Category: Book Review

“The Boogies and the Woogies” by Marianne Reed is just so cute, so colorful and so adorable that I enjoyed it immensely even though I’m no longer a little child. It just felt good to be young again and to see a world where everything is new and wonderful. This book has a certain way of conveying positivity and warmth to its readers through its vivid illustrations and smart narrative. In a simple but very effective way, it delivers a strong message to readers young and old, a message that the world badly needs today.

Sometimes it’s hard to see a solution without seeing our situation from another perspective. And that’s where this book comes in. It enables its readers to visualize through its magical pages how we sometimes behave and why we often can’t find the answers to our problems.

Haven’t we seen children fight over something they can’t seem to settle by themselves? (Well, it seems even adults also, but let’s talk about that later on). Many times, a fight can go on because neither side is unwilling to acknowledge who is right and who is wrong. This is very much like the Boogies and the Woogies!

Although these delightful little creatures look the same, the reader will soon find out how terribly different they perceived each other. In fact, they have become so distant that one day, there appeared a great crack between them! How would this crack affect their lives? How do you solve something when all that you can see is an enemy?

But to avoid misunderstanding the message of the book, we should keep in mind that the final message is not about whether there is a difference between right and wrong. Clearly, something was wrong when the Woogies refused to listen and to reconcile.

What then is right? It is love.

And what is love? It is thinking about and doing what’s good for the other. The opposite is pride. To stubbornly wish to appear like you’re right even when you’re wrong, even when you’re already hurting those around you. It’s when you’re so puffed up with yourself that you refuse to see the face of the person in front of you.

The message of this book is deeper than the usual lessons one could learn in picture books. And for this, a discussion between the adults and young ones may be needed. This is a golden opportunity not only to impart good values to children but to bond with them and to spend precious memories no one could take away.

For this reason, this story will have a lasting impact long after it has been read. It will be remembered as a strong message that can equip young ones with the key to solving many irreconcilable problems later on.

It is my hope that when these children grow up into the adults like many of us are today, they could find a better way to communicate with each other no matter how different they seem to be.

Oh, how I wish it were that easy to set aside our differences like the Boogies and the Woogies did. To see the face of the person in front of us and just start to love that person.

Maybe then we could truly realize what matters in life. Maybe then, this world can finally learn the way to peace.

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Book Author

MARIANNE REED

Currently living the country life in the woods of southwest Ohio, Marianne Reed is an artist, musician, former pediatric nurse, and mother to a wonderful teen daughter. She’s been an avid reader and keen appreciator of children’s picture books since first checking out a tiny copy of The Tale of Tom Kitten at the age of five from the local public library. Later in life she expanded her research spending countless hours in Powells bookstore with a good cup of coffee and a stack of lavishly illustrated picture books to peruse.

“Over the years I’ve accumulated many fun stories in my mind. Now that life has slowed down a bit for me, I’m finally getting some of them down on paper. I’m really hoping that children and adults alike will enjoy reading them as much as I enjoy writing them.”

Read Marianne’s Author Interview.

There’s a song I don’t much like. It’s a very popular song, but I think it’s too often represented as a hopeful song. There’s actually a lot of despair within the lyrics.

I used to change the radio station when I was driving and this song was played. I still do, but I take a moment to pray first.

What changed?

We went to a funeral, a couple of years ago, for a young man who had taken his own life. Because he was a music fan, family and friends were encouraged to wear concert t-shirts to the prayer service. And on the back of the prayer card, where there’s usually a prayer or a Scripture verse, was the first verse of this famous song, which begins,

“Imagine there’s no heaven.”

Imagine the despair behind that line. Imagine the utter lack of hope that it takes to hold the view that heaven does not exist. It’s easy, the songwriter maintains—but it’s not easy at all. It’s heartbreaking.

In my book The Handy Little Guide to Prayer (Our Sunday Visitor) I encourage readers to create prayer cues: little reminders to pray for a specific person or need. These can be as simple as praying for an out-of-state friend ay time you see a car with a license plate from the state where your friend lives.

