Book Reviews and More: MAquilina

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Wednesday, 30 September 2026

Top Ten Fiction and Non-Fiction Books Third Quarter 2026

Top Ten Fiction and Non-Fiction Books Third Quarter 2026

Top Ten Fiction and Non-Fiction Books Third Quarter 2024 My Den 2024

It has been a good year for reading so far. I am averaging just over a book a day. It has been a great quarter with a large variety of genres and authors. This quarter was very different. It was very fiction heavy. Typically I try and alternate fiction and nonfiction books.

In April of 2023 I wrote a piece called How I Read So Much? Because I get asked the question so often, read the piece linked above if you are looking for some ideas on ways to read more. But a lot of it goes back to my dyslexia, and once I learned to read there were all these worlds and all this knowledge out there. I have been addicted since then. I wrote about that in 2006 Confessions of a Bibliophile #5 - How I Became a Bibliophile, From Dyslexic to Addict.

This quarter I read 99 books, tied for my second best third quarter since I started tracking, the comparison with the last 10 years:

2026 - 99

2025 - 99

2024 - 87

2023 – 102

2022 – 87

2022 – 79

2021 – 79

2020 – 61

2019 – 89

2018 – 91

2017 – 64

2016 – 94

But back to this quarter by the numbers:

Books Read: 99

First Time Reads: 77

Fiction: 51

Non-Fiction: 48

5/5 Stars: 74

5 Stars Fiction: 50

5 Stars Non-Fiction: 24

Pretty consistent for my reading typically this quarter.. I can state again that looking back 2016 is a bit of an outlier as late that year I switched jobs and have since had much better work – life balance. In the spring of 2016, I worked through Brandon Vogt’s course Read More Books Now (now available on ClaitasU). The year before that I removed all games from my phone and tablet and my reading had doubled.

Here is my top ten fiction and non-fiction books of the second quarter of 2024.

Top Ten Non-Fiction Books:

1. St. Michael and His World - Mike Aquilina

2. The Stations of the Eucharist - Fr. Jonathan Meyer

3. Frequent Confession - S. Ferigle - Scepter Booklet 000

4. Angel of God Devotion to the Guardian Angels for Children - Patrick O'Hearn and Valerie Delgado

5. Father Aloysius Schwartz: Superhero for the Poor - Fiorella De Maria - Vision Books for Young Readers

6. Revelations of Catalina on the Holy Mass: The story of an encounter between the Virgin Mary and the Bolivian Mystic - Catalina Rivas

7. Popes Who Resigned: Benedict XVI and 13 Other Popes Who Retired - Thomas J. Craughwell

8. The Cross in the West - Mark Boesch - Vision Books for Young Readers

9. Great Spiritual Teachers Series Ave Maria Press

Abide in Love The Gospel Spirituality of John the Evangelist - John Kirvan

Stay with Me, Lord: 30 Days with Padre Pio - Susan de Bartoli

God Awaits You: Based on the Classic Spirituality of Meister Eckhart - Richard Chilson

10. Bead by Bead Mysteries of the Rosary for Children Series - Stephanie Engelman

Bead by Bead The Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary for Children

Bead by Bead The Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary for Children

Bonus Books:

15 Days of Prayer With Series

15 Days of Prayer with Brother Roger of Taizé - Sabine Laplane

15 days of Prayer with Saint Clare of Assisi - Marie-France Becker

15 Days of Prayer with Saint Faustina Kowalska - John J. Cleary

15 days of Prayer with Saint Vincent de Paul - Jean-Pierre Renouard

15 Days of Prayer with Saint Teresa of Avila - Jean Abiven

Just A Minute Meditations - Pauline Books and Media

Finding God in Times of Depression - Sr. Kathryn J. Hermes FSP

Grieving with Christ - Sr Mary Leonora Wilson FSP

Healing After Betrayal - Sr. Kathryn J. Hermes FSP

Top Ten Fiction Books:

