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It is time to consider and vote for our March 2017 BOTM.

You may vote for up to two of the books listed below. Enter your votes by replying in this thread. Voting will end sometime after 5 PM, Central time, on February 18.

A book will be randomly selected for elimination from the nominations list from those that don't receive any votes. Lord of the World, by Robert Hugh Benson and Past Suspicion, by Therese Heckenkamp are exempted from the randomizer as this is their first month on the list.

The nominations are:

Amoris Laetitia: Apostolic Exhortation on the Family, by Pope Francis
Pope Francis' Apostolic Exhortation The Joy of Love: On Love in the Family is appreciated as an aid to reflection, dialogue and pastoral practice, and as a help and encouragement to families in their daily commitments and challenges.

The Biblical Basis For Purgatory, by John Salza
Jesus taught us about it, and for centuries the Church has faithfully defined and defended it. Protestants deny it even exists, while many Catholics fundamentally misunderstand it. It is Purgatory: that place of purifying penance where souls saved by Christ are made perfect and acceptable to spend life eternal in heaven. In The Biblical Basis For Purgatory, author and apologist John Salza (Why Catholics Cannot Be Masons) offers the definitive scriptural explanation of this distinctively Catholic doctrine.

Champions of the Rosary: The History and Heroes of a Spiritual Weapon, by Donald H. Calloway. From the best-selling author of the classic Catholic conversion story, No Turning Back: A Witness to Mercy by Fr. Donald H. Calloway, comes a powerful and comprehensive history of a spiritual weapon: the rosary.

Church of Spies: The Pope's Secret War Against Hitler, by Mark Riebling
In Church of Spies, the intelligence expert Mark Riebling draws on a wealth of recently uncovered documents to argue that, far from being Hitler’s lackey, Pius was an active anti-Nazi spymaster. He directed a vast network of Vatican operatives—priests and laypeople alike—who partnered with the German resistance, tipped the Allies off to Hitler’s invasions of France and Russia, and involved themselves in three separate plots to assassinate Hitler.

The Coat Without Seam, by Maurice Baring. The story of a miraculous relic, believed to be a piece of the seamless coat won by a soldier on Mount Golgotha after Jesus of Nazareth’s crucifixion, captivates young Christopher Trevenen after his sister dies tragically and motivates the very core of his existence from then on, culminating in a profound and tragic realisation.

Daphne Adeane, by Maurice Baring
Barrister Basil Wake and his arresting wife Hyacinth lead a well-appointed existence in the social whirl of London’s early 1900s. For eight years Hyacinth has conducted a most discreet affair with Parliamentarian Michael Choyce, who seems to fit into the Wakes� lives so conveniently. But an invitation to attend a Private View and a startling portrait of the mysterious and beautiful Daphne Adeane signifies a change in this comfortable set-up.

Lord of the World, by Robert Hugh Benson
This book, written in 1907, is Benson's dystopic vision of a near future world in which religion has, by and large, been rejected or simply fallen by the wayside. The Catholic Church has retreated to Italy and Ireland, while the majority of the rest of the world is either Humanistic or Pantheistic. There is a 'one world' government, and euthanasia is widely available. The plot follows the tale of a priest, Percy Franklin, who becomes Pope Silvester III, and a mysterious man named Julian Felsenburgh, who is identical in looks to the priest and who becomes "Lord of the World".

A Martyr for the Truth: Jerzy Popieuszko, by Grazyna Sikorska

On the God of the Christians:, by Rémi Brague
[The book description on GR is in French. The following is excerpted from Amazon, which indicates it is from the back cover of the book.]
On the God of the Christians tries to explain how Christians conceive of the God whom they worship. No proof for His existence is offered, but simply a description of the Christian image of God.

Past Suspicion, by Therese Heckenkamp
Don't trust anyone ... So whispers Robin 's mother just moments before she dies. As this intriguing story of suspense unfolds, seventeen-year-old Robin is forced from her California home to live in Wisconsin with an uncle she never knew existed. Here in her mother 's hometown, Robin meets two young men and, while unraveling the secrets of her mother 's past, becomes involved in a treacherous plot, not realizing the importance of untangling her own life if she is to find a direction for her future. Feelings of betrayal and resentment burn strong. Robin 's heart becomes torn as she tries to figure out where she belongs and whom she can trust. Amidst an atmosphere of mystery, amongst the activities of small town life, and while exploring an abandoned mansion, Robin not only searches for a treasure map, but more importantly discovers the far-reaching consequences of making the right or wrong decision.

The Perfect Blindside, by Leslea Wahl
He's an egotistical snowboarder with a silver medal.
She's a judgmental honors student with a flair for photography.
Slashed tires.... False accusations.... A coded message.... When all they can see is each other's flaws, how can Jake and Sophie work together to figure out what's really been happening at the abandoned silver mine?

