New and Notable Releases

Welcome back to this recurring feature at The Catholic Book Blogger. As a book reviewer I get access to early or hot off the presses books from many Catholic publishers. This column will appear at least once per month. My goal is to share approximately three titles each post that have either just released or are soon to be released. These are books I am looking forward to reading and think you might be too.

C.S. Lewis and the Catholic Church by Joseph Pearce

Release Date: Available Now

From the Publisher Saint Benedict Press:

C. S. Lewis, the great British novelist and Christian apologist, has been credited by many-including the author-for aiding their journey to the Catholic Church. For this reason, it is often perplexing that Lewis himself never became Catholic.

In C. S. Lewis and the Catholic Church, Joseph Pearce delves into Lewis’s life, writings, and spiritual influences to shed light on the matter. Although C. S. Lewis’s conversion to Christianity was greatly influenced by J. R. R. Tolkien, a Catholic, and although Lewis embraced many distinctively Catholic teachings, such as purgatory and the sacrament of Confession, he never formally entered the Church.

Meticulously researched and beautifully written, this book digs deep to present the facts of Lewis’s life, to illuminate key points in his writings, and to ask the question: Was C. S. Lewis on the path to Rome?

This revised and updated edition-with a new introduction by Father Dwight Longenecker-is a fascinating historical, biographical, theological, and literary account of a man whose writings have led scores to the Catholic Church, despite never having become a Catholic himself.

Yes, God! : What Ordinary Families Can Learn About Parenting from Today’s Vocation Stories by Susie Lloyd

Release Date: Available Now

From the Publisher Ave Maria Press

By profiling ten men and women on their journeys to the priesthood and the convent, award-winning author Susie Lloyd discovered lessons that can be used by every parent who wants to raise faithful children—children who say “yes” to God.

In a culture that is often dark and discouraging, where can parents look for help in raising their children? Here are the heartwarming stories of five priests, five nuns, and the parents who raised them to be open to God’s call. In Yes, God! What Ordinary Families Can Learn About Parenting from Today’s Vocation Stories, Lloyd relates some of their joys and setbacks, reveals their guiding principles and rallying cries, and passes along tips from the “master” parents. The mother of seven, Lloyd also shares some of her own (often-humorous) parenting tales, and helps readers understand the various dynamics of Catholic family life and the diverse factors that influence a child’s decision to say “yes” to God.

Father of the Family by Clayton C. Barbeau Release Date: Available Now From the Publisher Sophia Institute Press: Here’s the award-winning classic that for over forty years has shown Christian men how to be the loving husbands and gentle fathers that Christ calls them to be.

Rooted firmly in Scripture, these pages call on husbands to stop thinking of themselves simply as bosses and breadwinners. Rather, says author Clayton Barbeau, husbands should see themselves as co-creators with God, imitators of Christ’s love for His people, high priests in the domestic Church, teachers of their children, witnesses to society, providers of spiritual and material goods, and models of holiness.

But Barbeau offers more than just a sublime vision of marriage. Drawing on his own experiences as a husband and a father, he gives you practical tips to help you transform that vision into a daily reality in your own marriage.

Armed with Barbeau’s wisdom, you’ll grow closer to your wife and to your children, while deepening your love for God. You’ll be able to lead your family to holiness amidst the troubles and temptations that threaten even the best of families today: infidelity, divorce, materialism, loneliness, and despair. 

The Father of the Family makes good fathers — and good fathers are the secret to happy homes. Why wait? Let Clayton Barbeau show you how to make your marriage and family life better today!

St. Peter’s Bones: How the Relics of the First Pope Were Lost and Found…Then Lost and Found Again by Thomas J. Craughwell

Release Date: Available January 14, 2014

From the Publisher Image Catholic Books:

In this fascinating account of the search for the remains of the world’s first pope, none other than Peter, the chief apostle of Jesus, Thomas J. Craughwell takes us on one of the most exciting archaeological finds of the twentieth century. 

In 1448 a team of architects and engineers brought Pope Nicholas V unhappy news: the 1,100-year-old Basilica of St. Peter suffered from so many structural defects that it was beyond repair. The only solution was to pull down the old church–one of the most venerable churches in all of Christiandom–and erect a new basilica on the site. Incredibly, one of the tombs the builders paved over was the resting place of St. Peter. 

Then in 1939, while reconstructing the grottoes below St. Peter’s Basilica, a workman’s shovel struck not dirt or rock but open air. After inspecting what could be seen through the hole they’d made in the mausoleum’s roof, Pope Pius XII secretly authorized a full-scale excavation. What lay beneath? The answer and the adventure await. In this riveting history, facts, traditions, and faith collide to reveal the investigation, betrayals, and mystery behind St. Peter’s burial place.