I would like to share a new book with you The Italian Soul: How to Savor the Full Joys of Life written by Judith Valente (Author) I received a copy of in exchange for this review. Inside this post is my affiliate links. If you click on the links and make a purchase I will make a small percentage off the products you purchase.
I’ve always wanted to travel to Italy but finances will never let us take a Trip like that and also my fear of flying keeps us at home. Having a copy of The Italian Soul: How to Savor the Full Joys of Life allowed me to Travel on my Time.
I learned if we do take a Trip to Italy to go slow and not try and pack everything into one Trip. Reading the story was like being there with the Author. I can’t wait to read more of her books and to share The Italian Soul: How to Savor the Full Joys of Life with my friends and family.
About the book:
“This is a book for spiritual seekers and all who want to bring a piece of the Italian way of life into their own homes.”
—James Martin, SJ, author of Learning to Pray
Take a pilgrimage of the heart, a journey toward change that will allow you to approach life with a more contemplative stance and recreate a sense of la dolce vita—the sweet life—wherever you may be.
In The Italian Soul, Judith Valente shares personal stories and insights into the Italian way of life that she experienced as she strolled the streets of this charming Country. Focusing on the attitudes, traditions, and practices that make the people of Italy role models for experiencing delight amid the demands and distractions of ordinary living, she observed how they
- have a deep appreciation for quality and aesthetics,
- value taking the time to savor the little moments in life,
- show a strong sense of community and make room for leisure and personal care, and
- honor their dead and have a deep respect for tradition.
Additionally, it explores the contemplative practices and attitudes that seem to come naturally to a people who have made an art of living and working joyfully. A cross between a travel dispatch and a spirituality guide for seekers who eschew traditional religious practices but yearn for ways to bring more balance, sanity, and a greater sense of the transcendent into their daily lives. The Italian Soul is a book that will change the way you look at life.
Meet the Author: Judith Valente
Judith Valente is an award-winning author, poet, and journalist. She is a sought-after speaker and retreat leader on living a more contemplative life, discovering inner wisdom through poetry, and finding meaning in your work. She is a lay associate of the Benedictine Monastery Mount St. Scholastica in Atchison, KS, which is the subject of her award-winning 2013 memoir, “Atchison Blue: A Search for Silence, a Spiritual Home and a Living Faith,” chosen by Religion Newswriters Association as one of the three best spirituality books of that year.
Her new book “How to Be: A Monk & a Journalist Reflect on Living & Dying, Purpose & Prayer, Forgiveness & Friendship” is a dialogue between two spiritual seekers exploring life’s complex questions. Her co-author is Brother Paul Quenon, a Trappist Monk of the famous Abbey of Gethsemani who knew the great spirituality Author, Thomas Merton.
Her 2018 book, “How to Live: What The Rule of St. Benedict Teaches Us About Happiness, Meaning, and Community” has been used by book group members throughout the world seeking to live a more contemplative life in the secular world. She is also co-author with Brother Paul Quenon of “The Art of Pausing: Meditations for the Overworked and Overwhelmed,” winner of a 2013 Catholic Press Association Award.
She is a former on-air correspondent who covered faith and values for Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly on national PBS-TV. She also worked as a staff writer for The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal and was twice a finalist for the Pulizter Prize in journalism. She has won numerous broadcast awards, including two Edward R, Murrow Awards, arising from her work as senior correspondent and investigative reporter for the NPR affiliate, GLT Radio. She also was a correspondent for Chicago Public Radio. She currently contributes articles to National Catholic Reporter and U.S. Catholic magazine.
Ms. Valente is also a poet whose poetry chapbook, “Inventing An Alphabet,” was chosen by Mary Oliver for the 2005 national Aldrich Poetry Prize. Her second collection, “Discovering Moons,” was published in 2009.
Ms. Valente holds a B.A in English and classical languages from St. Peter’s University in Jersey City, NJ, and an MFA in creative writing from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She is married to former Illinois Judge Charles Reynard, also a poet, with whom she co-edited the 2005 anthology, “Twenty Poems to Nourish Your Soul,” winner of an Eric Hoffer Book citation. The couple operates an alfalfa farm in central Illinois, where Judith is a member of the Grand Prairie Master Naturalists, a group that cares for the Illinois prairie.She is also vice president of the International Thomas Merton Society.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
