Recently Read

The pile of books on my night table (and scattered in other parts of my house) waiting to be read is enormous and growing day by day.  There is often little rhyme or reason as to which book gets put on the top of the pile….and the top of the pile changes often.  But listed below are some books I’ve recently read (although they weren’t necessarily recently written) and recommend.  The list is not in any order of imporance; rather as I add new entries to this page, the new entires will appear at the top of the list.

Mary, Mother of the Son, Mark Shea, 2009

Mary is beloved by many Catholics at the same time that Marian ideas and devotion cause great difficulty for many non-Catholic Christians.  Shea’s three-volume set is a particularly good read for the latter, but also has much for the former.  My extensive review of the book, which links to some other posts in which I talk about ideas in the book,  is here.  Added 10/10

 A Sacred Voice is Calling: Personal Vocation and Social Conscience, John Neafsey, 2006

A friend recommended this book to me and I am incredibly grateful that he did.  It is a wonderful book about discerning vocation and about understanding that vocation is not just about my talents and desires, but is deeply tied to the needs of the world in which we live.  For anyone intent on hearing the call of God in their lives, this is a good read.  There are many things in this book worthy of reflection; I posted on Neafsey’s discussion of authenticity here and on his discussion of the prophetic imagination here.  Added 9/14/09

 The Woman Who Named God, Charlotte Gordon, 2009

I quickly became completely engrossed by this story of Abraham, Sarah and Hagar (to whom the title of the book refers) and I learned a lot in reading the book I had not known before.  I give a fuller review of the book here.  Added 9/3/09.

 Mission in the Gospels, R. Geoffrey Harris, 2004

This is a very interesting and informative book that traces the theme of mission in the four Gospels.  It finds similarities among all the Gospels in conveying the idea that there are “stages in the unfolding of salvation history, and that every stage has its own time and place in the scheme of things.”  I found the book to provide cogent explanations of things that on the surface may seem baffling (e.g., why there are two feeding miracles in some Gospels, which I discuss here), as well as of certain things Jesus said to his disciples.  The book also contains a good discussion of the consequences for us of the mission theme of the Gospels.  One warning: although this book is very readable, it is more scholarly than a lot of the books I’ve listed here.  It is not light reading.  In addition to the post linked above, I also discuss one aspect of the book here.  Added 8/28/09.

 Learn to Study the Bible, Andy Deane, 2009

Many people have never engaged in formal Bible study and yet a greater understanding of the Bible is valuable for all of us.  This book offers 40 methods for studying the Bible.  I talk more extensively about it here.  Added 8/25/09.

 Fire of God’s Love, 120 Reflections on the Eucharist, Mike Aquilina, 2009

This book is a collection of thoughts on the Eucharist from a variety of writers from across the ages.  I posted a review of the book here.  Added 8/19.

 Why Go to Church? The Drama of the Eucharist, Timothy Radcliffe, OP, 2009

I loved this book, as I did Radcliffe’s previous book, Why Be a Christian?  The book unfolds “the drama of the Eucharist” in three acts, which for Radcliffe correspond to faith, hope and love.  I wrote two posts on different thoughts conveyed in the book, which you can find here and here.  Added 8/14/09.

Living Faith: How Faith Inspires Social Justice, Curtiss Paul DeYoung, 2007

 This is a wonderfully inspiring book that gives flesh to what it means to be a “mystic-activist,” to unite a commitment to social justice with faith.  DeYoung uses three extraordinary figures as primary examples of mystic activists – Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Malcolm X and Aung San Suu Kyi – as well as some other examples, some well known to us and others less well known.  I knew the most about Bonhoeffer before reading the book, but learned more about him, as well as a tremendous amount about Malcolm X and Aung San Suu Kyi.  I have posts talking about different aspects of the book here and here.  A very worthwhile read.  Added 8/5/09.

 150 Bible Verses Every Catholic Should Know, Patrick Madrid, 2008

I read this book as part of the Catholic Company reviewer program.  My review is posted here.  Added 7/27/09.

Letter to A Child Never Born, Oriana Fallaci, 1975

I just finished reading this novel, which takes the form of a monologue between a pregnant woman and the unborn child she ultimately miscarries.  It reveals the mixed feelings of a woman experiencing an unplanned pregnancy, who both decides she wants to have her child and resents what the pregnancy does to her body.  It is at one and the same time incredibly sad and thought provoking.   I wanted to both shake the woman and comfort her for the experiences that led to to such a bleak view of life.  Worth a read.  Added 7/8.

