Category: Recommended Reading

Lent-o-rama: Slubgrip; Sardines

1. Slubgrip.

You may have been wondering:  What could cause a person who doesn’t post ads on her blog, to suddenly post an ad on her blog?

And you would not have been far off, if you thought, “She just wanted that cool-loookin’ gargoyle image.”  Except that she hadn’t seen the gargoyle image until after she wrote to Fr. L saying she’d be happy to post his ad.

Very puzzling, isn’t it?  The solution to the mystery is this: The Gargoyle Code is a really good book.  And your hostess likes to promote really good books, because, well, the more good books people buy, the more good books publishers will print, and thus the more good books your hostess will find crowding the shelves of her favorite local Catholic bookstore.

Blatant self-interest.  And now, in a fabulous wish come true, Father Longenecker has written yet more gargoyle-y fiction goodness.  You can read this week’s episode here. And then you will know why you should buy his book.  Which you can do by clicking the ad in the sidebar, or by visiting your favorite local catholic bookstore.

 

2. Sardines.

This is not usually a food blog, which is strange given how much I like the stuff.  But as many of my readers eat, and a few of them cook, why shouldn’t we go off topic now and again?

Now is the time for my older sister and all other people who don’t like seafood to depart by clicking on one of the fine links in the sidebar.  Many of them contain no horrid accounts of eating things that used to swim.

Anyway, here’s the story:  SuperHusband points out to me, a person who eats tuna straight from the can, that anchovies and sardines are superior in every way.   Insert list: health, environment, mercury . . . you begin to get the picture of the moral superiority that can be had by purchasing the flat rectangular tin instead slightly taller round tin.

How could I resist such an opportunity?  I cannot be upstaged in the food-virtue department by my own spouse, can I?

So I go buy the stuff on the next grocery trip, and stick it in the cupboard where the tuna used to sit.

And then a couple weeks later, I get really really hungry, on a Friday when my normal non-lenten penance of staying off the internet has once again spectacularly failed and not eating meat seems much simpler, and we are all about light penances here, and in a fit of braveness I open the anchovies.

Here is the part where you laugh.  Because, you who know anything about anchovies (as your hostess did not), knows that one does not eat them straight from the tin as one might do with tuna.

So now I have this open tin of anchovies, moral superiority on the line, and no, I can’t just give them to the cat.  She is a small cat.  And the dog will just get indigestion.  And anyway, giving the pets expensive human food is no way to one-up the spouse.

But here’s what I discovered: You can cook with the stuff. And it’s good!  Convenient!  Useful!  Tasty!

Now all the readers who already know how to cook with sardines and anchovies may quit laughing at me and click on a link in the sidebar.

Also, all readers who can boil pasta and have three Joy of Cooking recipes you can make, but you don’t really know how to cook yet, because let’s admit it, “winging it” in the kitchen is a skill one builds over time, you should just maybe consider the sidebar too.  Because the potential for disaster and ridicule is quite high any time a can of tiny, strongly-flavored fish is involved.

*******

Now, to the empty internet, here’s what I figured out:

VERY IMPORTANT:  Purchase the sardines or the anchovies “in oil”. Not the one in mustard sauce or something.  Just oil.  Fish in oil.  That’s all you want.  Two ingredients. (Plus salt or whatever.  But no delightful surplus condiment flavors.)

Now you’ve got the proper tin in hand.  You know the part of the recipe at the very beginning, where you put oil in the bottom of the pan and saute your garlic or onions or ginger or whatever it is that needs to be sauteed first of all?

Instead of the butter or oil, just dump the whole tin of fish right into the bottom of the pan. Use that as your cooking oil for that sauteing step.  The fish will naturally get diced/shredded in the process of sauteeing your vegetables.  Then proceed with the recipe as normal.

MORE VERY IMPORTANT:  If you don’t like how fish tastes, don’t cook with fish.  This is not one of those “how to sneak seafood into the recipe” tricks.  This method gives the recipe a light seafood-taste, akin to say a crab recipe, or adding fish sauce to your curry.  Depth, complexity, and all the moral superiority for which you had hoped, but in a seafood-y way.

