Good, but quick Catholic read?

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Hi, all.

Some friends and I are trying to form a Catholic women’s book club. We are all mothers of young children and don’t have much time to read, so we’ve agreed to start with a quick read - something short, but which would invoke good conversation. Any suggestions?
 
RosaryFan said:
Hi, all.

Some friends and I are trying to form a Catholic women’s book club. We are all mothers of young children and don’t have much time to read, so we’ve agreed to start with a quick read - something short, but which would invoke good conversation. Any suggestions?
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Probably anything by Scott Hahn.
 
RosaryFan said:
Hi, all.

Some friends and I are trying to form a Catholic women’s book club. We are all mothers of young children and don’t have much time to read, so we’ve agreed to start with a quick read - something short, but which would invoke good conversation. Any suggestions?
Click to expand...
If you’re doing a Catholic women’s book club, you might try either Stacy Mitch’s [Courageous series (Emmaus Road Publishing – St. Paul Center):
or Kimberly Hahn’s series on Proverbs 31:
Each of the books in Hahn’s series has a corresponding DVD set, if you are interested in going that route.

None of those books are too terribly long, especially if you just take it a chapter at a time.
 
I recommend The Confession of St. Patrick. Keep in mind that I am referring to St. Patrick’s Confession, not the one by St. Augustine (although there is certainly nothing wrong with St. Augustine’s, it’s just definitely not a quick read).

I recommend this book to you for the following reasons:

1) It is considered a classic in terms of Catholic spirituality.

2) It is, indeed, a quick read. The linked edition is a pocket-sized book (7" x 4.2" x 0.4") and is a total of 81 pages long. The book, however, also contains St. Patrick’s “Letter to Coroticus” as well as pages of commentary. If one limited oneself to reading only the Confession, it would be about 55 pages long (and the text does not completely fill each page either due to the line format). In other words, 55 pages in this book is a lot less reading than 55 pages in a “normal” book.

3) It is St. Patrick’s autobiography, and is a story about having faith, hope and trust in God in a world where it was far easier to despair. It is also a testimony to the power of forgiveness, because St. Patrick was a slave who escaped from Ireland, and yet was sent by God to return to Ireland as a missionary. Such aspects should generate some good discussions. It is also really interesting to read an account of a saint’s life written by the actual saint.

4) It only costs seven bucks (and there are plenty of very inexpensive used editions available through Amazon as well).
 
RosaryFan said:
Hi, all.

Some friends and I are trying to form a Catholic women’s book club. We are all mothers of young children and don’t have much time to read, so we’ve agreed to start with a quick read - something short, but which would invoke good conversation. Any suggestions?
Click to expand...
Not sure what kind of club you’re looking for.
If it’s a monthly group where you read an entire book and then get together to talk about it, here are a couple that come to mind.

leafletonline.com/Send-me-Your-Guardian-Angel/productinfo/02966/
(“Send Me Your Guardian Angel”
This is a short one with stories of people who sent their guardian angels to Padre Pio. Best if people are familiar with who Padre Pio is. Otherwise, you might choose a biography of Padre Pio._

amazon.com/Story-Soul-Autobiography-Therese-Lisieux/dp/0935216588
(“Story of a Soul”
Autobiography of St. Therese of Lisieux)

amazon.com/Cottage-at-Bantry-Bay/dp/188393706X
(“Cottage at Bantry Bay”
This one is fiction. It might be listed as a children’s book - but it’s an absolute delight for adults too – if at some later point you want to take a break and just have a fun read. Delightful.)

If you’re looking for something more along the lines of a Bible study or doctrinal study, where you spend more sessions studying one book, I thought Joe 5859 had some good suggestions. Also, you could take the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The Catechism is divided into 4 major parts. You might want to limit the study to just covering the first part on the Creed – and take just a chapter or two each week.
 
Thank you, everyone for your wonderful suggestions. I made a note of all of them and will compile a list for our new book club.

Much appreciated!
 
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