"Best Books I Read in 2012..." | 35 Contributors | Catholic World Report
Another year, another tantalizing list of good and great books noted and
recommended in this eighth edition of "Best Books I Read..." We've
invited a wide range of
authors and editors to contribute. The books chosen did not have to be
published in 2012, nor did they have to be about a specific topic.
Simply, "What were the best books
you read in the past year?" No limit was set on the number of books,
and commentary was optional.
PART ONE: Selections from Dale Ahlquist, Francis J. Beckwith, Bradley J. Birzer, Mark Brumley, John B.
Buescher, Anthony E. Clark, Eric Cunningham, David Paul Deavel, Thomas
M. Doran, Anthony Esolen, Monsignor Daniel B. Gallagher, Jim Graves, and
Catherine Harmon.
PART TWO: Selections from Thomas P. Harmon, Thomas Howard,
Brian Jones, James Kalb, Paul Kengor, Joseph Martin, Fr. David Vincent
Meconi, S.J., Sandra Miesel, Christopher S. Morrissey, Fiorella Nash,
and Carl E. Olson.
PART THREE: Selections from Brian O'Neel, William
Patenaude, Joseph Pearce, Edward Peters, Matthew A. Rarey, Tracey
Rowland, Roy Schoeman, Russell Shaw, Mark W. Sullivan, Brandon Vogt, and
Christopher White.
I feel like such a piker. Thank goodness I have smart friends. What, Carl, were the most common reads? Robbie George's book on marriage, maybe?
Posted by: Ed Peters | Monday, January 07, 2013 at 07:18 AM
Ed: I always feel like an illiterate failure after compiling and reading the list! The two most mentioned books were the book on marriage by Dr. George and Co., and Benedict XVI's third volume of Jesus of Nazareth. A few others received multiple mentions, including Fr. Schall's The Mind That is Catholic.
Posted by: Carl E. Olson | Monday, January 07, 2013 at 11:24 AM
The best book I read in 2012 was "The Consolation of Philosophy" by Boethius.
Posted by: Frank Gibbons | Monday, January 07, 2013 at 06:12 PM
thx carl. FG, luvit.
Posted by: Ed Peters | Tuesday, January 08, 2013 at 07:51 AM
I should have mentioned that I read the Ignatius Press edition of "The Consolation of Philosophy." It's beautifully translated and has wonderful notes and critical commentary. It's also amazingly inexpensive.
Posted by: Frank Gibbons | Tuesday, January 08, 2013 at 10:53 AM
My best of 2012 (not nearly as long or as impressive a list as the ones mentioned in the lists linked above):
- Adam and Eve After the Pill: Paradoxes of the Sexual Revolution, by Mary Eberstadt
- Towers of Midnight, by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
- Forming Intentional Disciples, by Sherry Weddell
- The Spear, by Louis de Wohl
- A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens (Ignatius Critical Edition, of course!)
Posted by: Paul H | Tuesday, January 08, 2013 at 06:00 PM