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William & Catherine: The Intimate Inside Story by Russell Myers

About the book: Packed with exclusives, William Catherine: The Intimate Inside Story (2026) is the first joint biography of William and Catherine in over a decade from a high profile royal expert.

From the relentless media scrutiny and controversies of their 2022 Caribbean Tour to the shock cancer diagnoses of both the Princess of Wales and the King, this captivating biography by acclaimed royal expert Russell Myers intimately traces the story of William and Catherine's relationship from their earliest meeting at St Andrews University to the present day.

Drawing on exclusive access to numerous palace insiders, it offers never-before-told context about the biggest stories to have followed the Prince and Princess of Wales in recent years - including the Sussex departure, the forming of the 'Cambridge way,' and the death of Queen Elizabeth II - and provides an unprecedented glimpse into their private lives.

Highlighting the couple's resilience and dedication in the face of adversity, William and Catherine presents a deeply personal perspective on how the events the Prince and Princess have weathered together will shape their vision for a modern monarchy - as they set out to secure its safe continuation at a time of extreme change and turmoil.

About the author: Russell Myers has been the Royal Editor of the Daily Mirror and the ITV Lorraine show for the past seven years. He has appeared in more than a dozen royal documentaries for ITN productions on Channel 5 and frequently appears on TV and radio across the world, including NBC Today Show, Australia Channels 7 and 9, Germany ARD and ZDF networks.

Russell's podcast, Pod Save the King, has garnered more than 15 million downloads around the world. His weekly newsletter ‘The Royal Round Up’ is one of the most successful newsletters across Reach plc, with around 200,000 registrations to date.

Am I The Bulb That Carries The Light OR Am I The Light Of Which The Bulb Is A Vehicle?

The Catechism Simply Explained by Canon Cafferata

About the book: The Catechism Simply Explained is an excellent short and simple explanation of the Traditional Catholic Faith. 

First printed in England in 1897 by Canon Henry Taylor Cafferata, the book was a remarkable success, such that it was reprinted many times throughout the 20th Century. 

This reprint is an exact copy of the 1954 New Revised Edition. The book is excellent for adult converts or anyone who wants to improve their knowledge of the catechism and may not have time for a more in-depth study. The work is written in the traditional 'penny catechism' question and answer style, supported throughout by scriptural references. This 'instruction manual for salvation' should be an essential part of any spiritual first-aid kit!

This new (1954, reprint 2021) edition has been completely revised and brought up to date by Canon Cartmell, DD, PhD, MA. Certain explanations have been re-written in the light of new regulations, as, for example, those concerning the Eucharistic fast, fasting days and abstinence days, and others expanded to deal more fully with problems which have come to the fore since earlier editions.

The Path Of The Pilgrim by Elizabeth Ruth Obbard

About the book: Sister Elizabeth Ruth’s new book explores the depths of Celtic spirituality, which is rooted in the power of the Trinity. 

Aimed for everyone and ‘beginner-friendly’, her book emphasizes the human virtues of kindness, generosity, a welcome for strangers and travellers, gentleness and magnanimity.

“It is not dogmatic and, being rural, recognises all creation as part of a religious way of life. The evil spirits the Druids had conjured up to keep the people in submission were replaced by a strong belief in the power of the Trinity, which surrounded the Celts and kept them safe from harm,” she explains.

The Path of the Pilgrim: An Introduction to Celtic Spirituality for Everyone (2026), which contains sister Elizabeth Ruth’s own illustrations, looks at the main saints of Ireland such as St Patrick and St Brigit, co-patrons of the country, but also at the lives of lesser known saints and the impact they had in the shaping of Celtic Christianity, such as Sts Brenden and Cuthbert.

About the author: Elizabeth Ruth Obbard was born into an army family and educated in England and Germany. After completing her schooling, she entered the Carmelite Order where she has been a contemplative nun for many years and is currently living in the Carmelite monastery in Quidenham, Norfolk, UK. She has written and illustrated many books, particularly on the lives of saints.

Forty Hours: Readings & Prayers by Rev Fulgence Meyer OFM

About the book: Forty Hours (1926, 2021) is a book of reflections and readings on the Most Holy Eucharist along with psalms, hymns and prayers for the Forty Hours devotion, or holy hour, or private Eucharistic visits.

This book is actually two books run in parallel: the left-hand pages consist of Psalms, hymns and prayers that can be used during Eucharistic adoration. The right-hand pages consist of a series of conferences on Our Lord in the Most Blessed Sacrament that is sure to fire up the reader's appreciation and devotion.

The prayers are taken from the Bible, the Imitation of Christ, the liturgical books of the Church, and other approved sources.

