On Living Differently today, a guest essay by Karen Edmisten and a book giveaway!


I highly recommend this terrific little book for those who wish to share their faith with others – especially with their family and friends. Karen is an atheist-turned-Catholic who shares in this book many common aspects of the conversion journey through her own experiences and those of a number of her friends. These stories are organized around a very practical set of “do’s” and “don’ts” that will help readers be better prepared to witness to and support those who are being drawn to the faith. Karen’s tone is gentle and friendly (and prayerful!), but not at all timid about tackling many important issues, concepts, teachings, relationships and potential misunderstandings. The end result is a very great set of connections to help believers be more loving, patient, understanding and supportive of others. - AVH

The Dawn Treader by Bernie

Yesterday morning, Bernie (age 15) asked if she could use some leftover paint from the girls' room for a painting. I consented. I didn't really understand what she wanted it for, nor why she painted the top portion of the canvas black and the bottom portion "room" color to start with. This morning she and Kate hung the finished canvas above the bunk bed and called me in to see it. I feel pretty confident that C.S. Lewis would approve. ;)

Conversion Stories I've Read in the Last Year

 I really think that we cradle Catholics would do well to listen carefully to what our converts have to teach us about how God works (through their story of how God worked in their lives - which is amazing, profound, mysterious, crazy, etc.!!!) and how we can learn to better interact with our culture and bring God to the world. These are all wonderful books, and good reading for high schoolers too!

Something Other Than God by Jennifer Fulwiler 

Wonderful atheist-to-Catholic conversion story with a good dose of humor. God works in mysterious and sometimes hilarious ways! An autobiographical story about how God came into her life at various times and places and led her to a place she would have never imagined as a feminist, pro-choice atheist: the Catholic Church. I especially enjoyed the humorous stories about her antics as a stubborn kid, such as moving all the Bibles in the library to the "Fiction" section. Yes, God really doesn't give up on anyone! ;)

Not God's Type: An Atheist Academic Lays Down Her Arms by Holly Ordway

Fascinating atheist-to-Catholic conversion story by a literary-academic type who converted partly thanks to her competitive saber sword-fighting. No really! I love the way she skillfully and accessibly weaves through the series of ideas and arguments she worked her way through in the process of conversion.I am also completely fascinated by the fact that she is a Catholic holding the chair of apologetics at Houston Baptist University. So naturally there's a lot of good apologetics content here.

Unplanned: The Dramatic True Story of a Former Planned Parenthood Leader's Eye-Opening Journey Across the Life Line by Abby Johnson

A must read, especially for anyone involved in the pro-Life movement. This is a great story anyway, but especially highlights how various ideas about how to fight abortion helped or didn't help in really making progress in this most important struggle. 

Favorite authors maybe?

G.K. Chesterton and Pope Benedict XVI take the cake for a whole shelf-full each, though I must admit to having a lot left to read on both shelves.

A Homeschooling Meme!

Wow, I haven't been tagged for a meme in a very long time. So long that I almost forgot what a meme was! Thank you kindly to Kimberlee of Pondered in My Heart for the generous nudge to write. :)

One homeschooling book you have enjoyed.

Gotta pick at least two. I think my favorites still (partly because of the way they impacted me at the time I happened to read them) are For the Children's Sake by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay and Designing Your Own Classical Curriculum by Laura Berquist. I think I'm really ready for a re-read of that first book especially. I'm also looking forward to reading A Little Way of Homeschooling and The School of the Family, both of which are waiting for me on my shelf!

One resource you wouldn't be without.


Honestly, truly, I would have to say our parish. Not only daily Mass, wonderful sermons and twice-weekly school Masses (today three children in one family were baptized during the school Mass - what a beautiful thing!), but also free musical opportunities (through various choirs my kids sing in), school sports and other school activities like Chess club (which all parish children are invited to participate in) and, on the whole, what has become for us an extension of our family and an essential aspect of our children's education - a loving group of people who have chosen to embrace us as we are (including things like our odd propensity for enjoying ancient music and Marian hymns, which they allow us to sing at Mass as a family on occasion) rather than consider us a threat to their way of doing things. I am so very grateful every day for this great blessing!

