McHenry author shares two years of witness at ‘a peculiar institution’

Reviewed by Sharon Boehlefeld | The Observer Features Editor

Several years ago, a book club I belonged to opted to read a collection of the records of Lewis and Clark from their expedition to explore the newly acquired Louisiana Territory.

I must admit, I didn’t get the book finished by our discussion, but I wanted to read it all. As it happened, we scheduled the discussion to coincide with the launching of the expedition, which was on May 14, 1804.

Former Lutheran makes case for becoming Catholic

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 Robert C. Koons, the author of this remarkable book, is professor of philosophy at the University of Texas at Austin, and he declares that he makes no claim to being a theologian. A lifelong Lutheran (Missouri Synod), he became a Catholic in 2007.

His slim volume is a detailed explanation of why he believes that being Catholic makes more sense, historically, scripturally and theologically, than being Lutheran or, by extension, any other kind of mainline Protestant.

New books for teens, kids focus on morality, Bible, Jesus

 The following books are suitable for Christmas giving.

"The Spider Who Saved Christmas: A Legend" by Raymond Arroyo, illustrated by Randy Gallegos. Sophia Institute Press (Manchester, New Hampshire, 2020) 38 pp., $17.95.

Every so often a Christmas book stands out among the rest. "The Spider Who Saved Christmas" is not only the charming retelling of the legendary origin of tinsel, but it also gives readers a renewed opportunity to know and appreciate the trials the Holy Family faced after Jesus' birth. This is the tale of how a spider, both feared and fearful herself, saved the baby Jesus from King Herod's murderous soldiers with her intricate web. This also is a story of a gentle Mary, the watchful Joseph and the baby they all work to protect. The pictures beautifully illustrate the wonder of God's design in creation. Ages 4-10.

'Pray and Work' - Author of popular mystery novels has personal story of faith, grace

(CNS photo/Susan Furlong 

Facebook page via The 

Catholic Post)

By Tom Dermody | Catholic News Service

 "The source of justice is not vengeance but charity."

This quote from St. Bridget of Sweden appears just before Chapter 1 of Susan Furlong's latest mystery novel, "Shattered Justice."

But you won't find "Shattered Justice" in your local Catholic bookstore. The third and final installment of Furlong's popular Bone Gap Travellers series, like its predecessors, is gritty crime fiction.

Msgr. Barr’s ‘Skellig’ Continues The Saga of Conor Archer

Conor Archer, the young man imbued with fantastical powers is back in “Skellig,” Msgr. Eric Barr’s sequel to his earlier book “Roan.”

Released in March, just as the COVID crisis was closing bookstores and other retail outlets, publishing in e-book and  paperback formats made the launch easier on fans who wanted copies right away. 

Categorized as science fiction, fantasy and urban fantasy, the book opens with a prologue set on a “glorious All Saint’s Day, a beautiful autumnal morning after such a night of horror.” 

The night of horror was where we left Conor, after a battle as dramatic and deadly as anything in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings series.

Although we don’t see Conor in the opening prologue, we see the legacy of the Halloween night battle on Conor’s friend Jace and the others left behind in southwest Wisconsin.

Conor, however, was Ireland-bound and as the first chapter opens, we find his new story beginning much as did his first tale. The scene is an Irish pub where two women watch as what appears to be a dreadful comet heads right towards them.

Conor soon turns up in a conventional way, via jet to Shannon airport, and heads into the Irish countryside to explore his past and encounter his future. 

Coming Next

Expected to be ready in late spring, “Gods in the Ruins: A Vatican Archives Thriller”  is Msgr. Eric Barr’s next work of fiction.

— Sharon Boehlefeld, features editor

Books Take on Raising Kids in A Culture that Devalues Faith

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 Kim Cameron-Smith cuts through a great deal of fluff that's out there in the Christian/Catholic parenting world and gets to the heart of the matter in her book titled "Discipleship Parenting." She asserts that raising your children for heaven must be the goal for every Catholic parent in a society that asks much more shallow questions and is more concerned with superficial concerns.

She puts forth the mission of Catholic parents in the introduction, "The Great Commission of Parenting": "Our mission must be to raise children who know and love God. Our mission is to raise children with searching hearts who continue to grow spiritually for the rest of their lives. Our mission is to raise children who possess a heroic fidelity to the truth, so they cannot help but share that message with others." This is a monumental task, but it's the only real task that supersedes everything else a parent does.

Guide offers valuable information

 Investing is a very human behavior. We invest time in a hobby with the hope of being paid back with enjoyment. We invest in an education with the hope that we will benefit from what we learn. We invest money in a bank account or in the stock of a publicly traded company with the hope that we will be rewarded monetarily.

There are, thus, many ways to invest our assets. In "Faithful Investing," an interdenominational writing team of financial leaders representing many Christian churches presents an argument and steps for successfully investing church assets in such a way that they not only create a financial gain on one's investment but also a moral and ethical gain as well.