If I could fully live out the principles in each of these helpful books, I’d be perfect! 
I’ve tried to break things down into categories, but there’s still some overlap. I’ll be adding to this list on a regular basis, I’m sure. Hope you find it useful.
On Catholicism…
(The) Catholic Catechism by Fr. John A Hardon, S.J. This was the very first book on Catholic beliefs that I ever read, back in my earliest days of trying to understand the faith. What Fr. Hardon does is go step by step through The Catechism of the Catholic Church (another fine resource, but I don’t have a copy yet) and explain what everything means—supposedly in layman’s terms, but really it’s pretty heavy reading. Still, this is an incredible resource, and I turn to it often.
Catholicism for Dummies by Fr. John Trigilio and Fr. Kenneth Brighenti. That’s “Catholicism for Dummies” not “Catholicism is for Dummies!” This is the book I wish I’d had in the first place, when I was brimming with questions and needed simple, straightforward answers. Frs. Trigilio and Brighenti cover the basics about what it means to be Catholic—what happens at a Catholic Mass, how to pray the Rosary and other Catholic prayers, understanding the seven sacraments….those are just a few of the many topics covered. There is also a handy reference in the back that gives a brief overview of Church history, plus some nifty lists of popes (the worst and greatest) and saints. It’s not a perfect book—sometimes the authors are a bit blasé in their treatment of Protestant beliefs and/or the Reformation—but when it comes to the true purpose of their mission (explaining Catholicism in easy-to-understand terms), they do a bang-up job.
(The) Catholic Mystique edited by Jennifer Ferrara and Patricia Sodano Ireland. This is a unique collection of conversion stories—unique because every convert in here is female (most collections tend to have far more stories of men’s conversions than women’s). The great thing about these stories is that other converts can read them and idenitify: “Oh, yes! That’s exactly how I felt!” and “The same thing happened to me.” Some of the stories are very confessional—we see how far the person has come on her walk with the Lord—while others are more apologetic (defensive), citing many verses from Scripture and demonstrating point by point what the problems were in the writer’s previous faith tradition. Both of the editors’ stories are in this book—both of them are former Lutheran pastors. Also in here is Rosalyn Moss’s story. She went from Judaism to Evanglical Christianity to Catholicism, and her testimony to how Catholicism is the fulfillment of Judaism is powerful.
Lives of the Popes by Richard P. McBrien. Years ago, my husband mentioned that he’d like to have a book that listed all the popes, in order, and what they’d done. I bought him this book, and I’m sorry to say that neither of us has read it! Not straight through, anyway, for my part. I do refer to it often, though, just to look up historical information or read about specific popes that I’ve come across in my reading elsewhere. For instance, when I wanted to have a better understanding of what happened to cause the East/West Schism in 1054, being able to read about the popes who were active during the years leading up to it was of great help.
(The) Lamb’s Supper: The Mass as Heaven on Earth by Scott Hahn. I first read this book when I was still a Lutheran. Two things came of my reading: 1) I developed a much greater appreciation for the liturgy of the Lutheran worship service; and 2) I realized how much I was missing and longed all the more to become a Catholic. Scott Hahn does a wonderful job of showing us the meaning of the Mass in light of the book of Revelation—that crazy-weird, super-hard-to-fathom book in the Bible that everyone tends to freak out over (and write or read scary fiction about!). This was my first peek into the idea that the Kingdom of God is both “already” and “not yet.” Even if you’re not Catholic, if you attend a liturgically-based church and read this, it will make your Sunday morning worship really come alive in a way you’ve never imagined.