“It’s easy if you try,” as the song goes. Prayer cues like this are easy to implement, and once you start using them, you’ll find more and more ways to incorporate this type of prayer into your life.

“Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Using prayer cues can help you do exactly that.

“I hope someday you’ll join us” … in the hopeful practice of using prayer cues.

After that funeral, I added a new prayer cue to my playbook. When I hear that song, I take a minute to pray for a young man who identified so much with an anthem of despair that the least hopeful lyrics imaginable were printed on his funeral card.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and may perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

Author bio: Barb Szyszkiewicz is a wife, mom of 3 young adults, and a Secular Franciscan. She is editor at CatholicMom.com. Barb enjoys writing, cooking, and reading, and is a music minister at her parish and an avid Notre Dame football and basketball fan. Find her blog at FranciscanMom.com.

Author social media: @franciscanmom on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter

Barb Szyszkiewicz is the author of the book “The Handy Little Guide to Prayer”. 

In this brief booklet, author, mom, wife, and Secular Franciscan Barb Szyszkiewicz helps you strengthen your connection to God through prayer.

You can find her book today at Amazon – click here.

Your connection to God in prayer can happen anywhere, at any time. No special equipment is needed, and no dress code, no reservation, no admission fee. All you need is an open heart and a willingness to engage with our Creator.

“Snuggles, Kisses & Hugs: Have A Party” is truly an amazing book with a lot of heart! Featuring three wonderful characters who can’t be more different from each other, it’s a story that’s bound to prove how our differences need not keep us from forming a solid and lasting friendship that could overcome countless challenges in life.

From the very beginning of the book, it has been dedicated to parents who wanted to raise their children to be good people when they grow up. It’s something that has quickly etched a mark of sincerity to a reader like me even before I read the rest of the story. Isn’t it what all parents desire to do? And what better way than through a fun-filled and engaging book that would dig deep into the heart and imagination of young ones?

In this story, Snuggles The Bouncing Bunny, Kisses The Fashion Fox, and Hugs The Ballerina Bear will be faced with a seemingly simple yet difficult task of preparing a party for their common friend Tickles The Turtle. How would they go about arranging for this party considering their personal preferences that seem to contradict one another’s liking? Could they find a way to overcome their differences for the sake of their beloved pal?

Vivid illustrations that excellently capture this fantastic story help the children to better imagine how these three friends try to prepare a party despite their unique tastes. Each character is adorable and easy to love. The setting is also wonderfully illustrated creating a colorful and memorable atmosphere that’s fit for this endearing story.

This is a book that stands out both in visual presentation as well as in its deeper substance. A book that parents and children can enjoy reading together whether during the day or before taking the kids to sleep at night. I can imagine this to be a well-loved bedtime story that children can appreciate listening to over and over again.

A child’s memory is often the best place to let good seeds of love, compassion and kindness grow. Through this book, a wonderful story of friendship could very well spread some of those seeds with the help of parents and teachers who could spend priceless moments of bonding and adventure with them through reading.

I highly recommend this book! It is not only entertaining and worth one’s time, but it is also filled with heart-warming lessons that could equip and assist children for life.

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How A Catholic Millennial Learned the Value of Redemptive Suffering

Have you ever asked how a good God could let bad things happen? Where is God in the midst of suffering? Is there any hope left for me?

On May 22, 2019, Caitie Crowley was an ordinary 24-year-old driving home from work, and then next moment her life would be changed forever. Caitie was in a traumatic car accident on her way home from work and almost lost her life. She couldn’t walk for 10 months. She took that time to write about her experiences and how her faith in God carried her through her pain. Her book, Stepping Up: How Christ Turned My Pain & Suffering Into Hope & Joy, takes the reader through Caitie’s physical struggle of learning to walk again and her interior struggle of learning to walk with God through the cross.

LIFE BEFORE

Prior to her traumatic car accident, Caitie was an ordinary 24-year-old girl. She was working at a marketing agency while attending graduate school at Northwestern University. Additionally, dance had always been a huge part of her life. She danced competitively in high school and a year in college, and she continued to place a high importance on fitness, usually working out six days a week. Caitie was dating, enjoying hobbies, and her Catholic faith was also very important to her. She went to weekly mass, adoration, and bible study. In just one moment, except for her faith, all of these aspects of her life were taken.

