September 11 - The Brothers Karamazov (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)

(880 pages, paperback, hardcover, kindle, audiobook) 

Dostoyevsky’s masterpiece of psychological fiction follows the tragic events surrounding the murder of Fyodor Karamazov and the fates of his sons. Routinely lauded as one of the best Russian novels (and novels in general), this family saga wrestles with the mysteries of suffering, the rise of atheistic ideology, love and hate, and the Russian soul.

October 9 - The Great Divorce (C.S. Lewis)

(160 pages, paperback, hardcover, kindle, audiobook)

One of Lewis’ finest works, an allegorical description of judgment, the consequences of sin, and how one ultimately arrives in heaven or hell. In an entertaining and accessible style, Lewis reveals keen insights into the human soul, and helps Christians recognize both the cost, and obstacles, to grace.

November 13 - The Violent Bear It Away (Flannery O’Connor)

(133pages, paperback, hardcover, kindle) 

Southern Gothic novel known for its dark humor, religious themes and exploration of violence and redemption; written in 1960 by the University of Iowa Writer’s Workshop graduate and devout Catholic, O’Connor explores the themes of destiny and faith through the story of Franis Marion Tarwater, a young boy raised by his great-uncles to be a prophet.  The novel is set in the American South and shows the conflicting influences of a rural upbringing and modern urban life.

December 11 - A Comedy of Errors (William Shakespeare)

(272 pages, paperback). 

Two sets of identical twins create comedic confusion in this delightful romp through Ephesus. One of Shakespeare’s earliest plays, A Comedy of Errors is an easy-going slapstick comedy full of puns and word play.

January 8 - Of Mice and Men (John Steinbeck)

(105 pages, paperback, hardcover, kindle)

Novella written in 1937 tells the story of two migrant workers during the Great Depressions, George Milton and Lennie Small, who dream of owning their own farm.  The story explores the themes of loneliness, friendship, the American Dream, and the fragility of those dreams.

February 12 - Eifelheim (Michael Flynn)

(320 pages, paperback, hardcover, audiobook, kindle)

Eifelheim is a thought-provoking science fiction tale about an alien spaceship that crash lands in Germany in the 14th century, during an outbreak of the Black Plague. Our hero Father Dietrich tries to understand the strange, insect-like aliens, and struggles to understand if they are capable of God’s salvation.

March 12 - Wheat That Springeth Green (J.F. Powers)

(351 pages, paperback, hardcover, kindle)

As an author, JF Powers is as entertaining as he is insightful. He was a man who loved the Catholic Faith, and priests particularly, even as he saw the Church’s faults with clear eyes. This book follows the vocational path of Joe Hackett, a pastor of a rural midwestern community in the 1960s. JF Powers writing beautifully describes an exceedingly lovable man; Joe is mostly mediocre, with a bit of heroism, always funny and occasionally pathetic, but ultimately a man sincerely trying to serve God.

April 9 - The Portal of the Mystery of Hope (Charles Péguy)

(Poetry selection, 192 pages (about half is the poem) paperback)

During this jubilee of Hope, Charles Péguy offers a poetic reflection on the supernatural virtue of hope, which he considers the most surprising of the virtues. Péguy’s hope was hard-won and born in suffering, and his image of hope as both vulnerable, yet persevering, is a consolation to readers. (The 1996 Ressourcement edition, translated by David L. Schindler, is recommended)

May 14 - Strangers and Sojourners (Michael D. O’Brien)

(573 pages, paperback, hardcover, kindle)

Set in rural British Columbia and the first volume in a trilogy that traces the lives of four generations of a family of exiles beginning in 1900.  The story is told from the point of view of a young woman from England named Anne who loses her mother at a young age; themes include the importance of having vulnerability with God and others and what makes a life beautiful.