Snow Santa Claus & reindeer are fine,but this wonderful depiction of Our Lord in the manger,is what Christmas is really about.The arrival of our Salvation.

Spyridon’s Shoes is about a shoemaker’s young son who wants to go to school. Spyro works hard every day to catch and sell enough octopuses to save up for his tuition. He meets a friendly old man with the same name on the beach and they often chat about life and God. Relatably, Spyro struggles to connect with God in church, and complains that prayer feels uncomfortable. Abba (as old-Spyros asks to be called) guides him through that, and at the pinnacle of the story, a great miracle occurs.

Although an adult reader would probably guess from the cover that Abba is St. Spyridon, my sons (who didn't know the saint's story) were shocked. The yearning for education, the boredom with church, the love for Spyro’s little sister, and the fear of losing her all captivated them.

(I did find it a little unbelievable that Spyro initially didn’t know the story of his own saint and the patron of his island—but for a tightly-written engaging book that captivated my 8-year-old son, a small thing like that is nothing at all.)


Since half the world seems to be homeschooling or remote learning right now, there were several directions for extended learning that you could explore after listening to this book, even beyond studying the saint’s life. Spyro’s octopus hunting (and subsequent injury) could lead to units on survival, cooking seafood, and first aid. His shoemaking is a great tie in for children to design their own felt slippers or practice the art of embroidery. Young scientists could calculate how far you’d have to walk to wear through a pair of shoes.



The publisher offered us this audiobook to review, but these are my own honest thoughts.

Great book and a treasure trove of wisdom .

Christmas Gift for Grandchildren. Very nice!

It is absolutely beautiful. A bit smAller than I expected but my fault for not checking measurements. I love it!

We gave this book to our 7 year old son as a Name Day gift and I was truthfully concerned it might be too difficult for him. One week later and we've already finished it as our bedtime read-aloud! My children didn't want me to stop reading each night, and I didn't want to put the book down either! The characters are very likable and realistic. It was nice to travel with Marko on his journey, and see him endure suffering in a way that makes sense to young readers. I highly recommend this book, as well as this author's previous book with Ancient Faith!

We are using this book for High School Virtual Sunday School. The book layout and content is perfect!

'Renewing You' utilises real-life examples for real-life situations as we navigate our own journeys with Christ, renewing and transforming each and every day. I do appreciate the anecdotal stories shared by the authors which complement the Scriptural truths with humility and dignity. Thank you!
Vicki Goyen (Australia)

An excellent book. Perfect not only for the new convert but for all Orthodox parents. I wish I had this book when my children were young. Elissa has a very pleasant, cheerful voice which makes the book very easy to listen to. The book is full of practical advice and wonderful suggestions. I particularly loved the appendix where she walks you thorough the church liturgical year with easy family activities and projects for the children to participate in each feast day. She also includes recipes for those without a yiayia (grandmother) to help. I highly recommend this book.

I am about 3/4 finished reading this wonderful book (prepublication pdf). There is so much in it.
I thought, Oh, easy peasy, a self help book I can whiz through and review. No, this is
a travel companion for life. This book integrates spiritual growth with the " in the trenches" struggle
of every day life. I've read a lot of spiritual growth books, good ones and psychological self help books.
This is the first time I am reading a book that zippers the two aspects into on book.
It is dense with anecdotes, Biblical references that help to illustrate the points that help one to lead a life
in Christ, not just every Sunday in church.
There are things I learned the hard way that could have been avoided had I read this book first.
I recommend this book for young adults, especially couples starting out in life. And middle aged people like
me can learn from this book.
I plan on buying a couple copies as gifts for my adult god children for Christmas. (sh-sh don't tell them)

I greatly enjoyed this book and can't wait for my 11 year old to read it. Marko's heroic journey through war torn Rhodes and his own damaged heart will speak to children and adults. Rogers' prose is genuine and captivating; I didn't want to put the book down. The heart of the story revolves around feeling lost from family, literally and figuratively, and lost to God. Rogers does not make light of Marko's experience because of his youth, but enters into his reality of suffering, grief, and fear. Nor does Rogers employ the annoying trope of "just have faith and it will be ok"; through the words of the monks, in a loving way, they explain that life is hard, forgiveness is hard, and faith can be hard. The words of Fr. Nestor sum up the story: "your storm is great, but our God is greater." Can't wait for another book from Rogers!

