Saturday, April 30, 2016

Summer Reading: Catholic Fiction


This is not a reading list for our students, but rather for their parents.

There has been a revival of sorts in Catholic fiction over the past few years. Yet, it's a genre we don't hear about too often. I can't tell you how many times I've had friends and family ask me to recommend a good contemporary novel that has a Catholic flavor. I love the delight in their eyes when I'm able to list nine or ten titles off the top of my head.

If you're looking for some good, fun reads for the summer I hope the following list will help get you started. All are contemporary fiction titles written by Catholic authors. While I've read a good deal of these myself, others were recommended by trusted sources (such as Joseph Pearce) and therefore are in my own to-read-this-summer pile.
          ~ Maureen

Click on the book title for ordering information and/or reviews. (Some are affiliate links.) They are in no particular order.

Adult Novels
Note: While written from a Catholic worldview, these are still adult in nature.  

A Postcard from the Volcano by Lucy Beckett (Ignatius Press)

The Leaves are Falling by Lucy Beckett (Ignatius Press)

Death Panels by Michelle Buckman (Saint Benedict Press)

Rachel's Contrition by Michelle Buckman (Sophia Institute Press)

Bleeder by John J. Desjarlais (Chesterton Press)

Viper by John J. Desjarlais (Sophia Institute Press)

My Visit to Hell by Paul Thigpen (Realms)

The Book of Jotham by Arthur Powers (Tuscany Press)

Fatherless by Brian Gail (Gailforce Publishing)

Two Statues by Brian Kennelly (Saint Benedict Press)

Treason: A Catholic Novel of Elizabethan England by Dena Hunt (Sophia Institute Press)

Rapunzel Let Down by Regina Doman (Chesterton Press)

The Letters of Magdalen Montague by Eleanor Bourg Nicholson (Kaufmann Publishing)

Death of a Liturgist by Lorraine V. Murray (Saint Benedict Press)

Young Adult Novels
Though written with teens in mind, these are enjoyable reads for parents as well.

Belisarius by Paolo Belzoni (Arx Publishing)

Tale of Manaeth by Phillip Campbell (Cruachan Hill Press)

Toward the Gleam by T. M. Doran (Ignatius Press)

Adult Novels from Previous Centuries
Just a few in case you get through all the suggested books above.

Kirsten Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset (Penguin Classics)

The Spear by Louis deWohl (Ignatius Press)

Dracula by Bram Stoker: Ignatius Critical Edition (Ignatius Press)

Conclusion
There are a lot of great novels out there and these are just the tip of the iceberg. I hope you'll share your favorites (and why!) in the comments.

7 comments:

  1. Just purchased all the ones that are available on Kindle as ebooks. Thank you!!!

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  2. Fatherless is a good, fun read. You will fly through it and want to buy Motherless next. Then Childless (it's a trilogy).

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  3. I would add Walker Percy and Flannery O'Conner titles. Not sure if they're considered contemporary, but close enough. PS Thanks for sharing these books -- I hadn't heard of most of them.

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  4. Though written tor teens/tweens, I really enjoyed Awakening by Claudia Cangilla McAdam
    https://www.sophiainstitute.com/products/item/Awakening

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  5. I need to add Jack Claymore for President by Dwayne Pugh to this list. I just finished it and loved it. Not perfect, but a good, fun read. And, hey, with the insanity of the current political climate, it is just nice to be able to read a light, romantic comedy. Here's the link http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B008AHVXVA/catholictreas-20. Kindle version is only $2.99 and the paperback is $14.95. ~ Maureen
    PS Someone really needs to make Jack Claymore for President into a movie!

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  6. The Offensive Catholic by Daniel Undem

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  7. I enjoyed the Lucy Beckett books mentioned above.

    I would also suggest another Ignatius Press author: Fiorella de Maria
    https://www.ignatius.com/Products/PBC-E/poor-banished-children.aspx
    https://www.ignatius.com/Products/GAB-E/the-sleeping-witness.aspx

    Brennan Pursell has a book that was a great summer-time read: The Spanish Match. I took this book camping and literally did not get out of my camp chair until I finished this. "Murder, mayhem, and religion fustrate the royal courtship that, through love, seeks to make peace between warring enemies England and Spain: A novel based on actual events."
    https://www.sophiainstitute.com/products/item/spanish-match-the

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