The Catholic Book Club

message 1: by Manuel (new)

May 15, 2025 12:16AM

Mod

It is time to vote for our July 2025 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 Sunday, May 18.

The Voting List for June is:

Behold the Man: A Catholic Vision of Male Spirituality by Harold Burke-Sivers, nominated by Jill
Lucid and inspiring, Behold the Man is a unique exploration of Catholic spirituality for men. Much of the literature written for Catholic men focuses on topical issues such as fatherhood and sexuality. While this book does not exclude these subjects, it is the first to present a comprehensive picture of Catholic male spirituality.
Voting History: NONE

Champions of the Rosary by Donald H. Calloway, nominated by Ann
From the best-selling author of the classic Catholic conversion story, No Turning Back: A Witness to Mercy by Fr. Donald H. Calloway, comes a powerful and comprehensive history of a spiritual weapon: the rosary.
Voting History: April 2025: 3; June 2025: 2

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 Eighth Arrow: Odysseus in the Underworld, A Novel by Augustine Wetta nominated by Fonch
Condemned to burn in the eighth circle of Dante's Hell, Odysseus, legendary thief and liar of Homer's Odyssey and Iliad, decides he is going to break out. His adventure begins with a prayer to Athena Parthenos, who appears to him bearing gifts: his armor, his famous bow, a mysterious leather pouch, and seven unusual arrows. She then sends him on a quest through the Underworld along with Diomedes, his friend from the Trojan War who had been sharing in his eternal punishment. To complete their escape, the goddess warns them, they must recover their squandered honor and learn to use "the eighth arrow."
Voting History: NONE

Elfling by Corinna Turner, nominated by Fonch
Alone on the streets of London, young Serapia Ravena seeks her father, her only hope of survival. When the elusive Duke suddenly returns to the city, Serapia finds a loving father, who quickly thwarts her uncle’s murderous plans. But it soon becomes clear that he hides a dark secret, one that threatens his very life, and his very soul. The search for his salvation will carry Serapia hundreds of leagues, to the heart of the wild places, and to the fort of the elfin, bringing her face to face with her own mysterious heritage.
Voting History: NONE

The Fifth Level of Evolution by Manuel Alfonseca, nominated by Manuel
The theory of evolution is well established by scientific evidence, but it is far from explaining everything. Some puzzles are still pending, whose resolution does not seem to be immediate. Does evolution have a direction? Many biologists deny it, but reality is different. If we measure the amount of information available to each living being throughout the history of life, we can see a steady increase. Human society seems to be building, since a few decades, a new super-organism, in which the role of the nervous system is represented by the Internet. However, that nervous system has no head. Does that mean we are going towards the fifth level of evolution? This book attempts to answer this question and argues that the fifth level is not a modern idea, but has somehow been known for two thousand years.
Voting History: April 2025: 3; June 2025: 3

Finding Happiness in a Complex World: Rules from Aristotle and Aquinas by Charles P Nemeth, nominated by Rachel
Why, since happiness is so universally sought after, are so many people so miserable? The answer can be found by unpacking the wisdom of two of history's intellectual giants who set out to answer the question that has confounded man from time What makes us happy? Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas existed sixteen centuries apart, yet each reached similar understandings about what makes a person happy and what makes him miserable.
Voting History: NONE

The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful by Joseph Pearce nominated by Fonch
Christ is "the way, and the truth, and the life";, but fallen mankind, although made in Christ's image, is not so pure. Human history—including Church history—is a tapestry woven of three the good, the bad, and the beautiful. This book tells the story of Christendom over two millennia, focusing on what was good, bad, and beautiful in each century. These three threads run through the heart of every person, revealing the pattern of our individual lives. These very same threads bind together the collective lives of men and make up the fabric of culture and civilization. No one saw this three-dimensional form more clearly than Benedict XVI. For him, the goodness of the saints and the beauty of art are the only antidote to the dark thread of evil that runs through history.
Voting History: NONE

In Pieces by Rhonda Ortiz, nominated by Fonch
Beautiful and artistic, the only daughter of a prominent merchant, Molly Chase cannot help but attract the notice of Federalist Boston—especially its men. But she carries a painful secret: her father committed suicide and she found his body. Now nightmares plague her day and night, addling her mind and rendering her senseless. Molly needs a home, a nurse, and time to grieve and to find new purpose in life. But when she moves in with her friends, the Robbs, spiteful society gossips assume the worst. And when an imprudent decision leads to public scandal, Molly is tempted to take the easy way out: a marriage of convenience.
Voting History: NONE