(The) Spirit and Forms of Protestantism by Louis Bouyer. Though it’s a bit of a drudge to read (it’s translated from French and has quite a few words that send me hopping to my dictionary!), I love this book. I’m still reading it, actually. The first half is about the many positive ideals of the Reformation. Bouyer is very generous in handing it to the Protestants of that time for their faithful efforts to help clarify such doctrines as salvation by grace through faith and the Bible as authority on matters of Christian belief. He clears up a lot of misunderstandings Catholics might have of how Protestants view Christianity and worship. In the second half of the book, he delves into explaining the “fruits” of the Reformation—what ultimately came about as a result of those original protests—and it isn’t very pretty. In this section, he seeks to help Protestants get over some of the misunderstandings they have about Catholics. The goal of the book is Christian unity. Bouyer believes that such a thing will not come about apart from the Catholic Church.
There We Stood, Here We Stand: Eleven Lutherans Rediscover Their Catholic Roots edited by Timothy Drake. Another collection of conversion stories, but this time all the converts come from Lutheranism. There are some really nasty reviews of this book on Amazon—folks implying that if one were a “true” Lutheran, one couldn’t possibly, ever-ever-ever, even consider becoming a Catholic. Yet these eleven were “true” Lutherans—many of them even Lutheran pastors—who did indeed find God calling them into the Catholic Church. This book helped affirm my own decision to convert and was very encouraging and inspiring.
Triumph: The Power and the Glory of the Catholic Church by H.W. Crocker III. An entertaining and informative look at the history of Catholic Christianity. Not an easy read (again with the dictionary!) and loaded to the hilt with facts, figures, and dates, but I learned so much from reading this book. Especially it helped me to better understand Constantine, the Crusades, the “anti-popes,” and the Reformation. I refer back to it often and plan to read it again one of these days—there was no way for my brain to retain all that great information in just one read-through!
When Only One Converts edited by Lynn Nordhagen. Conversion to the Catholic faith brings great joy, but it can also bring incredible heartache when one has to do it without one’s spouse. Every convert in this book tells the story of coming into the Church without his or her spouse—and sometimes with great animosity about it on the part of said spouse, too. These stories are hard to read—I don’t recall if any one of them has a truly “happy ending,” as far as that goes. But they do affirm that one cannot, in good conscience, say “no” to God when He calls, and that there can be great blessing in the midst of dissention between husband and wife. There is one story in here that shows the other side of the coin: a Protestant wife talks about the struggles she has had in accepting her husband’s conversion. This, too, is helpful, as it gives some insight into what the other person is going through and what he or she needs to be able to cope better with the vast changes to the family as a result of the conversion. At the back of the book is an interview with a Catholic psychologist who talks about the whole “submission” issue, as well as a wonderful story of a modern-day saint whose suffering and faithfulness eventually brought her atheist husband ’round to the Church.
On Christian Living…
Battlefield of the Mind by Joyce Meyer. I have long enjoyed Joyce Meyer’s program on TV—she’s a real kick-in-the-pants to get me motivated to live for Christ. Theologically speaking, I’m sure some of what she preaches doesn’t jibe with Catholic teaching, but that doesn’t mean she can’t help many people draw closer to the Lord. I used to (and sometimes still do) struggle with depression a lot, and this book was extremely helpful in getting me to see what was really going on in my brain when depression or other extreme emotions set in. Loaded with Scripture and personal examples from Joyce’s own and other people’s lives, this book is a powerful testament to the victory that one can experience over the dark forces that threaten to overtake a person during those dreadful, depressed and confused times.
Holiness by Nancy Leigh DeMoss. This little treasure of a book is convicting. We say we love Jesus, but how is that born out in our day-to-day living? Nancy Leigh DeMoss helps us look at each area of our lives and determine where we might be sinning rather than living in righteousness. It’s not always easy to realize that we’re way off course, but only in knowing the truth can we be set free to accept the grace of God that will allow us to change. (See another selection by this author in the Womanhood category, below.)
(The) Imitation of Christ by Thomas A Kempis. Another treasure! Loaded with gems on how to be more like Jesus as we live our faith day by day. One caveat: this book is old (pre-Vatican II, I think), and at the time it was written, more focus was put on the idea of looking inward and upward than on being in community as Christians and witnesses to a fallen world. There are times in my reading when I cringe a little, knowing that the Church, today, would probably take a slightly different view of certain situations mentioned in the book. Still, there is so much good material here to ponder and pray about. A great devotional.