What it’s good for:

  • Recipes that call for ‘fish sauce’.  Think of certain thai recipes, curries, etc.
  • Soups that either already seafood-y, or that would like to be converted.  With the caveat that say your spouse really loves oyster stew, that does not mean he loves anchovy-oyster stew.  Don’t over-complicate recipes that want to be simple.  Use bacon drippings for the oyster stew, your spouse will thank you.
  • Pasta sauce!  Red sauce if you like, but this makes a great base for a vegetable-parmesan sauce, and maybe use up the last little bit of the cream leftover from the vichyssoise.

If you use anchovies, plan around the saltiness. You will not need to add the usual amount of salt or soy sauce to your recipe. Also, this is a good time to balance the intensity of the anchovies with something sweet and something sour (lime, vinegar, etc.)  Sardines are milder, so you season more or less like you would have if you’d just made the recipe the normal way.

Happy Lent.  Does it count as a penitential if you are looking forward to the new recipes?

 

Dear Lent-a-Claus,

UPDATE: Christian LeBlanc adds his list in the combox – classic catholic novels version.  More additions welcome.

*************************************

Actually I’m not planning to ask Lent-a-Claus for any books this year.  I already own copies of the two I should be reading, and I’ve got a backlog of other good stuff sitting around.  But if you need ideas, here are my three top picks from what I’ve read in the Good Catholic Books department lately.

All three are good enough I personally may do a re-read for lent.  Not many books qualify for that.  And all three are entirely suitable for normal people. How often does that happen?  So sit up and take notice:

The Gargoyle Code by Fr. Dwight Longenecker.  See the shiny ad in the sidebar?  You can get one, too.  I already own a copy, so unlike my usual will-work-for-books ethic around here, I actually volunteered to post the ad purely because it is a good book. (And no, I don’t belong to Fr. L’s parish either, so I’m not sucking up.  It’s just a good book. Did I mention it’s a good book?)  If you liked the Screwtape Letters, this is a very enjoyable catholic counterpart.  Highly readable and edifying.  It will be serious Lenten mortification to make yourself read just one entry a day, rather than staying up to finish the book in a single sitting.

Who is Jesus Christ? by Eric Sammons.  Here is the link to my review, in case you missed the part about how You Should Definitely Buy This Book.  Impeccably written, meaty, and it will push you in your faith.  After reading my copy (courtesy of the Catholic Company), I visited my local Catholic Bookstore to purchase a second copy to use as a loaner.  The owner told me, “No, we don’t have it in stock.  Should we?”  Yes, I told her.  I lent her my copy.  She read it, and that is how it became the store’s next Book Club book.    So yes, it’s that good.

Why Enough is Never Enough by Gregory S. Jeffrey.   It’s the book I keep reviewing without ever reviewing.   The topic is money, and if you struggle with trusting God about how to manage your money, this is your answer.  There are other (worthwhile) books on the topic of getting out of debt and keeping a budget.  This is not that book.  This is about the deeper picture — developing a proper relationship with money, and learning to use the amount you have in a way that helps you grow in happiness and holiness.   Unqualified buy recommend.

***

I’ll post more recommendations if any particularly suitable additions come to my attention.  Meanwhile, if your book made the top three and you didn’t already send me a sidebar linky-picture-widget, feel free to do so.  It doesn’t seem fair that my readers should only be made to read book reviews.  They should also have to look at pictures.

Book Review: Disorientation

Disorientation, John Zmirak, ed.  (Ascension Press, 2010)

The first universities were schools of theology.  Eight hundred years later, they still are — it is only the the theology that  has changed. At my State U (circa 1990), our catechism was the New York Times. In English 102, I learned how the Bible was one of many ancient works of literature testifying to the truths of modern liberal morality. In philosophy I learned that free will does not exist – our every action is predetermined at the molecular level. In geology I learned that population control was the solution to all the earth’s problems. (How I was supposed to do anything about it, what with my molecules telling me to have so many children, no one ever explained. But no doubt the Invisible Hand would guide me, per Saint A. Smith.)

