I have an unhealthy habit of buying Catholic books and then letting them sit on the shelf, so I’m trying to clear out some inventory now that life is going smoother.
Usually I’ll have a physical copy going and an e-book on my phone for when I don’t have the physical one on me.
Right now I’m reading Hallowed Be This House by Thomas Howard and The Transforming Power of Faith by Pope Benedict XVI
What books do you have going or finished recently?
Also, here’s a pro tip: if you have Formed.org, you can download the mobile app to your phone or tablet and then download over 160 Catholic, heresy free, books. All you need is an ebook app like play books to upload the epub files to and you can read them there.
Good to know, thank you. Heresy free books? Awesome.
In Catholic fiction ( it’s near summer) I love
Michael D. O’Brien, Ignatius Press. Working on one of six in a series , Elijah In Jeruselum. He is a theologian, so his fiction is really very good.
There’s a couple of O’Brien’s books on Formed, including audiobooks. I know the ebook version of the first Father Elijah book is on there. A lot of the books are from Ignatius Press, thank God.
Funny story, for awhile I was reading a lot of theology books back to back and kept going to my favorite priest to ask questions and after awhile he told me to calm down and read some novels. So I bought a bunch of novels, including 3 from O’Brien (Island of the World, Strangers and Sojourners, and The Lighthouse) and to this day I’ve only read maybe 2 novels, none of which being O’Brien’s . I should take my priest’s advice and read them next. I’m glad you’re liking the series, I should pick it up.
I am definitely checking out Formed free books, thanks!
Did you read Theology and Sanity by Sheed? It’s on my shelf for winter read. Summer is for fiction lol
I have a tendency to start books and not finishing them, so what I started doing a couple years ago is grab a book that I am interested in reading and pick a chapter from the table of contents that sounds like it would be good. This has worked for me.
Here are a few books that I have enjoyed reading:
“The Didache” (Read the Book of Acts in the Bible first and then read this document from the Early Christian Church, which was written around the late first or early second century.)
“A Father Who Keeps His Promises” by Dr. Scott Hahn
“Free is Beautiful” by Randy England (He puts into words better than I ever could where I am at politically)
“The Law” by Frédéric Bastiat (This is not a Catholic book, though he was Catholic. This is the one book that Dr. Ron Paul recommended every American read. It is very short. You can read it in one sitting.)
“Absolute Relativism: The New Dictatorship” by Chris Stefanick (Another really short read that you can read in one sitting).
Here are a few books that I want to read:
“Counterfeit Christs - Finding the Real Jesus Among the Impostors” by Trent Horn
“Jesus, the Apostles, and the Early Church” by Pope Benedict XVI
“Pillar & Bulwark” by Marcus Grodi (This is a sequel to his first novel I enjoyed, “How Firm a Foundation”)
“The Drama of Salvation” by Jimmy Akin
“Hope to Die: The Christian Meaning of Death and the Resurrection of the Body” by Dr. Scott Hahn
“The Power of Truth: The Challenges to Catholic Doctrine and Morals Today” by Cardinal Gerhard Müller
Pretty much every Thomas Sowell book!
There are so many books that I want to read (too many to list : )
I actually haven’t read any of Frank Sheed’s works yet. I was told when I converted that I could spend every minute of my life reading these books and still never finish them all.
I’ll put it on my wishlist though!
If that is your wishlist then you need to add A Time to Die: Monks on the Brink of Eternal Life by Nicolas Diat. I read that in two days. Couldn’t put it down. Each chapter is a story about a monk from a different religious order and their death. The one about the Carthusians was the best. It also has interviews with the Abbots and monks who lived with them. Really great book.
My whole concept on death has been changed since reading books such as that. I’ve embraced the Momento Mori mindset. I used to be very afraid of death but now I see it as part of mortal life. Live piously and you should not fear death as Christ has already conquered it.
I’m not much of a reader but I love to collect all Catholic books, especially on apologetics. I get the MP3 apologetics from https://www.biblechristiansociety.com by John Martignoni (if I spelled his name correctly), they offer cd’s too for a dollar but the MP3’s are free. Two Minutes Apologetics is a good start to defending the faith but all of his teachings are great to help us defend the faith in a non-offensive way. I give the cd’s out and some are in Spanish which is great for those in our parish who don’t speak English.
I’ve read 13 books so far this spring, about one per week, I guess. The only specifically Catholic one was Fatima in Lucia’s Own Words. Two others were by noted Christian authors: The Secret of Father Brown by G.K. Chesterton and Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis. Right now I’m reading Strangers on the Horizon by Samuel Halpern, about the ships that were nearby when Titanic sank. Although inquiries after the disaster blamed the captain of the Californian for not coming to Titanic’s aid, there is still a controversy today. Most arguments are based on testimony, but Halpern takes a forensic approach, looking at compass bearings, tables of how far apart things can be seen, and so on. A little like Chesterton’s Father Brown solving mysteries!
I have one of Chesterton’s novels ready to read on my list. Manalive to be specific. I like reading his quotes yet haven’t read any of his works.
I didn’t even know there were any ships near the titanic when it sunk. Makes sense though since it was such a monumental ship and seafaring was how people got around back then. Must be quite the interesting read.
What kinds of books do mostly read that aren’t in the realm of Catholic literature? Must be pretty good to hook you for a week at a time!
My main interests are history, maritime subjects, and railroads. We don’t have a TV, so my wife and I do a lot of reading. Walter Lord’s A Night to Remember is one of the best books about the Titanic. It was published in the 1950s, and he interviewed a lot of Titanic survivors. He was a talented writer whose work was easy to read.
All wonderful subjects. Before I converted, I read all about Polish history (because I’m Polish, heh). From the beginning to modern day. I think Poland being a country so loyal to the Catholic Church definitely played a part in fueling my conversion.
Reading about history, on any subject, is so enriching to our being. Knowing where the world has been creates such a better understanding of what is currently happening around us.
I’ve toyed with the idea of ditching my television but I gotta watch my basketball, especially since my team is in the championship for the first time haha
I have read two Chesterton books, “Orthodoxy” and “The Catholic Church and Conversion,” but they run together in my mind (I read them a long time ago). I find Chesterton’s style less enjoyable to read than C.S. Lewis.
I tried to read my daughter the “Father Brown” series, but could not get past all the English slang.
Polish history: When I worked at Magnificat Press (1986-1991, I think), we published Urge to Live by Boleslaw Wysocki, a World War II memoir, mostly about interment in a prison camp in Spain. It may be hard to find a copy nowadays. I can’t even find mine.
Hold up, you worked at Magnificat Press? Like the publisher that puts out the Magnificat monthly missal? THAT Magnificat? I can see why you read so much!
. I should take my priest’s advice and read them next. I’m glad you’re liking the series, I should pick it up.
