The website is divided alphabetically according to the author, so it's easier to look for a book. On this page, there are some titles of books which people have found worthwhile reading. There are suggestions for books to be read in book clubs and also you can also submit your own reviews or simply recommend a book.
New Reviews
Sebastian Barry - The Secret Scripture
Rating: L-B2
Mischa Berlinski - Fieldwork
Rating: L-C1
Dave Eggers - What is the What
Rating: L-B1
Hans Fallada - Alone in Berlin (Penguin Classics, London, 2009)
This is a thriller with more than a hint of realism. It is not only a story of resistance to a brutal regime, but also an explanation of how such a regime might come to be. Written by a German author in 1947, two years after the fall of the Third Reich, it cannot be entirely imaginary.
Caveat emptor! It is not a novel for the faint-hearted. The good are good, but the bad are extremely bad and the descriptions of interrogations and sham trials make for difficult reading. The author spares the reader nothing, nor should he. Fear and darkness are oppressive, but there are pin-pricks of light. Love, courage, belief in God and freedom of conscience are hidden in the depths of this story and are worth exploring.
Rating: L-B2
Recommended Books
The following books have been recommended for different reasons. It is worth consulting the review and rating before reading.
Zusak, Markus - The Book Thief
Death, a sardonic and articulate character who is afraid of humans, narrates this WWII coming-of-age story about faith, love, hope amidst tragedy.
Zusak not only creates a mesmerizing and original story but also writes with poetic syntax, causing readers to deliberate over phrases and lines, even as the action impels them forward. Death is not a sentimental storyteller, but he does attend to an array of satisfying details, giving Liesel's story all the nuances of chance, folly, and fulfilled expectation that it deserves. An extraordinary narrative.
full review and rating
Marai, Sandor - Embers
In Sándor Márai's Embers, two old men, once the best of friends, meet after a 41-year break in their relationship. The story of the rediscovery of Embers is as fascinating as the novel itself. A celebrated Hungarian novelist of the 1930s, Márai survived the war but was persecuted by the Communists after they came to power. His books were suppressed, even destroyed, and he was forced to flee his country in 1948. He died in San Diego in 1989, one year before the neglected Embers was finally reprinted in his native land. This reprint was discovered by the Italian writer and publisher Roberto Calasso, and the subsequent editions have become international bestsellers. All of Márai's novels are now slated for American publication.
full review and rating
www.almudi.org rating system
Literature
L-A1: Without difficulties.
L-A2: Without difficulties, although it may not be appropriate for younger readers.
L-B1: Some moral difficulties.
L-B2: Contains some significant passages contrary to faith or morals.
L-C1: Contains some risqué passages, or a general ideological framework that could confuse people without much Christian formation.
L-C2: Contains several risqué passages, or an ideological framework that is contrary or foreign to Christian values.
L-C3: Explicitly contradicts Catholic faith or morals, or is directed against the Church.
Non-fiction
P-A1: General public.
P-A2: Readers with basic Christian formation.
P-B1: Requires prior basic knowledge of the material.
P-B2: Readers with Christian formation and specific background about the subject matter.
P-C1: Contains some significant doctrinal errors.
P-C2: Although the work does not present itself as being explicitly contrary to the faith, the general approach or its central theses are ambiguous or opposed to the teachings of the Church.
P-C3: The work is incompatible with Catholic doctrine