It was a hodge-podge of errors, spread all over the ideological map.   No wonder, what with the fundamental moral dictate being Nobody Really Knows, But We’re Sure It Isn’t All That Old Fashioned Stuff.

Meanwhile, I had finished high school as my parish’s “Catholic Student of the Year”, armed with a faith as enthusiastic as it was flimsy. I was not at all prepared for the collegiate onslaught that was coming. No surprise that by the time I earned my BA I had long since left the Church.

What I had hoped, therefore, when I first picked out Disorientation for my Tiber River review book, was that it would be something more like Amy Welborn’s Prove It! books. I wanted to be able to hand my eighteen-year-old niece a readable collection of explanations about how to wade through the intellectual mire. Something gently persuasive – she might not be all that strong in her faith, so she might need to be convinced herself.

And I know I’m demanding, but there is something else I wanted: I was looking for a book that would be comfortable even to the non-catholic. A catholic book, sure, but dealing with wide principles, more the realm of natural law than of doctrine. Nearly all the topics in the book, after all, are of interest to readers of any faith, not just Catholics or even just Christians.

Unfortunately, this is not that book. So I was disappointed there. [Let this be my plea: Dear Catholic Publishers, Please issue a companion volume that is my dream book. Thank you. Jennifer.] But that doesn’t make it a bad book, just a different book. And I think some of my readers, and many fans of the famous bloggers who co-authored Disorientation, are going to really like this one.

Here’s the low-down to help you decide if this book is a good fit for you:

The essays assume you are already on board with the book’s theses. For the most part, there is very little effort to win over the doubtful – this is much more in the preaching-to-the-converted category. There are acknowledgments of the grains of truth to be found in each of the errors discussed, but mostly the essays are offering ammunition for your next debate. Invigorating reading, and a lovely antidote if you’ve accidentally read too much National Geographic lately. But not something you can hand to your on-the-fence, mildly-catholic friend, unless you’re trying to start a fight. Er, enlightened discussion.

The authors speak for themselves. If you like what Elizabeth Scalia has to say about relativism, you’re going to like her essay. If you like Father Z’s take on modernism, you’ll be a happy camper. But just because, say, you’re a total Mark Shea or Jimmy Akin groupie, does not mean that Father Z’s essay is going to fall in line with how one of those two would have handled Father Z’s assigned subject, or vice versa. And let me tell you in advance: the essay on feminism is going to raise a few hackles. Just will. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

[Note to Tiber River readers on my orthodoxy rating: I didn’t find anything in the book that was contrary to the Catholic faith. But you could be a solid catholic and disagree with some of the opinions presented.]

Keep in mind these are essays. Sounds obvious, I know. But you know how when you a read a blog – even one you really like – there are usually certain types of posts you skip? If you happen to usually skip the long, rousing essays written by your otherwise favorite author, well, here’s a collection of what you were skipping. On the other hand, if you always gloss over the pet-blogging waiting for the big guns, here they are.

The Verdict: A bunch of your are going to really like this book. It’s a compendium of superstar catholic bloggers at their most curmudgeonly, laying into all the weird modern ideologies devoted fans love to hate. Strong appeal potential for anyone who loves a great debating society.

2 Quick Book Recommendations

I wanted to quick post these, because they would make great gifts.   Both available from your favorite local Catholic Book & Gift Store:

Everyday Catholic Prayer by Angela Tilby (Paraclete Press 2006, originally published 1998.) This was our DRE’s gift to the catechists this Advent.  Lovely little book.  Opening chapters are very encouraging for those of us who struggle with our faith — the author lays bare her own struggles with belief, and invites us to grow closer to God even when we don’t feel good enough.   Even when we don’t really understand how it can work.

Middle section is a ‘little office’ – a small set of prayers you can make into a 5-minute variation on the divine office.  Psalms, canticles, gospel meditations, close with an Our Father.   Nothing weird. 100% solid prayer power.  This would make a great daily prayer regime if you are looking for one; designed for people whose vocations do not leave long expanses of time for liturgical prayer.

Final section is a compendium of other stalwart prayers — all the big ones — so you can build up your daily prayer routine, or you can grab a needed prayer when the occasion merits.  No groovy namby-pamby.  Think: Te Deum, Anima Christi, and the like.

