I read this book as part of a church book study with three other women. We met once a week to discuss the history of the church, why we are catholics, how we can better people, Christians, and Catholics... It was a very good experience.
I think in today's world, Catholics are ashamed to say "I am Catholic" because of the abuse scandels or a fear of defending "worshipping" the saints and Mary or a fear of answering questions about birth control...or any number of other things. Kelly does a good job of reminding us of all the wonderful things Catholics do and have done for the world: Catholics began educating all people, regardless of wealth or status; Catholics serve millions of meals to the needy each day; and so much more.
We also talked about why Catholics believe what we believe. We don't "worship" the saints or Mary, but we ask them, as fellow humans, to petition God and Jesus on our behalf. Much like asking your neighbor to pray for you if you need extra help.
Kelly makes things very simple, but still brings up complicated issues like the future of the Catholic church. I would recommend this book (especially if you can read it with others) to any Catholic. I think there is something in there for everyone, regardless of where you are in your spiritual journey.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Book 10: The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides
First off, I have to say that I was super excited to read this book, because Jeffrey's last book, Middlesex, is one of my favorite books ever. This book was a little disappointing... I've described it as the "woe is me" mentality of privileged college students. Oh no! My parents are so screwed up and they screwed me up too! Oh no! What am I going to do with my life once I receive my diploma? That part really dragged me down because I realize what a cliche it is and how dumb it makes those characters seem.
That being said, it was an entertaining read. The main female character takes a class on Semiotics and I was laughing out loud at the pretentiousness of those "hipsters" from the 80s. I've had classes with those kids!
But my favorite character was Mitchell, the religious studies major who takes a year off after college to travel the world and spends a few weeks volunteering for Mother Theresa. His religious, romantic, and moral struggles really spoke to me as authentic.
The rest of the book reminded me to Jonathan Franzen's The Corrections...NOT my favorite book because of the "woe is me" theme that pervaded it.
That being said, it was an entertaining read. The main female character takes a class on Semiotics and I was laughing out loud at the pretentiousness of those "hipsters" from the 80s. I've had classes with those kids!
But my favorite character was Mitchell, the religious studies major who takes a year off after college to travel the world and spends a few weeks volunteering for Mother Theresa. His religious, romantic, and moral struggles really spoke to me as authentic.
The rest of the book reminded me to Jonathan Franzen's The Corrections...NOT my favorite book because of the "woe is me" theme that pervaded it.
Book 9: Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly
This book is another YA. This story is sort of parallel stories of a modern day spoiled American and a girl living during the French Revolution. It was very interesting, and gave a sense of what life was like during the Revolution. I've recommended it to my students to give them a sense of the history of the French Revolution.
For me, I really enjoy reading historical fiction because the facts make so much more sense in my brain when there is a narrative to go along with it.
My only complaint about this book is that the end got a little wonky.
For me, I really enjoy reading historical fiction because the facts make so much more sense in my brain when there is a narrative to go along with it.
My only complaint about this book is that the end got a little wonky.
Friday, March 9, 2012
Book 8: Sing Me Home by Jodi Picoult
I listened to this in the car, because I find that Picoult's novels are perfect to listen to. The plot isn't so detailed that I need to flip back to the front of the book to check a detail and it's light enough that I can listen while I drive without worrying about my thoughts drifting for a minute.
This particular story follows the traditional Picoult model...lots of controversy, a trial, and a "surprise" ending. This book follows the story of Zoey, who struggles with infertility, loses a baby in week 28, and loses her husband shortly after. The main plot is the fight for remaining frozen embryos between Zoey and her husband after she discovers she is a lesbian and he discovers Jesus in an ultra-conservative, media-loving church.
It was what it was...it would never make a recommendation list or a top-ten list, but it was interesting and served its purpose.
This particular story follows the traditional Picoult model...lots of controversy, a trial, and a "surprise" ending. This book follows the story of Zoey, who struggles with infertility, loses a baby in week 28, and loses her husband shortly after. The main plot is the fight for remaining frozen embryos between Zoey and her husband after she discovers she is a lesbian and he discovers Jesus in an ultra-conservative, media-loving church.
It was what it was...it would never make a recommendation list or a top-ten list, but it was interesting and served its purpose.
Book 7: 11/22/63 by Stephen King
Man, I used to read every book that Stephen King wrote, but as my tastes "matured," I put King's books away and moved onto book club and intellectual-type books. Now that I'm venturing back into the world of entertainment fiction, I think I need to go back and read King's books that I missed while I was gone.
This book was very highly recommended by an acquaintance, and so I happily towed the huge monstrosity with me on a cruise to Mexico despite the weight. I'm very glad I did. It was a perfect book to read poolside (except for the size, of course). When I wasn't reading, I was thinking about the storyline...
