I second the recommendation for “Vocation in Black and White” - it was beautiful to read, even for someone attracted to the apostolic rather than contemplative Dominican life.
Another book I can suggest, for a different reason, is “Living the Vows: Emotional Conflicts of Celibate Religious” by Robert J. McAllister. It’s not enjoyable reading: basically, it discusses the stresses of religious life and the priesthood, and the reasons why some people self-destruct under them. It’s a great relief to finish it and say, “Well, I’ve got a normal family background and no attachment issues, so this probably won’t affect me,” but at the same time, it stripped layers of naivety and illusion off my vocation. (Caveat: I definitely wouldn’t recommend it to someone who’s just beginning discernment, but for someone who’s relatively sure of him/herself, it’s a valuable indication of what can go wrong and how to avoid it.) That which does not kill us makes us stronger!
On to more cheerful things:
My local Catholic library has a rather outdated vocations section - books dating from 1912 to 1970 - so my favourite books are older than the others recommended on this thread.
My all-time favourite is called “What Must I Do? Complete information on the convent life and what it means to be a Sister,” by Sister Mary Paul Reilly OSB. One unique feature is that the story is written in the second person, so the relationship between reader and character is more immediate. “You” are a young woman named Marilyn (well, it was the fifties!) who enters as a postulant, receives the name “Sister Mary Michael,” and lives the everyday life of a novice and then a teaching Sister. The book ends with your final profession of vows. It contains some practical information and reassurance, it’s gently inspiring, and it has an excellent discussion of the three vows in everyday language.
The other is “Nuns are Real People” by Sister Mary Laurence O.P, an English contemplative Dominican in the mid-1950s. It’s a collection of letters sent back and forth between Sister Mary Laurence and a group of six girls, in which she corrects some stereotypes about the religious life with her characteristic sense of humour.
If you find either of these in a library or second-hand bookstore - both are out of print, sadly! - I recommend them.
