Good Catholic Novels?

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Hello. I converted to the Catholic Church about five years ago. My wife and daughter are also Catholic.

I was in the bookstore last week and I saw a whole section of “religious novels”. I picked up a couple of them but they seemed to be Protestant written.

I was wondering if there are any good Catholic novels, faith affirming.
I read The DaVinci Code and that was the very opposite.

Thanks.
 
Try the Michael O’Brien novels published by Ignatius Press. I have sometimes seen them at Catholic bookstores, but never at mainstream or 'Christian" (i.e. Protestant) bookstores. I have bought them used too at Half-Price books and of course at Amazon. The first one is “Father Elijah.”

For your daughter (what age?) there is a lot out there. Regina Doman if she is a teen. Bethlehem Books is a popular Catholic children’s book publishing house.

I read a first-novel (a little bit amateur–typos and uneven writing in places) by Katherine Lively called “Little Flowers” that was pretty good. Sort of like a very Catholic Jan Karon (the Mitford books). Takes place in a small town with a cast of interesting characters, but a very pro-life book as the plot is based around the mystery of who killed a local abortionist. It might be available on Amazon. I got my copy from a friend.

Tolkien of course. C.S. Lewis is still great (Anglican, not Catholic).

I would say the Catholic popular fiction market is just beginning to take off. There is of course tons of literature by Catholic authors, but rarely were these authors marketed as such. Flannery O’Connor is a famous writer, but her books are too “out there” for me, despite the raves she gets among Catholic thinkers.
 
Michael D. O’Brien is a great (very) Catholic (very orthodox) writer. He has an awesome, fantastic, series of books called the Children of the Last Days series. They are: Strangers and Sojourners, Plague Journal, Eclipse of the Sun, Father Elijah, A Cry of Stone, and Sophia House. The first three I listed needs to be read in that order, but the rest can be read as “stand-alones”. Although the latest installment, Sophia House, is a prequel to Father Elijah.

Bud McFarlane has written 3 novels that you can get for free at his website: www.Catholicity.com called: Pierced By a Sword, Conceived Without Sin, and House of Gold.

Alessandro Manzoni’s The Betrothed is a classic. I’m reading it now. It is very good.

I just ordered The Jeweller’s Shop written by the then Karol Wojtola (spelling??). I can’t wait to start it.

I hope this helps.

God Bless.

Karen
 
One I read was called The Last Fisherman. Kind of like the Left Behind books, but actually interpreting Catholocism and the Bible correctly.
 
Thanks for the info on the novels. I have actually already started Father Elijah based upon a recommendation in the Knights of Columbus magazine. But I was unaware that O’Brien had written other novels.

At least I am starting with the first one . This gives me more incentive to read it knowing there is more to come.

I will check out the other books mentioned too.

My daughter is 10 and it is hard to get her interested in reading novels or anything else, she likes being on the computer so much. I’m thinking about putting up a picture of our new Pope in our home office, in part so that she will see it every day.
 
O’Brien also has a non-fiction book called A Landscape with Dragons about pagan infiltration into literature. The second half of the book is recommended readings for all ages.

Scott
 
I second that–A Landscape with Dragons is worth buying for its recommended reading list alone.

A 10yo might be ready for Regina Doman’s books if you preview them (or your wife?). Otherwise, try to get her interested in classic literature like Little Women and so on. Also the saints lives novelized in the Vision books are pretty good.
 
I intend to check out some of the books mentioned in this thread. I really need a book suggestion (for my book group) that will accurately reflect Catholic belief (after a series of books that don’t, like Pope Joan, Da Vinci Code, Left Behind, and a book on Catholicism by Fr. Hans Kung – none of these was selected by me, by the way!)

I am especially interested in books that are neither mystery novels nor apocalyptic stories, so if anyone has any suggestions, I’d love to hear them.
 
I can tell you some good Catholic writers who wrote, among other things, novels and short fiction. Evelyn Waugh, G K Chesterton, Hillaire Belloc, Graham Greene, Walker Percy, and Flannery OConnor to name a few. Jan Karon’s pastor is Episcopalian not Catholic, I personally don’t care for this series but some might.
 
