January 2024 Book Reports

The Persian Pickle Club by Sandra Dallas - I picked up this book at a library book sale and kept it to read because it's set in Kansas. If you love quilting or books set in the 1930s, you'll probably enjoy this book. There's a murder mystery, too, but it's not written like a detective novel. It's a fine book, good for some light reading. (purchased used)

Melal: A Novel of the Pacific by Robert Barclay - I picked up this book at a library sale and thought it might be a good option for a high school geography book. Shortly into the book, I began to feel quite anxious for the characters; a dread filled the pages. So many many terrible things happen in the book or there are references to the past, to colonialism and nuclear testing. The author lived on an island in the Pacific, so he knows more about myths of the area than I do. I can't say for certain that he got them all right, but it was interesting to read this novel about a convergence of myth and the modern world. I decided not to recommend it for high school geography reading because there are many upsetting incidents. It was certainly discomfiting for me to read as a privileged and safe American, but I think I'm glad I did. (PaperBackSwap.com)

The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim - On the recommendation of a friend, I listened to the audiobook version of this book when I needed something light. I desperately want to spend April in Italy now, though. (Audible)

Flight into Spring by Bianca Bradbury - Sally Day lives in Maryland during the Civil War, a state split it its loyalties between North and South, though her family supports the Union. She falls in love with a Yankee soldier and marries him after the war. The book tells of her struggles as a young wife relocated at a time when a move from Maryland to Connecticut meant culture shock. This would be a good book for an older teen who struggled with reading, as the reading level is more like middle grade but the content is light and innocent romance. (purchased copy)

Four Quartets by T. S. Eliot - I read this poem with my book club. I read each quartet, then listened to Eliot reading it. (There are recordings on YouTube.) This is a difficult work. The vocabulary is so extensive, I allowed myself to write in the book, jotting down definitions of all the words I had to look up. earning about his life and references to other works helped, too. I can see how you could return to this poem many times and find something new each time. (purchased copy)

Five Bushel Farm by Elizabeth Coatsworth - I read this when I needed something light and easy. It's the second book in the Sally series, set in colonial Maine. It's a sweet little story, full of happy coincidences. It also has its share of 1930s ideas about Native Americans The illustrations are by Helen Sewell, and perfectly delightful. (purchased copy)

Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt - I read this as a child, but decided to read it again before Second Son read it for school. I'm glad I did, because apparently I had it confused in my mind with a complete different book! Jethro lives most of him life in the shadow of the Civil War, with loved ones in both armies. It's an excellent book of historical fiction, bringing the war to life without overwhelming a young reader with too many horrors. (purchased copy)

I have received nothing in exchange for this post. Links to Amazon, Bookshop, and PaperBackSwap are affiliate links.

An Ordinary Heroic Faith: A Man of the Beatitudes

A Man of the Beatitudes: Pier Giorgio Frassati

by Luciana Frassati

Luciana Frassati wrote this book about her dearly loved brother, Blessed Pier Giorgia Frassati. It is not a formal biography, more a pouring out of her remembrances of his great love for others with many quotes from friends and family members.

Not only is Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati a man of humility and generosity, but the book provides some background on the state of Italy during the World War I and the years following. It shows how some Catholics struggled against the regime and that good people did indeed live in countries like Italy and Germany when their governments were spreading fear and war.

During a Fascist attack on his home, Bl. Pier did not hesitate to leap to the defense of his mother and household. A young man of humility and faith does not mean a young man who cannot physically stand strong between the people he loves and one who wishes them harm. There is a tendency in American culture to view saints as weak, but our young men and women need to understand that there are many ways to be an example of heroic faith.

In addition, Bl. Pier struggled mightily as a student. He was often unsuccessful when taking his exams, requiring multiple attempts to pass. Yet he continued to study for the degree he felt was his vocation, engineering.

Bl. Pier was the heart of an informal society, united by faith in the spirit of joyfulness and friendship.

The members, however, followed no rules and attended no set meetings. Everything was improvised. The important thing was to be together as much as possible under the great ensign of the faith.

Pier Giorgio realized that the group's steadfastness could also nourish a common enthusiasm for the Christian apostolate. For this he used his favorite instrument, high spirits, which, in its various forms, flourished in the society, creating a collective spirit and uniting all under the magic sign of laughter.

He is also a marvelous example of a young man who was not physically active instead of prayerful, but instead was prayerful in his love of skiing and mountain climbing. H wrote to a friend:

These Alpine climbs have a strange magic in them so that no matter how many times they are repeated and however alike they are, they are never boring, in the same way as the experience of spring is never boring but fills our spirit with gladness and delight. 

He encouraged his friends to leave the city for the fresh air of the surrounding country and to strengthen their spirit just as they strengthened their muscles.

Bl. Pier was joyful in the midst of an unhappy family, perseverant in maintaining his studies, generous with his time in friendship with the poor. There may be other books about Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati, but this one is worth reading for the frankness of the telling of his life by his dear sister.

This could be a good choice for Mater Amabilis™ Level 4 students as a twentieth-century saint or blessed. Though he dies as a young man, he does not perish through martyrdom or in a concentration camp, so he is a good choice for the sensitive student.

