The Thorny Grace of It: And Other Essays for Imperfect Catholics

Best-selling and award-winning essayist Brian Doyle knows that the heartbeat of Catholicism is found not in papal decrees and pageantry, but in the parish halls, potluck dinners, and the believing community. In this spirited collection of more than 40 essays, Doyle employs his trademark wit, candor, and gusto for life and faith to reignite readers’ excitement for Catholicism as he plumbs some of the stickier and trickier elements of the Catholic character.

From preparing for his first confession with a fake laundry list of sins to his young observations of President Kennedy’s assassination, Doyle’s passionate writing makes for a heartfelt, genuine, and often laugh-out-loud read. The Thorny Grace of It reaffirms that the Catholic faith—imperfect as it is—is wildly aflame in hearts and lives everywhere.

“It is a boon, a blessing, to have Brian Doyle’s vagabond essays now rubbing elbows in a single, handy, and altogether delightful volume." 
- Kenneth L. Woodward, author of The Book of Miracles

• Leaping: Revelations & Epiphanies
• Reading In Bed 2nd Edition: Bried headlong essays about books & writers & reading & readers
• One Long River of Song: Notes on Wonder
• Eight Whopping Lies and Other Stories of Bruised Grace
• A Book of Uncommon Prayer: 100 Celebrations of the Miracle & Muddle of the Ordinary
• How the Light Gets in: And Other Headlong Epiphanies
• Grace Notes: True stories about sins, sons, shrines, marriage...
• The Kind of Brave You Wanted to Be: Prose Prayers and Cheerful Chants against the Dark
• Mink River
• Children and Other Wild Animals: Notes on badgers, otters, sons, hawks, daughters, dogs, bears, air, bobcats, fishers, mascots, Charles Darwin, newts, ... tigers and various other zoological matters