Catholic Readers discussion

I'm embarking on G. K. Chesterton! I recently ordered his 'What's wrong with the world' from Southwell Books and have decided to jump on in. Excited to begin!

Which Catholic books are you reading?

I am reading the The story of a soul.. by St. Therese ...i love reading her books..

Oh, nice one. I've never read anything of hers. What would you recommend as a book to start out with?

I started with the St. Therese of Lisieux Prayer book..and I just started The story of a soul.. i have a hard time letting it go.. if you have a nook, its very inexspensive on the nook.. if you want more i can go through my books and look for some others about her.. The story of a soul is by her.. I also like St. Augastine books..

Boy that was rambling.. I have read a lot of books about and by her.. If you would like more ideas of books to read I would be more than happy to go through my books and tell you what I have read.. I have over 1ooo books, and I am reading all the time so I tend to forget the names of them all.. LOL..=o)

What's Wrong with the World is a good one. I think that's the first book by Chesterton that I've read other than his detective stories about Father Brown and Mr. Pond. I'm actually reading another book by Chesterton right now: The Dumb Ox about St. Thomas Aquinas. It's pretty interesting if a little complicated at times since I'm not all that familiar with philosophy and certain heresies that St. Thomas was working against.

I read Story of a Soul some time ago, but I would be interested in other books about or by St. Therese.

Oh, now I come to think of it, I've read some Fr. Brown stories too, a while back. I thought they were rather good, though I don't often read short stories anymore.

I'm also getting through 'God's Philosophers: How the Medieval World Laid the Foundations of Modern Science' by James Hannam. It's a historical tour through Western scientific developement, debunking LOTS of myths about how the Church supposedly suppressed scientific thought or burnt people alive for daring to think that the Earth was round. It's a real eye-opener!

Karina, I am sorry that I haven't gotten back to you sooner.. A list of St. Therese books are: St. Therese of Lisieux Prayer book, A Little White Flower (An autobiography), St. Therese of Lisieux..with confidence and love, The foundation of the Carmel of lisieux, Thoughts of the servant of God, Thérèse of the Child Jesus : the Little flower of Jesus, Carmelite of the monastery of Lisieux, 1873-1897..hope that this helps.. I do a lot of my books on my nook.. I love it.. I can carry many many books on there and always have a good book to read and order more right there and have it with in seconds so, I am never searching for a book.. have a great day..

Other stuff I'm also reading at the moment: The Major Works of Anselm of Canterbury (Oxford World's Classics). I'm intrigued by the life of St. Anselm :)

Oh, and my Advent reading comes from vol. 1 of In Conversation with God. I'll find the links for them now and upload them to the group's shelf.

The Origins of Christmas by Joseph F. Kelly. I checked this book out from my library, and it's much better then I expected. The author compares the different nativity stories of the gospel writers and then continues with later beliefs and customs.

L, what do you think of it so far? I must admit, when I saw the title I feared it would be another Christmas- and Christianity-bashing tome, but after having checked out the reviews at amazon I'm not so skeptical anymore :)

The Origins of Christmas was refreshing for me because it wasn't about bashing. The book was written by Joseph Kelly who is a professor of religious studies at John Carroll University, and according to his bio on the back of the book he is active in the religious education apostolate of the Diocese of Cleveland.

The book does examine the history of both relgious and non relgious customs and traditions that have contributed to the Christmas celebrations we see today. My favorite part of the book though is the beginning because the author does a great job of comparing and contrasting the gospel accounts of the Holy Family in the writings of Matthew, Mark and Luke

Re: G.K. Chesterton's 'What's wrong with the world' - I'm finding it difficult to plough on through. I'm not sure why; maybe his language is not something I find easy to read. I've skipped to the chapters about education, as that's what I'm most interested in at the moment :)

Hail, Holy Queen by Scott Hahn. So far I'm enjoying this book that is providing both biblical and traditional support for the honoring of Mary.

L, oh good one! I've seen that book a few times but haven't got round to getting my hands on a copy. A lovely time of year to be reading about Our Lady, too.

Have started on Abbot Baur's "Frequent Confession" :)

Marie - I bought it online at Southwell Books. Unfortunately they're shutting down, so I don't know where you'd be able to get a copy otherwise. It's not on amazon and the like?

L: I read Hail, Holy Queen a couple of years ago and it was excellent; I enjoyed it a lot.

Anyway, just now I finished reading With God in Russia written by a priest about his experiences being imprisoned (unjustly for being a "Vatican spy") in Russia and sent to labor camps. It reads easily, like an adventure. This priest has been under investigation for a possible beatification.

