A Witch's Guide to Murder:

A Witch's Guide to Murder (A Book & Candle Mystery book 1) by: Aubrey Harper
Fiction: Mystery, Paranormal, E-book
E-book count: 15
Book count: 25

Rory and her friend Scott go back to her small hometown for her grandma's funeral.  She didn't know her grandmother well as she wasn't allowed to talk to her after her mother moved out when she was still a kid.  But she had inherited her house and her store "Book & Candle."  When there she learns that her grandma didn't just run a store of occult/witchcraft supplies but was a real witch, and Rory is too.  Both things she learns from the ghost of her dead grandma who wants her to solve her murder, although the police ruled it an accident.  She isn't too sure about how she feels about being a witch or solving a murder that may or may not have happened.  But then more people die, a mysterious man who turns out to be the son of her grandmother's rivals comes to town and she isn't so sure that something horrible didn't happen or won't happen to her.

Brooklyn Bartender:

Brooklyn Bartender: A Modern Guide to Cocktails and Spirits
Non-fiction: food 280 pages
Physical Book Count: 12
Book Count: 24

Not only are new recipes a fun part of the holidays, but this book is on spirits, so totally a Halloween book.
This book is a collection of cocktail recipes based off of bars from Brooklyn.  It is divided according to the main alcohol like many books, but it goes beyond the main clear/brown bases and includes brandy, beer, wine, and Amari.  It also has short sections on all of the bars and maps of their location.  They also have a section on infusions and syrups that you can make at home with more ideas on how to use them.   The recipes range from twists on classics to the hot new drinks of New York.  There is even the story behind the creation of the pickleback.  

CHF: They're Watching

They're Watching - 2016

*found footage
*Eastern Europe location
*superstition locals
*history repeating
*red haired witch
*bad special effects

Cheesy Horror Films

As Halloween is the perfect excuse to watch cheesy horror films, ( other good excuses include I was home alone, it was raining, and I wanted some popcorn,) but links often change, this year I though that instead of linking classic I.e. public domain horror films to the blog I would just review the ones I watch for their cheesiness/cliché factor. These reviews will be short, so as not to put more effort in then some of the creators of the films.

Holiday List:

October:
1: Feast of St. Thérèse of Lisieux
     International Coffee Day
2. International Day of Non-Violence
     Islamic New Year
     Rosh Hashana
4. World Animal Day
     Feast of St. Francis of Assisi
5. World Teachers' Day
     International Day of No Prostitution
     Feast of St. Faustina Kowalska
6. German-American Day
7. Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary
8. Indigenous Peoples' Day
9. Leif Erikson Day
10. World Mental Health Day
11.  International Day of the Girl Child
12. Freethought Day
     Yom Kippur
13. International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction
15. National Latino AIDS Awareness Day
     Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day
     White Cane Safety Day
     Feast of St. Teresa of Ávila
16. Boss's Day
     World Food Day
     Sukkot
17. International Day for the Eradication of Poverty
20. World Statistics Day
21. International Day of the Nacho
22. Feast of St. Pope John Paul II
23. Mole Day
24. United Nations Day
     World Development Information Day
     World Polio Day
     Food Day
     Shemini Atzeret
25. Simchat Torah
26. Intersex Awareness Day
27. Black Cat Appreciation Day
28. National Chocolate Day
29. National Cat Day
30. Mischief Night/ Devil's Night
     Diwali
31. HALLOWEEN aka Samhain/Beltane, Start of The Day of the Dead, All Hallow's Eve, Allhalloween, All Saints' Eve,  Allantide, Hop-tu-Naa, Calan Gaeaf, & Nos Galan Gaeaf
 

Happy Month of Halloween!

It is October 1st, which means it is the start of the last 3 months of the year, a non-stop holiday party!!!!!

Waking Up Catholic:

Waking Up Catholic by: Chad R. Torgerson
Non:fiction, religion, e-book
E-book count: 14
Book count:23

This book is half the author's story and half on different Catholic beliefs intertwined.  Also Facebook can stop suggesting this book now.

What Einstein Told His Cook:

What Einstein Told His Cook: Kitchen Science Explained by: Robert L. Wolke
Nonfiction: science, home economics, audio book

This book is all about the science behind food and cooking.  It breaks things up in sections that can be read independently of all the other sections and includes topics like: protein, fats, salt, baking, refrigeration, and more.  It also has some recipes that you can download off of a website by the author.  It was very much like the science parts of "Good Eats" with some less crazy "Mythbusters" style scientific testing of popular beliefs.  

8 CDs 9.5 hours

The Boxcar Children:

The Boxcar Children by: Gertrude Chandler Warner
Fiction: children's, 154 pages
Physical Book Count: 11
Book Count: 22

Someone just had to read this book for the summer.  It was on their to do list and everything. Then I get it in from the library, and they are all meh.  So I read it, because someone at this house was going to enjoy the book, after waiting 2 months for it. 

The Brick Testament:

The Brick Testament: Stories from the Book of Genesis retold and illustrated by: Brendan Powell Smith
Nonfiction: religion, 173 pages
Physical Book Count: 10
Book Count: 21

Ten biblical stories as told in Lego bricks.  

The Templar's Cross: A Medieval Mystery:

The Templar's Cross: A Medieval Mystery By: J.R.Tomlin
Fiction: Mystery, History, E-book
E-Book Count: 13
Book Count: 20

After last time picking out a free e-book that was a disappointment, I decided to pick up something that could only surprise me in a positive way.  I mean it has Templar and mystery right in the title.  It even takes place after the Templars were disbanded and  it was a treasure hunt and murder mystery.  However, the most annoying thing about the book was it's use of old and or Scottish slang words and phrases.  Most of them were easy to understand and there is a dictionary of those words in the back of the book, they just sometimes took you out of the story as you determined what the word means.   

This book is about an older knight that just lost his employment and is injured, so he is trying to get any work that he can.  He takes a job to look for a man, although he is sure that the person who gave him the job is lying about the reasons he was to find the man.  He has one of his friends help him, only to have both his friend and the man end up dead on the same night.  Then he ends up deeper and deeper in the web of lies and half truths surrounding this situation.   

City of Stairs:

City of Stairs by: Robert Jackson Bennett
Fiction: Sci-fi/Fantasy, 452 pages
Physical Book Count: 9
Book Count: 19

This was another book that a friend suggested that I would like.  It is much more a fantasy then a sci-fi novel, but as we were talking about sci-fi books and it has a dystopian feel and human like, but not human life forms in it, I put both in the labels.
As stated above this story doesn't take place on earth.  It is on a world where there are 3 very different humanoid  lifeforms; one that were chosen by the Divinities, one that were slaves until they found out how to kill the Divinities, and one that we know little about besides that they are sailors with out a king.  The killing of the Divinities happened many generations before this story started.  In fact the main character, Shara is a descendant of the Kaj, who is the one who killed the Divinities.  She goes to the city of Bulikov, the city of stairs, that once was the center of the Continent where the gods and their chosen people lived, to investigate a murder of a historian that she knew.  Once there she finds she finds much more going on then a simple murder.  She also has to deal with her past, as a former lover is an important city official, who may or may not be a part of the conspiracy that she has got caught up in.  

