May 2017 BOTM - Voting

[John]

It is time to consider and vote for our May 2017 BOTM.

You may vote for up to two of the books listed below. Enter your votes by replying in this thread. Voting will end sometime after 5 PM, Central time, on April 19.

A book will be randomly selected for elimination from the nominations list from among those that don't receive any votes. Under an orange sky, by Manuel Alfonseca and The Life of St. Catharine of Sienna, by Raymond of Capua exempted from the randomizer as this is their first month on the list.

This month's choices are:

Amoris Laetitia: Apostolic Exhortation on the Family, by Pope Francis
Pope Francis' Apostolic Exhortation The Joy of Love: On Love in the Family is appreciated as an aid to reflection, dialogue and pastoral practice, and as a help and encouragement to families in their daily commitments and challenges.

Champions of the Rosary: The History and Heroes of a Spiritual Weapon, by Donald H. Calloway. From the best-selling author of the classic Catholic conversion story, No Turning Back: A Witness to Mercy by Fr. Donald H. Calloway, comes a powerful and comprehensive history of a spiritual weapon: the rosary.

Church of Spies: The Pope's Secret War Against Hitler, by Mark Riebling
In Church of Spies, the intelligence expert Mark Riebling draws on a wealth of recently uncovered documents to argue that, far from being Hitler’s lackey, Pius was an active anti-Nazi spymaster. He directed a vast network of Vatican operatives—priests and laypeople alike—who partnered with the German resistance, tipped the Allies off to Hitler’s invasions of France and Russia, and involved themselves in three separate plots to assassinate Hitler.

The Coat Without Seam, by Maurice Baring. The story of a miraculous relic, believed to be a piece of the seamless coat won by a soldier on Mount Golgotha after Jesus of Nazareth’s crucifixion, captivates young Christopher Trevenen after his sister dies tragically and motivates the very core of his existence from then on, culminating in a profound and tragic realisation.

Comet Dust, by C.D. Verhoff
Eighteen month ago, the earth survived a comet strike. Famine, economic depression, and soaring crime rates rode in on its tail. While the government scrambles for solutions, Gina Applegate vlogs about college life and current events. God doesn’t figure large in her life. Nonetheless, Gina thinks she’s a pretty good person—until the prophesied event known as the Illumination of Conscience gives her a glimpse of hell, shaking her fragile faith. As the world slips deeper into darkness, the gulf between the godly and the godless widens, leaving no middle ground. Gina must choose a side.

A Martyr for the Truth: Jerzy Popieuszko, by Grazyna Sikorska

On the God of the Christians:, by Rémi Brague
[The book description on GR is in French. The following is excerpted from Amazon, which indicates it is from the back cover of the book.]
On the God of the Christians tries to explain how Christians conceive of the God whom they worship. No proof for His existence is offered, but simply a description of the Christian image of God.

Past Suspicion, by Therese Heckenkamp
Don't trust anyone ... So whispers Robin 's mother just moments before she dies. As this intriguing story of suspense unfolds, seventeen-year-old Robin is forced from her California home to live in Wisconsin with an uncle she never knew existed. Here in her mother 's hometown, Robin meets two young men and, while unraveling the secrets of her mother 's past, becomes involved in a treacherous plot, not realizing the importance of untangling her own life if she is to find a direction for her future. Feelings of betrayal and resentment burn strong. Robin 's heart becomes torn as she tries to figure out where she belongs and whom she can trust. Amidst an atmosphere of mystery, amongst the activities of small town life, and while exploring an abandoned mansion, Robin not only searches for a treasure map, but more importantly discovers the far-reaching consequences of making the right or wrong decision.

The Perfect Blindside, by Leslea Wahl
He's an egotistical snowboarder with a silver medal.
She's a judgmental honors student with a flair for photography.
Slashed tires.... False accusations.... A coded message.... When all they can see is each other's flaws, how can Jake and Sophie work together to figure out what's really been happening at the abandoned silver mine?

Reasonable Pleasures: The Strange Coherences of Catholicism, by James V. Schall
The fact of pleasure is obvious to us, but its relation to reason is less understood. We are beings who laugh and run, sing and dance, but we too seldom reflect on why we do these things. Above all, we are beings who think and who want to know whether our lives make sense. In this thought-provoking study of the relationship between our reason and our experience of pleasure, popular professor and author Fr. James Schall shows how reason, religion and pleasure are not in conflict with one another. Religion has to do with how man relates to God. Catholicism is not so much a religion as a revelation. It records and recalls how God relates to man.The popular mood of our time is that neither religion nor revelation has much to do with real life. Yet when we look at things as having meaning and order, they fit together in surprising ways. This coherence should bring us joy, and teach us how reason, religion and pleasure can work together for our benefit. Schall shows us in this book why we have many reasons to think that our lives make sense, that our pleasures can be reasonable, and our reason itself is a pleasure.

Return to Order: From a Frenzied Economy to an Organic Christian Society, by John Horvat
In times of crisis, we are forced to reexamine our ways and ponder our future. It is in this framework that we need to consider our present economic plight and the charting of our path forward. John Horvat focuses on the present crisis with great insight and clarity. He claims modern economy has become cold, impersonal, and out of balance. Gone are the human elements of honor and trust so essential to our daily lives. Society has discarded the natural restraining influence of the human institutions and values that should temper our economic activities.

The Life of St. Catharine of Sienna, by Raymond of Capua
One of the key works on St. Catharine's life, written shortly after her death by her spiritual director.

The Spiritual Combat, by Dom Lorenzo Scupuli
The Combat is a practical manual of living. At first it teaches that the sense of life is incessant fighting against egoistic longings and replacing them with sacrifice and charity. The one who does not do this loses, and suffers in Hell; the one who does it, trusting not in his own, but God's power, triumphs and is happy in Heaven. The work of Scupoli analyses various usual situations and advises how to cope with them, preserving a pure conscience and improving virtue. It emphasizes also the boundless goodness of God, which is the cause of all good. What is bad originates from the human who rebels against God.

Under an orange sky, by Manuel Alfonseca
In the year 2041, the Earth government initiates the colonization of Mars. In the ship goes the journalist Irene Pinedo, who will transmit to the Earth the adventures of the trip. After arriving at Mars, Irene makes two sensational discoveries that make her confront her chiefs and the Earth government.

Way of the Ascetics: The Ancient Tradition of Discipline and Inner Growth, by Tito Colliander
Written for lay persons living in the world, this is an excellent resource for daily meditation, spiritual guidance and a revitalized religious life.

[Jill]

Coat without Seam
God of the Christians

[Manuel]

Comet Dust
Amoris Laetitia

[Fonch]

Comet Dust
The perfect Blindside.

[Mariangel]

Comet Dust
The coat without seam

[John]

A Martyr for the Truth
Return to Order

[John]

Voting is closed, results will be posted shortly.

(Sorry for the delay - a late night)