Jenn

I love the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle books! I used to read them all the time as a kid and get a kick out of the fanciful “cures” she finds to common childhood problems.

This is a cute, quick little story. :) I like how it teaches kids in a subtle way that just being yourself is best.

Another great Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle book. In this one, the solutions to the children's bad behavior involves a bit of magic. :)

This collection of conciliar and post-conciliar documents of Vatican II certain contains a wealth of valuable information. Reading this book was at times very enlightening. At other times, things were repetitive, as certain documents referenced others in the book. This is due to the separation they have temporally in how they were written, and should not be seen as a negative aspect of the documents themselves.

I encourage all the Catholic faithful and those who want a deeper understanding of the Catholic Church to take up the challenge of reading these documents, so as to better understand the mind and heart of the Church. :)

Just because it's an “official publication from the Church” – don't discount it! It is some amazing and highly readable material! Not only will you learn, you will enjoy doing so! It's hard to believe that I am just now reading this. I didn't know what I had sitting on my shelf. So pick it up and dive in! I promise, you'll be glad you did! :)

I read this book in one sitting. I cried so many times. It was beautiful.

This book was actually more enjoyable than I thought it would be. I thought that I might only relate to a few of the kinds of suffering, but there's actually wisdom to be found on each page, as well and great insights into the lives of many saints.

This is the book for anyone who wants to deeply investigate the claim of the primacy of Peter. Steve Ray offers a staggering amount of evidence from the early church fathers. Half of the material of the book is footnotes, and these are well worth your read, as Steve uses them to introduce the various authors and offer explanations to help us understand the context and meaning of the material.

Don't skip the appendices either! These are also well worth your time.

Disguised as a lighthearted conversation between friends, the dialogue provides lots on insight into prayer and many suggestions for strengthening your prayer life. I found it to be an easy and entertaining read, but one where I also wanted to keep a pen and paper nearby to write notes to myself for later reflection/implementation.

I tend to re-read this series if I need some kind of filler while commuting or falling asleep. The more I listen, the more I discover small things about the story that I hadn't noticed before.

I hadn't really appreciated the “Jacob portion” before, but now I like the new kind of relationship that is formed there and think that it does bring out more of Bella's personality. When she was with Edward, her dominant personality was “infatuation/obsession with Edward.” While I think that can be authentic for people in the throes of new love, it doesn't help the reader to relate to the character. This development of Bella as her own person helps to carry her story arc throughout the series.

The “Volterra portion” of the story are some of my favorite passages of the book.

I read this book in 3 hours. It's really well done! :)

As with all of the Jodi Picoult books I've read so far, this one is a page-turner. The subject matter is interesting and it's presented in a way that is sympathetic to both sides of the issue. My heart broke every time Willow would break anything. I was really rooting for this family. The ending was a little abrupt and completely unexpected and left me wondering what happened after that. I wish there was a better resolution.

But for all of that, it was a good read, and I didn't mind that I was pretty much absorbed into this book and nothing else for two days. :)

This book disappointed me. I picked it from the fiction section in the library in a bid to find an author that I hadn't read before. This author had many books on the shelf (has to be good if he's published lots of books, right?) and the premise of the story – about a man dealing with the aftermath of the kidnapping of his daughter – was intriguing.

Unfortunately, the book was filled with unimportant details and plodded slowly to nowhere. It was so hard to get into the story. And when I was reading, I wasn't enjoying it. Which is odd for me. I love to read.

What I particularly liked about this book was the fact that he gave clear, relevant examples to all of the moral issues that he presented. It turned the subject matter from something which could be thought of as abstract and distant, into something tangible and immediately applicable to my life.

This is a very quick read and very enjoyable. Give it a try! You'll certainly find something in there that will help you in your moral life. :)

This was a very engaging book that covers a wide range of topics which are both very timely for our culture and very important. What makes this book stand out from others which engage issues of racism, exploitation, medical ethics and the commercialization of human tissue is the relationship that the author develops with the family, in particular with the daughter of Henrietta Lacks. This relationship is the very heart of the book and the reason why these questions are so controversial – because we are talking about human beings. And human beings have an innate dignity.

That is the question which is held in tension throughout the narrative: human dignity vs. scientific research (which can lead and has led to many advances which have saved tons of lives as well as dramatically improve the lives of countless people). Is your body your own? Where do your rights end? What is ethical in the name of research and science? What is the juxtaposition of law vs. ethics?

I really enjoyed reading this book. He explains his move from Protestantism to Catholicism without any negative attitudes. He appreciates the gifts of his former faith and gently explains to the reader why he found an increase of appreciation for the faith in the Catholic Church. His explanation of the liturgy and other Catholic practices is both clear and, at times, poetically profound.

This was an engrossing (and gross-ing) book from the moment I picked it up! The topic was fascinating and I loved all the biology in it. Even if that biology gave me the creeps while I was reading it. :) While I had started it a bit ago, I hadn't gotten off the first page until today, when I read the whole thing straight through. I have to say, despite the ick factor, and the surprising twist, it was a very enjoyable read!

There was so much about this book that I loved! I definitely have to buy a copy. On every page is something that speaks to you, challenges you, and gives you insight on your relationship with God. The fact that these helps are rooted in Biblical stories and ideas is bonus, as it draws you to dive into Scripture.

A little too PoliSci/historical for my tastes, but a thorough treatment of the issues.

A great collection of quotes by the Holy Father on the priesthood.

This book goes through the Theology of the Body as presented in “Love and Responsibility”, “Man and Woman, He Created Them”, Familiaris Consortium, and Mulieris Dignitatem. It's a great companion to those texts, breaking down the contents and major themes in each. I like how he condensed the ideas in a very graspable form, giving us a lot to chew on, yet not enough to drown in, and providing the resources we need if we wish to dig deeper.

This small book had a lot of good information in it, and the answers to the questions were supported by official Church documents, large excerpts of which were found in the Appendices (which comprised half of the book). What I found was that in reading the questions with the material in the appendix, there was a lot of things which were repeated – nearly verbatim. So, for the casual reader, it might make more sense to read only the 31 questions and answers.

He had some really insightful and thoughtful things to say about language, communication, reality and truth, and power. What struck me in particular was when he said that if you are not speaking of what is true, what is in accord with reality, then you really aren't communicating at all. And if you are speaking thusly so as to manipulate others into a certain pattern of thought or action, then you aren't respecting the dignity of that person.

These are great insights that I think everyone should hear and ponder a bit; however, the book is written in a manner which may not be inviting to all readers, as it reads more like a book on philosophy.

I loved this book for the way in which Abby tells us her story with compassion for both sides of the abortion debate. She just tells her story, but in the telling, we learn a lot. For example, the people who work on both sides of the “fence” typically think that they are doing something good. Kindness works much better than offense, violence or threats. That, as a church, we need to have compassion – even when we think/know that someone is not in the right place vis-a-vis God and the Church. And, for letting us know that Planned Parenthood isn't as self-denying and pro-woman as they would have us believe, but is a business after the bottom line, just like any other business, and the decrease in the number of abortions performed is not actually their intent.

It was kind of cute, but nothing special. I didn't feel that it would help other kids write to God or have a relationship with God. The questions they brought up were not addressed in any way, so the purpose of the book was a little unclear. A few of them were humorous, but I think that, for a compilation, they could have found a more entertaining mix.