Tuesday, 9 February 2021

The Moon Is Not My Name - ML Clark - Menagerie Mysteries Book 2

The Moon Is Not My Name 
ML Clark
eISBN 
ASIN B08P23PKWD
 

This is the second of the Menagerie Mysteries from the pen of M.L. Clark. I loved the first story, but I had to go back and reread a chuck of it. This one in my opinion was even better. I must admit I had pretty high hopes for this story and for the series, and it did not disappoint. I have been following Clark’s works for several years, and I admit to eagerly anticipating each new work. I also lament some that have yet to see the light of day. I went around 25 years with a reading gap on mysteries. I got back into it by being intrigued by one I picked up for my father and have read many over the last 2 or three years. However, knowing Clarks body of work, and having read the first story in this series, Third Planet Fall Down, I was well aware that this would not be a normal mystery. It is a great read for fans of the mystery or Science fiction genre and for mystery fans willing to take a risk.  

The story focuses on Pax Murillo, he was an on screen detective in the movies in the 2040s. He was brought back as a character in an amusement park on Earth. But not the Earth he remembers for humans have been wiped out. He was created just as part of an exhibit but after multiple run throughs of a scenario he developed self-awareness and is outgrowing his AI programming. He proved his worth and has been moved to the Archives on the Moon. On Luna he is in the administration development. When several important visitors come to access the archive, there seems to be stress on several of his creators. Both the Irian Archivist and Zin are greatly agitated. And then when the Archivist is poisoned in a way that they thought had been eliminated Pax is back on the case, and a case like no other.

This is an inserting story on many levels. Fist is the nearly completely alien environment and species. The second is Pax’s growing self understanding, and learning to navigate this alien world he has been thrust into. And the underlying arc of the economics of the major species and the game, used to control and manipulate them all. The economics of control, both financial and of information. Of particular interest is species that can revert to earlier stages of development and their need to start over again. And the deliberate suppression of memories or experience learned prior to the reversion. Some secrets should see the light of day. And some secrets others would do anything to keep buried. 

For fans of Clarks works this is great volume added to the canon of her work. In many ways I enjoyed this second story even more than the first. It is an excellent read, but be warned it will leave you desperate for the next volume and finding out what Pax is up against then. 

Books by M.L. Clark:
Children
The Bitter Sweet Here and After - Short Story
Uncle Remy's Whizz-Bang Circus
Game of Primes
Fat of the Land
The Shape of Things to Come
The Stars, Their Faces Uplifted in Song
Then Raise the Dead Man High
The Shadow & The Shadow
…

The Menagerie Mysteries:
The Stars, At Last Count
Wildly Runs The Dying Sun
…

K-City Kink Sisters:
Lacing Up To Reality - Short Story
One For The Team - Short Story

Contributed to:
Bastion Issue #6 September 2014
Lightspeed: Year One
Lightspeed Magazine, March 2011
The Year’s Best Science Fiction & Fantasy, 2017
…

Analog:
Analog Science Fiction and Fact, June 2013
Analog Science Fiction and Fact, March 2014
Analog Science Fiction and Fact, September 2015
…

Clarksworld:
Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 199
Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 193
Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 181
Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 173
Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 165
Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 162
Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 156
Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 123
Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 92
Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 86
Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 80
Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 74
…

Works translated by M.L. Clark:
The Marquise of Yolombo - Tomás Carrasquilla
...




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Monday, 8 February 2021

Ask Him ... - Jane Trufant Harvey - Simple Words to Jumpstart Your Conversation with God

Ask Him: 
Simple Words to Jumpstart Your Conversation with God
Matthew Kelly (Introduction)
ISBN 9781635821574
eISBN 9781635821581
ASIN B08NFLZKJL
 

I picked this up after it was given a plug by Matthew Kelly. I have read and reviewed several books by Matthew Kelly over the last few years and benefited from them all. And I had high expectations based on his recommendation. In this new edition from Wellspring Matthew even writes the introduction. The beginning of that introduction states:

“I AM SO EXCITED FOR YOU. The book you have in your hands will change your life. If you let it. How can I be so sure? It changed my life—and I have recommended it to so many other people who have also had their lives transformed by it.”

