The Catholic Book Club discussion

No ties this month, our October 2017 BOTM will be Under an orange sky, by our own Manuel Alfonseca.

The full tally was as follows:
Under an Orange Sky 5
Treatise on Prayer and Meditation 3
Champions of the Rosary 3
Church of Spies 2
Reasonable Pleasures 2
The Life of St. Catherine of Sienna 2
A Postcard from the Volcano 1
Life and Select Works of Peter of Alcantara 1
Looking for the King 1
Return to Order 1
Toward the Gleam 1
A Martyr for the Truth 0
Ad Limina 0
On the God of the Christians 0
Second Friends: C.S. Lewis and Ronald Knox in Conversation 0

Second Friends is protected this month, so the other two books were tossed into the randomizer which selected Ad Limina to be removed from next month's list.

The two new books to be added to the nominations list next month will be The Question of God: C.S. Lewis and Sigmund Freud Debate God, Love, Sex, and the Meaning of Life, by Armand M. Nicholi Jr. and On the Edge of Infinity: A Biography of Michael D. O'Brien, by Clemens Cavallin.

I am looking forward to reading another of Manuel's books. But first I need to finish the Canticle.

The September book was also Science Fiction. There is no contradiction, a book can be both Scifi and Catholic. Or Children/Young Adult and Christian, like the Narnia books.

Thanks for having chosen my book.

Anyone who wants to read it, can download it in digital form from the following addresses:

EPUB: http://arantxa.ii.uam.es/~alfonsec/li...

MOBI for Kindle: http://arantxa.ii.uam.es/~alfonsec/li...

Loretta wrote: "John, I'm really confused by this pick. Goodreads has it listed as Science Fiction/Young Adult. How in heavens name is this book considered a Catholic read in your opinion? I'd really like to know...."

Let me point at this comment to the book we are currently reading this month, as a good example of how a sci-fi novel can be an outstanding Catholic book:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Just to mention one excepcional case, I assume you agree that "The Divine Comedy" is a Catholic book. Nonetheless, it is fiction, and it can even be considered science fiction! Look at the moment when Dante and Virgil arrive at the bottom of Hell and must cross to the other side by climbing down, grasping Satan's hairs. At the mid point in their climb, Virgil turns around and starts climbing up. Dante thinks they are going back to Hell, then sees that they had just crossed the center of the Earth and therefore gravity is now pulling them in the opposite direction. Don't you think this is a wonderful sci-fi effect?

Loretta wrote: "John, I'm really confused by this pick. Goodreads has it listed as Science Fiction/Young Adult. How in heavens name is this book considered a Catholic read in your opinion? I'd really like to know...."

First, to answer your question, quite simply, the author is Catholic and even if other members of the group didn't view his work as Catholic, the one book of his that I've read was very strongly and intelligently Catholic in spirit, in the same way perhaps as Lord of the Rings is imbued with a Catholic spirit and meaning, though on the surface it is fantasy.

I firmly believe that good fiction (literature, if you will) involves the use of stories to reveal truth.

Finally, the group nominates books for consideration, which eventually work their way up to the nominations thread and are then voted upon. While I reserve the right to reject books that are inappropriate for the group, I intend that mostly as a defense against trolls. I try to trust the group and to hope that in some way we are open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit so that each book fulfills someone's needs. While there have been books that have been close to the line, Manuel's are not.

good, thoughtful responses, all
There is also the matter of personal preference. I too dislike science fiction and will sit out this month. Plenty of good books to read on one's own. If you'd like to suggest one, Loretta, perhaps you and I could exchange e-mails as we read it.

Hello everyone.. I've been in the group for a while now, and this is the very first time I would actually join you in reading a book suggested by the group! - I've been reading my pending list- I can´t help feeling a little excited!

It is a free opinion, but i think that we are committing a big mistake. The protestant has not any problem to evangelize thanks throughtout the science and fantsy. I feel very annoyed for the little respect show not only to my friend, but also for the other writers that they are members of the group, and they write fantasy, and science fiction. I think in Melika Lux, Karen Ullo, C.D. Verhoff. We have read other Manuel Alfonseca`s novel "Jacob`s ladder" and the people, who read this novel of this group were enchanted. I thought in John, and Celia, who votes in this ocassion for "Under orange sky". I want to remind that C.S. Lewis (the brilliant apologetic of Christianity) was inspired by the Science Fiction novel. "Voyage to Arcturus" to write his famous trilogy about Ransom. Somebody can say that these novels are not christian. I am surprised that we are treating good to our writers of Science Fiction and Fantasy. I want to share this article of Ignatius Press with everybody. Besides the persons, who criticizes the novels of Manuel Alfonseca did not read the books, because they do not give a chance. Recently i have read Berserker Wars, and i have found a lot catholicism in the Fred Saberhagen`s novel. Besides if there are somebody, who want to attack the result of the polls, can say to me personally, because he was not Mr. Alfonseca, who recomend these novels was me. And it was not not the only novels that i recomended, i am the responsable of recomending "Canticle for Leibowitz". If there are somebody that they do not like my recomendations, can say personally. Certainly Michael D. O`` Brien is a catholic writer, and he wrote "Voyage to Alpha Centauri", somebody thought that he has not intention to evangelize with this novel http://www.ignatiusinsight.com/featur...
https://www.ignatius.com/Products/VAC...
I understand that the people did not like the science fiction, but at least give a chance to my friend Alfonseca, at least he was worth of our respect and our affectione. Before to criticize it would be fair to read before. It is the only, that i asked for to the members of this group. Thanks and sorry if i have extreme cruel and violent in my reply.

