Not ALone Series: Good Reads

What books, articles, devotionals, blogs, etc have you been reading, loving and being encouraged by?! Or even, movies, videos, podcasts? Share with us so that we may be inspired, too!

This is very late but I haven't blogged in a while so now that I have a little time I'm trying to get back into it.

I've gotten my hands on a few books that I've loved and am loving lately

Walk Softly and Carry a Great Bag: On the go devotions by Teresa Tomeo

The main thing I love about this book is I don't feel guilty if I miss a day or five since they aren't dated. The devotions are witty and encouraging. Each devotion starts with a bible verse and ends with a prayer with a story n between. The story or devotion is written in a conversational style that I really love.

Unleashed: How to receive everything the Holy Spirit wants to give you by Sonja Corbitt

I'm still reading this one but I like it so far. There are personal questions to ponder at the end of each chapter and ponder I do. It's challenging and encouraging. Eye opening as well.

Behold Your Mother: A Biblical and Historical Defense of the Marian Doctrines by Tim Staples

This was a gift from a friend who also got it signed. Love, love, love friends who know my love for Mary and encourage it. Haven't really read it as yet but I've browsed some of the points but I've liked what I've seen so far.

Blog
Heart of Mary Women's Fellowship - I sort of stumbled upon this online bible study blog for Catholic women. I don't really remember who led me on to them. I'm new to the site so I'm still get a proper feel for it but I like it so far. The current bible study is "Gifts of the Holy Spirit". I subscribe by email so I can keep up. Check them out, see if you like it.

I would love to get back into podcasts but I don't have time right now, however I would love suggestions for what everyone is loving right now.

What are you reading or viewing or listing to that you are loving and being encouraged by? Leave a comment to tell me all about it. Don't forget to visit Morgan for the link-up and to see what everyone else is enjoying.

Not Alone Series: Summer Reading List

Share your favorite book recommendations! Beach reads, deep novels, anything! Share share share!

My not so secret love - books. I can spend hours upon uninterrupted hours reading. In fact my eyes adjust seamlessly to fading like if I am reading, only if I get interrupted to do I notice it got dark and then I can't read any more. My grandmother says I'm like a cat, also that I'll go blind and then what will I do.

Young adult fiction. My heart belongs in this section of the library, after a very deep book I need a YA or younger book to recover. Just something fluffy or familiar. This time of year I don't even need that excuse. This year I have Anne of Green Gables by L.M Montgomery in my sights. I love Anne, Gilbert, Marilla and Matthew. I love that the harder she tries not to get into scrapes the more she gets into them. Her imagination definitely rivals my own and I love a girl with a good imagination. I have read Anne of Avonlea but I've never read Anne of the Islands or Anne's House of Dreams and it would be great if I could get through some of those this year as well.

When Comes Spring by Janette Oke. There is actually a series by hallmark based on the book. It was an enjoyable read. It's the first in a series and I am actually looking forward to reading the others

Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis. I was having a discussion with a friend not too long ago about this book. I have found myself easily distracted alot lately, then I saw that my library had it available for digital lending so I decided a little catching up with Wormwood and Uncle Screwtape were in order.

A Broken Kind of Beautiful by Katie Ganshert. This is a christian romance novel but it is more than just the girl meets boy, girl and boy find themselves attracted, hates each then loves each, misunderstanding then making up to live happily ever after. I'm not saying that the book doesn't have some of that but it is so much more. The main character Ivy doesn't think she is worth much, she is a washed up model at 24 and is very damaged. Don't want to give away any spoilers but it was a good book.

Father, Forgive Me, for I am Frustrated by Fr Mitch Pacwa. I am only just starting this, it is my book for my flights and layovers. I got it mainly because I like most books by Fr Pacwa so when I saw it I thought why not. The tagline "Growing in Faith when you don't find it easy being Catholic" definitely caught my eye and I was sold.

Something Other Than God by Jennifer Fulwiler. Written by a fellow blogger. Great book, read it for the NAS book club and cannot wait to discuss it. I loved the flow of this book, I could genuinely see and recognise Jen from the blog in the book. I know many people are reading it but if you haven't get it.

