Unseen Books
ISBN 9781910806951
eISBN 9781910806968
ASIN B0F46NKBG6

A Mom with Blue Feathers - Corinna Turner - An unSPARKed Story

That was a long awaited story from the masterful pen of Corinna Turner. For a long time now other volume in this and other series have announce this one as ‘coming soon’. I am not certain Turner knows what that means, but the story was well worth the wait. What an AMAZing story!

I keep saying it, because it is so true, this series keeps getting better and better, this is a wonderful addition to the series. This is another masterfully crafted piece! As soon as I finished it I out it back on my to be read pile to read it again, this time with my son. This story was AWEsome it is a great read in a FANtastic series. I have read stories in this series over 40 times now. And my son has read all of them more than once as well. We have also been ordering them for my nephew his cousin, as he finished each we order him the next. We also pick up a copy for his former school library, as they have the whole series, and it is very popular there. That shows how highly we regard these stories and Turner’s writings.

I first read a story by Turner in 2015, and read the first in this series in 2017. Since then, I have read books by her a total of 76 times, and unSPARKed stories 40 of them. I have also read a number of the unSPARKed stores in Anthologies. This story is the twelfth novel in the series and is available as an eBook and in print format. This book and series are excellent for teens, young adults and adults. The series keeps getting better and better! It has real staying power. My son and I have read most volumes at least three times each.

When I am recommending this series, which happens often, I frequently describe it as a mashup of Mad Max, Lost World, and Jurassic Park, and I have recommended it to many, all who have enjoyed them. In many ways it is like 50 years after Jurassic World Dominion. We have even bought a full set for my son’s school library and know from the Librarian that they are very popular.

unSPARKed is a series set in a not-too-distant future. Dinosaurs once again roam the earth. Just because a scientist could do something, did not mean they should have done it. Most people live SPARKed, in cities with walls and electrified fences. There are two groups of people who live unSPARKed, farmers who have electric fences around their farms and live in community with their close neighbours. The other are Hunters who live most of the time out on the road or off road in HabVI’s Habitat Vehicles. 

The description of this volume is:

“CAN JOSH SURVIVE HIS BIRTHDAY?

An unSPARKed prequel set 7 years before the main series.

When Joshua is separated from his family on the eve of his eleventh birthday his dad, Isaiah, and his Uncle Z know they may never see him again alive.

With the Habitat Vehicle out of action, Isaiah soon faces the most difficult decision of his life. Should he leave his brother Zechariah to work on the stranded vehicle alone while he sets off on foot in a desperate search for his son?

Meanwhile, alone in the dinosaur-infested wilderness, young Joshua is putting into practice all the survival skills his dad has taught him—until an unexpected encounter with a deadly predator sets the stage for the most unlikely alliance imaginable.”

About the series we are informed:

“CAN HUMANS AND DINOSAURS CO-EXIST?

In a Jurassic future, humans no longer have dominion over the earth. Most people live in cities, behind high electric fences, but some choose the freedom of life unSPARKed, close to nature. If you like Jurassic Park, Jurassic World, and Mad Max, you’ll love this pulse-pounding, futuristic, dino-dystopian series with a western twist. Since 2017, award-winning author Corinna Turner has been writing the unSPARKed series. Check it out today!”

Often the chapters in these books are the narrators name. This time there are numerous sections per chapter each a first person narrative. And each chapter counts up the number of days. Starting with a significant incident. The narrators are:

Joshua 
Isaiah

It is not new to the series having part of the story in Isaiah’s voice, but this is only the second time we have had it. And the other time, was just as dangerous for Joshua. And the title of the story, and the story we are given in this volume is mentioned often throughout the series. 