And... if you want a more bookish answer, I would say the old Catholic National Readers (basically Catholic versions of the McGuffey readers). They're written for a different era and a different educational system, which is always refreshingly compatible with what we do around here. We don't use them all the time, but when we do (which is generally for at least a few months of each year) I'm always reminded of a one room school house and an era that in some ways was simpler. The simplicity is evident in these books in the way reading, spelling, grammar, dictation and reading comprehension are combined and the students alternate between independent work and some simple feedback from the teacher.

One resource you wish you never bought.

It's really hard to pick on one book, but I have learned over time that I really can't stand scripted curriculum (though I understand that they are wonderful for those who like them) and that I am allergic to teacher's manuals. (Achoo!) I like to be able to sit down with something (like the Catholic National Readers mentioned above) and just start using them without having to read over 5 pages of material just to get started. That's one thing I've always liked about the MCP Math too.

One resource you enjoyed last year.

Our road trip! Traveling makes for wonderful educational opportunities I think partly because we parents are pulled away from the computer and the telephone and a lot of other worries. Our month-long road trip to California last year was fantastic.

One resource you will be using next year.

Next year is too soon, ahem, far away, maybe we'll talk about this year. Perhaps our favorite new educational resource this year is the fabulous Catholic liberal arts college that Ria is attending. She is completely smitten with TAC, and we really can't blame her. Just last weekend, for example, the "Theologian of the Papal Household" visited TAC, gave a lecture, said Mass and visited with students, etc. You can read more about Rev. Wojciech Giertych here.

One resource you would like to buy.

The new Catholicism DVD series from Fr. Robert Barron sounds fascinating, although we still have so many unwatched DVD resources around here at the moment that it would hardly seem reasonable. One DVD series we have very much enjoyed so far and need to get back to is Dr. Carol Reynold's Discovering Music Series.

One resource you wish existed.

Inexpensive add-on space to our house for more elbow room (and messy project space) especially in the winter. Oh yes, that and a self-cleaning floor (really a self-cleaning anything!). One other thing I have learned about our family over time is that we don't need any of those learning-to-be-creative-as-a-family-type-books. We exude creativity, or at least that's the positive spin I put on the trail of artwork and projects that is generally to be found all over every available surface and overflowing onto the floors.

One homeschool catalog you enjoy reading.

Honestly, I've reached the stage where I really don't enjoy reading homeschool catalogs anymore, though the one I used to enjoy reading the most was Michael Olaf's Montessori catalog, which were part catalog and part book. UPDATE: Upon further consideration, I realized that I do look forward to reading the catalogs from CHC and Ignatius Press when they arrive in the mail.

If you're reading this and haven't yet done the meme, please consider yourself tagged and let me know in the comments box! Thanks Kimberlee!

Percy Jackson and the Olympians

I've been rather negligent of even the basic booknotes on this blog of late, but I'm going to attempt to catch up by piecing together some of the notes on the Percy Jackson books and movie that I've been discussing with others on Facebook.

I just finished the 5th and final book in the series (at least the first series - there's a hint that other series may be in store) a few days ago and saw the movie on opening night.

First, here are some notes on the books that I wrote in response to a question from a friend:

The books are a little tricky in spots (because they are Greek myths after all), but I think they're okay for 12 and up - maybe younger depending... John and I and Ria have all read and talked about the first five books - and I recently read D'Aulaire aloud to all of the kids (the books are less weird and much more enjoyable if you're familiar with the myths first), so now John is starting to read Percy Jackson aloud to the family. Terri (age 12) is pushing ahead on her own.

There are a few little things that made me cringe (not all that nuts about the oracle thing, for example, particularly in the last book) but liked them on the whole. There are a number of little things that may be bothersomely sensitive to particular families or particular children, but on the whole there were more things that I liked than didn't like - and some of these were *really* great.

Next the movie:

I give the movie two thumbs down. It takes the prize as the worst adaptation of a book that I've ever seen - and I usually enjoy adaptations, even if they're a bit off. This was a totally different story.

