Book Talk with Cute on Top

My reading time is suffering TREMENDOUSLY from an attack of the killer cute. Consider:

And then I have THIS:

Don't worry, y'all. I'm not giving up the reading, even though they're conspiring to try to eat my homework.

Recent Reads

21 Ways to Worship: A Guide to Eucharistic Adoration, by Vinny Flynn (MercySong/Ignatius, 2012)

My rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Why yes, I was rather reluctant to read this one. That makes the awesomesauce that this book was even sweeter. I thought I knew the tone it would have and the attitude of eye-rolling it would inspire in me. I was, in fact, convinced I would have to work to write a favorable review.

In this book, Flynn brilliantly and concisely makes a case, not just for Adoration, not just for a deeper prayer life, not just for a gimmick-style Christian life, but for an approach to really living and transforming your life through small actions. Call it prayer, call it worship, call it Adoration: it is, at the root of it, encouragement for those of us who struggle, for those of us who juggle unsuccessfully, for those of us who wonder if what we’re doing is ever enough.

There’s no “Catholic lite” in this book, just a toolbox packed with approaches, ideas, and sincere devotion. You won’t be able to help changing your life as you read this book. Mine’s already better. I can’t wait to read it again.

Current Reads

Strange Gods: Unmasking the Idols in Everyday Life, by Elizabeth Scalia (Ave Maria Press, 2013)

What's not to love? I'm only partway through the acknowledgements, which are a who's-who of Catholic bloggers and writers, but I'm already hooked. I heard Scalia on a recent episode of Catholic Weekend and, had it not been for the fact that I was baling my crazy-grass-growing yard for something like the fifth time that week, I would have stopped everything to start reading.

A Method to the Madness: A Guide to the Super Evil, by Jeffrey Hite (Five Rivers Chapmanry, 2013, fiction)

I should be done with this book already! Except...except that it's MAY. And you know what THAT means, right? It means...well, yeah, I have excuses and dirt under my toenails and grimy kids and mowing to do and...and...and... The more I read of this book, the more I love it. Next week, I will have more to say under the "I'm done with it now" category. :)

On Heaven and Earth: Pope Francis on Faith, Family, and the Church in the Twenty-First Century, by Jorge Bergoglio (Pope Francis) & Abraham Skorka (Image Books, 2013)

On the one hand, this is a great book to read in small chunks. It's spiritual reading with a conversational tone (because it's really a conversation). On the other hand, I want to just...keep...reading. Good, good, GOOOOOOOD stuff.

What have YOU been reading lately?

*Are you on Goodreads? I'll see you there!

Curious about what my ratings mean? Here's an explanation of what the stars mean to me.

Be sure to check out our Book Notes archive.

Copyright 2013, Sarah Reinhard