Happy the layman who, by praying them regularly, conceives an abiding love for, and derives a vigorous comfort from them!

St Paschal, Patron of Eucharistic Congresses and Associations, pray for us!

N/B The Forty Hours Devotion is a period of continuous public prayer in the presence of the Most Blessed Sacrament. The devotion of Forty Hours originated six centuries ago in Milan. The practice spread quickly in the West through figures such as St Ignatius of Loyola, St Philip Neri, St Charles Borromeo, Pope Clement VIII, and Pope Clement XII. It was fervently promoted in the United States by St. John Neumann, the fourth bishop of Philadelphia, and in 1866, the devotion was approved for use throughout the United States.

On the Prayers & Hymns: 

1) The prayers and hymns of Forty Hours are worthy of prayerful meditation. They are beautiful and profound expressions of our Catholic faith in Christ’s saving death and resurrection and in his real presence in the Eucharist.

2) O Salutaris Hostia and Tantum Ergo Sacramentum are sections of hymns originally composed by St. Thomas Aquinas for the Feast of Corpus Christi. The first comes from Verbum Supernum Prodiens. The second is from Pange Lingua Gloriosi, which has also come to accompany the Transfer of the Blessed Sacrament on Holy Thursday.

3) The prayer “O God, who in this wonderful Sacrament” is also from Aquinas’ texts for Corpus Christi, and it remains the opening prayer of the Mass for this feast.

4) The Divine Praises were composed in Italian by Fr Luigi Felici (18th century) and expanded a few years later by Pope Pius VII.

The Liturgical Year Volume V - Lent by Dom Prosper Guéranger

About the book: The Liturgical Year (1952, reprint 2021) is an essential addition to the library of any historian. It is a detailed written work, spanning 15 volumes, describing the depth and beauty of the liturgical year of the Catholic Church. The series was written by Dom Prosper Louis Pascal Guéranger, a French Benedictine priest and abbot of Solesmes, starting in 1841. 

In 1875, after writing nine volumes, Dom Guéranger, passed away. The remaining volumes of the series were later completed by another Benedictine monk under Dom Guéranger's name. 

Guéranger lays significant emphasis on the historical development of the liturgy in both Western and Eastern traditions, across multiple rites of the Mass. He details how the Catholic tradition differs from the later Protestant traditions, established after 1517. 

Contained within the depths of Guéranger’s writings are the significances of each liturgical season, the holy days, and biographies of the saints with portions of the liturgies recited on their feast days. This is a must-have for any Christian historian or apologist who wishes to understand the foundation of European culture and the later years of Christendom. 

In this book, you will get detailed writings - The History of Lent - The Mystery of Lent - The Practice during Lent - The Proper of the Time (1st Sunday of Lent to Saturday of the 4th Week of Lent) - The Proper of the Saints (March 12 - April 5).

About the author: Dom Prosper Louis Pascal Guéranger (1805-1875), Servant of God, was a French priest and Benedictine monk, and who served as abbot of Solesmes Abbey (which he founded in the disused priory of Solesmes) and founder of the French Benedictine Congregation (now the Solesmes Congregation). Dom Guéranger was the author of The Liturgical Year, which covers every day of the Catholic Church's Liturgical Cycle in 15 volumes. He was well regarded by Pope Pius IX, and was a proponent of the dogmas of papal infallibility and the Immaculate Conception. Dom Guéranger is credited with reviving the Benedictine Order in France, and revitalizing the Tridentine Mass. (Source: Wikipedia)

Elizabeth Of The Trinity: Light Love Life

About the book: For centuries, the human family has yearned to know what our heroes and holy people looked like. The result was the fruit of imagination usually, expressed in carvings and stained glass windows, occasionally in more-or-less accurate paintings. But the advent of photography for the first time let us truly "meet" the subject in a way never before possible. While a photo is no substitute for a live encounter, it nevertheless gives us a glimpse into the person's soul; we feel we now know him or her in a more intimate and personal way.

Since her death in 1906, Elizabeth of the Trinity - Elizabeth Catez of Dijon, France - has drawn countless men and women to a deeper relationship with God through her laser-sharp focus on the mystery of the divine indwelling in the human person. 

In our frenetic, fast-paced and constantly wired world, the message of this young Carmelite nun is more relevant than ever. She shares with us her "secret": not only that God loves us, but loves us to the point of making the center of our being "another heaven" - the place where God dwells, always present, always accessible and longing for intimate relationship with us. 

This marvellous book (1984) - back in print after an absence of twenty-five years - invites the reader to meet Elizabeth of the Trinity in selections from her own writings and in the more than seventy photos that span her short but luminous life.

