Suchi Myjak

The New American Bible with Revised New Testament and Revised Psalms (RNAB) has several problems that prevent my recommending it for Bible study or devotional reading. These can be classed into three major groups: (1) failure with regard to dignity, beauty, and doctrinal precision, (2) bowing to the externally-imposed linguistic norm of so-called “inclusive language,” and (3) a skeptical attitude toward the Sacred Scriptures. Not incidentally, the second problem contributes significantly to the first, and shares roots with the third.

This is a nice little adventure story that centers on Xan, a peasant boy who loses his family and his memory when raiders attack and burn his village. Although the beginning is rather over-the-top, the story does hit its stride after the first few chapters and the remainder of the book is much smoother. Several thematic elements add to the interest, including the lived faith of the Benedictine monks who rescue the boy. The author has created an interesting plot with a clever twist or two so that the story works out positively without being too obvious.

My son began this school year with Saxon's Math 76. It was his third year of using Saxon, and while the first year had helped a lot with his accuracy and consistency, he was starting to burn out on it. Math 76 wasn't working so well for him (perhaps just his learning style) so I began looking around for something else. Then I heard that Teaching Textbooks had just come out with Math 7. After some investigation, we got the CDs (the book wasn't yet available, but TT offered free PDF downloads to customers) and my son started on it.

I was not taught to diagram sentences as part of my education, so I first viewed such diagrams as a curiosity; however, I have gradually come to appreciate their value as a tool for helping my children understand how the works and ideas in a sentence are related. I have, for example, diagrammed Latin sentences for them to help them understand the structure and grammar of that language.

This readable volume is a great resource on issues of creation and evolution in light of Church teaching. I really appreciated the depth that Mrs. Daly brings to this topic in viewing it from many angles, all the while using our God-given reason in the light of His revealed Truth as evidenced in scripture, the Catechism, and other Church documents. She manages to avoid both of the usual extremes of biblical literalism and scientific absolutism (evolutionism).

This quote from the book explains its value very well:

Printed on heavy paper in an approximately 9x12 format, this booklet is an explanation of the Creation account of Genesis 1. With thirteen inviting full-page line drawings to color, this slim volume packs a surprising punch.

Basing herself on the work of Fr. Stanley Jaki, Mrs. Daly explains the first creation account of Genesis in terms of its message about the Sabbath observance as an outward sign of the covenant between God and His people. Or, in her own words:

I noticed pretty early on that my boys did not have the same facility with writing as I myself had had as a child. All of them have learned to read long before they could write anything legible. And even when they learned to write, their handwriting left much to be desired. I tried various programs, and even made extra worksheets on the computer, but nothing really seemed to help much. Friends advised me – some said to make them practice more; others said to just wait for them get older. But as they got older, their writing got faster – but worse.

Written in Mary Daly's characteristic style, this is a pleasant introduction into a subject that some might otherwise view with trepidation. "Chemistry 001" introduces the student to the periodic table, here called the "Periodic Kingdom," and the elements of which it is composed.

“This extraordinarily sensitive and insightful portrait of religious life centers on Philippa Talbot, a highly successful professional woman who leaves her life among the London elite to join a cloistered Benedictine community. In this gripping narrative of the crises surrounding the ancient Brede Abbey, Rumer Godden penetrates to the mysterious, inner heart of a religious community – a place of complexity and conflict, as well as joy and love. It is a place where Philippa, to her own surprise and her friends’ astonishment, finds her life by losing it.” – from the back cover

Plot overview: After the tragic death of Mick O'Shea, a Catholic fireman from Philadelphia, his widow Tammy and their children are invited to spend the summer at the Kentucky farm of Tammy's brother Les and his family. The catch? Les is the fundamentalist pastor of a small homegrown "Bible-only" church. He believes it is his duty to "save" his sister and her family from the Catholic Church. The story centers on 17-year-old Michael, who is chosen as the preferred point of contact.