I found the books to be a rather fun cross between Greek Mythology and the Phantom Tollbooth (or something like that). Not perfect, but clever and thoughtful in many ways. The "Phantom Tollbooth" aspect was completely lost in the movie which instead went for more of a "Clash of the Titans" feel.

Basically, the movie takes the story way too seriously.

By the way, Decent Films has a pretty good review of the movie here. It's really too bad, because many of the criticisms that apply to the movie don't apply to the books.

I'm posting more details about the movie in the comments box. Don't read it if you want to avoid spoilers!!!

Yet Another List

We're at our fullest capacity yet in our homeschool and run the gamut of K-12. We've got Kindergarten, 2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th and 12th grades running all at once (and sometimes all over the place!). I've been attempting to collect a list of the different curriculum and educational resources that we use (And like - at least so far.) for the sidebar of our learning notes blog, Age Quod Agis. It's really helpful for me to write it all down. I'm sure this is still incomplete, but it's a pretty good start (and a significant update to my very old list) and, I think, covers most of the big stuff.

• Architecture for Kids
• Art of Construction by Mario Salvadori
• Audible.com
• Bethlehem Books
• Blue Number Counting Book
• Bob Books
• Building Big with David Macaulay
• C.S. Lewis
• Cartoon Guide to Chemistry
• Catechism of the Catholic Church
• Catholic Heritage Curricula
• Catholic National Readers
• Catholic Textbook Project
• Cursive Connections
• Designing Your Own Classical Curriculum by Laura Berquist
• DK Math Made Easy Series
• Faith and Life Religion Series
• Footprints of God Series with Steve Ray
• Free Audio Books at LibriVox
• Friendly Defenders
• Fun Geography Sites
• G.K. Chesterton
• Henle Latin
• Homeschool Connections
• Illustrated Guide to Home Chemistry Experiments
• ISI College Guide
• Jacobs' Algebra
• Jacobs' Geometry
• Learning Wrap-Ups
• Let's Read-and-Find-Out Science
• Life of Fred Math Series
• Linguistic Development Through Poetry Memorization
• Lyrical Life Science and Lyrical Earth Science
• Map Skills - Continental Press
• mater et magistra magazine
• Netflix
• Northern Rain Studio (Audio Dramas)
• Pope Benedict XVI Writings
• Princeton Review Guides
• Questions for the Thinker Series by Fran Rutherford
• Reading Your Way Through History
• Red Letter Alphabet Book
• Secrets of Lost Empires
• Shiller Math
• StartWrite
• Teaching Company Courses
• Thinkfun Games
• Vision Saint Stories
• William Shakespeare

Review: Pocket Guide to St. Paul by Scott Hahn

(cross-posted from Love2learn.net)

I really enjoyed this quick and easy-to-understand guide to St. Paul and his writings. Well, perhaps "easy-to-understand" isn't fair, because the topics covered here on the writings of St. Paul are not easy ones. Yet this is a reasonably accessible place to start and might even be usable, with some guidance, for a teen Bible study group.

I've always been a fan of good writing in small packages (in this case approx. 4 x 6 inches) because not only can I get to the heart of the matter fairly quickly, but also conveniently as the book can be stashed in my purse.

This book opens with a fairly detailed biography of the great saint with subtitled sections to make it easier to follow (great for moms who get interrupted a lot from their reading!) Even though I've read (and watched) biographies of St. Paul before, it's hard to keep the details straight in my head. This overview was a very helpful refresher - and also one that can be turned to again and again.

The largest chapter of the book is on "St. Paul's Thought". This is perhaps the most unique aspect of this book and a particularly welcome read in this year of St. Paul. It provides an extremely helpful overview of what St. Paul has given to Catholic theology. A quick read-through of the sub-section titles is helpful: "Why a Pharisee? Why Saul?", "The Word of the Cross", "The Good News of Salvation", "Salvation and Sonship", "The Importance of Covenant", "The Scandal of God's Fatherhood", "We Are 'In Christ'", "The Church at the Center", "Faith and Works", "The Problem of Pain", "Glory in the Cross".

I found the chapter on "St. Paul's Letters" to be particularly helpful because, even though I've read all of his letters before, and some numerous times, there's always so much more to learn. Also, I don't tend to have a ready grasp of which letter was significant for which reason. This includes a paragraph or three overviewing and explaining each of St. Paul's Epistles.