The King's Achievement, by Robert Hugh Benson, nominated by Fonch
The brothers of the Torridon family make their way in the world -- the eldest, Ralph, in service to Cromwell and the youngest, Christopher, in service to God and the Catholic church as a monk in the Priory at Lewes. Their paths carry them to completely different destinations and Ralph is instrumental in turning Christopher and his fellow monks out of their monastery. Christopher, however, manages to rise above his pride and anger and ministers to Ralph in his hour of need.
Voting History: NONE

Light From Darkness: Nine Times the Catholic Church Was in Turmoil- and Came Out Stronger Than Before by Steve Weidenkopf, nominated by John
In his new book, Light from Darkness, Weidenkopf shows how the Church’s past ages were no less tumultuous than our own. Yet, whether it was decadent hierarchs selling out the Faith for pleasure and power, or hostile princes, heresies, or ideologies (sometimes all three at once) menacing Christendom, the Catholic Church not only persisted during hard times but came through them stronger than before.In each case, though, Weidenkopf demonstrates how the Church’s survival was not an accident or a last-minute miracle. Instead, good Catholics (lay and clergy alike) cooperated with God’s grace to beat back error and corruption and reform the house of God from within.
Voting History: NONE

Race with the Devil, by Joseph Pearce, nominated by Fonch.
Growing up on the rough streets of Dagenham, England, Joseph Pearce was thrown into a life that led anywhere but to God and salvation. A world of hate and violence was all he knew, until one day he picked up the writings of G.K Chesterton and everything changed. "In Race With the Devil: My Journey from Racial Hatred to Rational Love" take a journey through the peaks and valleys of one of the most fascinating conversion stories of our time, written first-hand by Pearce himself.
Voting History: June 2025: 2

The Return of the God Hypothesis: Three Scientific Discoveries Revealing the Mind Behind the Universe by Stephen C. Meyer, nominated by Rinstinkt
Beginning in the late 19th century, many intellectuals began to insist that scientific knowledge conflicts with traditional theistic belief—that science and belief in God are “at war.” Philosopher of science Stephen Meyer challenges this view by examining three scientific discoveries with decidedly theistic implications. Building on the case for the intelligent design of life that he developed in Signature in the Cell and Darwin’s Doubt, Meyer demonstrates how discoveries in cosmology and physics coupled with those in biology help to establish the identity of the designing intelligence behind life and the universe.
Voting History: NONE

The Spirit of the Liturgy by Joseph Ratzinger nominated by John
Considered by Ratzinger devotees as his greatest work on the Liturgy, this profound and beautifully written treatment of the great prayer of the Church will help readers rediscover the Liturgy in all its hidden spiritual wealth and transcendent grandeur as the very center of our Christian life. In his own foreward to the book, Cardinal Ratzinger compares this work to a much earlier classic of the same title by Romano Guardini because Ratzinger feels that his insights here are similar with what Guardini achieved in his time regarding a renewed understanding of the Liturgy.
Voting History: April 2025: 3; June 2025: 3

This Thing of Darkness by K.V. Turley and Fiorella De Maria, nominated by Emmy
Hollywood, 1956. Journalist and war widow Evangeline Kilhooley is assigned to write a "star profile" of the fading actor Bela Lugosi, made famous by his role as Count Dracula. During a series of interviews, Lugosi draws Evi into his curious Eastern European background, gradually revealing the link between Old World shadows and the twilight realm of modern horror films.
Voting History: June 2025: 4

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message 2: by Sebastian (new)

May 15, 2025 01:14AM

The Spirit of the Liturgy and the Eight Arrow

Also why was Dilexit Nos cut from the list? That book had 3 votes in the last voting! :/ (And in my opinion it would be a great moment to read the book because Pope Francis has just passed)

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message 3: by Manuel (new)

May 15, 2025 04:06AM

Mod

Sebastian wrote: "Also why was Dilexit Nos cut from the list? That book had 3 votes in the last voting! :/ (And in my opinion it would be a great moment to read the book..."

According to our rules, which you can see here (https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...) a book can be in the special interest list for three consecutive votings. Dilexit Nos had been there three times, that's the reason why it was removed for this voting.

But you can propose it to be put in the list again. I understand you are doing so. If the other moderator agrees, you'll see it again in the next voting.

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message 4: by Javier (new)

May 15, 2025 05:52AM

The Spirit of the Liturgy
Light From Darkness

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message 5: by Sebastian (new)

May 15, 2025 07:21AM

Manuel wrote: "Sebastian wrote: "Also why was Dilexit Nos cut from the list? That book had 3 votes in the last voting! :/ (And in my opinion it would be a great moment to read the book..."

According to our rules..."

Ah sorry! I didn't know that rule.
Yes I would like to propose that book again, I think it is a wonderful presentation of the teachings of Pope Francis and from what I have seen so far it is quite rich.

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message 6: by Jill (new)

May 15, 2025 07:41AM