Right now I'm reading Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska: Divine Mercy in My Soul. So far this has been a very inspirational book. It's the diary of St Maria Faustina that Jesus instructed her to start keeping. It talks about her struggles in following her convictions sometimes, dark moments in her life and the feeling of Grace she experiences when she is communicating with Jesus. It talks about the Feast of Divine Mercy, which Jesus told her he wanted people to follow in order to remember that God wants to Grace all of us with his love and mercy.
This is a big book I've only just started it, and I'm finding I want to keep stopping to learn more about a topic brought up in the book, such as the Feast of Divine Mercy, or the Hour of Divine Mercy

Oh boy oh boy oh boy!

Yesterday my copy of FORTESCUE arrived in the post! My inner liturgical nerd now has enough squiee-material to last until at least...Pentecost or so ;) It's so pretty and has all these cool diagrams in which show where all the different ministers and servers etc should be for each part of Mass. BEAUTIFUL!

(Ok yes I am a geek :))

Right now Im reading "Witness to Hope" by George Weigel. Its about Pope John Paul II's life and work. It's a very interesting book. It is taking me a while to read, but he was a very fascinating man.

I just started reading "Stealing the Mystic Lamb: the true story of the worlds most coveted Masterpiece". While its not a "Catholic" book, it is about a magnificent piece of art painted for an Flemish altar. The very first chapter is about the symbolism of the piece and its very interesting to see how all the details in the painting convey a greater meaning than the general image.

Hi! I just joined GoodReads and this group and am looking forward to sharing book information with all of you. :)

Can anyone recommend any texts on the true meaning of marital love/the relationship between man and woman/what true love is?

Thank you so much and God bless you! :)

Hi Christina, welcome!

The true meaning of marital love - wow, such a big topic! The thing that first springs to my mind is the Theology of the Body, a collection of catechesis sessions given by Pope John Paul II over a period of time. There's more than one approach to it, I think - one quite well-known, by Christopher West, and perhaps some others. I haven't studied it, though, so I'm not sure there's a title I could recommend. I hope others will be able to help you more :)

Christina,

I would recommend "Men, Women and the Mystery of Love: Practical Insights from John Paul II's Love and Responsibility" by Ed Sri.

Like Lisa said, there is a wealth of great reading on the subject. If you like the above title, I would move to the primary texts of "Love and Responsibility" by Karol Wojtyla (aka: John Paul II) and "Man and Woman He Created Them" by John Paul II.

Christina wrote: "Hi! I just joined GoodReads and this group and am looking forward to sharing book information with all of you. :)

Can anyone recommend any texts on the true meaning of marital love/the relation..."

The Screwtape Letters along with my children for Lent. Also picking up Salt of the Earth just for my Lenten reading.

Oh, I enjoyed Salt of the Earth. I hope you do too!

I almost forgot that Fr. John Riccardo, whom you can hear on www.avemariaradio.net, recommends Mary Healy's book, "Men and Women are from Eden: A study guide to John Paul II's Theology of the Body," and also "The Splendor of Love" by Walter Schu.

I hope you find what you're looking for.

Christina wrote: "Hi! I just joined GoodReads and this group and am looking forward to sharing book information with all of you. :)

Can anyone recommend any texts on the true meaning of marital love/the relation..."

I picked up Jesus of Nazareth again. There's a second part that just came out yesterday, and I ordered it and decided I should probably try to read the first part.

I'm reading Ten Steps to a Closer Walk with God by David SHowers (Christian book)

and my husband is reading Rediscover Caltholicism: A Spiritual Guide to LIving with Passion and Purpose by Matthew Kelly.

I' reading The Jesuit Guide to Almost Everything: A Spirituality for Real Life by James Martin. I really like this book, I'm taking lots of notes as I read. I've been interested in Ignatius Spiritual exercises for awhile but have been overwhelmed as to where to start. This book gives a glimpse at some of St. Ignatius' most important lessons.

L wrote: "I' reading The Jesuit Guide to Almost Everything: A Spirituality for Real Life by James Martin. I really like this book, I'm taking lots of notes as I read. I've been interested in ..."

I'm reading this, too!

I'm strangely ambivalent about the book, and it took me a while to figure out why: I can't stand the writing style (lots of personal anecdotes, and concepts explained two or three times in two or three different ways when they seemed explained so simply the first time).

However, I really am interested in the content and it's much easier to read than St. Ignatius' work (which I tried to pick up a couple years back . . . didn't get very far). I think I'm going to skim it, then go back through and summarize the parts I find interesting into a text file, so I can review the material without getting hung up on the way it is presented. I do think the author is saying good things, and most people would find the book to be an easy and enjoyable read.

Ethel, I agree with your comments about the book The Jesuit Guide to Almost Everything:. It’s not a quick read, and I can only read small sections at a time because the book includes a lot of information, personal stories, and references to other works.

