Faith, Reason and the New Mass Translation by John C. Wilhelmsson

Faith, Reason and the New Mass Translation
John C. Wilhelmsson
Chaos To Order Publishing (2014)
ISBN 9780988656383
Reviewed by M.Cristina Lanzi for Reader Views (04/14)

Article first published as Book Review: ‘Faith, Reason and the New Mass Translation’ by John C. Wilhelmsson on Blogcritics.

Before starting this review, it is important for me to say that I am a native Italian, I grew up in Italy and, like almost everyone else over there, I am Catholic.  I am also a translator and maybe for professional bias, I love to understand what is hidden behind a text and eventually its translation. That is the reason I was extremely excited when I received this book for review.

In “Faith, Reason, and the New Mass Translation” by John C. Wilhelmsson, the author analyzes in a conversational style what the renewed liturgy of Vatican II meant for him and for many other Catholics in the US.

The preamble is that on the first Sunday of Advent 2011, Catholics in the United States who attended the mass (called the Novus Ordo) experienced the first major new translation of the liturgy since 1969. The new translation is closer to the Latin version, both in words and in sentence structure; it includes small and larger changes of how the minister says prayers and celebrates the liturgy, but it also affects the way Catholics reply throughout the ceremony.

Brood X: A Firsthand Account of The Great Cicada Invasion by Michael Phillip Cash

Brood X: A Firsthand Account of The Great Cicada Invasion
Michael Phillip Cash
Createspace (2013)
ISBN 9781481843904
Reviewed by Jennifer Hass for Reader Views (8/13)

Article first published as Book Review: ‘Brood X: A Firsthand Account of the Great Cicada Invasion’ by Michael Phillip Cash on Blogcritics.

“Fast paced and filled with tension. Brood Ten is the perfect summer read when you’re sitting outside listening to the cicadas sing.”  (book description from back cover)

I couldn’t have said it better. The author really put the “H” in horror for me. I read “Brood X” really fast. The book is small in size but thick in pages. The chapters seem long but the print of the book just makes it look that way. The cover is freaky, making it perfect for a visual for this story.

Thinking about all the pathetic horror movies nowadays, I can’t even think of one that makes my skin crawl, well maybe the “Saw” series. But that is about it. I am utterly disgusted with cicadas and it not only made my skin crawl, it freaks me out when I go outside. I was just sitting on the porch deciding what I wanted to say in my review and I heard the rattlesnake sound of some creepy crawler and came right back inside. I have never noticed this before. I probably always just thought it was a cricket. We have tons of those in Texas. I am not sure if they are cicadas but after reading this book, I DO NOT want to know.

The Year After: A Memoir by Ashley Warner

The Year After: A Memoir
Ashley Warner
CreateSpace (2013)
ISBN: 9781489557827
Reviewed by Carol Hoyer, PhD for Reader Views (1/14)

“The Year After: A Memoir” by Ashley Warner is one of the most remarkable books anyone can read. With total honesty and raw emotion the author writes about the rape she suffered and how that abusive act impacted her life in the years to come. No one can truly understand the ups and downs of this tragedy unless they have also been a victim of rape.

With such clarity and emotion Ms. Warner describes how being raped affected her and others around her. Interestingly enough, she wasn’t mad at the rapist. This is a great book for all to read, even if they aren’t a victim of rape, because it gives one an idea of the emotions that are experienced. It takes a lot of courage to write about such an experience and I can only imagine the emotions it must have brought up. At the same time it can be very helpful to others who read this book.

The Prodigal: A Novel by Michael Hurley

The Prodigal: A Novel
Michael Hurley
CreateSpace (2013)
ISBN: 9781482694277
Reviewed by Jennifer Hass for Reader Views (12/13)

I am so thrilled to have been the one to review “The Prodigal” by Michael Hurley! On the cover there is a quote that Kirkus Reviews called the book romantic and I was instantly like…ugh. A romance written by a man, well I have to say that I wondered how that would end up. I have been reading a lot of romance written by women that I haven’t been able to wrap my heart around but WHOAH BABY! Michael did it right! There is a romance involved in the story however it is not the story, but just a piece.

Aiden Sharpe is a lawyer, known to make them cringe in court. Unstoppable is what Aiden is. Until crap happens and hits the fan hard. Shipped off to Ocracoke Island to start a new life, the story comes to life with bar fights, sail boats and Sunday Mass. The story involved a lot of different elements and for me, it was so entertaining. Once I got into the first couple of chapters, I was hooked.

Things kept happening and everything that happened fit perfectly. New friendships were made, lives changed and lives lost. Michael’s writing style is quite artistic. He has a way with words that is similar to a love story painted on a canvas. I have fallen in love with Michael’s work and I cannot wait to see what he does next.

I don’t think I found any flaws in this piece. As a North Carolina native myself, there is a piece of southern hospitality that I recognized within these pages. What an excellent, exhilarating novel. I feel like “The Prodigal” could really be a bestseller. I would say that anyone, man or woman, who loves sailing and the beauty of the sea will enjoy this novel. Not to mention the well-constructed romantic element, that is more mature than anything I have read all year. A breath of fresh.

L’Innocenza di Una Guerra by Susan Violante (Italian Edition)

Innocent War: Behind an Immigrant’s Past Series – Book I (Italian Edition)
Susan Violante (Author)
Maria Cristina Lanzi (Translator)
I Have Something To Say Press (2014)
ASIN: B00JPXXVCM
Reviewed by Rosella Crescenzi for Reader Views (04/14)

Nino had it all: a serene life and a happy family, but when World War Two broke out everything changed abruptly, deeply upsetting every single aspect of his life. “Innocent War: Behind an Immigrant’s Past Series” by Susan Violante follows the childhood and the first years of adolescence of her father Nino, who was at that time living in Libya with his family.

Through the eyes and the voice of a child, sometimes with irony and disenchantment, Susan Violante is able to portray an entire historical period and its deepest meaning; she enthralls the reader describing the events and the fears from the point of view of someone who doesn’t know anything about conflicts, yet is very much a part of it.

During my long career as a teacher, I consulted countless books to explain to my students the plots hatched, the reason of State and the military agreements brought to the Second World War, but “Innocent War: Behind an Immigrant’s Past Series” is one of those stories that you can’t find in school textbooks as it recounts what it actually meant to live through the war.

“Innocent War: Behind an Immigrant’s Past Series” is the first book of a series that aims to revive Susan Violante’s father adventurous life. I am really looking forward to reading her next publication in order to discover what brought Nino from Italy to Venezuela and then to the United States.

It would be great if the author could include some photos in the next books, they would support our imagination, acquainting us with this beautiful story that offers a cross-section of real life events. I found this book easy to read, thanks to the translation that allowed me to appreciate the clean language and the conversational tone chosen by the author.

I think that Susan Violante’s idea to narrate the war from a child’s point of view is fascinating as the events are seen with candor and simple mindedness. “Innocent War: Behind an Immigrant’s Past Series” doesn’t target a specific audience, this novel is for anyone who wants to read an interesting historical fiction novel,  and learn about how a lot of our compatriots have been compelled to leave their country because of a war wanted by someone else.