Monday 13 February 2012

My three favourite books.....

Thank you to Ttony who has tagged me for a meme originating from Mac at Mulier Fortis. Mac is moving on to Kindle and wants to know what books other bloggers would like to see in this form. I am not sure I could handle a Kindle book but I'll give it a try sometime. It does not specifiy that the book must be religious but I am taking it that is the case.

Ttony has asked me to come up with my three and then pass this on to five other bloggers......and I pray that they still speak to me at the end of it!

Now, I take it that the rule is for religious books only. So, I shall have to give this some careful thought.

My first choice has to be Archbishop Lefebvre's "Letter to Confused Catholics"
This good man has taken an awful lot of flak from the liberal left who have accused him of being right wing, a rebel, uncharitable and so on. If you read this book you will see that he was nothing of the kind. Direct, perceptive and holy, those are good words for this good man to whom we all owe so much. This book charts the nose dive that typified Catholicism in the wake of Vatican II. Horror stories abound. Clown Masses, sins written down on scraps of paper and then ritually set on fire in a dustbin set on the sanctuary, not so holy smoke!
This book is one that will be used by Church historians when this period comes to be scrutinised in 100 years time.

Number two would be any of the "Don Camillo"series. This may seem a little down market to some but I don't care one bit. They are good, entertaining, moral tales and they do me as much good as Peter Bristow's "The Moral Dignity of Man" would and I don't have a throbbing headache afterwards. They should be made compulsory reading in all Catholic Schools.

This is so hard. There are so many good books that I would not like to be without but, for a little pure inspiration I would have to include Ann Ball's "Blessed Miguel Pro".
This martyr of Mexico in the 1920s is one of my great heroes, he led a life of Christ and carried off his scrapes with authority (intent on hunting him down like a dog) with an air of sang froid and great humour.
Of course, they got him in the end and his death at the hands of a firing squad was caught on camera, making it all the more poignant.


And now for my five bloggers that I shall pass this meme on to:

1. Gareth at Catholic and Welsh will, I am sure have some powerful tomes to put forward.

2. I shall have to travel across the pond for The Little Way who has so much wisdom to impart

3. And, also to Tony Layne of The Impractical Catholic and
Outside the Asylum.

4. The Path Less Taken is a blog written by Mary O'Regan who also writes foor many well known newspapers and magazines including The Catholic Herald. Her current post on Sr Genevieve is a truly excellent one.

5. Finally, it would be really interesting to hear from Charlie at
Chasubles and Chalices. I am sure that Charlie has some good books up his sleeve and he's also of the age where he will end up reading more on Kindle than on paper!

So now, my blogging friends, it's over to you to nominate  your three favourite books for the Kindle selection and then name five more bloggers, contacting them to let them know of the challenge. Phew!

12 comments:

  1. Hi Richard, not sure whether to be grateful... or not! Prayers Charlie.

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  2. You're right about Don Camillo: wish I'd thought of that one! Not read the other two but should certainly add 'Letter' to my reading list. Thanks.

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  3. You know, I think I might like to read Archbp Lebfevre's book. Some time ago I checked out the SSPX website and I have to say I found the FAQ section most helpful. The answers to problems that plague traditional as well as non-traditional Catholics were logical, straightforward and rational. Without knowing much about the SSPX (except that if Novus Ordo Catholics don't learn how to be quiet in church, I might give serious consideration to defection)I do have the sense that a debt of gratitude is owed to this man.

    Thanks for tagging me and God Bless
    Joyce

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  4. ooops, LEFEBRVE, not what I typed.

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  5. Don Camillo is wonderful! The books are quite difficult to find, and those few available tend to be fuzzy reprints of reprints of reprints, but the depth of character, faith, humor, and pathos make the effort most worthwhile. A comparison to Waugh might be stretching things a bit; Guareschi is decidedly earthier, and his love of humanity is more obvious than the reticence of Waugh (a metaphorical bear-hug rather than a correct handshake), but the love of the Faith is constant in both.

    Thanks to you all.

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  6. Fr Ralph Pfau for any suffering priests. Fact.

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  7. Charlie J - look on it as a pre lenten penance.

    Thank you Ben and TLW - I would not like to be responsible for guiding someone into the arms of the SSPX and out of communion with Rome. My own philosophy has been to go where the Mass is; sometimes in the mainstream, sometimes in the SSPX.
    Good comments, as always, Mack, Sven, Tex.

    Ros, I must google him, thanks.

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  8. Agreed Richard, thank you.

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  9. Can I offer a triple of books?

    I Was Brainwashed in Peking.
    Dairy of A Country Priest.
    Come Rack Come Rope.

    I'll run and hide now.

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  10. Momangelica, read two of them but now want to read the Peking one.

    Query: Dairy of a Country Priest - was the written by a member of the Friesian Order?

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  11. Richard,
    Diary of a Country Priest was written by Georges Bernanos who never became a priest even though he spent formative years in a minor seminary, who married a lady who was a direct descendant of St Joan of Arc through her brother; they had six children and never enough to eat with him being an author. Most of his novels were about Priests.
    Did I read that correctly? 04:ooam?? 05.:19 am?
    Shadowlands 02:27?
    What the hell boys! You should be sleeping.

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