The parish library now has a small
Catholic Fiction section, which is located
next to the New Book section. Following
are some recently donated books.

We’re eagerly looking for other Catholic
fiction.

• Five for Sorrow, Ten for Joy, by
  Rumer Godden (FIC GOD 2007-12-10)
  
  This inspiring and convincing conversion story shows how the mercy of God extends to the darkest human places. Degradation, despair, and eventual redemption are the themes of this novel. Godden also weaves in the history of the order of nuns that Liz, the protagonist, joins—an order founded to rescue the prostitutes of Paris.
  
  
• Jonathan Strange and Mr.
  Norell, by Susanna Clark (FIC CLA
  2007)
  
  Set in an alternate 19th-century
  Britain during the Napoleonic Wars, the story is based on the premise of magic returning to England after hundreds of years, and the tumultuous relationship between two fictional magicians of the
  time. This book has inspired conversations about magic and miracles of the Church.
  
  
• Joshua: A Parable for Today, by
  Joseph Girzone (FIC 813 GIR)
  
  Father Girzone retells the story of Christ through Joshua, a young man who moves to a small town in New York State. This book has a simply rendered yet powerful message.
  
  (The library also
  has other books in the Joshua series. )
  
  
• The Keys of the Kingdom, by A. J.
  Cronin (FIC 823 GRO)
  
  Recognized as Cronin’s best novel, The Keys of the Kingdom is a gripping and thoughtful
  tale of a man called to do good in an imperfect world. It is the story of Francis Chisholm, son of Alec
  Chisholm, a Catholic in Presbyterian
  Scotland. Francis is orphaned at a
  young age when his father and mother are killed in a wave of anti-Catholicism. After his boyhood love commits suicide, young Francis decides to be a priest.
  
  

• The Man Born to Be King, by Dorothy Sayer (FIC 808 SAY 1943)
  
  This is a play cycle consisting of twelve plays that depict specific periods in Jesus’ life, from the events surrounding his birth
  to his death and resurrection. Sayer writes in a realistic and engaging manner that makes the Gospel story come Volunteer Opportunities
  
  
• The Man Who Was Thursday: A
  Nightmare, by G. K. Chesterton (FIC
  CHE 1908) This Christian allegory is
  a tense thriller that has powerful echoes of the Biblical book of Job. It is as relevant today as it was when written, almost a century ago.
  
  
  
• The Name of the Rose, by Umberto
  Eco (FIC ECO)
  
  This murder mystery is set in a 14th-century Italian abbey during a time when ideas concerning the divinity of Christ, the power of the
  popes, and the importance of older, “pagan” philosophies were constantly fought over. A monk and his young assistant (the narrator) arrive at a monastery to investigate heresy at the height of the Inquisition. No sooner do
  they arrive than their focus is shifted to a series of mysterious murders.
  
  
• The Perfect Joy of Saint Francis,
  by Felix Timmerman (FIC 813 TIM)
  
  
  The author provides an interpretation of the man Francis and the ideals that enabled him to move and to shake the whole world. “His burning love of God
  and fellow man, which led him to renounce a life of ease and luxury for one of perfect simplicity and superb holiness,
  provides a message of hope and
  inspiration that is more timely and appropriate today than ever before.”
  
  
• The Power and the Glory, by Graham Greene (FIC 823 GRE)
  
  Graham Greene explores corruption and atonement through a priest and the people he encounters. The novel follows a priest in his flight from authorities who are trying to eradicate the Catholic Church in a Mexican state, naming it a source of greed and debauchery. Throughout is the “truth that corrupt characters might still be capable of goodness, and virtuous ones might indulge their virtues murderously.”
  
  
  + + +
  If you have trouble locating materials
  in the library, you may call Lori Mestre
  (365-9994), library team coordinator,
  for help. The parish library is open
  during office hours on Monday through
  Friday, and on fourth and fifth Sundays
  from 8:30 to 10:45 a.m.