Tag: reading

Books that Form Us and Deform the World.

First in a Series of My Book Reviews.

 Anyone who knows me knows that I am, at heart, a voracious reader.  Books have been my lifelong weakness and delight.  From the Little Golden Books that we poured over as kids, to my first parochial school library borrowing of A Is for Annabelle by Tasha Tudor, to the day I trudged home from the public library carrying eleven books for the mile‑and‑a‑quarter walk back home— stories and education have always been my companions.  Good books do more than entertain; they shape the soul in ways that are subtle yet profound.  This is the first in a continuing series that highlights books that I have recently read.

Books that I have read so far in 2026:

Toxin by Ouida (1895).

✒️ This short, fast reading story started off strong and ended weak.  All that for an opal necklace, a murder, and a wedding!  The writing style of Ouida (Maria Louise Ramé – 1839-1908) is intelligent, smooth, descriptive, and is peppered with French and Italian phrases.  Other readers might find this story their string of pearls and phial of a deadly toxin, but it wasn’t for me.  What I did learn about Ouida was that she was a contemporary of Oscar Wilde, Wilkie Collins, Robert Browning, et al.

Ole Mammy’s Torment by Annie Fellows Johnston (1897)

✒️ This was an entertaining short story with a lot of great dialect, funny scenes, and believable characters with true dialect in their voices.  The authoress is well-known for writing “The Little Colonel” series, which was made into one movie in 1935 with Shirley Temple.  My goodness!

The Children’s Own Longfellow by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1908).

✒️ What a fun book of poetry that I thoroughly enjoyed from cover to cover!  This is an early 20th century collection of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poetry, curated especially for young readers.  Gathering some of his most cherished works, the volume presents Longfellow’s storytelling in a form that is accessible, engaging, and rich with imagination.  The collection includes well-known pieces such as “The Wreck of the Hesperus,” “Evangeline,” “Paul Revere’s Ride,” and selections from “The Song of Hiawatha.”  This was enjoyable.

The Status Civilization by Robert Sheckley (1960)

✒️ This book is a lesson for today.  Will Barrent comes to consciousness aboard a prison transport headed for the planet Omega, his memories erased and his guilt for murder already decided. Omega is a place where the only way to stay alive is to break the law—because the law itself requires wrongdoing. With most newcomers surviving only a few years, Barrent is forced to adapt quickly to this upside down, topsy-turvy society while searching for answers about his own past. His journey eventually returns him to Earth, where he uncovers startling revelations about both planets and the hidden machinery of power that binds them together.

 

Our Lady of Good Studies, pray for us.  O Mary, our hope, have pity on us.

Indulgence of 300 days each time.  – Pope Pius X, January 8, 1906

 

O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to Thee.

Indulgence of 300 days each time.  – Pope Leo XIII, March 15, 1884; S.P. Ap., April 15, 1932.

 

 

0

Losing It with Quiet Discipline.

I have long known that the most reliable way to lose weight is also the least glamorous: change the way I eat, and do it without powders, liquids, pills, or any of the other gimmicks that promise transformation without effort.  They don’t work.  Real change comes from willpower, ordinary food, and an honest attitude.  These matter more than any trend.

This year, my efforts began even before Lent arrived.  A goal of losing eight pounds is losing eight pounds for more energy and just feeling better overall.  As January unfolded, I found myself preparing not only my interior life but also my habits.  I started cutting down on unnecessary snacking that crept in after supper.  Sure, I still indulged in a snack here and there, but it wasn’t gorging myself.  I continued my quiet campaign against corn syrup and the sugary additives that hide in so many foods.  And I returned to simpler cooking—meals that didn’t need to resemble anything from a fancy restaurant menu.  I proved to myself that I can cook anything well, so why do it every day?  That should be saved for special occasions.  Then I returned to meals that I grew up on that nourished rather than entertained.  There was a certain relief in that simplicity.

By the time Ash Wednesday arrived in mid‑February, I wasn’t scrambling to begin anything new.  I was simply continuing what had already taken root and ramping it up a bit.  The weight began to come off, slowly and steadily, and it still does.  But more importantly, the discipline of eating differently began to shape the discipline of living differently.

Attitude is half the work.  I stopped letting the noise of the secular world dictate my mood or my focus.  I ignored the foolishness that swirl around in headlines and conversations.  Instead, I turned my attention toward things that actually strengthen the soul: spiritual reading that lifts and edifies the mind and praying the Rosary with attentive meditation rather than mindless haste.  These practices didn’t just support my physical goals—they steadied my interior life.

There is a quiet joy in sacrifice when it is chosen freely and offered with purpose.  Lent simply gave me the structure to continue what had already begun: a return to simplicity, a clearer mind, and a heart more anchored in God than in the world’s distractions.

In the end, this has reminded me that caring for the body and caring for the soul are not competing tasks but parallel ones.  The more I simplified my meals, the more I found myself craving a simpler interior life as well — one less cluttered by noise, distraction, and the endless commentary of the world.  Lent simply gave shape to what I already sensed: that discipline is not a burden but a quiet form of freedom, and that small, steady acts of intention at the table and in prayer can reshape a life from the inside out.

 

0

The Gentle Art of Wholesome Reading.

There is a particular enjoyment in reading good, wholesome books— a joy that feels almost old‑fashioned in the best possible way.  These are the books that don’t shout for our attention or compete with the noise of the world because they simply open a door and invite us into a place where I can breathe.

Wholesome books remind us that goodness is not naïve, that beauty is not fragile, good language is a delight, and that truth can be spoken without cynicism.  They offer characters who struggle honestly, worlds that lift rather than darken, and stories that leave us a little more human than they found us.  In a culture that often rewards vulgarity, shock, and spectacle, these books feel like a quiet rebellion.

There is also a deep restfulness in them. When we read something good and clean and true, our minds unclench.  We remember that gentleness is not weakness and that hope is not foolish.  Even a simple story told with sincerity can become a small refuge.

And perhaps that is the greatest joy of wholesome reading: it forms us.  It shapes our imagination toward the good.  It teaches us to look for light, even in ordinary places.  It reminds us that the world is still full of things worth loving.

A good book doesn’t just entertain; it nourishes us, and in a time when so much reading leaves us scattered or weary, finding a book that restores us is its own quiet ways.

So far this year, I have read the following good books.  They are in the order of publication year.

Seeking the Heart of Christ by Saint Claude La Colombière (1680)

Ole Mammy’s Torment by Anne Fellows Johnston (1897)

Light and Peace: Instructions for Devout Souls to Dispel Their Doubts and Allay Their Fears by Carlo Guiseppi Quadrupani (1980)

The Wisdom of Fulton Sheen: 365 Days of Inspiration (2020)

 

0

Website Built with WordPress.com.

Up ↑