Like a conversation with your kind, wise Grandpa!

Lovely little book, that was a quick listen. BUT - don't just zoom through it! Read a little and then sit with it for a bit. This is the kind of book I know I will listen to multiple times, and each time glean something new from it. Such wonderful, gentle Orthodox wisdom and advice. At first I struggled with the author's measured narration, until I realized that this was one more place that our hurried GoGoGo culture was impacting me. The audiobook gave me the opportunity to slow down and be really intentional and present. I no longer have a living grandfather, and so it became such a nice time when I would sit and listen to a voice that epitomizes Grandfathers.

Download this, then snuggle up with a cozzy blanket and hot tea, and imagine sitting and conversing with Albert Rossi.

I just finished Healing Your Wounded Soul: Growing From Pain to Peace by Father Joshua Makoul. I found reading this book to be extremely uncomfortable—but in all the right ways. I was first interested in this book as a means of attempting to work through one particular incidence of tragedy and grief. However, this book truly awakened in me a better sense of the many ways in which I allow a variety of factors—regrets over the past, worries over the future, reacting out of shame or in a defensive fashion—to draw me away from God. I believe that this book is very unique in that it approaches the scientific field of psychology through the lens of the Church and of God. I have tended to steer away from self-help books in the past as I feel the topics are either sugar coated and diluted to the extreme or so overly scientific that one needed a psychology degree to make it through the first page. This book forced me to look in a mirror at the truth of my own challenges, struggles and hurdles. Yet, before such a reflection was allowed to result in devestation or a sense of helplessness, Father Makoul helped bring all things back to God, reminding me that I am His child and, no matter what, He wants me to return to Him in all things. I can’t say that all of my grief is gone, or that my struggles are overcome; rather, I think that I have a better sense of the path I should strive to take to work through such feelings. Even better, I think that I am seeing the path as the place I need to be, rather than regretting that I have yet to reach my destination. As I tell my children, growing pains are a real thing, but that struggling through them will help make them bigger and stronger. The same is still true—the uncomfortable truths of this book are growing pains, but the good kind, the kind that result in growth, change, and hope.

A grand applause for Seven Holy Women! This well-written book is a collection of beautiful saint stories from long ago with a powerful engagement for the reader to walk the paths these humble saints did. The reader is given prompts to reflect on, not only the saints lives, but also her own life and is encouraged to converse with a friend about the rich stories of the past and present. Traveling back in time and almost becoming the main character through the courageous stories, brings depth to the saintly relationships the reader encounters throughout. It brings forth the desire to build relationships with friends newly found from the past, and with friends of the present. Each story invites the reader to dig deep within their own hearts, to learn more about themselves, about a saint, all while reading, journaling, and conversing with a friend. The reader is pulled in immediately by the poignant writing each author is gifted with, feeling as if she is walking in the shoes of the saint. After learning some history of the saint, the reader is invited to journal using questions provided for deep reflection, a conversation with a friend, and reflecting on one’s days, all while growing closer to Christ. These seven stories bring forth an understanding of faith, at a time of conflict in our world today, in a way where we can relate to the struggles these saints of our past endured for God’s glory. This book is an opportunity to look into our own hearts, our own daily struggles and recognize that God allows the struggle for our salvation, for us to truly learn from these beautiful saints and their humble, God honoring stories. I recommend Seven Holy Women, written by seven, beautifully talented women. You will not be disappointed in reading this book. Be encouraged, as you strive daily for holiness, while embracing relationship.

One really great book!! It offers great solutions to many personal problems. Everyone that has read it is very impressed. I am getting 12 more to give to friends.

