Difference between revisions of "Newest Spirituality and Religion Reviews"

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[[Category:New Reviews|Spirituality and Religion]]
 
[[Category:New Reviews|Spirituality and Religion]]
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{{Frontpage
|author=Femi Bolaji
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|author=Frederic Seager
|title=God Tells the Sun to Shine: An Amazing Story of Love and Forgiveness
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|title= Jesus, the Man and the Myth: A Jewish Reading of the New Testament
|rating=4
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|rating=4.5
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|genre= Spirituality and Religion
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|summary=  I was brought up in a family where religion played little or no part. Culturally Irish Catholic on one side and Welsh Methodist on the other, nobody really discussed religion and the adults around me ranged from lapsed to agnostic to atheist. Other than the odd church wedding or baptism or the school nativity play, I didn't think too much about faith or what people did or didn't believe.
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|isbn=B092BWWG9Y
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{{Frontpage
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|author=Peter Owen Jones
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|title=Conversations with Nature
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|rating=5
 
|genre=Spirituality and Religion
 
|genre=Spirituality and Religion
|summary=Jacob was the second born of twin boys and resented the privileges that would come to Esau who was, after all only a few minutes older than him, but would get twice the inheritance from their father, Isaac, than that which would come to JacobEven in his teens Jacob plotted to usurp Esau’s position.  What would happen if Esau died?  But Esau was fit and a born hunter.  Jacob thought about killing him, but the stories of what had happened to Cain and Abel came to mind and he was determined that he would not make the mistakes which Cain had made, so he developed an alternative plan and took advantage of Esau’s well-known greed: he was always desperate for something to eatEsau is the man who sold his birthright for a bowl of lentil stew.
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|summary= One of the comments made when I was offered this beautiful book for review was that it's not very longHaving read the book twice over, I'm brought back inescapably to the Spanish proverb that Life may be short, but it is broad.  In this case I'm brought to the idea that the length of life is not the point; the point is its depthPeter Owen Jones dives deep.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1482802120</amazonuk>
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|isbn=1912992418
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|author=Richard Brook
|author=Rowan Williams
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|title=Understanding Human Nature: A User's Guide to Life
|title=The Edge of Words: God and the Habits of Language
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|rating=4.5
|rating=4
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|genre=Lifestyle
|genre=Spirituality and Religion
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|summary= I am a firm believer that sometimes we choose books, and sometimes books choose us.  In my case, this is one of the latter. Not so very long ago, if I had come across this book I'd have skimmed it, found some of it interesting, but it would not have 'hit home' in the way that it does now.  I believe it came to me not just because I was likely to give it a favourable review [ ''full disclosure The Bookbag's u.s.p. is that people chose their own books rather than getting them randomly, so there is a predisposition towards expecting to like the book, even if it doesn't always turn out that way'' ] – but also because it is a book I needed to read, right now.
|summary=This, Rowan Williams' first book since standing down as Archbishop of Canterbury, is based on a series of lectures that he delivered as Gifford Lectures in Edinburgh in 2013. Gifford Lectures are famous for their examination of developments in natural theology; a branch of theology that argues the existence of God based on reason and nature.  In these lectures Rowan sort to examine how we as human beings develop use and process language, particularly when it comes to the use of language around faith and our perception and understanding of God.
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|isbn=1800461682
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1472910435</amazonuk>
 
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=Hill_Atlas
|title=Like a Tramp, Like A Pilgrim: On Foot, Across Europe to Rome
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|title=The Atlas of Monsters
|author=Harry Bucknall
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|author=Stuart Hill and Sandra Lawrence
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
|genre=Travel
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|genre=Children's Non-Fiction
|summary=What links London and Rome?  Their capital city status for one, of course. One has a St Paul's cathedral, the other a St Peter's (although pedants will say not). They both have a football team who wear red and white.  Oh, and the ancient pilgrim route called the Via Francigena – although the pedant will again say that that strictly starts at that other pilgrimage site, Canterbury. As for Harry Bucknall, the Via starts at St Paul's and should end at St Peter's.  Whether or not Harry himself will connect the two cities – and entirely on foot – is the subject of this travel book.
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|summary=There are monsters and mysterious characters, such as trolls, leprechauns, goblins and minotaurs. They're the stuff of far too many stories to remain mysterious, and every schoolchild should know all about them. There are monsters and mysterious characters, such as Gog and Magog, Scylla and Charybdis, and the bunyip. They are what you find if you take an interest in this kind of thing to the next level; even if you cannot place them all on a map you should have come across them. But there are monsters and mysterious characters, such as the dobhar-chu, the llambigyn y dwr, and the girtablili. To gain any knowledge of them you really need a book that knows its stuff. A book like this one…
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1408187248</amazonuk>
 
