Suggestions for Summer
Summer is almost upon us, and between trips with family and friends, days spent at the lake, and the parades of evening barbecues, we might find ourselves on the look-out for some good stuff to read. Never fear! Here are some suggestions for summer reading, categorized by subject. (And hopefully, we will realize of course that this list features all Catholic Christian stuff. Hey, what do we expect – I am a priest, after all!)
Fiction
The Diary of a Country Priest, Georges Bernanos
Death Comes For the Archbishop, Willa Cather
The Power and the Glory, Graham Greene
The Great Divorce, C.S. Lewis
Till We Have Faces, C.S. Lewis
A Canticle For Leibowitz, Walter M. Miller, Jr.
Quo Vadis, Henryk Sienkiewicz
The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien
Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh
Written by Saints
On the Incarnation, Saint Athanasius
Confessions, Saint Augustine
On Marriage and Family Life, Saint John Chrysostom
True Devotion to Mary, Saint Louis de Montfort
Finding God’s Will For You, Saint Francis de Sales
Introduction to the Devout Life, Saint Francis de Sales
Crossing the Threshold of Hope, Saint John Paul the Great
Gift and Mystery, Saint John Paul the Great
Words of Light, Saint Pio of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio)
Interior Castle, Saint Teresa of Avila
The Way of Perfection, Saint Teresa of Avila
The Story of a Soul, Saint Therese of Lisieux
Jesus and Christology
Behold the Pierced One, Pope Benedict XVI
Jesus of Nazareth trilogy, Pope Benedict XVI
On the Way to Jesus Christ, Pope Benedict XVI
The Everlasting Man, G.K. Chesterton
Redeemer in the Womb, Peter Saward
Cradle of Redeeming Love, Peter Saward
Life of Christ, Archbishop Fulton Sheen
A Heart Like His, Thomas Williams
Mary and Mariology
Marian Veneration, Cardinal Francis Arinze
Mary: the Church at the Source, Pope Benedict XVI; Hans Urs von Balthasar
Champions of the Rosary, Donald Calloway
Our Lady of Guadalupe, Warren Carroll
The World’s First Love, Archbishop Fulton Sheen
Christian Philosophy
Making Sense Out Of Suffering, Peter Kreeft
The Philosophy of Tolkien, Peter Kreeft
Three Philosophies of Life, Peter Kreeft
The Hungry Soul, Leon Kass
Apologetics (defending/explaining the faith)
The Bible is a Catholic Book, Jimmy Akin
Yes, There is a God, John Bergsma
Born Fundamentalist, Born Again Catholic, David Currie
Answering the New Atheism, Scott Hahn; Benjamin Wiker
Rome Sweet Home, Scott Hahn
Why We’re Catholic, Trent Horn
Forty Reasons I Am a Catholic, Peter Kreeft
Healing the Culture, Robert Spitzer *
New Proofs For the Existence of God, Robert Spitzer *
Spirituality and Prayer
The Spirit of the Liturgy, Pope Benedict XVI
Essence of Prayer, Ruth Burrows
In Conversation with God series, Francis Fernandez
As We Forgive Those, Charles Finck *
Cause of Our Joy, Mother Mary Francis
A Right to Be Merry, Mother Mary Francis
Lord, Have Mercy, Scott Hahn
The Blessed Eucharist, Michael Mueller
When the Lion Roars, Stephen Rossetti
Love Unveiled, Edward Sri
The Search, Chris Stefanik
Scripture and Sacraments
Bible Basics For Catholics, John Bergsma
The Joy of the Gospel, Pope Francis
Consuming the Word, Scott Hahn
A Father Who Keeps His Promises, Scott Hahn
Lamb’s Supper, Scott Hahn
Exploring the Spirituality of the Gospels, Patrick Hartin *
A Spirituality of Perfection, Patrick Hartin *
In Memory of Me, Milton Walsh
* local (or formerly local) authors
And for something great to watch: check out the new series about Jesus and His first disciples, The Chosen, available for free with its very own app. Season One is eight episodes long; Season Two is currently being released.
~ Fr. Lewis