The Anatomy of a Disciple:

The Anatomy of a Disciple: So Many Believers. So Few Disciples. By: Rick Taylor
Non-fiction: religion, E-book
E-Book Count: 12
Book Count: 18

Okay, so on Amazon Prime you get one free e-book a month from a large list of books.  It was the end of the month of June, I had an almost dead battery and I needed to pick something quickly or forfeit my free book for the month.  This book's title looked interesting enough to be better then nothing.  I did not give it the normal amount of looking over that I usually do for my monthly book.  And that is why I finished reading this book, as otherwise I would still have lost my free book.
That being said, this books main idea is that God is the one that does all the work and so all you need to do is: read your Bible, "bend the knees of your heart" in prayer, and be around other Christians that will hold you accountable to become a disciple and not just a believer who fails constantly and burns out by trying on their own to be a good Christian. . . you know by reading their Bible, praying and doing Christianly things with other Christians. So it reads like a self-help book with a neat graph on things to aim for, stories on how it works in real life, Biblical examples, bullet-point lists, and end notes; however, as it isn't about what you will be doing it feels long and rambling.  Like if it had the beginning with the graph of actions and practices of a disciple and the end with it's reiterating on how to be open to God making you a disciple (minus the plug to buy their personality test.) it might have been an okay read.

No Price Too High:

No Price Too High: A Pentecostal Preacher Becomes Catholic By: Diane Hanson
Non-fiction: Religion, Biography, NYR, 258 pages
Physical Book Count: 8
Book Count: 17

This is the conversion story of Alex Jones as well as his wife, Donna.  Each shared their own story with the author, so it is like two books in one, with the author writing it in each of their voices.  

My Badass Book of Saints:

My Badass Book of Saints: Courageous Women Who Showed Me How to Live By: Maria Morera Johnson
Non-fiction: Religion, Biography, NYR, 132 pages
Physical Book Count: 7
Book Count: 16

This book both tells stories about the author's life as well as that of saints and other women that she looks up to.  There are 11 chapters, each that deals with one topic and includes the stories of at least 2 women that are an example for how to live out that virtue, one of them a saint or blessed.  Most of the other women are also Catholic, but she also draws inspiration from a couple of women that were not necessarily religiously motivated in their activities.  After that the book ends on Mary.  There are a couple questions at the end of each chapter as well as a guide at the end to use it in a 6 week study.

 At the start of the book it does go into how she ended up writing a book about saints titled bad ass.  The short version is that as she is bi-lingual she read the Spanish version of a friend's book where one word translated more to mean bad ass in Spanish then the meaning of the original word, and also she wanted a book on women saints where it showcased their boldness.  

The Everything Saint Book:

The Everything Saint Book by: Jenny Schroedel
Non-fiction: religion,biography, NYR,  e-book

E-Book Count: 11

Book Count: 15

First, some notes: there are a number of formatting issues, typos, and minor mistakes in the book.  Most are not a big deal; as you learn that the e-fact is in the middle of the rest of the text and  read accordingly etc, but the book cuts out at the beginning of appendix a in the e-book for some reason, which is annoying.  And it includes some information that isn't correct; for example most priests in the Latin Rite of the Catholic church can not be married, but in the Eastern Rites there are different traditions, and there are some situations in which a married man can become a priest in the Latin Rite.  Which is something that I would expect a book that deals with saints in both the Catholic and Orthodox Churches to know. 

Second, as noted earlier,  this book deals with people that are seen as a saints in both the Catholic and Orthodox Churches.   Some are considered saints in both churches as they lived before the Great Schism, but unlike many books I have read, it deals with saints that are modern and from Orthodox Churches.   So it was interesting to read about people that I would not otherwise learn about.   Also as this book is a few years old there are a number of people that were listed as on the path to being declared a saint that since the publishing of this book have been declared a saint.  But it also has a number of notes on other books one can read for more in-depth biographies of some of the people, so if one wanted more then a couple pages of information they could find out more.   

A Canticle for Leibowitz:

A Canticle for Leibowitz By: Walter M. Miller Jr.
Fiction: Sci-fi, religion, NYR, 338 pages
Physical Book Count: 6
Book Count: 14

I picked up this book because after working a convention, at the after party over some Scotch old enough to drink Scotch, a not religious friend( I think he is agnostic but I'm not sure what label he would use for sure,)  of my husband and me, who knew we were Catholic and that we were looking for some good sci-fi to read, suggested this book.  (as well as a couple others.)   After I finished this book, one of the religious websites that I follow, listed this as one of the 10 books Catholics should read in their life. (Besides the Bible and other  religious non-fiction books, as it was a list of fiction books only.) So as you might have guessed this book is both a good sci-fi epic and a book that deals with the deeper issues of faith, belief and religion.  

As this book is an epic, there isn't just one or two main characters that the book follows.  The story is broke into 3 parts and takes place over generations of humanity.  The common thread is that it is the story of the monks of the Albertian Order of Leibowitz.  An order founded by Leibowitz, who at the start of the book isn't even officially  a saint, a man who lived threw the fire deluge (nuclear war) and who's order was dedicated to saving the writings and intellectualism of the past during a time of a violent reaction against the knowledge that caused the cataclysmic events that set the world back a millennium plus.    The story starts when the world is still at a time of war against intellect, even though the time from the fire deluge is enough that people only know of it from stories and legends, and a number of things that they "know" about it is not based on facts.  It then jumps to a time when people are rediscovering science and technology.  And it ends at the time when humanity has advanced to the level like that of the time of the fire deluge and the question of will humanity destroy itself is once again an issue.  

Although the story is set well into the future, a basic knowledge of Ecclesiastical Lain will be helpful in reading this book, as they are monks.  At the start of the book they do translate important phrases, and it is not necessary to translate all of the Latin to understand the story line.  A basic knowledge of monastic life would be helpful and as always the parts of the Mass that are still in Greek are still in Greek.  Also, interesting right before reading this book I had a conversation during Taco Tuesday (the smallest, most unofficial small group in our parish) about why there wasn't a completely missing the point legend about a certain Biblical figure like there was of the wandering Jew from Matt 24:34/Mk 13:30/Lk 21:34 and they were in there in the legendary storyline that I was thinking of.  Also in the future Litanies sound much more hardcore, while still keeping with the traditional format.  

