Book Reviews and More: 2019

Tuesday, 31 December 2019

Top Ten Fiction Books 2019

Top Ten Fiction Books 2019

This year was a banner year, I read 392 books. The most since I started keeping track. The year by the numbers:

392 Books Read
311 Books read for the first time.
204 received 5/5 Stars.
194 Non-Fiction
198 Fiction

Here are my top ten fiction books of 2019. of special note the first two authors, I have read nearly all their books this year. I was greatly impressed and addicted to the works of both Fioreall de Maria, Roger Thomas and Gordon Korman. So some of my top 10 selections are authors, and their books that received 5/5 stars.

Top Ten Fiction Books:
1. Books by Fiorella de Maria

A Most Dangerous Innocence

Do No Harm

Poor Banished Children

We'll Never Tell Them

Father William's Daughter

Father Gabriel Mysteries:

The Sleeping Witness

The Vanishing Woman

2. Books by Roger Thomas

From Afar

The Last Ugly Person And Other Stories

Under the Watchful Sky Series:

Under the Watchful Sky

Rising Darkness

The Wounded Land

3. Tortured Soul - Theresa Linden
4. Brave Hearts Series - Kathryn Griffin Swegart

Perilous Days - Martyrs

5. Gifts: Visible & Invisible - Catholic Teen Books Anthology
6. The Hive - Barry Lyga and Morgan Baden
7. Books by Gordon Korman

8. With Two Eyes Into Gehenna - Jane Lebak
9. Dragon Assassin - Arthur Slade

10. unSPARKed books by Corinna Turner

Breach! - A Truly Raptor-ous Welcome

Bonus:
11. All in Good Time - Carolyn Astfalk
12. For Eden's Sake - T.M. Gaouette
13. The Attic Saint - Tim Drake and Theodore Schluenderfritz

My reading has been up over each of the last few years. Which I attribute in part to Brandon Vogt’s course Read More Books Now, removing all games but 1 brain game from my devices. And I now commute to work on a bus and read on the bus every day. It was not easy narrowing this down to a top 10, but the above list is what I came up with.

Note: I do not include books that have been read in previous years and were reread this year in my top ten lists, they are sometimes in the bonus section. But if you want more options check out my favorite books year by year list.

Monday, 30 December 2019

Top Ten Non-Fiction Books 2019

Top Ten Non-Fiction Books 2019

This year was a banner year, I read 392 books. The most since I started keeping track. The year by the numbers:

392 Books Read
311 Books read for the first time.
204 received 5/5 Stars.
194 Non-Fiction
198 Fiction

Here are my top ten non-fiction books of 2019.

Top Ten Non-Fiction Books:
1. Introduction to Catholicism for Adults - James Socias
2. Rediscover the Saints - Matthew Kelly
3. Remember Your Death Memento Mori - Theresa Aletheia Noble

Devotional - Journal - Prayer Book

4. Illustrissimi: The Letters Of Pope John Paul I - Albino Luciani - Pope John Paul I
5. Books by Father Nigel Woollen

Learning to Love: Journeys Through Life with the Rosary

The Lamb Will Conquer: Reflections on the Knock Apparition

6. CTS Saints of the Isles

Robert Southwell - Fiorella De Maria

Saint Thomas More - Alvaro De Silva

Margaret Clitherow - Jean Olwen Maynard

Edmund Campion - Alexander Haydon

John Southworth Priest and Martyr - Michael Archer

John Ogilvie - Eleanor McDowell

Forty Martyrs of England and Wales - James Walsh

7. Mike Aquilina Take Five Series

Take Five: Meditations with John Henry Newman - Juan Velez

Take Five: Meditations with Pope Benedict XVI - Kris D. Stubna

Take Five: On-The-Job Meditations with St. Ignatius - Kris D. Stubna

8. How to Make Great Decisions - Fr. Mike Schmitz
9. Reclaiming Catholic History Series

The Early Church (33–313) St. Peter, the Apostles, and Martyrs - James L. Papandrea

The Church and the Roman Empire 301–490: Constantine, Councils, and the Fall of Rome - Mike Aquilina

10. Life Lessons Fifty Things I Learned in My First Fifty Years - Patrick Madrid

My reading has been up over each of the last few years. Which I attribute in part to Brandon Vogt’s course Read More Books Now, removing all games but 1 brain game from my devices. And I now commute to work on a bus and read on the bus every day. It was not easy narrowing this down to a top 10, but the above list is what I came up with.

Note: I do not include books that have been read in previous years and were reread this year in my top ten lists, they are sometimes in the bonus section. But if you want more options check out my favorite books year by year list.

Sunday, 29 December 2019

Top Ten Fiction and Non-Fiction Books Fourth Quarter 2019

Top Ten Fiction and Non-Fiction Books Fourth Quarter 2019

This quarter I have read 95 books, and a total of 392 this year. I am reading at the pace of about a book and a quarter a day. Of those a total of 49 books received 5/5 stars and 45 are first time reads and are therefor eligible for this quarters top ten list. That left me to choose from 22 non-fiction and 23 fiction.

