The Queue: Post-Christmastide Edition

My reading plan has changed in light of the death of Pope Benedict XVI (Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, 16 April 1927-31 December 2022). I've had The Pope Benedict XVI Reader from Word on Fire & two of his papal encyclicals on my shelf for years, & it is long past time that I dive into his thought myself, having received much of it secondhand through self-professed "Ratzinger fanboys" in Catholic media.

Requiescat in pace.

After finishing Luman gentium ("Light of the nations"), I made the impulsive decision to read Dei verbum ("Word of God"), by far the shortest of Vatican II's four constitutions. I don't know if I'll finish the whole Pope Benedict XVI Reader & both encyclicals, Deus Caritas Est & Sacramentum Caritatis, before starting Gaudium et spes ("Joy and Hope"), by far the longest of Vatican II's four constitutions.

Reading A Devotional Journey into the Easter Mystery has been tentatively postponed 'til Lent 2024, should the world perdure, but I still intend to read Ska: An Oral History during this SKApril.

I met the authoress, Sara Shanning, at the green gorcer on Sunday, quite unintentionally, & bought Rise of the Antichrist as an impulse purchase. There are seven books in the "Chosen Angel Series," inspired by the seven seals in the Apocalypse of John (the Book of Revelation). From the title page:

This book is fiction. Biblical reference was used to fuel the imagination. ISV may be quoted or referenced. Any resemblance to person, place or event was used fictitiously. I do believe angels are real, but living among us as The Seven do is highly unlikely. The truth shall be revealed in heaven.

When we were chatting, she referenced the Left Behind series; so, reading this book, let alone buying it, might well turn out to be a terrible mistake. We shall see.

Recently
Father Blake Britton, Reclaiming Vatican II: What It (Really) Says, What It Means, and How It Calls Us to Renew the Church
Fathers of Vatican II, Sacrosanctum Concilium (from The Word on Fire Vatican II Collection)
Earl Swift, Across the Airless Wilds: The Lunar Rover and the Triumph of the Final Moon Landings
Fathers of Vatican II, Luman gentium (from The Word on Fire Vatican II Collection)
Fathers of Vatican II, Dei verbum (from The Word on Fire Vatican II Collection)

Currently
Sara Shanning, Seal One: Rise of the Antichrist
Pope Benedict XVI, The Pope Benedict XVI Reader

Presently
Pope Benedict XVI, Deus Caritas Est (God Is Love)
Pope Benedict XVI, Sacramentum Caritatis (The Sacrament of Charity)
Fathers of Vatican II, Gaudium et spes (from The Word on Fire Vatican II Collection)
Heather Augustyn, Ska: An Oral History (SKApril 2023)
John W. O'Malley, What Happened at Vatican II
Xavier Rynne, Vatican Council II
Christopher Carstens, A Devotional Journey into the Easter Mystery