Swept Under the Rug:

Swept Under the Rug (Laundry Hag Series, Book 2) By: Jennifer L. Hart

Fiction, Mystery, E-book

E-Book Count: 10

Book Count: 13

This is book two in the series.   The review of book one is here.   This book happens shortly after the end of book one.   Maggie is cleaning houses in her new business and stumbles on a mysterious fax.  From there she gets into a whole new mess of a mystery.  She also is dealing with finding that her best friend's husband is cheating, her brother coming home with his very pregnant new girlfriend,  and a guy named Richard Head.  

History's Most Insane Rulers:

History's Most Insane Rulers: (the subtitle is to long to read off my kindle) by: Michael Rank
Non-Fiction: History, Bio, E-book
E-Book Count: 9
Book Count: 12

This book is a collection of short biographies of famous insane rulers.  This includes a number of the European monarchs that due to genetic issues suffered from mental health issues that where not understood at the time, and they didn't have ways to help treat then.  It also has the stories of dictators that just went crazy with power.  It starts out with Caligula and ends with Kim Jong-Il.  It was a very short book with only a couple pages for each person.  

Drinking in America:

Drinking in America: Our Secret History By: Susan Cheever
Non-fiction: History, 221 pages
Physical Book Count: 5
Book Count: 12


This book attempts to explore America's Love/Hate relationship with alcohol.  It starts with the way that a lack of beer helped cause the Pilgrims to land where they did to the founding of AA.  It deals with key points in the history of America and explores the highs and lows of how drinking shaped the country.  It includes how America could in one century go from the most drinking country in the world to outlawing drinking completely, and where the pendulum is swinging today.  It was written by a person that was a child of an alcoholic and also had addiction issues, so that might have colored  some of the book. (It wasn't a major issue in any way, just that they saw the connection between alcoholism and people's behavior even when they weren't drinking, while someone without that background would more likely see the people as jerks, who also happened to drink at times.)  

Secondhand Souls:

Secondhand Souls By: Christopher Moore
Fiction: Mystery, paranormal, humor 335 pages 
Physical Book Count: 4
Book Count: 11

This book is the sequel to "A Dirty Job" review here.   And you might want to read "Coyote Blue" too before this book as it is mentioned too, review here.  

The story picks up about a year after the end of the last book, and has all the same main characters as last time, with a few new ones.  Charlie is living in his squirrel person body with Audrey, the nun.  Sophie lives with her aunt Jane and Cassie in Charlie's old building.  Mrs. Ling and  Mrs. Korjev treat her like a grandchild.  Lily is working for the suicide prevention hotline after a short time that she was dating Minty and they were running a pizza/jazz store. Minty is running a used music shop, and Rivera is now a death merchant with a book store, but he hasn't been collecting.
The story starts with the Emperor walking into Rivera's shop looking for a journal and a number 2 pencil to record the dead of the city before they get forgotten, then a banshee shows up with a message of doom and ends up stealing a stun gun.  The hell hounds go missing, and Charlie needs to get back in the picture (which is quite hard to do when you look like a 14 inch tall crocodile wizard. )  Along the way we meet Mike, a painter on the Golden Gate Bridge; Concepcion Arguella, a ghost; Helen, a racist old lady that speaks French;  Jean-Pierre Baptiste, a death merchant with an on-line store, W.C., who need a cheez; and a mysterious man dressed all in yellow, who's identities will be important.   Also Bob changes his name to Theeb, but Steve is more logical.  And the Ghost Thief needs to be found.  

Under the Mantle: Marian Thoughts from a 21st Century Priest:

Under the Mantle: Marian Thoughts from a 21st Century Priest By: Fr. Donald H. Calloway, MIC
Non-fiction: religion, 273 pages 
Physical Book Count: 4
Book Count: 11


I wanted to like this book, I really did want to like it.  I heard the author talk about it over the radio and put it on my private Amazon list to buy sometime, luckily I ended up finding it at a library before I spent money on it.  


The main idea of the book is that it a book for all the people that the author can not do parish missions and talks for, due to physical limitations of time and space.  It is a book on Jesus through Mary,  with many quotes from saints at the end of each section on Mary and the topic.  And that it was written for the "Joe-six-pack in the pew."  And that last part is where the problem lies. 

The book started out fine,  it might of had some phrases that I wouldn't expect in a religious book, but nothing where I stopped reading and went "what?!"  But then we got to the part on the priesthood.  I would like to state now I don't disagree with the Church having a all male priesthood, I have heard many well written arguments with theological, Biblical, and nuanced reasons for why that is, but not from this book.  His main argument used, made me want to disagree with him for how bad it was.  As although there were a number of good points that he made, his main one is that only men are priests because it is a soldier/warrior job.  (With the implied, only men can fight idea.) But it is a Marian book, so it then adds that God gave priest Mary to help them in the battle and in the quotes section (and maybe in the main section, as it was a library book I couldn't highlight parts, and I didn't see it glancing over it,) it deals with the idea that Mary is the leader or general of God's army.  So that kind of nullifies his whole argument.  Again, I am only disagreeing with his poorly thought out metaphor here and not the idea he was using the metaphor for.  

After that section things went back to okay for a while, he clearly doesn't understand complex mathematical ideas, and is of the belief that yoga stretches (when called that) are inherently worshiping of Hindu gods.  (He didn't get into it enough to be like most people in the all yoga is evil group to say that when you do any of the exercises that copy a yoga move exactly and then rename it, it then becomes okay.  Which is my main issue with the yoga is evil group, they are fine with Pilates which has a number of the exact same stretches or the various "Christian" stretching exercises, which again copy yoga moves exactly but change the names and add Christian pray and/or music to it.) 

But, then he gets to the sections on "Manhood" and "Femininity."  Where I learned many "gems" that sound like they were written by a less racist Archie Bunker.  All men love; hunting, fishing, sports, and war games, and if you are a male that doesn't, there is something fundamentally wrong with you.  It might be that you were raised by a single mother, who was overprotective, and as a female could not teach you the importation mainly hunting, fishing, fighting traits, and because of this you are gay.  If you are a female your main goals in life should be:1 being a pretty, pretty princess, 2. getting married (there was nothing about nuns/religious sisters in that section, although we were informed that all women love "Chick Flicks" and it did mention Mary being married to God,)   3. being a mother, he did note that there is physical and spiritual motherhood, but didn't get into it a lot, as that section was mostly on the science of fetal microchimerism (how some cells of the child remind in the mother for life,) and why he doesn't think Mary died.

In closing, if you skip any section of this book where gender is a main point it would be a fine book.  

