The Catholic Book Club discussion

We are in the middle of an excellent January BOTM, but it is time to spare a little time to consider our February 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 January 19.

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, The Gunpowder Plot, by Antonia Fraser and The Great Heresies, by Hilaire Belloc, will be excluded from the Randomizer.

The books up for consideration for the February 2018 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 Catholic Church, by Joseph Pearce
There are many Protestants and Catholics who have been deeply affected and spirituality changed by the writings of C.S. Lewis, including many converts to Catholicism who credit C.S. Lewis for playing a significant role in their conversion. But the ironic and perplexing fact is that Lewis himself, while “Catholic” in may aspects of his faith and devotion, never became a Roman Catholic. Many have wondered why. Joseph Pearce, highly regarded literary biographer and great admirer of Lewis, is the ideal writer to try to answer that question.

The Great Heresies, by Hilaire Belloc
Here the great Catholic historian Hilaire Belloc analyzes 5 of the greatest heresies of all time: Arianism, Mohammedanism (Islam), Albigensianism, Protestantism, and "the Modern Attack," showing that the world would be vastly different today if Arianism or Albigensianism had survived--and how it is different because Protestantism survived. He predicts the re-emergence of Islam; explains how the Modern Attack is the worst threat to the Catholic Church ever.

The Gunpowder Plot, by Antonia Fraser
Antonia Fraser, a popular historian, has delved into archives across Europe to unravel the true story of the plot by fanatical Roman Catholics to blow up the Houses of Parliament and King James I at the opening of Parliament in 1605.

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.

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.

The Great Heresies and Story of A Soul

The Great Heresies and The Gunpowder Plot

C. S. Lewis and the Catholic Church

The Great Heresies

Second Friends
Martyr for Truth

Life of St Catherine
Champions of the Rosary

Story of a Soul

Looking for the King

Champions of the Rosary or Church of Spies

Great heresies & gunpowder plot

C.S.Lewis & the Catholic Church
Great heresies

Church of Spies

Great Heresies

Toward the Gleam, by T.M. Doran
Great heresies by Hilaire Belloc

Church of Spies
Looking for the King

Church of Spies

On the God of the Christians
Return to Order

Voting is closed.