The Catholic Book Club discussion

It is time to vote for our January 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 Tuesday, November 18.

The Voting List for January is:

The Anti-Mary Exposed: Rescuing the Culture from Toxic Femininity by Carrie Gress, nominated by Emmy
In the late ’60s, a small group of elite American women convinced an overwhelming majority of the country that destroying the most fundamental of relationships—that of mother and child—was necessary for women to have productive and happy lives. From the spoiling of this relationship followed the decay of the entire family, and almost overnight, our once pro-life culture became pro-lifestyle, embracing everything that felt good. Sixty million abortions later, women aren’t showing signs of health, happiness, and fulfillment.
Voting History: November 2025: 4

The Arrow That Flies by Day by John Servant, nominated by John Servant
The Arrow That Flies by Day deals with a wounded marine's efforts to conquer his physical wounds and to overcome his spiritual and emotional wounds to win at the ultimate game of life. The main character joins the service to avoid reform school and comes out physically and emotionally wounded. His parents are dead, he has no family, and he only has one friend, an old nun who was his high school principal and who would help him find his way.
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; July 2025: 2; August 2025: 2; November 2025: 4

The Church in the Flesh by Ida Görres, nominated by Susan
The unhappy obverse to Romano Guardini’s observation in 1922 about “the awakening of the Church in souls,” is “the dying of the Church in souls.” The Church in the Flesh , written in 1950, offers a fervent treatment for the latter in both symptom and cause. Across six refreshingly candid “letters,” Ida Friederike Görres develops a conversation aimed at a clarified, renewed, and strengthened faith in Jesus Christ and His Church.
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: July 2025: 2; August 2025: 3; November 2025: 3

The Hermit: The Priest Who Saved a Soul, a Marriage, and a Family by Kevin Wells, nominated by Kristi
In his raw and tender memoir, biographer Kevin Wells pulls readers into the unforgettable story of a parish priest turned hermit, Father Martin Flum, who orchestrated the slow resurrection of his wife, Krista, from the nightmare of her deep wounds and addiction. In gripping fashion, Kevin tells the story of his family’s own long suffering, which culminated in the dark spring of 2020, as a strange fear pressed down upon the world and his wife spent most nights drinking away long-held shame. When a near-universal chorus of politicians, medical professionals, and Catholic clergy megaphoned the command to “isolate,” Kevin couldn’t imagine a more dooming word for his family, his marriage, and the life of his wife. Yet God had other plans. Wells’ honest tale of inner crisis and hope-filled resurrection takes readers on a spiritual rollercoaster, offering a penetrating exploration of the sacramental grace of marriage and the mysterious movement of God in dry, lonely places.
Voting History: November 2025: 2

In the Shadows of Freedom by C & C Spellman, by Chris
It's one person's war for freedom in a world with no laws. The United States is finally a meritocracy, where the best and most capable rise to the top. Existing laws and regulations continue to be repealed, and freedom is the mantra of the people. Amanda Burrow, a talented painter, moves to New York City to attend an elite art academy. Once there, she falls for self-assured Ethan Ramsey, a staunch member of the National Citizens the nation's ruling faction.
Voting History: NONE

Into the Cloud of Knowing e-book edition by Renato Bonasera, nominated by Renato
It is assumed that the mystical life is a dark reality, reserved for the greatest, most meditative saints. 'Into the Cloud of Knowing' shows every Christian that each of our lives is filled with a million moments to help us slip through a rift, a Narnian wardrobe that we will recognise as personally familiar and forever new. Bonasera's gift of love to his children and for posterity, 'Into the Cloud of Knowing' is an invitation to join the countless souls who form the cloud of witnesses, experiencing God's presence and proclaiming his mercy, reminding us that if we pray for the eyes to see, we will find that God is present in everything.
Voting History: NONE

Oddsfish! by Robert Hugh Benson, nominated by Fonch
Interwoven with the accurately portrayed events and places of the time are fictitious characters, including the narrator, Mr. Roger Mallock and his cousin and lady-love Dolly. Sent by Pope Innocent XI to Charles' court as a diplomatic representative of the Vatican, Mallock becomes a trusted confidant of the King and acts upon Charles's deathbed wish to give his confession to, and receive absolution from, a Catholic priest.
Voting History: August 2025: 3; November 2025: 2

