“Catholicism for Dummies” by Fr. John Trigilio and Fr. Kenneth Brighenti - This is a great summary of the faith. Easy to read, but very comprehensive and faithful to church teachings. (Do NOT confuse this book with the similar sounding “Idiot’s Guide to Catholicism”, which contains many factual errors and is downright heretical in parts.
“The Catechism of the Catholic Church” - It’s available for free on the Vatican’s website, as well as the USCCB website. You can also buy it inexpensively. It is the “official” summary of all Catholic teachings. Every Catholic should own this book, along with a Catholic Bible, anyway.
“Four Witnesses: The Early Church in Her Own Words” by Rod Bennett - A look at the first couple of generations after the apostles using the works of the four earliest Church Fathers: Clement of Rome, Ignatius of Antioch, Justin Martyr, and Iraneus of Lyons. It demonstrates how “Catholic” early Christians were in their beliefs. It’s a fascinating read.
“The Lamb’s Supper” by Scott Hahn - This is a really good look into the significance and centrality of importance of the Holy Mass. It also does a good job of explaining the Book of Revelation to boot. Dr. Scott Hahn is one of the premier American Catholic writers right now, and this is among his best works.
For something straight from the top, you can’t go wrong with Pope Benedict XVI’s books “Jesus of Nazareth”, “Jesus, the Apostles, and the Early Church”, “St. Paul”, and “The Church Fathers: From Clement of Rome to Augustine”. I’d read them in that order. Pope Benedict XVI may be one of the greatest living theologians in the world right now, and these books really show it.