THE IMPACT

In her book, Stepping Up, Caitie recounts a vivid description of the accident, including asking Jesus for forgiveness as her car was rolling. She felt excruciating pain and expected to die. By God’s grace, she didn’t; however, she was left with multiple injuries. Caitie was hospitalized for 11 days, was in a wheelchair for 10 weeks, and couldn’t walk without braces and assisted devices for nearly a year. With surgery and therapy, pain and suffering lasted for two years, and she continues to improve each and every day. 

“There were many long, difficult days. Days where nothing seemed to change, nothing seemed to get better,” relayed Crowley. “I didn’t know if I was ever going to get better. Despite all circumstances that seemed rather bleak, I knew I had to put my trust in God.”

GUIDE TO SUFFERING WELL

Her book focuses not only on her medical and rehabilitation journey but also on redemptive suffering. That is that even through difficulty there is hope and that even through difficulty God can bring good out of it.

“This book isn’t just for people that have gone through a traumatic car accident. Whether it’s cancer, divorce, a sick child — you can take themes out of my book to help you during your crosses and to say, ‘Even when it seems hopeless, there’s hope,’” described Crowley.

SUFFERING PRODUCES FRUIT

“It’s amazing to think about how I felt then and what was still yet to come. I wouldn’t have believed it if you told me at the beginning,” remarked Crowley. “I realized that God permitted my suffering, but He didn’t cause it. However, He used every drop of it for greater good. I’m confident that He used it for the salvation of souls, the salvation of my own soul, and many tangible fruits that I’m seeing unfold in my life.”

A year and a half after the traumatic car accident, Crowley went on to graduate summa cum laude in information design and strategy from Northwestern University and landed her dream job doing human resource communications at a Fortune 100 company.

HANG ONTO HOPE

Even if you can’t see what is ahead and you don’t see how things could ever get better, through Him, you can find hope when it appears hopeless. Caitie’s book is available for purchase on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1952464951/

Caitie Crowley is a Catholic millennial. By God’s grace, she graduated Summa Cum Laude with her Master of Science in Information Design and Strategy with a Content Strategy concentration from Northwestern University. She is an HR communications representative at a Fortune 100 company and has also done writing for The Catholic Post, FOCUS-SEEK21, Live Action, Human Life Action, and Human Defense Initiative. You can get in touch with Caitie on Twitter (@CaitieCrowley) or via email (caitiecrowley@gmail.com).

A Book Review: Timeless Christian Lessons From the Classic Romance Novel by Nicholas Sparks

For years, I was content that I have watched the film based on Nicholas Sparks’s novel “A Walk to Remember”. It wasn’t until I found a social media post asking about books that made readers cry that I regained interest in reading it.

What’s different about the book?

Would I really cry? These were just some of the questions I had when I decided to purchase the classic romantic novel.

Set in 1958, the story about Landon Carter and Jamie Sullivan takes on a different period but not a contradicting theme. In fact, I think the book and the movie complement each other. Watching the film and reading the book provides people an experience that helps them gain a deeper and richer grasp of the story.

Told through the point of view of Landon, the book allows the reader to see things from his perspective. The reader sees what he sees, and I think this works most especially in the way he sees Jamie.

I love how the book is able to follow Landon’s change of heart as regards Jamie.

From being a distant and strange outcast his classmates take no notice of, Landon is able to know the person that Jamie truly is. In seeing this person, he comes full circle from being blind to being able to see everything that’s beautiful about this special girl. Isn’t love like that? One minute you’re blind and the next moment, it’s as though a whole new world has been opened before your very eyes and you could no longer take your heart away.

It’s not as though there was that one life-changing and grand moment when Landon instantly fell in love with Jamie. No, it’s not at all like that. What’s wonderful about the book is that it takes us with Landon and Jamie as they spend these seemingly ordinary moments that slowly yet effectively give the two the opportunity to realize their love for one another.

