Tag Archive for: Catholic books

Cath-Lit Live! Episode #54 – Rachel Bulman

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Whether you are preparing to be or are already a wife, you likely are immersed in the external reality of marriage. But being wife is so much more: It’s a call to holiness and a vocation of incredible significance. Becoming Wife explores what it means for a woman to fulfill this vocation. Catholic wife, mother, speaker, and author Rachel Bulman shares – like a friend over a cup of coffee – how being a wife is at once a calling and a purpose. The more a wife makes herself a gift to her husband, to her children, and to the world, the more she inevitably becomes the person God created her to be. She becomes more wife, more woman, more Christian. Thus, she fulfills her identity as a daughter of God and cultivates the soil from which her motherhood comes to fruition. By exploring the life of the Blessed Mother and the guidance of great minds in the Church, like Saint John Paul II and Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, this book unwraps the gift of becoming a wife and what it means to make a “total gift” of oneself through matrimony.

Rachel Bulman is a lover of humanity, especially her husband and six children. A national speaker and author, she also appears with her family in the show Meet the Bulmans currently airing on the Word on Fire Institute’s YouTube channel. She serves on the advisory board of The GIVEN Institute and frequently gives talks at retreats, conferences, and other gatherings. In her spare time, she enjoys reading a good book, lifting weights, and perfecting her Old Fashioned cocktail recipe.

To catch all the new episodes, follow me on YouTube here.

Cath-Lit Live! Episode #53 – Leslea Wahl

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A ten-day Caribbean cruise might sound like a fabulous way to spend the holidays, but Liz would rather be anywhere than stranded on a ship with her estranged father for his high school reunion.

While an anonymous note, an onboard mystery, and a cute boy help turn the tide on the unwanted trip, Liz and her father drift even further apart. However, when Liz’s reckless actions create a tsunami of unintended consequences, she recognizes that she’s drowning in pent-up hurt and anger. As her carefully created façade begins to ebb away, she turns to her faith and sets off to chart a new course for her life.

Leslea Wahl lives in beautiful Colorado and is the author of several award-winning teen novels. She strives to write stories that encourage teens to grow in their faith through fun adventurous mysteries. Leslea is often inspired by her family, their travels, and real-life adventures. She particularly enjoys including the furry, four-legged members of her family in her novels. Besides writing, Leslea also reviews faith-based novels on her website and is a founding member of CatholicTeenBooks.com.

To catch all the new episodes, follow me on YouTube here.

Cath-Lit Live! Episode #46 – Lisa M. Hendey

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Embark on a whimsical journey to encounter and protect the majesty of Earth. With a call to simple but impactful action, this book invites young readers to serve as caretakers for the natural world around them. With a gentle, rhyming story by bestselling author Lisa M. Hendey and artwork by award-winning Italian illustrator Giuliano Ferri, I Am Earth’s Keeper describes one child’s pre-dawn kayak ride that opens his eyes to the astonishingly beautiful world around him. Observing the rising sun, frogs, fish, birds, trees, and gentle breeze, he begins to marvel at the life all around, and to imagine how he can care for it. Inspired by St. Francis and his famous love song “Canticle of Brother Sun and Sister Moon,” this warmhearted book sparks the imagination of young readers to connect more deeply with God’s creation and develop an ever-deepening sense of commitment to living in solidarity with nature.

Lisa M. Hendey is the founder of CatholicMom.com and a bestselling author. She has journeyed around the globe to hear and share messages of hope and encouragement. Her Chime Travelers series for kids is read and studied worldwide in homes, schools, and churches. A frequent TV and radio guest, Lisa also hosts two podcasts. Lisa and Greg Hendey worship and live in Los Angeles, CA.

To catch all the new episodes, follow me on YouTube here.

Cath-Lit Live! Episode #45 – Stephanie Landsem

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In the summer of 1933, a man named Adolf Hitler is the new and powerful anti-Semitic chancellor of Germany. But in Los Angeles, no-nonsense secretary Liesl Weiss has concerns much closer to home. The Great Depression is tightening its grip, and Liesl is the sole supporter of two children, an opinionated mother, and a troubled brother.