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=1999731506
|title=An Atheist's History of Belief
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|title=Spiritual Atheist
|author=Matthew Kneale
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|author=Nick Seneca Jankel
|rating=4.5
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|rating=2
|genre=Politics and Society
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|genre=Lifestyle
|summary=I’ve been an atheist since I was old enough to take a view on the subject. (Many atheists would argue that we’re all atheists at birth, but that’s not a subject for a book review). I did have to take Religious Studies at school but have entirely forgotten almost everything I learned!
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|summary=''Spiritual Atheist'' is a new 'bible' for the spiritual not the religious, according to the tagline. This is a taboo smashing book which solves the problem of modernity and explains how to be a 'spiritual technologist' who can live and love freely in 'spiritual fullness' without relying on a belief in god. Touching on everything from 'brain science' to AI, Jankel offers a 'path to meaning', allowing us to move beyond consumerism towards an ethical life.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0099584425</amazonuk>
 
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=1789015200
|author=Reverend Adam Smallbone
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|title=Be Your Higher Self
|title=The Rev Diaries
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|author=Samesh Ramjattan
|rating=4.5
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|rating=4
|genre=Humour
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|genre=Spirituality and Religion
|summary=Adam Smallbone wasn’t always a vicarHe used to work for the Bristol Housing Department, enabling his father-in-law to tell everyone he worked 'in property'.  From there, his initial calling was to a rural church in Suffolk which did nothing to prepare him for this, his current London inner city parishIndeed, he's not prepared for Adoha (the Nigerian parishioner with 19 grandchildren and 'the bottom of God') or Colin, the homeless alcoholic who has adopted Adam and his wife Alex (Mrs Vicarage to Colin)But then Alex also has a lot to get used to; after all, she didn't actually marry a vicar.
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|summary=There are a lot of self-help books about: it's one of the most thriving sections of the average bookshop, but it's not always easy to find the book you needSamesh Ramjattan has addressed this problem in ''Be Your Higher Self'', a book which allows us all to make sense of our place in the world, as most of us only glimpse our true potential and few people ever achieve itEven with hard work and dedication, obstacles present themselves and it's difficult to understand why or how they can be overcome.  Ramjattan offers us a guide to the spirit world, the chakras, karma and reincarnation as well as information about the age of Aquarius and the egoIt's a slim book - just 128 pages - so can it provide us with the answers we seek?
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0718178394</amazonuk>
 
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=Mahnke_Lore
|title=Burqas, Baseball, and Apple Pie: Being Muslim in America
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|title=The World of Lore, Volume 1: Monstrous Creatures
|author=Ranya Tabari Idliby
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|author=Aaron Mahnke
 
|rating=4.5
 
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=Spirituality and Religion
 
|genre=Spirituality and Religion
|summary=I can’t imagine it’s that easy to be a Muslim in most areas of the USA. Even if you don’t ‘look like’ a Muslim, even if you don’t drop to your knees in the direction of Mecca 5 times a day, even if you give your kids arguably Jewish names.  And being openly Muslim cannot have got any easier in the wake of 9/11. This book examines one Muslim-American family’s life and the constant challenges they face from friends, neighbours and teachers.
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|summary=Every country, every town, every village has a folktale – a story passed down through generations that often focuses on the dark and unexplained. No matter how the modern world moves on, there's a still a part of everyone that is vulnerable to a good tale. From ghosts to werewolves, by way of wendigos and elves, author Aaron Mahnke delivers the reader legends from all over the world, whilst examining how they've become part of our collective imaginations, still striking fear into the hearts of many of us today.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0230341845</amazonuk>
 