1. Article 7 - D.L. Gray - Brock W. Winters Book 1

2. He Is Coming Rise of the Antichrist - Joe McClane

3. The Last Latitude - Cole Winters

4. Private Road - Eric Paul Chapman

5. Falling into Place - Susan Brinkmann - Chronicles of Ariella Book 2

6. Enemy WIthin - Declan Finn - White Ops Book 6

7. Fen Dead - Cedar Sanderson - Grounds Keeper Book 6

8. Privateer - Page Zaplendam - Hinterspace Book 1

9. Joan of Arkansas - Sarah Robsdottir

10. Guy Hale Books

Shakespeare Murders 2 All Our Yesterdays

Shakespeare Murders 3 Put Out The Light

Shakespeare Murders 4 Sleep No More

Comeback Trail 01 Killing Me Softly

Comeback Trail 02 Blood on the Tracks

11. Order of the Blood - Page Zaplendam - The Unofficial Chronicles of John Grissom Book 1

Bonus Books:

This Saint For Hire - Declan Finn - Saint Tommy NYPD Omnibus Vol. I

Have Saint Will Travel - Declan Finn - Saint Tommy NYPD Omnibus, Vol. II

A Fistful of Relics - Declan Finn - Saint Tommy NYPD Omnibus, Vol. III

Dreams of the Storyteller, Volume I - Richard Paolinelli

Dreams of the Storyteller, Volume II - Richard Paolinelli

The Complete Starquest 4th Age Saga - Richard Paolinelli

Ignite The Wings Of Dawn - Josh Griffing

Title Undecided - T.M. Gaouette (Unpublished manuscript)

The bonus Fiction titles this quarter are all new Omnibus editions and an unpublished manuscript I was asked to read.

My reading has is pretty consistent at about a book a day over the last several years. 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 was commuting to work on a bus and read on the bus every day. Working from home reading took a little more discipline, and we are now back to a hybrid model with 5 days a month in the office, so things have changed again.

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 favourite books year by year list.

Top Ten Books Third Quarter 2020
Top Ten Books Fourth Quarter 2020

Top Ten Non-Fiction Books 2020

Top Ten Fiction Books 2020

Top Ten Books First Quarter 2021

Top Ten Books Second Quarter 2021

Top Ten Books Third Quarter 2021

Top Ten Books Fourth Quarter 2021

Top Ten Non-Fiction Books 2021

Top Ten Fiction Books 2021

Top Ten Books First Quarter 2022

Top Ten Books Second Quarter 2022

Top Ten Books Third Quarter 2022

Top Ten Books Fourth Quarter 2022

Top Ten Non-Fiction Books 2022

Top Ten Fiction Books 2022

Top Ten Books First Quarter 2023

Top Ten Books Second Quarter 2023

Top Ten Books Third Quarter 2023

Top Ten Fiction Books Fourth Quarter 2023

Top Ten Non-Fiction Books 2023

Top Ten Fiction Books 2023

Top Ten Books First Quarter 2024

Top Ten Books Second Quarter 2024

Top Ten Books Third Quarter 2023

Top Ten Fiction Books Fourth Quarter 2024

Top Ten Non-Fiction Books 2024

Top Ten Fiction Books 2024

Top Ten Books First Quarter 2025

Top Ten Books Second Quarter 2025

Top Ten Books Third Quarter 2025

Top Ten Books Fourth Quarter 2025

Top Ten Non-Fiction Books 2025

Top Ten Fiction Books 2025

Top Ten Books First Quarter 2026

Top Ten Books Second Quarter 2026

Top Ten Books Third Quarter 2026

...

