gift ideas

6 Catholic Daily Devotionals Mom Will Love

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Called By Name: 365 Daily Devotionals for Catholic Women

Edited by Kelly M. Wahlquist, Alyssa Bormes, and Allison Gingras

Called by Name

Called by Name is a 365-day devotional from WINE: Women In the New Evangelization designed to empower and equip you to draw near to Jesus and use your God-given gifts for the Church. With meditations on scripture and encouraging insights from popular Catholic authors and speakers in the WINE community, this is the perfect daily companion for women who want to connect with the heart of Jesus and live every day in the light of his truth and love.

Called by Name Devotional Bundle

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Give a Book for Sacrament Celebrations

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What follows are recommendations for books – fiction and nonfiction – to give as gifts in celebration of the sacraments. From picture books to spiritual reflection to novels, it’s covered.

If I’ve reviewed a book listed, I included a sentence or two from my review. The remainder I’ve either read but not reviewed or received as a recommendation. (Thanks to Deacon Tom Lang and members of the Catholic Writers Guild for their recommendations for Holy Orders and Anointing of the Sick.)

Now, Anointing of the Sick isn’t really a celebratory sacrament. What I’ve listed are recommendations on illness and/or suffering that may be appropriate for someone facing the threat of death.

Finally, I received so many recommendations from the author-readers at the Catholic Writers Guild, that I listed some additional books for your consideration at the end.

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Top 12 Father’s Day Book Gift Ideas for Catholic Dads

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Last month, I shared  gift ideas for Catholic moms, so it’s only fitting that this month Catholic dads get the same treatment.

As a non-dad, I’m a bit out of my realm here, but my husband is a Catholic dad, so I’m not completely ignorant of the species.

Dad deserves his day, too, and here are some ideas. One for every month?

The following books are a mix of fiction and nonfiction, a little something for everyone from contemporary fiction to science fiction to self-help and theology. Click through the titles below the image to read the descriptions!

Father's Day Book Gift Ideas for Catholic Dads #FathersDay Click To Tweet

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Top 12 Mother’s Day Book Gift Ideas for Catholic Moms

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I know “Top 12” isn’t a thing, but I had a tough enough time narrowing this list to twelve, let alone ten. Besides, if you want to go all out, you could buy every book on the list and Mom would have something for each month of the year!

You know your mom deserves it. Heck, she probably changed twelve diapers in a day for you as a newborn. But, no guilt here.

These run the gamut from self-help, biography, and prayer aide to romance, mystery, and literary fiction. Click through the titles below the image to read the descriptions!

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Under the Catholic Child’s Christmas Tree: A Book-Giving Guide

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Child Xmas Book GuideDuring Advent, the Christmas books are slipped off of the shelves for bedtime reading. Our hodgepodge collection includes Christian and secular Christmas stories, old and new. Some are cheap Scholastic books about characters who are little more than a cog in the marketing machine. (Those, I try to avoid.) Others are classics we relish every year.

We also give each child a book as part of their Christmas gift. As the kids grow older, the books grow longer, and I’m more frequently looking for selections from my fellow authors at Catholic Teen Books.

Here are some ideas that I hope will find a spot under the Christmas tree of a child you love. Continue reading →

Catholic Christmas Book-Giving Guide: Ten Picks for Your Holiday Shopping

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Xmas Book Giving Guide
I perused the books I’ve read this year and have come up with ten that would make excellent Christmas gifts!

Six are fiction, and four are nonfiction, because fiction is my favorite (and I make no apology for that).

I noted whether a book would be best for a particular age or gender. The novels, written by Catholic authors,  would appeal to most anyone – whether of strong or little faith, Catholic or otherwise. The nonfiction books would appeal most to Catholics who practice their faith, at least to some degree. Continue reading →