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=Saxena_Jaya
|title=The Atheist's Prayer
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|title=Basic Witches
|author=Amy R Biddle
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|author=J Saxena and J Zimmerman
|rating=3.5
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|rating=4
|genre=General Fiction
 
|summary=I don’t shy away from a book with a little edge, in fact [[:Category:Chuck Palahniuk|Chuck Palahniuk]] is one of my favourite authors and his books can be so sharp you can shave with them.  On the surface ''The Atheist’s Prayer''  would seem to be courting controversy; why else have such a provocative title?  But, is it really that shocking?  Nope.  This is a story about how people deal with the modern world and what happens when dangerous ideals infect a vulnerable group.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1780995822</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|title=Mindfulness and the Natural World
 
|author=Claire Thompson
 
|rating=3
 
 
|genre=Spirituality and Religion
 
|genre=Spirituality and Religion
|summary=This book appealed to me for a couple of reasons; I have recently completed a workshop on mindfulness and have been attempting to put some of the ideas into practice throughout my daily life, and I love nature and spending time outdoors cycling. Therefore, this seemed the perfect choice to learn more about combining the two and exploring fresh perspectives in my everyday life. I began reading this hardcover with high expectations, particularly as the book was beautifully laid out with unique artwork and philosophical quotes included. However, although there were some insightful ideas and inspiring thoughts presented amongst the five chapters, overall I was a little disappointed in what the book had to offer.
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|summary=Before I started this book I was expecting to be thrown into the world of magic and would know how to levitate by the end of the first chapter. Unsurprisingly, I was wrong. However, what I was met by was a book that explores the origins of witchcraft, teaches you how to dress and act like a witch and contains spells ranging from accepting compliments to conjuring up a relaxing Netflix binge.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1782401024</amazonuk>
 
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=Wright_Universe
|title=Rogerson's Book of Numbers: The culture of numbers from 1001 Nights to the Seven Wonders of the World
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|title=The Universe and Life but Not Everything
|author=Barnaby Rogerson
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|author=Anthony Christian Wright
|rating=4
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|rating=3.5
 
|genre=Spirituality and Religion
 
|genre=Spirituality and Religion
|summary=One book, split into two testaments, regarding a holy trinity, the principal part known from four writers, in a world abutting another where five pillars are important, up against a world where a six-pointed star holds so many meanings…  It's obvious from just a quick dash through the most schoolboy-friendly parts of religion that numbers are important.  This book, although counting down from multitudes to that late-comer zero, brings them all to us, with brief notes about why they all hold relevance where whichever country, civilisation or religion is concerned. In the end, I'm sure it's a lot more user-friendly, interesting, and will be a lot more popular, than the original Book of Numbers.
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|summary=I often wonder - usually after a moment of shaking my fist at the news on TV - what my manifesto for life and society would look like were I to write it down. I have all sorts of thoughts about these things, from the metaphysics of who we are and where we come from, right down to detailed critiques of quite insignificant government policies. I've never done such an exercise - mostly because I lack the time, the patience and the diligence required. It seems like an enormous task.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1781250995</amazonuk>
 
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=1850788332
|title=Inventing the Enemy: Essays on Everything
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|title=Rosie: Note to Self
|author=Umberto Eco
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|author=Claire Connor and G P Taylor
|rating=4
 
|genre=History
 
|summary=Imagine a sumptuous Italian feast in the sunlit-bathed ancient countryside near Milan. Next to you a gentleman talks and eats with furious energy. He tells of Dante, Cicero, and St Augustine and quotes a multitude of obscure troubadours from the Middle Ages. He repeats himself, gestures flamboyantly, nudges you sharply in the ribs, belches and even breaks wind. His conversation contains nuggets of information but in the flow of his discourse there is a fondness for iteration and reiteration. He throws bones over his shoulder and when he reaches the cheese course - definitely too much information on the mouldy bacteria! When you finally get up things the elderly gentleman has said prompt your imagination. You are better informed, intrigued and prodded to examine his discourse again and again, even if only to challenge what you have heard. Such are the effects of reading Eco’s essays in ''Inventing the Enemy''.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0099553945</amazonuk>
 
