By DEACON BARRY MELLISH
Time spent at home during lockdown seems an excellent opportunity to catch up with some modern or contemporary spiritual authors and their books. The problem is how to get hold of these if all the local libraries are shut.
The Open Library seems to offer a way forward, if you are happy to read or browse text on a computer, tablet or maybe even mobile phone.
The authors I have checked out initially include Belloc and Chesterton, St John Newman, John Main (meditation), Nicky Gumbel (Alpha course), Joan Chittister and Esther de Waal, and an Indian Jesuit priest Anthony de Mello.
The library aims to identify many books published by each author, but does not make all of them available, but there is plenty there for for the more popular authors.
And a significant benefit is that it is free! Readers are invited to donate but there is no obligation to do so.
More information can be found online at the Open Library.