Sunday, September 30, 2018

The Catholic Hipster Handbook:

The Catholic Hipster Handbook: Rediscovering Cool Saints, Forgotten Prayers, and Other Weird but Sacred Stuff Edited by: Tommy Tighe
Non-Fiction: Religion, Pop Culture, 200 pages
Physical Book Count:18
Book Count:49

This book is made up of chapters written by a number of Catholic personalities including: a priest, religious sister, bloggers, writers, and people that work in Catholic media.  Each chapter starts talking about some topic related to the theme of that section of the book, followed by a cool saint, a "forgotten" prayer, and an activity.  There are 4 sections in the book, on rediscovering: the attitude, stuff, life and attraction of being a Catholic.  Now, some of the saints are well known, and some you might not have heard of before.  The same can be said of the prayers, some were fairly common prayers that are things like: Psalms, prayers used in the Liturgy of the Hours, or other well known ones.  Others were things like a prayer written by that chapter's saint with you are less likely to know if you didn't already know a fair amount about that saint.  The activities range from things that you could do right then to more long term things.

Saturday, September 15, 2018

The Night Gardener:

The Night Gardener By: Jonathan Auxier
Fiction: Paranormal, YA, E-book
E-book Count: 31
Book Count:48

Molly and Kip are two Irish orphans that get a job working for the Windsors in the sour woods.  Everyone  that they meet on the way warn them against it, but as they are in great need of  work they go anyway.  Once there they start to see why everyone warned them.  The family is unnaturally pale, ill tempered, and have a secret locked room that they aren't allowed in.  The house is in shambles and there is a creepy tree growing against and into the house.  Also weird things happen at night.  

Friday, September 14, 2018

The X Files Origins: Devil's Advocate:

The X Files Origins: Devil's Advocate by: Jonathan Maberry
Fiction: Pop Culture, Mystery, YA, 352 pages
Physical Book Count:17
Book Count:47

This book is about Dana Scully as a high school student.  Students are dying in mysterious car crashes in the area at an unnatural rate.  Dana keeps having nightmares about an angel/devil that is behind the death of the teens.  Then she has a vision of the latest dead teen being murdered with the wounds of the Crucifixion.  She makes friends with a boy, Ethan, who happens to live with his police detective uncle that also finds the number of teens dying to be odd.  Together with the help of him providing the facts of the case and the people at a new aged shop helping with her using her physic abilities she gets closer and closer to finding out what the murderers were about and who might be doing it.   Of course, we find out that she is secretly part of a test from the "men in black" who are watching and increasing her abilities.   Unlike the book on Fox Mulder, where the story fits well with his story, most of this book is very unlike Dana from the start of the X-Files with only the issue of her doubt being a constant.  The story does end with her somewhat being the logical, not supernatural believing person of the show, and it also explains how she picked her earlier career in medicine, but most of the story is a Dana Scully unlike the show's.  

Thursday, September 13, 2018

Dark, Witch & Creamy:

Dark, Witch & Creamy: Bewitched by Chocolate- Book 1 By: H.Y. Hanna
Fiction: mystery, e-book
E-book Count: 30
Book Count:46

Caitlyn just found out that she was adopted after her mother dies.  She was found along a British country road with only a necklace with an unusual symbol on it, so she goes to a town near the spot she was found that has an ancient stone circle with similar symbols on it.  Only problem is people are getting killed in the town at the stone circle and due to the media coverage, the few rooms to rent in town are full, so she has to stay at the home of a older woman thought to be a witch, above her chocolate shop.  Of course, as one can guess from the title the women is a witch.  And as you can guess from the last names, Caitlyn is a witch too. (Her last name is Le Fey) And they are chocolate witches.  There is also a rich, good looking British nobleman for a romantic lead.  

Wednesday, September 12, 2018

Let The Fire Fall:

Let The Fire Fall By: Michael Scanlan, T.O.R.
Non-fiction: Religion,Biography/ Memoir, 237 pages 
Physical Book Count:16
Book Count:45

This book is on the life of the author, especially the way the God has acted in his life.  He was the president of Franciscan University of Steubenville who turned the school from a place that might close at any time into a school known for its Catholic identity and the conferences that it hosts every year.  It tells the story of how he became a priest to how he changed things at the university.  And this edition was expanded and updated with chapters at the end added after the first printings.