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{{newreview
 
|title=Sisters of the East End
 
|author=Helen Batten
 
 
|rating=3.5
 
|rating=3.5
|genre=Historical Fiction
 
|summary=
 
Katie Crisp had never intended to become a nun. Raised by non-religious parents, her family frowned upon organised religion and when Katie started secretly going to church, they strongly disapproved. When Katie ran to the aid of a stroke victim, she had a vision that changed her life. She saw herself dressed as a nun with a large silver cross hanging from her neck. She decided to follow her calling and join the community of St John the Divine, a group of Anglican nuns dedicated to nursing and midwifery. She thus shed her old identity and became known as Sister Catherine Mary.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0091951771</amazonuk>
 
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{{newreview
 
|title=Anti-Judaism: A History of a Way of Thinking
 
|author=David Nirenberg
 
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=History
 
|summary=Initially the choice of title seemed an odd one on account of the more widely used term, anti-Semitism. The distinction is quickly made though, that unlike the latter, anti-Judaism does not need real Jews to flourish, but is fuelled by an idea alone. In fact this is a core tenet of Nirenberg’s thesis. Throughout history the idea of ‘Judaism’ is raised as an existential spectre in societies where there may be no Jewish members at all. This is a chilling reality, and Nirenberg charts the course of how this came to be.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1781851131</amazonuk>
 
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{{newreview
 
|author=Carolyn Mathews
 
|title=Transforming Pandora
 
|rating=4
 
 
|genre=General Fiction
 
|genre=General Fiction
|summary=When we first meet Pandora Armstrong in the spring of 2003 she's grieving for her husband, Mike, who had died just a few weeks beforeIt hadn't been his first heart attack and he had reduced his workload but this attack was fatalHe was only in his fifties and Pandora feels that he'd been snatched away from her as they'd only been married for a few years. When a friend suggests that she goes with her to an Evening of Clairvoyance she runs out of excuses to refuse and although she's not exactly ''convinced'' by what she hears there's a lingering doubt.  A spirit voice mentioned her children and Pandora was adamant that she didn't have any children - it's actually quite a sore point - but that wasn't true of Mike.
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|summary=In the first of a five book deal Claire Connor, writing in partnership with GP Taylor, brings us a modern romance based loosely on the story of Ruth from the BibleThis is total chick-lit, and from the first few pages I thought it was just going to be a very light, funny romance storyHowever, the story quickly takes a depressing turn and the rest of the book is as much an exploration of grief as it is a romance novel.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1780997450</amazonuk>
 
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=Santiago_Returning
|author=Wm Paul Young
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|title=Returning Home
|title=Cross Roads
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|author=Stephan Santiago
|rating=4
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|rating=3.5
 
|genre=Spirituality and Religion
 
|genre=Spirituality and Religion
|summary=Wm. Paul Young's debut novel ''The Shack'' was a revelation in many waysWhilst many disagreed with his theology, it was refreshing to see such an overtly faith based book on the bestseller lists.  Personally, I found it a very moving story and whilst I thought it helpful on some points, it tended to skim over others.  Now we get to see if Young can repeat his success with his new novel, ''Cross Roads''.
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|summary=[[:Category:Stephan Santiago|Stephan Santiago]] has experienced life in a way that's led him to believe we're all on a soul journey back home – that place we inhabited before we were bornThis book is a guide as to how we can optimise this journey for ourselves, those around us and our children.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1444745972</amazonuk>
 
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=Wilbourne_Shepherd
|author=Danaan Elderhill
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|title=Shepherd of Another Flock
|title=The Magic Book of Cookery
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|author=David Wilbourne
|rating=3.5
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|rating=5
 
|genre=Spirituality and Religion
 
|genre=Spirituality and Religion
|summary=Back in the seventeenth century in what was then the Kingdom of Bohemia there was a coven of witchesAs was common at that time witches were hunted and they had to hide their beliefs.  The Friends of Euphrosyne, as they called themselves, turned to this deity (she's one of the three graces and there to remind us to have fun) in their time of need and developed rituals which could be assimilated into social gatherings, allowing them to hide in plain sight. Their book - The Magic Book of Cookery - vanished along with the coven when they were discovered but Danaan Elderhill wants us to benefit from its ancient wisdom - and its fun.
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|summary=[[:Category:David Wilbourne|David Wilbourne's]] CV looks like a career path for people who are hard-of-humouredBanker, teacher of Ancient Greek, vicar, bishop…none of these are jobs normally connected in our minds with a jovial twinkle.  Yet in David's case, we'd be totally wrong to assume.  The current Bishop of Llandaff takes us by the hand to show us episodes from his life as vicar of the character-packed Yorkshire parish of Helmsley proving that tears of sorrow are equally shared with tears of laughter.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>B0092BX6O0</amazonuk>
 