All Top Ten Lists on Book Reviews and More

Statistics Books Read By Year:

361 - 2026 January-September

424 - 2025

363 - 2024

455 - 2023

438 - 2022

365 - 2021

317 - 2020
392 - 2019
359 - 2018
380 - 2017
272 - 2016
177 - 2015
130 - 2014
88 - 2013
176 - 2012
163 - 2011
302 - 2010
142 - 2009
98 - 2008
83 - 2007
191 - 2006
151 - 2005
60 - 2004
52 - 2003
97 - 2002
50 - 2001
41 - 2000
71 - 1999
73 - 1998
131 - 1997
101 - 1996

Tuesday, 22 September 2026

St. Michael and His World - Mike Aquilina

St. Michael and His World

Mike Aquilina

Scepter Publishers

ISBN 9781594170508

eISBN 9781594170546

ISBN B0HGHRF48S

This was one of two volumes by Mike Aquilina I received the same day. I literally flipped a coin to see which I would read first, and started the second as soon as I finished this one. That other volume is ‘The Church Fathers For Our Time’. To date I have read 16 volumes form the pen of Aquilina, and have at least that many on my ‘to be read’ list. I have yet to read anything from his masterful pen that was not well worth the read and this is another excellent read. Over the years I have read several volumes about Saint. This one is a most excellent offering. It is a follow up to St. Joseph and His World and St. Patrick and His World which are both worthy reads as well. But back to the volume at hand.

The description of this book states:

“The great wings of the Archangel Michael overshadow all human history. He is mentioned in three books of the Bible, but the Church Fathers and ancient rabbis saw him in many other places, unnamed, hidden in plain sight. In St. Michael and His World, Mike Aquilina explores the biblical record alongside its interpretations from antiquity, unveiling a history - from creation to the end - in which St. Michael is a constant and active presence.

But this is not a book about mythology or pious legend. Drawing on Scripture, rabbinic texts, the Dead Sea Scrolls, patristic writings, Coptic tradition, and Islamic sources, Aquilina traces how the Church's greatest archangel has captured the imagination of believers across two millennia. From Daniel's visions to the vision that inspired Pope Leo XIII to revive his devotion in the modern age, St. Michael emerges not as a distant heavenly abstraction, but as a figure central to how Christians have understood spiritual warfare, divine providence, and the cosmic struggle between good and evil.

For those seeking to understand the invisible warfare that shapes human history, or for those simply curious about one of the Bible's most enigmatic figures, St. Michael and His World offers both scholarly depth and the kind of compelling storytelling that makes history come alive. It is a book for anyone who has ever prayed "St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle" – and wants to know the full measure of the one they were calling upon.”

About the author we are informed:

“Mike Aquilina is a popular author of Church history, especially the study of the early Church Fathers. He is executive vice-president of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology, a research center based in Steubenville, OH. He is a contributing editor of Angelus News and general editor of the Reclaiming Catholic History Series from Ave Maria Press. He hosts “The Way of the Fathers,” a podcast produced by CatholicCulture.org. Aquilina is the author or editor of more than seventy books, including St. Joseph and His World, also published by Scepter.”

The chapters in this volume are:

Introduction

1: Sources for the “Life” of an Angel

2: What Is Michael?

3: St. Michael in the New Testament

4: Between the Testaments

5: Michael Among the Rabbis

6: Michael in the Age of the Fathers

7: The Special Case of the Copts

8: St. Michael in Islam

9: St. Michael in the Dark Ages and the Middle Ages

10: The Eclipse of Devotion

11: The Revival

Bibliography

I highlighted a number of passages while working through this book some of them are:

“He cuts a swashbuckling figure against the Roman skyline. Michael stands armored and tall as he sheathes his sword atop the ancient monument now named for him: Castel Sant’Angelo.”

“But, according to later accounts, Pope Gregory looked up and saw the archangel Michael looming above the monument, sheathing his sword. It was a clear sign that the plague was over. It was a clear sign, too, that hell’s outpost in the city had been exorcised. Hadrian’s demons had been driven out by the Prince of the Angels.”

“And in the eleventh century the people of Rome raised a wooden statue of the archangel on the very top of the tomb. The statue has had many successors, first in marble and now in majestic bronze. From the ninth century onward, the “castle” has borne the name of the “Holy Angel” rather than the debauched emperor.”

“Michael appears in significant places in the Bible, both the Old Testament and the New. He plays a starring role in the books produced “between the testaments”—the pseudepigrapha of Second Temple Judaism. He plays a prominent role in the fevered imaginings of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the library discovered at Qumran in Israel in the mid-twentieth century. Michael makes his appearances in the Talmud, the earliest records of Rabbinic Judaism. He appears in the works of the Apostolic Fathers, the first Christian authors after the generation of the apostles.”

