On Pima County Library’s shelf was Mass: The Glory, the Mystery, the Tradition by Cardinal Donald Wuerl and Mike Aquilina. So I thought to borrow it and see how Romans viewed their own mass. The book explains each part of the service, leading up to the Eucharist. However, it does this in a nontechnical way, and really does not support such issues as transubstantiation. I also felt they cherry-picked quotes from church fathers to support why such ornate materials were used in the mass. (Precious metals, gems, and such.)
Overall, it is not a bad explanation of the service; it is much more useful as a comparison between Roman and Reformed piety and liturgy (assuming you know Reformed piety and liturgy). The book’s purpose is to instruct lay members of the Church of Rome in the essentials of their faith. An advantage of the book is that it is a quick read.
While it may be worth the read, get it at your local library; in my opinion it is not worth the price tag.