Hi,
I just started reading " He liked tuesdays best" polish bestseller The story of everyday life of John Paul II.
I think this could be interesting story because is wrote by his best friend and long associate Archbishop Mieczysław Mokrzycki with journalist Brygida Grysiak.
The book speaks about an ordinary day of John Paul II in the Vatican,and why he liked Tuesdays..

You can find more about this book at http://www.jp2books.com/

Ethel wrote: "L wrote: "I' reading The Jesuit Guide to Almost Everything: A Spirituality for Real Life by James Martin. I really like this book, I'm taking lots of notes as I read. I've been inte..."
Based on your recommendations, I am borrowing this book from the library. I was pleasantly surprised that the book could be found in the library in the first place. I am eager to start reading.

L wrote: "Ethel, I agree with your comments about the book The Jesuit Guide to Almost Everything:. It’s not a quick read, and I can only read small sections at a time because the book includes a lot of info..."
I actually really liked the references to other works in the early books - those that I've read were books I loved, and I want to try his other recommendations. I found I was drawn back in as he got into the different types of prayer later in the book, too. I actually find his writing to be almost *too* easy to read for the rest of the book! I think most people would like the writing style, actually. It's very personal and concrete, and ties in to real-world experience. I took a fair number of philosophy classes in college, and that experience might have left me used to denser works and impatient with the very things that make this book feel so warm and welcoming. If so, 'The Jesuit Guide' is undoubtedly good for me, since one should never become so used to learning in one way that one gets frustrated easily with all other ways of learning. Besides, the notes I will make will be exceedingly useful, and I will end up learning more than if the book were well-suited to the way I like to learn!

I just started The Long Loneliness, by Dorothy Day, and finished Confessions of an Ex-Feminist, by Lorraine V. Murray (loved it). Before that, Light of the World (loved it, too).

I have read the Godless Delusion by Madrid(Comprehensive and enlightening to read) and Theology of the Body for Beginners by West(Great introduction to meaningful sexuality.

I just read this incredible novel!!Wayward Son
by Tom Pollack (Goodreads Author), John Loftus (Goodreads Author), Jim Alves
4.31 · rating details · 29 ratings · 19 reviews
A POWERFUL TREMOR UNEARTHS AN ANCIENT SECRET Buried near Italy's Mount Vesuvius is a remarkable observatory containing artifacts dating to the earliest record of human events. Only one person the Getty Museum's Amanda James; can unlock the mysterious doors that guard the chamber. But once inside, Amanda is shocked to discover evidence left behind by a notorious Biblical killer; who long ago wandered of the pages of history. When a strange relic unveils the miraculous truth about this villain, Amanda must battle sinister forces intent on suppressing her stunning revelation; before it alters the destiny of millions. The first in a series, Wayward Son takes the reader on an amazing voyage, where epic adventures in Egypt, Greece, China and Rome collide with modern-day intrigue and suspense. Journey with Amanda into this man's tantalizing story, and witness a life that eclipses the imagination!

Eek! I haven't logged in to GoodReads since I posted my comment and request back in March! Thank you to all for your recommendations! I'm going to look into each book that you've suggested! Thank you again and God bless!

Christina

This is going to sound really shameful...I'm still working my way through Abandonment to Divine Providence! I didn't manage to get through it during Lent, so I'm awfully behind :)

I just finished The Abbess of Andalusia by Lorriane Murray. It's a spiritual biography of Flannery O'Connor. Excellent.

At the suggestion of someone here in the forum, I borrowed and read "The Jesuit Guide to (almost) everything" Is one of those life changing books. I even made a summary as a remainder of the principles taught in the book.

Still dipping in and out of Fortescue, but that's mainly because one of our parish's priests keeps on wanting to borrow my copy, so I feel I need to read bits when I DO have it with me :)

I loved The Jesuit Guide -- I am a James Martin junkie and have devoured each of his books...

I'm reading a compendium of St. Jean Baptiste de la Salle's works. There's a preview on Google books: http://books.google.com/books?id=rTBz...

Still on the Introduction so far, and I wonder about the bias of whoever wrote it, but I'm looking forward to getting into the St.'s thoughts and learning from him.

I am about half way thru both of Fr. Martin's books. I really am enjoying both of them. I tend to skip back and forth between 20 books, but I will finish it.

I used to never stop reading a book once I started it, but there are just too many good books to waste my time on one I don't like.

I know this isn't a "Catholic" book, but right now I'm reading "The Servants of Twilight" by Dean Koontz, who happens to be a devout Catholic.

To J.S. "I know this isn't a "Catholic" book, but right now I'm reading "The Servants of Twilight" by Dean Koontz, who happens to be a devout Catholic. "


I didn't know that! Thanks for sharing. Is the book good?

So far I'm not enjoying it as much as I have his other ones. It's one of his earlier works. Still, it is very suspenseful, as most of his books are.