#15, Prayer for Beginners, by Peter Kreeft

"Prayer is the hospital for souls where we meet Doctor God." This simple little book is a good, no-nonsense primer about how to pray and why we need to pray. It dos not dwell on technique, nor is it deep in the sense of being theologically exhaustive, but it can be profound. Try this on: "The whole universe is a saint-making machine", or "God infinitely prefers a heart without words to words without a heart when we pray", or even "Seek only him. do not use him as a meas to seek any other end. He is not your Santa, he is our Savior". So, if you are looking for encouragement in , or just need a boost, why not give this book a try?

#14, Descent, by Tim Johnston

I almost could not bear to read this book. Being the father of four daughters, stories of missing children touch a very tender part of my heart. I put it down for a while, but eventually came back to it. This story of the abduction of Caitland Courtland and the exploration of its effects on her parents and her brother is masterful. I'm glad I didn't stop reading. Highly recommended.

#13, Keeping Company with St. Ignatius, by Luke J. Larson

If you have seen the movie The Way, with Martin Sheen, you are familiar with the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. Pilgrims walk one of several routes, ranging from 100 kilometers to almost 500 miles. The author walked with his wife one of the longer routes, taking about two months. I keep thinking this would be great thing to experience, and it keeps coming to my attention; The son of some friends of our made the journey last year. Maybe it's the Holy Spirit's way of nudging me. This book was really a spiritual journal, filled with the author's reflections on the spirituality of St.. Ignatius and how he felt the presence of St. Ignatius throughout his walk. I wish he had sprinkled in a few more practical items (like how far did they walk in an average day, did they train before hand, etc.), but there are apparently many guides available, so I understand his choosing to leave them out. Even though this book left me wishing for more depth and more detail, if you are interested the pilgrimage to Compostela, I bet you will enjoy it.

#12, Snow Falling on Cedars, by David Guterson

This is one of t hose books tht I have been tempted to read for several years, a copy having sat on our shelves seemingly forever. It is set in pre- and post WWII Washington on a small island near Seattle. The internment of the Japanese residents in WWII looms large in the story, but this is not one of those "We Americans are so racist and horrible we should all just shoot ourselves" books. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend it to all.