From the pouting toddler hugging her doll to the talented young pianist, from the style-conscious socialite to the radiant contemplative nun, this photo album gives us Elizabeth as she was. It invites us to know her better, and to make her secret - God's indwelling presence - our own.

Elizabeth of the Trinity: Light, Love, Life, A Look at a Face and a Heart (2012) is edited by Conrad de Meester OCD (Order of Discalced Carmelites) and the Carmel of Dijon and is translated from the French by Sister Aletheia Kane OCD.

The Librarian's Stamp

Relentless Pursuit by Bradley J Edwards with Brittany Henderson

About the book: This is the definitive story of the case against Jeffrey Epstein and the corrupt system that supported him and Ghislaine Maxwell, told in thrilling detail by the lawyer who has represented Epstein’s victims for more than a decade.

In June 2008, Florida-based victims’ rights attorney Bradley J Edwards was thirty-two years old and had just started his own law firm when a young woman named Courtney Wild came to see him. She told a shocking story of having been sexually coerced at the age of fourteen by a wealthy man in Palm Beach named Jeffrey Epstein. 

Edwards, who had never heard of Epstein, had no idea that this moment would change the course of his life. Over the next ten years, Edwards devoted himself to bringing Epstein to justice, and came close to losing everything in the process. Edwards tracked down and represented more than twenty of Epstein’s victims, and shined a light on his network of contacts and friends, among them Donald Trump, Bill Clinton, Ghislaine Maxwell and Prince Andrew.

Edwards gives his riveting, blow-by-blow account of battling Epstein on behalf of his clients, and provides stunning details never shared before. He explains how he followed Epstein’s criminal enterprise from Florida, to New York, to Europe, to a Caribbean island, and, in the process, became the one person Epstein most feared could take him down. 

Epstein and his cadre of high-priced lawyers were able to manipulate the FBI and the Justice Department, but, despite making threats and attempting schemes straight out of a spy movie, Epstein could not stop Edwards, his small team of committed lawyers and, most of all, the victims, who were dead-set on seeing their abuser finally put behind bars.

Relentless Pursuit: My Fight for the Victims of Jeffrey Epstein (2020) is the definitive account of the Epstein saga, personally told by the gutsy lawyer who took on one of the most brazen sexual criminals in the history of the US, and exposed the corrupt system that let him get away with it for far too long.

About the authors: Bradley J Edwards is a prominent board-certified civil trial lawyer in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, who specializes in representing victims of violent and sexual crimes. In addition to obtaining some of America’s largest jury verdicts, he prosecuted the landmark Crime Victims’ Rights case, Doe v United States, pro bono for more than ten years. He has published on the topic of crime victims’ rights in nationally recognized journals and speaks across the country on the representation of victims and survivors.

Brittany Henderson is a trial lawyer in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, who is committed to making a difference both in the courtroom and in the community. She has obtained nearly $100 million in jury verdicts and settlements in her short career as an advocate for crime victims. Additionally, she is the cofounder of two nonprofit organizations for sexual abuse survivors.

Elizabeth of the Trinity: Her Life and Spirituality by Marian T Murphy OCD

About the book: A VIBRANT PROPHET OF THE PRESENCE OF GOD' is how Pope John Paul II described Elizabeth of the Trinity. 

In this compelling book, we enter deeply into her life and spirituality and see just how relevant Elizabeth's message is for those of us living in today's highly secularised society. 

Attractive, lively, ardent, talented, yet with her share of faults, Elizabeth shows that when we give ourselves to God, he builds on our nature and transforms us gradually into himself. She challenges us to follow her example and respond to God's universal call to holiness, while reawakening us to the immense depth and beauty of the normal channels of God's prayer and the sacraments. 

The author shows how Elizabeth offers a compelling witness of holiness to the Church of today for 'Her life is what God wills every life to be'. Cardinal Albert de Courtray, former Bishop of Dijon, expressed it succinctly:

"It is easy to see how Elizabeth's message is addressed to all Christians. She never for one moment entertained the idea that her calling as a Carmelite conferred some sort of spiritual superiority on her. For Christian spiritual life is founded upon faith, baptism and becoming ever more like Jesus Christ; so that whatever the Christian may be, whatever his or her moral, psychological or social condition, he or she is always that 'new humanity' in which Christ will come again to renew all his mystery". 

About the author: Sister Marian Teresa Murphy, a Carmelite of St Joseph's Monastery, Liverpool, England, completed her MA dissertation on Elizabeth of the Trinity with distinction. She is the author of Always Believe in Love - Selected Spiritual Writings of Elizabeth of theTrinity. An engaging speaker, she has made several CDs on various aspects of Elizabeth's life and spirituality, which form the basis of this inspiring book. 