“Thus, for Jews and Christians in the ancient world, devotion to St. Michael was a matter of consequence, and it remained so for believers in the ages that followed.”

“The title is cheeky, but the purpose is serious. For his world encompasses our own, and his life is bound up with our lives, collectively and individually.”

“Writing a biography of any flesh-and-blood figure is demanding. Writing a biography of an angel, however, is harder still. An angel is a pure spirit and has no material body. He leaves no footprint, carries no identification, maintains no bank account, pays no utility bills. He writes no letters and receives no postcards. He has no DNA.”

“Our evidence for the life of Michael is actually extensive. For a figure without a footprint, he has left a deep impression. Across centuries and cultures—especially, though not exclusively, among believers formed by biblical religion—he has been an object of fascination, devotion, and theological reflection.”

“The Book of Daniel presents Michael as the great prince who stands guard over God’s people (Dn 10: 13; 12: 1), whereas the Epistle of Jude and the Book of Revelation depict him as the leader of the heavenly hosts in their conflict with Satan (Jude 9; Rv 12: 7–9).”

“Scripture does not give us a cult of Michael fully formed, but it gives us the person and mission that make such a cult intelligible and legitimate.”

“Used prudently, rabbinic sources help the historian distinguish what is pre-Christian inheritance from what is distinctively Christian development. They can illuminate the continuity and discontinuity between Jewish and Christian understandings of Michael, while always remaining subordinate to Scripture and tradition.”

“Closely united to Scripture is Apostolic Tradition, the living transmission of the Faith under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Although no explicit, detailed cult of St. Michael can be traced directly to the apostolic age, the early Church’s angelology reflects a continuity with Jewish belief purified and reoriented by Christ.”

“Michael is consistently presented not as an independent divine power but as a servant of God, acting always in Christ and subordinate to Christ. This theological framework is an authoritative lens through which later sources must be read.”

“Patristic references to St. Michael—whether in homilies, biblical commentaries, or polemical works—are especially valuable when they are widespread, consistent, and integrated into doctrinal teaching.”

“Claims of private revelation associated with St. Michael occupy the lowest rung of authority. Even when approved by the Church, such revelations do not belong to the deposit of faith and demand no assent beyond prudent acceptance.”

“A Catholic history of devotion to the archangel Michael is neither credulous nor reductionist. It respects the Church’s hierarchy of truths and sources, allowing Scripture and liturgy to speak with full authority, the Fathers with venerable weight, and popular traditions with sympathetic but critical attention.”

“If the Old Testament lays the foundations for biblical angelology, the New Testament brings it into sharper focus. The Gospel narratives open with a flurry of angelic activity, as heaven seems to lean close to earth at the dawn of the messianic age. Angels announce the births of John the Baptist and Jesus, appear in dreams to Joseph, sing to the shepherds, and guide the Magi. The invisible world presses visibly upon history.”

“Michael’s power is real, but it is derivative. He conquers not by his own might but by fidelity to divine command. In this way, Jude presents Michael as a pattern for Christian spiritual warfare: confident, courageous, and utterly submissive to God.”

“By the end of the Second Temple period, devotion to Michael was already well developed. He was guardian, mediator, warrior, lawgiver, and intercessor. Far from being a late Christian invention, Michael stood at the heart of Jewish spirituality centuries before Christ. The New Testament did not invent Michael or inflate his role—it revealed his mission in its fullness.”

“The Church Fathers did not invent a new Michael. They recognized him. They discerned his role in Scripture, traced his activity through salvation history, and bore witness to his continuing and powerful ministry in the Church.”

“In Coptic Christianity, devotion to St. Michael was not an ornament of theology but part of the fabric of daily life. His feasts structured the year; his image guarded churches; his name filled prayers, sermons, and stories. Through many centuries of persecution, foreign domination, and cultural change, the archangel has stood as a symbol of divine protection and ultimate victory.”

