RETURN TO PARADISE by Tim Speer

This is a lovely novel. If a book doesn’t engage me, I may not finish it. I read Return to Paradise from beginning to end, enjoying every page. Yes, there’s more telling than showing, but the grammar and punctuation are perfect. Written in a style more popular in a bygone era, take off your editor’s hat, as I did, and simply enjoy the story.

If you’re Catholic, you’ll appreciate the author’s sprinkling of familiar things throughout the book. If you’re not a Catholic, sit back and let yourself become more familiar with the Catholic faith as sporadically presented here. It isn’t preachy, but factual and fits the story.

This is the stirring tale of a man of faith defeating evil by standing up against it, even though it inconveniences his life and puts him at risk.  David meets Sarah through an unlikely sequence of events that cause their lives to intersect, with the promise of a happy future together.

This is a novel that should make you smile.  

- Zara Heritage

THE GOSPEL OF HAPPINESS by Christopher Kaczor

I’ll admit I approached The Gospel of Happiness with some trepidation. One of the subsets of current Christian preaching is the so-called “Prosperity Gospel.” You’ll find it popping up in the local bookstore, as well as on the radio and TV. However, I’m happy to report that this book has nothing whatsoever to do with the comical idea that God is always lurking in the background eagerly awaiting an opportunity to shower his followers with riches.

Instead, author Christopher Kaczor focuses on the built-in wisdom of Christian theology and the ways in which authentic Christian practices bring about true and lasting satisfaction. In other words, true Happiness. This timely book reminds us that happiness is found, not in getting or grasping, but in giving of one’s self.

I shared several relevant passages from The Gospel of Happiness with my wife. They impressed her enough that she recommended it as a selection for the Parish’s reading club…a most appropriate use for this fine book. 

Highly recommended!