The Catholic Bookworm

In this episode of The Catholic Bookworm, Kiki Latimer interviews Joseph Pearce on his book Great Books for Good Men: Reflections on Literature and Manhood (October 20, 2026)

Originally commissioned by Exodus 90, the pioneering men’s app, these brief but stirring reflections by acclaimed writer Joseph Pearce show how great literature―including poetry―can help every Catholic man striving for virtue and holiness. 

Drawing on luminaries such as Homer, Dante, St. John Henry Newman, Chesterton, Tolkien, and C. S. Lewis, Pearce shows that literature, far from being a dead relic of the past, tackles crucial questions which are directly relevant to modern men. Among the many great books he reflects on for the benefit of men include The Odyssey, The Aeneid, Beowulf, The Divine Comedy, Hamlet, Brideshead Revisited, The Hobbit, Chronicles of Narnia, The Ball and Cross. Some of the classic works of poetry he comments on for men's inspiration include The Hound of Heaven, God's Grandeur, Twelfth Night, The Tiger and If.

What does Shakespeare say about the dangers of lust? How does God pursue the sinner like a “Hound of Heaven”? What does it mean to be soldiers of Christ on active duty in the Church Militant? What sort of men do we want our sons to become? What does a great poet-saint teach us about the power of the sign of the cross to exorcise demons? How can we nurture a faith which is fearless? In a culture that fosters toxic masculinity on the one hand and effeminacy on the other, the literary giants of the past offer an inspiring alternative vision of true manhood, one that Catholic men are called to embrace as they “work out [their] salvation with fear and trembling” (Phil 2:12).

Great Books for Good Men

In this episode of The Catholic Bookworm, Kiki Latimer interviews Mike Aquilina on his book St. Michael and His World (October 20, 2026)

The great wings of the Archangel Michael overshadow all human history. He is mentioned in three books of the Bible, but the Church Fathers and ancient rabbis saw him in many other places, unnamed, hidden in plain sight. In St. Michael and His World, Mike Aquilina explores the biblical record alongside its interpretations from antiquity, unveiling a history - from creation to the end - in which St. Michael is a constant and active presence.

But this is not a book about mythology or pious legend. Drawing on Scripture, rabbinic texts, the Dead Sea Scrolls, patristic writings, Coptic tradition, and Islamic sources, Aquilina traces how the Church's greatest archangel has captured the imagination of believers across two millennia. From Daniel's visions to the vision that inspired Pope Leo XIII to revive his devotion in the modern age, St. Michael emerges not as a distant heavenly abstraction, but as a figure central to how Christians have understood spiritual warfare, divine providence, and the cosmic struggle between good and evil.

For those seeking to understand the invisible warfare that shapes human history, or for those simply curious about one of the Bible's most enigmatic figures, St. Michael and His World offers both scholarly depth and the kind of compelling storytelling that makes history come alive. It is a book for anyone who has ever prayed "St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle" – and wants to know the full measure of the one they were calling upon.


Mike Aquilina is a popular author of Church history, especially the study of the early Church Fathers. He is co-founder, with Scott and Kimberly Hahn, of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology, a research center based in Steubenville, OH. He is a contributing editor of Angelus News. Aquilina is the author or editor of more than seventy books, including St. Joseph and His World, St. Patrick and His World, and Rhymes’ Reasons, also published by Scepter.

https://scepterpublishers.org/products/st-michael-and-his-world

In this episode of The Catholic Bookworm, Kiki Latimer interviews Dr. Matthew DuBroy, founder of the Aquinas Institute for Christian Perfection (October 19, 2026)

Priests and religious have their own houses of formation that prepare them for their own vocations but the laity do not have such houses. The Aquinas Institute for Christian Perfection seeks to begin to remedy this problem so that they may answer the universal call to holiness and become true disciples of Jesus Christ since “formation is not a privilege of a few, but a right and duty of all.”[i] [i] John Paul II, Christifideles Laici, 63.

Aquinas Institute for Christian Perfection: An Online House of Formation for the Laity | Aquinas Institute for Christian Perfection

In this episode of The Catholic Bookworm, Kiki Latimer interviews Fr. Peter Grover, OMV, on his book Making the Impossible Possible: It Is All About Who Is With You (October 13, 2026)

This book explores the transformative power of divine partnership, showing how God works through human imperfections to achieve extraordinary results. Drawing from scripture, personal anecdotes, and life lessons, the book demonstrates that collaboration with God is not limited to saints or the gifted—it is accessible to everyone. The central theme is that faith and trust in God allow ordinary individuals to participate in extraordinary accomplishments while finding fulfillment and simplicity.
 




