Summer Reading

BY ANDREA HOISL AND WAYNE GIGNAC

We were recently discussing some of our favorite books. A number of them are straight up spiritual/religious books, while others weave the Gospel message more covertly, providing

ANDREA’S RECOMMENDATIONS

The Resurrection Year

by Sheridan Voysey

A hope-filled story about a young couple’s lost dream and moving forward with a new dream. This book is a great reminder that if we have faith in God’s providence, all good things will happen on God’s time, not ours.

Tobit’s Dog

by Michael Nicholas Richard

A modern re-telling of the biblical Book of Tobit. It takes place in the Depression era in North Carolina. This book is a testament to the human spirit and good overcoming evil.

Gus Busbi

by Jim Sano

The story is set in South Boston, where a neighborhood priest watches an unlikely friendship develop between a teenager of color and an Italian senior who share an uncommon history. This book highlights God’s intervention at unexpected times and in unexpected ways.

WAYNE’S RECOMMENDATIONS

The Abbey

by Rev. James Martin

A warmly comforting tale of a grieving mother, a dissatisfied handyman and an abbot, whose lives intersect and are gently changed. A simple story about complicated people whose lives need God for direction and healing.

The Screwtape Letters

by C.S. Lewis

Classic satire in defense of the Christian faith consisting of a series of letters in which Screwtape, an experienced devil, instructs his young charge, Wormwood, on effective strategies for tempting the human being assigned to him and making sure he continues on a steady path toward damnation.

The Holy Longing: The Search for a Christian Spirituality

by Rev. Ronald Rolheiser

If I were to teach a beginners class on spirituality, this would be required reading. Father Rolheiser describes spirituality in terms

And finally, if you are feeling very ambitious and want to plunge into a read that will cause you to reread, question and think, this is the book for you:

The Eucharist for Beginners (a very deceiving title — it’s not for beginners at all — quite the opposite actually)

by Kenneth Howell

This is a spiritual read which highlights the richness of tradition in relation to our Catholic celebration of the Eucharist. It will leave you with a greater understanding of the gift of the Eucharist.

FOOTNOTE: You have to fight the urge to give up on this book after a few chapters. It leaves you feeling woefully inadequate as a believer at times, but as you continue the read, it will become more apparent how this book will change your understanding of the Eucharist forever.

accessible to everyone. He asserts that our desire/ passion is our spirituality and that everyone has one, “whether it is life-giving or destructive.” He explores and compares the passion/fire in Janis Joplin, Princess Diana and Mother Theresa, while helping us tap into our own spirituality, including how we must be the flesh that brings action to our prayers.

And on the heavier side, I would recommend rereading a book that most of us probably were assigned to read as a student:

To Kill a Mockingbird

by Harper Lee

A young girl’s coming-of-age story woven into a darker drama about the roots and consequences of racism and prejudice, probing how good and evil can coexist within a single community or individual.

Religious classics Fiction and nonfiction

The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis

A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O’Connor

The Story of a Soul by St. Therese of Lisieux

The Seven Storey Mountain by Thomas Merton

The Imitation of Christ by Thomas à Kempis