Comments for the thread: November 2026 Voting

message 1: by Manuel (new)

It is time to vote for our November 2026 BOTM. You may vote for up to 2 of the books listed below. You should vote by adding a comment here. If you vote in any other way, your votes may not be counted.

The book(s) with the most votes will be our BOTM. If there is a tie, the moderator uses a random list generator to determine the order and they are all read over however many months. Books that receive fewer than 2 votes will be removed from the Voting List, with those that receive 1 vote being placed at the end of the Nominations List.

Voting will end at approximately 11:00 AM Eastern Time on Friday, September 18.

The Voting List for November is:

Amazing Grace: A Vocabulary of Faith by Kathleen Norris, nominated by Faith
Struggling with her return to the Christian church after many years away, Kathleen Norris found it was the language of Christianity that most distanced her from faith. Words like "judgment," "faith," "dogma," "salvation," "sinner"—even "Christ"—formed what she called her "scary vocabulary," words that had become so codified or abstract that their meanings were all but impenetrable. She found she had to wrestle with them and make them her own before they could confer their blessings and their grace. Blending history, theology, storytelling, etymology, and memoir, Norris uses these words as a starting point for reflection, and offers a moving account of her own gradual conversion. She evokes a rich spirituality rooted firmly in the chaos of everyday life—and offers believers and doubters alike an illuminating perspective on how we can embrace ancient traditions and find faith in the contemporary world.
Voting History: NONE

Bakhita: A Novel of the Saint of Sudan by Véronique Olmi, nominated by Don Mario
Inspired by the true story of a former slave who became a saint, this poignant novel explores how a human being can survive the obliteration of her identity, and how kindness and generosity can be born out of profound trauma.
Voting History: NONE

Catatonia by Courtney Stephen Crane, nominated by Courtney
Catatonia is a penetrating examination of the idea of freedom in the 21st century. It is a spiritual and psychological drama centered around Bella Benfont, a constantly self-analysing young woman caught between her fading loyalty to her mother’s Catholicism and the new idea of freedom espoused by the monomaniacal Nicholas Shelley, the self-styled Apex of The Evolution of the Individual. It is a story of tragic intensity propelled by deeply-imagined characters brought to vivid life and an unrelenting pace that leaves readers breathless.
Voting History: NONE

Champion of Valdeor, by Sandralena Hanley, nominated by Fonch
Alloryn faces a mythical creature to win a fabled sword, is taken under the wing of a mysterious mentor, and sets out to find the lost Princess Lauressa. Her quest is to free the land from cruel rulers and the evil warlord over them all who usurped her throne. Together they search for stones of power, which they win by practicing a corresponding virtue, while facing foes and dangers from every side. During their travels they make many allies, who join with them against the tyrannical warlord in the final battle for the kingdom.
Voting History: NONE

Demoniac, by Nathan Krupa, nominated by Nathan
Nathan Krupa didn't believe in demons. In fact, he didn't believe in much of anything. Everything seemed to be going great. Working in Hollywood, starting a business, living the dream. But his life shattered when he suffered a horrific nervous breakdown. Fiancé - gone. Job - fired. Home - nearly destroyed by his own hands.
Voting History: NONE

The Ghost of Madison Avenue by Nancy Bilyeau, nominated by Fonch
In this compelling and poignant story, bestselling author Nancy Bilyeau takes readers to New York City’s Morgan Library in December 1912, when two very different people haunted by lost love come together in an unexpected way.
Voting History: NONE

Hope Does Not Disappoint (Spes non confundit): Bull of Indiction of the Ordinary Jubilee of the Year 2025 by Pope Francis, nominated by Jill
In Pope Francis’ proclamation for the Jubilee of 2025, he encourages all of us to be signs of hope to the world. While we may not always feel optimistic about the future, we are called to be renewed in hope and to press forward in our Christian lives. He reminds us that as we do, we will also revive our trust in the Church, in our relationships, and in our ability to shine the light of Christ with those who most need it.
Voting History: September: 2; October:2

