Recommended books for Catholic Spiritual Reading

Having read through several catholic authors and their book recommendations for Spiritual reading I thought I would write out the Authors and their book recommendations for others to read.

Eugene Boylan in "This Tremendoue Lover" recommends the following:
1. Read scripture especially the Gospels
2. Read lives of Christ
3. Read something on Church teaching/doctrine/theology
He recommends the following from the two volume "Teaching of The Church" edited by George Smith Some of these can be found here: http://www.marys-touch.com/teaching.htm
A. Outline of Catholic teaching
B.The fall of Man
C. The Mystical body of Christ
D. The Supernatural Virtues
E. Sanctifying Grace
F. Actual Grace
G. The Holy Ghost
4. Read the lives of the saints
5. Blosius- A book of spiritual Instruction



Jonathan Robinson in "The Spiritual Combat Revisited" Recommends the following:
1. The Bible
2. The Office of Readings from the Liturgy of the Hours
3. The Missal readings for Sunday/weekday
4. The Imitation of Christ



Jean Daujat in "The Faith Applied" recommends:
1. The Old and Partucularly the New Testament
2. The Missal readings- Sunday/daily
3. Writings of the Saints
4. The Imitation of Christ



Fr. John Kearney in "My Spiritual Exercises" recommends:
1. Holy Scripture- Old Testament and New- especially
a. A Harmony of The Gospel
b. Lives of Christ
c. Scripture readings in the Missal
d. and the use of a concordance to look up a word and then read all the passages that contain that word and compare them.
2. Lives of the Saints
3. Ascetical works-works on living the spiritual life
a. The Spiritual Combat- Scupoli/Robinson
b. Introduction to the Devout Life- De Sales
c. Guidance in Spiritual Direction- Charles Hugo Doyle



Raphael Simon in Hammer and Fire recommends:
1. New Testament- especially Johns Gospel
a. The Sermon on the Mount-Matt 5,6,7
b. The Last Supper Discourse- John 13-17
c. Acts of the Apostles/Epistles
2. Old Testament
a. Sapiential Books-Wisdom, Proverbs, Sirach, Ecclesiates
b. The Psalms
c. Isiah-especially chapter 49 to the end
3. Lives of Christ by
a. Alban Goodier
b. fulton Sheen
c. Frank Sheed
d. Guisseppe Ricciotti
4. Lives of Saints



Robert Eiten, S.J. in "A Laymans way of Perfection" recommends:
1. Sacred Scripture
2. The imitation of Christ
3. Introduction to the Devout life
4. Writings of Alban goodier; Abbot Marmion; Raoul Plus; Edward Leen, Adolphe Tanguerey
5. Writings of St Augustine- St. Bernard- St. Bonaventura



Andre Perret in "Holiness of Life" recommends:
1. The Gospels
2. Acts of the Apostles
3. Epistles of Paul


As a side note when I was reading a Biography of The Cure of Ars Its aid that St. Joseph Benedict Labre, who visited the Cire's grandfathers house always carried a breviary, the Imitation of Christ and a book of the Gospels.

My own recommendations for Spiritual reading would be the following:
1. Introduction to the Devout Life- De Sales
2. The Spiritual combat Revisited- Johnathan Robinson
3. Life of Christ by Fulton Sheen
4. Christ in the Gospel by Fr. Frey which is available from Tan books
5. My daily Psalm book also avaiable from Tan
6. The Everyday Catholic by Martin Harrison
7. The readings from the Missal
8. Lives of the Saints- especially St. Augustine; St. Francis De Sales; St. John Vianney; St. Joan of Arc by Beevers; Blessed Charles de Foucauld; St. Louis King of France.