I was just wondering if anyone had any good reads to suggest. OF COURSE I read the Bible every day, and I have read most of Scott Hahn's books, and I have just finished "The Screwtape Letters", many others, the names just fail me right now....

Fiction, non-fiction, I don't care. Just please, nothing anti-Catholic. I love my God, and I love Our Church, I have no interest in reading bashing books.

thanks

-- Prose (arpeggio69@hotmail.com), March 18, 2003

Answers

-- J. F. Gecik (jfgecik@hotmail.com), March 18, 2003.

St. Alphonsus Ligouri, Meditations on Death

Thomas A Kempis, Imitation of Christ

Ven. Mary of Agreda, The Mystical City of God

Rev. Herman Bernard Kramer, The Book of Destiny

Gary Larsen, The Far Side Gallery

-- Emerald (emerald1@cox.net), March 18, 2003.

"Mariette in Ecstasy" by Ron Hansen - a surprising discovery from the secular book world, a pro-contemplative novel!

-- Christine L :-) (christine_lehman@hotmail.com), March 18, 2003.

http://www.ccel.org/d/desales/devout_life/devout_life.html http://www.ccel.org/d/decaussade/abandonment/htm/ii.htm http://www.dur.ac.uk/martin.ward/gkc/books/ http://www.newmanreader.org/works/verses/index.html http://www.catholictreasury.info/library.htm

The first link is Introduction to the Devout Life. Second link is Abandonment to Divine Providence (short but very sweet). The third is a series of links for G.K. Chestertons works online. The fourth is a series of links for many poetic works of Cardinal Newman and they are WONDERFUL. The fifth link has a list of classic Catholic books all of which are available.

Depending on your taste in reading materials, there are so many different things to read I couldn't possibly list them. Do you like prayer or history or scripture or people as a focus? Blessings, Theresa

-- Theresa Matarese (t_matarese@yahoo.com), March 18, 2003.

I ordered some very good books from Our Lady of Victory Home School for my children, and I am reading them, as well.

Outlaws of Ravenhurst

Come Rack, Come Rope

Grisley Grisell

These are not meditational books, but very pro-Catholic novels.

Also try Lord of the Rings, if you have not already.

For meditational, I recommend "The Glories of Mary", "Purgatory", "Hell" and any lives of the saints. The life of Don Bosco is both interesting and inspirational.

-- Isabel (isabel@yahoo.com), March 18, 2003.

You know what is really ironic? I was just thinking earlier today on how a thread of good pro-Catholic novels would be interesting. I was wanting to see if anyone had recommendations for any. So, thank you for starting this thread.

-- Isabel (isabel@yahoo.com), March 18, 2003.

Gail sent me "Closer than a Brother" {practicing the presence of God} It's the classic story of Brother Lawrence by David Winter.

Benedict Groeschel's "from Scandal to Hope",this book attempts to make some sense of where we are to go now..

"Enjoying Intimacy with God" by J. Oswald Sanders.

An excellent one on intercessory prayer, "Watchman Prayer" {how to stand guard and protect your family, home, and community} by Dutch Sheets.

"The Three Battlegrounds" {an in-depth view of the three arenas of spiritual warfare:the mind, the church, and the Heavenly places}, by Francis Frangipane. Excellent teaching.

Linda Schubert's little easy-to-read book "True Confessions, healing the secrets of the heart".

Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to lead you to the right one. love,Theresa

-- Theresa Huether (RodnTee4Jesus@aol.com), March 18, 2003.

Ever heard of Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyon ? It's a classic !

-- Christian (anon@anon.com), March 18, 2003.

Prose:

I agree with Emerald's choices!

The Mystical City of God is fantastic. I have the four volume set, but the abridged book is presently on sale at www.tanbooks.com for under $15. You can trust Tan for good, Catholic reading!

I also recommend True Devotion to Mary by St. Louis de Montfort, published by Montfort Publishing in Bayshore, NY. (I see this book on ebay fairly often--and it's author is a canonized Catholic saint! Just go to ebay and in the search box, type Catholic book. You'll find many treasures!)

Interior Castle by St. Teresa, if it can be found.

Everlasting Man, by Chesterton

The Legend of St. Dismas (and other Poems) published by Ignatius Press. (Very moving Catholic poetry)

All of Tolkien's books, also: The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy--Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and the Return of the King...

Happy Reading!

We'll want a book report later!

(Well, ok, how about a review?)