“Whether standing armored above the dragon or silently distributing God’s mercy through rain and harvest, Michael exists for one purpose alone—to proclaim, in wordless fidelity, that there is none like God.”

“One of the most striking features of medieval devotion to St. Michael is geographical. His shrines rise not in valleys or city centers, but on heights—mountaintops, rocky promontories, and remote islands.”

“To medieval Christians, the symbolism was clear. Michael was the sentinel of the heavenly city, standing between order and chaos, heaven and earth. From the heights, he guarded what lay below.”

“Michael’s monasteries were often situated at liminal places—on borders, near coasts, or atop mountains—where the natural world itself suggested vigilance. The archangel’s presence sanctified these margins, marking them as places claimed for God.”

“Its significance should not be exaggerated. Yet neither should it be dismissed entirely. Across widely separated regions, Christians repeatedly chose similar kinds of places—high, remote, exposed—for sanctuaries dedicated to the same heavenly guardian.”

“The dedication to St. Michael was deliberate. Skellig Michael is a place of thresholds—between land and sea, safety and danger, time and eternity. It is a place where vigilance feels natural and necessary.”

“In this renewal, we see not merely nostalgia but a rediscovery of the cosmic horizon of Christian faith in its most ancient and classic form. We receive a reminder that the battle is real, the help of heaven is near, and the story of angelic devotion is far from finished.”

I hope those quotes give you a feel for this volume. It is very well written. It is engaging and entertaining. Aquilina does an excellent job so highlighting what might be legend and why, and what comes from various traditions. The chapter on ‘St. Michael in Islam’ was particularly insightful. With each new chapter I was more deeply engrossed in the material and how Mike presented it. The only thing I would have loved would have been a chapter on popular devotion to Saint Michael today and coverage of the Saint Michael Chaplet and Saint Michael’s Lent.

This is an excellent volume and has eclipsed many I have read about this saint and his times. This volume and series are ones I recommend often.

This is another excellent volume. Anyone from a high school level or on could easily engage with it. It would be a wonderful addition to any home, school, or church library. I can easily recommend this and the companion volumes, and hope that Mike continues the series with more books. I can easily highly recommend this book!

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2026 Catholic Reading Plan!

For reviews of other books by Mike Aquilina click here.

Other posts about Saint Michael:

St. Michael's Roman Catholic Church Waterloo Ontario - A Photo Essay

St. Michael The Archangel: History, Lent and Prayers - Maria Alinne Costa

Nine Days with Saint Michael - Andrew Offer, O.P. and Jonah Teller O.P.

Saint Michael the Archangel Through the Ages - Fr. Frederick Schmit O.Praem and Fr. Peregrine Fletcher O.Praem

St. Michael and His World - Mike Aquilina

…

Prayer of the Day Prayer to Saint Michael

Prayer of the Day A Litany of St. Michael

Prayer of the Day Litany in Honour of St. Michael

Prayer of the Day A Saint Michael Prayer

St. Michael's Roman Catholic Church Waterloo Ontario - A Photo Essay

...

Books by Mike Aquilina:
A Year with the Angels: Daily Meditations with the Messengers of God
A Year With The Church Fathers: Patristic Wisdom for Daily Living
Angels of God: The Bible, the Church and the Heavenly Hosts
Companion Guide to Pope Benedict's 'The Fathers'
Faith of Our Fathers: Why the Early Christians Still Matter and Always Will
Fire of God's Love: 120 Reflections on the Eucharist
Good Pope, Bad Pope: Their Lives, Our Lessons
Love in the Little Things: Tales of Family Life
Ministers & Martyrs: The Ultimate Catholic Guide to the Apostolic Age
Praying in the Presence of Our Lord: With St. Thomas Aquinas
Roots of the Faith: From the Church Fathers to You
Sharing Christ's Priesthood: A Bible Study for Catholics
Signs and Mysteries: Revealing Ancient Christian Symbols
Sweet Gridlock: Selected Love Poems
Terms and Conditions: Assorted Poems
The Apostles and Their Times
The Church and the Roman Empire
The Fathers of the Church Bible
The Fathers of the Church: An Introduction to the First Christian Teachers
The Mass of the Early Christians
The Resilient Church: The Glory, the Shame, & the Hope for Tomorrow
The Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church
The Way of the Fathers: Praying With the Early Christians
The Witness of Early Christian Women: Mothers of the Church
Understanding the Mass: 100 Questions, 100 Answers
Why Me? When Bad Things Happen
Yours Is the Church: How Catholicism Shapes Our World

The Church and the Roman Era

The Holy Mass

Work Play Love

St. Joseph and His World

St. Michael and His World

...