This is a small book — made for carrying around and using when you can.  Would be handy for catechists, by the way, because you can easily access all kinds of good stuff for use in class.  (Go figure: Gift from the DRE.  She knows we’re busy, knows we need to pray, and knows we need ideas for class.  Have I mentioned how much I love my DRE?)

And although it is called Everyday Catholic Prayer, it would be comfortable for protestants.  There are exactly two Marian prayers, both quite mild, plus a mention of the Rosary.  Otherwise all the rest is protestant-friendly, per the mission of Paraclete Press.  So handy for ecumenical  purposes, where you want something more formal-liturgy-like, but that sits firmly on common ground.  Everyone can feel all ancient and happy praying St.Patrick’s Breastplate or Psalm 67 or whatever suits, and no guests need squirm.

Great little book.  Sized for a stocking.  Would be a decent confirmation or older-godchild gift.

***

2nd Book, and I’m out of blogging time but wanted to toss it out there, is my latest Catholic Company review book:  Why Enough is Never Enough: Overcoming Worries about Money – A Catholic Perspective by Gregory S. Jeffery (Our Sunday Visitor, 2010).

Awesome book.

It is not about managing your money.  It is about managing your soul.  The focus is money-topics — greed, generosity, trusting God, fighting envy, rooting out sin, etc. etc.  If you struggle with money issues, this will not teach you how to budget or pay off your credit cards.  It will teach you to deal with some of the underlying causes that may be feeding your financial problems.

–> If you actually find the money thing not so difficult, this book is a great spiritual guide for seeing your way through other besetting sins.  You’ll understand what he’s saying re: money (because you understand money), and realize that hey, there are other areas of my life that I do struggle with, that stem from the same types of problems — generosity, trust, envy, selfishness.

Good stuff.  Official review coming after I work through the backlog elsewhere.  But I give it a ‘buy’ recommend.   Maybe not as a gift to someone else, because what kind of message does that send.  But to yourself.  Yes.  Very Advent-y.

Book Review: Prove It! God by Amy Welborn

Prove It! God, Revised Edition

by Amy Welborn

Our Sunday Visitor Publishing, 2010

You are not the only person in the history of the world who has wondered about God.

Quick Version: Yes, you should buy this book.  Mighty good, mighty useful, fun, readable.  And short, and easy to find what you want when you want it.  Plus a good recommended reading list at the end.

***

What it is: The Prove It books are an apologetics series for teenagers – think high school student. Prove It! God answers the question “What do I say when my friends tell me they don’t believe in God?”

Kids have often wondered out loud to me why it is that the most challenging religious reflection expected of a sixteen-year-old who can drive, hold a job, design a web page, balance chemical equations, and study Hamlet is constructing a collage about “The Beatitudes in Today’s World.” They’ve wondered why their other texts are so big and solid, while their religion books tend to be flimsy things filled with the reflection question and lots of pictures of birds, meadows, and rainbows. They can’t help but compare and can’t help but wonder what’s being communicated to them about how seriously they’re supposed to take religion after all.

The book covers the gamut — starting with does it even matter what we believe, through all the common objections to God’s existence, and finishing up by making a case for Jesus and the importance of a personal relationship with Him. The tone is conversational, and the examples relate to teen life, but the contents are rock solid.  No flimsy cop-out stuff.

Each chapter looks at a single topic, and gives a realistic apologetics pep talk designed to prepare students for real-life conversations. As Welborn goes through the classic arguments for the existence of God, she points out the limitations of each argument; there’s a very strong emphasis on clear, logical thinking. And although she doesn’t mince words, the tone is never that snarky triumphalism that so easily infects certain apologists. Very down-to-earth and understanding.

Who would benefit: The obvious audience is teens whose friends are asking about God. The book is also written for readers who may have doubts of their own.  You don’t need to be 100% sure about all things theological before you start reading.

Two caveats:

1)  There were a couple places where I thought the book moved a little too quickly. It’s a short, fast-paced book;  a young reader may want some help fleshing out the principles presented. That’s not all bad – if you know a teen who is reading the book, you can read it together and discuss. If you are the teen, you can force some adult you know to turn on the ol’ brain and do something useful.