The Orange Dragon Bowl, by Betty P. Notzon, nominated by Betty
What do you do when everything in your life starts to fall apart? Fifteen-year-old Julie Tyler is about to find out. First, a strange incident at school unleashes a year of nonstop mean pranks, ugly gossip, dirty lies, and academic sabotage. On top of all this, Julie's mother is diagnosed with a very aggressive form of breast cancer. She gets very sick from the treatment, and she almost dies. Then, Julie's father, a highly regarded assistant D.A., finds himself publicly damned for a rape he didn't commit.
Voting History: NONE

Pilgrims by M.R. Leonard, nominated by M.R.
Out-of-work Latin teacher and borderline alcoholic Austin DeSantis is determined to spend his final days in the arms of a prostitute—that is if the aliens don’t exterminate humanity first . . . But when the aliens land at the Vatican, begin speaking Latin, and reveal themselves to be Catholic, the world turns upside down.
Voting History: NONE

The Secrets of Successful Financial Planning: Inside Tips from an Expert, by Dan Gallagher, nominated by Dan
There are six interrelated segments to a complete financial plan: Cash & Budget Planning, Insurance & Risk Management, Tax Management, Retirement Planning, Investment Planning, and Estate Planning. What aspects of the financial plan require sophisticated planning by a professional, and what can savvy, well-educated consumers handle themselves? The Secrets of Successful Financial Planning empowers readers to take charge of their financial present and future, regardless of where they are financially, by presenting technical jargon in a way that's easy to understand.
Voting History: NONE

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; July 2025: 4; August 2025: 4; November 2025: 3

Wheat that Springeth Green by J.F. Powers, nominated by Steven R.
This book is a comic foray into the commercialized wilderness of modern American life. Its hero, Joe Hackett, is a high school track star who sets out to be a saint. But seminary life and priestly apprenticeship soon damp his ardor, and by the time he has been given a parish of his own he has traded in his hair shirt for the consolations of baseball and beer. Meanwhile Joe's higher-ups are pressing for an increase in profits from the collection plate, suburban Inglenook's biggest business wants to launch its new line of missiles with a blessing, and not all that far away, in Vietnam, a war is going on. Joe wants to duck and cover, but in the end, almost in spite of himself, he is condemned to do something right.
Voting History: August 2025: 3; November 2025: 4

Works of Mercy by Sally Thomas, nominated by Stef
Kirsty Sain, aging housekeeper for the newly arrived young priest, assumes that despite this personnel change in her rural parish, her own solitary rounds will proceed as always. She will go to Mass, clean the rectory, go home again. She will keep herself to herself in the safely-hedged present and coexist in detente with the past. When a hairless, eyeless kitten is thrust upon her, an unlikely deterrent to the mice invading her house, she declares, “I am not going to love that thing.” She has spent a lifetime armoring herself against the risks of affection. But between the hapless Father Schuyler, who teeters on the edge of breakdown, and the crises of the Malkins, a parish family whose cheerful chaos erupts in tragedy, Kirsty finds her own wounds broken open.
Voting History: NONE

And from the Current Interest List:
Dilexi Te: Apostolic Exhortation on Love for the Poor by Pope Leo XIV
Voting History: NONE

"Pilgrims" and "Oddsfish!"

champions of the Rosary and The arrow that flies by day.

Dilexi Te
Oddsfish

Champions of the Rosary; The good, the bad and the beautiful

Oddsfish! by Robert Hugh Benson
Wheat that Springeth Green by J.F. Powers,

I vote for:

Oddsfish and Dilexi Te

Champions of the Rosary & The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful.

Oddsfish and Dilexi Te

Champions of the Rosary and Pilgrims

Dilexi Te
Oddsfish

This Thing of Darkness and Dilexi Te

Dilexi Ti
Works of Mercy

I vote for Oddsfish by Robert Hugh Benson and The Secrets of Successful Financial Planning: Inside Tips from an Expert, by Dan Gallagher

the Anti-Mary Exposed and Works of Mercy

The Anti Mary Exposed is my choice.

Dilexi Te

The Good, Bad & Beautiful by Joseph Pearce

I vote for The Anti-Mary Exposed, by Carrie Gress.

The Anti-Mary Exposed

Oddsfish! and Champions of the Rosary

Champions of the Rosary and Works of Mercy

This Thing of Darkness:)

The anti-Mary exposed

The Anti-Mary Exposed

Voting is closed. Results are here:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...