Curiosity House:The Shrunken Head:

Curiosity House:The Shrunken Head By: Lauren Oliver & H.C. Chester
Fiction: Mystery, Children's, 362 pages
Physical Book Count: 3
Book Count: 10


This is the first book in a series about a group of 4 children that have special abilities and work and live at Dumfrey's Dime Museum of Freaks, Oddities, and Wonders.  Sam is a strongman, but doesn't look like it. Thomas is able to fit into almost any small space (he often travels using the vents and duct work in the museum) and is a genius. Philippa is a mentalist, but she mostly can tell what is in people's pockets. And Max, the new girl, can throw knifes and pickpocket amazingly well.  
There is a new object at the museum, a shrunken head.  It was billed as the head of Chief Ticuna-Piranha from the Amazon, and a cursed object, but it was meant to just be hype to get people into the nearly bankrupt museum, but then the head is stolen and people started dying.  The four kids work to solve the mystery and end up also finding out more about themselves as well as the people around them.  

Everyday Worship:

Everyday Worship By: Chris Voigt
Non-fiction: Religion, E-book, NYR,
E-Book Count: 8
Book Count: 9

This shorter book is about how worship is not just what you do on Sunday morning, but should be a complete way of life for Christians.  It has many Biblical and personal stories to showcase different parts of this idea as well as questions and sometimes things to pray about at the end of each chapter.  

Revelations of Divine Love:

Revelations of Divine Love By: Julian of Norwich
Non-fiction: Religion, NYR, E-Book
E-Book Count: 7
Book Count: 8

This book is apparently the first book written in the English language and published by a women.  Maybe if there wasn't 86 chapters there would be more early English books by women.  (And the paperback versions are between around 200-300 pages so these are reasonable length chapters, and I read the long version.)  Also as an early modern English book, there are a ton of words ending with th, and with weird spellings, and even a few words that the e-reader dictionary looked at and said "that's not a word."  

Now about the book itself.  This book is a collection of visions that the author had, when she was deathly ill in 1373.  It was apparently one of the most popular religious books of England during the Middle Ages.   Although it is a very old book,  many of the thoughts and theological ideas that are in the book connect well with modern readers.  In fact I picked this book to read, not because of the long history or importance of the book, but having read a short bit of the book in a class, almost all of the women in the class picked it as their favorite reading out of the whole class, and everyone seamed to enjoy it.  There are some things in the book, besides the archaic wording, that show the age of the book; however, the majority of it has a timelessness about it.   

The Exorcism of Sara May:

The Exorcism of Sara May By: Joe Hart
Fiction: Horror, E-book
E-Book Count: 6
Book Count: 7

First a note, as I didn't think about the fact that this book could be easily be in either of the main genre of stories that I read, this is a fiction horror novel and not a non-fiction religious book. Just so you know.

This book is a story of a small farming community in the Great Depression.  There are a number of weird and scary things that are happening to one of the teen aged boys who is telling this story that includes weird animals, creepy monsters, talking dead and the girl that he has a crush on acting and speaking weird.  Much like a campy horror film, there is a back story that includes the parents being involved in something years ago that might be the cause of this all.  

Skeletons in the Closet:

Skeletons in the Closet: (Laundry Hag Series, Book 1) By: Jennifer L. Hart
Fiction: Mystery, E-book
E-Book Count: 5
Book Count: 6

Maggie is a penny pincher who with the "help" of her friend ends up starting a cleaning service.  Her first client is the rich socialite that resonantly moved into the neighborhood with her creepy husband that collects medieval torture devices.   Because of her job cleaning the house, she witnesses the wife's affair and is the husband's alibi when the wife ends up murdered.  And then like all mysteries of this type, she then gets caught up in the mystery and has to solve the case as she bumbles along from one misadventure to the next.  So she almost gets shot by a little old lady, looses her wheelbarrow on a shopping trip, hosts Thanksgiving for in-laws she hates, and hires assistants ranging from a very pregnant teen to a grumpy old man that spends his time flirting with the older clients and complaining about food.  

Autumn's Breath:

Autumn's Breath: A Horror Short Story by: M. R. Mathias and Michael Robb
Fiction: short story, horror, e-book
E-Book Count: 4
Book Count: 5

First a note, the e-book count has been changed from the last time, but not the book count, as this book was only a short story and not a full book length. 

A boy and a girl at make out point, ghosts, monsters, a killing frost, aliens?, time travel?, the FBI?, hell freazing over?, there are many things that might have happened  in this story.  Much like the protagonist we don't get the whole story in a clear format, but a mix of people and things as seen by her so knowing what really happened is unclear. 

Making Radical Disciples: Make and Multiply Disciples Like Jesus Using Ten Contagious Disciple Making Lessons:

Making Radical Disciples: Make and Multiply Disciples Like Jesus Using Ten Contagious Disciple Making Lessons: By: Daniel B. Lancaster
Non-fiction: Religion, E-book
E-Book Count: 3
Book Count: 5

Some people enjoy B-grade horror films for their cheesy badness.  Some people watch films that they know has bad/missing/incomprehensible plot lines, bad dialog and cheesy special effects just to enjoy how bad it really is.  You might wonder why I would start a book review with that, and the reason why is that most people that do anything related to disciple making, point out that there is no magic bullet that will work on everyone. But this book is a magic bullet to make disciples in 10 easy lessons!!!!  So I only read it to see how bad it was.  (And of course because it was free, as I might spend a couple of dollars on a movie I know is bad, but I'm not spending book money on this.) This is also why I am not counting it in my new year's resolution count.

The main idea of the book is that, this is a series of lessons that they made up teaching people how to be disciples in southeast Asia, where they do not have a Christian history so that even non-Christians have some idea about the religion, like in America.  Although it says it isn't a "just teach this lesson" way of doing things that doesn't work, it then gives step by step instructions on how to teach the lessons.  This includes having the people repeat what you taught them exactly how you did it multiple times so they learn it.  And having them look up things in the Bible  for answers and then making them keep redoing it until they get the answer that you want them to have. 

It also teaches 8 pictures of Jesus to help the people learn about Him, including hand movements and has people recite memory verses over and over again for each lesson.  Both of these things make it feel like it was designed for children, or as they stated in the beginning, people with no knowledge of Jesus.  If it was for kids I could see it working, not to make sure they are a disciple, but as a Sunday school class.  If it was for adults that were new Christians or wanted to learn about Christ, and didn't have any pre-existing knowledge, I would be concerned; as when reading it, it talked about Jesus a lot and it talked about God, but it didn't talk about Jesus as God.  There were times that it did say Jesus was God's son, but reading it, if you weren't familiar with the idea of the trinity, it would sound like Jesus was some sort of demi-god, or ideal human as it emphasized the  separation between Jesus and God the Father or the Holy Spirit more then most people do. (It was in the context of how we should be like Jesus and listen to the Holy Spirit, etc. but reading it, it just hit me that I don't think it said Jesus was God and if I wasn't Christian I don't think I would learn it in the actual lesson parts of the program.)   Besides that I could see the pictures useful in teaching people about Jesus, but teaching someone about Jesus is not the same thing as helping them be a radical disciple. 

Also, it's method of multiplying disciples was presented in such a way that it made Christianity sound like a pyramid scheme with getting a gold star from God as the prize. (Note: it did not suggest that you would get a gold star, only candy.)  