This story takes place over fifteen days; fifteen very long and intense days for Joshua, his father and his uncle. The story starts on the eve of Joshua’s eleventh birthday. There is a huge twist right near the beginning. After Joshua is separate in the wild, and the HabVI is stuck. All three; Joshua, his father Isaiah, and his uncle Zachariah are each dealing with their own stress, and frustration with the situation they find themselves in. They are each trying to live by the Hunter code, and rules that have been hammered into them since they were young. But Josh is lost and unSPARKed and all three are desperate. There are a lot of prayers thrown up to Saint Desmond the hermit to intercede for the family, and this terrible situation.  

Wow what a story! The next story in the series is A Nest of Piranha’saurs and I can freely admit we are both desperate for Corinna to write and release it. From the ending of Weigh the Odds it can go a few ways and it is hard to wait. We can only hope the next volume A Nest of Piranha’saurs drop sooner rather than later. We are so thanklful this story was released to hold us over. I am already planning to go back and reread this excellent tail, er I mean tale. I believe Turner has 2 or 3 more novels planned for the main series. 

This is another AWEsome read in a MASTERfully written series. It is a great read by a gifted and talented author, and one of our favourite contemporary YA and Catholic authors at that! A volume we can easily recommend for fans of the series, fans of science fiction or really anyone who just loves a very well-crafted story. We can highly recommend this book and series!  

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2025 Catholic Reading Plan!

Books by Corinna Turner:
I Am Margaret Series:
0.0 The Underappreciated Virtues of Rusty Old Bicycles (A prequel)
0.5 Brothers (Prequel)
1.0 I Am Margaret
1.5 How Snakey Got His Name (Short Story)
2.0 The Three Most Wanted
3.0 Liberation
4.0 Bane's Eyes
5.0 Margo's (Attempted) Diary & Notebook
5.5 An Unexpected Guest
6.0 The Siege of Reginald Hill
6.5 Buttons (Short Story)
7.0 A Saint in the Family
I Am Margaret The Play - Fiorella de Maria
...

Yesterday and Tomorrow Series:
Someday
Tomorrow's Dead
...

unSPARKed Series:
Prequel Short Stories:
0.1 Breach
 7.0 FEAR

Mandy Lamb Series:
Mandy Lamb and the Full Moon
Contributed to:
Secrets: Visible & Invisible 7 Amazing Stories - Catholic Teen Books
Gifts Visible & Invisible 8 Christmas Stories for Teens
Treasures: Visible & Invisible 8 Stories for Teens
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Friday, 25 April 2025

10 Things Pope Benedict Wants You To Know - John L. Allen Jr. - Liguori

10 Things Pope Benedict Wants You to Know
ISBN 9780764816727
eISBN 9780764865138
ASIN B079567T8K

10 Things Pope Benedict Wants You To Know - John L. Allen Jr. - Liguori

ISBN 9781860824616
CTS Booklet DO767

10 Things Pope Benedict Wants You To Know - John L. Allen Jr. - CTS Books

Over the last few years, I have read several of books by and about Pope Benedict XVI, many from the Catholic Truth Society. Of the popes in my lifetime, I find his writings of immense spiritual benefit. I would state that I underappreciated him until his resignation. And since then, I have read much. And with each piece I read I appreciate his wisdom, faith, and stand against modernism. And nearly every time I finish one, I find another I want to read. This one was mentioned at the end of a previous booklet, I had never heard of it. I tracked down a used out-of-print CTS edition but it was damaged and missing pages. So I picked up the Liguori edition and finished it with the eBook from them. This was another excellent read, it is about Benedict XVI’s thoughts and teachings. It is a wonderful little read. 

The descriptions of the book is:

“As leader of the world's largest Christian denomination, Pope Benedict wants modern men and women to recognize the teachings of the Catholic faith with new eyes. He wants us to look "back to the basics" but in an intelligent, provocative and attractive fashion. For the pope, Christianity is not merely a set of rules and prohibitions, but a resounding "yes" to human dignity and the embrace of a loving God.

