The Catholic Book Club discussion

It is time to consider and vote for our December 2017 BOTM.

You may vote for up to two of the books listed below.

Enter your votes by replying in this thread.

Voting will end at approximately 5:00 Central time on November 18.

A book will be randomly selected for elimination from the nominations list from among those that don't receive any votes. The two new books added to the voting list this month, C.S.Lewis and the Church of Rome, by Christopher Derrick and Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of St. Therese of Lisieux, by Thérèse de Lisieux, will be excluded from the Randomizer.

The books up for consideration for the December 2017 BOTM are:

Champions of the Rosary: The History and Heroes of a Spiritual Weapon, by Donald H. Calloway. From the best-selling author of the classic Catholic conversion story, No Turning Back: A Witness to Mercy by Fr. Donald H. Calloway, comes a powerful and comprehensive history of a spiritual weapon: the rosary.

Church of Spies: The Pope's Secret War Against Hitler, by Mark Riebling
In Church of Spies, the intelligence expert Mark Riebling draws on a wealth of recently uncovered documents to argue that, far from being Hitler’s lackey, Pius was an active anti-Nazi spymaster. He directed a vast network of Vatican operatives—priests and laypeople alike—who partnered with the German resistance, tipped the Allies off to Hitler’s invasions of France and Russia, and involved themselves in three separate plots to assassinate Hitler.

C.S.Lewis and the Church of Rome, by Christopher Derrick
Christopher Derrick, a long-time friend and former student of C. S. Lewis, explores Lewis' attitude toward the Catholic Church in this book.

Life and Select Works of Peter of Alcantara, by Peter of Alcantara
Among the great accomplishments and benefits to others, he was the Confessor to Teresa of Avila. It was Peter and the work contained within this particular volume, which Teresa of Avila was able to grow and develop into the person she was. It was Peter of Alcantara, who advised not only her but also others into a life of poverty, prayer which lead to spiritual bliss.
Like St John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila, Peter of Alcantara decided to follow the reformed order of the Franciscans, known as the discalced, which started in the year Peter was born. This same rise to return to the origins of the Franciscans, gave the incentive for Teresa and John to follow the reformation within their own order.

The Life of St. Catharine of Sienna, by Raymond of Capua
One of the key works on St. Catharine's life, written shortly after her death by her spiritual director.

Looking for the King, by David C. Downing
It is 1940, and American Tom McCord, a 23-year-old aspiring doctoral candidate, is in England researching the historical evidence for the legendary King Arthur. There he meets perky and intuitive Laura Hartman, a fellow American staying with her aunt in Oxford, and the two of them team up for an even more ambitious and dangerous quest.
Weaving his fast-paced narrative with actual quotes from the works of the Inklings, author David Downing offers a vivid portrait of Oxford and draws a welcome glimpse into the personalities and ideas of Lewis and Tolkien, while never losing sight of his action-packed adventure story and its two very appealing main characters.

A Martyr for the Truth: Jerzy Popieuszko, by Grazyna Sikorska

On the Edge of Infinity: A Biography of Michael D. O'Brien, by Clemens Cavallin
Michael O’Brien is, I believe, the greatest living Catholic novelist, so it is high time someone wrote his biography. Fortunately, Clemens Cavallin, the biographer chosen by Michael and divine Providence, is up to the task. He avoids the common pitfalls of the genre: muckraking or hagiography on the one hand and rationalistic detachment or irrational subjectivity on the other. Three stories are interwoven in this book, as in O’Brien’s life: the external, material story of his family and the places he has lived; the internal, spiritual story of his faith and thought; and the litera

On the God of the Christians:, by Rémi Brague -
[The book description on GR is in French. The following is excerpted from Amazon, which indicates it is from the back cover of the book.]
On the God of the Christians tries to explain how Christians conceive of the God whom they worship. No proof for His existence is offered, but simply a description of the Christian image of God.

