If you’ve been around here even a little bit, you know that I love to read. I read deep and wide and broad, and I usually have about 3 books going at a time.
But as any reader knows, there are books, and then there are books, the ones that you can’t stop thinking about, the ones that haunt you in the very best way, the ones that change your life for the better. So far in 2026 I’ve read 5 of those, and I think you should read them too.
This book was written by the woman I turn to whenever I have a question about raising my neurospicy kids within the Catholic Church. Ginny Kochis has decades of experience raising, teaching, and deepening the faith of neurodiverse children. This book is long overdue, and if you have neurodiverse kids in your life, you will find it the resource you’ve always wanted to have.
I have spent the last three years doing a deep dive into the Charismatic Renewal. My research has been eye-opening and impactful, and hopefully, down the road, will become a book in of itself. I met Adrian and his wife, Marie, during that research. They were kind enough to let me interview them on multiple occasions about their experiences within the Renewal, and they opened their home to my family during a trip to South Bend.
I am so grateful that Adrian wrote this history of the covenant communities within the Charismatic Renewal for many reasons, not least of which because I believe that truth should always come to light, even when it is challenging and uncomfortable.
If you have ever been impacted by the Renewal, this book is a must-read. If you’ve ever been Charismatic-curious, this book is a must-read for you, too. There are incredible, healthy parts of the Charismatic Renewal- I have experienced them- but there are also parts that aren’t so healthy, where the theology and practice are just twisted and warped enough to be dangerous.
For years, I have longed for a devotional that focused on the entirety of the Easter season, but since I’m a mom and very, very picky, I wanted one that was deep but not dense, practical, but also wise, and relevant without being too preachy.
Thank heavens for Laura Kelly Fanucci for writing just that.
I discovered Laura’s Instagram page this past winter, and she has been such a beacon of light and faith in a dark world (if you’re on that platform, go give her a follow!), and I was beyond excited to see that she had written a devotional.
This book is full of hope and encouragement without being sappy or fluffy. It’s not a pastel-Easter that Laura writes, but the grittiness version of hope that I know I need. In her introduction, Laura mentions that this book aims to be “A daily invitation to practice resurrection. Reasons and reminders to keep rejoicing for fifty days.” I’ve found it to be just that and more.
You can order a copy straight from the publisher.
Full disclosure, this book is #2 in the series, and you’re going to want to order Awakened as well.
Roseanna M. White has become one of my favorite authors in the last couple of years. She is prolific, and yet, none of her books are poorly written or fluffy. I love her character development, her plots and engaging, and so when she started a fantasy series, I was willing to give it a chance, though I don’t usually read that genre.
One of the things I love most about Catholic fiction is the way that the theology and worldview show up in unexpected ways. Here, Roseanne has built a world with sacramental underpinnings that showcase the depth of her knowledge of Catholic teaching without ever labeling it as such. Honest to goodness, you will read this book and want to pause to pray and ponder even as you are desperate to find out how the story ends.
It’s a book you don’t want to miss.
Another favorite author of mine is Rhonda Ortiz, whose Molly Chase series comes to a close with this final novel. In Pieces and Adrift, the first two books, are two of my comfort re-reads, so I knew I would love this one. What I didn’t know was that it would make me ugly cry on an airplane.
It is easily the best book I have read in years.
You will fall in love with her characters, and as much as you won’t want the book to end, you will get there and see the absolute brilliance of the conclusion of Molly’s story.
I’m reading so many other books, and I’ll definitely keep you posted if I find any more Catholic books that I can’t put down.