 The Book of Books: The Old Testament Retold, Henri Daniel-Rops (1955)

As the title suggests, a retelling of the chronology of the Old Testament.  Although I applaud efforts to increase our teens’ knowledge of the Bible, this is not the vehicle I’d choose for that aim.  See my fuller account of the book, which explains why, here. Added 7/7.

 The Death of a Pope, Piers Paul Reid, 2009

An thought-provoking and enjoyable novel.  A fast-read.  I review the book in a post here.  Added 6/23.

 St. Paul, Pope Benedict XVI, 2009

A worthwhile collection of Pope Benedict’s catechesis on St. Paul.  See my full discussion of the book here.  Added 5/28/09.

The Way of Discernment, Elizabeth Liebert, 2008.

This wonderful tool of discernment was recommended to me by my spiritual director.  It is worth reading and going back to again and again.  I talk about ths book in a post here.  Added 5/5/09.

Infinity in the Palm of Her Hand: A Novel of Adam and Eve, Gioconda Belli, 2009

I can’t figure out whether I recommend this novel or not.  See my post on it, which expressed my mixed reactions.  The post is here.   Added 4/26/09.

 Francis of Assisi, Michael de la Bedoyere, 1999

I love Francis and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this account of his life.  I posted a review of the book here.  Added 4/14/09.

 A Long Retreat: In Search of a Religious Life, Andrew Krivak, 2008

I can’t remember who recommended this book to me, but I loved reading Krivak’s account of his journey into and then our of the Jesuits.  I have a post talking about the book here.  Added 4/6/09

The Good Life: Where Morality and Spirituality Converge, Richard M. Gula, S.S., 1999

A wonderful little book exploring what it means to live a live in relationship with God.  I talk about different things that struck me in the book in posts here and here.  Added 3/31/09

 

Lying Awake, Mark Salzman, 2000

My husband picked up this novel for me (having a Barnes & Noble gift certificate that was burning a hole in his pocket). It tells the story of a cloistered Carmelite nun, whose prayers lead her to a deeply ecstatic state. When she discovers that the visions are the product of epilepsy, she must choose whether to accept a “cure” that will mean the end of her visions. The book raises important questions about the meaning of faith and about what it is that we seek from God. A quick read, but one I enjoyed and that offers a lot to think about. Added 3/17/09

Theology of Her Body/Theology of His Body, Jason Everts, 2009

I read this book as part of the Catholic Company’s reviewer program.  My review is here.  Added 3/17/09. 

 Grace Cafe, Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle, 2008

I read this book as part of the Catholic Company’s reviewer program.  My review is posted here.  Added 2/3/09.

The Shack, William P. Young, 2007

I read this book on the recommendation of my friend Tim and I would recommend it to everyone to read.  I talk about it in a post I made this morning here.  Added 12/14

Jesus, Present Before Me, Father Peter John Cameron, O.P., 2008

I read this book as part of The Catholic Company’s review program.  My review is posted here.  Added  11/14. 

 Led by Faith, Immaculee Ilibagiza, 2008

I received this book yesterday morning as part of my birthday gift from my husband and just finished reading it now, which I hope conveys how compelling the book is.  This book is a follow-up to Immaculee Ilibagiza’s first book, Left to Tell, mentioned below.  It takes off where the other book left off, and gives us the story of the author’s journey as she struggles to finding meaning in her life after the Rwandan holocaust.  Her courage and faith are heroic and humbling.  Her gift of forgiveness is extraordinary and her message of love is universal.  Here is an antidote for any who doubt the power of our God, who time and time again demonstrates His love and care for his child who suffered so much and who turns to him in complete faith.  An inspring story I encourage everyone to read.  Added 11/3

Being Catholic Now, Kerry Kennedy, 2008

As the subtitle of this book explains, this is a book in which “Prominent Americans Talk about Change in the Church and the Quest for Meaning.”  The book contains short essays by people prominent in various fields and includes priests and nuns as well as lay men and women.  Some are people who were raised in the Catholic faith and remain Catholics, others have left Catholicism and still others were born into some other faith tradition and converted to Catholicism.  Some are more powerful than others, but the book is a quick read and worth the time to read it.  I was particularly moved by Kennedy’s own preface to the book and her testimony to how her Catholicism has enriched her life.  Added 10/24