Matthew Kelly also says:

“Over the years, I have realized that there are no words for some situations. It wouldn’t matter if you were Shakespeare or Wordsworth, Shelley or Byron, there are simply no words to comfort a mother who has lost her child. This is just one of many situations that leave us speechless for a reason. They leave us speechless because these moments are not the right time or place for words. In these moments all we can do is be with each other or give grief its space. All we can do is honor the wishes of the one who is suffering and be with them or not (according to their need and preference).”

And later he indicates:

“One of the most difficult things in this life is to learn how to speak to God as a friend. There is genius in these pages, because with each page, Jane prompts us to have a conversation with God.”

I had high expectations even before I began reading the book. And once I read the introduction by Kelly those expectations were even higher. And the book absolutely loved up to those expectations. This volume contains 270 points. Some are a few words, and some are a few sentences. They all begin with Ask Him … and then the request. My first read through I highlighted 11 of them. And wrote them out in my journal. When I highlighted 2 of the 11 really stood out and were highlighted in a different color. As a sample from the volume here are the 11, I highlighted:

1. Ask Him... to surround you with His protection and peace.

4. Ask Him... to forgive you when your humanness overrides your faith.

8. Ask Him... to remind you that prayer will sustain you through the most difficult times in your life.

13. Ask Him... to bless you abundantly with the richness of good, Godly people who will challenge you to be the person He Created you to be.

58. Ask Him... to never let you forget: Life is not about competition, it is about striving to reach another level of achievement in being a better you.

70. Ask Him... to help you rejoice when you feel empty, since He can’t pour His spirit into something that is already full.

87. Ask Him... to help you remember that with every decision you make and every action you take, you’re being an example to someone else—good and bad.

101. Ask Him... for patience when your day starts out bad and ends up worse . . . and to remind you that He affectionately calls this “Character Building 101.”

118. Ask Him... for more teachable moments.

134. Ask Him... to remind you that it is not always your words—but the tone of them—that can wound the soul.

170. Ask Him... to pour out His protection and abundant blessings to the men and women who fight for your freedom.

This book can easily be read through in an afternoon. But like Matthew Kelly I feel this is a book I will be returning to again and again. The next time I read it a completely different set of points might be the ones that have an impact on me. It is a great little volume to spark your prayer, and even just help you reflect and think on like differently. 

It is an excellent book that anyone would benefit from reading. It is a great book that will spark anew your prayer life.

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2021 Catholic Reading Plan! 

Books by Jane Trufant Harvey:
Ask Him for Courage With Cancer
Ask Him for Encouragement: A Start for Those Who Need a Starting Place
Ask Him for Hope: Profound Glimpses Into the Heart of God
Thank Him: Living Life with an Attitude of Gratitude
…
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Friday, 5 February 2021

Prayer of the Day A Prayer of George Cardinal Pell to Our Lady

A Prayer of George Cardinal Pell to Our Lady

"Mother Mary, Mother of your divine Son, Jesus, our brother, we ask you to intercede with him on our behalf and on behalf of all those who have asked for our prayers. 

Mother of Mercy, help us in Jesus’ name to live more deeply, forgive more readily, and so follow that narrow way and enter that narrow gate which leads to eternal life."
-Monday, 10 June 2019

This prayer taken from:

Prison Journal
Volume 1 The Cardinal Makes His Appeal
ISBN 9781621644484
eISBN 9781642291421
ASIN B08N5FT45L



Books by George Cardinal Pell:
God and Caesar: Selected Essays on Religion, Politics, and Society
Test Everything
Be Not Afraid: Collected Writing
Contemplating Christ with Luke
Rerum Novarum: One Hundred Years Later
...

Prison Journals:

Prayers from the Prison Journals:
...

