The Best Books for Christmas 2023
Thanks to everyone who joined us on Direct to My Desk to share their favorite book recommendations. Every book that was mentioned on-air is listed below, along with others from the Kresta in the Afternoon team and books from callers who weren’t able to go on-air.
Al Kresta's Titles
King: A Life by Jonathan Eig
Tolkien’s Faith: A Spiritual Biography – Holly Ordway
Loving God’s Children: The Church and Gender Ideology by John Bursch
Catholicism: A Global History from the French Revolution to Pope Francis by John McGreevey
Dorothy Day: Dissenting Voice of the American Century by John Loughery, Blythe Randolph
The Irony of Modern Catholic History – George Weigel
To Sanctify the World: The Vital Legacy of Vatican II – George Weigel
Awake not Woke by Noelle Merring
Lecture series: Romans in a Week by N.T. Wright
Bryant Schoenle's Titles
Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt Everest Disaster – Jon Krakauer
A gripping firsthand account of one of the deadliest storm in the history of Mt Everest. Will make you feel like you are there with the climbers, without leaving the safety of the couch.
How God Works: The Science Behind the Benefits of Religion – David DeSteno
Drawing on a wealth of new evidence, pioneering research psychologist David DeSteno shows why religious practices and rituals are so beneficial to those who follow them
American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer – Kai Bird
150 People, Places and Things You Never Knew Were Catholic – Jay Copp
From the priests who taught Babe Ruth to play baseball, to the monk who changed our understanding of genetics, the Catholic influence on our world is undeniable. Fun and fascinating read.
Freezing Cold Takes: NFL Football Media’s Most Inaccurate Predictions and the Fascinating Stories Behind Them – Fred Segal
Not especially spiritually edifying, but a very fun read for the sports fan. Opens your eye to how often even the people who know the most actually know nothing.
Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence – Dr. Anna Lembke
Titles from other Ave Maria Radio staff
Seat of Wisdom, an introduction to philosophy in the Catholic Tradition – James Jacobs
The Divine Comedy –Â Dante Alighieri
How the Catholic Church built Western Civilization – Tom Woods
How the Eucharist can save Civilization – Jared Staudt
The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self – Carl Trueman
Strange New World – Carl Trueman
Revolt Against Reality – Gary Michuta
A Travel Guide to Heaven – Anthony DeSetefano
The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry: How to stay emotionally healthy and spiritually alive in the chaos of the modern world –  John Mark Comer
Everything’s Coming up Rosie – Teresa Tomeo
Wisdom from Women in Scripture – Kelly Wahlquist
Beneath a Scarlet Sky – Mark Sullivan
Freedom Behind Bars – Tom Naemi
Chaste Heart of St. Joseph: A Graphic Novel – Fr Don Calloway
Theology of Home IV: Arranging the Seasons – Emily Malloy and Carrie Gress
The Divine Primacy of the Bishop and Modern Eastern Orthodoxy by James Likoudis
Jesuit at Large: Essays at and Reviews by Paul Mankowski, S.J.
Tap Code: The Epic Survival Tale of a Vietnam POW and the Secret Code That Changed Everything – Carlyle Harris
Rescued: The Unexpected and Extraordinary News of the Gospel – Fr John Riccardo
Scalia Speaks: Reflections on Law, Faith, and Life Well Lived – Antonin Scalia
The Pioneers: The Heroic Story of the Settlers Who Brought the American Ideal West – David McCullough
The Second World Wars: How the First Global Conflict Was Fought and Won – Bob Souer & Victor Davis Hanson
A Gentleman in Moscow: A Novel – Amor Towles
The Adventures of Lupio series – Jean-Francois Kieffer.
Poems Every Catholic should Know – Joseph Pearce
Dark Horse: the Surprise Election and Political Murder of President James A. Garfield – Kenneth Ackerman
Fly By Night: The Secret Story of Steven Spielberg, Warner Bros, and the Twilight Zone Deaths – Steven Chain
Beyond the Wall: A History of East Germany – Katja Hoyer
Mike Nichols: A Life – Mark Harris
Homicide: A Year On The Killing Streets – David Simon
Titles from Listeners
Searching for and Maintaining Peace: A Small Treatise on Peace of Heart – Fr. Jacques Philippe
Saved in Hope – Pope Benedict XVI
Through the Eyes of Jesus trilogy – C. Alan Ames
Struck by Lightning – Gloria Polo
Lord of the Rings – JRR Tolkien
The Chronicles of Narnia – CS Lewis
Light from Darkness – Steve Weidenkopf
Sword and Scimitar – Raymond Ibrahim
Food for the Soul – Peter Kreeft
The End of Woman: How Smashing the Patriarchy Has Destroyed Us – Carrie Gress
Introduction to Mariology – Fr. Manfred Hauke
Life of the Beloved: Spiritual Living in a Secular World – Henri Nouwen
The Power of Silence: Against the Dictatorship of Noise – Robert Cardinal Sarah
The Price of Truth: Titus Brandsma, Carmelite
Jesus of Nazareth – Joseph Ratzinger
Guadalupe and the Flower World Prophecy – Joseph & Monique Gonzalez
Scripture Alone?: 21 Reasons to Reject Sola Scriptura – Joel Peters
Pillar of Fire, Pillar of Truth: The Catholic Church and God’s Plan for You – Catholic Answers
Witness to Hope – George Weigel
A Pope and a President – Paul Kengor
The How-To Book of the Mass: Everything You Need to Know but No One Ever Taught You – Michael Dubruiel
The Just Shall Live By Faith: Resolving the Catholic-Protestant Debate on Justification from Paul’s Epistle to the Romans – Erick Ybarra
The End and the Beginning: Pope John Paul II – The Victory of Freedom, the Last Years, the Legacy – George Weigel
Lessons in Hope: My Unexpected Life with St. John Paul II – George Weigel
Rapture: The End-Times Error That Leaves the Bible Behind – David Currie
What Jesus Really Said about the End of the World – David Currie
Socrates’ Children – Peter Kreeft
The Spirit of the Liturgy – Joseph Ratzinger
All books by Brant Pitre
Adam’s Deep Sleep: The Passion of Jesus Christ Prefigured in the Old Testament – Fr James Mawdsley
Crushing Satan’s Head: The Virgin Mary’s Victory Over the Antichrist Foretold in the Old Testament – Fr James Mawdsley
Devil in the City of Angels – Jesse Romero
Liturgy of the Hours – available from WordOnFire
Crossing the Threshold of Hope – John Paul II
The Cube and the Cathedral: Europe, America, and Politics Without God – George Weigel
God’s Choice: Pope Benedict XVI and the Future of the Catholic Church – George Weigel
Leaders Look Within: Own Your Heart to Live a Life of Gratitude – Brent Pohlman
Something New with Saint Th̩r̬se: Her Eucharistic Miracle РSuzie Andres
From the White House to the White Cross – Peggy Stanton
Called Out of Darkness: A Spiritual Confession – Anne Rice
Unraveling Gender: The Battle Over Sexual Difference – John Grabowski
The Church’s Mission in a Polarized World – Fr. Aaron Wessman
Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Dead Sea Scrolls – John Bergsma
