So, What are You Reading?

Yeah, I get it. You've probably seen a ton of summer reading lists on your feed lately, but have you seen a summer reading challenge tic tac toe board?

I recently posted about Bishop Robert Barron's book, Letter to a Suffering Church, and offered to give away copies of the book to anyone who is interested. I'm also hoping that the people in my community who take up said offer will be willing to discuss it with others so that we can, together, fight the evil that has been threatening our Church.

As a youth minister, I am always looking for unique and creative ways to engage in conversation with other Catholics (and non-Catholics, too!) - young and young at heart, those who feel strong in their faith, those who doubt, converts and cradle Catholics. I'm definitely a reader, and I like to bury my face in a pile of books when lazy summer days roll around, so I wanted to share some of the books I'm tackling this summer...and then challenge you to a little Catholic reading:

1. And Now I See by Bishop Robert Barron - I'm only a couple of chapters in, and I can't wait to dive deeper into this book. Bishop Robert Barron is one of my favorite Catholic writers right now. I've read plenty of his material on evangelization, and of course I follow his podcast with frequency. While he still references popular literature, this book, talks more about cultivating a personal relationship with Jesus and what it means to go into deeper intimacy with him.

2. The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco - This is another Bishop Barron inspired read. He mentioned it once in a podcast, and when I read the synopsis, I thought it sounded interesting. I picked it up at a local bookstore that isn't paying me any money to mention them so I won't list their name here. This novel, which is also a movie with Sean Connery, is a murder mystery that takes place in a 14th century monastery. The detective is a monk who uses everything from reason to St. Thomas Aquinas to uncover what's going on. So far a pretty interesting read!

3. On the Dignity and Vocation of Women by Pope St. John Paul II - The feminine genius has been on my mind lately, so this pick shouldn't come as a surprise. With the state of the world and feminism as it is today, I think we would all do well to understand what we, as women, are meant to do with what God has given us.

4. The Soul of the Apostolate by Jean-Baptiste Chautard - A friend of mine who is in seminary suggested this book to me back in March...and since March it has been sitting in my Kindle waiting to be read. I've been told that this book is a must for anyone in ministry and that Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI kept it on his nightstand! I don't mind being among such company!

Now it's your turn...what are you reading...or better yet, what WILL you be reading? I've created a tic-tac-toe board to help you pick a variety of books, and I make a few suggestions below, but feel free to get creative with it!

A Book by a Pope

Suggestion: Love and Responsibility by Karol Wojtyla (Pope John Paul II) or The Spirit of the Liturgy by Pope Benedict XVI

A Book about the Mass Suggestions: The Lamb's Supper by Scott Hahn or A Devotional Journey into the Mass by Christopher Carstens

A Book by a Saint

Suggestions: The Story of a Soul by St. Therese of Lisieux or The Collected Works of St. John of the Cross

A Book Geared towards Children

Suggestions: Gospel Time Trekkers Series by Sr. Maria Grace Dateno, fsp or The Boy Who Became Pope by Fabiola Garza

Pick Your Own

You get a freebie. Just pick anything!

Melissa's Pick Just ask!

A Book Inspired by our Encountering God series

Suggestions: Essays on Woman by St. Edith Stein or How to Read Churches: A Crash Course in Ecclesiastical Architecture by Dr. Denis McNamara

A Book by a Catholic Woman

Suggestions: The Catholic All Year Compendium by Kendra Tierney or anything by Flannery O'Connor

A Novel with Catholic Themes

Suggestions: The Lord of the RIngs by JRR Tolkien or The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky (an astute mind can probably find Catholic themes anywhere!)

If you finish the challenge, let me know...maybe I'll give you a prize (just keep in mind, I work with middle school kids, so the prize may be a magic potato.) Have fun, happy reading and happy summer days!