The book is structured in three parts: God, You, and Both, guiding readers to understand divine power, personal responsibility, and mutual partnership. Grover illustrates these themes with vivid stories, such as David’s triumph over Goliath, personal encounters with faith, and everyday interactions showcasing divine providence. Each chapter emphasizes practical lessons: relying on God, overcoming fear and failure, and discovering joy in service.Fr. Grover draws from his experiences as a priest and scholar, blending humor, wisdom, and biblical insights. He encourages readers to align their talents with God’s will, emphasizing that imperfections do not diminish value or potential. Ultimately, the book inspires readers to trust in God’s plan, embrace their unique roles, and strive for a life of purpose and gratitude.

Making the Impossible Possible: It Is All About Who Is With You by Fr. Peter Grover, OMV | En Route Books and Media

In this episode of The Catholic Bookworm, Kiki Latimer interviews Michael LaPenna on his book Baby Jesus is Missing.

Baby Jesus is Missing is set in the small town of Reedy River. It is early December and baby Jesus figurines have been mysteriously disappearing from all over town. When Catherine and her younger sister, Susanna Mae, learn of a $500 reward for information leading to the arrest of the person responsible, they begin their careers as detectives. But will they solve the mystery of the baby Jesus thief and collect the reward money or will the danger, heartache, and betrayal they encounter be more than they bargained for? Baby Jesus is Missing chronicles the sometimes humorous, sometimes frightening and ultimately life-changing experience of Catherine and Susanna Mae whose journey will require self-sacrifice, faith, and courage.

https://www.amazon.com/Baby-Jesus-Missing-Michael-LaPenna-ebook/dp/B08PBYHGYH/

In this episode of The Catholic Bookworm, Kiki Latimer interviews Dcn. Jim McFadden on his book Salvation History: God’s Rescue Operation (October 6, 2026)

Salvation History: God’s Rescue Operation presents Scripture as the unfolding story of God’s tenacious love for humanity. Deacon Jim McFadden traces this saving plan from Adam and Eve through Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, David, Jeremiah, and its fulfillment in Jesus Christ. Written for students, educators, parish groups, and adult readers, this accessible guide reveals the Bible’s overarching narrative and invites readers to recognize a God who never abandons his people but calls them home.

Salvation History: God’s Rescue Operation by Dcn. Jim McFadden | En Route Books and Media

In this episode of The Catholic Bookworm, Kiki Latimer interviews Paul Maxey on his book St. John Henry Newman’s Defense of the Immaculate Conception (October 5, 2026)

Paul Maxey presents a compelling defense of the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception through the thought of St. John Henry Newman. Drawing from Scripture, the early Church Fathers, and Newman’s essay on doctrinal development, this work illuminates how Catholic teaching matures organically from apostolic roots. Engaging both Protestant objections and historical theology, Maxey offers a clear, accessible, and deeply faithful exploration of one of the Church’s most profound Marian doctrines.

St. John Henry Newman’s Defense of the Immaculate Conception by Paul Maxey | En Route Books and Media

In this episode of The Catholic Bookworm, Kiki Latimer interviews Francis Etheredge on his book Transgenderism Three: From Health to Infertility. ​

A wound is a rupture of a person’s physical and/or spiritual integrity, and a wound that remains open cannot heal. The gender ideologue surgeon’s experimental cut that creates a facsimile organ opposite to a person’s sex is, in reality, the deliberate opening and maintenance of a wound. This reflects the broader trajectory of gender ideology, whether expressed through name changes, invented pronouns, or a chemically and surgically altered appearance.

As we will see in this book, interpreting studies on transgenderism requires realism: the apparent rise in youth identifying as transgender is best understood not as a distinct category of human beings, but as the deliberate consequence of many influences. The electronic media connects ideological advocates with vulnerable young people. In addition, there is an explicitly pornographic sex education organized around a false “cis/trans” binary rather than the natural, biological complementarity of being male or female. Furthermore, there are books promoting multi-sex identities. And there is the use of anti-discrimination laws to advance gender ideology. This culture-wide confluence of gender ideologues’ ideas contributes to an environment in which parents doubt their God-given protective parental instincts and children are told they can be anything except who they are.

Families are even confronted with the false dilemma: “Do you want a dead son or a live daughter?” This false dilemma is emotional blackmail because drugs and surgeries cannot change a person’s sex. Sex is not a phase, a choice, or a mere bodily feature, but an expression of the whole person innately connected to their natural reproductive design, a beautiful reality that can be obscured by trauma and yet naturally reasserts itself as the ground of identity. The essential question of life is not what we reject or remake, but what kind of gift we are called to be for others. We are no longer dealing with medicine but with ideological fallout that fails to grasp the psychological and physical wounds opened in young people and their families. What is needed is clear evidence, sound medicine that does no harm and the spiritual help we seek or receive from a merciful God.

