#FREE on #Kindle Today Through Saturday, Remembering Mom

My book, Remembering Mom, is available for FREE on Kindle today through Saturday.

Synopsis: In Remembering Mom, author Ellen Gable shares memories of her beloved mother, an unconventional woman who was often thrust into situations by necessity. She endured having to watch her first husband spiral into psychosis and schizophrenia, then have him be committed to a psychiatric hospital on the same day she was in labor with their fourth child. She worked from home typing back in the day when women didn’t have jobs other than homemaking. Her humor was quirky, and she had some strange sayings. She could swear like a sailor, but loved her Catholic faith. She wasn’t a perfect Catholic, nor was she a perfect mother, but she was devoted to her five children. After the death of her first husband, she remained strong for her young adult children, then eventually found love again and another opportunity for motherhood.

Fatima (2020) #Review #FATIMAthemovie

I was blessed to be able to watch the new movie about the Miracle of Fatima entitled, Fatima, a few months ago. I’ve heard a lot about it from one of the screenwriters on social media. It is available on demand as of August 28. You can watch the trailer here:

First, the synopsis: Based on historical events, three young shepherds in Fátima, Portugal, report visions of the Virgin Mary, inspiring believers and angering officials of the Church and the government, who try to force them to recant their story.

I would consider myself a quasi-expert on the miraculous events at Fatima. I’ve read many books on the subject and I’ve watched documentaries, as well as the original Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima from 1952.

What I loved about this movie: The cinematography was breathtaking. The music was beautifully done and added greatly to the story. The script was well done as were the costumes. I was especially pleased to see Lúcia Moniz, who played Lucia’s mother in the film. She looked familiar, but I had to look her up on IMDB to find out where I had seen her: she was the Portuguese girl and love interest of Colin Firth’s in Love, Actually. She plays a very different part in this movie as the unbelieving mother of Lucia. The acting of most of the cast was above average (although there were a few minor actors who weren’t quite on par with the rest of the cast).

The Miracle of the Sun was effective and well done, and for this, the music, and the cinematography, the movie is definitely worth seeing.

Photo Credit: Claudio Iannone ©2020 PICTUREHOUSE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

The two youngest children were delightful and believable. (The girl playing Jacinta was adorable.) I enjoyed both of their performances very much.

Photo Courtesy of Picturehouse ©2020 PICTUREHOUSE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

What I didn’t like about this movie: I personally didn’t like how Our Blessed Mother was portrayed and how distracted the children seemed when they were receiving visions from Our Lady. To me, there was nothing heavenly about the woman in the vision. In fact, there seemed to be no attempt to make the Blessed Mother look ethereal. She was a beautiful lady dressed in white, barefoot and, at one point, bled from her heart. It almost felt like she walked up to the children when she appeared to them.

The young actress who played Lucia did an adequate job, but at times, there was something missing from her performance.

Photo Credit: Claudio Iannone ©2020 PICTUREHOUSE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

There were several events that the writers choose to either change or leave out. For example, the writers also chose not to include that the Communist mayor threatened to boil the children in oil if they did not tell the truth. That’s a pretty big part to leave out. In the actual events, the children refused to say they were lying, regardless of the threats to be boiled alive.

Bottom line: Although the original 1952 Fatima, in my opinion, is a more faithful representation of the events of the Miracle of Fatima, this is a movie absolutely worth seeing. It’s powerful and uplifting. Recommend! 7/10.

This movie will be available On Demand starting August 28. If you’d like a code to see this movie for free in the comfort of your home, please comment below (before August 31) to be entered to win a free code. I have two free codes to give away!

This post is sponsored by Graf-Martin Communications on behalf of Elevation Pictures. Opinions expressed are my own.

Copyright 2020 Ellen Gable Hrkach

An Open Book – August #openbook

I’m joining with Carolyn Astfalk and Catholic Mom on An Open Book. Here’s what I’ve been reading over the past month.

Though War Be Waged Upon Me:

A Saint Michael Treasury of Prayer and Reflection

by Carol Puschaver

Blurb: Make no mistake. Satan is very much alive — and hellbent on revenge. He is waging war against humanity, and indeed against all creation, with the reckless abandon of one who has nothing more to lose. Cast out of heaven; crushed at the foot of the Cross, he is multiplying evil and outrage and scandal to unprecedented effect as he “strikes at [the] heel” (Gen 3.15) of “fallen mankind” (St. Joseph Edition of the New American Bible, Revised Edition, 9).Without question we are living in a time of increasingly brazen evil. That is to say, a time of extraordinary and abundant grace also. Christ has already won the final victory over Satan. By His grace, we stand strong against the forces of evil. By that same ineffable grace, we stand in the company of holy angels — most especially the glorious Warrior Archangel Saint Michael.And the high ground belongs to us!

My review: This is a beautiful booklet dedicated to St. Michael the Archangel.  If you thought the only St. Michael prayer was the one we sometimes say at the end of Mass, then this book will be an eye opener for you.  Included is a history of the St. Michael prayers as well as a chaplet and reflections. Highly recommend.

Unspeakable Beauty by Joshua Elzner

Blurb: When Adam awakes without a past, he is impelled to ask the question, “Who am I?” and yet this question itself is already cradled in the awe of first discovery, in which his heart is stirred to childlike wonder and playfulness at his contact with a beautiful world that he had almost lost forever. But whenever his memory comes flooding back in, and his whole being is shaken by the trauma of a painful life, will he be able to retain his childlike wonder, and will he be able to answer this question, both for himself and for others?

His only hope lies in letting himself be buoyed up by what has gone before him, carries him now, and will always remain—a mystery greater than himself and yet enfolding him in his uniqueness, a mystery knitting his life together with the lives of so many others in a tapestry that, while composed of light and darkness, of joy and sorrow, of profound hope and inexpressible anguish, is nonetheless a masterpiece of unspeakable beauty.

My review: The author can write well and the story is engaging.  My only criticism is that it’s very, very long.  For those who can handle lengthy books, this is a good read.

Jazz and Other Stories by Dena Hunt

Blurb: Like jazz music, these singular life stories play out in an improvisational current of tragedy, comedy, drama, and discovery. A little girl in rural Georgia, a young woman in Germany, a Floridian priest, a history professor in New Orleans, and others all contribute verses of experience—some with joy, some with sorrow, and some with shock, or even violence. Written over a period of many years by an award-winning author, these stories and their characters make up a varied collection of life’s jazz-like rhythm, its recurrent refrain of surprise, its terrible and beautiful crashes against the cymbals. Not one of the stories is about love, but they are all, in their different ways, love stories.

My review: This is a new book by my favorite author, Dena Hunt.  I’ve read some of the stories and they’re wonderful.  I can’t wait to read the rest of the book!

Peace Among Brambles by May Akonobi

Blurb:  Mma loves children. Preoccupied by this love and the desire to have her own children, she rushes into marriage with Joey, throwing overboard her mother’s wise counsel to pray and seek God’s will. The honeymoon is a dream come true for Mma and her new husband. But when they return home, Mma finds that Joey’s mother and sister have moved in. What follows is a challenging time for Mma. How will she face her new situation? Will she ever realize her dream of having her own children?

My review: This is a beautiful story of a young Nigerian woman, who yearns for children. She  marries quickly without praying to God for guidance. What follows is a series of life lessons for Mma, who eventually learns to trust in God.