Posted April 25, 2016 in Reading, Review / 0 Comments
Juliet Immortal by
Stacey Jay Series: Juliet Immortal #1 Publisher: Delacorte Press (2011)
Hardcover (206 pages)
Via: Library Rating: Reading Challenges: 2016 Backlist Books,
2016 Retelling Challenge,
Read 2016 Synopsis
These violent delights have violent ends
And in their triumph die, like fire and powder,
Which as they kiss consume.
-William Shakespeare, ROMEO AND JULIET
Juliet Capulet didn't take her own life. She was murdered by the person she trusted most, her new husband, Romeo Montague, who made the sacrifice to ensure his own immortality. But Romeo didn't anticipate that Juliet would be granted eternal life as well, and would become an agent for the Ambassadors of Light.
For seven hundred years, Juliet has struggled to preserve romantic love and the lives of the innocent, while Romeo has fought for the dark side, seeking to destroy the human heart. Until now.
Now Juliet has found her own forbidden love, and Romeo, O Romeo, will do everything in his power to destroy their happiness.
Secrets unfold and surprises abound in Stacey Jay's powerfully dark romance, which reunites literature's most tragic couple.
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Tagged as 3 star, Read 2016
Posted April 23, 2016 in Reading, Review / 0 Comments
The Name of God is Mercy by
Pope Francis Publisher: Random House (2016)
Hardcover (176 pages)
Rating: Also by this author: The Joy of the Gospel,
Walking with Jesus,
Encountering Truth Reading Challenges: Read 2016 Synopsis
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • In his first book published as Pope, and in conjunction with the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, Pope Francis here invites all humanity to an intimate and personal dialogue on the subject closest to his heart—mercy—which has long been the cornerstone of his faith and is now the central teaching of his papacy.
In this conversation with Vatican reporter Andrea Tornielli, Francis explains—through memories from his youth and moving anecdotes from his experiences as a pastor—why “mercy is the first attribute of God.” God “does not want anyone to be lost. His mercy is infinitely greater than our sins,” he writes. As well, the Church cannot close the door on anyone, Francis asserts—on the contrary, its duty is to go out into the world to find its way into the consciousness of people so that they can assume responsibility for, and move away from, the bad things they have done.
The first Jesuit and the first South American to be elected Bishop of Rome, Pope Francis has traveled around the world spreading God’s message of mercy to the largest crowds in papal history. Clear and profound, The Name of God Is Mercy resonates with this desire to reach all those who are looking for meaning in life, a road to peace and reconciliation, and the healing of physical and spiritual wounds. It is being published in more than eighty countries around the world.
“The name of God is mercy. There are no situations we cannot get out of, we are not condemned to sink into quicksand.”—Pope Francis
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Tagged as 5 star, Catholic, Catholic Book, Pope Francis, Read 2016
Posted April 18, 2016 in Faith, Reading, Review / 0 Comments
The Catholic Catalogue by
Melissa Musick,
Anna Keating Publisher: Image (2016)
Hardcover (432 pages)
Via: Blogging for Books Rating: Reading Challenges: Read 2016 Synopsis
The popular mother-daughter team behind the hit website TheCatholicCatalogue.com helps readers to discover, rediscover, and embrace some of the smells and tastes, sounds and sensations, holidays and seasons of the Catholic life. This collection of prayers, crafts, devotionals and recipes will help readers make room in their busy lives for mystery and meaning, awe and joy.
This beautifully designed book will help readers celebrate Catholicism throughout the years, across daily practice and milestones. Like the most useful field guides, it is divided into user-friendly sections and covers such topics as the veneration of relics, blessing your house, discovering a vocation, raising teenagers, getting a Catholic tattoo, planting a Mary garden, finding a spiritual director, and exploring your own way in the tradition.
With more than 75 inspiring chapters, this book promises to be a resource that individuals and families will turn to again and again.
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Tagged as 5 star, Catholic, Catholic Book, Consecrated Virginity, Read 2016, Vocation
Posted April 11, 2016 in Reading, Review / 0 Comments
The Orphan Queen by
Jodi Meadows Series: The Orphan Queen #1 Publisher: Katherine Tegan Books (2015)
Hardcover (391 pages)
Rating: Reading Challenges: 2016 Royal Challenge,
Read 2016 Synopsis
Wilhelmina has a hundred identities.
She is a princess. When the Indigo Kingdom conquered her homeland, Wilhelmina and other orphaned children of nobility were taken to Skyvale, the Indigo Kingdom’s capital. Ten years later, they are the Ospreys, experts at stealth and theft. With them, Wilhelmina means to take back her throne.
She is a spy. Wil and her best friend, Melanie, infiltrate Skyvale Palace to study their foes. They assume the identities of nobles from a wraith-fallen kingdom, but enemies fill the palace, and Melanie’s behavior grows suspicious. With Osprey missions becoming increasingly dangerous and their leader more unstable, Wil can’t trust anyone.
She is a threat. Wraith is the toxic by-product of magic, and for a century using magic has been forbidden. Still the wraith pours across the continent, reshaping the land and animals into fresh horrors. Soon it will reach the Indigo Kingdom. Wilhelmina’s magic might be the key to stopping the wraith, but if the vigilante Black Knife discovers Wil’s magic, she will vanish like all the others.
Jodi Meadows introduces a vivid new fantasy full of intrigue, romance, dangerous magic, and one girl’s battle to reclaim her place in the world.
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Tagged as 4 star, Read 2016
Posted March 17, 2016 in Reading, Review / 0 Comments
Anne of Green Gables by
L M Montgomery Series: Anne of Green Gables #1 Publisher: Barnes & Noble (1908)
Hardcover (371 pages)
Rating: Reading Challenges: 2016 Backlist Books,
2016 Re-Reading,
Classics Club,
Read 2016 Synopsis
As soon as Anne Shirley arrived at the snug, white farmhouse called Green Gables, she knew she wanted to stay forever... but would the Cuthberts send her back to the orphanage? Anne knows she's not what they expected -- a skinny girl with decidedly red hair and a temper to match. If only she could convince them to let her stay, she'd try very hard not to keep rushing headlong into scrapes or blurt out the very first thing she had to say. Anne was not like anybody else, everyone at Green Gables agreed; she was special -- a girl with an enormous imagination. This orphan girl dreamed of the day when she could call herself Anne of Green Gables.
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Tagged as 5 star, All Time Favorites, Read 2016