Heads up: affiliate links alert.
As you may or may not know, my husband is formerly an Episcopal priest and currently associate professor of theology at Belmont Abbey College in North Carolina. His doctoral thesis (Cambridge University 2005) dealt with a document produced by a consortium of thinkers in what is known as the Anglo-Catholic wing of the Church of England – Anglicans, in other words, whose project was to re-embrace the Catholic identity at the root of Anglicanism, and whose own Victorian-era predecessors included now-Saint John Henry Newman – called Catholicity, and concerning the idea that the way for the Church of England to continue to speak to its surrounding culture in that postwar era was to invest itself in the living-out of that Catholic identity.
Those thinkers, as well as figures like now-Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI and Romano Guardini, who were significant for him even before our entry into the Catholic Church, continue as influential and nourishing voices in his own thought and life. Of particular regard is Austin Farrer, Dean of Keble College, Oxford, and friend of J.R.R. Tolkien. So – kind of interestingly – in recent days are people like Bob Schuchts of the John Paul II Healing Center in Florida, and others involved in the charismatic healing movement.
Anyway, together he and I have compiled a House Theologian's Picks section in my Bookshop storefront dedicated to his own reading interests. It's a fairly diverse selection of books oriented toward growth in the spiritual life. Some are headier than others. Some are included because they're on his own to-read list, and he wanted to buy them through my Bookshop. But it's an interesting section to browse, and if you're looking for spiritual reading or an expansion of your own theological education as part of your Mother Culture self-care reading regimen, you may find something to like here.
I particularly recommend then-Cardinal Ratzinger's beautiful book, pictured here, Seek That Which Is Above. My own introduction to Ratzinger's writing, this book is a series of meditations walking through the liturgical year. It's short, accessible, and – again – beautiful. But there's much to like here. My interest is piqued by Robert McSwain's commentary on Austin Farrer's The Glass of Vision, though I think I'll wait until some version that doesn't cost $210 becomes available.
At any rate, if you're looking for theology and spiritual reading, come wander through our stacks. Note, too, that my Bookshop includes poetry, fiction, nonfiction, children's books, and a fairly wide-ranging selection of books and resources related to homeschooling.
As noted above, these are affiliate links which provide some modest income for our family. We all appreciate any purchases you might make through these links. I like bookselling, I believe in Bookshop's mission in supporting brick-and-mortar bookstores, and I take real pleasure in offering interesting booklists for your perusal.
Happy reading!