Ah, Lent. A time for ashes on foreheads, forgetting the no-meat rule on Fridays and trying to decide what to give up this year.

And it’s a great time of year to do some spiritual reading.

But trying to find a book that’s right for you can feel as hard as deciding what to give up for Lent. Don’t sweat it! Here are five book recommendations from the CatholicMonth.ly team.

Consoling the Heart of Jesus by Fr. Michael Gaitley

This book reads like a retreat. Fr. Gaitley combines his own retreat talks with the insights of saints like Ignatius of Loyola, Therese of Lisieux and Faustina Kowalska. The result is a guidebook for a DIY retreat, chock-full of spiritual wisdom in a conversational style. Take and read with an open heart, and you’ll be moved like never before.

The Tears of Christ by St. John Henry Newman

Newman was a brilliant scholar and preacher. His sermons are famous for a reason: They really make you think, but they also grip your heart. This book presents his Lenten sermons in nice bite-sized chunks.

The Noonday Devil by Jean-Charles Nault

During Lent, we examine ourselves and root out what prevents us from growing closer to God. This penetrating book explores one such obstacle: “acedia,” a spiritual weariness that saps your joy, makes you restless and keeps you from sticking with your good intentions. You’ll learn how to recognize acedia in your daily habits and then combat it in your prayer life.

What Jesus Saw From the Cross by A.G. Sertillanges

Do you like to use your imagination in prayer? This book is a perfect way to do that. Sertillanges gives so many vivid details as he describes Christ’s journey from Gethsemane to Golgotha, you’ll feel like you’re watching it right before your eyes. You won’t want to put this book down.

The Gospels

Okay, perhaps this doesn’t technically count as a “book,” but it’s totally worth your while. Pick one of the four Gospels and read a little bit of it every day. When you read it from beginning to end like a story, you pick up on details you may not have noticed before. It’s like getting to know Jesus in a whole new way.

Happy reading! Have a blessed March, and see you next month.