I’m joining with Carolyn Astfalk and Catholic Mom for An Open Book. Here’s what I’ve been reading and/or working on!
Eternal Light of the Crypts by Alan Van’t Land
Synopsis: 890 AD France.
The last imperial heir of Charlemagne is dead, and every duke is proclaiming himself king. Egilolf, a former soldier, could care less. He needs to steal bones. A saint’s bones.
With the prospect of a large payout, he recruits the scribe Aristeus, a refugee fleeing Viking invasions. Perhaps he should have told his new companion the true reason he’s pilfering saints. Together the thief and scribe must dodge bandits, Vikings, and warring lords—not to mention their own lies—only to find unearthing bones the easiest step.
Yet Egilolf’s fiercest battle is the one within. How can defending the weak be just, when God abandons him when he has to kill? And when Vikings become more than a faceless enemy to Aristeus, will he, like the ancient martyrs he’s always extolling, risk death to convert them?
Reviews:
“I really enjoyed the sneak peek. A wonderful story well-told.” A.K. Frailey, author
“Eternal Light of the Crypts is one of the best-written debut novels I’ve ever read. Painstakingly researched, beautifully written, and engaging from start to finish. This tale of two relic hunters is both comic and substantive.” Carolyn Astfalk, author
A Church in Crisis by Ralph Martin
Amazon Synopsis:
Nearly forty years ago, Ralph Martin’s bestselling A Crisis of Truth exposed the damaging trends in Catholic teaching and preaching that, combined with attacks from secular society, threatened the mission and life of the Catholic Church. While much has been done to counter false teaching over the last four decades, today the Church faces even more insidious threats from outside and within.
In A Church in Crisis: Pathways Forward, Martin offers a detailed look at the growing hostility to the Catholic Church and its teaching. With copious evidence, Martin uncovers the forces working to undermine the Body of Christ and offers hope to those looking for clarity.
A Church in Crisis covers:
- polarization in the Church caused by ambiguous teachings
- initiatives that accommodate the culture without calling for conversion
- Vatican-sponsored partnerships with organizations that actively contradict the teaching of the Catholic Church
- and the recycling of theological errors long settled by Vatican II, Pope St. John Paul II, and Pope Benedict XVI.
Powerfully written, A Church in Crisis reminds all readers to heed Jesus’ express command not to lead His children astray. With ample resources to encourage readers, Ralph Martin provides the solid foundation of Catholic teaching both Scripture and Tradition to fortify Catholics against the errors that threaten us from all directions.
My review: Ralph Martin has written an excellent book on the state of the Catholic Church at the present time. And he does not mince words. He lists the reasons why the Church is in its current crisis and the ways to improve this awful situation. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. 5/5.
All Things New: Breaking the Cycle and Raising a Joyful Family by Erin McCole Cupp
Amazon Synopsis:
It’s time to break the cycle.
Not every family is the perfect model of Catholic family life. Some of us approach parenting still wounded by childhood experiences that were less than ideal. When we start our own families, at best we feel a bit unprepared, and at worst we feel paralyzed with fear that we will repeat our parents dysfunctional, abusive behaviors.
In All Things New, Erin McCole Cupp draws on her own and others experiences to discuss how to develop a joyful family life when our own experience of being parented was damaging. Erin wrote this book for moms and dads who want to parent better than they themselves were parented.
Drawing on the Holy Family as the model of family life, and distilling practical lessons from the Two Greatest Commandments and the Beatitudes, All Things New shows readers that, while change isn’t easy, God has given us all the ingredients we need to create a holy, joyful family.
My review: I just finished this book and I can’t say enough good things about it! A longer review coming, but I highly recommend this book for anyone who had had to endure abuse in any relationship.
Amazon Synopsis: A young mother, blond and pretty, vanishes from her South Boston home, leaving behind only one witness—her four-year-old daughter—and one suspect—her handsome, secretive husband.
From the moment Detective Sergeant D. D. Warren arrives at the Joneses’ snug little bungalow, instinct tells her that something is seriously off with the wholesome image the couple has worked so hard to create.
With the clock ticking on the life of a missing woman and a media firestorm building, D.D. must decide whether Jason Jones is hiding his guilt—or just trying to hide. But first she must stand between a potential killer and his next victim—an innocent child who may have seen too much.
My review: I thoroughly enjoyed this thriller that had me guessing constantly who was a good guy and who was a bad guy. Excellent story and characters. Warning: language. Highly recommend! 5/5.
Falling by T.J. Newman
Amazon Synopsis: You just boarded a flight to New York.
There are one hundred and forty-three other passengers onboard.
What you don’t know is that thirty minutes before the flight your pilot’s family was kidnapped.
For his family to live, everyone on your plane must die.
The only way the family will survive is if the pilot follows his orders and crashes the plane.
Enjoy the flight.