A Hymn To Life by Gisèle Pelicot

About the book: A Hymn to Life (2026) is the extraordinarily powerful memoir by a heroine of our times, whose story inspires change, compassion and courage.

One November day, Gisèle Pelicot was called to a local police station and life as she knew it ended. Her husband of fifty years had been caught by a supermarket guard filming up women’s skirts. But on his computer was shattering evidence: for nearly a decade, he had been secretly drugging and raping her and inviting dozens of strangers into their home to abuse her.

Four years later, he and fifty other men were put on trial and Gisèle’s courage in waiving her right to anonymity made global headlines. 

‘Shame must change sides,’ she declared, giving voice and hope to millions. Her words became a rallying cry and her decision marked a turning point in public feeling about sexual violence.

For the first time, and with unwavering honesty and grace, she describes a difficult childhood, first love, her career and motherhood. It is a life in determined search of happiness, both before and after her devastating discovery. She is an ordinary person who faces extraordinary catastrophe, whose example changes the world.

A Hymn to Life: Shame Has To Change Sides is an unforgettable testament and a promise. Its message is one of defiance and renewal – that victims have no reason to feel ashamed; that even after unimaginable betrayal we can go on; that the colour can come back to life. Ultimately, Gisèle Pelicot emerges with a renewed passion and reverence for living, and for love.

The book, Et la joie de vivre, written with journalist and novelist Judith Perrignon, will be published by Flammarion in a worldwide release in 22 languages on 17 February 2026. 

The English translation has the title A Hymn to Life: Shame Has to Change Sides and is translated by Natasha Lehrer and Ruth Diver. 

A Hymn to Life is an instant No 1 Sunday Times bestseller and a Best Book of 2026 for The Observer, Telegraph, Guardian, Financial Times, New York Times, Daily Mirror, Irish Times, GQ Magazine, Lit Hub, BBC and more!

About the author: Gisèle Pelicot was named as the most noteworthy person of 2024 in an opinion poll in France, eclipsing world leaders, and was honoured by Time. To mark International Women’s Day, the Independent named her the most influential woman of 2025. Her case contributed to the national debate on sexual violence in France, which led to a change in the legal definition of rape.

On 14 July 2025, Gisèle Pelicot has been awarded the Légion d’honneur, France’s highest civic honour.

About the translators: Natasha Lehrer is a writer, editor, and translator from French to English. She was born in London and studied at Oxford University and the Université de Paris VIII. Her translations have received multiple awards, and been longlisted and shortlisted for several prizes. Her recent translations include The White Dress by Nathalie Léger (Les Fugitives / Dorothy), Chinese Spies by Roger Faligot (Hurst), and Memories of Low Tide by Chantal Thomas (Pushkin Press). In 2017, she was awarded the Scott Moncrieff Prize for her co-translation (with Cécile Menon) of Nathalie Léger’s Suite for Barbara Loden. Her translations have appeared in Granta, 3AM Magazine, and The Paris Review, while her journalism regularly features in The Guardian, The Times Literary Supplement, Haaretz, and The Nation. She lives in Paris with her husband and three children.

Ruth Diver is an award-winning literary translator and the former head of comparative literature at the University of Auckland, where she also taught French and Russian. She is the author of Enfant Russes, Écrivains Français, and has published research on translingual authors in Roman 20-50, Europe and Revue des lettres modernes. She won the Asymptote Close Approximations Fiction Prize in 2016 for her translation of Maraudes by Sophie Pujas and has since published over a dozen full-length translations, including The Little Girl on the Ice Floe by Adélaïde Bon (shortlisted for the UK Translators Association Debut Translation Prize) and A History of the Big House by Charif Majdalani (shortlisted for the French-American Translation Prize). Extracts from her translations have appeared in Granta, Tripwire and Guernica. She lives in Aotearoa, New Zealand.

Ash Wednesday

Did you know that the Pretzel was invented by monks, partially, because of Lent and to reward students?

As we approach Lent (this Wednesday), look at the shape of a Pretzel. It was invented by monks in the 600s.

They called it Pretiola ("Little Reward"). The monk who invented them gave them to children as rewards for memorizing prayers or the catechism.

The shape represents arms crossed in prayer over the chest (the traditional posture before joined hands became popular).

It is made of only water, flour, and salt, no eggs, no milk, no fat. It was the perfect "fasting food" for Lent.

Every time you eat one, remember, it was made by Catholic monks to serve a holy purpose!