In this concise piece, well-known Vatican inside observer John Allen, Jr. shares his observations on the ten most important things he believes Pope Benedict XVI wants all Catholics to know. The basis for his conjectures comes not from Allen's own personal perspectives, but from the writings and speeches of the Holy Father.”

The chapters in this volume are:

 Introduction
 1 God Is Love
 2 Jesus Is Lord
 3 Truth and Freedom Are Two Sides of the Same Coin
 4 Faith and Reason Need One Another
 5 The Eucharist Is the Heart of the Christian Life
 6 Christianity Is a Positive Message
 7 The Church Forms Consciences but Stays Out of Politics
 8 The Importance of Catholic Identity
 9 Christ and the Church Are Inseparable
10 The Virtue of Patience

I highlighted numerous passages while reading this booklet, and could have easily doubled the number. Here are some of them:

“THOUGH POPE BENEDICT XVI is one of the most accomplished Roman Catholic theologians of his era, the aim of his pontificate is not the construction of a new “grand theory” for Catholic theology. Neither is his goal to remake the Catholic Church according to the personal tastes and inclinations of Joseph Ratzinger.”

“Benedict’s top priority is to reintroduce the fundamentals of the Christian gospel and of Catholic tradition to the modern world, striving to illustrate their coherence with the deepest truths of human existence.”

“You won’t find a lot of complicated theological concepts or breathtaking new ideas, for Benedict isn’t interested in pushing the envelope of theological discussion. What’s creative about him is, rather, the fresh way he explains core Christian teachings.”

“Eros must be transformed through “a path of ascent, renunciation, purification and healing” into agape, meaning the complete gift of oneself for another.”

“Benedict wants to assure his readers that the gospels are reliable witnesses to Jesus. They teach us that the Jesus of history and the Christ of faith are one and the same figure: the Living Son of God, made flesh. Placing Christ at the center is Benedict’s modus operandi, and proper “Christology,” meaning teaching about Christ, is the dominant doctrinal concern of his papacy.”

“There can be no humane social order or lasting moral progress, he says, apart from a right relationship with God, and it is Jesus Christ who reveals God’s face to us.”

“Preaching Christ is not a distraction, he believes, from building a better world—it is building a better world.”

“Benedict realizes that many people unconsciously endorse this “dictatorship of relativism” because they want to be free, meaning that they don’t want to live on the basis of someone else’s truths.”

“Real freedom does not mean freedom to exploit the poor, to hate one’s neighbor, or to sacrifice unborn life; it means the freedom to realize our highest potential as sons and daughters of God.”

“Truth, for Benedict XVI, is the doorway through which one must walk in order to be “free” in the fullest sense of the word.”

“Benedict’s desire is to lead contemporary Catholics back to the fundamentals of our faith, to remind us of that deep “yes” that lies beneath our specific “no’s” on hot-button cultural debates.”

“In other words, the pope wants Christians to let the “good news” of their faith shine through their own lives, so that its inner beauty can again become clear in a world accustomed to thinking of Christianity as little more than a fussy legal system. That doesn’t make the law less important or valid, but Benedict realizes that one doesn’t stir hearts with law, but with love.”

“IN A MARCH 20, 2007, address to Italian businesspeople, Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone, the Vatican’s Secretary of State and a longtime intimate of Pope Benedict XVI, said that the “overall goal” of Benedict’s papacy is to defend authentic Christian identity in a world marked by religious relativism.”

“Benedict worries, in too many areas the Catholic Church has gradually assimilated to this ethos, absorbing its worldview like secondhand smoke. The result is that some Catholics, and some Catholic institutions, are shaped more by the values of secular modernity than the tradition of the Church.”

I hope those quotes give you a feel for this volume. It is an excellent little read an primer on the thought and teachings of Pope Benedict XVI. I can’t help but wonder if Allen were to update this volume, especially now as all of Pope Benedict’s works are being released in English if he would pick the same 10 or expand the list to 15.