2)  I’m not sure the chapter on suffering (problem: why do innocent people suffer?) is quite as strong as I’d like. It is good, but I’d like to see something more. I suppose we all would. This book probably won’t hold up as the sole source for someone struggling with that particular question. Still a great chapter though – honest, compassionate, and hitting some really big nails on heads. Or hands, as it were.

Alive.  Jesus, God-made-victim of sin and death, alive. They could not hold Him, they could not win.

Do you see?

Christianity isn’t about rules, no matter what your friend wants to think. It’s not about nice teachings from a nice man. It’s about God coming into this world to re-create His creation, to twist it all back around to its rightful place, turn the world’s expectations upside-down, and give us another chance.

There are also some categories of adults that would really benefit from this book:

  • Parents of teenagers. Because it’s such a good insight into the theological world in which your child lives.
  • Catechists. If you are teaching teens, this book could be helpful for figuring out how to handle questions in class or lead discussions. If you are teaching younger students, here are some ideas for principles you can incorporate into your class now, so that they aren’t brand spanking new when your students get older. The more you know, the more it will just ooze out in the unlikeliest places. Even little kids think about this stuff.
  • Junior Apologists. That is, those of us jumping into the fray for the first time, regardless of our age. This is a great starting point (and there are reading lists to point you to the next stop) if you are trying to figure out how to defend your faith.
  • Senior Apologists. See “snarky triumphalism” above. Amy Welborn lays out the basics of how to talk about God and still have friends.   Useful skill.

As I stated before, I don’t think any of your friends who claims to be an atheist is a hard-core unbeliever. Why? Because I’ve no doubt he does, in his heart, assume the existence of meaning and purpose in life, as well as broad absolute moral standards.

How cool would it be if you could help him see the short but necessary path from what he already believes to the joy and peace of a relationship with the living god of love and life?

Can you think of a greater gift that friend could ever offer?

Is it Protestant-friendly? Absolutely. It’s a catholic book, but the contents are suitable for any christian.  I can’t promise there isn’t a single unique-to-catholics sentence anywhere in there, but none come to mind. Might make a nice discussion tool for that awkward silence when you aren’t sure what you have in common with your catholic (protestant) friend. The answer is: All this. Lots of room at that lunch table.

Good book.  Highly recommended.

***

A couple of FYI’s:

  • For those who missed the previews, I received this book as part of The Catholic Company’s blogger reviewer program. Perhaps you were wondering why I seem to have this steady flow of really good books passing through my hands.  That’s how.
  • The link at the top is to the most current version The Catholic Company has in stock.  So at this writing (December 1st 2010), there are still a few copies of the original edition on the shelves.  As soon as those are sold, they’ll be replaced with the new revised edition, at the same link.

PS: I bet they want me to tell you the Catholic Company is a great place to get baptism and first communion gifts.  It has come to my attention that there are people who buy gifts *other* than books.  Curiously, my children really like those people.  Go figure.  So if you are one of them, not only are you no doubt more popular than me, you can also find what you need at fine catholic book & gift stores such as our sponsor.  Yay.

And another book in the mail. Happy happy.

Yay.  I just finished Prove It!: God this morning.  Verdict: I give it a ‘buy’ recommend for an awful lot of audiences, including quite a few people firmly in the former teenager category.  Super book.  Yay OSV for putting out a revised edition.   Official review coming soonish.

And now this evening, in a sign that the USPS really does love me, my new book from Tiber River arrived:

I told you I was trying to stack the deck in my favor.

 

Happiness is a new book in the mail

Latest Catholic Company book arrived – Amy Welborn’s Prove It!: God.

I have this bad habit of getting people books as gifts, but acquiring them early enough that I have time to read the book myself.  Been doing it all my life.  In this case, though, I’m required to do so, since I have to write a review before I ship my copy (or one just like it) out west to my neice*.

Here’s what happened:

1) My niece asked me to be her confirmation sponsor.

