Each year, we canvas a cross section of the diocese to find out what books they are reading this summer. The results of our poll (so far) are in:
Msgr. Steven Aguggia
Pastor, St. Margaret’s parish, Middle Village
“Valiant Ambition: George Washington, Benedict Arnold and the Fate of the American Revolution,” by Nathaniel Philbrick
“Tried by Fire: The Story of Christianity’s First Thousand Years,” by William J. Bennett
“Vibrant Paradoxes: The Both/And of Catholicism,” by Bishop Robert Barron
Arthur Aidala, Jr.
Attorney, TV Legal Expert
“Scalia, A Court of One,” By Bruce Allen Murphy
Msgr. John J. Bracken
Administrator, St. Francis de Sales parish, Belle Harbor
“Francis – The Journey and the Dream,” by Murray Bodo
“A Life of Jesus,” by Shusaku Endo
“The Franciscan Heart of Thomas Merton,” by Daniel Horan
“The Tudors,” by G. J. Meyer
Msgr. Joseph Calise
Pastor, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Williamsburg
“The Spirituality of Imperfection,” by Ernest Kurtz
“Breathing Under Water,” by Richard Rohr
“The Road Not Taken,” by David Orr
“A Man Called Ove,” by Fredril Backman
“Preparation for the Next Life,” by Atticus Lish
Msgr. Thomas Caserta
Pastor, St. Bernadette’s parish, Dyker Heights
“The Dean’s List,” by Jon Hassler
“Flannery O’Connor’s Religious Imagination,” by George Kilcourse
“The Context of Holiness: Psychological and Spiritual Reflections on the Life of Therese of Lisieux,” by Marc Foley
“Be Healed,” by Bob Schuchts
Larry Celona
Reporter, The New York Post
“NYPD Red 3,” by James Patterson
“Foul,” by David Wolf
Maria-Pia Negro Chin
Reporter, The Tablet
“Mercy in the City: How to Feed the Hungry, Give Drink to the Thirsty, Visit the Imprisoned, and Keep Your Day Job,” by Kerry Weber
“The Seven Storey Mountain,” by Thomas Merton
“Maya’s Notebook,” by Isabel Allende
“Remembering God’s Mercy: Redeem the Past and Free Yourself from Painful Memories,” by Dawn Eden
“Women of the Bible,” by Ann Spangler and Jean E. Syswerda
Father John Cush
Academic Dean, Pontifical North American College, Rome
“Doing Theology,” by Jared Wicks
“The Diocesan Priest: Consecrated and Sent,” by David Bohr
“The Space Trilogy,” by C.S. Lewis
Laura DePalma
NET TV, Producer
“Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” by J.K. Rowling (and John Tiffany and Jack Thorne)
“The Innocent Have Nothing to Fear,” by Stuart Stevens
“The Name of God Is Mercy,” by Pope Francis
“Underground Airlines,” by Ben H. Winters
Frank DeRosa
Retired Director of Diocesan Public Information Office
“Being Mortal,” by Atul Gawande
“St. Francis of Assisi,” by G. K. Chesterton
Linda Dougherty
Principal, Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Academy, Forest Hills
“The Lilac Girls,” by Martha Hall Kelly
“Four Neapolitan Novels: My Brilliant Friend, The Story of A New Name, Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay, The Story of the Lost Child,” by Elena Ferrante
“Just Mercy,” by Bryan Stevenson
“Outliers,” by Malcolm Gladwell
Bill Donohue
President, The Catholic League
“The United States of Beer,” by Dane Huckelbridge
Msgr. Steven Ferrari
Pastor, St. Teresa, Woodside
“Paradise Now: The Story of American Utopianism,” by Chris Jennings
“Unaccustomed Earth,” by Jhumpa Lahiri
“The Human Age: The World Shaped By Us,” by Diane Ackerman
“Birding On Borrowed Time,” by Phoebe Snetsinger
“The Chimp And The River: How AIDS Emerged,” by David Quammen
“Turn Right At Machu Picchu,” by Mark Adams
Peter Feuerherd
Adjunct Professor of Journalism, St. John’s University, University; Correspondent, National Catholic Reporter, and parishioner at Resurrection-Ascension Church, Rego Park
“Alexander Hamilton,” by Ron Chernow
“Americanah,” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche
“One Nation Under God: How Corporate America Invented Christian America,” by Kevin M. Kruse
Father Joseph Fonti
President, Cathedral Prep and Seminary, Elmhurst
“The Pagoda and the Cross – The Life of Bishop Ford of Maryknoll,” by John Donovan, M.M.
