September 2023 BOTM - Voting

[CBC]

It is time to vote for our September 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 5:00 PM Eastern Time on Friday, August 18 (or as soon thereafter as your moderator is able to tally the votes).

The Voting List for September is:

Benedict XVI: Defender of the Faith, by Joseph Pearce, nominated by Fonch
Pope Benedict XVI will go down in Church history as one of the greatest popes. In this heartfelt defense of Pope Benedict’s words and works, a tribute to his life and legacy and a homage to his sanity and sanctity, Joseph Pearce’s biography provides an unforgettable encounter with this great historical figure.
Voting History: June 2023 - 3; August 2023 - 5

The Chronicles of the Magic Jigsaw Puzzle (5 vols.), by Manuel Alfonseca, nominated by Fonch
Inspired by the Narnia Chronicles, these five fantasy books show how redemption could have been in a different world. The books are:
1. The Journey of Tivo the Dauntless: Book One in the Chronicles of the Magic Jigsaw Puzzle
2. The Mystery of the Black Lake
3. The Silver Swan
4. The Secret of the Ice Field
5. The Lost Continent
Voting History: August 2023 - 2

The Ear of the Heart: An Actress' Journey from Hollywood to Holy Vows by Dolores Hart, nominated by Mariangel
Dolores Hart stunned Hollywood in 1963, when after ten highly successful feature films, she chose to enter a contemplative monastery. Now, fifty years later, Mother Dolores gives this fascinating account of her life, with co-author and life-long friend, Richard DeNeut.Dolores was a bright and beautiful college student when she made her film debut with Elvis Presley in Paramount's 1957 Loving You. She acted in nine more movies with other big stars. She also gave an award-winning performance in the Broadway play The Pleasure of His Company and appeared in two television shows, including The Virginian. A turning point in her life occurred while playing Saint Clare in the movie Francis of Assisi, which was filmed on location in Italy.
Voting History: NONE

The Eternal Woman: The Timeless Meaning of the Feminine by Gertrud von le Fort, nominated by Stef
Mary's fiat to God is the pathway to our salvation, as it is inextricably linked with the obedience unto death of Jesus her son. Like the Son's acceptance of the Cross, Mary's acceptance of her maternity symbolizes for all mankind the self-surrender to the Creator required of every human soul. Since any woman's acceptance of motherhood is likewise a yes to God, when womanhood and motherhood are properly understood and appreciated, the nature of the soul's relationship to God is revealed.
Voting History: August 2023 - 4

The Last Ugly Person: And Other Stories, by Roger Thomas, nominated by Steven R.
The stories are very different from each other. And could easily be classified as different genres. Starting with a futuristic dystopian tale, an epic military story, an allegory reminiscent to The Pilgrim’s Progress, and concluding with a micro fiction western story. (From Steven R.'s review)
Voting History: June 2023 - 3; August 2023 - 3

Our Lady of the Artilects by Andrew Gillsmith, nominated by Andrew.
Our Lady of the Artilects is a mind-bending supernatural science fiction novel where "The Exorcist" meets "Westworld,” with a light dusting of Snow Crash!
Voting History: August 2023 - 2

Poor Banished Children: A Novel by Fiorella De Maria, nominated by Fonch
Poor Banished Children is the tale of one woman's relentless search for freedom and redemption. The historical novel raises uncomfortable questions about the nature of courage, free will and ultimately salvation.
Voting History: August 2023 - 4

Race with the Devil, by Joseph Pearce, nominated by Fonch.
Growing up on the rough streets of Dagenham, England, Joseph Pearce was thrown into a life that led anywhere but to God and salvation. A world of hate and violence was all he knew, until one day he picked up the writings of G.K Chesterton and everything changed. Take a journey through the peaks and valleys of one of the most fascinating conversion stories of our time, written first-hand by Pearce himself.
Voting History: February 2023 - 6; March 2023 - 4; April 2023 - 4; May 2023 - 3; June 2023 - 2; August 2023 - 4

The Restless Flame: A Novel About Saint Augustine by Louis de Wohl, nominated by Manuel.
This is a stirring novel which deals reverently but realistically with the fascinating life and era of St. Augustine, one of the most remarkable men of all time.
Voting History: March 2023 - 6; April 2023 - 5; May 2023 - 2; June 2023 - 4; August 2023 - 4

The Saint Monica Club: How to Hope, Wait, and Pray for Your Fallen-Away Loved Ones, by Maggie Green, nominated by Maggie.
In the fourth century, a young man named Augustine turned his back on the Church, plunging into a frenzied life of lust and dissipation. His renunciation left Monica, his pious Catholic mother, weeping and praying for his salvation . . . for more than a decade! In these pages, author Maggie Green provides wise, compassionate guidance for members of what she calls “The Saint Monica Club”: good Catholics suffering like Monica the rejection of the Faith by persons they love dearly.
Voting History: ; July 2022 - 2; September 2022 - 2; November 2022 - 2; February 2023 - 3; March 2023 - 2; April 2023 - 5; May 2023 - 5; June 2023 - 2; August 2023 - 3

