How to Be a Saint: An Extremely Weird and Mildly Sacrilegious History of the Catholic Church's Biggest Names

Thanks to Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS for eARC!Okay, this was delightful. Informative and humorous, with excellent visuals, as a non-Catholic I learned, I laughed, I loved. Definitely adding this to my pre-orders list, because it's just that much fun. Gave me Michael Largo vibes, and he's one of my favorites so I welcomed it. Kate's writing has a natural, easy flow to it, and the book is quite approachable for any reader. Extensive, diligent research went into this, and it's shown through the work (and list of resources at the back in the bibliography.) A glossary is included, very helpful. You can also make your own holy card and certificate of saintification!Quick and fairly easy read, and I think I saw less than three typos?

I was once gifted a book about Catholicism from a well-meaning future in-law. (The series rhymed with Catholicism for Shmummies.) I have read a fraction of it. But I read this book in two days!!It is hilarious and the humor tends towards ridiculousness (on purpose). Within the ridiculous it still manages to be very informative and easily digestible.(I paired the digital copy with the audiobook, which is narrated by the author herself, and it is excellent!)Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for an eARC of this book! This is my honest review.

A friend in my reading circle recommended this book. I hesitated and she assured me I'd love it......of course, I did! The subject matter includes the steps to become a saint, but it's so much more. Kate Sidley actually makes what would seem to be a very boring subject.....unless you want to be a saint.....into an amusing, entertaining, and educational look at a subject not many people would Google. There is probably a subset of people who might find this book offensive, but I am glad my friend insisted I read it and I'm going to recommend it to many of my friends and family too. This is not a typical "hot" title, but maybe it should be.

You’ll learn everything from A (All Saint’s Day) to Y (Yahweh, you) about canonization. With self-proclaimed irreverence, Sidley walks the reader through each step and some history around the process. While pointing out some of the nonsense (nepotism—declared a saint because his dad was a pope (celibacy?) and a saint—the author also describes the traditions and practices.. You’ll learn about saints, both real and fictional, but because there are thousands of proclaimed saints, not all are covered here. You’ll get a glimpse into many saints’ lives, their triumphs and tribulations. Written with warmth, the facts are laid out while a little fun is poked. The book is illustrated with many paintings of saints and the captions may be the funniest part of the book.If you’re very serious about your religion, this book isn’t for you. If you want to learn about the history and traditions while having some fun, you’re in the right place.I’m appreciative of the publisher having provided an advanced copy.

The blurb doesn't lie when it says Sidley's book is "part history lesson. Part sacrilege. An entirely good time." If the tone of the blurb doesn't do it for you, then you probably won't chuckle or smile to yourself while reading. While some of the jokes didn't land for me, felt somewhat juvenile, the type of humor doesn't shift throughout the book, so you will know fairly quickly if it's suited for you or not. So long as you're a reader open to a dash of humor bordering on irreverence, and (light) critique towards the Catholic Church, you should be fine to read the well-researched information presented in the book.It's quirky and goofy enough to keep the tone light, though the bulk of information is presented in an easy to follow, not-getting-lured-by-the-Pied-Piper sorta way. Humor aside, Sidley has presented the information one needs to try to become a Saint with many examples of the Catholic Church's biggest names. She presents the wannabe Saint with a checklist, with encouraging words along the way, a few examples of what to do, and a timeline of how arduous and expensive the process of canonization is (and, wow, it's expensive). There are real Saints and there are fictional Saints, but they've both got words for you. It's well-written and very informative. I think even some of the most devout believers will learn something from this book.The book is full of information, though, so as Stephen Colbert says, in the introduction, buy the book so Kate's kids can attend college. Read before or after your sexy elf book.