Request - book suggestions for 21 year old daughter

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I feel I have gone down the wrong path in terms of suggested reading for my daughter. She desires to read a spirtual/religious book but states that she “can’t get into” any of the books I have attempted to get her interested in. When she says “I just can’t get into it” she says it with regret and feels she is disappointing me. She is a very busy college junior/senior with a difficult work and class load.

Some examples of books I have tried to get her interested in, more on the lighter side are:

The story of a Soul
The Screewtape Letters
The Great Divorce

Because of her difficulty with these books I have not recommended other books I have greatly enjoyed:

Confessions
Imitiation of Christ
to name two.

She knows I greatly admire C.S. Lewis and has attempted his books but her claim is they are a bit difficult. The other day in light conversation I used the word, “fluffy” to describe some books that may be out there. She replied with, “Dad there is nothing wrong with fluffy”. I suspect my taste in books (more deeply theological/spiritual) is not her taste. At least not at her present age.

What I am hoping for are suggestions of books (if they exist) that would suit the interests of a 21 year old girl who is quite typical of this age and very tied up in the ways and interests you might expect of a late teen early 20’s girl who loves Lifetime movies.

Of course I am looking for a book in line with our faith. Something to enlighten her, instruct her and yet entertain her. Possibly a novel that involves people of her age and thier struggle(s) with thier faith. Something to help bring her closer to our Lord.

Thanks much,
–Mike
 
He Choose the Nails by Max Lucado

I know he is not Catholic and there are some small points that deviate from the faith, but I find him to be an author in the vein of Lewis in that he is more concerned with faith in Jesus than with dogma and doctrine. Lucado is easy to read and has some real depth and this might be a good place to start.

Another choice would be JPII’s book Crossing the Threshold of Hope. this would be in line with the faith like few authors could ever hope to achieve.
 
Maybe check out catholicity.com. They have some Catholic novels by Bud Macfarlane. I’ve read “Conceived Without Sin” and “House of Gold”. The 2nd one was much more exciting than the first one.

Maybe since they’re fictional stories she’ll like them more.
 
I’m 26 and really enjoyed Arms of Love by Carmen Marcoux and highly recommend it for teens and 20-somethings. I ordered it from Leaflet Missal Co. It’s fiction; about a young couple in today’s world(Brandon and Joanie). You feel like you know them. It’s about conversion, virginity, chastity, courtship, betrothal, and finally marriage.

I also recommend the Bud McFarlane books; they’re definitely on the lighter side. It’s been a few years since I read them, but the characters still stick with me.
 
I’m in the process of finishing up the Chronicles of Narnia. Pretty good stories and they relate well to Christianity and Spirituality.
 
Anything my mother teresa! Her books are fast and easy to read but so so good.Also anything by scoot hann. I like Rome Sweet Home…It’s a good book for even catholic because it explains so much.

Beckers
 
As a 21 year old who found “Story of a Soul” and “Screwtape Letters” hard to get in to, I can say the problem isn’t that they’re too difficult, its that they’re too boring 😃

Now don’t get me wrong, “Story of a Soul” is a wonderful book. Its just boring to sit through 😛

I MUCH prefer Imitation of Christ, and True Devotion to Mary. Both are short, simple, and powerful.

Perhaps what your daughter is looking for isn’t so much spiritual works, as just books about her faith? If that’s the case, I’d reccomend “You’d Better Believe It!” By Fr. Kenneth Roberts, “True Love” by Jason Evert, and possibly even “Pillar of Fire, Pillar of Truth” here at Catholic answers. Each are light-hearted, simple introductions to aspects of the faith.

Actually, anything by Fr. Kenneth Roberts is really good. And believe it or not, the simpler versions of the Baltimore Catechism some of us youngin’s found quite fascinating 🙂

Josh
 
Patrick Madrid’s “Surprised by Truth” series would probably hold her interest, since they are more like short story collections than novels. There are a lot of interesting stories in those books!

Also, “How Firm a Foundation” by Marcus Grodi, is an excellent apologetics novel, fraught with suspense. It is definitely a page turner.

They may read like “fluff” (i.e.: they’re very easy to read and understand), but there’s a lot of substance to them!

BlueRose
 
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threej_lc:
Now don’t get me wrong, “Story of a Soul” is a wonderful book. Its just boring to sit through 😛
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I wouldn’t say boring as much as annoying. I remember reading “Story of a Soul” and “Storm of Glory” (by John Beevers) and thinking (guiltily), “St. Therese seems more irritating than inspiring!” Especially reading about how she took to not complaining about anything, even getting splashed by dirty laundry water (in other words, I don’t think I could EVER be that holy!)

