Daughter Zion by Joseph Ratzinger/Pope Benedict XVI

This is another book exploring Catholic Theology, and if you don't read other books about theology, this one is probably not the best place to start.  It's very short, but not light reading. 

The first portion of the book provides one of the best explorations of Mary as Virgin and Mother, as Theotokos, that I've encountered. The meditations in the portions on the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption included some beautiful insights into the Catholic faith. For such a short work, Daughter Zion is certainly quite an accomplishment. Readers should be aware going in, however, that the book is a theological meditation... it goes into more theological and exegetical detail than a prayerful meditation, but it doesn't really seek to be a rigorous theological proof. The sections on the Immaculate Conception and Assumption are thought provoking and spiritually uplifting, and they point in an interesting direction for rational consideration of these Marian doctrines, but they leave a lot of room for questioning. I'm not sure that this is a weakness, but I think that readers will get a lot more out of the work if they go in expecting insightful observations rather than a complete theological defense of controversial doctrines.

Theology for Beginners by Frank J. Sheed

Before I go on with the rest of my review, let me start by saying that this is a book about Catholicism for people interested in really getting to know Catholic Theology.  If that doesn't apply to you, obviously I would not recommend this book...

This is an excellent starting point for delving into Catholic thought. It is not an easy read, but only because the subject matter is hard. It is clearly and readably written, it's phrasing is carefully considered for accuracy, and, while it doesn't go into great depth on things, it doesn't dumb them down, either. When I first read this book, there were elements that I didn't quite understand, and claims that I did not necessarily accept. It, however, gave me the grounding (and the questions) to explore a number of theological issues more deeply, and for several years after reading it I found myself realizing what Sheed meant by the things that he said, or why things that I hadn't quite embraced were, in fact, correct. If you're looking to start investigating Catholic theology and are frustrated to find that everything you read is either beyond your current knowledge level or is dumbed down too much to get you anywhere, this book just might be what you're looking for.