Knowing God by J.I. Packer. One of the first books I read after a dear friend’s suicide was this one. I’d been in a vast spiritual desert for quite some time, and this book really knocked me on my knees. Well, my friend’s death had put me there already; reading Knowing God showed me how badly I needed to be there. Using both Old and New Testament, Packer shows us the many facets of God that we, as humans, can attempt to know: His great wrath, His enormous love, His profound holiness. If I were to read this book now, as a Catholic, I don’t know that I would agree with everything it says, theologically speaking. However, I am grateful that I read it when I did. It got me thinking about church again. It would be several more years before I would get there, but at least I had this book to get me pointed back in the right direction.
(The) Power of a Positive…(Woman, Wife, Mom, Friend) series by Karol Ladd. Uplifting and inspiring, these cheery-covered and joyfully written books help us live out our faith in positive ways as we interact with the people we encounter in our everyday lives.
Waking the Dead by John Eldredge. I read this book with a women’s group in summer of ‘07, in conjunction with Scott Hahn’s The Lamb’s Supper (see above). Every one of us was profoundly impacted by this book; one of the group leaders told us this was the best book she had read—ever. Eldredge talks about how most of us Christians are just sort of walking around in a sort of zombie-like fog, not really living or embracing the abundant life God has for us. He offers wise words, practical helps, and prayers that can pull us out of the mire and up into a life of true adventure and closeness with Christ. Nothing I say about this book can do it justice. You must read it for yourself. It is incredible. And if you are a Catholic and read it along with the Hahn book, as we did that summer, you will be awe-struck at the way our life in the sacraments perfectly complements and enhances everything you’re led to experience in Waking the Dead.
On Fertility and Parenthood…
(The) Art of Natural Family Planning, 4th edition by John and Sheila Kippley. Published by The Couple to Couple League International, this excellent volume explains how to use Natural Family Planning (NFP) to avoid or achieve pregnancy. When used in conjunction with one of the CCL NFP classes or the Home Study course, it’s the perfect way to learn this simple, safe, effective, and morally acceptable way to expand or limit (if grave reasons exist) family size.
Bringing Up Kids Without Tearing Them Down by Dr. Kevin Leman. I read this book years before I ever even had kids—I’m probably due for a second go-round with it, now that I’ve got three of them! I love how Dr. Leman talks about giving encouragment vs. giving praise (“What a great job!” instead of “Good boy!”) and how he entreats parents to find natural consequences for bad behavior, so that the punishment fits the crime and leads more easily to children understanding why they need to follow the rules set by Mom and Dad. This book is a wealth of practical information. I loaned my copy to my best friend when she had her twins, and then bought my sister a copy after she had her first baby. Like I said, I think I need to read it again for a refresher course!
Fertility, Cycles, and Nutrition by Marilyn Shannon. This book addresses many of the cycle-related and fertility issues women contend with and how to solve them through nutritional and supplemental means rather than through the use of drugs such as birth control pills or ovulation-promoting drugs. The author offers lots of great suggestions and shares anecdotes of how other women have used these nutritional means to restore normal cycles or achieve pregnancy. The advice in this book should be a first resort to anyone who needs help in these areas.
Good Families Don’t Just Happen by Joseph and Catherine Garcia-Prats. Wonderful words of wisdom from the parents of 10 sons. Loads of great advice and encouragement in this book!
