Lent Book Recommendations

Reading during Lent is a great way to incorporate spiritual growth into your daily routines.

Besides the Bible which we all should be reading there are countless options available through many sources. Your parish Pastor may have great ideas to share. Several Catholic product companies have book lists or even your local Catholic shop will be able to guide you to good Lenten reading choices. We have put together a list of suggested books we have found beneficial to read during the Lenten season. Many of these have been discovered through our parish and Catholic friends.

A great way to start is to chose two books to read from during Lent. A non-fiction book, which would be considered a Devotional, and fiction. This is a great way to keep to your goal of faith based reading. Some of the big ones for the Church such as books written by the Church Doctors can have a way of being too academic. Having a fiction book to offer up a break between the intensity that some of the books written by saints and academics can have on our endurance. We have found that by using this method of working our way through two books we have been more inclined to finish at least one of them.

Devotionals.

• The Word of Fire Bible The Gospels
• Remember Your Death Memento Mori by Theresa Aletheia Noble, FSP
• Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist by Brant Pitre
• 7 Secrets of the Eucharist by Vinny Flynn
• Simon, Called Peter In the Company of a Man in Search for God by Dom Mauro-Giuseppe Lepori (note this is a contemplative retelling of stories from the Gospel.)
• Joseph’s Way The Call to Fatherly Greatness by Devin Schadt
• The Last Hours of Jesus from Gethsemane to Golgotha by Fr. Ralph Gorman
• The Life of Faustina Kowalska by Sister Sophia Michalenko
• Sacred Art Every Catholic Should Know by Jem Sullivan
• The Way the Essential Classic of Opus Dei’s Founder Josemaría Escrivá
• Aquinas on the Four Last Things by Kevin Vost
• City of God and The Confessions of St. Augustine

Fiction

• The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien
• Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
• Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset
• The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky (Note: I have been told this book is required reading for all seminarians. )

Children’s Books

• Stations of the Cross for Kids by Regina Doman
• Books on saints by Tomie DePaola. He wrote many and often they can be found in your local library. One book to read is Patrick about St. Patrick.
• Wolf and Shield by Sherry Smith
• The Saints Chronicles Collection by Sophia Institute Press (Graphic novel style, there are 5 volumes)
• St. Bernadette of Lourdes by Jin-a Ahn (Graphic novel style, there are several on this website.)

Family Lenten Companion Guides

• Bringing Lent Home with St. Thérèse of Lisieux by Donna Marie Cooper O’Boyle
• Bringing Lent Home with Mother Teresa by Donna Marie Cooper O’Boyle
• Welcome Risen Jesus Lent and Easter Reflections for Families by Sarah A. Reinhard