I did read Jacob's Ladder and didn't care for it. I'm not saying it's a not a good book, it's just not the genre I prefer, except that I love C.S. Lewis' trilogy. I think Loretta was just saying that she joined the group with a different expectation about the kind of books we would be reading. But of course book selection is entirely up to the group. Hopefully we'll all grow a little by reading things we wouldn't have chosen on our own! But we all also make choices every day about how to spend the limited time we're given. Praise God we don't all make the same choices or much of the work of God's kingdom would be left undone!

Jill wrote: "I did read Jacob's Ladder and didn't care for it. I'm not saying it's a not a good book, it's just not the genre I prefer, except that I love C.S. Lewis' trilogy. I think Loretta was just saying th..."

We do not like the books that they are voted. You can purpose another books. Nobody forbid that you recomend your own catolic books. It is an evidence that i am closer to the catholic fiction than a Theology. Perhaps i have not the enough formation for the Theology, although i have read some things, that you can see observing my reading list. Jill i say without being angry. If you read "Jacob`s ladder" why did not you rate, at least with one star. The negative reviews are a helping to the writer can improve, and he can check his own mistakes.

Loretta wrote: "To say that I am more than a little put off with Fonch's verbal, non Christian attack and abuse on me just because I don't like science fiction leaves a lot to be desired in a group called "The Cat..."

Loretta i do not attack you for you do not like the science fiction genre. I can not force to somebody (thanks to the Lord) that they like the science. The thing that i get angry really much. It is that for being a genre that you do not like it. The book it is not worth of being reading, because you do not consider catholic. A part i consider that you offend to the writer without unecessary critic, without knowing him personally. It is not compulsory to read the books that they are chosen, sometimes i have not been able to read some books, because they were not in spanish, or because i did not like. But when some books did not attract to me were chosen i did not complain. I accepted the decission of the group respectfully.
I want to conclude this observation apologising in the case that my message had been able to offend you, but i was very sad, because except in the case of "Comet Dust". I had recomended these books. Certainly i did not mention before i also recomended "The Lord of World" by Robert Hugh Benson, praised for the Pope Francis, therefore the Pope Francis it is in my favor, because in his favorite readings there are a book of Science Fiction, besides written by a English Catholic Bishop, besides he wrote Theology "Confessions of a Convert" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_... about the responsable of accepting the recomendations is John, and he did not criticize in his moment the election of "Jacob`s ladder", and the only critic of Jill is that she does not like the science fiction novel. The only objection against the Manuel Alfonseca`s novels are that their novels were not catholic, or they were anticatholic and it is not the case.
Everybody love your love for Jesus Christ if we choose these kind of books is because we love him, and because we want to evangilize employing this kind of literature. This literature is really popular between the teens and young people that they are the future of the Catholic Church.

Loretta wrote: "I'll say it one more time. I - don't - like - Fictional - Catholic - books - whether - they - are - science - fiction - or - any - other - genre."

Actually this is the first time you have said it so clearly, although it could be deduced from the context.

Allow me a question: Don't you like Jesus' parables? They are fiction :-)

As Jill said, everyone is entitled to their personal likes and dislikes. I certainly have genres that I dislike and generally refuse to read, horror, for example.

And if the group selects a book that you can't stand reading, or even would just prefer not to read, you are not, of course, in any way obligated to read it. There is, however, an implicit criticism of those who voted for the book when you announce that you will not read it. I do not intend it to be a rule that you shouldn't announce that you won't be reading a given BOTM, but if you decide to do so, I do ask that you consider in Christian charity how to phrase your post in a way that makes clear that your decision reflects your own personal biases and is not intended as a criticism of others in the group.

If you do consider it a criticism of others in the group, I ask you to hold off a day or two and prayerfully consider whether that is appropriate.

Finally, some traditional Irish Catholic advice to anyone who feels they have been unjustly criticized by another's comment: Offer it up!