This book, with an authoritative foreword by Dr. Michelle Cretella, offers a concise account of where this debate stands today.

https://enroutebooksandmedia.com/transgenderismthree/

In this episode of The Catholic Bookworm, Kiki Latimer interviews Robert Shaffern on his book Peter of Galilee: Shepherd of the Early Church. (September 29, 2026)

A fisherman from a backwater province of the Roman Empire, he became the rock upon which the Church was built.

No figure in early Christianity is more compelling than Simon Peter. In this vivid portrait, Robert W. Shaffern recreates his life from the shores of the Sea of Tiberias to the circus of Nero, revealing a man whose very human failings make his ultimate faithfulness all the more remarkable. Drawing on Scripture, the Apostolic Fathers, and the latest archaeological evidence, Shaffern reconstructs the world Peter inhabited: the bustling fishing economy of first-century Galilee, the fiery upheaval of Pentecost, the fractious Jewish-Christian communities of Antioch and Rome, debates among Jewish religious authorities, the politics of Roman Judaea, and the brutal persecutions that would end his life. Along the way, he illuminates the enduring bond between Peter and Paul, traces Peter’s influence in the writings of Clement of Rome and Ignatius of Antioch, and follows the thread of tradition to the bones discovered beneath Bernini’s baldacchino in St. Peter’s Basilica.

https://www.amazon.com/Peter-Galilee-Shepherd-Early-Church/dp/B0H6SSD3HH/

In this episode of The Catholic Bookworm, Kiki Latimer interviews Al Smith on his book The Soul of a Disciple: Fulton Sheen's Meditations on the Cross, the Eucharist, and the Christian Life (September 29, 2026)

 There is a hunger in you that the world cannot satisfy. You may have tried to fill it with diversion, with noise, with the endless scroll of daily life activities. Yet it remains — that quiet ache for something real, something lasting, something holy.Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen knew that hunger well. He spent more than sixty years assuaging it in the best way: on his knees, in silence, before the Blessed Sacrament, in what he called his daily Holy Hour. From that secluded hour flowed everything — his preaching, his books, his television ministry that reached millions, and his spiritual fire that made him one of the most compelling voices of the twentieth century. Sheen was convinced that the renewal of Holy Mother Church would come not through programs or initiatives but through souls willing simply to remain with Christ.This book is your invitation to do exactly that.Inside, you will find six powerful retreats drawn from the heart of the great evangelizer’s preaching — on the Holy Face of Jesus, Our Lady, the Beatitudes, the Holy Eucharist, the Cross, and Holy Week. Each day offers a reflection, a prayer, a simple practice, and a phrase to carry with you out into the world. These are not tasks to check off; they are doorways that lead to encounters with the living God.Whether you pray alone, with your spouse and family, in a parish group, or during the sacred days of Holy Week, this devotional will meet you where you are and lead you into a deeper embrace with Christ. Also included is a practical guide on how to make a Holy Hour, and a step-by-step Leader’s Reference Guide for group use.Through Archbishop Sheen’s timeless wisdom, you will discover:

• How to rest beneath the loving gaze of Christ’s Holy Face — and why that gaze changes everything
• Why devotion to Mary is not piety for the faint of heart but a healing encounter with a mother who loves you with fierce tenderness
• How the Beatitudes are not impossible ideals but a blueprint for the freedom your soul is craving
• How to draw near to our Lord in the Holy Eucharist and experience, perhaps for the first time, the full weight of His mercy
• How the Cross — the instrument we instinctively flee — alone holds the secret to forgiveness, surrender, and a love stronger than your worst failure
• Why the Resurrection is God’s refusal to give up on you and how it opens a door to beginning again, no matter what lies behind you

Sheen liked to say that the saints became saints not through extraordinary deeds but through ordinary deeds done with extraordinary love. That path is open to you. Your suffering has meaning, your heart can be healed, and your daily life, however ordinary it may seem, can become the raw material of holiness.For Archbishop Fulton Sheen, the Holy Hour was never an obligation. It was a love affair — a daily meeting at the Fountain of all grace, where the heart of God speaks quietly to the heart of man. These pages will bring you to that Fountain. Come and drink.

The Soul of a Disciple: Fulton Sheen's Meditations on the Cross, the Eucharist, and the Christian Life: Smith, Allan: 9798889117377: Amazon.com: Books