 Left To Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust, Immaculee Ilibagiza, 2006

I’ve been meaning to read this book for a while, so when a copy appeared this week as part of my anniversary gift from my husband, I immediately opened it.  And almost couldn’t put it down.  What an incredibly powerful book by a woman who somewhoe survived the slaughter of almost one million Tutsis in Rwanda in 1994, including virtually her entire family.  It is a story of faith and of forgiveness that surpasses imagination.  If God can be found in the world and experience of Immaculee, then truly God can be found no matter how deeply hidden.  It is impossible to read this book and not be touched deeply by God’s power and love and by the power of forgiveness in healing the world.  Added 10/5

Mother Teresa’s Secret Fire, Joseph Langford, 2008

I wrote an extended post on this book, which I reviewed for the Catholic Company, here.  Added 9/22.

Catholic, Reluctantly, Christian M. Frank, 2007

I read this book as part of The Catholic Company’s review program.  My review is posted here.  Added 9/6.

 Reflections for Ragamuffins, Brennan Manning, 1998

I picked up this book when I saw it in a secondhand bookstore because I enjoyed reading Manning’s The Ragamuffin Gospel.  This is not a book to read cover-to-cover, but rather is a daily devotional.  Each day Manning shares a verse of scripture and a brief meditation, taken from Manning’s writings over the years.  Manning’s goal in sharing them is “not to transmit inspiritng thoughts, but to awaken, revive, and rekindle radical, ruthless trust in the God bodied forth in the carpenter from Nazareth.   It is a nice book to have on the shelf and go to now and again.  Added 8/26

 A Thread of Grace, Mary Doria Russell, 2005

Having enjoyed the author’s previous two books (see 5/13 and 5/18 entries) I picked up this one, which presents in fictional form what the author intends as an accurate account of the German occupation of northwestern Italy during 1943-45, and the courage and generosity of the Italian people who tried to save Jews in the area from the hands of the Germans.  The title of the book is explained late by one of the characters, a rabbi.  He recounts a Hebrew saying: “No matter how dark the tapestry God weaves for us, there’s always a thread of grace.”  As he explains to the nun he is speaking to, “People all over Italy helped us.  Almost fifty thousand Jews were hidden.  Italians, foreigners.  And so many of them survived the occupation.  I keep asking myself, Why was it so different here?  Why did Italians help when so many others turned away?”  Would that there was a good answer to that question.  A worthwhile and engaging read.  Added 8/15

Audrey, Gloria Conde, 2008

I read this book as part of The Catholic Company’s review program. My review of the book is posted here. Added 8/5

 The Contagion of Jesus: Doing Theology as if it Mattered, Sebastian Moore, 2007

This book was another fabulous recommendation by my friend Tim. Moore is a Benedictine monk and this book, which contains a number of essays and homilies written at various times, was published to coincide with his 90th birthday. The pieces in the first part on love, Jesus, Resurrection and the Eucharist offer much to pray with and reflect on. The first part of the book also includes some wonderful pieces on Mary. Although the second part of the book contains material some might view as dissenting from the Church’s position on matters of sexuality, Moore is clear that his intent is to encourage additional thought and growth, not to dissent. The second part also contains some useful discussion and description of focusing. A delightful inclusion is quite bit of Moore’s own poetry. Added 8/1

 

, Walking a Literary Labrynth: A Spirituality of Reading, Nancy M. Malone, 2003

I picked this book up in the second-hand bookstore at the retreat house where I just finished doing my 8-day retreat.  Doubtless it was the title that grabbed me, since I had just finished a period of meditation walking the labrynth. The author is an Ursuline sister and an avid reader. She starts from the recognition that the spiritual life is “a life, something living and growing within us and not merely a matter of keeping rules and regulations and fulfilling religious obligations.” And so she explores in the book how reading shapes our spiritual lives and expands our knowledge of self and others. Her discussion is not limited to what we think of as spiritual reading and she talks about the value of, e.g., secular biographies and novels in enhancing our knowledge of the world and ourselves. I thought it was a nice little find, especially for those who love to read. Added 7/23

 