Leon Lewis is a Jewish lawyer who has watched Adolf Hitler’s rise to power—and the increase in anti-Semitism in America—with growing alarm. He believes Nazi agents are working to seize control of Hollywood, the greatest propaganda machine the world has ever known. The trouble is, authorities scoff at his dire warnings.

When Liesl loses her job at MGM, her only choice is to work with Leon Lewis and the mysterious Agent Thirteen to spy on her friends and neighbors in her German American community. What Leon Lewis and his spies find is more chilling—and more dangerous—than any of them suspected.

Code Name Edelweiss is based on a true story.

Stephanie Landsem writes about women in history for women who love history. Stephanie has traveled on four continents and dozens of countries. When she can’t travel, she reads fiction and history and dreams of her next adventure — whether it be in person or on the pages of her novels. She makes her home in Lake Elmo, Minnesota, with her husband of 33 years, occasional adult children, two cats, a dog, and a tortoise named Moe.

To catch all the new episodes, follow me on YouTube here.

Cath-Lit Live Episode #44 – Kimberly Novak

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Adventure awaits as Bella the caterpillar discovers hidden treasures in secret places! Bella the caterpillar leads a happy and content life in her tree in the Royal Forest. However, one terrifying night, Bella is uprooted by a sudden storm, carrying her far from home. Surprises abound for Bella unexpectedly when God sends new friends on Bella’s path to inspire and motivate her hunger for transformation. Bella’s Beautiful Miracle is a story of loss, healing, the transformative power of God, and the path He lays out for each one of us.

Kimberly Novak is a child of God, wife, mother, author, and spiritual director. Her calling to minister to the spiritual needs of others was born when sudden changes developed in her personal life. Embracing the gift in those struggles allowed God to mold and transform her in ways that enable her to help those around her. Kimberly’s mission is to enhance each journey by guiding others where the light of strength is…God’s love.

To catch all the new episodes, follow me on YouTube here.

Cath-Lit Live Episode #34 guest Neena Gaynor

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A Garden for Mary is a lyrical children’s story that gets to the root of devotion to Jesus’s mother through sacred prayer and scripture. With classic watercolors of vibrant blooms, buzzing bees, and curious chipmunks, families seeking an introduction to the rich catholic tradition of Marian Gardens will find a treasured resource to enjoy and pass down from generation to generation. Complete with an illustrated appendix of flowers associated with Our Lady, A Garden for Mary will inspire readers to grow bouquets for heaven and deepen their love for our heavenly mother.

Neena Gaynor is a Kentucky wife, mother, and beekeeper. She’s spent much of her adult life living out of a suitcase with her husband, Wade, a former professional baseball player. Throughout the 30 changes of address, the stresses of moving a young family, and working many of those years as a nurse, she learned to embrace the peace that only comes from Christ. Now, Neena and her family are small farmers, raising chickens, sheep, bees, and two little boys. She is an adult ministry leader at her parish, the writer behind the Words Like Honey column, which is carried by many secular and religious publications, a frequent radio guest, and the author of the Catholic novel, The Bird and the Bees, and the newly released children’s picture book, A Garden for Mary. 

To catch all the new episodes, follow me on YouTube here.

Cath-Lit Live Episode #31 with guest Maya Sinha

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In this episode of Cath-lit Live!, I speak with Maya Sinha, author of the new novel, The City Mother from Chrism Press.

Fresh out of college, small-town crime reporter Cara Nielsen sees disturbing things that suggest, for the first time in her life, that evil is real. But as the daughter of two secular academics, she pushes that notion aside. When her smart, ambitious boyfriend asks her to marry him and move to a faraway city, it’s a dream come true.