The book is rounded out with some reflections on "St. Paul and Us", a "Quick Reference for Catholic Doctrines and Practices in St. Paul's Life and Work", "The Quotable St. Paul" and "Prayers to St. Paul."

Highly recommended!

Published by Our Sunday Visitor

Review: Paddle-to-the-Sea by Holling Clancy Hollings

cross-posted from Love2learn.net

Paddle-to-the-Sea, originally published in 1941, is a one-of-a-kind story about a little carving of an Indian in a canoe that is sent off from North of Lake Superior in Canada for a four-year trek through each of the Great Lakes, through the St. Laurence River and finally into the Atlantic Ocean.

Beautifully written and fabulously illustrated, the story takes readers on an in-depth (and rather lengthy!) story of the Great Lakes region told through the "eyes" of an inanimate wooden toy as it encounters all kinds of weather, wild animals, helpful people, a forest fire, and much more. It may sound like a strange premise, but it works, and all of my children have been enchanted with the story, though it may help that, living in the Great Lakes region, a number of the places are quite familiar to us.

In addition to colorful illustrations of various locations from the story, the text is often surrounded with smaller maps and technical illustrations of locks and various geographical features of the region. We've found this to work best as a read-aloud as the sheer length tends to be intimidating to the younger set (and often break up the reading over different parts of the day). It's probably a good hour of reading.

Sometimes Good Things DO Come to Those Who Wait

Just last night (literally!) I started re-reading Cardinal Ratzinger's God and the World (it's an interview-style book on faith and spirituality that's especially helpful for those who are unclear about the idea of faith or even looking at it from the outside - this is from what I've seen so far, I've really only just started reading it - more than once!) and was wishing that I had picked up a stack of them when it was on sale last summer for $5. I thought they might make nice gifts or have to give to people I chat with who are interested in understanding more about how we can relate to God. Unfortunately, last summer I needed to be more frugal as our finances weren't in the best state and so I was pretty conservative in my purchases.

Funny thing, because I woke up this morning to discover that Ignatius Press is having another big sale and God and the World is again on sale for $5. This time around I'm getting a big stack of them. Check out the sale here.

P.S. What It Means to be a Christian by Pope Benedict XVI, which I blogged about back here, is also on sale for $5.

The Ignatius Press Meme

I couldn't resist this meme. Just to be fair, I'm not including the Bethlehem Books titles, which Ignatius Press co-publishes.

1. What was the first Ignatius Press book that you read? Hard to say. Probably A Map of Life (read it in high school), but it wasn't published by Ignatius Press until later. Does that count? :)

2. The most recent Ignatius Press book that you read? The Legacy of John Paul II: Images and Memories by Cardinal Ratzinger

3. What are your favorite Ignatius Press books?

Too many to name, but I should especially mention Cardinal Ratzinger, G.K. Chesterton and Fr. Schall.

4. What is your least favorite Ignatius Press book? Probably Hell and other Destinations, though I did like parts of it.

5. How many Ignatius Press books have you read? About 40, I think - a good chunk of these are from the Vision series. Probably at least twice that many that I've dipped into (chapters here and there as needed or even read half and felt done with it for the time being and/or are currently reading). Do you own? According to LibraryThing, 168. (I'm a big fan of the Ignatius Press sales and online clearance section.)

6. What book do you wish Ignatius Press would publish? An audio Old Testament (I think they presently only offer the New Testament).

7. What are the next Ignatius Press books you plan to read? The book on St. Philip Neri I recently purchased from their big summer sale.

Kate chats about Narnia

"Why it goes with the last disc of Magician's Nephew was because Digory planted a tree near his home and Peter, Edmund and Susan and Lucy are living in his home and the tree grew into tons of different trees and the witch got into it and she made it winter and there was animals in it and it turned into the place that Aslan invented - Narnia. It started all black, then Aslan invented it. And the animals are talking animals."