Books co-written by Mike Aquilina:
A Pocket Catechism for Kids - Fr. Kris Stubna
Dion: The Wanderer Talks Truth - Dion DiMucci
Keeping Mary Close: Devotion to Our Lady through the Ages - Fr. Frederick Gruber
Living the Mysteries: A Guide for Unfinished Christians - Scott Hahn
Praying the Psalms the Early Christians - Christopher Bailey
Saint Monica and the Power of Persistent Prayer - Mark W. Sullivan
Seven Revolutions: How Christianity Changed the World and Can Change It Again - James Papandrea
Something More Pastoral: The Mission of Bishop, Archbishop, and Cardinal Donald Wuerl - Ann Rodgers
Take Five: Meditations John Henry Newman - Fr. Juan Velez
Take Five: Meditations Pope Benedict XVI - Fr. Kris Stubna
Take Five: On the Job Meditations With St. Ignatius - Fr. Kris Stubna
Talking to Youth About Sexuality: A Parents' Guide - Fr. Kris Stubna
The Ancient Path: Old Lessons from the Church Fathers for a New Life Today - John Michael Talbot
The Church: Unlocking the Secrets to the Places Catholics Call Home - Cardinal Donald Wuerl
The Doubter's Novena: Nine Steps to Trust the Apostle Thomas - Christopher Bailey
The Feasts: How the Church Year Forms Us as Catholics - Cardinal Donald Wuerl
The Grail Code: Quest for the Real Presence - Christopher Bailey
The Great Life: Essays on Doctrine and Holiness in Honor of Father Ronald Lawler, O.F.M. Cap. - Kenneth Ogorek
The Holy Land: A Guide for Pilgrims - Fr. Dave Halaiko
The How-To Book of Catholic Devotions - Regis J. Flaherty
The Mass: The Glory, the Mystery, the Tradition - Cardinal Donald Wuerl
The World's First Christmas: Jubilee 2000 - Regis J. Flaherty
Weapons of the Spirit: Selected Writings of Father John Hugo - David Scott
What Catholics Believe: A Pocket Catechism - Fr. Kris Stubna

...

St. Joseph and His World - Mike Aquilina

St. Patrick and His World - Mike Aquilina

Monday, 30 June 2025

Top Ten Fiction and Non-Fiction Books Second Quarter 2025

Top Ten Fiction and Non-Fiction Books Second Quarter 2025

It has been a good year for reading so far. I am averaging just over a book a day. It my best second quarter’s ever and one of my top 5 of all time.

In April of 2023 I wrote a piece called How I Read So Much? Because I get asked the question so often, read the piece linked above if you are looking for some ideas on ways to read more. But a lot of it goes back to my dyslexia, and once I learned to read there were all these worlds and all this knowledge out there. I have been addicted since then. I wrote about that in 2006 Confessions of a Bibliophile #5 - How I Became a Bibliophile, From Dyslexic to Addict.

This quarter I read 118 books, my best second quarter since I started tracking, the comparison with the last 8 years:

2025 - 118

2024 - 78

2023 – 109

2022 – 110

2021 – 104

2020 – 85

2019 – 102

2018 – 102

2017 – 112

2016 – 36

But back to this quarter by the numbers:

Books Read: 118

First Time Reads: 105

Fiction: 39

Non-Fiction: 79

5/5 Stars: 72

As mentioned one of my best quarters since I have started keeping track. Here is my top ten fiction and non-fiction books of the second quarter of 2025.