This volume was an excellent little volume and easy to engage with. If you have not read much by Benedict XVI you will come away with a list of items to read. It is well worth a read. Another excellent volume based on the writings and teachings of Pope Benedict. I can easily recommend it.

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2025 Catholic Reading Plan! For other reviews of books from the Catholic Truth Society click here.


Books by Benedict XVI:
Jesus, the Apostles and the Early Church and Church Fathers 
...                  

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Thursday, 24 April 2025

Deepening Prayer Life Defined by Prayer - Sister Mary David Totah - CTS Deeper Christianity Series

Deepening Prayer: 
Life Defined by Prayer
Mary David Totah
Catholic Truth Society
ISBN 9781860823824
eISBN 9781784693442
ASIN B073FMZR4C
CTS Booklet SP13

Deepening Prayer Life Defined by Prayer - Sister Mary David Totah - CTS Deeper Christianity Series

Over the last several years, I have read many books from the Catholic Truth Society, over 430 of them in fact, many read more than once; this all since the spring of 2018. Most were good reads; some were great reads; and a few are exceptional. This is another excellent offering, as are the others in this series I have read. It is the sixteenth in the Deeper Christianity Series that I have read, many of them have been read twice.  This is the third I have read by Mary David Totah across a few of the CTS Series. This series is one of my favourites. This booklet was originally published 2006 and the eBook was released in 2017. The description of this volume is:

“Prayer is at the heart of the Christian life, but is always a battle. This booklet explores the opportunities of some of the main methods of Christian prayer, as well as the problems and pitfalls. Sr Mary David uses the wisdom of the Church Fathers to lead the reader into a deeper relationship with God.”

The chapters in the book are:

The Nature of Prayer
A Life Characterised by Prayer

An Environment for Prayer: the Bible and the Liturgy
     Lectio Divina
     Prayer and Liturgical Life

The Practice of Prayer
     Arrow prayers
     The Jesus Prayer
     The Rosary
     The Our Father

Trials in Prayer
     Absence
     Lack of feelings
     Dryness or Spiritual Aridity
     Distractions

From Words to Silence: the Prayer of the Heart and Contemplation
     The Prayer of the Heart
     Contemplation
     Action and Contemplation
     Active Contemplation

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

“Christianity is God journeying towards the world.” Christianity is a religion of revelation; it proclaims that God’s love is always drawing near to man. Christian prayer, steeped in Lectio divina and liturgy, marked by a profoundly Scriptural character, is carried out in an aura of revelation. Salvation history is the context of the Christian’s daily life.”

“That is why the most important thing is that we give time to prayer. Here it is not a question of finding time but of offering time.”

“This is how you pray continually-not by offering prayer in words, but in joining yourself to God through your whole way of life, so that your life becomes one continuous and uninterrupted prayer.” Do not reduce your prayer to words; make the totality of your life a prayer to God” (Isaac the Syrian)”

“What counts in life and in prayer is the our voluntary gift of ourselves in the love of Christ, not the enjoyment of spiritual gifts. 1 The Christian seeks God not experiences; he lives in the luminous twilight of faith.”

“Most of our conflicts and difficulties in prayer come from trying to deal with the spiritual and practical aspects of our life separately, instead of seeing them as parts of one whole.”

“The point here is that like our Christian life, Christian prayer is going to involve participating in the paschal mystery of Christ. We have to accept death sometimes in order to rise to newness of life. Trying to avoid such death is likely to lead to prayerlessness: just as in life, such avoidance leads to escapism, a lack of depth or commitment.”

“But Lectio also denotes above all a method of reading, a slow, contemplative reading which allows the word of God to become a means of union with God. Such holy reading was both a preparation for prayer and prayer itself.”

“In this practice, we soon discover that a familiar text can be used to stir up prayer, or help us in difficult times. Letting the Word of God flow in and out of the mind develops in us an aptitude for prayer that leads to a real renewal of our lives.”