Maya Sinha grew up in New Mexico and wrote for the Santa Fe Reporter before attending law school. As a lawyer, she wrote a humor column for the local newspaper. In 2019, she became a columnist for The Saturday Evening Post. Her work has appeared in The Lamp Magazine, Dappled Things, Book & Film Globe, and many other publications. The City Mother is her first novel. She lives in Northern California with her family.

To catch all the new episodes, follow me on YouTube here.

My next book!

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Hello, old friends! It’s been over a year since my last blog post. Please forgive my neglect, but I’ve been hard at work on my doctoral program while trying to keep up with the demands of my teaching job–and working on a new book project!

In case you haven’t heard on social media yet (I talk about everything on Instagram, you know), I recently signed a book contract with Ave Maria Press! I started work on the idea for this book nearly two years ago during spring break 2018. I had the idea then for a book about what teachers could learn by studying how Jesus taught. I worked on the original outline for that book while on a silent retreat during spring break. When I returned home, teaching and my doctoral program got all my attention again, and the book idea was set aside until the summer.

Over the next year and half, I hacked away at revising my original idea in between semesters and summer school sessions, and with help from editor Jaymie Stuart Wolfe from Ave Maria Press. And now I can announce that I have signed an official book contract with them, and the book should be out during the first half of 2021.

While I have a good headstart on writing the book due to the detailed outline, I won’t really be able to finish the manuscript until this summer since I still have that pesky dissertation to finish first.

Signing the contract with my dad as my witness.
Ignore all his Christmas decoration boxes in the background.
We’re just keeping it real, y’all!

In the meantime, I can tell you that the book will focus on combating teacher burnout through Scripture reflections (something I could use right now in the midst of the dreary month of February), and I’ll be dedicating my book to my dad since he has always supported my teaching career.

Stay tuned for more news! (And keep the prayers coming for my dissertation. This has been the longest haul of my life, and I’m actually finishing a lot faster than many other full-time teachers do.)

Books That Feature Catholic Schools

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In honor of Catholic Schools Week, I thought I’d put together a list of novels that feature students in Catholic schools. Sadly, I was having trouble coming up with much of a list on my own, so I took to Facebook and Twitter to pick the brains of people smarter (and more well read?) than I am. Here’s what I found, broken down by the intended audience.

16 Books that feature Catholic schools

Ages 7-10

The Chime Travelers Series by Lisa M. Hendey

Books that feature Catholic schools!

I’ve had the pleasure of reading two books in this fun series. In these tales, Katie and Patrick (who attend a Catholic school) travel back in time when the church bell chimes. Each journey brings them to a place and time in history when they get to meet a saint or at least a saint-in-the-making! My review of The Sign of the Cross can be found here.

Ages 8-12

Rosa, Sola by Carmela Martino

Monday Book Review: Rosa, Sola by Carmela Martino

This is a beautiful tale about a girl who prays the rosary every night so that God will send her a little brother. Rosa attends a Catholic school in Chicago in the 1960s and is the daughter of Italian immigrants. If you missed it earlier this year, click here for my full review.

Pictures of Me by Marilee Haynes

pictures-of-me

Eleven-year-old Annie must complete a self-portrait and present it to the class at the end of the year. However, like my main character Kam (see Seven Riddles to Nowhere below), she has a little problem with public speaking. I haven’t read this one yet, but I hope to do so before the year ends!

A.K.A. Genius and Genius Under Construction by Marilee Haynes

Books that feature Catholic schools

I haven’t read these two books either, but they are definitely on my TBR list! Like the main character in my own book (see next book), the protagonist in this story attends a school named after St. Jude! I’m thinking Marilee Haynes and I must be kindred spirits since our books appear to have some similar ideas!

Ages 10-13

Seven Riddles to Nowhere by A.J. Cattapan (hey, that’s me!)

7 Riddles 3d

I spent ten years teaching in Catholic schools. Sadly, one of those schools closed after my fourth year there. Its closing haunted me for years until finally I had to do something about it–and all I could think of was to write a book about a boy trying to save his Catholic school from closing. The result was Seven Riddles to Nowhere. I couldn’t just make it about a boy trying to save his school, though. I had to make it a fun book–one with quirky characters and fun riddles to solve and a scavenger hunt through the city I call home–Chicago!

