Books

Thought-provoking books on an everyday topic

"Table of Plenty: Good Food for Body and Spirit" by Susan Muto. Franciscan Media (Cincinnati, 2014). 160 pp., $15.99. "Epic Food Fight: A Bite-Sized History of Salvation" by Father Leo Patalinghug. Servant Books (Cincinnati, 2014). 176 pp., $17.99. Reviewed by Nancy L. Roberts These two slim paperbacks serve up substantial…

What if JFK served a second term?

"If Kennedy Lived: The First and Second Terms of President John F. Kennedy: An Alternate History" by Jeff Greenfield. G.P. Putnam's Sons (New York, 2013). 249 pp., $26.95. Reviewed by Eugene J. Fisher I was in college and deeply involved in the civil rights movement of the early 1960s when…

A mystery novel of love, isolation and belief gone wrong

"What Happened to Sophie Wilder" by Christopher R. Beha. Tin House Books (Portland, Ore., 2012). 253 pp., $15.95. Reviewed by Maureen Daly "What Happened to Sophie Wilder," the first novel by Christopher R. Beha, deserves to be placed in the company of great Catholic fiction by Walker Percy, Graham Greene,…

Tales of heroic, miraculous acts dulled by poor writing, editing

"The Miracle of Father Kapaun" by Roy Wenzl and Travis Heyling. Ignatius Press (San Francisco, 2013). 160 pp., $19.95. "Padre Pio: Glimpse into the Miraculous" by Pascal Cataneo. Pauline Books and Media (Boston, 2013). 170 pp., $12.95. Reviewed by Graham Yearley If courage was the only requirement to become a…