Life-Giving Love by Kimberly Hahn. Beautifully written, this book explains the importance and reasonableness of the Catholic Church’s teaching against artificial contraception in light of natural law and especially in light of Jesus Christ’s supreme gift of self-sacrifice for us on Calvary. Filled to the brim with stories of couples who have chosen to follow God’s plan and who’ve received abundant blessings as a result, this book should inspire all Christian couples, but especially wives, who can glean much from the chapter on pregnancy and laying down our lives for our children, as well as from the section on coping with infertility. Kimberly Hahn talks about the many ways women without children (or with empty nests) can be “spiritual mothers” (and great blessings) to others, especially young mothers and children.
Sacred Parenting: How Raising Children Shapes Our Souls by Gary L. Thomas. Though not in the same vein as Life-Giving Love (see above), Thomas’s book presents the similar message that nothing we do on this earth means more for the Kingdom of Heaven than bringing up godly children. What struck me most as I read this was that, much as we assume we are “bringing up kids,” in reality, we, by virtue of taking on the task of raising them, are growing just as much or even more than they are! If every parent read this blessed book and took its message to heart, what a different sort of world we would have to live in.
On Gardening and Living Off the Land…
(Note: I don’t “live off the land”—I barely even garden!—but this is a topic I have been interested in for a long time; I have quite a collection of books on the topic, though I’ve yet to read many of them. I don’t know that I’ll ever have cause to know how to do all these things, but I like learning how, anyway. Maybe someday I’ll use my knowledge to enhance life for characters in a novel I write. )
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver, with Steven L. Hopp and Camille Kingsolver. This is Kingsolver’s chronicle of her family’s year of eating locally-grown foods (especially their own home-grown foods). There is a lot of information in here about the “slow food” movement, which is interesting and sounds good but, according to my husband, would result in mass starvation if every single person tried to put it into practice! Nevertheless, I love Barbara Kingsolver’s writing, and I love the way the book is divided into one section for each month of the year. For example, the chapter/month of August is all about the tomatoes—tomatoes on every flat surface available in Kingsolver’s kitchen as she and her family frantically try to get them all “put up.” Such an enjoyable read. Confession: I’m still reading it! But that’s because I want to take my time and savor each month’s experience.
Bean Blossom Dreams by Sallyann J. Murphey. Murphey and her husband and young daughter decided to move from the big city to Brown County, Indiana. This book tells of their early days there at Bean Blossom Farm—lots of funny tales about animals, family life, and gardening, and plenty of recipes, too. This is one of my favorite books.
(The) Garden Primer by Barbara Damrosch. This is just one of those great big, really good-to-have-around reference books. She tells you how to grow EVERYTHING!
(The) Southern Living Garden Book. It’s such a help to have a gardening book specifically about the Southern U.S. If I find some wacky plant in my yard and I’m not sure what it is, a few flips back and forth through this book, and I’ll have it figured out pretty quickly. When it was time to plant the raspberry and blueberry bushes, this is the book I turned to for instructions on what to do. Everything in this book is geared toward the Southern gardener; you’re not going to get advice that only works for someone up in New England or anything like that. My copy is still pretty pristine, but I’m guessing that as the years go by, it will get dog-eared!
On Housekeeping and Home Organization…
A Mother’s Rule of Life by Holly Pierlot. I hardly knew where to put this. It’s a book about motherhood, a book about faith, a book about parenting, a book about housework, a book about organization and family schedules, and a book about homeschooling. Primarily, though, it’s about the way a mother can get her house in order/on a schedule so that she has more time for faith, motherhood, housework, parenting, homeschooling, and being a wife. Using the same kind of “rule” idea that monks and nuns use in religious orders, she goes about showing how we can order our days, taking time to create more time. I learned a lot from this book but have yet to implement the strategies presented because of laziness and fear. But that’s my issue. I think it’s a fantastic book, and one of these days I will follow the advice in it and (I’m sure) be glad I did!
Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House by Cheryl Mendelson. This book is like the Old Testament of keeping house. If you followed every guideline in here, you’d be doing nothing but housework for the rest of your life, and you still wouldn’t measure up to the ideal! Still, it is a very helpful resource for when you need a bit of advice on how to take care of or clean something. Don’t have a clue how to fold a fitted sheet? Here you go. Wondering how to get red wine stains off a white shirt? Try this. Personally, I feel comforted just having this tome (it really is a tome!) in my house. Possessing a book like this makes me feel domestic and old-fashioned. I’m probably not worthy to own it, considering my total disregard for so many of the “rules” it imparts, but it’s on my keeper shelf anyway!
It’s All Too Much by Peter Walsh. The de-cluttering guru from TLC’s Clean Sweep puts forth all his best tips in this book. It is super inspiring to read, super hard to put into practice. Still, every time I pick it up, I find myself able to get rid of a bit more junk. Really glad my mom passed this along to me. (She, on the other hand, does not need it, for she is the antithesis of a packrat!)
Sink Reflections by Marla Cilley, aka, The FlyLady. If Home Comforts (see above) is the Old Testament of housekeeping, Sink Reflections is the New. In her loving but firm way, The FlyLady explains how messy houses make for messy and unhappy lives. She doesn’t expect people to adhere to “the tome;” rather, she has this nice, slender book (Sink Reflections) that talks about how we can take baby steps towards making our homes comfortable and tidy. You begin by shining your sink and progress from there. Nothing is truly overwhelming, and FlyLady does not allow anyone to whine. She keeps us ever mindful of what a blessing our homes are and of how easy it is to grow weary and let things get out of control. She puts forth a simple plan to set us free from dirt and clutter, without having our housekeeping routine completely consume our lives. It does take time to fully incorporate all her ideas (because of baby steps—I’m still a work-in-progress myself), but every little bit makes such a huge difference. I definitely recommend this book for the housework-challenged!
On Womanhood and Being a Wife…
Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman’s Soul by John and Stasi Eldredge. According to the authors, every woman longs for three things: 1) Romance; 2) A vital role to play in a great adventure; and 3) Beauty to unveil. As I read this book, I thought, Yes, Yes, and Yes! Those are the things we long for, whether we realize it or not. Here we learn why those things we so desire are so hard to come by and how, through a relationship with the Lord, we can find them. This is one of the best non-fiction books I have ever read. It truly spoke to my heart and helped me see who I am (and who I am meant to be) in God’s eyes.
Fascinating Womanhood by Helen Andelin. This is an old book—written in the early 60s. So while we had the women’s lib movement and the sexual revolution going on, here was Helen Andelin, encouraging women to embrace their femininity, to be soft and quiet and virtuous. A totally counter-cultural idea. Yet the point of all her advice (on how to be a fascinating woman) was to encourage women to live up to their roles as wives and mothers and to improve their marriages by acting like the women they were designed to be rather than like oversexed men. Some of her suggestions seem ridiculous to today’s woman—things like, let your husband be your hero by asking him to kill big scary bugs that come in the house (my husband is not impressed by my girly squeamishness about killing roaches!). But other suggestions are the same sorts of good advice we hear from Dr. Laura (see below), about building up our husbands, rather than constantly nitpicking them. This is a Christian book, but the advice here isn’t a sort of passive “just rest in Christ.” The author advocates taking action by really practicing being feminine and working at being the kind of woman a man really wants to have as a wife. None of it is easy, but it’s something all of us ladies can strive for if we want harmony in our marriages.
Lies Women Believe and the Truth that Sets Them Free by Nancy Leigh DeMoss. Like Holiness (see above in the Christian Living category), Lies Women Believe is a convicting book. DeMoss lists 40 different commonly held beliefs and explains how untrue they are. Just some examples of lies women believe, from the table of contents: “God should fix my problems.” “I need to learn to love myself.” “My sin isn’t really that bad.” “A career outside the home is more valuable and fulfilling than being a wife and mother.” “Sometimes divorce is a better option than staying in a bad marriage.” “We are not responsible for how our children turn out.” “I can’t control my emotions.” “I shouldn’t have to suffer.” Yikes! Just now going through the big list, I’ve noticed several lies that I’ve been believing myself lately. How about this one: “I don’t have time to do everything I’m supposed to do.” Hm. Looks like I need to take my own recommendation and (re-) read this book!