Seven Riddles to Nowhere has won a Catholic Press Association Book Award and the Catholic Writers Guild Seal of Approval. You can learn more about it and download a free discussion guide here.

Ages 13 and up

John Paul II High School Series by Christian M. Frank

jp-ii-high-books

I’m going to have to admit I haven’t read any of these either (my TBR list is really long), but it’s clear they take place at a Catholic high school. If I understand correctly, Christian M. Frank is really just a pseudonym for a team of writers who work on this series.

Ages 16 and up

 Jennifer the Damned by Karen Ullo

jennifer-the-damned

This one I haven’t read either–and it’s definitely off the beaten path when you think of Catholic school books. However, the author assures me that it takes place in a Catholic school. If I understand correctly, this is the story of an orphan vampire who is raised by nuns who run a Catholic school. So have fun with that!

Coming soon . . .

Some of the authors in our Books for Catholic Teens Facebook group have books coming out this year that will include Catholic schools, so make sure you join our group here to learn more about them and other books for Catholic teens.

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Monday Book Review: The Perfect Blindside by Leslea Wahl

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Leslea Wahl is one of my fellow Catholic Writers Guild members, and I was thrilled when I won a copy of her award-winning YA novel The Perfect Blindside in a recent giveaway. Since the grad school spring semester has now winded down, I was able to delve into this book–and once I did, I was hooked. Leslea’s got a very engaging story here!

The Perfect BlindsideTitle: The Perfect Blindside

Author: Leslea Wahl

Genre: contemporary fiction

Age group: YA

Synopsis: Jake Taylor surprises everyone when he wins a silver medal in snowboarding at the Winter Olympics, but his parents aren’t thrilled at the sudden rush of attention their son is getting. Seeking a more normal high school experience for their son, Jake’s parents whisk him off to a small town in the mountains of Colorado–not too far from snowboarding training ground, but far enough away from the paparazzi.  Most of the people in town are thrilled to have an Olympic silver medalist move in, but not honors student Sophie Metcalf. She’s got a theory about cute guys like Jake: they can’t be trusted because their good looks make it too easy for them to get what they want. But when trouble starts brewing in their small town in the form of slashed tires, rumored ghosts in old coal mines, and false accusations, the egotistical snowboarder and the judgmental honors student may just need to team up to uncover what’s really going on in this not-so-sleepy little town.

Leslea Wahl does an amazing job of making her characters realistic while still infusing faith into her story. I love the way she has Sophie pray throughout the book. Her prayers aren’t overly pious long epistles; they are quick, in-the-moment, down-to-earth (“Seriously, Jesus, help me shut my trap”) kind of prayers. Basically, the way I pray! 🙂

The pitfall in a lot of Christian fiction is to make the characters either holier-than-thou saints or really, really terrible sinners who suddenly do a 180. I enjoyed how Leslea gives her characters realistic flaws (you’d expect a boy who’d just won an Olympic silver medal to be a bit egotistical) and then let’s them have some character development without swinging the pendulum between sinner and saint too far or too fast.

Not only are the characters enjoyable, but the story line is very engaging as well. I’ll admit I kind of guessed what was going on fairly early in the story, but I think teens and their parents will still find this story to be a fun, fast read.

You can find The Perfect Blindside for purchase here.

You can learn more about Leslea Wahl and her writing in the following places:

Website: http://lesleawahl.com/

Blog: http://lesleawahl.com/blog/

Facebook AuthorPage: https://www.facebook.com/LesleaWahlbooks/

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/author/show/14178590.Leslea_Wahl

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LesleaWahl

Instagram: Leslea_Wahl

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/lesleawahl/

I’m linking this post up with the Open Book linky hosted by author Carolyn Astfalk and CatholicMom.com. Click on either link to see what others are reading this month!

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