Let Him Stay

Sectioned: This Is A True Story by Debbie Ross

About the book: This is a true story about mental health. It goes really deep into mental health, to the point of being sectioned. 

It contains content of child abuse. So please be aware before reading it. 

It is also about how someone with huge mental health issues was treated by the police while in their care. It also relates and goes into detail about bank fraud, how a vulnerable person was taken advantage of with thousands of pounds and the police did absolutely nothing about it. Her life was threatened, and nothing was done, she was treated like an animal and yet still nothing was done. 

Sectioned: This is a True Story (2025) contains pictures, screenshots and emails between herself and Police Scotland and is independently published and available on Amazon UK and eBay UK.

About the author: "I (Debbie Ross) am just an ordinary girl telling stories. I write them the same way I would tell them. There are no fancy words or perfect grammar in my books. I call a spade a spade in real life and that is the exact same way I write. If you are looking for a book with perfect grammar that describes how blue the sky is and the shapes of the clouds, you will not like my books. I get straight to the point. If I was on TV, half of it would be bleeped out. This is how I write. It is most definitely not for children. I do a mixture of novels and short stories - some will be funny - some will be sad - I hope you enjoy reading them."

LIFELINE by Darren Ryan

About the book: FROM FRONTLINE TO LIFELINE, YOU CANNOT UNSEE WHAT YOU HAVE SEEN.

I joined the police to keep people safe.

I didn't join to become a broken man.

After decades as a Serious Crime Detective, I found myself battling PTSD, trauma and addiction - the hidden cost of hunting predators online.

In LIFELINE: How a former detective survived PTSD and how you can too (2025), I share my true story: the darkness faced, the toll it took and the long road to healing. Because no one makes it through alone. Others became my lifeline.

Whether you're a first responder, a family member or fighting your own silent war, I hope my story becomes more than just words. I hope it becomes your lifeline. And maybe, you'll become someone else's, too.

I wish I'd had this book when I hit crisis. I want to help others protect their mental health before it's too late.

This book might save your life.

About the author: Darren Ryan is the Founder of Lifeline Coaching and Mentoring, a mental health speaker, a risk management consultant and an author. He was a former UK undercover police detective (Detective Inspector) investigating some of the most serious and complex crimes including child abuse investigations. 

Find out more about Darren Ryan on https://www.lifelinecoachingandmentoring.com/about.html.

Rogue Royal by Lady Colin Campbell

About the book: Rogue Royal is The New York Times and Sunday Times best selling writer Lady Colin Campbell's second published novel.

Inspired by the antics of many of the household names who have been a part of the social set on both sides of the Atlantic, Royal Rogue (2025) takes the reader behind the scenes to what life was really like for the rich and famous in the heyday of the 20th century, when the elite lived lives whose details and reality were seldom accessible to the general public.

Arising from the ashes of the horrors of the Nazi regime in the Second World War, Rogue Royal follows its characters through into their consequent and consequential life events in the 60s, 70s and early 80s. Featuring vivid descriptions of the scandalous adventures and escapades of the female protagonist and her international lovers and friends within a stunning high-class set of aristocratic and royal characters from Britain, Romania, Jamaica and America, Rogue Royal is a revelatory page turner from beginning to end.

About the author: Lady Colin Campbell lives between London and Castle Goring with her two sons. Through marriage and common ancestors, she is connected to all the Royal Families of Europe and has been a fixture in Society and gossip columns on both sides of the Atlantic for the last four decades.

She wrote the London Times and New York Times bestseller Diana in Private (1992), which lifted the lid on the state of the Wales marriage as well as revealing a host of firsts, including that Diana had an eating disorder; that she and Prince Charles led separate lives; that she had asked for a divorce; and that both she and her husband had lovers. Her acclaimed posthumous biography The Real Diana (1998/2004) was called the ‘most believable Diana biography’ by People magazine, and Royal Book News noted that ‘Lady Colin Campbell’s books are now must haves.’ Her 2005 novel Empress Bianca became an international cause célèbre, and was described by Alexander Waugh of the Literary Review as ‘brilliant’.

She is also the author of Guide to Being a Modern Lady (1986); The Royal Marriages (1993); A Life Worth Living (1997); Daughter of Narcissus (2009) and she ghosted With Love From Pet Heaven by Tum Tum the Springer Spaniel (2010). In 2012, her acclaimed biography, The Untold Life of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, was published, and in 2018, The Queen’s Marriage.

