Help! I'm turning into a Catholic book-a-holic!

One of the sure fire ways to know that God has a sense of humor is that He transforms people in ways that you would not think that particular person could be transformed. Turning me into a Catholic Book-a-holic is the very last thing anyone could have imagined, for one very simple reason. That reason is that, even though I had very good eyesight in some respects, reading was not one of them. I had incredible difficulty getting through the pages of a book at anything greater than the snailiest of snail paces. This caused me great frustration being married to a speed-reader.

Part of the reason could very well be medical. At 12 years old, I was in a nearly fatal sledding accident. In fact, it's fair to say that it was a miracle that I even survived the ambulance rides to the 2 hospitals, much less the all-night surgery.

As a result, I developed a condition called Nystagmus as well as other sever injuries that prevented me from serving my country like my Father did and my mentor Don Hartley. The involuntary eye movements, caused by trying to focus on the center of my field of vision gave me terrible headaches and is probably the reason why I have 30 year old books collecting dust.

There are a few books I have read over the years that I recommend to anyone. This is one. This is another. There are some but not many. Not many that I finished, that is. A lot that I started but well, you know.

All that changed this year when I made my mind- at the start of this year- up to finish a book I bought last year called Dark Night of the Soul . My motivation was ironic enough. I was going through severe depression after our mentally challenged and illegally elected President was installed and I needed something- anything- to be positive about. The book is about 300 pages if I remember correctly. I had finished maybe 75. I buckled down and finished it. I guess I was looking for sense in my own misery. Man oh man did I find it in that one.

Rejuvenated by this small success, I decided to tear the plastic off the Diary of Saint Faustina which had been sitting on a shelf for at least 6 months. I jumped in and it was another POW! of insights for the searching Catholic.

I finished it's nearly 400 pages. Never in my life had I read 2 books that big in the same year, much less back to back.

Then I saw the big one....taunting me.

I knew that Mel Gibson's Passion of the Christ was based on this massive tome which is literally like a foot tall and about 3/4 of that in width and a terrifying 760 pages. Last year, I gave up after 5 hours of intense reading got me only 50 pages into the book. I was certain that if 10 pages an hour was all I could manage- and it really was- then there was no way on this earth I could persevere through this book.

Then it was on! I wanted to know every Saint, Every devotion, every historical event and anecdote. I next decided to tackle Saint Bernadette Soubirous who I thought I knew! The emotional impact was like being hit by a train.

Then it was books people were recommending and classics.... Saint Theresa Of Lisuex, Teresa of Avila, Catherine of Sienna, Margaret Mary Alacogue, the Incorruptibles, The End of the Present Age, Consecrations to Joseph and to Jesus through Mary....

I now I have completed 15 books and have at least that many in the que, with 10x as many that I want to read. That is where it's now getting out of hand.

During our incredible show detailing the story of Deeper truth member Terry Delp, Terry chimed in at how The Lamb's Supper by Scott Hahn changed his life. Fellow Deeper Truth member Mike Sheeren shared a similar claim about Fulton Sheen's book "Life of Christ". No, I don't have either book. I have been able to resist the temptation to order so far....

but I'm getting weak and breaking down.

My new addiction is upon me.

Is there anyone who can help me?

(Hey John, this is Don, I gave most of my books to Brother Fred Williams! Your carrying the torch right now doing the Deepertruth Olympics of Reading right now! Carry on)