I totally agree, Rachel.  This is the reason I could not read “The Shack”.  I’m expecting our fourth child and just decided last week to put down the “self-help” - parenting, disciplining, breastfeeding, cookbooks, homeschooling, marriage, Catholic teaching, moral theology, even saints at this point - and got from the library a true novel! Pride and Pred. I chose to start with.  It will be a first for me.  But, no thank you on ideas in my head about bad things happening to me or bad things happening to my family - including substance abuse.  Not where I am in my life either.

I like books that are well written with good plots, in which I can connect with the characters.  I don’t mind books with painful topics, as long as the ultimate message is one of hope.

In this time of my life, I find reading about the lives of women saints is very rewarding and something I can apply to my life right now.  I never feel let down.  May I suggest, “Saints and Other Powerful Women in the Church”, by Bob and Penny Lord.  I just got, “Mother Teresa’s Secret Fire”, by Joseph Landford.

I agree; when I read a book I want to be uplifted. If it is my “entertainment” time, I also want to be uplifted. You expressed my thoughts about a good book perfectly! I would also love some reading suggestions.

I’m with you. There are certain things I’ve stopped reading online for the same reason.

If you have never read Pride and Prejudice then I envy you! I love the book! Enjoy, savor, that first reading!

I really love reading A.J. Cronin’s novels. I think he’s from the same era as Edwin O’Connor. His novels all have strong Catholic themes, and while they’re not cheesy or predictable, they definitely have an uplifting message of hope. Also, his protagonists really struggle with faith and belief, and I can really relate to that. I think his ability to depict that struggle is his greatest strength. He’s not preachy, and the stories themselves are also really compelling. He’s one of my favorite authors.

He was really popular in the Commonwealth countries in the 60s-ish and never quite as popular in the US. That said, you can almost always find his books at used bookstores or Amazon for really cheap. My favorites of his are:
The Citadel
Keys to the Kingdom
A Pocket Full of Rye (my absolute favorite)

When I find a book, or even a news story,  too upsetting, I give myself permission to let it go, justifying the decision with St. Paul’s advice to think on whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, excellent or praiseworthy.  Keeps me from feeling I have to know more sordid details about life than I would really like to sometimes.

I love John Wooden…former UCLA basketball coach.  He was a Christian and lived and worked by Christian principles.  I am reading a book about the principles Coach Wooden lived by.  It is called, “Coach Wooden.  The 7 Principles That Shaped His Life and Will Change Yours” written by Pat Williams.  I find it inspiring and interesting to learn about how Coach lived his life on and off the court and how he influenced so many people in a positive way.

My cousin said it well: there are times when she just doesn’t want to read a book that is “angsty.”  And though I love reading well-written books, whatever the subject matter, I also find that I tilt more towards “un-angsty” books these days.

I’ve never gotten into the Mitford series, somehow, but I loooooove the Miss Read books.  They predate Mitford by a few decades and they are utterly charming.  (Plus I’m a rabid Anglophile, so that helps!).  Also food for my Anglophile soul: the gardening memoirs of Beverly Nichols. 

I’ve recently discovered the mysteries of Rhys Bowen, esp. the Her Royal Spyness series.  They are enormously fun to read. 

I love that someone mentioned Virginia Woolf—she’s one of my favorite essayists (though she’s not exactly light reading, there is a lyrical quality to her prose that makes it feel very effortless).

Rachel, I completely agree.

This reminds me of the article on F&F last week about high school literature.  Much of what is required reading for our high school daughters is angsty and full of murder, rape, abortion, etc.  My daughter’s class actually asked their teacher when they will get to read something uplifting. 

In “Macbeth”, after Macbeth and his wife have killed his political opponent, he gives a speech where he says that life is a tale of sound and fury, told bu idiots, signifying nothing.  He says this to convince himself that he need not feel guilty for the murder, but he does not really believe it, nor does Shakespeare, nor does the audience. 

Much of current literature, especially the type which could be labeled “post modern”, is written by authors who truly seem to believe that life is a tale of sound and fury signifying nothing.  This means there is no point in having heroes or an uplifting message in their stories.  They just describe things artfully, and the darker issues provoke a strong reaction, so they tend to focus on describing those.  The highest form of wisdom, they seem to believe, is skepticism and tense ambiguity, and this is reflected in their stories.

Being a mother and wife, it’s quite hard to find time to read nowadays. But
I used to enjoy mystery books and contemporary fiction. I wish I could have more energy to read again as all of you seem to have a number of good recommendations.

I have never been able to get into the post-modern autobiographical/self-help phenomenon. That’s not to say that I never pick up anything like that, I do occasionally read from that genre if it has an uplifting, inspiring message. But it better start on a positive note, meaning you can see the inspirational purpose from the very beginning, or I won’t make if far before I put it down. I do attempt to read spiritual non-fiction, but as a former English major I have a tendency to dive 100% into serious reading. At this stage of my life with young kids, a house to run and a busy schedule, I rarely have !00% to give to my reading. I find myself rereading paragraphs and pages over and over trying to pull as much as I can out of it and never making any real progress. There will be season for this kind of reading for me, it’s just not now.
RE- I get stuck in historical eras all the time! I’ll read fiction written during the era, historical fiction written about the era, non-fiction about the era and the important people of the era as well as biographies of some of the authors I’m reading. My husband makes fun of me for it! I have trouble reading 2 things by the same author when I’m in that kind of mood though because I just want to absorb as much as I can. Reading multiple pieces from the same voice somehow seems counterproductive to my goals (obsessions might be the better word, lol) I do seem to gravitate to the same time periods though. Medieval England, colonial America, early 20th century America and Europe. Most recently, I was stuck in Medieval England this summer until I had to set it aside to start prepping for our homeschool year. Lately however, I’ve been interested in revisiting some of the really good short stories out there. I was so sick of short stories after completing my degree, but now I think enough time has past that I can begin reading them again.

I am bookmarking this page.  I’ve got a pile of books I am trying to get through, and when I am done, I am heading to this post for my next suggestions.  Thank you everyone!

I enjoyed Fatherless by Brian J. Gail, for true Catholic fiction.  Motherless isn’t keeping my interest quite as well, but they are easy-to-read and address so many moral issues with a Catholic perspective.