I can’t believe no one mentioned Marcus Grodi’s “How Firm A Foundation”, which is more of an apologetics novel, but very well written (Grodi, himself, being a convert to the Catholic faith). I’ve read it three times and I still love it.

Along the same lines for a young person “A Philadelphia Catholic in King James’ Court” by uh… uh…:banghead: Martin de Porras something. Aargh! I can’t remember! But that one also has a study guide available.

I know you specifically mentioned NOT mysteries, but suspense writer Mary Higgins Clark’s novels have a distinctly Catholic flavor to them ( however, for that reason, I’d advise skipping “Weep No More, My Lady”)

And someday my book will be out there! I promise! I hope! I’m… working on it!

BlueRose
 
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bluerose:
I know you specifically mentioned NOT mysteries, but suspense writer Mary Higgins Clark’s novels have a distinctly Catholic flavor to them ( however, for that reason, I’d advise skipping “Weep No More, My Lady”)
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I’ve read a lot of Clark’s novels and like them. I don’t remember if I’ve read the one mentioned above though. One thing that I remember thinking as I’ve read these is how subtly the Catholicism of many of her characters is weaved in; many will attend Mass as some point in the story (and it isn’t even Christmas or Easter!!).

Kris
 
CarolAnnSFO I am especially interested in books that are *[B said:
neither[/B]
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mystery novels nor apocalyptic stories, so if anyone has any suggestions, I’d love to hear them.

I just ordered a novel called, Arms of Love (can’t remember author’s name), that deals with the Theology of the Body. From the summary I read, I don’t think it involves mystery or the apocalypse. I hope it is good. I’ll report back after reading it.

Kate Chopin, who was Catholic and a 19th century writer, has a short story called “Love On the Bon-Dieu” about a young couple who meets through their parish priest and is set around Easter time. I discovered this in college. I most have read it 100 times. It is the sweetest love story. You can find it in the collection called Bayou Folk and A Night in Acadie. Some of her stories and the novel The Awakening, are not Catholic at all, as they sometimes deal with adultery and suicide.

The Missing, by Thomas Eidson, is not overtly Catholic, but has some Christian themes. It is a cowboy/indian/family saga story and a lot better than the movie.
 
I’m wondering if anyone has read Swimming with scapulars by Matthew Lickona? And what they thought of it?
 
So many good suggestions on this thread. I plan to print it and read the books as I can. Maybe I can get my daughter interested in some of the children’s books too.

I wish there were more available on CD so I could listen on the way to work. You can’t even get the Catholic Catechism on CD (I tried to look it up and buy it over the internet, there is no audio version).
 
Mary Higgins Clark is a great Catholic mystery novelist. I also enjoy G. K. Chesterton, whom I believe has already been mentioned.
 
i didn’t know mary higgins clark was catholic! huh. i managed christian bookstores for years and never knew that she was catholic.

anyway, i would second the high praise of michael o’brien. father elijah is very wise, well written, and interesting, as are his subsequent books.

and this list:
Evelyn Waugh, G K Chesterton, Hillaire Belloc, Graham Greene, Walker Percy, and Flannery OConnor
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is also excellent. i would especially recommend chesterton’s father brown books, and his ‘man who was thursday’.

cs lewis is not catholic, but nothing he ever wrote (that i’ve read) conflicts with the catholic viewpoint. his chronicles of narnia should be mandatory reading for everyone on the planet 🙂

if you like sci fi, lewis’s space trilogy (out of the silent planet, perelandra, and ‘that hideous strength’) is fantastic.

and ‘til we have faces’ by lewis is the best book i ever read a second time.
 
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jeffreedy789:
i didn’t know mary higgins clark was catholic! huh. i managed christian bookstores for years and never knew that she was catholic.
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I didn’t know either … until I heard her being interviewed on EWTN! And she’s such a character.
if you like sci fi, lewis’s space trilogy (out of the silent planet, perelandra, and ‘that hideous strength’) is fantastic.

and ‘til we have faces’ by lewis is the best book i ever read a second time.
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I couldn’t agree more. All of these are on my top-ten list! In fact, Till We Have Faces helped to pull me through one of the most difficult times of my life. Beautiful story. Brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it.
 
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