“We are invited to have Christ and his mysteries not just before our eyes but in our hearts as we open ourselves to the plan of God for us, a plan which shall have its fulfilment “at the hour of our death.””

“In the seven clauses of the Lord’s prayer we have seven lessons in prayer, seven fundamental moments in a single act of communion between ourselves and the Father.”

“Lead us not into temptation, but delivers us from evil: As our life of prayer deepens, it brings with it a sense of God’s personal guidance, protection and quiet action in our lives, as well as our weakness and inclination to sin.”

“Prayer is about a relationship; the aim of prayer is to deepen our relationship with God.”

“This means that prayer is essentially a gift which we make of ourselves to God. It is all about giving and surrendering; it is not about feelings.”

“There is no question here of success or failure: prayer is always a success when we simply come with the intention to pray.”

This is an excellent volume. I have been aware of Scupolis volume and even picked up 2 different editions of it and have read both:

The Spiritual Combat - Lorenzo Scupoli

I hope those quotes give you a feel for this excellent little volume. I love how much Sister Mary draws from the saints and Catholic writers down through the ages. It is an excellent volume for personal use or to work through in a group. 

This book is one I believe we really need today, in our current day and age with all that is going on in the world, and even the church. We need solid teaching on prayer to be able to intercede for friends, family, and the world; and to pray for our own growth in holiness. The CTS Deeper Christianity Series of books is written in such a way that they can easily be read in any order. Pick and choose the ones that interest you, read them in order, or jump around. I have been blessed by all the book in this series that I have read and can easily recommend this book and the series.

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews:  2025 Catholic Reading Plan! For other reviews of books from the Catholic Truth Society click here.


Books in the Deeper Christianity Series:
7 Gifts of the Holy Spirit 
8 Deadly Sins Learning to Defend the Life of Grace 

Other Books by Sister Mary David Totah:
A Divine Gift: The Consecrated Life
The Spirit of Solesmes
The Joy of God: Collected Writings 
…

French editions:
La vie consacrée, un don divin
La joie de Dieu: Écrits choisis
…

The Catholic Truth Society - CTS Deeper Christianity Series 3

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Wednesday, 23 April 2025

The Way of the Cross According to John - Father Eugene LaVerdiere, S.S.S.

The Way of the Cross According to John
Father Eugene LaVerdiere, S.S.S.
Emmanuel Publishing

The Way of the Cross According to John - Eugene LaVerdiere, S.S.S.

During Lent in 2022 our parish did On the Way of the Cross with Saint Paul by Eugene LaVerdiere, S.S.S. and it was excellent. During research I found that Father LaVerdiere also wrote this Station and also ones according to each of the other Gospels. I was able to order 1 copy of each from Emmanuel Publishing. This was the fourth I have done, and we did it at church during the Second Friday of Lent 2025. These are excellent volumes. I try and pray a Stations each Friday of the year, and I strive to pray a Stations each day during Lent. The stations written by Father Eugene LaVerdiere, S.S.S., are:


I do not recount encountering the works of Father Eugene prior to that first Stations. But having look at the list of volumes he published I have added several to my wish list. I discovered that Father Eugene LaVerdiere, SSS, was a distinguished lecturer at Fordham University in New York and an adjunct professor at the Catholic Theological Union. He published numerous books and articles, he published works on Scripture on Luke from the New Testament Message series, The Eucharist in the New Testament and the Early Church, and The Beginning of the Gospel: Introducing the Gospel According to Mark Volumes 1 and 2. He was also the senior editor of Emmanuel magazine. The publishing company that produces this and the other Stations composed by him. The description of this volume is:

“John’s Way of the Cross echoes the passion account proclaimed each year in the liturgy of Good Friday. John wrote for a community at grips with the most basic issues of life and meaning. Then as now, the answer was in the person of Jesus. And so we turn to John for this Way of the Cross, following Jesus as he is raised up and draws all peoples to himself.”