(The) Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands by Dr. Laura Schlessinger. Do you ever read something that says, “This is what men are like…” and wonder if it really applies to your man? That’s how I feel about this book. I love the advice in it. It seems so very right and true and life-enhancing. But there’s that skeptic in me that wonders, “Really? If I act this way towards my husband is it really going to have a positive effect on our marriage? Will he really fall more in love with me?” I still don’t know, because it’s so hard. Just like the advice in Fascinating Womanhood (see above), this stuff can be very tough to do. Actually tell my husband, “Thank you for going to work every day to support our family” and “I’m proud of you”??? I think I tell him those things through my actions and in more subtle words than that. Is that not enough, though? Maybe not. I guess it’s pride that keeps me from laying it out there on a daily basis. Pride and fear. What if I took all the advice in this book and put every last bit of it into action, and everything stayed the same? Not that my marriage is lousy in any way, but do you see what I’m saying? Well, that was more confession than book review! Still, I think Dr. Laura is very wise on a great number of topics, and I don’t think anything in this book contradicts what I have learned from Christian sources on how a wife is to act towards her husband. I am glad I read it. With the principles of this book in mind, I tend to think twice before I nag and/or pester my husband about anything!
On Writing Fiction…
Behind the Stories edited by Diane Eble. Not a how-to book at all; rather, a collection of essays by different authors of Christian fiction, each explaining how they experienced God’s call to become writers. I’ve read this book more than once and even given a copy to a writer friend. Every time I read it (or even just one of the essays in it), I am inspired for my own writing. Some of the things these folks say just pierce my heart; I have gone ’round with God about writing for years. This book affirms that God did not give me an ability to write well without having a good purpose in mind for it.
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. Good, solid inspiration for writing while living a normal person’s complex and busy life. And funny, too!
Chapter After Chapter: Discover the Dedication and Focus You Need to Write the Book of Your Dreams by Heather Sellers. This is, hands down, my all-time favorite book on writing. It’s not a how-to-write book, it is, rather, pure inspiration for the aspiring novelist. I have read this book cover-to-cover three times, and I continue to read sections from it nearly every day since I began working on my novel in earnest. After 17 years of stops and starts, of thinking about my idea and only sort of writing, I am now commited, 100%, to finishing this novel that has haunted me for so long. I am finally making real progress on writing the book of my dreams, and it is due to two things: 1) the grace of God, and 2) Heather Sellers’ book!
(The) Elements of Fiction Writing series by Writer’s Digest Books. I have a whole bunch of these books and have found them to be full of useful information on all things related to writing fiction. Most recently, I re-read Beginnings, Middles and Endings by Nancy Kress, to help me figure out how to plot my novel. It was quite helpful!
Guide to Fiction Writing by Phyllis A. Whitney. Practical, old-fashioned writing advice from the author of dozens of gothic romances, young adult novels, and more. It’s nice to read something that doesn’t focus so much on how competitive the publishing world is. That can drain a person and take the fun out of writing.
On Writing Romance by Leigh Michaels. I’ve read several books on how to write a romance novel, and this one is the best, hands down. Most of the older books fail to talk about Christian/inspirational romances and chick-lit style books; this one covers it all. And it’s done in a straightforward, easy-to-digest way. Some of the how-to-write-romance books out there try to be “cute” in their presentation, and it does not work at all; it’s just annoying. I love this book!
(The) Writer’s Digest Handbook of Novel Writing. This was the textbook used for the novel-writing workshop/correspondence course I took years ago through Writer’s Digest School. It’s loaded with articles on every aspect of writing a novel—from plotting to publishing. I don’t know if it’s even still available, but a used copy would be worth having, if you’re into writing novels.