Rating: 5/5

Time Bombs Of The Second Vatican Council: Conference by Fr Franz Schmidberger

About the booklet: In this little booklet (1996, 2005, 2007), Fr Franz Schmidberger, former Superior General of the Society of Saint Pius X (1982-94), explains how the Second Vatican Council brought about the destruction of Catholic bastions by:

1) Not clearly defining Catholic Truth

2) Failing to definitively reject error

3) Adopting ambiguous, contradictory language

4) Establishing teachings very close to heresy

Chapters include:

The Church after 1945

Prophets of gloom

A reform of the Church

Opening Speech of Vatican II

Two modern errors

Vatican II

Decree on Ecumenism: Unitatis Redintegratio

No Salvation outside the Church

Ecumenical practices

Who is to blame?

Decree on the Church: Lumen Gentium

Decree on Non-Christian Religions: Nostra Aetate

Hinduism

Buddhism

Islam

The Jews

Spirit of Indifferentism

Declaration on Religious Liberty: Dignitatis Humanae

Decree on the Church in the Modern World: Gaudium et Spes

False solution

True solution

"Keep the Faith"

Pray

Fr Schmidberger proves his points by specifically examining five harmful decrees of the Second Vatican Council. An understanding of these decrees is crucial to seeing that the root of the crisis in the Catholic Church is not simply an accumulation of abuses since the Council, but is to be found in the Council itself.

Our Lady Of Champion: Prayer Book For Pilgrims by Father Edward Looney

About the book: In 1859, the Virgin Mary appeared as the Queen of Heaven to Adele Brise, a 28-year-old Belgian immigrant living in Northeast Wisconsin. 

Today, the National Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help commemorates this Marian apparition - the only approved apparition to have taken place on United States soil.

One need not visit Lourdes or Fatima to pray at the site of a Marian apparition. The Mother of God has blessed our own country (USA) with her presence. More Catholics, especially American Catholics, need to know what happened in Wisconsin, to learn its message, and to enter into a time of prayer.

This Pilgrim’s Prayer Manual, Our Lady of Champion (2019), will

1) Guide the devotee on a pilgrimage to the National Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help

2) Help increase devotion to Our Lady

3) Serve as a spiritual pilgrimage for those not able to physically go

4) Introduce the faithful to Adele, the visionary

5) Offer the fascinating history of the United States only approved Marian Apparition

Through the rosary, the stations, novenas, and other prayers, Pilgrim’s Prayer Manual serves not only as a beautiful memento for pilgrims, but it will also help those unable to go to Champion, to foster their own devotion to the Blessed Mother from the comfort of their own home as a pilgrim from afar.

About the author: Fr Edward Looney is a Marian theologian and Catholic author and speaker who serves as a parish priest in the Diocese of Green Bay. He hosts the podcast How They Love Mary. Looney is the author of several books, including A Heart Like Mary's. He has contributed to numerous publications, including Catholic Digest, Catholic Exchange, Aleteia, and Homiletic and Pastoral Review. He also has appeared on EWTN TV and radio, Relevant Radio, The Catholic Channel on SiriusXM, Spirit Radio, Mater Dei Radio, and Radio Maria. Looney earned a bachelor's degree in philosophy from Conception Seminary College. He also received a bachelor's degree in sacred theology and a master's degree in divinity from the University of St Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary. In 2011, Looney was the youngest person to present a paper at the annual meeting of the Mariological Society of America. In 2015, he was elected to the administrative council of the organization and, in 2020, became vice president.

How To Protect Independent Bookstores And Why by Danny Caine

About the book: Can independent bookstores save the world? 

As bastions of culture, anchors of local retail districts, community gathering places, and the source of new ideas, inspiration, and delight, maybe they can. But only if we protect them and the vital roles they fill in our communities. 

Danny Caine, author of the bestselling sensation How to Resist Amazon and Why (2022) and former co-owner of Raven Book Store in Lawrence, Kansas, makes a powerful case for the in this serious, nationwide survey of the US's vital independent bookstore scene. 

At once an urgent call to action and a deep appreciation of everything bookstores can do, Caine's new book features a brief overview of 20th century bookselling and how it got that way, plus case-study profiles of the most interesting, creative, and progressive bookstores of today. 

Through examples, analysis, and vibrant and well-informed advocacy, Caine offers a cohesive roadmap for a sustainable future of bookselling, from policy suggestions to business strategies to tips on what consumers can do to help. 

A captivating read for any lover of books, patron of independent bookstores, or anyone who champions their survival, How to Protect Independent Bookstores and Why: The Present and Future of Bookselling (2023) makes the strongest possible case for a resilient, inclusive, and progressive landscape of independent bookstores.