It’s that wonderful quality about love that kind of grows on you until it takes root within you, allowing you to fall ever deeper until you could no longer ignore it or turn away from it. 

You don’t fall in love at once, you fall slowly and then finally, and in that final moment, you realize how it’s always been there for you. In the end, while you were looking for love, were you not actually running away from it? Falling in love is finally letting love find you.

I think this is very similar to the way many of us fall in love with God.

At first, we may ignore Him or even consider His presence weird. We may not even want the world to see that we’re associated with Him for fear that our friends would avoid us.

But then these moments come when God is finally able to spend some time with us. We may feel guilty, we can be in denial, but the more we spend time with Him, the more we realize how wrong we were about Him. Finally, we admit how we love Him and we realize how He’s been there with us all along.

Going back to the book, another thing I liked about it was the way it showed how living your faith in a secular world can be a real challenge.

It was like that for Jamie. She was just trying to be nice, to be a good person. But the people around her considered her strange and unusual, a target for jokes and insults.

Maybe that’s just the way we tend to react to people who are not like us. Instead of trying to understand them, we just shrug them off and consider them as outcasts. This book can speak a lot about bullying and judging those who seem different from you.

The book was set during the 1950s and the movie during the 1990s. I wonder how the film would look like if it were remade today? How much more difficult would it be to live your faith as a simple teenager during our time? It’s not just about the temptations that abound these days. It’s that prejudice of being strange or self-righteous, of not being able to blend in and have friends at the time when you need them most.

Despite the challenges, however, I love how this book was able to depict the way Jamie Sullivan lived her life.

She simply did what she believed, bearing the judgments of other people, not giving in to resentment, staying as cheerful and as helpful as she was and trying to live a full life of love no matter her illness and difficulties.

It was Landon himself who said that Jamie was the true essence of the following Bible passage that described love:

“Love is always patient and kind. It is never jealous. Love is never boastful or conceited. It is never rude or selfish. It does not take offense and is not resentful. Love takes no pleasure in other people’s sins, but delights in the truth. It is always ready to excuse, to trust, to hope, and to endure whatever comes.”

How different indeed from the way we often describe love these days.

Today, love seems to be taken as the mere existence of “feelings” for a special person, a romantic kind of love. When that feeling wavers, love also disappears. But that is never the true essence of love.

How would it be like to meet a person who actually embodies the essence of love?

Maybe like Landon, we’d also feel guilty. We may react by just ignoring it or going away. But then again, we may finally see someone who can inspire us to be a better version of ourselves. We may see that it is still possible to be gentle and patient and to endure the many sacrifices needed so we can truly love.

This book has so many lessons to impart, and one of the things I shouldn’t forget to mention is the importance of life and the time given to us.

Quite often, we live as though we wouldn’t ever die or as though we’re certain we still have much time left. But what if we don’t? What if we only had a short time left just like Jamie? How would that make a difference in the way we live our lives?

The truth is that we don’t know how much time we have left.

And because of that, we should make the most of the time we still have. At the end of it all, what matters is that we have lived a life of meaning, a life where we have loved to the very end.

There is something about this book that makes an unforgettable impression upon me.

Perhaps it’s the message. Perhaps it’s in its simplicity. Or perhaps it’s about the characters that seemed so real you could almost touch them.

Nicholas Sparks said that out of all his novels, A Walk to Remember was his favorite one to write, the one that made him cry while writing it. This was also the one inspired by his younger sister, who, like Jamie Sullivan, was an inspiration to those around her despite her illness. She, too, had cancer, and she died in June 2000.

To us, however, who have loved Jamie and her story, she continues to live, kindling faith, hope and love within our hearts.

Before ending this review, you may be wondering if I cried while reading this novel.

And my answer would be, “No, I didn’t cry.” But that wouldn’t make this book any less valuable or worth reading.

It is not always the book that makes you shed your tears that’s worth it. You know it’s beautiful, too, if it could wipe your tears away.

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(Note: I will receive an affiliate commission from Amazon for every purchase of the said book through this post.)