Others on my to read list are:

The Prayer Box by Lisa Wingate

Where There's Smoke by Jodi Picoult

The Swan House by Elizabeth Musser

The Discovery by Dan Walsh

Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline

Keeping Faith by Jodi Picoult

The Memory Thief by Emily Colin

Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight

I am always looking for new authors and books to try so feel free to make suggestions.

What are you reading? See what everyone else is visit Morgan for the link up.

Not Alone Series: Favourite Resources

"For this very reason, you must make every effort to support your faith with goodness, and goodness with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with endurance, and endurance with godliness" 2 Peter 5-6

This week we are sharing resources that have helped us during this time of our life. Books, songs, prayers, devotions and the like so here goes....

Songs
Music that really encourages me during this season of life are those that remind me that God is still there, even in the mess, despair, confusion and hopelessness that I may feel. That God is God and that never changes. Even If by Kutless is one that I love for this, Praise You In This Storm by Casting Crowns is also a great song for when life feels too much and NOTHING is going the right way.

Not For A Moment and Worth It All both by Meredith Andrews because in the present when you stand by your convictions and you feel like the one losing these two songs are like a gentle reminder than you aren't the loser.

Books
Number one on my booklist is my bible. I have four in real book format and a few on my phone so I always have God's word with me. My top two are my Catholic Women's Devotional Bible (CWDB) and The New Jerusalem Bible. My CWDB is like a devotional and a bible in one, I love the layout and the various devotions inside. There are "Tradition" article that provide little shorts of Catholic Traditions and practices like The Eucharist, The Saints, Purgatory, The Mass and The Crucifix, there are 50 in all. There are 52 "stories" of various women in the bible the named ones like Elizabeth, Martha and Ruth as well as some unnamed ones like the widow with the two coins. We get to look at their character, sorrow and joy as well as pray with them, I haven't gone through all of them but I like what I have see so far.

How to Find Your Soulmate Without Losing Your Soul by Jason and Crystalina Evert

Theology of His/Her Body by Jason Evert, this is actually geared primarily to a younger crowd but I've had it for a while and I loved it. It has made the rounds with my friends and a few of their friends as well.

Woman in Love by Mark and Katie Hartfiel, I am currently reading this one but I feel good about recommending it before I finish it and would probably have finished it already but I am taking my time through it.

Real Love: Answers to Your Questions on Dating, Marriage and the Real Meaning of Sex by Mary Beth Bonacci

Men, Women and the Mystery of Love: Practical Insights from John Paul II's Love and Responsibility by Edward Sri 

Fill These Hearts: God, Sex, and the Universal Longing by Christopher West

Prayer

I pray daily for myself and my future husband as well as our future life together. Whatever I pray for him I also try to pray for myself because as much as I want to receive, I also want to give. I pray for his relationship with the Lord, his relationship with others. I pray for his Faith, his character, his patience, his friends, his family. I pray for his day, for his prayer life, the time he spends with God. I pray about getting to know him and him getting to know me. I pray for temperance, that neither of us will run ahead of ourselves to start picking our china patterns before we know each other's favourite colour.

The Rosary - I pray the rosary daily, the intentions vary but I find great comfort in this time. Amanda over at worth of agape had a few devotions/thoughts on relating the rosary to life that I really liked. I have adjusted and tweaked to fit my own life and circumstances but they are great just as they are.

Novenas and prayers to the Saints - I have my favourites and not all of them are specific to the single life or praying for a future spouse but I still like them. St Therese de Lisieux, St Martha (there is a 9 Tuesdays novena that I really like), St Joseph, St Philomena, Bl Anna Marie Taigi, St Raphael, St Anne and St Teresa of Avila.

Other Resources

I have found some really great advice and encouragement by reading blogs. Single, Catholic bloggers who are going through the same things I am in some way. Married bloggers who have seen it, done it and lived to tell the tale. This series, the Not Alone Series has been a source of encouragement, support and a wealth of resources.

See what everyone else has to share, check out Morgan's blog for more from the Not Alone Series