Here is my top ten fiction and non-fiction books of the fourth quarter of 2019.

Top Ten Non-Fiction Books:
1. Memento Mori: Prayers on the Last Things - Theresa Aletheia Noble, FSP
2. Learning to Love: Journeys Through Life with the Rosary - Father Nigel Woollen
3. How to Make Great Decisions - Fr. Mike Schmitz
4. Reclaiming Catholic History Series

The Early Church (33–313) St. Peter, the Apostles, and Martyrs - James L. Papandrea

The Church and the Roman Empire 301–490: Constantine, Councils, and the Fall of Rome - Mike Aquilina

5. 12 Life Lessons from St. Thomas Aquinas: Timeless Spiritual Wisdom for Our Turbulent Times - Kevin Vost
6. 20 Answers Conversion - Shaun McAfee - 20 Answers Series from Catholic Answers
7. Daily Pilgrimage to Purgatory A Powerful Devotion for the Holy Souls - Seven Swords Publications and Susan Peek
8. Friendship with Jesus: Pope Benedict XVI talks to Children on Their First Holy Communion - Pope Benedict XVI, Amy Welborne and Ann Engelhart
9. Inseparable: Five Perspectives on Sex, Life, and Love in Defense of Humanae Vitae - Edited by Todd Aglialoro and Stephen
10. Whatever Happened to Friendship? - Henry Menzies

Bonus:
In Conversation with God - Francis Fernandez
Be Strong in the Lord: Spirituality for Men - Harold Burke-Sivers
Saint Maximillian Kolbe Martyr of Charity - James E. McCurry

Top Ten Fiction Books:
1. From Afar - Roger Thomas
2. Father William's Daughter - Fiorella De Maria
3. The Last Ugly Person: And Other Stories - Roger Thomas
4. Ungifted - Gordon Korman

Ungifted - Supergifted

5. All in Good Time - Carolyn Astfalk
6. The Watchful Sky Series by Roger Thomas

Under The Watchful Sky

Rising Darkness

The Wounded Land

7. The Attic Saint - Tim Drake and Theodore Schluenderfritz
8. Ella's Promise - Ellen Gable - Great War Great Love Book 3
9. The Advent of Christmas - Matt Maher and Merce Tous
10. Blue Moon - Lee Child - Jack Reacher 24

Bonus:
Hunt for Jack Reacher Books by Dian Capri

Get Back Jack - Book 2

Jack and Joe - Book 3

Deep Cover Jack - Book 4

Black Jack - Book 6

Jack of Spades - Book 8

Ten Two Jack - Book 7

My reading has been up over each of the last few years. I attribute part of it to Brandon Vogt’s course Read More Books Now, removing all games but 1 brain game from my devices. And I now commute to work on a bus and read on the bus every day. Last quarter was an almost 2/3rds fiction and non-fiction, this quarter it was split almost equal.

Note: I do not include books that have been read in previous years and were reread this year in my top ten lists, they are in the bonus section. It was no easy task making this quarter. But if you want more options check out my favorite books year by year list.

Saturday, 28 December 2019

The Early Church 33–313 - James L. Papandrea - Reclaiming Catholic History Series Book 1

The Early Church (33–313):
St. Peter, the Apostles, and Martyrs
Reclaiming Catholic History Series Book 1
James L. Papandrea
Mike Aquilina (Editor)
Ave Maria Press
ISBN 9781594717710
eISBN 9781594717727
ASIN B07SLQ9ZNB

I thoroughly enjoyed book 2 in this series: The Church and the Roman Empire by Mike Aquilina, and Mike is also the general editor of the whole series. I had high expectations for this volume and it did not disappoint. Over the years I have done several courses in church history and theology. I have a Religious Studies Degree with a specialization in Roman Catholic Thought. I would have loved to have had this book, and both I have read from the series so far while I was a student. Many years ago when I did an Introduction to Church History course on Conrad Grebel College at the University of Waterloo, our professor, Arnold Snider, often said throughout the year, “I do not care as much about dates and names and places, as the story of Christianity. On your final exam the main question will be ‘Your uncle Billy at Christmas dinner says: ‘I hear you did the history of Christianity, tell us the story in your own words?’” And that was one of the essay questions on the exam. This book and the two I have read in the series would have been great resources for that course. And If I had had them they would have been pulled out often for essays, papers and research. This is a great read in an excellent series.

This is the second book published in a this series, Reclaiming Catholic History, though it is the first book in the series. The series is being edited by Mike Aquilina and the first published volume is by him as well. About this series we are told:

“The history of the Catholic Church is often clouded by myth, misinformation, and missing pieces. Today there is a renewed interest in recovering the true history of the Church, correcting the record in the wake of centuries of half-truths and noble lies. Books in the Reclaiming Catholic History series, edited by Mike Aquilina and written by leading authors and historians, bring Church history to life, debunking the myths one era at a time.”