“The Name of God Is Mercy,” by Pope Francis
Father Joseph Gibino
Pastor, Holy Trinity parish, Whitestone
“The Great Reformer: Francis and the Making of a Radical Pope,” by Austen Ivereigh
“Rediscover Jesus,” by Matthew Kelly
“The Tulip and the Pope: A Nun’ Story,” by Deborah Larsen
“From Socrates to Sartre: The Philosophical Quest,” by T. Z. Lavine
“Yankee for Life,” by Bobby Murcer
Bill Gorman
Social Studies Teacher, Xaverian H.S., Bay Ridge; Coordinator of Religious education, St. Paul – St. Agnes parish
“The Colonial Experience,” by David Hawke
“The Pilgrims: Their Journey and Their World,” by Francis Dillon
“What Happened at Vatican II,” by John W. O’Malley
Stefanie Gutierrez
“Five Presidents: My Extraordinary Journey with Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, and Ford,” by Clint Hill
“Beautiful Ruins,” by Jess Walter
Msgr. Michael Hardiman
Pastor, St. Patrick’s, Bay Ridge
“LaRose: A Novel,” by Louise Erdrich
“Miller’s Valley,” by Anna Quindlen
“Augustine: Conversions to Confessions,” by Robin Lane Fox
“Sweet Lamb of Heaven: A Novel,” by Lydia Millet
Father William Hoppe
Pastor, St. Leo’s, Corona
“The Future of the Catholic Church with Pope Francis,” by Gary Wills
“Dead Wake,” by Erik Larson
“Endurance,” by Alfred Lansing
Mary Iapalucci
Former Tablet reporter; coordinator of parish outreach for St. Jude’s parish, Mastic Beach
“Most Wanted,” by Lisa Scottoline
“The Last Mile,” by David Baldacci
“City of Mirrors,” by Justin Cronin
“Still Alice,” by Lisa Genov
“Hide Away,” by Iris Johansen
“Among the Wicked,” by Linda Castillo
“New York Catholics,” by Dr. Patrick McNamara
Father James King
Spiritual Director, Cathedral Seminary House of Formation, Douglaston
“The Great Catholic Reformers: from Gregory the Great to Dorothy Day,” by C. Colt Anderson
“The New Spiritual Exercises: In the Spirit of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin,” by Louis M. Savary
“Abounding in Kindness: Writings for the People of God,” by Sister Elizabeth A. Johnson
Father Robert Lauder
Philosophy Professor, St. John’s University, Jamaica
“The Abbey,” by James Martin, S.J.
“Lord of the World,” by Robert Hugh Benson
“The Dawn of All,” by Robert Hugh Benson
“Sacred Fire: A Vision for a Deeper Christian and Human,” by Ronald Rolheiser
“A Confederacy of Dunces,” by John Kennedy Toole
“God Within Us,” by Raoul Plus, S.J.
Father James Kuroly
Administrator, St. Rose of Lima, Rockaway Beach
“Hollywood Traitors: Blacklisted Screenwriters, Agents of Stalin, Allies of Hitler,” by Allan H. Ryskind
“Baseball as a Road to God: Seeing Beyond the Game,” by John Sexton
“Pope Francis’ Revolution of Tenderness and Love,” by Walter Cardinal Kasper
Jim Mancari
Sports Columnist, The Tablet
“How to Be Like Jackie Robinson,” by Pat Williams
Bishop James Massa
Auxiliary Bishop and Moderator of the Curia
“Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet,” by Eric Metaxas
“John Henry Newman: A Mind Alive,” by Roderick Strange
“A Secular Age,” by Charles Taylor
“Yves Congar’s Theology of the Holy Spirit,” by Elizabeth Teresa Groppe
“Pro Dialogo: Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Nostra Aetate,” ed. Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue
John J. McCormick
Windsor Terrace
“Divine Freedom and the Doctrine of the Immanent Trinity,” by Paul D. Molnar, Ph.D.
“Thomas F. Torrance – Theologian of the Trinity,” by Paul D. Molnar, Ph.D.
“The Simple Truth,” by David Baldacci
“Sacrifice Fly,” by Tim O’Mara
“Cards on the Table,” by Agatha Christie
Annemarie McLaughlin
Chair, Diocesan Pastoral Council
“An Introduction to New Testament Christology,” by Raymond E. Brown
“Seven Last Words: An Invitation to a Deeper Friendship with Jesus,” by James Martin, S.J.