About the author: Danny Caine is the author most recently of Jewish American Dream, winner of the inaugural Sarabande Chapbook Prize. He has also written four poetry collections as well as the books How to Protect Bookstores and Why and How to Resist Amazon and Why. He is a former owner of the Raven Book Store, winner of Publishers Weekly's 2022 Bookstore of the Year award. His poetry has appeared in The Slowdown, LitHub, DIAGRAM, HAD, and Barrelhouse. He lives in Ohio.

Caine's next book, How To Defend Books And Why, will be released on 2 June 2026.

The Loft by Marlen Haushofer

About the book: An Austrian housewife sits in her loft intent on her drawings of birds and insects.

The loft is a retreat where she can work undisturbed. It is also a retreat from her dull and dissatisfied husband, a man who sighs unhappily even when she sneezes. Their grown-up children are living independent lives and the house is very quiet. Her dreams are filled with domestic drudgery.

Then one day, a package arrives containing extracts from the narrator's diary, written twenty years before. Back then she had been sent away to a remote cottage in a bid to 'cure' her from unexplained sudden deafness. More mysterious packages containing old diary entries arrive. 

Who is sending them? 

And what did happened all those years ago in the forest?

The Loft (1969, 2025) was translated by Amanda Prantera in 2011.

About the author: Marie Helene Haushofer was born in Frauenstein, Austria in 1920. Following the Second World War, she worked in her husband's dentistry practice. She began publishing short stories in magazines from 1946. She enjoyed success with her novella The Fifth Year, which was published in 1952 but her most enduring work was The Wall, first published in 1963 and now considered a classic of dystopian fiction. She died in 1970.

About the translator: Amanda Prantera was born in Newmarket, Suffolk, UK, in 1942. She went to a series of 'finishing' schools in Oxford, France and Italy, officially studying languages and history of art. She was married, at twenty-two, to a brave Italian doctor and has lived with him in Rome ever since. When her daughters, Sofia and Costanza, were in their teens, she embarked on a tardy programme of study: took A levels, learnt German, got a degree in philosophy, read voraciously and then set about writing novels of her own. To date, her proudest productions are her four grandchildren: Tegan, Nye, Matty and Milou.

Rating: 5/5

The Bridge To Heaven: Interviews With Maria Esperanza of Betania (Revised and Updated) by Drew J Mariani and Michael H Brown

About the book: In the great eruption of mysticism, in the din of locutionists and visionaries, in the current chaos of private revelation, one voice has managed to stand out. It is the voice, and the vision, of a matronly woman named Maria Esperanza de Bianchini, from the hillside outskirts of Caracas, Venezuela.

During the past several years, I have met dozens of reputed visionaries and have visited more than thirty sites of supposed apparition. I do not like to draw comparisons, but with the exception of the seers in Medjugorje, none have left as deep and lasting an impression as Maria Esperanza.

As you will discover, this is not your standard "visionary." The phenomena go far beyond those normally associated with apparition sites. Maria is a stigmatist, a prophet, a healer. She has been seen in bilocation, and dozens of competent observers have themselves witnessed the Virgin while in Maria's company at a place called Betania.

Others have watched as a Host miraculously appears in her mouth, or as strange luminous clouds appear.

Like some of the more remarkable saints, she has also been seen to levitate in ecstasy.

The bishop himself has witnessed phenomena, and so respected is Maria by the local episcopate that she is allowed to have the Blessed Sacrament in a chapel in her own home, which overlooks the wavering lights of Caracas.

Perhaps the most remarkable event to take place in Betania occurred on 8 December 1991 on the feast of the Immaculate Conception. During the celebration of the Holy Mass, a consecrated Host began to bleed.

No, this is not just another seer. Nor, as far as I can tell, is this the product of imagination, exaggeration, or hysteria. If but half of what they say is true, Maria Esperanza de Bianchini is one of the major mystics of this century.

(The Authors)

The Bridge To Heaven: Interviews With Maria Esperanza of Betania (Revised and Updated) (1993) was republished in 2003.

Village Voices by Odile Hellier

About the book: Village Voices: A Memoir Of The Village Voice Bookshop (Paris, 1982-2012) (2024) is a celebration of the legacy of the Village Voice bookshop in Paris, founded by Odile Hellier in 1982. This collective memoir brings to life a literary history of a heady time in Paris, capturing a myriad of voices for whom “literature was not just a pastime but the very stuff of life.”

Village Voices is a collective memoir that brings to life the authors, publishers, and friends who frequented one of the most famous English-Language bookshops in Paris - the Village Voice bookshop. 