And if the others are as good as the two that are published we are in for some excellent reads. The chapters in this volume are:

Reclaiming Catholic History: Series Introduction
Chronology of The Early Church (33–313)
Map
Introduction: The Scholar’s New Clothes Chapter
1 The Era of the Apostles
2 The Era of the Apostolic Fathers
3 The Era of the Apologists
4 The Era of the Theologians
5 The Era of the Sacraments
6 The Era of Tribulation
Just the Beginning
Notes
For Further Reading

We are reminded again in the series introduction that:

“Not until the Bible do we encounter histories written by historical losers. God’s people were regularly defeated, enslaved, oppressed, occupied, and exiled. Yet they told their story honestly, because they held themselves—and their historians—to a higher judgment, higher even than the king or the forces of the market. They looked at history in terms of God’s judgment, blessings, curses, and mercy.”

We are also told that:

“Christian history tells the story not of an empire, nor of a culture, but of a family. And it is a story, not a scientific treatise. In many languages, the connection is clear.
…
The authors in this series strive to communicate history in a way that’s accessible and even entertaining. They see history as true stories well told. They don’t fear humor or pathos as threats to their trustworthiness.”

And from the two volumes available they have done an excellent job of doing just that. Papandrea in the introduction states:

“If I believe (as I do) that Jesus Christ really is the Son of God, really did create the Church, and really did send the Holy Spirit to guide her, then I’m more likely to accept that traditions are based on truth, and that miracles can happen. But if a historian is not a believer, and especially if that historian has an anti-Church bias (or an anti-Catholic bias, as many Protestant scholars of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries did), then that historian will fill in the gaps with some very different conclusions about what “must have” happened.”

He also says:

“What I’m giving you in this book is what I believe happened, based on a career of studying the evidence, with a firm belief in divine providence.”

And when writing about the birth of the church he says:

“I would argue that the birth of the Church was that Thursday night when Jesus took some bread and said, “This is my body,” and held up a cup of wine and said, “This is my blood.” The Church was born when Jesus instituted the Sacrament of the Eucharist.”

We are informed that one of the main causes of conflict between Rome and the early church was mistrust.

“Eventually, the Romans started to understand that Christians were something separate from the Jews. This meant Christianity was something new. New was bad. New was suspicious. The Jews got a pass and got to practice their religion because it was ancient and because the Romans were trying to avoid rebellion. But this Christianity thing—this was an unknown quantity.”

And because:

“One of the most remarkable facets of the early Church is that Christians considered their morality as part of their very identity. This is very different from the way that pagan Romans thought of themselves.”

The section by Papandrea on the four reasons the church needs clergy and a clerical hierarchy is amazing. Papandrea also does an amazing job through out the book debunking myths about the Catholic church and church history. The ‘Up Close and Personal’ sections takes us deeper into specific historical figures. And the ‘You be the Judge’ sections lay out the historical facts and helps us to draw our own conclusions. The two quotes of the many I highlighted in the text that struck me the hardest were:

“One lesson to be learned from all this is that we can’t really understand the New Testament without understanding the early Church and the Church Fathers. They are the ones who decided what books would be in the canon, so they are the ones who really gave us our New Testament. But we can trust them, and we can trust the text of the New Testament because it was written and compiled within the lifetimes of people who knew Jesus and the apostles personally.”

And

“You’re not going to be excommunicated as a heretic just because you don’t have all the answers. A heretic is someone who teaches incorrect doctrine, leads the faithful astray, and then, when confronted by the bishop, refuses to submit to the authority of the Church.”

This book is an excellent resource. It can be read by late high school students or undergrads and used as a resource. It can be read by anyone interested in church history. It is engaging and entertaining. An excellent resource!

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2019 Catholic Reading Plan!

Books in the Reclaiming Catholic History Series:
The Early Church - James L. Papandrea
The Church and the Roman Empire - Mike Aquilina
The Church and the Dark Ages
The Church and the Middle Ages
The Church and the Reformations
The Church and the Age of Enlightenment
The Church Facing the Modern Age

Books by James L. Papandrea:
A Week in the Life of Rome
Reading the Early Church Fathers: From the Didache to Nicaea
From Star Wars to Superman: Christ and Salvation in Science Fiction and Superhero Films
The Earliest Christologies: Five Images of Christ in the Postapostolic Age
Handed Down: The Catholic Faith of the Early Christians
Trinity 101: Father, Son, Holy Spirit
Rome: A Pilgrim's Guide to the Eternal City
The Early Church (33–313): St. Peter, the Apostles, and Martyrs
The Wedding of the Lamb: A Historical Approach to the Book of Revelation
Spiritual Blueprint: How We Live, Work, Love, Play, and Pray
How to Be a Saint
The Trinitarian Theology of Novatian of Rome: A Study in Third-Century Orthodoxy
What Really Happens after We Die: How We Know There Will Be Hugs in Heaven!
Novatian of Rome and the Culmination of Pre-Nicene Orthodoxy
…

Books with Mike Aquilina:
Seven Revolutions: How Christianity Changed the World and Can Change It Again
How Christianity Saved Civilization: And Must Do So Again
…

Contributed to:
At Home with the Word 2011
…