Book review: “Cloud Atlas” by David Mitchell
“Cloud Atlas,” the 2004 novel by David Mitchell, is a daring book. And, more than three-quarters of the way through its pages, Mitchell includes a daring passage. One of his [...]
What do saints do?
In May, 1912, the St. Gertrude parish, where I am now a member, was just five months old, and Sunday mass was being celebrated in a temporary wood-and-steel structure [...]
Book Review: “The Plays of St. Therese of Lisieux,” introduction by Guy Gaucher, translated by Susan Conroy and David J. Dwyer
Abramin and his two confederates are bandits. Although they’re not exactly Robin Hoods, they live by burglary, not by violence. Abramin and his wife Susanna have a beautiful baby son [...]
Book review: “Therese” by Dorothy Day
I’m not sure how to think about miracles. I mean, about what the story of a miracle may mean in my life. But here’s a miracle I can relate to: [...]
Book review: “Dodger” by Terry Pratchett
Terry Pratchett’s new novel “Dodger” strikes me as his most personal book. He calls it “a historical fantasy…simply for the fun of it.” Yet, it’s much different from the 51 [...]
Book review: “Measuring America” by Andro Linklater
There is a photo on page 224 of “Measuring America” that, I suspect, anyone who has ever flown across the continental United States west of the Alleghenies will recognize. It’s [...]
Why is the Mass like baseball?
Let me say first off that there are many times when I find Mass routine and less than exciting. It’s not like going to a movie or reading a book. [...]
Book review: “A Killing in the Hills” by Julia Keller
Julia Keller’s novel “A Killing in the Hills” is on a par with the best of James Lee Burke and P.D. James. It is a mystery story of high literary [...]
Did Jesus have a wife?
Yes, yes, it may be a hoax of some sort. But I’m excited by the news that a small rectangular piece of papyrus, seemingly from the writings of early Christians, [...]
Book review: “Looking for the Possible Dance” by A. L. Kennedy
After an idyllic four days, the fight begins on the drive home. Margaret notices with delight that she and Colin have had such a restful time that they’ve forgotten to [...]