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=Pigliucci_How
|author=Charity Seraphina Fields
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|title=How to be a Stoic
|title=I am not a Buddhist
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|author=Massimo Pigliucci
 
|rating=3.5
 
|rating=3.5
 
|genre=Spirituality and Religion
 
|genre=Spirituality and Religion
|summary=''I am not a Buddhist'' is an individual through Buddhism and its principles seen from the point of view of one on the path. Charity Seraphina Fields attempts - through her own musings on this ancient Eastern philosophy - to explain why Buddhism is better suited to the rich West than the poorer East. For Fields, the question isn't ''Why am I suffering without all those things I want?''. The right question is actually ''Why am I still suffering even though I have everything I want?''
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|summary=''Stoicism is about developing the tools to deal as effectively as humanly possible with the ensuing conflicts, does not demand perfection, and does not provide specific answers.'' For many readers, living in an age of rules to make us happy and the inevitable failure to stick to them, this is an intensely reassuring sentence. Pigliucci certainly makes Stoicism an appealing philosophy, one which can sit alongside religious faith but doesn't have to, one which doesn't demand Aristotelian heights of intelligence, beauty or riches in order to truly succeed in life, and one which recognises life's messy difficulties.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1475085664</amazonuk>
 
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{{newreview
 
|author=Eamon Duffy
 
|title=Saints, Sacrilege and Sedition
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=History
 
|summary=In the introduction to this book Eamon Duffy, Professor of the History of Christianity at Cambridge History, points out that all too often historians have written about the English Reformation from strongly polarised views. Taking two extreme examples, he cites one which states that the people of England, formerly happy medieval Catholics, were forced by King Henry to abandon their religion, and England was never merry again, alongside another which speaks of the English being oppressed by corrupt churchmen until King Henry gave them the Protestant nation for which they longed. On the following page, he suggests that it had long been an axiom of historical writing that the success of the Reformation in England was an inevitable consequence of the dysfunction and unpopularity of late medieval Catholicism. Such remarks were evidently made by writers with an axe to grind.  
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1441181172</amazonuk>
 
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=Pearce_Biblical
|author=Timothy Radcliffe
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|title=A Biblical Theology Behind Music, Praise, and Worship
|title=Take the Plunge
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|author=Dr Mark Pearce
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=Spirituality and Religion
 
|genre=Spirituality and Religion
|summary=There appears to be more Christian literature around than ever before at the momentI don't know whether this is a response to Richard Dawkins' ''The God Delusion'', which has meant that Christian writers and publishers have increased their outputs, or because I'm noticing it more.  Timothy Radcliffe's ''Take the Plunge'' is taking a more or less opposite view to that of Dawkins, exploring the importance of baptism in everyday life and arguing that there is no aspect of life that cannot be touched if you are baptised and therefore living with faith.
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|summary=Music used in religions and worship itself goes back to the beginning of humankindIn this book musician and theological academic [[:Category:Dr Mark Pearce|Dr Mark Pearce]] explores its Biblical history in a Christian context as well as providing tips and suggestions for those involved in worship in the present day.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1441118489</amazonuk>
 
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=Iles_Thoughts
|author=Youssef Ziedan and Jonathan Wright (translator)
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|title=The Thoughts and Inner Journey of Dr. John Dee
|title=Azazeel
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|author=Clair Iles
|rating=5
 
|genre=Historical Fiction
 
|summary=An archaeologist in a time and place close to that of modern troubled Syria discovers thirty scrolls. These are the writings of a Coptic Christian monk born into Roman dominated Egypt in AD391. A door thus opens into an ancient world and the emerging vista stretches from the present into the distant past, as if eliciting an omnipresent dimension to reality. The fluent evocative prose flows like a meandering river or a ribbon connecting continuously the present moment with the ancient world. A panorama emerges dominated by Rome and Constantinople and extends to Alexandria, Jerusalem and Antioch.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1848874278</amazonuk>
 