“The Vatican Diaries: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Power, Personalities and Politics at the Heart of the Catholic Church,” by John Thavis
“We Are Not Ourselves,” by Matthew Thomas
“Room,” by Emma Donoghue
“Food: A Love Story,” by Jim Gaffigan
Matthew Monahan
Communications, New York State Homes and Community Renewal
“The Patriot Threat,” by Steve Barry
“The First Hostage,” by Joel C. Rosenberg
“An Unlikely Union: The Love-Hate Story of New York’s Irish and Italians,” by Paul Moses
Ted Musco
Director, Diocesan School of Evangelization
“The Holy Year of Mercy,” by Pope Francis
“Francis: Pope of a New World,” by Andrea Tornielli
“Pope Francis Speaks to Families,” by the Word Among Us Press
Msgr. Sean Ogle
Pastor, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Astoria
“The Wright Brothers,” by David McCullough
“God So Loved the World,” by Robert Spitzer, S.J.
“He Spoke to Us,” by George Rutler
“Dove Descending: A Journey into Eliot’s ‘Four Quartets’,” by Thomas Howard
Carol and David Powell
Sacred Heart parish, East Glendale
“Psalms for Praying,” by Nan C. Merrill
“Daily Reader for Contemplative Living,” by Thomas Keating
“Radical Integrity (Story of Dietrich Bonhoeffer),” by Michael Van Dyke
“The Boleyn Inheritance,” by Philippa Gregory
“First Family (Abigail and John Adams),” by Joseph Ellis
“A Son of Thunder (Patrick Henry),” by Henry Mayer
“Christian Spirituality for Seekers” and “Spirituality Searching for Theology,” by Roger Haight, S.J.
“The Closer,” by Mariano Rivera
“Hard Choices,” by Hillary Clinton
Michael Rizzo
Assistant Professor, Journalism Program, St. John’s University
“The Seventh Sense: Power, Fortune, and Survival in the Age of Networks,” by Joshua Cooper Ramo
“The Legends Club: Dean Smith, Mike Krzyzewski, Jim Valvano, and an Epic College Basketball Rivalry,” by John Feinstein
“The Name of God Is Mercy,” by Pope Francis
Father Ray Roden
Pastor, Our Lady of Sorrows, Corona
“Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age,” by Sherry Turkle
“Reflections on the Psalms,” by C.S. Lewis
“John Quincy Adams: Militant Spirit,” by James Traub
“Christ in Concrete,” by Pietro di Donato
“Church of Spies: The Pope’s Secret War Against Hitler,” by Mark Riebling
Tony Rossi
Director of Communications, The Christophers
“1984,” by George Orwell
“Saint Odd,” by Dean Koontz
“Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist,” by Brant Pitre
Bishop Paul Sanchez
Auxiliary Bishop and Pastor, Our Lady Queen of Martyrs, Forest Hills
“The Name of God Is Mercy,” by Pope Francis
“A Traveler in Rome,” by H.W. Morton
“The Road to Character,” by David Brooks
Matthew Schiller
Business Manager, Catholic New York, and President of the Catholic Press Association
“Alexander Hamilton,” by Ron Chernow
“An Unlikely Union,” by Paul Moses
“Saint Katherine Drexel, Apostle to the Oppressed,” by Lou Baldwin
“Life Everlasting,” by J. Brian Bransfield
“Return: How to Draw Your Child Back to the Church,” by Brandon Vogt
Msgr. John Strynkowski
Retired Rector of St. James Cathedral-Basilica, Brooklyn
“Augustine: Conversions to Confessions,” by Robin Lane Fox
“The Song of Songs: A Contemplative Guide,” by Graeme Watson
“Abducting a General: The Kreipe Operation in Crete,” by Patrick Leigh Fermor
Msgr. Peter I. Vaccari
Rector, St. Joseph’s Seminary, Yonkers
“Would You Baptize an Extraterrestrial?… And Other Questions from the Astronomer’s In-Box at the Vatican Observatory,” by Guy Consolmagno, SJ, and Paul Mueller, SJ.
“Revolution on the Hudson: New York City and the Hudson River Valley in the American War of Independence,” by George Daughan
“The Holy See and the Emergence of the Modern Middle East,” by Agnes de Dreuzy
“Playing to the Edge: American Intelligence in the Age of Terror ,” by Agnes de Dreuzy
“The Land, the Bible and History,” by Alain Marchadour, A.A. and David Neuhaus, S.J.
“Catholic Literary Giants,” by Joseph Pearce
“To Be One in Christ – Intercultural Formation and Ministry,” by Fernando Ortiz and Gerard McGlone, SJ
John Woods
Editor, Catholic New York
“Five Years in Heaven,” by John Schlimm
“The Great Divorce,” by C.S. Lewis
What Are You Reading This Summer?
This is a partial list of the responses to our summer reading list. If you would like to participate, send your summer reading titles and authors via email to ewilkinson@desalesmedia.org and they will appear in a future edition of The Tablet.