In closing: this book does have a number of useful pieces in it, but I do not know how following it exactly (as it states you should do) will result in making all sorts of radical disciples as the title states.  It could be a useful tool in teaching people who don't know anything about Jesus things, but it wouldn't be the only tool needed.  Also it is so much easier to write long reviews of books I don't like then ones that I do like, as I don't worry about giving too much away. That is why a number of the reviews on mystery books are just a list of characters and the opening events.  And I am glad that this book actual worked for all the people that gave it 5 stars on Amazon, I just don't know how it did.  

Sent Together: How the Gospel Sends Leaders to Start Missional Communities:

Sent Together: How the Gospel Sends Leaders to Start Missional Communities: By: Brad Watson
Non-fiction: Religion, NYR, E-book
E-Book Count: 2
Book Count: 4

So I read this book because it relates to something that we are trying out at church and that I am working on. Although, as I told one friend when talking about it, I knew that it was going to be a Protestant book when I got it, but then it really cinched it by quoting (and there forth meaning that the author actually read,) one of the documents of Vatican II.  As seen by a conversation that I only overheard part of, but which I think was someone complaining about the same church activity that caused me to read this book, which included the line, "You know that Vatican II really said. . ." and was stated by someone that I am almost positive never read any of the actual documents.  (Side bar to the conversation that I had: I think I have read the document that was quoted in the book. Maybe if it looks like he needs a laugh sometime, I will confess it to my priest. . . " Father forgive me, It's been 2 months since my last confession: I actually read things that the popes said before forming an unmovable opinion on it, oh and here is the bottle of water you asked for.")

And now onto the actual book, which from the title you might have guessed is about making mission communities/church planting/neighborhood outreach or what ever you might want to call many similar activities of that sort.  It includes practical advice, questions to ask yourself/group, personal stories of how things have worked or not worked for them in real life, and a Bible based set of reasons why to do something like this.  It includes a loose framework to do these things, including suggestions for more exact things you might pick from to do depending on where your group is: spiritually, in life, physically, etc.  It also has a large number of quotes from the Bible, and Christians from various backgrounds relating to each chapter. And some great, simple explanations of the kerygma/Gospel/Salvation story.  At the end there is a series of appendixes for all planning activities suggested in the book.

Rediscover Jesus:

Rediscover Jesus: an Invitation By: Matthew Kelly
Non-Fiction: Religion,NYR, 187 pages
Physical Book Count: 2
Book Count: 3

First here is a link to my friend's review of this book. (Even if he does hate everything that Matthew Kelly writes as Kelly doesn't write for where he happens to be spiritually right at this time.  And he had more grammar problems in that post then most any other post that he has done.)
Anyway if you haven't clicked on the link, this book is written in 40 short chapters that are made so that you can read one in a few minutes every day, with the idea being that you can read one each day during Lent. (Not counting Sundays, and with a prologue and opening that are not part of the 40 count.)  At the end of each chapter is: a point to ponder that sums up the reading, a Bible verse, a question to ask yourself about the chapter, and a short prayer. It is written for people that might be new Christians, or have been Christians for some time but wants to renew or grow their faith/love.  Also although it is written for reading during Lent and is from a Catholic organization, it is written in a general Christian tone that people of different branches of Christianity would not find issue with any doctrinal differences in the book, as it isn't concerned with it.

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team:

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable By: Patrick Lencioni
Non-fiction: Business, 224 pages
Physical Book Count: 1
Book Count: 2

I read this book because it was given to me in a meeting at church.  It is apparently the book that is going threw all the ministry groups for this year.  Also the author is friends with Matthew Kelly and does a similar thing of taking all the things that they used in the business world to help churches.  This book is much more just business, but it deals with problems that would be helpful for all sorts of organizations. And it deals with group dynamics and meetings, two things that are very important to church groups.

The 5 interrelated dysfunctions that it talks about are: lack of trust, fear of conflict, lack of commitment, avoiding accountability and inattention to results.  The book tells a story of a business to show how all of these things work together to cause a group to fail.  It also induces more traditional non-fiction style writing at the end with charts and data covering the same info in a more condensed format.  

Change in book counting:

I have decided to change up our book count method.  As you might have noticed in the past I have only noted the number of physical books that I have read.  But there are a number of books that are full length books, but I read on an e-book format and so I did not count it, making my book count much lower then it really was. So for now on I will count both full length e-books and physical books under the book count.  And then list all the things that I read either as a physical book count, or an e-book count, even if the e-book is a novella.  So my book count will be the number of full length books that I have read in the year, as well as a count of the number of physical books and e-books that I have read in the year.

Mother Night:

Mother Night by: Kurt Vonnegut
Fiction: humor,e-book
E-Book Count:1
Book Count:1

Note: this is my first attempt at writing this on a new screen, that does not seem to hate me yet.  But I am sure auto correct shall torment me soon on it.

This book is the story of a Nazi living in a run down apartment in NCY years after loosing the war.  And it is the story of a American spy that had nothing really left to live for with the war over. And it is the story of a writer whose wife and muse is gone, leaving him with nothing but memoires. And it is the story of a man hiding who he is, who becomes best friends with a Russian spy who is also hiding his true self. And as you might have guessed, all these men are the same guy, who is writing down his life story as he sits in an Israeli jail waiting to see if he will be killed for his war crimes or if proof that he was working for the USA will come in time.

Hexes and X's:

Hexes and X's: (Z & C Mysteries#3) by: Zoey and Claire Kane
Fiction: Mystery, E-Book

This is book 3 in the series, but is a stand alone story.  In this book they are dealing with missing people, murder, witches, a horrible storm, and a pirate treasure.  Also there is a river of poop, because some how the traps, clues and other things set up by the original owner of the antique house they are in, did not get changed in any way.  This includes the part that is connected to the cities sewer system, because that is realistic.

New Year's Resolutions:

As I stated yesterday, I will not be making resolutions that could not be done by the Amish, because then the machines won't win.  At least not this time.

1.- Required weight lost goal-  Less cheat days/foods.
2 - The spiritual goal - To read 12 books/essays/pieces by saints, religious leaders, and/or others on the subject.   Note to my kindle: Just because I loaded you up with things that fit this, doesn't mean that I don't have a supply of paperbacks that could work just as well, so don't get any ideas.
3- The writing goal- To work on at least 3 pieces this year. Note to the computer: I can write this with paper and a pen, given the attitude that the printer has, I might just start out this way with them.

So for my IRL friends, there is the list of things that you can bug me about this year.  Now I just need to eat all this junk food before midnight.

Last Year's Resolutions:

As you might remember from my earlier post, computers have decided to turn on me this year.  So almost everything that I had planned to do, I gave up on after having to deal with crashes, breaking and disappearing data.  So I  did manage to read the 12 books that I wanted too, and I think they all ended up on the FB list with rating, but besides that, I think this next year none of my resolutions should be dependent on electronics.

