Novel Thoughts blog
  1. Dorothy Cummings McLean

    Who Is My Reader?

    February 26, 2014 10:11 am 5 Comments

    I read my first “Christian novel” this week. That is, I read a novel aimed at the “Christian fiction” market. Christians have written novels for as long as there have been novels. Fyodor Dostoyevsky is the first who comes to mind, but of course the Western Canon is overwhelmingly populated… Read more »

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  2. Ignatius Press Novels

    Authors reviewing authors

    February 24, 2014 1:42 pm Leave a Comment

    Ignatius Press authors reviewing each other! Dorothy Cummings McLean (Ceremony of Innocence) reviews Fiorella de Maria’s Do No Harm for Catholic World Report: Apparently it is unusual for one Ignatius novelist to review another, but I cannot resist chatting about Fiorella de Maria’s excellent legal thriller Do No Harm. This… Read more »

    Tags: Dorothy Cummings McLean Fiorella de Maria reviews Roger Thomas

  3. John Herreid

    It’s Okay NOT to Like Something

    February 21, 2014 10:26 am 6 Comments

    “He offended me with his terrible taste!” —Barry in the film High Fidelity You probably know the scenario. Somebody sent you a link to an upcoming movie or TV series. “We NEED to support projects like this!” Or somebody passed along a Catholic novel to you. “We need to support… Read more »

    Tags: art literature reading

  4. Dan at Ignatius

    Book Club list updated

    February 20, 2014 2:34 pm Leave a Comment

    If you’ve thought of starting an Ignatius Press Book Club or bringing an Ignatius Novels title to your existing book club, now is a good time to revisit the Book Clubs page. We’ve just added a discussion guide for James Casper’s Everywhere in Chains (info|buy) to the list, on top… Read more »

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  5. Ignatius Press Novels

    A reader review of “Everywhere in Chains”

    February 20, 2014 10:42 am 2 Comments

    Reader Ellen Amland sends this review of Everywhere in Chains: I kept paging back to the home page on my Kindle to check that the title of James Casper’s book was indeed called Everywhere in Chains. The title suggests a story filled with dark imagery, a violent plot, and more… Read more »

    Tags: James Casper reviews

  6. Dorothy Cummings McLean

    Selling Your Wares

    February 19, 2014 10:09 am 1 Comment

    Yesterday I was in the North York Passport Office explaining what I claim to do for a living. “So you’re a novelist,” said the passport examiner. “Yes,” I said, blushing modestly. “And a freelance writer.” “So you’re self-employed.” “Um, yes.” “How long have you been doing this?” “Um…Over in the… Read more »

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  7. Ignatius Press Novels

    $3.00 Book Sale!

    February 17, 2014 7:04 pm 1 Comment

    Our yearly Ignatius Press Lenten sale has begun, and this year two novels are included as well as a number of other books on literary topics! These books (hardcopy only) are on sale for only $3.00 each until April 19, 2014. Also available are two audio books by Chesterton for… Read more »

    Tags: audio books novels sale

  8. James Casper

    Readers of fiction involving ordinary people, everyday life, and easily imagined predicaments, often suspect such stories must be autobiographical. Sometimes this is a correct assumption, as in the case of Charles Dickens’ classic David Copperfield, and often it is not, as in the case of another classic, Daniel Defoe’s Robinson… Read more »

    Tags: biography novels writing

  9. Dorothy Cummings McLean

    Colo(u)rs of Home

    February 12, 2014 9:06 pm 3 Comments

    I’m still in Canada, visiting family and friends and preparing for the University of Toronto launch of Ceremony of Innocence at my beloved Crux Discount Theological Books (Feb 24, 4:30 PM). I had a wonderful weekend in the French Canadian countryside, and now I am back in Toronto, cultural capital… Read more »

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  10. John Herreid

    A quote from an insanitary novel

    February 10, 2014 4:07 pm Leave a Comment

    “Nothing is a masterpiece—a real masterpiece—till it’s about two hundred years old… Look at Christianity. Just a lot of floating seeds to start with, all sorts of seeds. It was a long time before one of them grew into a tree big enough to kill the rest and keep the… Read more »

    Tags: quotes reading

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