Rejection, unrealistic expectations and behavioral issues often brought frowns to the faces of children. The Sisters of the Last Straw addressed these issues, firmly and lovingly; inspiring and consoling their young readers with their examples. The Case of the Haunted Chapel, in stories and drawings assured that there […]
A Hero for the People, by Arthur Powers
Arthur Powers’ experiences while living in Brazil seep into his short stories such the descriptions of brightly painted shacks, savvy street vendors and shady samba schools in the big city slums or the night-time, pick-up truck ride through the swishing tall grass of the backlands, to the accompaniment […]
Sisters of the Last Straw: The Case of the Missing Novice, by Karen Kelly Boyce
A caricature can reveal more truth than a photograph. The Sisters of the Last Straw, reminiscent of the antics of Don Camillo in the stories by Giovannino Guareschi (1908-68), were in fact human. Thank God. Each had her own “fault,” be it a temper, an obsession or an addiction. […]
A Writer’s Nemesis–an Unapologetic Computer
When I got my hands on my first Smith-Corona H Series Correctable Typewriter, I was in my glory. I was also in control. Then…along came computers and the word-processing phenomenon. Writers were thrilled at the technology: Spell-check, formatting, multiple fonts, save options and mailing options, all at the click […]
The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
A nerd geneticist went looking for a wife using the latest scientific advances. Yes, the story involved DNA analysis. The Rosie Project skulked through the dark recesses of the human mind where behavioral genetics loomed even more fantastic than sci-fi. The protagonist, Donald Tillman, PhD reminded me of Spock […]
Flavia 006: The Dead in their Vaulted Arches, by Alan Bradley
Trains, planes and automobiles, along with Winston Churchill and a military escort greeted Hillary de Luce upon her return to her husband, her daughters and her ancestral estate: Buckshaw. Thus began episode 006 of the Flavia de Luce Mystery Series. Alan Bradley had left Flavia, his protagonist, the youngest of […]
A Field Guide to the Flavia de Luce Mystery Series
Alan Bradley, born in Ontario had two older sisters. His father left the family during Alan’s early years. Alan withdrew into the world of books, often reading in a cemetery. His award-winning Flavia de Luce Mysteries, set not in Canada, but in rural England described an eleven year old girl […]
Let’s make it a Quigley Family Christmas!
Save Saint Agatha’s Parish With so many empty churches and dispersed communities, what’s so special about the pending loss of Saint Agatha’s Church? Although the closing looms ahead, this particular church exists only in the Catholic sit-com Ordinary. Fans grieve that the December, 2013 Kickstarter funding project failed to meet […]
The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon: No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency (14), by Alexander McCall Smith
For those who have never read any of the previous episodes of the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, this is a wonderful place to start, I would think, because episode 14 reviews so much of the past. Otherwise, the faithful followers of Precious Ramotswe and Grace Makutsi will enjoy […]
Member Round-Up
Wow! The months are going round faster than a herd of cattle in a stampede! Time again for the monthly Yee-Haw to our blogging Guild members: Michael Seagriff calls lay Catholics to get busy evangelizing. Nancy Ward has a new perspective (literally!) on the kingdom of God….very interesting! Ellen Gable Hrkach – if […]