My review: This novel has everything I could ask for in a thriller. A plane that’s about to crash, a pilot who’s been blackmailed to crash the plane in order to keep his family alive and great characters. And the short synopsis alone reeled me in. If you’re looking for a non-stop ride, this is it. Highly recommend. 5/5.
by S.B. Zak
Amazon Synopsis: When I came forward to report the abuse, it should have stopped. But it did not. When the perpetrator was about to be promoted and once more I made a report to competent authorities, he should not have been advanced. Nonetheless he was. Proper and effective measures should have been taken so that others would have been spared his assaults. However they were not. Similar incidents should not still be a problem today. Yet they are. Current leaders should be dealing with this situation in an open, transparent manner. Regrettably they are not. This is the story of my #MeToo moment in the Church, both the actual events that took place more than thirty years ago when I was in the seminary, and what is happening today as I seek to have church leaders address this often overlooked aspect of the clergy sex scandal, adults — whether younger or older — who are targeted by predator priests and bishops.
My review: I’ve been downloading and reading about clerical sexual abuse for the past six months as research for my work in progress (which is loosely based on the effects of the abuse my father suffered at the hands of a priest when he was a freshman at a Catholic high school.) I wasn’t surprised that there was a plethora of books on that topic, but I was surprised that there aren’t more books like this one, from the point of view of a seminarian thirty years ago. It’s not a story for the faint of heart, but it is well written. It could’ve gone through a few more edits as there were typos and grammar errors, but overall, it’s a great book. 4/5.
Sexual Violence and the Violence of Silence
by Jewel Lee Herder, Ph.D.
Amazon Synopsis: Sexual Violence and the Violence of Silence takes a candid look at the clergy sexual abuse scandal in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia from a historical and cultural perspective. The author reveals the five veils of silence—the actions or inactions of the church hierarchy, congregation, law enforcement, media, and general public—that shrouded these cases of clergy sexual violence and exposed the internal maneuverings by administrative officials to silence all those involved or who knew about the abuses. This violence of silence had a profound effect on the victims by adding to their pain and suffering and interfering with their ability to heal and obtain justice. The author begins with the history of the founding of the Roman Catholic Church in America and the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and leads the reader through the confession and testimony of Father William Hogan, a nineteenth-century priest who acknowledged his role in grooming parishioners in the confessional, attested to the sexually abusive behavior of many of his colleagues, and argued for the pervasiveness of clergy sexual violence in the church.
The reader will also be exposed to graphic grand jury testimony of the victims of a small representative sample of accused sexually violent priests from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia—Father Gerard W. Chambers, Father Joseph Gausch, and Father Nicholas V. Cudemo—who targeted their victims based on race, class, and gender. The author includes the historical context in which each priest lived and served by presenting these priests to the reader in chronological order based on their date of ordination. To assist the readers in their understanding of the scope of the cover-up by the leadership of the church, the author examines the administration of the bishops or cardinals supervising the archdiocese during the tenure of each of these predator priests.
My review: This was a difficult book to get through, not just because of the topic and the testimony of witnesses (now adults), but because the author was clearly anti-Catholic. And while in many respects, the author is correct when she speaks of moving abusive priests from parish to parish was clearly wrong, her own anti-Catholic bias shone through too strongly for me and I had to skim over sections. Only recommend this book for those with a strong stomach. 3/5.
The Cross and the Godless by Joseph Mauck
Amazon Synopsis: 1979 -Terror reigns in Nicaragua. The Sandinistas have seized power. Julian Mendero, leader of the Christian opposition, is arrested for stealing a national treasure-the Valdivieso Cross. But not before his son, Pedro, flees to the Sanctuary underground and begins an arduous journey to the US border.
Months later, FBI Agent Steve Rodriguez enters the murky world of the border killings, a series of inexplicable murders. When evidence points to a foreign death squad he enlists the help of Carol Shannon, a Sanctuary activist searching for Pedro. But Carol is reluctant to help. Trauma of a recent sexual assault has left her fearful and suffering nightmares. Yet Steve’s compassion-and Carol’s commitment to end the killing and find Pedro-gradually builds trust, while mutual attraction soon gives way to passionate desire.
Mysteries unfold when Steve consults notorious ex-patriot Hector Rone. He learns Rone’s lover, Claudia Haas-antiquities expert, thief, and femme du monde-has joined two militant priests in their search for Pedro and the Valdivieso Cross. Tensions rise when Steve learns the death squad leader may be the father of Carol’s unborn child. Time is short. Steve must find a way to stop the death squad, find Pedro and the precious Valdivieso Cross, and save the woman he loves from making a terrible mistake.
My review: I thoroughly enjoyed this work of fiction from Joseph Mauck. The story is compelling and the characters are well-developed and believable. It’s a difficult read because there’s a sexual assault, many murders and the nature of the antagonists in this story, but it’s well worth it. It’s for mature readers so it’s not for the fainthearted, nor for children. Highly recommend!
Plot Line and Sinker (Ellen Gable, Author) 