For a book written by a Roman Catholic, I would have expected it to be more rigorous and theologically/historically grounded. The book in its present state reads like something I would find at the self-help section of a low-church Christian bookstore. I suppose it appeals to a certain audience and I would recommend it to them, but not to someone looking for more theologically grounded spiritual disciplines.

I have often found it difficult to distinguish God's voice in the cacophony that seems to dominate my life. But this book offered down-to-earth recommendations for tuning in to the Master's insights.

This is a book that would be perfect to take to Adoration or to any quiet time before the Blessed Sacrament. In it, the reader can discover gems which will likely help immensely in fine-tuning a relationship with God.

The work also offers practical tips for dealing with the devastation of desolation, which can make one feel distant from God's love. It would be a wonderful Christmas gift for the seeker in your life!

I find that reading books like this on a “limited” timeframe as an advance copy means that you don’t always find the current relevance in some parts, that may resonate months later.

Overall it was solid, some interesting questions that I have noted to come back to.

I wouldn’t recommend it widely, as it is more an intermediate level - if I was to see it in the store I would probably purchase for my mother

A very Catholic devotional type book. There are a few nuggets of good information but overall just okay. I wouldn't recommend this book, but I also wouldn't not recommend Discern either. It falls straight in the middle for me.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher.

A book to slow down and listen and discern what God really wants us to do in our life, not too fast, not so instant, but pondering.

When I saw this available on NG I gladly downloaded it. Thank you, Loyola Press, for granting me access.

I've read some of Father Thibodeaux's work previously and found it enlightening. There are nuggets of gold in this short book but they get lost in the brevity and insufficient detail to encourage further pondering.

The author is a disciple of St Ignatius's teaching and this book follows the principles of that teaching. The book is a series of 'soundbites' from the author's reflections of consolation and desolation when it comes to discernment. The 'soundbites are a few lines, with 2 questions to ponder, however, I found myself skipping past the questions due to insufficient detail.

The book feels like a summary of a longer book. I would happily invest in the time reading a longer version if the author was encouraged to write it.

I suspect this would be a very handy summary for those who know St Ignatius's teaching well and seeking to discern a future direction in an aspect of one's life.

Discern
By Mark E. Thibodeaux

Book Review

I want to call it a daily devotional but I suspect for some they will read this is one sitting and then go back to discern it more fully. Perhaps it could be described thus: A series of brief, accessible reflections and questions for spiritual exploration. 

It follows the way of Ignatius of Loyola of thinking in terms of desolation and consolation. It gives wise metaphors to allow the reader to ngage with the short workshop pieces.

I say workshop pieces because I can imagine this being taught/ facilitated in a group setting. There are various well known Ignatian stories along with new ones that Mark has found to be helpful in his work as a Spiritual Accompanier. Monkeys on backs being one of the metaphors to ensure the Accompanier does not join in with some weltsmertz.

A short read and a long read, a dipping in and out of and a prescribed journey. How can we avoid the false spirit? I could write reams just about that. Go read for yourself!

I don’t know what I was expecting from this book, but it definitely wasn’t this.

This book gave ‘whispers’ Of gods word, But it barely gave biblical references to back up the points given. You can tell that the author has did the research, and has probably read the Bible more than once, but the information given was dry, and I felt like it was more of a lecture than a book to show that God was always there for us and ‘whispering’ to us (so to speak)

Overall, it sounded like a list of rules That God had given us- which is fine… But if I wanted to read about our rules, I would’ve just read the Ten Commandments.