Contributed to:
Priests—What Lies Ahead?
...
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Thursday, 4 February 2021

Murder Mezzo Forte - Donn E. Taylor - Preston Barclay Mystery Book 2

Murder Mezzo Forte
Preston Barclay Mystery Book 2
ISBN 9781938499098
ASIN B01D3UM8NU


I picked a couple of books from Donn a few years ago. Back in 2017 I picked up Rhapsody in Red and Deadly Additive but did not get around to reading them. Then I picked up this one a few months ago. This is the first I have read but it seems very familiar. I do not recall if I started one of the others and never finished it. But the characters and settings and reference to the first story all seem to click but I have not recoded finishing the book. I do not even recall how I stumbled across this author. But I really enjoyed this story. 

In some ways it reads like Columbo, in fact that is who Professor Barclay reminds me of most it is Colombo had been a professor and kept finding bodies instead of a cop. 

That is what happens in this story Professor Barclay is a professor with a penchant for stirring thing sup at a Christian college that is trying to become more mainline. It is rebranding to Overton University, from Overton Grace College. It is the time for sessional professors to receive their renewals and for the board is in town for meetings. And then it happens again. For the second time Barclay along with Mara Thorn a former Wiccan find a body on campus. But this time the accusations against them make even less sense thank last time. But they also appears to be proof. A journal left behind by the deceased claiming a long affair and a blow up with Mara.  

The story is full of wit and wisdom. Of puns and pugnaciousness. But can Barclay and Thorn put the pieces together in time. Not only to save their jobs, their reputations but maybe even their own lives. But when the actions of some police do not make sense. And they are given clues about some financial dealings slowly they start to put the pieces together again. 

The characters are great. The pace of the story is excellent. This is the second of the Preston Barclay mysteries, and the first I have read. But It will not be the last. A good mystery filled with life in academia and a small-town feel. A fun read.

Books by Donn E. Taylor:
Lightning on a Quiet Night
Deadly Additive
Dust and Diamond: Poems of Earth and Beyond
The Lazarus File
…

Preston Barclay Mysteries:
Rhapsody in Red
Murder in Disguise
…

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Wednesday, 3 February 2021

52 Weeks with Saint Faustina - Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle - A Year of Grace and Mercy

52 Weeks with Saint Faustina: 
A Year of Grace and Mercy
ISBN 9781596144880
eISBN 9781596145092
ASIN B07S2XJ8C9
 

I have been familiar with the name Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle for a while and a few of her books have been on my wish list for a while now. And I doubt there are any Catholics not familiar with the name Saint Faustina and the Divine Mercy, even if it is not part of their personal devotional life. But this was the first volume I have read. I had a physical copy of the book but kept falling behind. Once I picked up the eBook, I found it much easier to stay on track and work my way through the devotions. This book was a fantastic read. Once I really got going though it was hard to limit my reading and not just keep reading ahead. 

I have yet to tackle the diary of Saint Faustina, but have read a lot about her and Divine Mercy. But this book has inspired me to pick a specific translation and give it a read. This volume is different than many other devotionals I have read, in that it spans a year but does not have daily readings. There are readings for each week, and then an activity to be carried out over the week. The sections in most chapters are?

Week Number
Name for the Week
A Quote from the Diary of Saint Faustina
Something to Ponder
A Merciful Action
A Prayer for the Week

A sample from week 5 of:

“A Merciful Action 

Take some time to reflect on who might feel lost or, in some sense, in darkness and need a helping heart and hand. Do your best to encourage that person or family in some way. For inspiration in deciding upon your merciful actions this week, refer to the “How to Use This Book” section to see the description of deeds of mercy that Jesus gave to Sr. Faustina.”

And a sample prayer from week 8:

“A Prayer of Mercy for This Week
(To be prayed each day this week.)

Dear Merciful Jesus, thank You for the
gift of Your mother, Mary.
Help me to get closer to her and learn from
her. Thank You for Your great love!
Saint Faustina, please pray for me.
Jesus, I trust in You!
Mary, Mother of Jesus, be Mother to me now.
Amen.”