The Question of God: C.S. Lewis and Sigmund Freud Debate God, Love, Sex, and the Meaning of Life, by Armand M. Nicholi Jr.
Throughout the ages, many of the world's greatest thinkers have wrestled with the concept of -- and belief in -- God. It may seem unlikely that any new arguments or insights could be raised, but the twentieth century managed to produce two brilliant men with two diametrically opposed views about the question of God: Sigmund Freud and C. S. Lewis. They never had an actual meeting, but in The Question of God, their arguments are placed side by side for the very first time.
For more than twenty-five years, Armand Nicholi has taught a course at Harvard that compares the philosophical arguments of both men. In The Question of God, Dr. Nicholi presents the writings and letters of Lewis and Freud, allowing them to "speak" for themselves on the subject of belief and disbelief. Both men considered the problem of pain and suffering, the nature of love and sex, and the ultimate meaning of life and death -- and each of them thought carefully about the alternatives to their positions.

Return to Order: From a Frenzied Economy to an Organic Christian Society, by John Horvat
In times of crisis, we are forced to reexamine our ways and ponder our future. It is in this framework that we need to consider our present economic plight and the charting of our path forward. John Horvat focuses on the present crisis with great insight and clarity. He claims modern economy has become cold, impersonal, and out of balance. Gone are the human elements of honor and trust so essential to our daily lives. Society has discarded the natural restraining influence of the human institutions and values that should temper our economic activities.

Second Friends: C.S. Lewis and Ronald Knox in Conversation, by Milton Walsh
C. S. Lewis and Ronald Knox were two of the most popular authors of Christian apologetics in the twentieth century ... and for many years they were neighbors in Oxford. In Second Friends, Milton Walsh delves into their writings and compares their views on a variety of compelling topics, such as the existence of God, the divinity of Christ, the problem of suffering, miracles, the way of Love, the role of religion in society, prayer, and more. They both bring to the conversation a passionate love of truth, clarity of thought, and a wonderful wit.

Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of St. Therese of Lisieux, by Thérèse de Lisieux
Two and a half years before her death in 1897 at the age of 24, as Thérèse Martin began writing down her childhood memories at the request of her blood sisters in the Lisieux Carmel, few could have guessed the eventual outcome. Yet this Story of my soul, first published in 1898 in a highly edited version, quickly became a modern spiritual classic, read by millions and translated into dozens of languages around the world.

Toward the Gleam, by T.M. Doran
Between the two world wars, on a hike in the English countryside, Professor John Hill takes refuge from a violent storm in a cave. There he nearly loses his life, but he also makes an astonishing discovery — an ancient manuscript housed in a cunningly crafted metal box. Though a philologist by profession, Hill cannot identify the language used in the manuscript and the time period in which it is was made, but he knows enough to make an educated guess — that the book and its case are the fruits of a long-lost, but advanced civilization.

Treatise on Prayer and Meditation, by Peter of Alcantara
In this famous Treatise, St. Peter of Alcantara assists the Catholic soul to find devotion, that supernatural affection that removes distaste for spiritual effort and urges one on to serve God joyfully and genersously. St Peter made this book short and simple, yet packed into it "all that is necessary to know about prayer." It is full of saintly counsels on prayer, which is the key to the entire spiritual life.

Champions of the Rosary and Church of Spies are both excellent reads. I always love CS Lewis❤️. Peter of Alcatratra is receiving much-deserved renewed attention. Any of these would be excellent choices 🙂. You decide!

I vote for Toward the Gleam, by T.M. Doran and
Looking for the King, by David C. Downing.

Treatise on Prayer and Meditation
Life and Select Works of Peter Alcantara

Looking for the King
Lewis and the Church of Rome

Margaret, you can help us by voting for two. I agree, so many excellent choices!

Margaret wrote: "Champions of the Rosary and Church of Spies are both excellent reads. I always love CS Lewis❤️. Peter of Alcatratra is receiving much-deserved renewed attention. Any of these would be excellent cho..."

Hi, Margaret, as Jill said, it would help if you voted for two, though I know we've got a great list of books to choose from. Hard to go wrong.

Life of St. Catherine of Sienna
Treatise on prayer & meditation by Alcantara

Treatise on Prayer and Meditation
Champions of the Rosary.

Champions of the Rosary
Toward the Gleam

On the Edge of Infinity, by Clemens Cavallin

Second Friends, by Milton Walsh

I will cast my votes for

1) Return to Order

2) Church of Spies