A Night of Horrors:

A Night of Horrors:A Historical Thriller about the 24 Hours of Lincoln's Assassination by: John C. Berry
Fiction: History, E-book

Yes, this another book that deals with an historic event by writing a novel style story based on the facts and information written by people that were there.  In this case it is the story of the events surrounding the assassination of Lincoln, and the plot to kill other members of the government at the same time.  This story is told from many different point of view, including that of Booth.  It also deals with what is happening in multiple places at the same time, so that you can read about what the president and other government and military members were doing at the same time as what Booth and the others working with him were doing.

The Lost Tribe of Coney Island:

The Lost Tribe of Coney Island: Headhunters, Luna Park, and the Man Who Pulled Off the Spectacle of the Century By: Claire Prentice
Non-Fiction: History, E-book

1st- We are back from our month(ish) of writing, and then gift buying. (We did finish a non-Nanowrimo piece today.)
2nd- This title was so long that I had to look up the book on-line to read it all.
3rd- All computers hate me, it is the only reasonable answer for this year, I do not know what I did to anger them, but they are mad.
4th- A review of the book. . .

This book is about the true story of when America first gained control of the Philippines and became enamored with the native peoples, especially the Igorrote tribe that were headhunters from the interior of the country.  They were first shown in the World's Fair in America and then Truman Hunt, got the idea to make money by showing them around the USA.  This started with a place on Coney Island, and ended up with them touring any county fair or amusement park that he could find, as he mismanaged funds, lied to governments, and kidnapped the tribes people after the one year term of their contract with him ended.  It is written in a novel format, but is based on all of the records that the author could find.  It also ends with more info on what happened to all the people, or at least all of the info they could find on them, as many of the records were lost, or there were not necessary much records to begin with. (For example, the records of people that went back to tribal life are almost nonexistent.)  It also deals some with other people that showed tribes people around America and Europe and the degrees in which the either also mistreated them, or treated them well, as well as the issues that this brought up

Rags & Bones

Rags & Bones: New Twists on Timeless Tales ed By: Melissa Marr and Tim Pratt
Fiction: Short Stories, Classics, Sci Fi, Fantasy, Paranormal 350 pages
Book Count: 48

This collection of short stories are all based on other works: classics, fairy tales, etc.  Each one retells the story in some way; changing the time and place, point of view, or even taking the ideas in a whole new direction.

Happy Halloween!!!!!

Strange Histories:

Strange Histories: The trail of the pig, the walking dead, and other matters of fact from the medieval and Renaissance worlds By: Darren Oldridge
Non-fiction: History, Paranormal, Religion 175 pages
Book Count: 47

This book is about many unusual beliefs that people had in the Middle ages and during the Renaissance, and how given their world view and what the knew to be true, all of these things were logical.  It also talks about how this relates to things that we now think are logical or facts my be based more on world view and not scientific facts.  It deals with the arguments that people had over details for these things and how they were thought out and logical given what they knew.  For example, devils flying witches to locations was seen as more likely then them traveling there in spirit. Because, in the Bible it says the Devil transported Jesus to the top of the Temple, so demons must be able to move  matter.  And as only God has the power of life and death, removing a soul from a body was argued to also be something that only God can do.  So while a modern person might see the inverse as more logical, because it doesn't go against the rules for flight and many people have heard of out-of-body experiences, medieval people had logical reasons for coming to a conclusion that people today see as strange and unbelievable.

How To Write A Novel The Easy Way:

How To Write A Novel The Easy Way Using the Pulp Fiction Method to Write Better Novels. By: Jim Driver
Non-fiction: Writing, E-book

A quick read on how the quickly write novels using the methods that pulp fiction writers used.  Like the other book I have read from this author he used books and movies as examples, but in this one he explained them more, so you didn't have to already be familiar with the work.

Victorian San Francisco Stories

Victorian San Francisco Stories By: M. Louisa Locke
Fiction: Mystery, Short Story, History, E-book


This book is a collection of short stories all based of characters in the author's novels.  They all take place around a boarding house in Victorian San Francisco who's owner is a widowed young woman that pretends to be a physic as that is the only way that she can get paid for giving out financial tips at that time.  One story is like a prequel  to the books and explains how she started faking being physic, because she couldn't be a financial adviser otherwise.  The other storied mostly revolve around her boarders.  There are historic notes at the end for each story.

Star Trek The Starfleet Survival Guide

Star Trek The Starfleet Survival Guide By: David Mack
Non-fiction: Sci-fi, Pop Culture, 177 pages
Book Count: 46

This book is the companion to the "Starfleet Basic Survival Manual" that everyone gets at the academy.  It includes what to do in the various situations that the Enterprise always gets into.

Witches: A Horror Short Story Collection

Witches: A Horror Short Story Collection By: Mav Skye
Fiction: Short story, Paranormal, E-book

A collection of short stories having to do with witches, Halloween, and other horror things.  It also has a poem in it.

Jane the Hippie Vampire: Love Beads

Jane the Hippie Vampire: Love Beads By: Lisa Lane
Fiction: Paranormal, E-book

Jane was turned during the 60's and hasn't stopped being a hippie in the decades that followed.  She likes a smoke and some good tunes and is a vegetarian (in that she doesn't eat animal meat, but does drink human blood as she must to survive.)  Also, she is a religious vampire who thinks that she might be able to reverse her curse by doing enough good and avoiding evil. She ends up meeting someone that oddly can tell that she is a vampire and crashes at their place. Then things get weird.

A Passive Aggressive Letter to the Baker Park Library:

Dear Library,

  Hello, I would like to tell you about an amazing invention.  It is called the Dewey Decimal System.  It was invented in 1876 and is a way for people to know what the subject mater is of a book.  It is as easy to use as counting, as you just arrange all the books by the number that is located on the spine of all your non-fiction books.  If that is hard for you to understand you can ask for help from any other branches of the library, or from most every other library in the country.  I know that you have attempted your own version of this by putting all of the books in sections that you personally labeled, but each time I run to your location in a hurry this has caused issues.  One time I used the website for the library to find a book and wrote down what its number was so that I could find it.  But things were not arranged by the Dewey Decimal Classification so I had to look all around the section labeled with it's subject matter, and then when it wasn't under that I had to look around for where else it might be.  The last two times I have picked up books labeled as "Humor" gave them a quick look and only when I started to read them did I find out that one was a book on Astrology (and not on making fun of astrology as a quick look of the cover would imply) the other was a fiction book on global warming (and not just some dark humor on pop culture as it looked like.) I know that there are cost connected with this system, but as every other branch of the county library that I have been in uses the system I have to imagine that you are paid up for using it. (Even the branch in the mall uses it, and if any branch should be using an idiots method of arranging books, it should be the one next to the arcade.)  So please, start using the same method of shelving books as every other library that I have ever been in and not just sticking books where you think that they might go.