Paul: A Biography, by N.T. Wright, nominated by Jill
This compelling reconstruction of the life and thought of St Paul paints a vivid picture of the Roman world in which he preached his revolutionary message and explains the significance of his lasting impact on both the Church and the world. Regarded by many as the founder of Christianity, Paul of Tarsus is one of the most controversial and powerful figures in history.
Voting History: October: 4

Pierre Toussaint: A Biography by Arthur Jones, nominated by Kathleen
This richly detailed portrait of Pierre Toussaint, who was born into slavery, became one of the most admired men of his time, and is now a candidate for canonization, reveals both the journey of an extraordinary man and a fascinating glimpse into nineteenth-century America.
Voting History: October: 2

The Purple Robe, David Dean, nominated by David
Rumors rising out of the Yucatan jungle report healings and miracles attributed to a holy relic. Father Pablo Diego Corellas discovers that even his own parishioners are making secret pilgrimages to the decrepit plantation where it is held. There, Doña Josefa, a mysterious woman who is either mystic or mad, possesses an artifact that she claims is a fragment of the robe worn by Christ at his trial. Guarded by armed Mayan farmers, she holds sway over an ever-growing number of pilgrims desperate for the healing power of the Purple Robe.
Voting History: NONE

The Secret of the Holy Face: The Devotion Destined to Save Society by Fr. Lawrence Daniel Carney III, nominated by Sandralena
From the creation of man to the current ecclesial infiltration and world revolution, the devil and his minions have sought to destroy the human race made in the image of God. No longer attacking from without, they are now secretly laying siege from within the Holy Roman Catholic Church. But why is God allowing this? He loves to see souls heroically battle for the faith.
Voting History: April: 4; July: 5; September: 4; October: 7

The Shattering of Loneliness: On Christian Remembrance by Erik Varden nominated by Kristi
The experience of loneliness is as universal as hunger or thirst. Because it affects us more intimately, we are less inclined to speak of it. But who has not known its gnawing ache?The fear of loneliness causes anguish. It prompts reckless deeds. To this, every age has borne witness. No voice is more insidious than the one that whispers in our 'You are irredeemably alone, no light will pierce your darkness.' The fundamental statement of Christianity is to convict that voice of lying. The Christian condition unfolds within the certainty that ultimate reality, the source of all that is, is a personal reality of communion, no metaphysical abstraction.
Voting History: NONE

Sonnets for Christ the King, J.C.MacKenzie, nominated by Joseph
The seventy-seven Sonnets for Christ the King form a lyrical sequence around the traditional themes of love, death, and the passage of time, but within the context of a divinely ordered cosmos.
Voting History: NONE

The Sower of Black Field: Inspired by the True Story of an American in Nazi Germany by Katherine Koch, nominated by Katherine
Throughout the Third Reich, millions of Germans pledged allegiance to Adolf Hitler. In the Bavarian village of Schwarzenfeld, they followed an American citizen. As he struggles to rekindle the faith of a guilt-ridden Wehrmacht veteran, a morose widow, and her grieving teenage son, Fr. Viktor Koch, C.P. is haunted by self-doubt. What is driving him to stay in the Third Reich? Is he following a higher plan, or the mystic compulsion of his German heritage? Exposed to American ideals, his parishioners grow restless under Nazi rule. Relying upon his ingenuity to keep them out of prison, Fr. Viktor solicits aid from an unlikely intercessor-the Nazi charity worker who confiscated his monastery for state purposes.
<Voting History: October: 2

Understanding the Hillbilly Thomist: The Philosophical Foundations of Flannery O’Connor’s Narrative Art by Damian Ference, nominated by Fergus, Quondam Happy Face
The author examines the various ways in which St. Thomas Aquinas and the philosophical tradition of Thomism shaped not only O’Connor’s view of reality but also the stories she told to help us see and know it.
Voting History: October: 2

Plus one book from the Current Interest List:

Ticket for Eternity: The Life of Sister Annella Zervas by James Kritzeck
This is the biography of Sister Annella Zervas, whose cause for canonization was opened in November in the Diocese of Crookston, MN.
Voting History: NONE

reply | flag

message 2: by Scott (new)

19 hours, 20 min ago