This is one of those devotionals that could be read again and again, and with each reading something new be received from it. A new inspiration, a new understanding, a new purpose, or motivation to action. But it is also a book that can be returned to from time to tome. Picking specific chapters or random chapters. You could read a chapter relevant to what is going on, or a random one for new inspiration.

The book is very well written and engaging. Anyone would benefit from reading this volume. It would be great for teens, young adults, and adults of all ages. We can all benefit from learning more about mercy and learning to live it. It is immensely engaging. A wonderful read for all Catholics. 

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2021 Catholic Reading Plan!
 
Other books about Divine Mercy and Saint Faustina:

Books by Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle:
Advent with Our Lady of Fatima
Advent with Saint Teresa of Calcutta
Angels for Kids
Bringing Lent Home with Mother Teresa
Bringing Lent Home with Pope Francis
Bringing Lent Home with St. John Paul II
Bringing Lent Home with St. Therese of Lisieux
By Dawn's Early Light: Prayers and Meditations for Catholic Military Wives
Catholic Mom's Cafe: 5-Minute Retreats for Every Day of the Year
Catholic Prayer Book for Mothers
Catholic Saints Prayer Book: Moments of Inspiration from Your Favorite Saints
Catholic Wisdom for a Mother's Heart
A Catholic Woman's Book of Prayers
The Domestic Church: Room by Room: A Study Guide for Mothers
Embracing Motherhood
Family Consecration to Jesus through Mary
Feeding Your Family's Soul: Dinner Table Spirituality
Grace Cafe: Serving Up Recipes for Faithful Mothering
The Heart of Catholicism
The Heart of Motherhood: Finding Holiness in the Catholic Home
The Kiss of Jesus: How Mother Teresa and the Saints Helped Me to Discover the Beauty of the Cross
The Miraculous Medal: Stories, Prayers, and Devotions
Mother Teresa and Me: Ten Years of Friendship
My Confirmation
Our Lady of Fatima: 100 Years of Stories, Prayers, and Devotions
Our Lady's Message to Three Shepherd Children and the World
Prayerfully Expecting: A Nine-Month Novena for Mothers to Be
Prayerfully Waiting: A Catholic Grandmother's Prayer Journal
Reclaiming Sundays: Pray, Play, Serve, Rest, Refresh, and Celebrate
Rooted in Love: Our Calling as Catholic Women
Small Things With Great Love: A 9-Day Novena to Mother Teresa, Saint of the Gutters
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Tuesday, 2 February 2021

The East Witch - Cedar Sanderson

The East Witch
Sanderley Studios.
ASIN B08R3BMB8W


This is the fourth volume by Sanderson that I have read. I first encountered the works of Cedar in Cracked: An Anthology of Eggsellent Chicken Stories, and after reading her piece there knew I had to track down and read something else from her pen. And I have been impressed with each of them. To date this is the longest I have read by her, and I would classify it as Epic fantasy! It was a book that was incredibly hard to put down. Sanderson has drawn from many folk tales, fairy tales, and native legends to create this masterful story. It is an epic adventure where myths and legends come to life Underhill.

This is the story of Anna and the story of Ivan. But not the story of them in a relationship. Anna is a human hunting guide. When she stumbles, literally stumbles over an elf caught in a bear trap she does what instinct tells her to. She saves the elf. Her next task is to get him home safe. But getting herself home seems a much more elusive task. And she is now trapped Underhill. A place with creatures she knows from legends and stories. And a world and politics she does not understand.

Both Ivan and Anna have adventures, together and separate. They are both seeking to help the other. And both want to do what is right. But in a land with Baba Yaga prepping for war. One Queen missing and another dead. And both the High and low courts in disarray how much can a young elf and a human hunter do?

Can Anna remember enough of the tales from her world to help her navigate he way in this one? Will her manners be enough to help her gain an edge and maybe even some allies. Can her past training with her grandfather and her brothers help her in a land where the rules are different? To find out you will need to read this story.