~Me

P.S. I know moving all the books will not be that hard as my main branch likes to switch up the sections for fiction and non-fiction, teen and audio books at least once a year.

Grimm End

Grimm End By: S T Cameron
Fiction: Paranormal, Mystery, E-book

This book has the full range of paranormal things: Shape shifters, reanimated corpses, magic, Greek mythology, genies, and  mysterious things of unknown origin. It centers around a small town in modern times that seams like it is a different time.  At the start of the book I thought it might have been from the 1900's until the car drove by.  In the main part of the story they even point out how old fashion the town seams (c. 1950's) as there is no cell reception, a old style dinner, and the town shuts down for the night.
The main story is about three siblings that find out that their family was from the town from above and their great grandfather use to collect mysterious things of great power.  Three other "sisters" which might be connected with the Fates are trying to get "Pandora's Box" and are using the kids to get to it.

Just A Little Terrible

Just A Little Terrible By: Vincent V. Cava
Fiction: Short Story, Paranormal, E-book

This e-book is a collection of flash fiction horror stories.  Which means that each story can be read in a minute or two as none of them are longer then 1,000 words.  Because of this there are a lot of stories where the horror comes from a twist ending or finding out that what you were assuming was going on is not what is happening.  But not all of them rely on the surprise ending.

The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod: Eighth Grade Bites

The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod: Eighth Grade Bites By: Heather Brewer
Fiction: YA, Paranormal, Mystery 182 pages
Book Count: 45

Vlad has to deal with all the normal problems of junior high school: bullies, girls, grades, overprotective adults, etc. However, he also is half vampire, and living with his "aunt" (really his mother's best friend) after both his parents died years ago leaving him the only vampire that he knows of.   His aunt and his best friend are the only two people that know his secret. And as his aunt is a nurse he doesn't have to hunt, as she sneaks almost expired blood out of the blood bank for him.  But then his teacher disappears and the sub is a mysterious man that makes English class all about mythic creatures (including vampires) and Vlad's quiet life of blood slushies and cheesy horror film watching is in danger.

And the Sea Called Her Name:

And the Sea Called Her Name By: Joe Hart
Fiction: Short Story, Paranormal, E-Book

A man marries a woman whose mother went missing twice in a coastal fishing town.  Things were good between them, until she got pregnant and started acting weird.  With all the connections to the sea and her mother's disappearances being sea related I thought this might be a variation of the myth of the selkie, but it is not.

Sleep Like The Dead: Short Stories- Vol 1:

Sleep Like The Dead: Short Stories- Vol 1 By: Daniel Blackmore
Fiction: Paranormal, Short Story, E-book

This book has 2 short stories and then the first 2 chapters of a longer book by the author.

Rag Doll:

Rag Doll By: Troy McCombs
Fiction: Short Story, Paranormal, E-Book

A young girl finds an old rag doll at a yard sale, and then creepy things start happening.

Waking Up: How I Found My Faith By Losing It:

Waking Up: How I Found My Faith By Losing It By: Ted Dekker
Non-Fiction: Religion, Memoir, E-book

 Unlike many books by this author, this one doesn't fit in our month of Halloween theme.  And you can also see how far ahead my reading is from this list, as I read this book on Sunday, because I didn't feel like reading spooky stories while I worked the computers at church. (listening to the musicians practicing the hymns for the day really ruins the mood.)

This book is a really short book on the author's faith journey, with info on what book he was writing during a key time in his story; because, the book deals with the questions and issues that he was dealing with at that time. (And because as a free book, it is in part an ad for his books/website.)  

Aladdin and the Flying Dutchman:

Aladdin and the Flying Dutchman By: J. R. Rain and Piers Anthony
Fiction: Fantasy, Paranormal, 165 pages
Book Count: 44

This is book 3 in a series based off the question of, what did Aladdin do after the end of his story in Arabian Nights.  As you might have guessed from the title it includes a mixture of different legends, myths and beliefs.  This gets interesting when mixing them all together.  Aladdin is Muslim, but goes to a Hades based off of Greek Mythology (with Greek gods and demi-gods), where they also talk about Purgatory.
At the start of the book, Aladdin is already flying on the Flying Dutchman, with it's ghostly crew.  The story is actually about the key to Hades being taken from the sirens as they were attacked by a kraken.  Aladdin and his friends must stop the key from being used, having many adventures as they try to do so.

Buried Treasures of the Appalachians:

Buried Treasures of the Appalachians: Legends of Homestead Caches, Indian Mines and Loot From Civil War Raids By: W. C. Jameson
Non-fiction: History, 205 pages
Book Count: 43

If I learned anything reading this book, it is that the Appalachians are full of caves, mines, river banks and random buried objects that are full of millions of dollars work of gold, silver, and important historic relics that are impossible to find, even with a map or having been there before.  Also, that it is really annoying when one goes back and forth calling the Civil War: the Civil War or the War Between the States, sometimes in the same entry.

Review of My Cat:

Review of My Cat by: Tanner Ringerun and Jack Shepherd
Non-fiction: Humor
Book Count: 42

Finally, a way the rate ones cat on 4 simple criteria: Appearance, Sociability, Usefulness and Huggability. This book reviews both famous cats as well as not famous cats. (For a few; that blurry picture of what might be a cat with the review, is the only proof for outsiders that the cat in question exists, like Bigfoot, but with more puking in shoes.)  Each cat is graded and placed in the appropriate section: good, bad, really bad, ugly, and useless.

The Very Bad Dream:

The Very Bad Dream By: Anne Schraff
Fiction: YA, Mystery 32 pages
Book Count: 41

I picked this book up from the library, just because I have never seen anything like it.  It looks just like the type of book that a school might have for beginning readers, or slower readers. It is only 32 pages long and has questions in the back like they might use in school. Even the writing style, somehow makes me think of school books. And it is part of a series of short books by a publisher that has educational in their name.  However, it stars college kids who get drunk, go to clubs,  and is about a "dream" the main character has of a murder that actually happened.  So, not the subject matter you would expect for a school read, unless it is decades to centuries old, and therefore a classic.

Good Night Darth Vader:

Good Night Darth Vader By: Jeffrey Brown
Fiction: Children's, Graphic Novel, Humor, Pop Culture
Book Count: 40

Vader is trying to get the twins asleep by telling them the story of how characters all across the galaxy are going to sleep. (Or at least trying to.)

Hell House:

Hell House & Other True Hauntings From Around the World By: Alison Rattle and Allison Vale
Non-fiction: History, Paranormal 207 pages
Book Count: 39

This book is a collection of a couple of page entries on famous haunted houses and other places/people from around the world.  It includes places from all over the world divided by region.  Because it covers all over, it only includes a couple of stories from each place.  Some of the places are well known, some are not. It also has pictures of many of the places.