I have received nothing for this post of my own opinions. I found this book on a shelf at our parish (and will return it for those who are local). Links to Amazon are affiliate links.

An Italian Childhood: Nino

Nino

written and illustrated by Valenti Angelo

I picked up this book at a book sale because I saw Valenti Angelo's name. I have two books illustrated by him which are both lovely (The Book of Psalms and The Long Christmas) and decided I wanted this one no matter what the story was like. Luckily, it's just as wonderful as the illustrations.

Nino does not have much of a plot; there's no dramatic crisis or trauma. It tenderly describes Nino's early childhood on his grandfather's farm in Italy in 1905. Nino and his dedicated mother and grandfather work the prosperous farm and run the household. His father is away in America and has been for many years, planning to earn the money for his wife and child to join him. There is no such tension in the book, but I feared the impending separation which the book resolves perfectly.

Over the course of the book, Nino has "adventures" like traveling to a larger town to have his picture taken, the Easter celebration, attending a fair, and Christmas. His family attends the local Catholic church, which is a part of their lives in an integral way. Their home is often open as they host friends and neighbors, revealing a rich life of relationships and joy.

Nino is an aspiring artist and often experiences a great joy in the simple beauty of his world.

The boat sped through the water with sudden jerks. Nino watched the sky, fascinated by the flashes of lightning. The wind that had risen all in a moment moaned and swept over the marshes, whipping the tall grass with rustling sounds. The tall poplars bent as though turning their backs to its fury; they looked like black giants in the night. It began to rain, big drops that glistened like pearls as they fell, and the surface of the canal, so still a moment ago, broke into a thousand dancing bubbles.

There are many descriptions of life on the farm and in the village to show how people lived in Italy in the early 1900s. There are olives to be pressed, grapes to be stomped, pigs to feed, and grain to harvest.

There is a description of gypsies in the fair chapter that doesn't quite meet today's standards. I suppose the substandard treatment of gypsies in literature is an accurate reflection of yesterday's prejudices, even why they are not purposefully being derogatory. My kids have heard about gypsies before (from when we read The Good Master), but I think I'm going to see out a book we can to counteract some of this disrespect. (Suggestions welcome.)

Mater Amabilis™ Level 1A year 1 includes Italy in the list of countries for People and Places with Red Sails to Capri. I adore Red Sails to Capri and will not give up my last chance of reading it aloud to Second Son. It's unlikely anyone would want to substitute Nino for Red Sails to Capri because Red Sails to Capri is likely much easier to find at a more reasonable price. But...if you had to make a substitution, this book would be delightful. I intend to read both of them aloud next year. I've also found a used copy of what appears to be a sequel to Nino called Golden Gate and I bought it. Just because I wanted it.

I purchased Nino used (and Golden Gate) and received nothing in exchange for writing this post. These opinions are my own. Links to Amazon are affiliate links and will grand a small commission if you follow a link and make a purchase.

Beauty, Prayer, and Silence: Report from Calabria

Report from Calabria: A Season with the Carthusian Monks

by A Priest

This book is written as a series of letters from an American priest (who chooses to remain anonymous, as Carthusian writers do during their lives) to his friends and family while living in a Carthusian monastery in southern Italy for four months. Carthusians live in a community, but each resides in his own house. Even most meals are served through the wall to be eaten in solitude. Many liturgical prayers are prayed at the same time, but each monk remains in his cell, praying alone. As difficult as it is for most of us to understand the vocation to a religious order, ones such as the Carthusians seem even more extreme. There is a film, Into Great Silence, that shares more of the Carthusian life, but I've only seen parts of it.

The letters describe the lives of the Carthusians from an outsider's point of view, but also from the point of view of someone who is living with the monks, praying as they pray, and trying to immerse himself in their solitude. He is able to connect their prayers to our lives in a meaningful way.

He believes there are three "products" of a Carthusian monastery: praise, intercessory prayer, and union with God. Speaking of the second, intercessory prayer, he wrote:

Certainly there are physical evils that must be combated, but at root the world is wounded spiritually, and prayer is the medicine that can heal spiritual wounds. Reflection on this has shaped my prayer somewhat here. For example, some friends of mine have a son who is serving with the Marines in Afghanistan, and I am praying daily for his safety. But I am also praying for something else: his heart and soul, which must experience tremendous emotions given what he and his comrades are going through. Many soldiers return from combat with terrible physical damage, but even those who are spared this must be wounded in other way, and no surgeon can deal with that--God's healing grace can. That is one reason why communities dedicated to prayer are so vital to the life of the Church. Otherwise, as Pope Francis keeps saying, we end up just being another nongovernmental organization striving to deal with people's material welfare.

As he prays and interacts with the monks, the author ponders the life of solitude, the benefits of it for individuals, for the monastery, for the Church, and for the world. He quotes a Carthusian monk:

The purpose of this life is to silence the outer voices so that you can hear the inner ones; then you can begin to uproot those that draw you away from loving God and others, and encourage the good thoughts to grow. 

He talks about learning silence as it if were a language.

The gift of silence here is precisely an invitation not to think and not to do--and that is not easy, at least not for me. It is a language I must struggle to learn.

