Posted December 24, 2015 in Reading, Review / 0 Comments
Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives by
Pope Benedict XVI Series: Jesus of Nazareth Publisher: Image (2012)
Hardcover (127 pages)
Rating: Reading Challenges: 2015 Alphabet Soup,
2015 What's In A Name?,
Read 2015 Synopsis
New York Times Bestseller! The momentous third and final volume in the Pope’s international bestselling Jesus of Nazareth series, detailing how the stories of Jesus’ infancy and childhood are as relevant today as they were two thousand years ago.
In 2007, Joseph Ratzinger published his first book as Pope Benedict XVI in order “to make known the figure and message of Jesus.” Now, the Pope focuses exclusively on the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ life as a child. The root of these stories is the experience of hope found in the birth of Jesus and the affirmations of surrender and service embodied in his parents, Joseph and Mary. This is a story of longing and seeking, as demonstrated by the Magi searching for the redemption offered by the birth of a new king. It is a story of sacrifice and trusting completely in the wisdom of God as seen in the faith of Simeon, the just and devout man of Jerusalem, when he is in the presence of the Christ child. Ultimately, Jesus’ life and message is a story for today, one that speaks to the restlessness of the human heart searching for the sole truth which alone leads to profound joy.
Find the book: Goodreads, Amazon, Book Depository
Read More
Tagged as 5 star, Advent, Alphabet Soup Reading Challenge, Catholic, Catholic Book, Christmas, Jesus, Mary, Pope Benedict XVI, Read 2015, Saints, What's In a Name Reading Challenge, You Read How Many Books Challenge
Posted December 23, 2015 in Faith, Reading, Review / 0 Comments
City of Saints by
George Weigel Publisher: Image (2015)
Paperback (336 pages)
Via: Blogging for Books Rating: Synopsis
“Karol Wojtyła, Pope John Paul II, was a man whose life was the expression of a richly textured and multidimensional soul. The many layers of that soul took on their first, mature form in Kraków.” – George Weigel
In this beautifully illustrated spiritual travelogue, New York Times bestselling author George Weigel leads readers through the historic streets of Kraków, Poland, introducing one of the world’s great cities through the life of one of the most influential Catholic leaders of all time.
“To follow Karol Wojtyła through Kraków is to follow an itinerary of sanctity while learning the story of a city.” Weigel writes. “Thus, in what follows, the story of Karol Wojtyła, St. John Paul II, and the story of Kraków are interwoven in a chronological pilgrimage through the life of a saint that reveals, at the same time, the dramatic history and majestic culture of a city where a boy grew into a man, priest, a bishop—and an apostle to the world.”
With stunning photographs by Stephen Weigel and notes on the city’s remarkable fabric by Carrie Gress, City of Saints offers an in-depth look at a man and a city that made an indelible impression on the life and thought of the Catholic Church and the 21st century world.
Find the book: Goodreads, Amazon
Read More
Tagged as 5 star, All Time Favorites, Blogging for Books, Catholic, Catholic Book, Pope Saint John Paul II, Read 2015, World Youth Day, You Read How Many Books Challenge
Posted December 21, 2015 in Reading, Review / 0 Comments
Winter by
Marissa Meyer Series: The Lunar Chronicles #4 Publisher: Feiwel and Friends (2015)
Hardcover (824 pages)
Rating: Also by this author: Cinder,
Scarlet,
Cress Also in this series: Cinder,
Scarlet,
Cress Reading Challenges: 2015 Fairytale Retelling,
2015 Finishing the Series,
Read 2015 Synopsis
Princess Winter is admired by the Lunar people for her grace and kindness, and despite the scars that mar her face, her beauty is said to be even more breathtaking than that of her stepmother, Queen Levana.
Winter despises her stepmother, and knows Levana won’t approve of her feelings for her childhood friend—the handsome palace guard, Jacin. But Winter isn’t as weak as Levana believes her to be and she’s been undermining her stepmother’s wishes for years. Together with the cyborg mechanic, Cinder, and her allies, Winter might even have the power to launch a revolution and win a war that’s been raging for far too long.
Can Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter defeat Levana and find their happily ever afters?
Find the book: Goodreads, Amazon, Book Depository
Read More
Tagged as 5 star, All Time Favorites, Fairy Tales, Finishing the Series Challenge, Read 2015, You Read How Many Books Challenge
Posted December 17, 2015 in Reading, Review / 6 Comments
A Court of Thorns and Roses by
Sarah J Maas Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses #1 Publisher: Bloomsbury Children's (2015)
eBook (416 pages)
Via: Library Rating: Also by this author: Throne of Glass,
Crown of Midnight,
Heir of Fire Reading Challenges: 2015 Fairytale Retelling,
Read 2015 Synopsis
A thrilling, seductive new series from New York Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas, blending Beauty and the Beast with faerie lore.
When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin—one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.
As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she’s been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow grows over the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it… or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.
Perfect for fans of Kristin Cashore and George R. R. Martin, this first book in a sexy and action-packed new series is impossible to put down!
Find the book: Goodreads, Amazon, Book Depository
Read More
Tagged as 4 star, Fairy Tales, Fairytale Retelling Challenge, Library, Read 2015, You Read How Many Books Challenge
Posted December 16, 2015 in Reading, Review / 0 Comments
Emerald Green by
Kerstin Gier Series: Ruby Red #3 Publisher: Henry Holt and Company (2013)
Hardcover (451 pages)
Via: Library Rating: Also by this author: Dream A Little Dream,
Sapphire Blue Also in this series: Ruby Red,
Sapphire Blue Reading Challenges: 2015 Finishing the Series,
Read 2015 Synopsis
Gwen has a destiny to fulfill, but no one will tell her what it is. She’s only recently learned that she is the Ruby, the final member of the time-traveling Circle of Twelve, and since then nothing has been going right. She suspects the founder of the Circle, Count Saint-German, is up to something nefarious, but nobody will believe her. And she’s just learned that her charming time-traveling partner, Gideon, has probably been using her all along. Emerald Green is the stunning conclusion to Kerstin Gier’s Ruby Red Trilogy, picking up where Sapphire Blue left off, reaching new heights of intrigue and romance as Gwen finally uncovers the secrets of the time-traveling society and learns her fate.
Find the book: Goodreads, Amazon, Book Depository
Read More
Tagged as 5 star, Finishing the Series Challenge, Library, Read 2015, You Read How Many Books Challenge