Review: Olivia's Gift

Following on the success of Olivia and the Little Way, Nancy Carabio Belanger has written an even better sequel:  Olivia's Gift.  This sequel does a great job in showing Olivia a little older (she's now 12) and a little wiser ... but still having the issues almost-teenage-girls have in life:  wanting to fit in, be popular, seem cool.  On a month-long visit to the beach, Olivia and her best friend Hayley learn the tough lessons:  envy, covetousness, lying and trying to fit in just don't work!  Also, that appearances can be deceiving and that that who we think are cool are often more un-cool when we really look at them.

The girls are assisted in ferreting out these truths by Olivia's parents and grandma; but more interestingly, Olivia discovers these truths through her relationship with St. Therese of Lisieux and her prayer life.

This novel is a great read for tweens/teen girls who are going through these same issues.  Belanger does a fantastic job of teaching without preaching, of getting her message of the Truth and the Catholic faith (scattering St. Therese quotes throughout) across to the reader without making the story goofy or far-fetched.

It is such a pleasure to read a book like this ... especially having an almost-11-yo daughter who will be dealing with these issues of peer pressure and fitting in in the next few years!  [An added bonus:  String Bean has a particular affection for St. Therese already, so this book will really delight her!].  Thank you, Ms. Belanger!

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I received this book from the author in order to evaluate its orthodoxy for the Catholic Writers Guild.  The above review is my honest reaction to this work of Catholic literature.
 

Review: Recipes for LIfe: A Catholic Family Cookbook

Recipes for Life: A Catholic Family Cookbook is one of those cookbooks that you'll refer to ... for old standbys as well as adventurous cooking.  Published by Friends and Family Cookbooks, this cookbook is not only packed with obvious family or parish favorites; the book links nourishing the soul through saints' biographies and Catholic catechesis with nourishing the body. 

The book was written by a growing lay apostolate based in a parish in Maryland.  TASTE -- which stands for Taste and See, Take ... Eat -- is a family apostolate that grew out of the parish of St. Mary of the Mills, in Laurel, Maryland.  A weekly mom's catechesis session with children warmly welcomed, helps teach the beauty of our faith.  The cookbook is an off-shoot of this apostolate.

I like the cookbook -- and have marked many recipes to try.  I like the linkage of saints' feast days and special dishes and the tips on how to incorporate celebrating our faith with something as mundane as fixing dinner.  The catechetical portions of the book (and the prayers in the back) are a wonderful inclusion.

My only issue with the book is that it would be hard to use on a regular basis -- the saint recipes are interspersed throughout the book and altho there is a chart at the beginning linking the saint to his/her "recipe", there is no chronological listing of saints.  You need to know the saint's feast is coming up to find the appropriate recipe.  Not a big deal ... just an irritant.  I also think there is too much text and not enough white-space (for notes, etc) ... but again, not a big deal.

Overall, I think this is one of those cookbooks I will use -- the recipes are not fancy, are wholesome and the philosophy behind the book are all very good things.  Check out the website and see what you think.

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Disclaimer:  I received this cookbook as part of the CWG's SOA evaluation process.  The words of the above review are my honest "take" on this book.   

 

Writing: CWG and their Conference

The Catholic Writers Conference Live is scheduled for August 4-6, 2010 at King of Prussia, PA.

If you're interested in attending, you can find more information and a registration form here:  http://catholicwritersconference.com/



This is a great chance to pitch your writing ideas as well as to listen to some great talks and meet/greet the powers that be in the Catholic publishing world. 

If you do go, make sure you stop in and say "hi" to Margot at Hillside Publications ... a fellow homeschooler (and my publisher!), she was instrumental in getting me involved at the Catholic Writers Guild and in getting my book, In His Image, the CWG Seal of Approval.
 

WooHoo .... In His Image gets approval ...

The Catholic Writer's Guild, a very cool group of writers, publishers and illustrators, has awarded my book, In His Image: Nurturing Creativity in the Heart of Your Home it's Seal of Approval. 

The CWG website elucidates what this means:

The CWG Seal of Approval is a kind of “gatekeeping” device for Catholic bookstore owners and readers. Simply put, it’s an endorsement that the book supports Catholic beliefs and values. We began the SoA after discussions with Catholic bookstore owners who said they often did not have time to fully evaluate books—and often didn’t stock books that came from unknown writers or smaller presses.

The SoA is not a critique of a work, but rather an assurance of its Catholicity--that neither the work nor its author go against the Mageristerial authority of the Catholic Church. In other words, we evaluate for faithfulness, not for writing style or quality.

The CWG is a great group of Catholic creative folks whose expertise and knowledge I very much respect.  If you're a writer (fiction, non-fiction, poetry), an artist or illustrator, or an editor or publisher and you are NOT a member yet, what's stopping you?  Go check out their website and join in the fun! 

And if you've haven't yet gotten a copy of my book, In His Image, please do -- it's gotten very good comments from those readers who have been gracious enough to share their thoughts with me ....