"Dear Communion of Saints: amusing apt advice for foolish Christians" - Book Release

The Ironic Catholic has a book that is releasing today. It is a type of "Dear Abby Saints" book. You can pick it up in both e-book and paperback format.

If you haven't read the Ironic Catholic Blog, you really should.

Also, if you order today...you get a pretty nice little discount. So head on over and check it out.

The Devout Life - Blogging Along with St. Francis de Sales

Mindy over at The Devout Life, a fellow Alaskan, has decided to dedicate a greater portion of her blogging to St. Francis de Sales': The Devout Life. She is asking those that would like to join along and journey with her to link themselves at the bottom of her blog. It seems like a really good idea and I hope some of you will join in! You can jump in at any time.

The best part? You can get the ENTIRE text online HERE at Catholic City. So there is nothing to purchase... and no waiting. Can't really do much better than that can you?

The journey is about being spiritual and drawing closer to God in your busy life... so what is your excuse? :)

Here is Mindy's post, and make sure you head over to The Devout Life and check it out:

Thanks to the Thrifty Mystics, a study guide has graced my path pertaining to St. Francis de Sales' book, Introduction to the Devout Life. The link to the study guide can be found here. Beginning this week, I am going to blog with this guide as I make my way through the text and I hope that some people will join me along the way.

The book is a joy to read and very applicable to the spiritual practices of the man or woman drawing close to God in the midst of a busy life. If you are a non-Catholic Christian, you may find sections that do not seem relevant to you, such as those pertaining to the Eucharist or Confession. I encourage you to read the book anyway and ponder these different ways of encountering Christ.

If you decide to join in, put a link down at the bottom so we can encourage and have fellowship with one another. (I will have a graphic available shortly.)You can also simply leave a comment if you don't have a blog you are planning to link to.

If you want to follow along chapter by chapter, you can easily do so by clicking through the graphic near the top right corner of this blog. Our first reflections will involve Chapter 1 and the associated questions for reflection on page 10 of the study guide.

Book Review: "Max and Benedict"

The following is a book review I did for the book: "Max and Benedict." I bought the book for my God-son, you can find the following review, and all my reviews on TiberRiver

As a primary note, I do have to say that this book is technically a follow up to another book: "Joseph and Chico" but I can tell you I did not know that until after I bought it. So you can buy this as a stand alone if you would like, but take it from me, once you purchase one, you will want the other... they are that good!< The position of Pope is not only important and technical, but it is created by God. Few adults know or understand the full explanation of what the position of the Pope entails, let alone what he does on a day to day basis. So how are we supposed to explain that sort of thing to a child? This book definitely will help in that regard.

The story is told from the point of view of a blue thrush, a rock-thrush to be exact. His name is Max and the book opens with the telling of his day to day life and the story behind his name. As well all know, most animals in the "wild" don't have names, but this isn't just any animal... this is a special bird. 

Max lives, or spends his time, around the Vatican, their Gardens, and St. Peter's Square. So the story is about his encounters and travels and his eventual fascination with a human that lives in that area. As we come to find out, that human is Pope Benedict. 

As we listen to Max, he tells us about the daily happenings around the Vatican, but more importantly he explains what the Pope does on a day to day basis. Yet, Max isn't an ordinary bird, so it isn't told in an ordinary way. You see, Max explains not only the typical schedule and things the Pope does daily, but he dives into the why and how. He notices that the Pope isn't simply doing a job, but instead really embraces the position of Pope, and the great responsibility that accompanies that position.

Max's travels and stories touch on everything from the Pope Benedict's daily writing and praying, to his apostolic visits and audiences,  the special events in St. Peter's and even a trip to the Pope's summer home. Through all of this, Max paints the Pope in a very human and intimate way. From his explanation of the prayers and contemplation of the Pope to the hobbies and relaxation the Pope does through his playing of Piano. 

The best part about this book is that it really humanizes the Pope in a way that all the TV coverage, press, and mystique never will. It is written in a way that parents can read it to their children and both reader and listener will get something out of it.

This book is a must buy... and is worth it at almost any age. It is a little "long" for a single reading, especially for younger children, but the stories are self contained and it makes a great "Bedtime" stories book.

If nothing else, buy it as a keep-sake and read it for yourself. Then when your child is old enough they can pick it up and become endeared to the Pope through this wonderful story. And last but not least, the watercolor style pictures add to the softness and beauty of this story. This is seriously one of the best children's Catholic stories I have ever read.

You can purchase this book here.

I wrote this review of Max and Benedict for the Tiber River Blogger Review program, created by Aquinas and More Catholic Goods, your source for First Communion Gifts. For more information and to purchase, please visit Aquinas and More Catholic Goods.

Tiber River is the first Catholic book review site, started in 2000 to help you make informed decisions about Catholic book purchases.

Catholic Book Reviews! - Tiber River

Book reviews have been around pretty much as long as there have been books! One of the great things about sites like Amazon is that before you purchase a product you know thousands and thousands of people have bought it before you, and at least a couple have let you know their thoughts on the book or product via a review.

Well, the folks over at AquinasandMore.com have set up a similar site JUST FOR CATHOLIC BOOKS! It is called TIBER RIVER and it is great! We know the classics are good... but what about all the new books that are published everyday? We all know "you can't judge a book by its cover!" So how do you judge a book? Well head over to Tiber River and check it out!

Not only that... but you too can review books! Just sign up... and add to the wealth of reviews that already exist there!

Not only that, but Tiber River is linked in with Aquinas and More so that if you like the review you are reading, you can simply hop on over to their site and purchase it online! So not only is Tiber River a resource for those of us looking at a specific book, but it also becomes a great place to browse! For example, lets say you want a new book, but don't know where to start? Just start browsing the reviews and lists that users have set up, read what they have to say and pick a book. Again, because it is all linked through the Aquinas and More store... you have an easy way to browse and buy! So go check them out today.

-Posted by: Joe

Lent: Books... check em out!

So the NLM has a great post about Lent Reading Schedules:
NLM - Lenten Reading Schedules

One of the best and easiest to accomplish lists that they posted was:
Fr. Jerabek - Lenten Reading Plans

Not only does Fr. Jerabek have easy to follow lists; he also has linked MANY of the readings right on the webpage, making the whole thing pretty fool proof! Go take a look...


-Posted by: Joe

Fahrenheit Wikipedia

Ira Socol on all things banned:

Last week a Twitter Pal told me, "You should have seen our district's librarians cheering because they got Wikipedia blocked." To which I responded, "You should have walked into each library, grabbed all those World Books and Britannicas, and set fire to them in the parking lot. Same thing."

Read up, kids.

The Truth About Six Pack Abs

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