2) Her parish has this really great interview form for a mandatory conversation between student & sponsor.  I’ll post the questions soon.  We had a great conversation.  (Hint: I am pretty much rolling in awesome young kinspeople.)

3) She explains that many of her friends don’t believe in God.  It frustrates her because she can’t explain to them why she believes.

4) I think about the Amy Welborn books that I’ve seen at my local catholic bookstore, but the quickest thing is to send her to Catholic Answers.

5) I get invited to a friend’s house for supper.  My friend has to take a phone call.  I pick through her library, and find Prove It: God.  I read a few pages.  I kick myself for not choosing this as my Catholic Company review book when I first saw it on the list.

6) My Eric Sammons book review gets approved, and the Amy book is still up for grabs.  Meanwhile, there is another guaranteed-win book on the CC list, that my other niece needs.  Serious conflict now — which book to choose?  But hey, I look over to Tiber River, and the other must-read book is there.  (I’ll post that title once it shows up at the house.  ‘Tis in transit as I type.)

7) So I pick the Amy book for my next CC review.  Shows up today.  Yay!

Safe money says it will be read by end of day Saturday at the latest.  What with the lousy luck on library books, I have a surplus of reading time.

 

*No surprises were ruined in the making of this blog post.  I am very predictable in my gift choices.  Less predictable in my ability to use a post office. That’s the real surprise: not what, but when?

 

Cover art courtesy of OSV.

Review – Tony Wolf Advent Calendar – Very Nice

I got one of these “Tony Wolf Advent Calendars” from my local catholic bookstore (not on the website – call and ask if they still have them in stock),  though I see you can find them at any number of major retailers.

What it is: A sturdy tri-fold 24-day reusable Advent calendar.  Opens up kind of like a science fair display, so you can set it on your mantle or sideboard or wherever.  I don’t see a place to hang it on a wall, but it does seal closed with velcro, so you can just put it away after supper and pull it out off the bookshelve the next night (closed dimensions are 14″x13″).

The outside front cover images are of the nativity, and the inside covers are cheerful winter scenes.  For each day of the countdown (December 1-24), there is a tiny board book.  It either contains a bible story, a prayer, or a christmas carol.  Each 1 inch book is designed to be hung on your tree after you read it.  Note this is an authentically catholic Advent calendar, and includes 2 Marian prayers in the set.  (So I’m not sure how that’s going to fly with the spouse.  Maybe we’ll eat out that night.)  The other 22 days are completely protestant-friendly.

The books hit many of the highlights of salvation history, from the creation of the world through the nativity.  Includes David & Goliath, Noah, Jacob & Esau, Moses, all that good stuff.  The carols are “Away in a Manger”, “Oh Come All Ye Faithful” and “We Three Kings”.

Why I like it: First of all, my kids are gonna love it.  The whole thing of 24 miniature books to play school with, all that.   And no candy to fight over.  Then I like the reusable thing, and it folds down compactly, so not much to store from year to year.   (Yes it costs more up front than a cheapo calendar.  But long-term I think you end out ahead.)  As a catechist/christian mom, I like that my kids are getting a refresher of the outline of scripture.  Good stuff.

But the big benefit is An End to the Advent Tree Debate.

First let’s clarify:  There is no way I could ever be organized enough to have a Jesse Tree.  And meanwhile my beloved SuperHusband is desperate, just desperate, to pull the pretend Christmas Tree out the attic as soon as Thanksgiving rolls around.  So now we have a solution.  The tree can come down, and starting December 1 we can add one truly Advent-y decoration to the tree per day.  And then put the Christmas decorations on Christmas Eve.

See?  Marital problems solved by the wonders of modern merchandise.

***

[Technical Notes: Yes, it is printed in China.  The irony does not escape me.  Also has an imprimatur and a nihil obstat (from NY, not China).  Note on the back says “not recommended for use by children under 3 years of age”, with which I would agree, given that at least two of my toddlers liked to eat board books.   The text is more for older children, and the board-book quality is really there so that the things last from year to year.  I strongly recommend hanging these up high on the tree, and making holiday-card ornaments for the lower half of your Advent-tree.]