Top Ten Non-Fiction Books:

1. ESV-CE Catholic Bible, Anglicized Standard Hardback - SPCK Publishing

2. 33 Days to Divine Mercy - Matthew Kelly

3. Father Michael McGivney and the Knights of Columbus - Emily Tennant - Vision Books

4. St Nicholas Owen: Layman, Martyr, Builder of Priest Holes - Fr Gerard Skinner - CTS Biographies

5. St. Patrick and His World - Mike Aquilina

6. Great Spiritual Teachers Series - Ave Maria Press

Hope Without Borders: 30 Days with Frances Xavier Cabrini - Amy J. Cattapan

All Will Be Well 30 Days with Julian of Norwich - John Kirvan

Set Your Heart Free: 30 Days with Francis de Sales - John Kirvan

7. Make Our Hearts Like Yours - Thomas J Kronholz - Daily Meditations on the Sacred Heart of Jesus

8. CTS Deeper Christianity Series - Catholic Truth Society

Making Sunday Special: The Lord’s Day - Charlotte Ostermann

Providence and Prayer - Francis Selman

Union with God Living the Christ Life - Father David Vincent Meconi

9. The Month of Mary: Practical Meditations for every Day of the Month of May - Abbe Berlioux

10. Growing Through the Motions: Living Your Faith with Intention - Fr. Mike Schmitz - Homilies Book 7

11. Love Is a Journey - Mo Guernon - The Inspiring Life and Legacy of Pope John Paul I

Bonus Books:

33 Days to Eucharistic Glory for Kids - Matthew Kelly

Little Nellie of Holy God - Sister Mary Dominic and Sister John Vianney

Mary in Your Home: A 9-day Preparation for Taking Mary Into Your Home - Fr. Mark Goring CC

Nine Days to Strengthen Your Faith - Jacques Philippe

Operator's Manual for Mk1 Rosary Beads: CMA-US-1-0-1 - Catholic Military Apostolate United States - Michael Schiavone, Christopher Dinote, Morgan Lloyd, and Nicholas Cammaroto

Top Ten Fiction Books:

1. A Mom with Blue Feathers - Corinna Turner - unSPARKed Prequel Story

2. Armstrong Adventure Series - Nick Donnelly (Unpublished manuscripts)

02 Snares of the Demons

03 Faith of the Armstrong

3. Deadhead - Cedar Sanderson The Groundskeeper Book 4

4. May Day! - Fiorella De Maria - Father Gabriel Mysteries Book 6

5. Letter to the Future - Michael D. O'Brien

6. Galen's Heart - Richard Paolinelli - Starquest 4th Age Book 3

7. Gordon Korman Books

Swindle - Swindle Book 1

The Contest - Everest Book 1

Shipwreck - Shipwreck Book 1

The Discovery - Dive Book 1

The Stowaway Solution - On The Run Book 4

Slap Shot Series:

01 The Stars From Mars

02 All-Mars All-Stars

Unsinkable - Gordon Korman - Titanic Book 1

Monday Night Football Club Series:

01 Quarterback Exchange I Was John Elway

02 Running Back Conversion I Was Barry Sanders

The Hypnotists - Gordon Korman - The Hypnotists Book 1

Nose Pickers from Outer Space Series:

01 Nose Pickers from Outer Space

02 Planet of the Nose Pickers

8. Madness of Love - Karina Fabian - Madness of Kanaan Book 4

9. Rogue Protocol - Martha Wells - The Murderbot Diaries Book 3

10. A Summer to Treasure - Leslea Wahl

Bonus Books:

Richard Paolinelli - Dreams of the Storyteller

16 In The Place Called Har-Magedon

15 Monster In The Second Reel

The Little Prince - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and Wirton Arvel - 70th Anniversary Edition

Wolf of Mars - Karina Fabian - A Rescue Sisters Story

My reading has been staying pretty consistent at about a book a day over the last several years. 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 was commuting to work on a bus and read on the bus every day. Working from home reading took a little more discipline, and we are now back to a hybrid model with 5 days a month in the office, so things are changing again.

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 favourite books year by year list.