Margaret Felice

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What I read: April 2014

May 2, 2014 · Filed Under: Words · Tagged With: Popes, reading

booksFirst, two admissions:

1. I am ashamed of how little I read this month.
2. I started posting monthly about what I read to shame myself into reading more.

What I lacked in quantity I made up in quality, and I’m counting on you fill up the comments with brilliant book reviews to make up for my sparse offering.

A History of the Popes: From Peter to the Present

A few years back I went to a book signing/lecture with John O’Malley, SJ for his book What Happened at Vatican II.  After I told him I taught church history he signed my book “To Margaret, a fellow historian” and I melted into a puddle of joy and admiration in the middle of the lecture hall.

I am pleased to report that A History of Popes is just as readable and enjoyable as What Happened at Vatican II, and the many other church history works that O’Malley has published. What I admire most about his approach is that he balances the sanctity of the Church with the peculiarities of people in a way that only someone with a lifetime of devotion to a holy, mangled institution can.

If you enjoy learning about Popes, read this book. I imagine you already know if you enjoy learning about Popes or not. It’s sort of a binary thing. The link above takes you to a paperback version, it’s also available on Kindle.

The Church of Mercy

My copy of this much-anticipated book arrived when I was smack in the middle of A History of the Popes, so I had to get all “wisdom of Solomon” and try to read them both together, which I’m not very good at. I plan on posting a longer reflection on Pope Francis’ collection once I have had more time to sit with it, but I am already hatching plans to use these writings with students and prayer groups often.

[As a disclaimer, Loyola Press sent me a review copy of The Church of Mercy, asking if I could “help get the word out”, at which point I thought ‘I don’t think the Pope needs my help’. But it’s nice to be asked, and I’m happy to oblige.]

This masterpiece is also available on Kindle.

Disclaimer: This post contains Amazon Affiliate links. Purchases made through these links send some change into my piggy bank, at no additional cost to you.

Like what you read? Subscribe! And tell me what you read this month. 

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