Summer readings.

Here are the books I read this summer, in case you're interested in checking any of them out:

A Grief Observed - C.S. Lewis - An honest and beautiful look at what it was like for Lewis to lose the most important person in his life.

Wicked - Gregory Maguire - While the idea behind the story is cool, and I love the mythology that Maguire gives to Oz, this book is what I would call "postmodern": depressing, bordering on nihilistic. Read at your own risk.

The Abolition of Man - C.S. Lewis - It starts out as a book about education but ends up as an explanation of why relativism is wrong.

Cat's Cradle - Kurt Vonnegut - Though the morals are fairly bad, I love the style of the book. It really shows how badly man's search for meaning can go.

The Foundation Trilogy - Isaac Asimov - A gigantic story that covers thousands of years of made-up history. God is basically ignored, but it is fascinating to see Asimov weave all the events and people of a civilization together.

Priests for the Third Millenium - Archbishop Timothy Dolan - Fantastic look at many different aspects of the diocesan priesthood and the Christian life in general.

Bernadette of Lourdes - Rene Laurentin - I wanted to learn a little more about Lourdes because Msgr. Campbell and Fr. Mark (from St. Mary's in Marietta) are going there with some of ther parishoners in the fall. This book is a great explanation of exactly what happened to a very ordinary but very blessed girl.

Deus Caritas Est - Benedict XVI - Self-explanatory. Each of B16's pages is worth two of any other writer's. This encyclical seems straightforward but is incredibly deep.

I Was Brainwashed in Peking - Dries Van Coillie - An amazing account of the three years a priest spent in a Chinese prison. It shows what torment and oppression can do to a person, but also gives a beautiful example of faith under fire. This priest's faith saved him.

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I am currently reading A Key to the Doctrine of the Eucharist by Abbot Vonier. Thus far, it is AMAZING (yes, "amazing" in all caps ... italicized even). I'm only up to chapter five, but the way that Vonier has explained the reality of symbols and reality in sacraments (using quotes from St. Thomas) is the most clear writing on the topic that I've ever read. Check it out.