And what about Ivan, can a young elf, redeem himself from a failed task? Can he recover from trying to take a shortcut? Can he live up to his blood oath? 

The greatest strength of this story is the characters. Of course, you will be rooting for Anna and Ivan. But what about some of the others we encounter? The jaeger, the leader of the Wild Hunt, the leshy Algyr and his sister Alaadi And many others. And who could forget the raven. The story itself is written with a unique pace. The story speeds up and slows down several times. And whenever one of these shifts takes place, make sure to pay special attention.

The story reads in part like a Narnian Adventure, and in part like a side story if Tolkien had ever crossed over characters from our world. Though there is a murder, and also much conniving, mischief, and planned mayhem, even for all of that it is a good clean story. And a girl just wanting to get home, but maybe home is where the heart belongs. 

This is an excellent read and I highly recommend it. A perfect mingling of high adventure, legends, and myths in an epic tale.

Books by Cedar Sanderson:
Warp Resonance
One-Eyed Dragon
Snow Angel
Inktail & Friends: A Coloring Book
Voyageur's Cap
Fairy Little Sister
Milkweed
Mindflow
Crow Moon
Zombie Maggots
Poor Gregory
…

The Groundskeeper Series:

Pixie for Hire Series:
Pixie for Hire: Omnibus Edition

Children of Myth Series:
Vulcan's Kittens 
The God’s Wolfling
…

The Tanager Series:
Jade Star
Tanager's Fledglings 
…

Witchward Series:
…  

Illustrated by Cedar:
Something Wicked #15
Jormungandr's Venom (Fenris Unchained Book 3)
Hunted Behavior
A Time To Die
Legion
…

Contributed to:
The Hearts' Enchantment
Calexit- The Anthology
Supernatural Streets
Something Wicked Anthology, Vol One
Something Wicked #15
Mythic Delirium Magazine Issue 0.4
The Haunted Library Anthology: Volume 1 
But Not Broken - Hope and Healing Book 2
Postcards From Mars - Postcard Stories Book 1
Space Cowboys - Raconteur Press Anthologies Book 4
Space Cowboys 2: Electric Rodeo - Raconteur Press Anthologies Book 5
Twisted Tropes
Steam-Powered Postcards - Postcard Stories Book 2
Space Marines - Raconteur Press Anthologies Book 6
Fanta-Fly Postcards: A Micro-Fiction Collection
Postcards from Foolz: A Micro-Fiction Collection
Falcons of Malta
Space Marines 2 - Raconteur Press Anthologies Book 9
Single Servings of Liberty - Postcard Stories Book 5
Tales From The Occupation: A Fae Wars Book 4
…

Books as Lilania Begley:
Slice of Pie
...

Sumire Series:

Bluehills Series:

Contributed to as Lilania Begley:
He Was Dead When I got There
...
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Monday, 1 February 2021

The Prince of Peace - Alban Goodier - Meditations for Advent and Christmas

The Prince of Peace: 
Meditations for Advent and Christmas
Alban Goodier
ISBN 9781594172687
eISBN 9781594172694
ASIN B01MZAXBVP


This was the first book by Alban Goodier that I have rea, but it will not be the last. In fact, I am already looking forward to his book for Lent. In the long description of this volume, we are told:

“The Most Rev. Alban Goodier (1869-1939) was a British-born Jesuit priest who served as archbishop of Bombay, India. During his thirty-five years as priest, he wrote over a dozen books on the spiritual life. He is best known for his poignant meditations on the life of Christ.”

We are also informed that:

“This book will uplift you spiritually in preparation for Christmas with 60 short Advent and Christmas meditations. Two meditations per day will provide you with stimulating spiritual preparation for Christmas over the 30 day period between Advent to Christmas.”

I started Advent trying to do one meditation first thing in the morning and the second at lunch time. But it ended up being more of a morning and evening exercise. This volume was originally published in 1915 and received both the Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur. This is a reprint of the English edition originally published in 1947. The original English title of the book was The Prince of Peace for Advent and Christmas. 