Founded by Odile Hellier in 1982, Village Voice was a hub for artists, writers, and anglophone literary life for over three decades. Told through the voices of artists that were reckoning, preserving, challenging, and archiving the time and languages that they lived in, this carefully curated collection, organized thematically, encapsulates some of the most important reflections and debates of 20th century literary history. From Allen Ginsberg to Toni Morrison, Michael Ondaatje, Raymond Carver, and Amy Tan, Hellier preserves the decades-long vibrant readings and dialogues that took place in this tiny bookshop on the Rue Princesse.

Hellier mines decades of archival footage to present anecdotes and insight from the spontaneous and informal exchanges that occurred among generations of literary and cultural icons. These artists present a multidimensional landscape of Parisian literary history in dialogue with American and global literary conversation. 

The book is a life-long curatorial project, a conversation across time, and a historical archive, created by a bookseller seeking to preserve the history of her much-loved bookshop.

Village Voice bookshop is now permanently closed.

About the author: Odile Hellier was born in the South of France during World War II and raised in the two different regions of Lorraine, near the German border still haunted by past wars, and Brittany fronting the Atlantic Ocean. After advanced studies in Russian language and literature, she taught high school for two years and then decided to broaden her scope and work in world organizations. 

During the fall of 1968, Hellier enrolled in a professional school in Paris that trained translators and interpreters in international relations. Hellier is the founder and owner of the Village Voice Bookshop - a hub of Anglophone literary life and culture that operated in the heart of Saint-Germain-des-Prés in Paris for over thirty years. This book is Hellier's archival project and personal memoir. 

P/S Charles Kenneth "C. K." Williams (introduction) was an American poet, critic and translator. Williams won many poetry awards. Flesh and Blood won the National Book Critics Circle Award in 1987. Repair won the 2000 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, was a National Book Award finalist and won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize.

Chinese Parents Don't Say I Love You by Candice Chung

About the book: After a thirteen-year relationship came to an end, food journalist Candice Chung found herself losing not only her first love but also her most reliable restaurant review partner. And so when her parents offer to be her new plus-ones, she faces a dilemma: Is it better to eat together in polite silence or to try to broach how, for the past decade, they have managed to drift so profoundly apart?

Through shared meals and culinary adventures, Candice and her parents begin to break their silence. Yet when a new relationship begins to bloom, it forces her to try to address what still remains unsaid. To do so, she must find a new vocabulary - a way to unscramble what her family has been trying to express all along. Not through words, but with food.

Set against the backdrop of this burgeoning new relationship, grasped-at date nights mid-pandemic, and an uncertain future across seas, Chinese Parents Don't Say I Love You (2025) is packed with heart, humour, and those bright-hearted moments around a dinner table that bring us together.

Chinese Parents Don't Say I Love You: A Memoir of Saying the Unsayable with Food is a Financial Times Best Summer Book and LoveReading’s Best Books of the Year 2025.

About the author: Candice Chung is a Glasgow-based writer and editor. Her work has appeared in The Sydney Morning Herald, Good Food, The Australian Gourmet Traveller, The Guardian, Gutter, and more. She is a founding member of Diversity in Food Media Australia, which supports and promotes underrepresented voices in food. Her story ‘Why Chinese Parents Don’t Say I Love You’, first published on The Sydney Morning Herald, generated more than 2 million page impressions.

Three Wee Bookshops At The End Of The World by Ruth Shaw

About the book: Following the international bestselling success of The Bookseller at the End of the World (2022), Ruth Shaw continues her remarkable story in this charming sequel. 

Having found love with Lance, Ruth shares their sailing adventures, world travels, conservation efforts, and the joy of running their beloved bookshops together. 

Written in Ruth’s characteristic style, this absorbing memoir weaves together extraordinary people, laugh-out-loud funny situations, and tales from the bookshops, all interwoven with expert book recommendations. 

Despite life’s challenges, Ruth’s story traverses the highs and lows of a life lived to the full, creating another deeply satisfying and heartwarming read.

About the author: Ruth Shaw runs a cluster of three wee bookshops in remote Manapōuri in the far south of New Zealand. She lives with her husband, Lance. In 2022, she published her first memoir, The Bookseller at the End of the World, which has since become a critically acclaimed national and international treasure. It has been translated into Italian, Dutch, German, Turkish, Chinese, Swedish, Russian, Slovakian, Korean, Spanish and Arabic. Her second book, Bookshop Dogs, came out in October 2023, and instantly became a New Zealand bestseller. It was published in both the UK and in the US in late 2024 and is translated into Italian and Russian. 

Three Wee Bookshops at the End of the World is Shaw's third book published in 2025.

How Carelessly I Lived

Antoinette