October 2021 BOTM - Voting

[CBC]

It is time to vote for our October BOTM. You may vote for up to 2 of the books listed below. The book(s) with the most votes will be our BOTM. If there is a tie, the moderator uses a random list generator to determine the order and they are all read over however many months. Books that receive fewer than 2 votes will be removed from the Voting List, with those that receive 1 vote being placed at the end of the Nominations List.

Voting will end at approximately 6:00 PM Eastern Time on Saturday, September 18.

The Day is Now Far Spent, by Robert Sarah, nominated by Mariangel
Robert Cardinal Sarah calls The Day Is Now Far Spent his most important book. He analyzes the spiritual, moral, and political collapse of the Western world and concludes that "the decadence of our time has all the faces of mortal peril."
A cultural identity crisis, he writes, is at the root of the problems facing Western societies. "The West no longer knows who it is, because it no longer knows and does not want to know who made it, who established it, as it was and as it is. Many countries today ignore their own history. This self-suffocation naturally leads to a decadence that opens the path to new, barbaric civilizations."
Voting History: May 2021 - 3; July 2021 - 2; September 2021 - 4

Eifelheim, by Michael Flynn, nominated by Fonch
In 1349, one small town in Germany disappeared and has never been resettled. Tom, a contemporary historian, and his theoretical physicist girlfriend Sharon, become interested. Tom indeed becomes obsessed. By all logic, the town should have survived, but it didn't and that violates everything Tom knows about history. What's was special about Eifelheim that it utterly disappeared more than 600 years ago?
Voting History: December 2020 - 5; January 2021 - 5; February 2021 - 5; March 2021 - 5; April 2021 - 2; May 2021 - 6; July 2021 - 3; September 2021 - 6

From Fire, by Water: My Journey to the Catholic Faith, by Sohrab Ahmari, nominated by Sohrab and John
Sohrab Ahmari was a teenager living under the Iranian ayatollahs when he decided that there is no God. Nearly two decades later, he would be received into the Catholic Church. In From Fire, by Water, he recounts this unlikely passage, from the strident Marxism and atheism of a youth misspent on both sides of the Atlantic to a moral and spiritual awakening prompted by the Mass. At once a young intellectual’s finely crafted self-portrait and a life story at the intersection of the great ideas and events of our time, the book marks the debut of a compelling new Catholic voice.
Voting History: February 2021 - 3; March 2021 -8; April 2021 - 9; May 2021 - 2; July 2021 - 2; September 2021 4

The Ghost of Madison Avenue Nancy Bilyeau, Fonch
In this compelling and poignant story, bestselling author Nancy Bilyeau takes readers to New York City’s Morgan Library in December 1912, when two very different people haunted by lost love come together in an unexpected way.
Voting History: None

How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization, by Thomas E. Woods Jr., nominated by Manuel
Ask a college student today what he knows about the Catholic Church and his answer might come down to one word: "corruption." But that one word should be "civilization." Western civilization has given us the miracles of modern science, the wealth of free-market economics, the security of the rule of law, a unique sense of human rights and freedom, charity as a virtue, splendid art and music, a philosophy grounded in reason, and innumerable other gifts that we take for granted as the wealthiest and most powerful civilization in history. But what is the ultimate source of these gifts? Bestselling author and professor Thomas E. Woods, Jr. provides the long neglected answer: No institution has done more to shape Western civilization than the two-thousand-year-old Catholic Church—and in ways that many of us have forgotten or never known.
Voting History: September 2021 - 4

Junia, Michael Giesler, Steven R.
As the beautiful daughter of a Roman senator, Junia enjoyed the best that life had to offer in first century Rome. She was grateful and anxious to please her family, a dutiful and obedient young woman of privilege. That is, until a chance friendship and its abrupt end sparks an interest in a new religion that will lead to a destiny she never imagined.
Voting History: None