What I've Read: 2007

This is an attempt at a complete list of books I completed in 2007 (some of these are re-reads):

Deus Caritas Est by Pope Benedict XVI
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
The Glass Castle
The Kite Runners
The Virtue Driven Life by Fr. Benedict Groeschel
Mom to Mom, Day to Day by Danielle Bean
Waking Rose by Regina Doman
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
St. Francis of Assisi by G.K. Chesterton
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
Animal Farm by George Orwell
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Spe Salvi by Pope Benedict XVI
Word to Caesar by Geoffrey Trease
Jack and Jill by Louisa May Alcott
Fabiola by Cardinal Wiseman
Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh
Ten Dates Every Catholic Should Know
Love in the Little Things by Mike Aquilina

List in progress. More as I think of them.

Happy New Year!!!

Reading 2007 and 2008

I'm really enjoying other bloggers lists of books they've read, favorite reading from the year or books they are planning on reading in the coming year. Seems like a good sort of reflection to do as we end one year and begin another.

Here are some of my most recent books that I actually finished...

The first two are engaging, interesting, thought-provoking, but definitely adult titles.
The Kite Runner
The Glass Castle

Spe Salvi by Pope Benedict XVI (though I need to re-read this one already - I had a hard time absorbing the first half with just one read)
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (very fun read-aloud)

Here are some that are still in progress, even after quite a long time at them (some because they're for discussions that we take a little piece at a time, others because I'm just somewhat disorganized in my reading habits):

We Look for a Kingdom by Carl Sommer

Salt of the Earth by Pope Benedict XVI

The Aeneid (along with a very nice study guide by Fran Rutherford) - I started this as a read-aloud at co-op once a week, but it really didn't work out as the schedule was already a bit fragmented and I had too many group classes I was trying to keep track of. I'll go back and read it myself - probably during this semi-quiet upcoming month of January.

Jesus of Nazareth by Pope Benedict XVI - As I've mentioned a number of times - I LOVE this book, but it's really working out to savor a bit at a time for our discussions instead of plugging straight through it quickly.

Authenticity: A Biblical Theology of Discernment by Fr. Thomas Dubay - Nope. I still haven't finished this one yet. Yes, every time I dip back into it I find something wonderful that makes life just a little bit clearer. I do suspect I'll finish this one some day and I certainly haven't given up on it.


Here are some newly started titles:

The Order of Things by Fr. James Schall - This is a book that really makes you think, and yet it seems somehow light. I think it's Fr. Schall's manner of writing and also the fact that he doesn't tend to overwhelm with complex vocabulary. Good stuff!

I also started The Christian Resistance to Anti-Semitism by Fr. de Lubac a few weeks ago. It was fascinating, but I put it down for now because it was slow working plodding through a title with so many unfamiliar names and events. I still hope to go back to it at some point, along with (a cursorily related title) They Call Me the Bacon Priest. I'm really good at reading halves of books sometimes! :)

Books I'd Like to Read in 2008 (besides the ones I'm still in the middle of):

The Apostles by Pope Benedict XVI
St. Thomas Aquinas: the Dumb Ox by G.K. Chesterton
I'm also hoping to re-read Orthodoxy in time for next summer's conference focusing on that book
By the Great Horn Spoon (because I keep hearing it recommended from many different directions)
The Blood-Red Crescent by Henry Garnett
Come Rack, Come Rope! by Robert Hugh Benson
Manalive by G.K. Chesterton
re-read Regina Doman's Fairy Tale Novels - in order to review/update reviews on the various titles


I may actually try to write up a list of books I've read this year. Usually looking back I find that I've read a lot more than I seem to remember reading.

Bad Blogger

Not only have I not been blogging lately, but there are a whole slew of books I've read recently that I haven't managed to review or even blog about yet. I think a significant part of the reason is that I have reviewer burnout. Not the same thing as blogging burnout, but somewhat related. It can be pretty frustrating at times.

Anyway here are the books I've read or re-read in the last few months that I haven't covered yet. I'm hoping this placeholder will get me around to reviewing some of them some time soon:

_
The Harry Potter Series - (I just finished a re-read a week or so before the big fuss about J.K. Rowlings' various remarks in her visit to the U.S. I think I should post about this at some point.)

Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh (another re-read)

Waking Rose by Regina Doman (Also a re-read, sort of, as I did a read-through for Regina a number of years ago. Ria also finished this and she loved it.)