Need a book to help restore all the craziness 2020 has stirred up within our minds and souls? Then Renewing You: a Priest, a Psychologist, and a Plan is the book for you!
Dr Roxanne and Fr Nick bless us with their many years of experience helping people better their lives and become the person Christ created them to be. In this book, they have joined forces and created a roadmap of how to transform your life. I loved this book from beginning to end! Unlike other books I have read, where it simply explains the theme the author is trying to portray; this book provides many examples and actually tells you how to get to the destination you are seeking.
They start the book off with creating a foundation of faith then move to the bulk of the book talking about the self; our mind, finding victory over our vices, and how to turn our trials into triumph. My favorite chapters however, were the last three. The authors give the readers permission to focus on resting and rejuvenating ourselves, letting go of the guilt that comes with selfcare. In fact, this is vital in order to love those around us the way Christ calls us to. They finish the book by tackling marriage and our relationships with our children. The two associations we spend the most of our time and often have the most influence on our spiritual wellbeing.
I loved how they finished each chapter with a beautiful prayer pertaining to the subject matter of the chapter. Many of which I will now use in my prayer life! This book would be great for a book club or read in a group because each chapter has questions at the end that easily could be the guide to a group discussion. They seamlessly interweave scripture and psychology to be able to understand why we do what we do and how to fix it to glorify God.
If you are ready to live a healthier more productive life and find the person Christ created you to be, I highly recommend this book!

A book about perseverance, protection, and providence

This book was truly delightful and inspirational. I had only heard of Mother Alexandra in passing, and this was my first real experience to learn more about her. As a nurse myself, I quickly identified with her love of medicine and her love of actively caring for people. This story, which focused on only a few years of her life, make me want to know more about her.

This book is Prince Ileana of Romania’s story of how her hospital, The Hospital of the Queen’s Heart, came into being and grew into a facility that cared not only for soldiers, but also the entire community surrounding her homeland. Princess Ileana (now Mother Alexandra) provides a first-person account of the hospital’s inception, financial support, and growth came to fruition despite all the trials and tribulations of wartime, Russian occupation, and Communist rule. Stories about the hospital’s humble beginnings are interwoven with stories about staff and patients alike. It is peppered with stories of lively marriage celebrations and descriptions of traditional Romanian customs and dress that fill the story with color and joy. Her love the profession of nursing and her satisfaction to care for people in their most vulnerable times is evident throughout the book.

Reading this book feels as if you are sitting in a chair next to Mother Alexandra with a cup of tea as she recounts the challenges and triumphs of building a hospital from the ground up. She weaves in and out of the pragmatic history of the hospital itself and the sentimental anecdotes of the people (staff, family, physicians, patients) that she cared for so deeply. Her vision, faith and perseverance are surpassed only by God’s protection and providence. She illustrates God’s providence by relating how she was willing to sell a personal piece of jewelry to purchase a building to start the hospital, an old family friend offered to give her an old army barracks to use for the building. She recounts that even though she was willing to use the money from that piece of jewelry multiple times, God always provided, and she was able to give that jewelry to her daughter after she moved to the United States.

For this audiobook, the reader’s performance is exceptional. Her cadence and inflection truly make it feel as if you are listening to a loved one recount the tales of their youth.

When I first picked up this book and read the synopsis I rolled my eyes a little bit. I was worried about what I was going to get myself into. The synopsis made the book sound very self-helply with a dash of Christianity mixed in, and being the cynical fellow that I am I thought for sure my eyes would constantly be rolling about in my sockets while I ploughed through this book. Luckily for me, I was pleasantly surprised by what I read. This is no complicated tome of Theology, but is very accessible and it does not sacrifice substance for that accessibility. Yes, this is definitely a self help book, but there is a very refreshing aspect about it. The authors really focus on centering our lives around the Christian Faith without completely disengaging from the world. Through the help of prayers and advise from the Church Fathers, "Renewing You" is a great source to help you delve deep into the mire of yourself and try to rekindle to Light of Christ in our lives.

This book made me think in ways I've never thought of before! I would recommend to anyone and everyone!

I haven’t read the entire book yet, but I can already give it five stars with certainty. As an Orthodox Christian with a mental health diagnosis, I have received help from both the medical community and the Church. The doctors and counselors I use understandably approach my treatment plan from a worldly point of view while my priest, well intentioned that he is, seems ill prepared to deal with my problems. This book bridges the gap and speaks to me as a whole person who is first and foremost a Christian.