Now that I have finished the book, I still think it was a worthwhile read, but I am a little bummed at the ending of the book. I can't decide if I'm bummed because I didn't want it to end that way or if I'm bummed because of something that King did wrong. I know that I'm personally bummed with how it ended, plot-wise, but there might also have been a little rush towards the end as King no doubt tried to keep the book under a thousand pages.
I would recommend this book if you like long drawn-out plots with lots of character development and don't mind some science-fiction points (it is Stephen King, after all...)
This book was very highly recommended by an acquaintance, and so I happily towed the huge monstrosity with me on a cruise to Mexico despite the weight. I'm very glad I did. It was a perfect book to read poolside (except for the size, of course). When I wasn't reading, I was thinking about the storyline...
Now that I have finished the book, I still think it was a worthwhile read, but I am a little bummed at the ending of the book. I can't decide if I'm bummed because I didn't want it to end that way or if I'm bummed because of something that King did wrong. I know that I'm personally bummed with how it ended, plot-wise, but there might also have been a little rush towards the end as King no doubt tried to keep the book under a thousand pages.
I would recommend this book if you like long drawn-out plots with lots of character development and don't mind some science-fiction points (it is Stephen King, after all...)
Book 6: The Secret Supper by Javier Sierra
I got this book at a book exchange we had with my book club.
My first impression was that this book was going to be very similar to The DaVinci Code, with lots of intrigue and mystery. It both was and wasn't. Comparing the two books, Dan Brown did a much better job of taking the very deep thoughts of DaVinci and making them accessible to the masses. I don't think that Javier Sierra did quite as well. At the end of the book, I was still asking myself if I understood what DaVinci supposedly hid in the Last Supper... And then in the afterword, Sierra talked about his research and said something along the lines of...such and such theory has never been proven, until now. It left me scratching my head, because I'm a pretty intelligent person, and I did not get that feeling of the concrete understanding that I was hoping for.
All-in-all, there are good parts of this book, but I wouldn't say that the conclusion merits the journey.
My first impression was that this book was going to be very similar to The DaVinci Code, with lots of intrigue and mystery. It both was and wasn't. Comparing the two books, Dan Brown did a much better job of taking the very deep thoughts of DaVinci and making them accessible to the masses. I don't think that Javier Sierra did quite as well. At the end of the book, I was still asking myself if I understood what DaVinci supposedly hid in the Last Supper... And then in the afterword, Sierra talked about his research and said something along the lines of...such and such theory has never been proven, until now. It left me scratching my head, because I'm a pretty intelligent person, and I did not get that feeling of the concrete understanding that I was hoping for.
All-in-all, there are good parts of this book, but I wouldn't say that the conclusion merits the journey.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Book 5: French Lessons by Ellen Sussman
I listened to this book in the car on my way to and from school. Blech! I really did not like it. First off, the actress who read the book obviously did not speak French because her accent was horrible! Also, when she spoke English with a French accent, the characters sounded more Arabic than French. Nitpicky, I know, but it made it difficult for me to enjoy the book.
The second nitpicky thing that bothered me was the vocabulary of these supposed French-language learners. The author wrote almost of all of the conversations in English (for the readers, of course), even though they took place in French. The things these Americans could say! I was translating in my head, trying to figure out "How would I say that??" and I didn't have the words! Some of the phrases don't even exist in French! Anyway, it bothered me.
The last reason I didn't like this book is that it pointed out the infidelity that exists in France and tried to make a case for it. As a married woman who loves my husband and has no plans to look elsewhere for love, I HATE it when every character in a book is just waiting for an opportunity to jump someone new. I'm not naive and I know that it happens a lot, but there are a lot of people who are faithful to their spouses also!!
Bottom line, the story wasn't worth reading...even for the few words of French and the memories of Paris.
The second nitpicky thing that bothered me was the vocabulary of these supposed French-language learners. The author wrote almost of all of the conversations in English (for the readers, of course), even though they took place in French. The things these Americans could say! I was translating in my head, trying to figure out "How would I say that??" and I didn't have the words! Some of the phrases don't even exist in French! Anyway, it bothered me.
The last reason I didn't like this book is that it pointed out the infidelity that exists in France and tried to make a case for it. As a married woman who loves my husband and has no plans to look elsewhere for love, I HATE it when every character in a book is just waiting for an opportunity to jump someone new. I'm not naive and I know that it happens a lot, but there are a lot of people who are faithful to their spouses also!!
Bottom line, the story wasn't worth reading...even for the few words of French and the memories of Paris.
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