Digging Up Death:

Digging Up Death: (A Mari Duggins Mystery) By: Gina Conroy
Fiction: Mystery, Religion, E-book

This is a quaint Christian novel on: a possible murder, theft, adultery, international crime,  impeding a criminal investigation, domestic abuse,  secrets, lies and other such things.  Also the story resolved around an archaeology department at a  college that is connected with Egyptian digs.  And a teacher in the department that gets physically ill when touching dirt.

The Nightmare Collective: An Anthology of Horror Short Stories:

The Nightmare Collective: An Anthology of Horror Short Stories: By: M.B. Vujacic, et al.
Fiction: Short Stories, Horror, Paranormal, E-book


This collection of horror stories includes a mix of popular horror story lines.  It includes ghosts, unexplained happenings, cursed things, etc.  Each story is stand alone with no connection between stories besides the genre.

Vampire Dreams: Samantha Moon Stories Book 4:

Vampire Dreams: Samantha Moon Stories Book 4: By/Ed By: J.R.Rain
Fiction: Fantasy, Paranormal, Short Stories, Classics, E-Book

The book is a collection of short stories that are supernatural in origin.  Along with the first story with, who I guess, is the title character, there are a few other stories without her, as well as a couple of classic scary stories.  It includes "The Raven" and "The Monkey's Paw."  

Dracula Rising:

Dracula Rising By: Jackson Stein
Fiction: Fantasy, Paranormal, E-book

This is a story in the vein of Vlad Tepes was really a vampire.  It takes place when he was 18 and in this story world completely, stupidly, naive.  So, as any of you that have read his life story know, this book doesn't stick too much to actual historic facts.  There are people and things in the story that actually happened, but not in the way, time, or by the person that they do in the story.  Also there is a vast conspiracy theory, which is offensively unrealistic.

Mary, Mother of the Son:

Mary, Mother of the Son By: Mark P. Shea
Non-fiction: Religion, E-book

First, this book is rather long and deep, and so that is why it took me so long to read that it ended up messing with October's theme of Halloween, Halloween, Other October Holidays, Halloween, and NaNoWriMo prep.  I started it in August.

This book, as you might have guessed by the title, subject, or author is about Mary the mother of Jesus.  It is written by some one that was an evangelical and then converted to Catholicism after having a deep mistrust of the Catholic view of Mary, but an intellectual belief in the Church.  Like many people in his situation even after he converted, he wasn't too sure on all the devotions and visions of Mary that many people follow, but are not required to believe in the Catholic Church.   The book goes through how major Catholic beliefs about Mary, may not be directly in the Bible, but are hinted at as much as many doctrines that all Christians believe, even thought it is not stated in the Bible.  Also, how they all relate back to Jesus and/or the hopes of all Christians and why they were made official in times to counter heresy that evangelicals would also see as being wrong.  It also covers things like the history of the rosary and why, although no Catholic is required to pray it, many people use it to help in their prayer life.  And you learn important and completely useful facts like that the Vatican has no official stance on who was the best Beatle, or how to eat a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup.  (To relate to October, it also pointed out that there isn't anything official on ghosts either; however, there have been a lot more of priest and bishops sharing their own personal thoughts on that subject.) With the main point of pointing out those things is to show how there are a number of things that the Catholic Church has a set belief on, but for the vast majority of things there is nothing set in stone on what a Catholic should think.

Cthulhu Tales: Vol 1-3

Cthulhu Tales Vol 1
Fiction: Graphic Novel, Sci-fi, Short Story, 132 pages
Book Count: 38

Cthulhu Tales: The Whisper pf Madness: Vol 2
Fiction: Graphic Novel, Sci-fi, Short Story, 108 pages
Book Count: 39

Cthulhu Tales: Chaos of the Mind: Vol 3
Fiction: Graphic Novel, Sci-fi, Short Story, 112 pages
Book Count: 40

All of these books are collections of short stories that in some way relate to the Cthulhu mythology.  The stories take place in a various times and places and have a wide range of styles of drawings.  The stories also range from being somewhat humorous to classic horror.

The Start of the Month of Halloween!!!!

Star Wars: Jedi Academy:

Star Wars: Jedi Academy by: Jeffrey Brown
Fiction: Graphic Novel, YA, Sci-Fi, 159 pages
Book Count: 37

All young Roan wanted to do was go to Pilot Academy Middle School like his friends and family.  But after being rejected from the school, he gets invites to join Jedi Academy.  As his other option is Tatooine Agriculture Academy he decides to become a Jedi.  Once there he has a hard time as the rest of the students have been studying the Force for years, and all know each other.

Reasons to Believe:

Reasons to Believe: How to Understand, Explain and Defend the Catholic Faith by: Scott Hahn
Non-fiction: Religion 197 pages
Book Count: 36

In this book, we do not get the word covenant a dozen times on each page until about half way through the book.  Also it deals with all the things it says in the subtitle on a basic, starter level.  

Doctor Who and Philosophy:

Doctor Who and Philosophy: Bigger on the Inside Ed. by: Courtland Lewis and Paula Smithka
Non-fiction: Pop Culture, Philosophy 397 pages
Book Count: 35

The "and Philosophy" collection of essays on the show "Doctor Who."  Although it was printed during the time that Matt Smith was 11, most of the essays either deal with only classic Who or sound like the were written during 9 or early 10. It deals with many issues of time travel, regeneration, ethics, art, the villains of the show, and the culture that produced the show.  Also there were a collection of quotes.

The Utterly Uninteresting and Unadventurous Tales of Fred The Vampire Accountant:

The Utterly Uninteresting and Unadventurous Tales of Fred The Vampire Accountant:by: Drew Hayes
Fiction: Paranormal, E-book

What if your boring average person became a vampire?  And what if instead of changing their personality in any way the only things it changed was what they ate and when they went out? And what if this person was such a wimp to start with that they use their accounting abilities to  do some creative bookkeeping for some one with access to a blood bank, because they can't even hunt for themselves? That would be Fred.  But this book isn't a boring account of cooking the books, because much like how he ended up becoming a vampire, Fred has luck of being at the wrong place at the wrong time quiet often.   And so Fred gets caught up in adventures involving a wide range of the paranormal world, even though all he wants to do is drink a nice glass of wine, and watch some movies at home.

Confessions of a Prayer Slacker:

Confessions of a Prayer Slacker: by: Diane Moody
Non-fiction: religion,  E-book

In true slacker fashion I had picked up this book around March and have just got to reading it now.  This book is about the writer's prayer journey, and how like her you can go from a prayer slacker to someone that makes time every day for prayer.  It includes different things that might help one to be prepared to pray more; list of  things to have at hand (Bible, prayer journal, paper to write down that thing that you just remembered that you needed to do when you sat down, etc. );  Bible quotes, names of God and their meaning for meditating on, and more.