Author chronicles 20th-century Catholic oppression at the hands of communism

Susan Perna seeks to retell the story of God’s love in a way that resonates with both young and old.

Making the best of a bad situation has been a common refrain for the past 15 COVID-stricken months, and a nationwide Catholic book study group took this maxim to heart. 

VANCOUVER -- Bookworms making their way through a copy of The Last Bachelor Of Ales might not expect to be evangelized, and that’s just what first-time Catholic author Peter Elliott is hoping for.

Summer is here which means the busyness of the school year is gone. It’s the perfect time to unplug from the real world and curl up with a good book. That’s why The Catholic Register and Youth Speak News have put together a list of faith-based youth titles that we think young book lovers will love.

I was recently tagged on a Twitter post in what has been called the Book Challenge. If invited, the recipient is asked to post a cover of an all-time favourite book, with no explanation or description of the choice. Just seven covers over seven days, and with each post the recipient is asked to nominate someone new to take up the challenge — a chain letter, of sorts, for the 21st century. 

In Broad Daylight: The Secret Procedures behind the Holocaust by Bullets by Fr. Patrick Desbois (Arcade Publishing, hardcover, 312 pages, $35)

An alumna of our Newman House chaplaincy at Queen’s University offers an inspiring model of reading — of actual books. 

OTTAWA – In a dog-eat-dog book publishing world where many houses fail or get gobbled up by conglomerates, the fact little Justin Press held its 10th annual book launch Nov. 7 is news.

Catholic Register columnist Robert Brehl’s fifth book, Right Hand Man, published by Barlow Books, was released this month. It is a collaboration on the memoirs of businessman and philanthropist Phil Lind, who guided the genius of Rogers Communications founder Ted Rogers for 40 years. In 1998 Lind was felled by a massive stroke at age 54. He had to re-learn how to talk, walk, write with his left hand and more. But with dogged determination, Lind went on to some of his most important career victories — proving there can still be lots of life (and lots of obstacles to overcome) after a debilitating stroke. In this abridged excerpt, Lind and Brehl, who got to know Lind while reporting on business for the Toronto Star and Globe and Mail, describe the immediate days after the stroke.

Some might say that Randy Boyagoda is a lot like Prin, the protagonist of his third novel. Both are Catholic university professors with a Sri Lankan background and four daughters. 

Mary and the Incarnation by Christine Granger (Novalis, 80 pages, softcover, $17.95)

There are many ways to tell the story of a city. In Extraordinary Ordinaries, Fr. Seamus Hogan explores aspects of Toronto’s history by examining the challenges, successes and even the blind spots of the 12 men who have served as the bishop or archbishop of Toronto.

Summer is here which means the busyness of the school year is gone. It’s the perfect time to unplug from the real world and curl up with a good book. That’s why The Catholic Register and Youth Speak News have put together a list of faith-based youth titles that we think young book lovers will love. Stay tuned to our growing list of summer reads: 

It’s big news for fans of J.R.R. Tolkien that Amazon has made a billion-dollar commitment to bring to television a five-season series based on the epic Lord of the Rings fantasy saga.