Reasonable Pleasures: The Strange Coherences of Catholicism, by James V. Schall
The fact of pleasure is obvious to us, but its relation to reason is less understood. We are beings who laugh and run, sing and dance, but we too seldom reflect on why we do these things. Above all, we are beings who think and who want to know whether our lives make sense. In this thought-provoking study of the relationship between our reason and our experience of pleasure, popular professor and author Fr. James Schall shows how reason, religion and pleasure are not in conflict with one another. Religion has to do with how man relates to God. Catholicism is not so much a religion as a revelation. It records and recalls how God relates to man.The popular mood of our time is that neither religion nor revelation has much to do with real life. Yet when we look at things as having meaning and order, they fit together in surprising ways. This coherence should bring us joy, and teach us how reason, religion and pleasure can work together for our benefit. Schall shows us in this book why we have many reasons to think that our lives make sense, that our pleasures can be reasonable, and our reason itself is a pleasure.

Return to Order: From a Frenzied Economy to an Organic Christian Society, by John Horvat
In times of crisis, we are forced to reexamine our ways and ponder our future. It is in this framework that we need to consider our present economic plight and the charting of our path forward. John Horvat focuses on the present crisis with great insight and clarity. He claims modern economy has become cold, impersonal, and out of balance. Gone are the human elements of honor and trust so essential to our daily lives. Society has discarded the natural restraining influence of the human institutions and values that should temper our economic activities.

The Spiritual Combat, by Dom Lorenzo Scupuli
The Combat is a practical manual of living. At first it teaches that the sense of life is incessant fighting against egoistic longings and replacing them with sacrifice and charity. The one who does not do this loses, and suffers in Hell; the one who does it, trusting not in his own, but God's power, triumphs and is happy in Heaven. The work of Scupoli analyses various usual situations and advises how to cope with them, preserving a pure conscience and improving virtue. It emphasizes also the boundless goodness of God, which is the cause of all good. What is bad originates from the human who rebels against God.

Way of the Ascetics: The Ancient Tradition of Discipline and Inner Growth, by Tito Colliander
Written for lay persons living in the world, this is an excellent resource for daily meditation, spiritual guidance and a revitalized religious life.

I vote for Lord of the World

Reasonable Pleasures

Champions of the Rosary

I support to my friend Alfonseca, a i vote for the Lord of World, and i would like to purpose that the novels of my friend Alfonseca, that he translated to English can enter in future editions of Voting BOTM.
I recomend two The Jacob`s ladder, and Under orange sky the lovers of science fiction will be very surprised favourly.

too many excellent choices!
Amoris Laetitia
Lord of the World (sounds chillingly contemporary)

Since Mar 1st is Ash Wednesday I vote for

1. Way of the Ascetics: The Ancient Tradition of Discipline and Inner Growth, by Tito Colliander

2. Lord of the World

Fonch wrote: "I support to my friend Alfonseca, a i vote for the Lord of World, and i would like to purpose that the novels of my friend Alfonseca, that he translated to English can enter in future editions of V..."

Fonch, these are already on your nominations list in the nominations thread. I've moved them to the top which will cause one to be on next month's voting list and another to be on the voting list the month after. I'm looking forward to a chance to read Manuel's books, and discuss them with him here.

Jill wrote: "too many excellent choices!"

Tell me about it. I've been struggling trying to keep some books I really want to read on the list each month, but I'm afraid I'm running out of options. I may let Martyr and God of the Christians go to see if there might be interest in some of the newer ones that I also want to read. Decisions. Decisions.

Jill wrote: "too many excellent choices!
Amoris Laetitia
Lord of the World (sounds chillingly contemporary)"

It is a novel that it was written in 1908-1909, but the time did spend for it. It is more modern that you can think it. Do not worry John the time will arrive, and i am sure that the books of my friend Alfonseca will really like to everybody who participate in the BOTM. I have not hurry, besides i want to say thanks John for including my suggestions, soon will arrive the moment to Maurice Baring`s novel, although it was very dificult to find them. But it was worth to read it.

Spiritual Combat
Lord of the World

Arggh, last day for voting, and there are six books on the nomination list that I don't want to lose to the randomizer. Ah, well, I've been hoping for support for God of the Christians and Martyr for the Truth for a long time without success, so it's probably time to let those go. We seem to be reading plenty of novels, so I think I will vote for two relatively new books on our nomination list that are a little different than what we usually read:

1) Church of Spies: The Pope's Secret War Against Hitler

2) Return to Order: From a Frenzied Economy to an Organic Christian Society

Sarah wrote: "The Perfect Blindside by Leslea Wahl and Past Suspicion by Therese Heckenkamp!"

Thhe next vote i promise to vote for these two novels :-). People vote to Leslea Whal and they do not win. In the next ocassion my vote will be for these novels. There will be time for the great Maurice Baring.

Sarah wrote: "The Perfect Blindside by Leslea Wahl and Past Suspicion by Therese Heckenkamp!"
The next ocasion i promise to vote for these two novel. There will time for the big Maurice Baring :-). I am looking for Church of Spies: The Pope's Secret War Against Hitler has been published in Spain by the spanish publishing Stella Maris ManuelAlfonseca and me know this publishing.

Since my first choice, Champions of the Rosary, doesn't have a prayer (how's that for irony?), I want to change my vote to Church of Spies: The Pope's Secret War Against Hitler.

C.D. wrote: "Since my first choice, Champions of the Rosary, doesn't have a prayer (how's that for irony?), I want to change my vote to Church of Spies: The Pope's Secret War Against Hitler."

Sorry, C.D., I really don't want to let folks change their vote - that makes keeping track somewhat challenging. It wouldn't change the outcome in any case.

Voting is closed, results will be posted shortly.