The Last Homily: Conversations with Fr. Arne Panula, Mary Eberstadt, John
The Last Homily captures with poignant authenticity the dying thoughts of a brilliant priest who dedicated his life to bringing others to God: Fr. Arne Panula, of Washington DC’s fabled Catholic Information Center.
Voting History: None

The Mystery of Joseph, by Marie-Dominique Philippe, nominated by John
In this illuminating book, Fr. Philippe leads you deep into the beautiful mystery of St. Joseph -- revealing the greatness of the apparently unremarkable man who was the guardian of Jesus and Mary, and who is now the Guardian of the Church, ''overflowing with immeasurable wisdom and power.''
Voting History: September 2021 - 5

Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc: By the Sieur Louis de Conte (her Page and Secretary) freely translated out of the ancient French into modern ... Archives of France by Jean Francois Alden, by Mark Twain, nominated by Mariangel
Regarded by many as the most luminous example of Mark Twain's work, this fictional biography of Joan of Arc was purportedly written by Joan's page and secretary — Sieur Louis de Conté. (Twain's alter ego even shared the author's same initials — S. L. C.) Told from the viewpoint of this lifelong friend, the historical novel is a panorama of stirring scenes and marvel of pageantry — from Joan's early childhood in Domremy and her touching story of the voices, to the fight for Orleans, the taking of Tourelles and Jargeau, and the splendid march to Rheims.
Voting History: September 2021 - 5

Poor Banished Children, by Fiorella De Maria, nominated by Fonch
An explosion is heard off the coast of sixteenth-century England, and a woman washes up on the shore. She is barely alive and does not speak English, but she asks for a priest... in Latin. She has a confession to make and a story to tell, but who is she and where has she come from? Cast out of her superstitious, Maltese family, Warda turns to begging and stealing until she is fostered by an understanding Catholic priest who teaches her the art of healing. Her willful nature and hard-earned independence make her unfit for marriage, and so the good priest sends Warda to serve an anchorite, in the hope that his protege will discern a religious vocation.
Voting History: August 2020 - 1; September 2020 - 5; October 2020 - 3; November 2020 - 2; December 2020 - 4; ; January 2021 - 3; February 2021 - 4; March 2021 - 2; April 2021 - 4; May 2021 - 4; July 2021 - 3; September 2021 - 3

The Purple Robe, David Dean, David
Rumors rising out of the Yucatan jungle report healings and miracles attributed to a holy relic. Father Pablo Diego Corellas discovers that even his own parishioners are making secret pilgrimages to the decrepit plantation where it is held. There, Doña Josefa, a mysterious woman who is either mystic or mad, possesses an artifact that she claims is a fragment of the robe worn by Christ at his trial. Guarded by armed Mayan farmers, she holds sway over an ever-growing number of pilgrims desperate for the healing power of the Purple Robe.
Voting History: None

A Time to Die: Monks on the Threshold of Eternal Life, Nicolas Diat, nominated by Robert Bruening
Behind monastery walls, men of God spend their lives preparing for the passage of death. Best-selling French author Nicolas Diat set out to find what their deaths can reveal about the greatest mystery faced by everyone—the end of life.
Voting History: September 2021 - 2

The Truth about Saint Joseph: Encountering the Most Hidden of Saints, Maurice Meschler, "The Catholic Book"
This beautiful and edifying work unearths many truths about St. Joseph hidden in the Gospel, to bring them to light and make use of them in Joseph's honor. Here you'll encounter surprising details about the life Joseph led on Earth in the most intimate companionship of Christ as well as the role he is playing even today in the life of the Universal Church.
Voting History: None

The Wild Orchid, by Sigrid Undset, nominated by Fonch
The novel is about a young man, Paul Selmer's journey from freethinking to Catholicism, but before he reaches that point, he goes through several stages in his life: divorce of his parents, remarriage of his father, his development from a student to a mature man. The title is taken from the protagonist's mother's garden - a white, fragrant orchid called gymnadenia in Latin. Paul, as a boy, is fascinated by the name and is disappointed to see a flower with small, inconspicuous flowers. (Translated (from the Estonian summary to the English language translation) with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version), which also identified the original language)
Voting History: September 2021 - 2

