🎄❄️🎁 Christmas Gift Guide!🎄❄️🎁
Welcome to this mini Christmas gift guide! I’ve asked my corner of Substack to send in any products or Substack holiday sales they have going, so I have a few things to share with you, including some things I’ve found that I’ve put on my list for the future, as well as a few things of my own.
Like many other people, I would happily accidentally end up with way too many cookbooks (I already have way too many, and I’ve found several I would like to get!)
Marcia Smart of
submitted her cookbook, which was named the best cookbook of the year by the Independent Press Association.
I was also thrilled to see that one of my favorite Youtube cooks is here on substack!
of is known for her beautiful cooking and baking videos (and unusually for me, I want to make basically everything I’ve seen her make), and she’s published her first cookbook! I was so excited to see this, so this is definitely a cookbook I want to get. I only hope that she writes even more so I can make all of her recipes!
Perhaps best of all, here’s one that’s great for Catholic children! Written by Substacker
, this is a wonderful way to bring the liturgical seasons to life for your family. You can read more about it here.
It seems everyone on Substack knows
, but if you don’t, he’s a great Catholic writer who makes Substack a fun place to be! Scoot writes many types of fiction, as well as writing , “To educate and inspire Catholics and Christians on the beauty and simplicity of their faith.” He’s also a great voice actor, and has assisted us with our first project on Aestheté!Scoot is offering 50% off for non-fiction narration and 25% off for fiction voice-acting! This discount is valid until 12/31/24, great for substackers.
Scoot is also offering 20% off a paid subscription to
until 1/1/25! Subscribers will get access to an archive of past works and paying subscriber exclusive chats and more.
You can find Scoot’s first substack serial published at a POD site, Lulu:
If you become a paid subscriber, you will receive a free PDF version, but you can also purchase it as an eBook or paperback on Amazon:
Grace Bourget
She’s not a Substacker, but you may all have seen me mention Grace Bourget’s work before, or read the Windflower interview with her a while back. Grace Bourget is a fellow traditional Catholic En Route authoress, writing both novels and poetry which has been enjoyed by men and women alike, and is also appropriate for children. She has three volumes for you to peruse, appropriate for most Catholic readers:
Vale of Hope: A story of hope, conversion, and love, with a healthy dose of humor and dangerous escapades! Age range: (Possibly) 8+.
“In 15th-century Spain, a reckless youth finds himself grounded with the worst punishment he can imagine: volunteering in a leper camp. Working amongst those the world has proclaimed as dead to society, Paul finds that there is more to life than his rebellion. Will the leper maiden Iria be his salvation, or will her suffering and that of Paul’s sister, Imelda, be his downfall? The Mother of the Forsaken is their only hope.”
Light of Faith: Centered around Christmas and the spiritual life, this is a collection of two Christmas plays performed at my parish(!) and a series of poems on religious themes. Age range: Any reader!
“Journey by poem from Bethlehem’s grotto to Calvary; follow by prose as St. Francis creates the first Nativity scene, to modern times, as young Clare struggles to trust in Heaven’s love through her sickness.”
Ad Maré: Song of the Pleiades: A Tolkien-esque mythic fantasy, this is a major spin off of Grace’s Middle-Earth Audio Drama, The Song of Elbereth, aired with WCAT Radio. This rewrite finds a completely new world with its own unique mythos and a new storyline! Age range: (Possibly) 12+.
“A kingdom living in the shadow of a five-hundred year curse.
A people banished for protecting their home against it.
Seven stars gliding westward.
One ancient city has already fallen to the sea. The only hope to save Celae and her people lies in the sky overhead; in the star on one girl’s brow; and a haunting voice calling her over the sea. Only her worst nightmares could prepare her for what lurked in the ancient mist.
‘For only the broken souls may shine with starlight.’”
E. Enga
A young Catholic writer, E. Enga has written a beautiful children’s Christmas novel, The Children of the Chapel and the First Christmas, which I had the privilege of reviewing. I’ll also be interviewing her on November 30th (pushed back due to colds), so stay tuned for the audio interview to drop the following week! Age range: Any age!
“When Miriam, Joseph, John Paul and Zelie Langford find a secret door in their parish church, they immediately go to explore. Upon opening the magical door, they realize that it doesn’t lead to just any room- it leads to a mysterious chapel full of ancient relics. When the chapel leads them on a mystical journey to the Holy Land that separates the siblings, will they ever find each other? And will they ever make it back home?”
I’m offering a 20% holiday discount for Windflower, for which you can get gift subscriptions for yourself or anyone who’d love to read all the archived chapters of Star of Silvaria, In the Shadow of the Lilac (paywalled tomorrow), my sewing posts, and more!
Or, if you’re hunting for the perfect science-fantasy trilogy for teens and adults, try Ransom: Shadow of an Empire! While this is a trilogy, each book can be purchased separately, if you want to try it out. Book 2 is probably my favorite of the three, but I don’t recommend reading out of order!
Age Range: I consider this for young teens and up, due to darker, but carefully touched themes of grief, slavery, and spiritual slavery, but some parents may discern it suitable for younger ages, as well. It’s full of personal quests, secrets, the moral wrestle with time travel, and a mission to restore the reign of Christ to a galaxy held by fear and darkness. (And it ends on a Christmas note, because yes, Christmas does exist in space!).
Trilogy Synopsis: An impenetrable shadow has bound the galaxy of Andromeda for centuries. After a freak accident of space, an empire of slave traders learns to control time. Now nothing can stop them from taking whom they will. In the deadly currents of a universe torn by the Marauders, can Marc, one of the galaxies’ guardians, protect those he loves? Will his daughter survive her traumatic past? Can anyone bring light to the Marauders and break Andromeda’s chains?
Cross of Secrets:
A man whose life is torn apart by the slave trade. A woman whose past contains a dangerous secret. A slave who hides more than anyone can guess. Will they come to grips with the weight of their secrets before the Marauders strike again?
Trial by Time:
Samantha, captured by Medrhos, is plunged a thousand years into the past, faced with the prospect of becoming a Marauder herself: with or without her free will. Meanwhile, Marc must play his part in Talitha’s fate. As they face their worst nightmares, a shadow creeps across the horizon: one which even Medrhos can’t hold back.
Shards of Crystal:
The Cult has forced its hand; the Great Raid is beginning. As the Marauder fleet hurtles through time, Samantha prays for a light that will save the people she’s grown to love. Marc and Medrhos find themselves facing the one thing that can unite them: a force bent on destroying Samantha, Aiyra, and the universe with them.
You can find these books at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Abe Books, for example:
(If you’re wondering why I’m not also linking to the merch stores I had previously launched, I’ve temporarily taken them down, as I’m planning to relaunch a single store in 2025, which I hope will also include fashion items I’ll be making!)
That’s it for this time around! I hope you all have a lovely Thanksgiving and that the shopping days won’t be too crazy, and will instead be a fun adventure!
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Gonna support brothers!
Thank you for including me!