You will enjoy these books whether you’re Catholic or not. (Admittedly, I’m biased.) The authors, I know from my work in various places, are all practicing Catholics. These books, though, aren’t necessarily Catholic.

This is good fiction written by Catholic writers. It’s the best of both worlds, as far as I’m concerned!

Theophilos, by Michael O’Brien

This book would have consumed me if I had been able to abandon myself to it. The story is based around the “Theophilos” who Luke writes to in his Gospel. How do you build a 400-plus page book around that? Not only did O’Brien do just that, he did it brilliantly. It has a taste of historical fiction, but it also had a devotional nature to it, at least for me. It’s written as Theophilos’s journal, from his point of view, and we see his examination of the new Christian religion. Looking at Christianity so close to when it started, from the viewpoint of rational logic, was intriguing, entertaining, and thought-provoking. Highly recommended.

Viper, by John Desjarlais (advance copy)

This is the sequel to Desjarlais’s action-packed Bleeder, though it stands on its own. It should come, however, with a warning label across the cover. I wouldn’t have put it down if my family hadn’t demanded my attention (don’t they know I have reading to do?!?). This book had me laughing out loud and thinking I had things all figured out. I was delighted that it had me fooled and that it as written as well as the first. When it comes out, consider it a must-read. Highly recommended.

Murder in the Vatican: The Church Mysteries of Sherlock Holmes, by Ann Margaret Lewis

Reading this book reminded me how much I enjoy a good mystery. I remember reading Sherlock Holmes way back when…and I remember reading this level of writing more often in those books considered classics, too. Lewis really brings it to the table with this book: great storytelling all around. Her characters are solid, her setting is impeccable, her mystery is gripping. Where, I have to ask, is her next book? Because I’m ready for it! Highly recommended.

Now, your turn: what have YOU been reading?