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!

"This book is . . . my personal search for 'the face of the Lord." - Pope Benedict XVI.     This is Pope Benedict XVI's first book since his pontificate began. Who is Jesus? According to the wildly popular book and film, The Da Vinci Code, Jesus was merely a human figure whose original message was distorted by his followers. Not so, argues Pope Benedict XVI in this …

C. S. Lewis One of C.S. Lewis's most imaginative creations, this world-famous book is a humorous correspondence between the devil Screwtape and his apprentice Wormwood, whose job is to produce a human's soul for eternity in hell. Filled with astute insights into temptation, repentance, and grace, this wonderful tale intelligently explores what it means to live a good, honest life and is a …

  By Scott Hahn, Ph.D ONE OF THE CENTURY'S MOST POWERFUL. CATHOLIC APOLOGISTS REFLFLECTS UPON GOD'S UNCHANGING, COVENANT LOVE The eloquent teachings of Scott Hahn have moved thousands of Catholic Christians to a more vital expression of their faith. In A Father Who Keeps His Promises, the popular Catholic apologist explores the "covenant love" God reveals to us through die …

Anne Eileen Heffernan, FSP Mary Elizabeth Tebo, FSP Learn the story of St. Bernadette and Our Lady of Lourdes in this young adult biography in 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 …

The Do's and Don't's in Catholic liturgy today . . . this book will help you navigate through the confusion! No Catholic can be unaware of the crisis in Catholic liturgy.  Even priests are often bewildered by the contradictory information put out by liturgical "experts."  This one-of-a-kind book cuts through the confusion: Empowers priests and laity to deal with the …

By Fr. Walter Ciszek, S.J. Father Walter Ciszek, S.J., author of the best-selling He Leadeth Me, tells here the gripping, astounding story of his twenty-three years in Russian prison camps in Siberia, how he was falsely imprisoned as an "American spy", the incredible rigors of daily life as a prisoner, and his extraordinary faith in God and commitment to his priestly vows and …

This is the most acclaimed, short introduction to the Crusades - by  the world's foremost authority on the subject! Find out the truth for yourself and separate fact from fiction. Few attempts had been made to defined 'the crusade' before the first edition of this book was published in 1977. Since then, a number of historians have built on Jonathan Riley-Smith's original conclusions. Now …

The remarkable life of Blessed Pier Frassati for young adults. A beguiling and moving biography of Pier Giorgio Frassati, a handsome, athletic and fun-loving young man from a rich, aristocratic Italian family in the 1920's who was recently beatified by Pope John Paul II. Pier Giorgio turned from a life of privilege to one devoted to working with the poor, and was a courageous witness of …

The might of Islam threatened his world. It’s the year 1570. Fourteen-year-old Guido Callatta, son of a wealthy Venetian merchant, spends his free time roaming the docks, listening to the tales of gnarled old sailors, and dreaming of adventures at sea. But his carefree life is about to change forever. Armies of Ottoman Turks threaten Europe from all sides, conquering Christian towns and …

Familiarize yourself with some of the most amazing turning points in the fascinating history of Christ's Church. There are the saints and sinners, popes and kings that God used to shape his Church and change the world. You ' ll meet Clovis and Charlemagne, Luther and Pope Leo, Suleiman and St. Francis, the Arians, the Franks, the Huguenots, and others whose sins or sacrifices altered the …

Mary Ray Palestine in the first century A.D. is as disturbed and divided as it is today. The Jews have revolted against Roman occupation and as they grow more restive, Rome clamps down harder. The ten Greek cities of Palestine-the Decapolis-want only to continue their peaceful trading existence, but they find themselves caught in the middle of the uprisings. Apollodorus, a merchant of …

An engaging life of St. Catherine Laboure for young readers. For more than a hundred and fifty years the Miraculous Medal has been known and worn by Catholics throughout the world. It has been used and promoted by great saints and Popes as a most powerful sacramental. Less well known is the story of the French Sister to whom the Blessed Virgin manifested the Medal in 1830. This Vision Book for …

This wonderful book for young readers presents the remarkable life of the great English martyr, St. Thomas More, in an engaging and easy-to-read style. St. Thomas More, the light-hearted but heroic Chancellor of England, comes to life in this biography by Elizabeth M. Ince. Raised in the London of the late 1400's, Thomas was a bright student eager for knowledge. When serving as a page for …

Reinvigorate your faith by reading these short yet profoundly inspiring stories of people, from many faiths and diverse backgrounds, who found their way to the Catholic Church. A new collection from Catholic Answers of eleven distinct and often startling accounts of conversion.  The contributors to this book were Jewish, Anglican, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Baptist, Pentecostal, …

A new edition of a spiritual classic! Through beautiful prose and meditations, Caryll Houselander depicts the intimately human side of Mary, Mother of God, as an empty reed waiting for God's music to be played through her. Lovingly bringing Our Lady down off her time-honored, ancient pedestal, Houselander shares her insightful and beautiful vision of Mary on earth, Mary among us, Mary as a …

Angels in Iron Nicholas C. Prata The year is A.D. 1565 and the tiny island fortress of Malta, defended by an anachronistic crusading order called the Knights of St. John Hospitallers, is all that stands between the war machine of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent and teh very heart of Christendom. Pitifully outmatched and against impossible odds, the indomitable Grand Master Jean Parisot de La …

Young Simon, recently and tragically orphaned, becomes a scribe in the following of the exiled Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket.  The uncertainty of the tumultuous years leading to the infamous cathedral slaying is heightened by Simon's separation from his twin Edmund, who is in the service of King Henry II. With an expert pen Barbara Willard deftly recounts events leading to the …