It is really a matter of learning God's language, of attending to his still, small voice.

My favorite letter was the last one. He writes:

"Stat crux dum volvitur orbis" -- The Cross stands firm as the world turns. This is the motto of the Carthusian order, a reminder that while some may consider these men to be "halfway to heaven", they see themselves as plunged into the heart of the earth, with all its joys and sorrows. In their solitary prayer, in their struggles with loneliness, in their mellow chant that pierces the stillness of the night, they proclaim a message, eloquent in its silence, that the Cross of Jesus is the axis upon which all creation turns.

After the priest's letters, there are appendices of some of St. Bruno's words (the founder of the order), the text of a letter written by Pope St. John Paul II to the order, and a homily of Pope Benedict XVI on one of his visits to Calabria. There is also an extensive list of further reading and resources that seems thoughtfully collected.

This is a book of beauty, thoughtfulness, and the heart of prayer. Because our family has a devotion to St. Bruno, I intend to read it aloud to our children. I hope it will give them a greater insight into the Carthusian order and the diversity of the practices of our Catholic faith. I checked this book out from our library, but I would like to have one of our own.

I checked this book out from our library to read it and have not received anything to write this post. Links above are affiliate links to Amazon.

Kansans in Rome

Originally, we intended our Grand Adventure to last five weeks. We modified our plans, cutting a whole week from our trip, when we were offered the opportunity to accompany some graduate theology students from Kansas Dad's university on a guided trip to Rome.

Worth every minute.

We have hundreds of pictures, of course. Here are a just a handful of my favorites.

This is an armadillo, representative of the New World, sculpted by people who had never seen an actual armadillo, on Bernini’s Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi in Piazza Navona.

Here's one of only two pictures of Kansas Dad and me. Despite 17 people willing and able to take our picture. We were too busy actually looking at everything.

 We spent most of our time in churches, but we didn't neglect the Forum and Coliseum entirely.

Below is the front of St. John Lateran, the site of one of four sets of Holy Doors in Rome we were able to enter during the Year of Mercy.

One of my favorite church crosses ever - Sant'Eustachio, patron saint of hunters. This is a good picture for Kansans in Rome. An excellent coffee shop is right across the plaza.

Below is the Oratory of the Crib in St. Mary Major. We attended a sung Sunday mass there, absolutely beautiful. One of my favorite mosaics in Rome is there, on the triumphal arch. I failed to get a good picture, though, after they turned off the lights at the end of the Mass. One side shows Jerusalem and the other Bethlehem.

The dome of St. Peters in its entirety, as it was meant to be. (This picture is from inside the Vatican Museum.)

Below is one of the stained glass windows in Assisi, one of my favorite places on earth. In addition to the tombs of St. Clare and St. Francis in Assisi, we prayed before St. Peter, St. Paul, St. Monica, St. Agnes, St. Catherine of Sienna, St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Peter Claver, St. Cosmas, St. Damien, and others in Rome.

We saw the Pope, too.

We have really had the most amazing spring, but we're glad to be home for a while. It's time to dive into summer!

The Catholic Company Book Review: Bambinelli Sunday

Bambinelli Sunday: A Christmas Blessing
Written by Amy Welborn
Illustrated by Ann Kissane Engelhart

I was really excited to request this book from The Catholic Company for review. We have used a number of Amy Welborn's books in our homeschool for saint studies and First Communion preparation. Because I read a picture book a day every Advent, I am always seeking out new Christmas books.

In Italy, there is a holiday tradition to bring the baby Jesus from the creche to be blessed by the Pope on the third Sunday of Advent. The story of Alessandro, young and left with his grandparents for an extended stay while his parents work, is told around that tradition. Alessandro is having trouble finding the joy in the season and fitting in with the neighbor children when his grandfather suggests he make his own infant Jesus to take to Rome for the blessing.

I love the descriptions of the tradition of Bambinelli Sunday. The very first pages, when the tradition is described, and the street of Naples filled with shops of Nativity scenes, are quite lovely. The book is at its best when describing how Alessandro shapes and paints his own Jesus. Altogether, though, I was a little disappointed with the book. At one point, Alessandro takes one of his grandfather's figurines to be blessed (after his own is broken), which is stealing. Later he gives the figurine away. While I suppose this is to show us his growth in generosity, I can't set aside the fact that it was not his figurine to give away.

We're supposed to see Alessandro growing in faith and charity, but as he never apologizes for any of his mistakes and is only happy when he gets what he wants, I don't see how the book actually shows that. I'm a little ambivalent about sharing the book with my children. I wouldn't say it's a bad book, but with so many other wonderful Advent and Christmas books, I'm not sure it will end up on my list.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an objective review. On an unrelated note, I noticed these new Shining Light dolls while I was getting the links for this review. They look adorable. I'd love to give these to our young goddaughters for Christmas! (I don't get anything if you click any link to The Catholic Company.)

This review was written as part of the Catholic book reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Bambinelli Sunday: A Christmas Blessing. The Catholic Company is the best resource for all your seasonal needs such as First Communion gifts as well as ideas and gifts for the special papal Year of Faith.