[no image available], As Bread That is Broken, Peter van Breeman, S.J., 1974

 This is a gem of a little book, another one I found on the shelves of the second-hand bookstore at the retreat house.  It is not a book to be read in a single sitting. Rather, each of its twenty chapters should be read slowly and will serve as a wonderful basis for contemplation. Van Breemen writes about God’s limitless love and total acceptance of us as we are, about prayer, about the centrality of the Resurrection and about what it means to live a life devoted to Christ. The foreword to the book warns, “[t]his is a dangerous book. Read with faith and openness, it will compel you to follow Him more totally or ‘to go away sad’ (Mk10:22).” This is a book I plan to keep and go back to over and over again. Added 7/23

 

Say You’re One of Them, Uwem Akpan, 2008

As soon as I saw a New York Times article discussing this book last week, I knew I wanted to read it.  My husband came home with it from the bookstore the other day and I opened it and couldn’t put it down.  The book contains a set of stories (three short stories and two novellas) written by an African Jesuit that convey something of the life of many children in Africa.  Two children watch their Hutu father kill their Tutsi mother.  Another child narrowly escapes being sold into slavery by his uncle, but is unable to bring his sister with him to safety.  A Muslim teenager is killed by Christians seeking to flee to the south in Nigeria.   Another child’s Christmas treat is glue for sniffing, which kills hunger pangs.  The stories are powerfully told and one wishes this book of fiction did not have such a strong basis in reality.  Added 7/6

 Looking for Mary, Beverly Donofrio, 2000 

The full title of this book is Looking for Mary or, The Blessed Mother and Me.  My friend Lisa gave it to me to read after she read in on her vacation.  It is a memoir of the author’s search for faith through Mary.   The book records her visit to various sites where Mary appeared, including her pilgrimage to  Medjugorje, Bosnia.  Her life changes as she opens her heart to Mary and, through Mary, finds redemption.  It is by no means a great book, but it is a nice and quick read.  Added 7/4

A New Earth, Eckhart Tolle, 2005

I know there are many who have been critical of this book, calling it heretical or blasphemous.  But while the totality of Tolle’s worldview may not be completely consistent with the Christian worldview, I found much in the book to be worthwhile and helpful to a committed Christian.  In particular,  there is tremendous wisdom in much of what the book says about how the ego operates and the consequences of our failure to live in the present moment.  It is true that much of what is in the book has been said before in different ways, but the ideas are presented here in a way that is clearly accessible to many people.   Added 6/30

Exiles, Ron Hansen, 2008

Readers may remember Hansen from his earlier novel, Mariette in Ecstasy.  In Exiles, Hansen weaves two parallel stories.  The first is the story of the poet Gerard Manley Hopkins and his struggle in writing his poem The Wreck of the Deutschland.  The second is the story of the shipwreck that prompted the writing of the poem and of five nuns who were among those who lost their lives in the wreck.  (Hopkins’ dedicated the poem, which broke the literary silence he imposed on himself when he entered the Jesuits, ”to the happy memory of five Franciscan Nuns, exiles by the Falk Laws, drowned between midnight and morning of Dec. 7th, 1875.”)  Very little is known about the lives of the five nuns, but Hansen creates a captivating picture of five very different women bound for America as a result of the anti-Catholicism of the German government.  More is known of Hopkins, so there is more weaving of fact with fiction here and I found the portrait of Hopkins and his struggles compelling.  The weaving of the two stories is wonderfully done, as is the weaving of different parts of the poem itself.  I’m guessing even those who don’t love Hopkins poetry as much as I do will enjoy the book.    Added 6/15

The Friendship of Women, Joan Chittister, 2006

This is a gem of a little book about friendship.  Chittister, in an interview about the book, called friendship a ”social sacrament, a sacred act far above and beyond ‘connections,’ acquaintanceship, or the neighborliness of social contacts.”  The book explores the sacred dimension of friendship through the lens of various Old and New Testament women.  For each of the women, she explores a particular dimension of friendship – wisdom, support, presence, acceptance, and so on.  As my post of this morning suggests, reading the book led me to reflect on the friends who have graced my life.  Added 6/1

 Children of God, Mary Doria Russell, 1998

In place of some work I should have been doing this past week, I read this sequel to The Sparrow, mentioned immediately below.  I gather opinion is mixed on how this book compares with the first, but I enjoyed it.  Russell describes the book as being about “the aftermath of irreversible tragedy, about the many ways we struggle to make sense of tragedy.”  The moral of the story in her words: “Be suspicious of your own certainty….Don’t be so damned quick to judge!”  Added 5/18

