Welcome to our Catholic Summer Reading book selections for 2008.

This year's program officially launches the first week of June. Our popular program returns with an all new selection of outstanding Catholic books for this year! Please visit www.catholicsummerreading.com for more details and to find book discussion guides for selected program titles - we will have these posted shortly. You may also want to visit www.catholicbookdiscussion.com to join in some lively online discussions of the books. Happy reading!

Remember, when you go off on vacation this summer, to the beach, to that proverbial cabin in the woods, or to visit family in another state, don't leave your faith behind!

Fr. Von Balthasar provides us with a wonderful and concise spiritual guide for all who desire to know and love the Mother of the Lord. The acclaimed theologian von Balthasar gathers from the Sacred Scriptures and the richest tradition of the Church the elements of a portrait which shows Mary's place and her relevance for today.

A beautiful reissue of the greatest spiritual classic to come out of Russia.

What place does Christ have in our modern society? Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa, the preacher to the papal household, posed that question in a series of Advent and Lent  meditations presented to Pope Benedict XVI. In Remember Jesus Christ , which is based on these meditations, he explains that in order to bring people to Christ today, the Church needs to proclaim, as simply and succintly as …

Bestselling Catholic author Mike Aquilina shares wonderful stories of family life - full of love and laughter.   "God stoops down to lift up our homes, to make them outposts of his paradise…no matter how cold the winds may blow on a winter day." —From the Introduction Paradise? Family life? Really? Yes—and one filled with laughter. If that doesn't sound like …

Fr. Congar masterfully explains why Tradition is an inescapable aspect of a fully biblical Christian faith. Some Christians claim to reject Tradition in preference to a supposedly "Bible only" Christianity. Catholics, on the other hand, venerate Tradition, yet often without adequately understanding it. In this masterful book, the great theologian Yves Congar explains why Tradition is …

Reviews - "Shadow in the Dark has a wholesomeness that makes it stand out like a mountain among the suggestive emotionally confused sludge that has become the accepted fare to dish up for our youth.  This could be the future standard for sound adolescent literature!"  ~ Leo Madigan, The Weka-Feather Cloak   "With Shadow in the Dark, Barone has produced a real page …

A young adult biography of St. Edith Stein from the Encounter the Saints Series Experience the adventures and challenges, heroism and holiness of some of the greatest friends of God! Offers intermediate readers a down-to-earth portrayal of the saints. Each distinct story vividly recreates for the intermediate reader the saint's place of origin, family life, and corresponding historical events. …

Three scientists revisit the compelling question of the origin of our universe, in an engaging and accessible style.   As progress in science continues to reveal unimagined complexities, three scientists revisit the difficult and compelling question of the origin of our universe. As mathematician, biochemist, and philosopher of science, they explore the possibility of developing a …

Big John's Secret Eleanore M. Jewett There is a mystery woven into Big John’s young life that he must solve. Raised an orphan in a rude peasant village during the strife-filled reign of King John of England, John understands that injustice has been done his family. One day he must reclaim his name and family honor by avenging his unknown father! John’s unusual size and strength earn him a …

The last 50 years have been confusing, tumultuous ones for Catholicism. Seminaries emptied, priests and nuns left their vocations, people dissented from basic teachings, and children received poor catecheses. What happened? This book answers that question. Part history, part Bible study, part apologetics manual, part Marian devotional, part catechism, The Signs of the Times is all profound …

From The Da Vinci Code and Roswell to the pyramid on the back of every dollar bill, we all are fascinated by secrets, codes and coincidences.  Fr. George Rutler - EWTN speaker, Crisis magazine columnist, and reigning Catholic wit-offers his fun reflections, full of surprise, on the coincidental links that connect the most far-flung parts of our worlds.  Topics cover the gamut of …

"Here's another one of those 'They could make it into a movie!' books that keeps you always wanting to read just one more chapter.  Red Hugh was a true champion for Irish liberty from Queen Elizabeth's constricting reign in the late 1580's and beyond.  Hugh's capture, imprisonment, and escape from the Dublin Castle; his triumph over a blizzard and frostbite; his dramatic rescue of his …

About this Book Francis of Assisi is, after Mary of Nazareth, the greatest saint in the Christian calendar, and one of the most influential men in the whole of human history. By universal acclaim, this biography by G. K. Chesterton is considered the best appreciation of Francis's life--the one that gets to the heart of the matter. For Chesterton, Francis is a great paradoxical figure, a man …

A remarkable little gem of a book that will help you make more time for God in your busy life. Are you too busy to pray? What if you could actually gain time and be more productive by praying? Would you pray more? We often forget the real secret to gaining time and being productive is to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well (Mt 6:33). If we …

How Christendom defeated the Ottoman Turks Historian Diane Moczar pulls back the curtain on one of the most important acts in the drama of Muslim aggression against the West: the 500-year-long siege of Europe by the Ottoman Turks. Tracing the rise of the Turkish people from wandering Asian tribe to mighty pan-continental empire, Islam at the Gates chronicles the heroes and villains, the …

Saying "Yes!" to the Holy Spirit in your life.   "God walks with us in this life as a loving friend. Knowing his love and tapping into it is nothing less than spiritual dynamite." — From Chapter One God's love comes to us through the Holy Spirit, but many people are confused about the role and work of this third person of the Trinity. Author David Mangan's …

A superb novel from one of the greatest Catholic fiction writers of the 20th century. Wise Blood, Flannery O’Connor’s astonishing and haunting first novel, is a classic of twentieth-century literature. Focused on the story of Hazel Motes, a twenty-two-year-old caught in an unending struggle against his innate, desperate fate, this tale of redemption, retribution, false prophets, …

A classic Catholic novel - simple, beautiful, sad and inspiring. An idealistic young Catholic priest in an isolated French village keeps a diary describing the unheroic suffering and the petty internal conflicts of his parish. This may sound like a thin plot for a novel, but Diary of a Country Priest , by George Bernanos, remains one of the 20th century's most vivid evocations of saintly life. …