Favoritte Books?

[Pax]

My top five after the bible are:

–Catechism of the Catholic Church
–Handbook of Christian Apologetics by Kreeft and Tacelli
–Swear to God The Promise and Power of the Sacraments by Scott Hahn.
–A Biblical Defense of Catholicism by Dave Armstrong
–Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma by Ludwig Ott

…plus many others…it is really hard to choose!

I just have to add one more…Theology and Sanity by Frank Sheed…this is one of the best books I’ve ever read.

 

[Abundant]

Okay, this is going to seem a terrible departure from the pattern others have established with their very good recommendations; all of them admirable. My favorites are not directly religious books, but they made a very strong religious impression on me.

So here goes:

Gulag Archipelago, Volumes 1, 2 and 3. Never have I read a more in-depth exposition of how evil finds its nest in the human heart, or how it can be expunged. Never have I read a better exposition of how suffering can purify the soul. Possibly my favorite passage is about the gold mines in the Kolyma, where people were driven out to dig out flecks of gold from the frozen ground in minus 40 degree weather, wearing nothing but sacks. Solzhenitzn said that one cannot become truly holy “…until it is a matter of complete indifference to him whether he is, or is not, in the Kolyma.” Astonishing! All three volumes are like that. Solzhenitsyn was Russian Orthodox, but he admired Catholics very much, and, like most fervent orthodox, his moral sense is on all fours with Catholicism.

A Canticle for Leobowitz. A very Catholic sci-fi exemplification of how we corrupt ourselves and our world by seeking to create Edens on this earth for ourselves; refusing to accept that we cannot go back and create misery by our efforts to attempt it.

The Red Horse. A very Catholic historical novel about Italian soldiers in Russia (yes, there were some there) during WWII, about their home front, and how materialism corrupts a just society so quickly. A remarkable exemplification of how people can be holy in their ordinary lives.

The Power and the Glory. A novel about an alcoholic priest “on the lam” during the persecution of Catholics in Mexico. About sin, our often fruitless attempts to be better, and how we can nevertheless achieve spiritual heroism, almost unawares.

I have never even heard of these, and I am an avid reader…going to look into them now!

 

[sherimarie]

The Red Horse was so depressing! It gave a good look at Italy circu 40s but it just had such a pathetic storyline, no hope.
My favorites come from CS Lewis and GKC, The imitatation of Christ the I really liked Scott Hahns Lambs Supper, I agree that there was a lot of food for thought there (pun intended)
The Confessions of Saint Augustine changed my life.
The Summa… still reading that…

 

[Abundant]

The Confessions of Saint Augustine changed my life.

Me too! I read it when I was 19, and I credit it for really returning me to the Catholic faith and helping me ‘grow up.’ I teach faith formation and recommend it to all of my junior high and high school students. It is fantastic, and it really changed the way I see satan and sin.

 

[Michelle4Christ]

My favourite and most cherished book is definitely Biblia Sacra Vulgata. I find reading the Bible in this language makes me feel closer and more connected to the Lord, and I keep it on my bedside table and take it with me whenever I’m spending the night somewhere. My other favourites include St. Faustina’s Diary and most of Christopher West’s publications.

There are quite a few books others have listed on this thread that I’d like to look into.