 The Sparrow, Mary Doria Russell, 1996

I colloquially call this book, Jesuits in Space, and I enjoyed reading it a lot.  Makes sense that when life is discovered elsewhere, the Jesuits, with their long history of contact with other cultures, would be the first to explore.  What happens when they get there is more than unpredictable and shocking and the only member of the exploration party to remain alive is forced to confront the question whether his belief in God can withstand what happened to him and those he loved.  The author calls the book “an exploration of the risks and beauties of religious faith.”  It also a serious treatment of the celibacy of the priesthood.  There is a sequel, Children of God, which I hope to get to soon.  Added 5/13   

[I thought it interesting that the day after I posted this note, BBC News reported that the director of the Vatican Observatory, Father Gabriel Funes, has said that intelligent beings created by God could exist in outer space.]

The Irresistible Revolution, Shane Claiborne, 2006

The subtitle of this book is Living As an Ordinary Radical.  It is both a description of how a growing group of people are attempting to live an authentic Christian life and a challenge to the rest of us to (re)discover a new (or perhaps old is more accurate) way of living as Christians.  It is an invitation to radically change the world with the love of Christ; an effort to spread “a way of life that exists organically and relationally and is marked by such a brilliant love and grace that no one could resist it.”  The book excites…and it challenges.   Added 5/2

The Art of Possibility, Rosamund Stone Zander & Benjamin Zander, 2000

“You have to read this book,” my friend Tim announced during one of my recent trips to NY.  And I’m grateful for the recommendation.  The authors combine the perspectives of a musician/conductor and a therapist to “offer strategies to surmount the hurdles of a competitive world…and sail into a vast universe of possibilities,” to replace limits with possibilities.  The book is divided into a number of practices, each of which offers much to reflect on.  My favorite chapter title is “Rule Number 6,” which rule has to do with not taking ourselves too seriously, with allowing the “calculating self” to lighten up so that our “central self” can shine through.  Added 4/12

Gift of the Red Bird, Paula D’Arcy (2002)

Several people have recommended this book to me over the last couple of years and I was looking for something to read on my flight to Boston earlier today and picked it up from the shelf in my study.  (My flight was sufficiently delayed that I finished the book before we landed in Boston.)  Joyce Rupp calls the book a “powerful testimony of how the Divine woos the soul into a sacred embrace.”  It describes the author’s encounter with the God who wants us to want him more than we want anything else and her effort to learn that all is gift (not possession) and that all life is of God.  “There is only God.  There is your own name being called and your own response.  There is the awareness that human beings are stewards, not owners.”  (Added 4/6)

 

 Come Be My Light, Mother Teresa  (2007)

Everyone has heard or read something about this book, which received a lot of press coverage.  I’ve already shared some reflections prompted by my reading of the book here and here.  (Added 4/2)

Virgin Time: In Search of the Contemplative Life, Patricia Hampl (1992). 

My husband gave me this book as an Easter present this year.  It is an account of the author’s pilgrimage (although she rejects the use of that term) to Assisi and to Lourdes and ultimately to a retreat house in California in search of the meaning of her faith.  Those who, like me, were raised Catholic, will relate to her inability to let go of aspects of her Catholic upbringing.  Loving Francis as I do, I particularly enjoyed her account of her time in Assissi and surrounding areas.    

The Pilgrimage, Paolo Coelho (1995)

My friend Maria lent me this book when I visited her and her husband in Oklahoma in February.  This is the second or third book I’ve read recounting a pilgrimate to Santiago de Compostela and every one I read whets my appetite to make the pilgrimage myself.  And it contains some good reminders: “When you are moving towards an objective, it is very important to pay attention to the road. It is the road that teaches us the best way to get there, and the road enriches us as we walk its length.”

The Dance of the Dissident Daughter, Sue Monk Kidd (2002)

I’m not sure where I discovered this book (on my bookshelf? in a box of books sent by my friend John?), but I noticed it as I was preparing for a Women’s retreat I gave in NY last month.  Those who have not read any of Kidd’s books have a lot to look forward to and this is a wonderful book for women trying to work through questions about the role of women and the search for a feminine spirituality.