-- Anna <>< (flower@youknow.com), March 18, 2003.

TAM Books out of California have a very wide acceptable publications of Catholic thought(s).

-- jean bouchard (jeanb@cwk.imag.net), March 19, 2003.

My favorites are anything by St. Alphonsus Liguori - he makes me cry with his love for Jesus and his Passion. My favs are: Passion and Death of Jesus Christ, Preparation for Death, 12 Steps to Salvation. I also recommend Garigou-LaGrange (hope I spelled it right) - especially Life Everlasting. MaryAnn

-- maryann (maryann.parker@citigroup.com), March 19, 2003.

It's TAN, not "Tam." A typo, I'm sure. But Jean is right. They're very trustworthy Catholic publishers. They're online at www.tanbooks.com.

I forgot to post my favorite non-fiction, non-canonized lay Catholic author is Joan Carroll Cruz.

Check out her "Eucharistic Miracles," complete with photographs. It's awesome!

But also good, are her, "Secular Saints," "The Incorruptibles," "Mysteries, Marvels, Miracles In the Lives of the Saints"

-- Anna <>< (flower@youknow.com), March 19, 2003.

Hey, maryanne has the right title. It's Preparation for Death, not meditations on death like I listed above.

Anna, Isabel... I still haven't read Tolkien. In a way, it's a bummer I've let it get onto my list of things to do, because now I'm convinced it will never get done. I should have put it on my list of bad habits to get rid of; that way, I would have been done with it months ago.

In fact, I haven't finished any book completely which I listed. I can't seem to start at the beginning and end at the end; I always start in the middle and skip around from there; I couldn't tell you what percentage I have completed of any one of them.

I'll tell you one thing, though, they keep you coming back for more.

-- Emerald (emerald1@cox.net), March 19, 2003.

Em,

I swear you are my soul buddy!

I do that also! So many books, so little time! During Lent, I must pick up the Transfixion (one of the 4 volumes of the Mystical City of God) at least once. It gives me goose bumps. But all four volumes? I wish!

Pax Christi.

-- Anna <>< (flower@youknow.com), March 19, 2003.

I should have put it on my list of bad habits to get rid of; that way, I would have been done with it months ago.

You may now put it on your bad habits list. No better time than the present.

I am reading *Grisley Grisell*. A lot of Catholicism in it and very good so far. But, just a novel, not meditational.

-- Isabel (isabel@yahoo.com), March 19, 2003.

Belloc's Characters of the Reformation, also The Great Heresies are two good books.

-- Ed Richards (loztra@yahoo.com), March 19, 2003.

Besides The Everlasting Man, already mentioned by Anne, I would recommend "Orthodoxy" by Chesterton.

Screwtape Letters is one of my favorites.

For those more philosophically inclined, all books by Jacques Maritain are also great.

For those who like History, “History of the Church of Christ” by Daniel-Rops (9 volumes in Portuguese, I do not know if it is published in English).

God Bless.

-- Atila (me@somewhere.com), March 20, 2003.

Here is a link to a lot of Catholic novels. Many of these are especially good for children, because they are easy to read, but adults will like them, as well. I have ordered quite a few books from here, and always get them shipped to me very quickly.

-- Isabel (isabel@yahoo.com), March 20, 2003.

Let's try that again.

-- Isabel (isabel@yahoo.com), March 20, 2003.

I concur with several of the suggestions so far:

Everlasting Man, Chesterton, has some truly sublime moments. St Louis de Montfort, anything about devotion to Mary, the Rosary is wonderful.

Controversies, by Karl Keating is great stuff. The converts from England from Newman to Knox to Lunn to Chesterton to Belloc are all shown off here.

Joseph Pearce is an author who has become the Catholic biographer par excellence. Get any of his books on great Catholics of the 20th century

-- Thomas Skalman (tskal@sprintmail.com), June 21, 2003.

Pilgrim's Progress? I don't think so...

"A Canticle for Liebowitz" by Walter Miller Jr. (Sci-fi)

Chesterton's "Father Brown" stories (Detective)

"Watership Down" by Richard Adams has some Christian symbolism- any opinions on its Catholicity? (Fable)

"The Sinner's Guide" by Venerable Louis of Granada., OP (Non-fiction)

St. Thomas Aquinas' "Summa Theologica" (Non-fiction!)

-- Catherine Ann (catfishbird@yahoo.ca), June 21, 2003.