With Two Eyes Into Gehenna, Jane Lebak, Steven R.
Sister Magdalena never heard of the Catherinite nuns until the day she faced her own death sentence. Rome, 1562. It’s the era of the Index of Banned Books and the Roman Inquisition. Kings still burn heretics. The worst threats come from within the Church itself.
Voting History: April 2021 - 2; May 2021 - 2; July 2021 - 4; September 2021 - 2

From the Current Interest List:

Let Us Dream: The Path to a Better Future by Pope Francis, nominated by Faith
In this uplifting and practical book, written in collaboration with his biographer, Austen Ivereigh, the preeminent spiritual leader explains why we must—and how we can—make the world safer, fairer, and healthier for all people now.
Voting History: March 2021 - 5; May 2021 - 3

[Fonch]

I vote for "Eifelheim" by Michael Flynn and "Poor banished children" by Fiorella de Maria.

[Lisa]

"The Day is Now Far Spent" and "With Two Eyes Into Gehenna"

[Maggie]

I vote for A purple Orchid by Undset and Poor Banished Children.

[Steven R.]

Junia - Michael Giesler
Poor Banished Children - by Fiorella De Maria

[Gazzi4]

Poor Banished Children - by Fiorella De Maria

[[deleted user]]

I would vote for the 'The Ghost of Madison Avenue' by Nancy Bilyeau.

[María Amparo]

I would like to vote for "Eifelheim" by Michael Flynn and "Poor banished children" by Fiorella de Maria.

[Pete]

I vote for Eifelheim.

[Mariangel]

Joan of Arc
The day is now far spent

[Sydnee]

1. Eifelheim
2. Junia

[Sydnee]

It doesn’t look like Eifelheim showed up as my first vote so just in case I’m gonna re-comment 🙂

[Connie]

How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization
From Fire, by Water

[Crystal]

Personal recollection of Joan of Arc.

[John]

I will vote for

1) The Day is Now Far Spent; and
2) How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization

[Kristi]

How the Catholic Church Built . . .
Twain's Joan of Arc

[Manuel]

How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization
With two eyes into Gehenna

[Frances]

Joan of Arc, by Mark Twain
How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization, by Thomas E. Woods, Jr.

[Madeleine]

The Purple Robe
Twain's Joan of Arc

[Ashley]

The Day is Now Spent & From Fire, by Water

[Elisabeth]

Joan of Arc
Junia

[Stef]

From Fire By Water
A Time to Die

[Jill]

From Fire by Water
The Last Homily


so many good choices, I wonder if anyone has a program that would allow us to use a ranked voting system where everyone indicates his/her first choice down to the last.

[Faith]

Eifelheim and Poor Banished Children

[Mary]

Eifelheim

[Lori]

The Mystery of Joseph and The Day is Now Far Spent

[Jeanne]

Eifelheim
Joan of Arc

[Fergus, Weaver of Autistic Webs]

Eifelheim
With Two Eyes into Gehenna

[John]

Maggie wrote: "I vote for A purple Orchid by Undset and Poor Banished Children."

Hi Maggie, since you specified Undset, I take it that your vote is for The Wild Orchid? Let me know if that's not correct.

[John]

Jill wrote: "From Fire by Water
The Last Homily


so many good choices, I wonder if anyone has a program that would allow us to use a ranked voting system where everyone indicates his/her first choice down to t..."

Regardless of whether anyone has a program, the data would have to be manually pulled from Goodreads and input into the program. So the real question is, do the moderators have time or inclination for that? While I can't speak for Manuel, I can say I don't. We have discussed a more modest ranked choice voting system in the past, and there wasn't much interest. But if you'd like to discuss it again, please feel free to raise it in the Atrium.

[Asunción]

Joan of Arc
Undset's Wild orchid

[Pop]

How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization

[John]

Voting is over. The results will be posted soon.