Posted November 24, 2020 in Reading, Review / 0 Comments
The Church and the Middle Ages by
Steve Weidenkopf Series: Reclaiming Catholic History Publisher: Ave Maria Press (2020 (December 25))
eARC (192 pages)
Via: NetGalley Rating: Reading Challenges: Read 2020 Synopsis
Few periods of history are more maligned and misunderstood than the Middle Ages—three-hundred years of division, shifting centers of power, and tensions both within the Church and also between the Church and the secular rulers of the time.
In an engaging and easy-to-understand style, historian and author Steve Weidenkopf highlights some of our greatest saints—Francis, Dominic, Anselm, Aquinas, and Catherine of Siena—and dispels nine commonly accepted misconceptions about the era, which was an exciting period of enduring faith, reform, cultural achievement, as well as defeat and division.
With vibrant accounts of pivotal events and inspiring stories of the people who shaped the Church during the eleventh through fourteenth centuries, Steve Weidenkopf provides a clearer picture of an era where critics used events such as the Crusades and the relocation of the papacy to France to undermine the Church. The period also provided the hallmarks of Christian civilization—universities, cathedrals, castles, and various religious orders.
Weidenkopf also chronicles the development of Christian civilization in Europe and explores the contributions of St. Bruno, St. Anthony of Padua, and St. Bridget of Sweden.
In The Church and the Middle Ages, you will learn that:
- Most Crusaders were motivated by piety and service, not greed.
- Heresy was both a church and civil issue and medieval inquisitors were focused on the eternal salvation of the accused.
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The Church preached against the mistreatment of Jews.
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Priestly celibacy was practiced long before the twelfth century.
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Serfs were never kept as slaves.
Books in the Reclaiming Catholic History series, edited by Mike Aquilina and written by leading authors and historians, bring Church history to life, debunking the myths one era at a time.
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Tagged as 5 star, Read 2020
Posted October 21, 2020 in Reading, Review / 0 Comments
The Winter of the Witch by
Katherine Arden Series: Winternight #3 Publisher: Del Rey (2019)
eBook (384 pages)
Via: Library Rating: Also by this author: The Bear and the Nightingale,
The Girl in the Tower Also in this series: The Bear and the Nightingale,
The Girl in the Tower Reading Challenges: Read 2020 Synopsis
Following their adventures in The Bear and the Nightingale and The Girl in the Tower, Vasya and Morozko return in this stunning conclusion to the bestselling Winternight Trilogy, battling enemies mortal and magical to save both Russias, the seen and the unseen.
Now Moscow has been struck by disaster. Its people are searching for answers—and for someone to blame. Vasya finds herself alone, beset on all sides. The Grand Prince is in a rage, choosing allies that will lead him on a path to war and ruin. A wicked demon returns, stronger than ever and determined to spread chaos. Caught at the center of the conflict is Vasya, who finds the fate of two worlds resting on her shoulders. Her destiny uncertain, Vasya will uncover surprising truths about herself and her history as she desperately tries to save Russia, Morozko, and the magical world she treasures. But she may not be able to save them all.
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Tagged as 5 star, Read 2020
Posted October 2, 2020 in Reading, Review / 0 Comments
It Started in Budapest by
Julie Daines Series: Romance on the Orient Express #1 Publisher: Covenant Communications (2020)
eARC (184 pages)
Via: NetGalley Rating: Reading Challenges: Read 2020 Synopsis
Molly Cooper is haunted by one simple fact: it is her fault her twin brother, Matthew, has spent his life trapped in a frail body while she has thrived. Deep in her heart, she knows he can’t hold on much longer . . .
In her desperation to save her brother, Molly finds inspiration in an unlikely source: the newly published novel Dracula. When her family embarks on the Orient Express to seek treatment for Matthew in Bulgaria, Molly is prepared to set her plan in motion: she will sneak away from her parents and journey alone to Transylvania, where she will seek a vampire, whose blood can make her brother immortal. Molly’s rash plan is going flawlessly—until she encounters Percy Hunt, a handsome American traveler running from the shadows of his own past. When he discovers Molly’s plan, Percy’s concern for the naive young woman leaves him no choice but to accompany her on her strange quest. But neither Percy nor Molly is prepared for the feelings that quickly grow between them or for the death-defying escapade that awaits.
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Tagged as 4 star, Read 2020
Posted September 23, 2020 in Reading, Review / 0 Comments
Otherwise Engaged by
Joanna Barker Publisher: Covenant Communications (2020 {October 12})
eARC (262 pages)
Via: NetGalley Rating: Reading Challenges: Read 2020 Synopsis
She’s never been afraid of breaking the rules—until she risks breaking her heart.
Constantly stifled by the rules of Society, spirited Rebecca Rowley enjoys finding ways to quietly—or not so quietly—rebel. But riding bareback and avoiding nosy neighbors are nothing compared to the thrilling secret she is keeping from her family.
When Rebecca’s quick thinking saves the life of a young girl, she unwittingly attracts the attention of the child’s dashing brother, Lieutenant Nicholas Avery. As that attention turns flirtatious, Rebecca is forced to tell him the truth: she is secretly engaged—to the one man her family would never approve of. Fortunately, Lieutenant Avery is a navy man with no wish to marry, or so they both assume as they enter into a friendship. Rebecca hopes to change her family’s mind about her betrothed, but the more she comes to know the handsome lieutenant, the more she wonders if she promised her hand too hastily.
After all her carefully laid plans are shattered during a family crisis, Rebecca must force her heart to decide. Should she stay true to the promise she made or fight for the future she’s only just begun to imagine?
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Tagged as 4 star, Read 2020
Posted September 18, 2020 in Reading, Review / 0 Comments
The Girl in the Tower by
Katherine Arden Series: Winternight #2 Publisher: Del Rey (2017)
eBook (363 pages)
Via: Library Rating: Also by this author: The Bear and the Nightingale,
The Winter of the Witch Also in this series: The Bear and the Nightingale,
The Winter of the Witch Reading Challenges: Read 2020 Synopsis
The magical adventure begun in The Bear and the Nightingale continues as brave Vasya, now a young woman, is forced to choose between marriage or life in a convent and instead flees her home—but soon finds herself called upon to help defend the city of Moscow when it comes under siege.
Orphaned and cast out as a witch by her village, Vasya’s options are few: resign herself to life in a convent, or allow her older sister to make her a match with a Moscovite prince. Both doom her to life in a tower, cut off from the vast world she longs to explore. So instead she chooses adventure, disguising herself as a boy and riding her horse into the woods. When a battle with some bandits who have been terrorizing the countryside earns her the admiration of the Grand Prince of Moscow, she must carefully guard the secret of her gender to remain in his good graces—even as she realizes his kingdom is under threat from mysterious forces only she will be able to stop.
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Tagged as 5 star, Read 2020