Another book that might interest Mike’s daughter would be “A Woman Clothed With the Sun” edited by John J. Delaney. It includes accounts of eight appearances of Our Blessed Mother (Lourdes, LaSalette, Fatima, Guadalupe, Beauraing, Knock, Banneux, and Miraculous Medal) written by authorities on each appearance. I first read it almost twenty years ago, but it still draws my attention!

BlueRose
 
Hmm…

I wonder what type of spirituality appeals to your daughter?
Do you know which saints most appeal to her?

She might like to read a life of a favorite saint or to read something that influenced her favorite saint.

It took me years to appreciate “Story of a Soul”, in part because I do not find Carmelite spirtuality appealing.

A couple of suggestions, for what they’re worth:

When I was your daughter’s age, I found a copy of St. Josemaria Escriva’s “Furrow” lying around the house and picked it up and enjoyed it immensly. (I’d never heard of Opus Dei at the time and have no desire to get involved with it now, but the book is excellent.)

Around the same time I read and loved Rumer Godden’s “In This House of Brede.” It’s a novel about a successful business woman who enters a Benedictine convent. It isn’t spiritual reading as such, but provides food for thought.
 
While I was making an Ignatius retreat I read the Louis De Wohl book on St. Ignatius. His fictional history was great. I then read the St. Catherine of Siena book by Mr. De Wohl. These are quite good, and can lead to spiritual desire to follow, or read more about the saint, and their spirituality.

By the way he has a number of good books on other saints ie…St. Francis, St. Paul, St. Benedict.
 
There is a book out there written by Steve Wood called the “ABC’s of Finding a Good Husband”. Not necessarily spiritual reading , but very good direction for a young lady.
 
Since she’s getting a lot of heavy reading with her classes, try giving her some lighter reading. While The Chronicles of Narnia were written for children, there’s a lot of spiritual depth that an adult can get out of them. Get her Tolkien as well–start with the lighter stuff like The Hobbit, and work up to the Simirillion. The Simirillion will make a lot of Catholic theology click into place (if it doesn’t put her to sleep–usually you’ll have one extreme or another).
 
Hello All,

I’m a 22 year-old myself, I have to say there is a serious lack of Catholic books for Catholic Youngsters. Protestants have an enormous collection of youth books. We Catholics have dropped the ball. :banghead:

I love to read, though I don’t do it as much as I should. I’m reading Mere Christianity right now, and it is blowing me away. If she could handle it, I recommend this above all. :yup:

Now, there are some other books I’d recommend for a young Catholic:

Non-Fiction:
  1. Young and Catholic: The Face of Tomarrow’s Church by Tim Drake
  2. If You Really Loved Me: 100 Questions On Dating, Relationships, And Sexual Purity by Jason Evert
  3. Standing With Courage: Confronting Tough Decisions About Sex by Mary-Louise Kurey
  4. What Catholics Really Believe by Karl Keating
  5. Did Adam and Eve Have Belly Buttons? by Matthew Pinto
  6. Desiderata: A Teenager’s Journey to God David Eich
  7. The Meaning of Vocation by John Paul II
  8. Pure Love by Jason Evert
  9. Catholicism and Fundamentalism: The Attack on Romanism by Bible Christians by Karl Keating
  10. The New Faithful: Why Young Adults Are Embracing Christian Orthodoxy by Colleen Carroll
Fiction:
  1. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkein
  2. The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
  3. Animal Farm by George Orwell
  4. 1984 by George Orwell
  5. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein
  6. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
  7. 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke
  8. The Adventure of Huckelberry Finn by Mark Twain
  9. To Kill A Mockingbird by Herper Lee
  10. The Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank
    🤓
 
Forgot about Louis deWohl… my favorite book of his is “The Spear”. “Lay Siege to Heaven”, about St. Catherine of Siena, was also an excellent read.

From a purely secular standpoint, Mary Higgins Clark’s suspense novels are terrific reads. Almost all of her main characters are Catholics. In “While My Pretty One Sleeps”, her main character’s father is good friends with an archbishop. In many others, you see her characters doing Catholic things (like going to Mass.) For another good read, I also recommend her memoirs, “Kitchen Privileges”.

AND… I finished my novel… an apologetics novel aimed primarily at young people, but even my 40-something sister-in-law enjoyed checking it out for me. Now pray I find a publisher! I’m not looking to get rich, but Wal*Mart’s lost its glamour!

BlueRose
 
Believe it or not I think every young person (actually everbody) should read

Architects of the Culture of Death.

This book has short bios (one person is the subject of a separate chapter and chapters are about 12 pages long). Darwin, Comte Margaret Sanger and others are covered.
 
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