A sample station is:

“Third Station
Leader: Third Station: Jesus Falls the First Time

Cross bearer: We adore you, 0 Christ, and we praise you.

All: Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

You may be seated.

Leader:
Jesus himself did not fall, least of all in the Passion
according to John. In John's Gospel Jesus is Lord from the
beginning (18:3-8). But Jesus did fall in the person of his
disciples. When he spoke of his flesh as true food and his
blood as true drink (6:55-56), many of his disciples left
him and returned to their previous way of life (6:66).

A Young Boy:
I was there on the mountainside when he broke the
bread for the five thousand. Jesus asked where they might
buy bread for the crowd to eat, and Philip pointed to the
futility of it all. Even two hundred denarii would not
buy enough bread for such a crowd. Andrew noticed I
had five barley loaves and two fish. I offered the bread. It
became bread from heaven (6:1-11).

The Lord Jesus:
I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never
hunger and whoever believes in me will never thirst
(6:35,48). No one can come to me unless drawn by the
Father. those who come to me I will raise on the last day
(6:44). The bread that I give is my flesh for the life of the
world (6:51).

Leader: Everything that the Father gives me will come to me,
and I will not reject anyone who comes to me.

All: The bread of God comes down from heaven
and gives life to the world.
John 6:37, 33

(Please stand.)

Leader: Let us pray.

All:
Christ Jesus,
you said, "I came down from heaven not to do my own will
but the will of the one who sent me" (6:29).
We thank you, Lord,
and we bless you.
We want to work not for food that perishes
but for the food that endures for eternal life,
the food you alone can give.
For this we praise you, our Lord and Savior,
living and reigning for ever and ever.
Amen.”

I hope that sample station gives you a feel for this version of this devotion. This is another excellent stations of the cross. I loved praying it at church in community and know I will pray it on my own often. It was a great tool to pray and reflect upon it on my own. I have read all the stations by Father Eugene and look forward to reading some of his other books. I know I will return to these stations often. I just wish this, and other volumes were available electronically, with my dual form of dyslexia I prefer eBooks so I can change the font, font and page colour to make books more accessible and easier to read.

This is another great resource for personal, family, or parish use. It is an excellent version of this devotion; I can easily recommend this volume.  

The Way of the Cross According to John - Father Eugene LaVerdiere, S.S.S. Sample

The Way of the Cross According to John - Father Eugene LaVerdiere, S.S.S. Sample 1

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2025 Catholic Reading Plan! 

For all other reviews of Stations of the Cross click here.

Books by Eugene LaVerdiere, S.S.S.:
A Church for All Peoples: Missionary Issues in a World Church
Acts of the Apostles
Dining in the Kingdom of God: The Origins of the Eucharist According to Luke
Fundamentalism: A Pastoral Concern
Invitation to the New Testament, Epistles II
Luke New Testament Message 5
The Annunciation to Mary: A Story of Faith, Luke 1:26-38
The Beginning of the Gospel: Introducing the Gospel According to Mark - Volume 1 (Mark 1-8:21)
The Beginning of the Gospel: Introducing the Gospel According to Mark: Volume 2 (Mark 8:22-16:20)
The Breaking Of The Bread: The Development Of The Eucharist According To The Acts Of The Apostles
The Eucharist in the New Testament and the Early Church
The Gospel of St. Luke
The New Testament in the Life of the Church: Evangelization, Prayer, Catechetics, Homiletics
The Psalms
The year of Luke
When We Pray: Meditation on the Lord's Prayer
…

Stations of the Cross:
…

The Way of the Cross According to Matthew- Father Eugene LaVerdiere, S.S.S.

The Way of the Cross According to Mark - Eugene LaVerdiere, S.S.S.

The Way of the Cross According to Luke - Father Eugene LaVerdiere, S.S.S.

The Way of the Cross According to John - Eugene LaVerdiere, S.S.S.

On the Way of the Cross with Saint Paul Eugene LaVerdiere, S.S.S. Cover
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