A sample meditation is: 

“XIV.

The Spouse of Mary

‘Do you want to be shown, you foolish fellow, that faith apart from works is barren? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by works, and the scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness”; and he was called the friend of God. You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. . . . For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so faith apart from works is dead.’ —Jas 2:20–24, 26 

1. The time being imminent, it was essential that Mary should be given a husband and a protector. The Jews must have been aware of this, too; for it was a traditional desire among the maidens of the chosen people that they might perhaps, when married, be selected to be the mother of the Messiah. We have already seen that one easily discovers types of Our Lady in the Old Testament; therefore, we should not wonder that we also find anticipations of her spouse, St. Joseph. The faithful servant of Abraham, who brought Rebecca from Mesopotamia and protected her on her way; the faithful guardian Mordecai, who protected Esther, and directed her in her great task of saving her people—these and others would seem to foreshadow the Protector of Mary. 

2. Most of all, he is seen in his namesake, Joseph, the son of Jacob and Rachel; and this anticipation would seem to be sanctioned by the Church in freely using the story of one for the glory of the other in the Divine Office. Joseph the dreamer; Joseph sent into obscurity in Egypt; Joseph unknown and unnoticed, though coming of a noble line; Joseph the spotless virgin, whose purity could not be sullied; Joseph entrusted with the care of a kingdom, so that “go to Joseph” becomes the cry of hope for a whole people—one must ask if these things are said of the old Joseph or the new, so perfectly does the type correspond with the antitype. 

3. In all these foreshadowings, much prepares us for the character and elevation of St. Joseph. Scripture tells us nothing of his early life; even the Apocrypha say less about him than about Mary or Jesus. This is in keeping with the spirit and nature of the man as revealed in his later action. St. Joseph is the man unknown, whose selflessness is perfect, who has no history of his own but lives only in others, for others, fulfilling the bidding of God. He is prepared from within, perhaps all unconsciously even to himself, for the great dignity designed for him—the husband of Mary, the foster-father and guardian of the Holy Child, the patron of the Universal Church. In meditation, we may try to understand what that preparation may signify or include, but we can never fully know or comprehend it. Still, these things we can assume: the spouse of Mary will himself be the most innocent of men; the Guardian of Jesus will be perfect in wisdom and prudence; the Patron of the Church will be filled with zeal for the glory of the House of God. 

Summary 

1. It is reasonable to see an anticipation of St. Joseph in the Old Testament, as in the servant of Abraham, Mordecai, etc. 

2. We see it above all in the other Joseph, whose life has many parallels with that of St. Joseph himself. 

3. We have abundant matter for meditation about his early life by pondering the silent training of the future trusted servant of God.”

I must admit I struggled with the dual entries using this as a devotional. I found it hard to get consistent with time. I did find it a very moving book. And One I will likely reread either next Advent or the one after. 

It is a much more in depth set of reflections for the season. And some of them I had to reread to get them. I will however state it is an excellent volume. And as stated I look forward to his Lent reflections. 

While researching for this review I found that he had written over a dozen books. Many of which are in public domain. There are some with a few different titles. But if the others are as in-depth and deep as this one they are worth tracking down and giving a try.

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2021 Catholic Reading Plan!

Books by Alban Goodier:
50 Meditations on the Passion
From Sex Addict to Saint- Margaret of Cortona
Good Galilean
Jesus Christ, the Son of God
Risen Jesus
Saints for Sinners: Nine Desolate Souls Made Strong by God
The Crown of Sorrow
The Inner Life of the Catholic
The Jesuits
The Meaning of Life: The Catholic Answer
The Passion and Death of Our Lord Jesus Christ
The Public Life of Our Lord Jesus Christ: An Interpretation (Vol. I)
The Public Life of Our Lord Jesus Christ: An Interpretation (Vol. II)
The School of Love: and Other Essays
The Secret of St. Joseph
Witnesses to Christ: Studies in the Holy Gospels
…
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