7 Reasons You Should Buy “Who is Jesus Christ?” by Eric Sammons

Who Is Jesus Christ? Unlocking the Mystery in the Gospel of Matthew

By Eric Sammons (Our Sunday Visitor, 2010)

This is a top notch, can’t-go-wrong book .   I had a hard time writing a review because everything I had to say sounded so trite and trivial and fluffy, and this book is none of those.  I finally just decided to gush away in a nice neat top-7 list (no biblical allusions intended).  So here you go:

Jen’s Top 7 Reasons You Should Buy This Book

1. It is interesting! When I picked this book for my Catholic Company book review item, I thought it would be boring-but-good-for-you. I was so wrong. Not boring. Not at all. The book is packed with interesting perspectives on Jesus – how he was seen by his contemporaries, how Jesus fits into the Old Testament prophecies of a messiah, and how the Gospel impacts our lives today. Loaded with details, and never slow and belaboring. (But I was right about the good-for-you.)

2. It is not hard to read. Chapters are short, and within a chapter, ideas flow steadily from one to the next. I found I could pick up and put down at will, as long as I could get about three or four paragraphs read before the next interruption. My test readers (normal people) said they had no difficulty with the reading level, but that it is full of information, so you do need to pay attention. No big technical theology words. Well-written.

3.  It is very well organized. Eric Sammons is like a tour guide for ideas. He takes you all over the place, connecting history, prophecies, new testament passages, church fathers, catholic doctrine, and personal spirituality, and at the end of the chapter you get the sense your trip took you to exactly the right places. It all fit perfectly together, and you aren’t one bit worn out.

4.  It tackles the tough topics. Suffering. Unpopular doctrines. Common apologetic attacks. All the difficulties people have with the catholic faith show up sooner or later. But this isn’t a book about “difficulties with the faith” – it’s a book about Jesus. Just like getting to know your best friend naturally uncovers many puzzling questions (“why does she act that way?” “why is he is asking this of me?”), getting to know Jesus means getting to understand why the universe is how it is.  Very encouraging and helpful for those who are struggling with the faith and want substantial, honest answers.

5.  Did I mention it’s good for you? Each chapter ends with two or three reflection questions that act like prompts for self-examination. Simple stuff you really probably already know, but every now and then you need a little kick in the rear to help you refocus. Emphasis on “the little way” of St. Therese, so very appropriate for us mere mortals.  This would make an excellent book for Advent or Lent, or for a couple or study-group to read together and then use the reflection-questions to generate discussion.

6.  This book is made for ordinary catholics. You do need to have a general knowledge of the scriptures and of the catholic faith, but of the kind you would naturally have gained just by sitting in Mass for a few years. (Preferably: paying attention. At least mostly.) If you are new to studying the faith, the book is loaded with intro’s. You’ll get a feel for the bible, meet the church fathers, and see how the catholic faith really works and why it makes sense.

7.  Smart people will not find it too “easy”. Think of it like the skilled-chef rule of eating — the more you know about cooking, the more you appreciate a well-cooked meal.  Eric Sammons isn’t afraid to delve deep and wander wide in his building of theological and historical connections, and in doing so he’s put together a book full of  solid meaty catholic-y goodness.   Yes, you may well be hungry for more when you put down this book.  But not because you ate poorly — because you ate so well.

Summary: I give it an unqualified “Buy” recommend.

PS: The cover art is really cool.

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Edited to add:

Chris Cash, long-suffering blog-herder at The Catholic Company, reminds me to remind you: Also be sure to check out their great selection of baptism gifts.

I’ll also point out that The Catholic Company is still accepting new reviewers, and they have a long list of great books to review right now.

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Full disclosure: I’ve never even met Eric Sammons. Though I think he might be a member of the Catholic Writers’ Guild, maybe. But I say that because he is from Gaithersburg, and you might think this favorable review is all a big “People from Gaithersburg” plot. Not so. Indeed my first thought on reading his bio was, “Can anything good come from Gaithersburg?” Unfair. I knew many good, sincere, devout persons (of various faiths) during my years in the metro area. I wasn’t one of them, of course. But now I know better, and I assure you I would recommend this book even if Eric were from North Potomac.