WWRW: Catholic Books and Blogs

I finally read Kari Burke's wonderful pro-life novel, The Life I Dreamed, which I'd had stored in my Kindle library for quite some time.  I'm glad I finally got to it!  I enjoyed the book on a number of levels.

For one thing, the well-developed characters are true-to-life, as are the tough situations in which they find themselves.  You know how sometimes the plots of novels are so far-fetched you find yourself scoffing, "THAT could never happen!"  (Think wizards and vampires...)  Well, this book is quite different.  The premise is totally believable, as are the emotions and reactions of the characters involved.  It shows the very real struggles human beings go through, and how when they rely on faith and trust in God's plan for their lives, they are showered with unexpected gifts and graces.

The story centers around overworked, stressed-out, stay-at-home mother Emmy O'Brien, who has her hands full with her four small children.  As if she isn't busy enough already, suddenly her husband throws a major curve ball at her: a young girl named Kaila, who is a member of the youth group at the church where he works as a youth minister, is pregnant and alone at 16, and she needs a place to stay because she's had a falling out with her parents, who want her to abort the baby.  Emmy takes the girl in, reluctantly at first.  But will she and her husband even be able to convince Kaila to choose life for her baby, in spite of all their help?

Burke's debut novel conveys a beautiful pro-life message, without seeming at all preachy.  This is such a timely and important message, making it a book that I recommend for impressionable teen readers as well as adults.  (It has earned the Catholic Writers Guild Seal of Approval, so parents can be assured that there is nothing in it that goes against the teachings of the Catholic Church.)

If you'd like to read more about The Life I Dreamed, here is the more in-depth Goodreads review that I posted recently.

So, I've been reading lots of books lately.  Not just this one, but also Nancy Carabio Belanger's The Gate and Therese Heckenkamp's Frozen Footprints (both awesome--and I'll be talking about those in future WWRW posts!).

But I've also been reading blogs (an addiction of mine that ranks right up there with coffee drinking these days).  And one of my favorites, Footprints on My Heart, has moved.  It is now called Cherishing Everyday Beauty.  The young gal behind it, Sarah Therese, is a recent college grad, so now she's leaving her student days behind and will be blogging about making it out there in the big, wide world.  Stop by and visit her at her new site.  She has been running a Saints Series on Saturdays, inviting other bloggers to guest post, if you'd like to contact her about contributing to that.

Okay, then.  Happy reading, everyone!  And speaking of happy reading (and getting together with other peeps who are happiest when they've got their noses in good books!), head on over to Jessica's.