The Sentimentalists, by Robert Hugh Benson, nominated by Fonch
This book represents Robert Hugh Benson's first foray into "non-genre" fiction, as well as a significant and sensational switch from the historical novels by which he had achieved widespread popularity. This novel also marks Benson's change to an increasingly universal outlook, as well as to a more pointed form of satire, a quality that endeared him to Evelyn Waugh.
Voting History: NONE

Shooting at Heaven's Gate by Kaye Park Hinckley, nominated by Kaye and Fonch
When Malcolm J. Hawkins, the Head of Psychology at Bethel University in Alabama, feels his position and his credibility threatened by up-and-coming English professor Ginnie Gillan, he decides to use her husband Edmund’s gullibility against her. Feeding Edmund a steady diet of drugs and manipulation, Mal lights the fuse of the greatest tragedy Bethel has ever known.
Voting History: NONE

The Tartessian Crown, by Manuel Alfonseca, nominated by John.
In this third novel in the Aeolian Family series, Julius Aeolius is a fourteen-year-old boy who lives with his grandfather Lucius in Cesaraugusta, present-day Zaragoza, in the days of the Visigoth king Theodoric. They start a long journey, for Lucius is obsessed with finding the Tartessian crown. According to legend, whoever owns the crown will be king of all Hispania. But who is the mysterious goth who insists on going with them? What is Lucius hiding, who seems to know more than he says? Will Julius win the love of Dido, the orphan girl who barely speaks, but who knows how to get them out of their troubles? In this journey through the most important cities and islands of the Mediterranean (Tarraco, Carthage, Malta, Rome...), the protagonist will face not just many adventures, but also an internal journey towards his own maturity.
Voting History: March 2023 - 3; April 2023 - 3; May 2023 - 3; June 2023 - 3; August 2023 - 5

Things Worth Dying For: Thoughts on a Life Worth Living by Charles J. Chaput, nominated by John
With a balance of wisdom, candor, and scholarly rigor the beloved archbishop emeritus of Philadelphia takes on life’s central questions: why are we here, and how can we live and die meaningfully?
In Things Worth Dying For, Chaput delves richly into our yearning for God, love, honor, beauty, truth, and immortality. He reflects on our modern appetite for consumption and individualism and offers a penetrating analysis of how we got here, and how we can look to our roots and our faith to find purpose each day amid the noise of competing desires.
Voting History: June 2023 - 3; August 2023 - 2

With Two Eyes Into Gehenna, Jane Lebak, Steven R.
A rosary in one hand. A dagger in the other. 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.
Only seventeen, Magdalena killed a priest who tried to rape her within the walls of her convent. His powerful family will see her executed, and then they’ll destroy her mother and young sister.
Instead, the Pope makes an offer. To save her life and protect her family, Magdalena can disappear into a secret religious order, one with a demanding physical regimen to go along with the prayers. She’ll pray the psalms and learn to climb walls. She’ll sharpen her mind and fine-tune her body. Perfected, she’ll infiltrate the Council of Trent.
Voting History: June 2023 - 2; August 2023 - 2

[Steven R.]

The Last Ugly Person: And Other Stories, by Roger Thomas
Our Lady of the Artilects by Andrew Gillsmith

[Tyler M]

Benedict XVI: Defender of the Faith by Joseph Pearce

The Restless Flame: A Novel About Saint Augustine by Louis de de Wohl

[Maggie]

In honor of her upcoming feast day, The Saint Monica Club and
Restless flame.

[Mary]

Things Worth Dying For:Thoughts on a Life Worth Living by Charles J. Chaput

Race with the Devil by Joseph Pearce

[Fergus, Weaver of Autistic Webs]

Benedict XVI; and
The Tartessian Crown.

[Jill]

Race with the Devil
The Eternal Woman [so timely!]

[DeeDee]

Benedict XVI

The Last Ugly Person and other stories

[Mary]

The Ear of the Heart and The Tartessian Crown,

[Barbara]

Things Worth Dying For: Thoughts on a Life Worth Living
The Eternal Woman

[Sherri]

Benedict XVI: Defender of the Faith, by Joseph Pearce,

[Elisabeth]

The Sentimentalists
The Restless Flame

[Manuel]

The Tartessian Crown
Chronicles of the Magic Jigsaw Puzzle

[Kristi]

The Eternal Woman

The Restless Flame

[Fonch]

I vote for Tartessian Crown and Chronicles of the magic jigsaw.

[Madeleine]

Benedict XVI
Our Lady of the Artilects

[Theresa]

The Last Ugly Person: And Other Stories

[Mariangel]

The Restless Flame
The Tartessian Crown

[Judy]

The Last Ugly Person
St. Monica’s Bookclub

[Asunción]

The ear of the heart
The Tartessian crown

[Ann]

Poor Banished Children
Restless Flame

[Javier]

With Two Eyes Into Gehenna
Race with the Devil

[John]

Restless Flame
Tartessian Crown

[Donna]

Things Worth Dying For: Thoughts on a Life Worth Living
The Eternal Woman: The Timeless Meaning of the Feminine

[John]

Voting is closed. Results will be posted shortly.