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (just finished this one this morning)

I think there are a few others that I've posted about briefly on Studeo and finished reading, but not yet officially reviewed for love2learn. I hope to have a number of these pieces fall in place around the time that the new love2learn site goes up - which should be by the end of the year.

Gus comments on The Father Brown Reader

Gus missed the first night of Fr. Brown reading (mentioned two posts ago) because he was sick, but was in on the fun last night. I wanted to give him a chance to comment:

"I really liked the story of the Blue Cross (the story Ria read last night)."

For the Love of Literature by Maureen Wittmann

I'm so excited about my friend Maureen's new book that is now available for pre-order from Ecce Homo Press. Maureen is a kindred spirit in the "living books" department and I already know that this book will be a favorite on my shelf and have even recommended it to friends who are interested in the way our family homeschools.

I have a pre-publication copy in my hands and it is fantastic. I had a chance to read through it this summer.

For the Love of Literature is a project Maureen has been working on for years and it's designed especially for Catholic homeschool parents. It's a well-organized guide to using real books - biographies, historical fiction, beautiful picture books, etc. to study any subject area of interest. The book lists are extensive and up-to-date (meaning that she only included books that are currently in print) which means, among other things, that this could be an extremely useful resource for using your library well. As a matter of fact, since we're slated to pick the books for our local library's "Holiday Tree" again this year (and the emphasis is, once again, on Popular Non-Fiction and Junior Non-Fiction), I will definitely be using Maureen's book to sift through for ideas.

In addition to the book lists are numerous possible ways to make a living-books curriculum work for your family.

The Fr. Brown Reader by Nancy C. Brown

From our resident Chestertonian (and Fr. Brown afficionado), Ria. To give you a little sense of her interest in Fr. Brown, I should note that she and her friend gilbertgirl seem to come up with a Fr. Brown story (that illustrates some of the truths we're talking about) for each of our catechism discussions.

Anyway, here are her comments on the book:

"Although I'm not generally a huge fan of adaptations, thus far I am enjoying the Father Brown reader. Mrs. Brown, rather then just writing a simple summary of the story, has wisely used Chesterton's own wonderful wording, and omitted only passages which are a little difficult to follow and might bog down some readers. There are however a few minor instances where her retelling changes some part of the story.

When I first announced my intention to read the stories to my 5, 7 and 9 year old sisters last night, the seven year old was rather reluctant to listen. She was more interested in listening to Narnia which my dad has been reading aloud, but Father Brown soon had her hooked. (Terri, the 9 year old, was perhaps even more reluctant - in fact at first she was reading Narnia to herself, but she too was quickly drawn into the story.)"

Terri says (with a big grin on her face): "Fr. Brown is really funny and interesting."

Bernie says: "I really like Fr. Brown!"

Kate says: "I really like it!"

I haven't read it myself yet, but it sounds like Nancy and her illustrator Ted Schluenderfritz and her publisher Margot Davidson all did a fantastic job!

The kids tell me that they will be working on a photo somehow relating to this book some time soon.

Harry Potter x2

I mentioned quite awhile back that I decided to re-read the Harry Potter series. I'm about half-way through book seven and now I can say with certainty that it's much better read over the course of 8 weeks (well, it might have been more like 12) than 8 years. :)

The Great Reading Challenge of ... Last Week

...was to get through Fabiola by Cardinal Wiseman as a read-aloud in time for our discussion on Friday night. Gus has a hard time getting through entire books on his own anyway, but the language in this one made it particularly challenging. Happily we finished it - all 615 pages - and enjoyed it very much. For those unfamiliar with the title, it's a novelization (dating from the 1850s) of the stories of a number of Christian martyrs in Rome around the year 300. Very engrossing and complex in a good way. Gus loved it and so did the others in our lit discussion group.

Though Ria read this twice before this week, it was my first time to read the book. It moved very nicely as a read-aloud and provided an excellent first-glimpse into the time-period for those who weren't very familiar with it.

I was rather surprised to stumble across a Wikipedia page about the book where I learned that Cardinal Newman wrote a prequel to Fabiola called Callista.