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{{newreview
 
|author=Roger Scruton
 
|title=The Face of God: The Gifford Lectures
 
 
|rating=3.5
 
|rating=3.5
 
|genre=Spirituality and Religion
 
|genre=Spirituality and Religion
|summary=Atheist culture has recently become more mainstream, thanks in part to the success of Richard Dawkins' book, ''The God Delusion''.  However, religion does still have a part to play, with Prince Charles urging the United Kingdom to be more tolerant towards faiths other than the Church of England he was raised as part of and even the Prime Minister talking about faith issuesSince 1888, the Gifford Lectures have been given to 'promote and diffuse...the knowledge of God'.
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|summary=[[:Category:Clair Iles|Clair Iles]] is, in her own words, a normal person who was educated at a normal comprehensive school.  However, she's a normal person who hears dead people.  Yes, Clair is a spiritualist with ability to hear from those who have passed onIn the past they had generally been relatives or everyday folk. Imagine, then, her surprise when she felt she was hearing from Elizabethan court polymath John Dee. Over a period of time she could feel his dictated thoughts and ideas in her mind and this book of the channelled words is the result.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1847065244</amazonuk>
 
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=Woodcock_Becoming
|author=Karen French
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|title=Becoming Reverend: A diary
|title=The Hidden Geometry of Life
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|author=Matt Woodcock
|rating=2.5
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|rating=4.5
 
|genre=Spirituality and Religion
 
|genre=Spirituality and Religion
|summary=
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|summary=[[:Category:Matt Woodcock|Matt Woodcock]] is enjoying life: successful journalist, happily married and a new dream home bought and heavily mortgaged.  The only cloud on the horizon is their struggle to have children but they have faith in the IVF treatment as it's early days yet.  Then comes the funny turn Matt has on the way to a story one day. This takes him by surprise but the resulting clergy collar comes as a total shockHe's a normal bloke who always thought of himself as more pint than piety believing in a God who's happy for him to remain in the pews. Errrrm… whoops!
''The Hidden Geometry of Life'' aims to explore the esoteric and often mystical meanings contained in ''shapes and patterns [that] represent ideas and distil the essence of reality''. This mystical angle was a little bit of a unpleasant surprise for this readerI should have had a better look at Karen French's Amazon pages and previous work, but I was attracted by an exciting-sounding title, attractive cover and and references to author's art.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1780281080</amazonuk>
 
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=Chaplin_Stone
|author=Grace McCleen
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|title=The Stone Cradle
|title=The Land of Decoration
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|author=Patrice Chaplin
 
|rating=5
 
|rating=5
|genre=Literary Fiction
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|genre=Spirituality and Religion
|summary=Grace McCleen's debut novel, ''The Land of Decoration'' paints an original, unsettling, sometimes dark and generally rather wonderful picture. Narrated by ten year old Judith, raised by her father who is a fundamental religious follower of the end of the world is nigh variety, it looks at bullying, both at school and in more general society, faith and the possible rejection thereof and the strength of childhood imagination.
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|summary=''The Stone Cradle'' is a remarkable book from the author Patrice Chaplin. It is a biography, the third in a series set in the Catalonian city of Girona. It is also an enduring love story and a journey into mystery and spirituality. The city has drawn artists, writers and philosophers for centuries. Rich in Kabbalistic thought through Azriel, the most famous student of Isaac the Blind, it has always been a home for mysticism and secrets. The magnetism and resonance of the city has had a hold on Patrice Chaplin since she first visited it in the fifties. The series of books detail her journey and her encounters with the esoteric society that have protected its mysteries since ancient times. 'The Stone Cradle' also gives a new life and direction to the mysteries of Rennes le Chateau, the small French village, made famous by the Da Vinci Code and the Holy Blood and The Holy Grail. Linking the two places through sacred geometry to the mountain of Canigou.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>070118681X</amazonuk>
 
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{{newreview
 
|author=Roman Krznaric
 
|title=The Wonderbox: Curious Histories of How to Live
 
|rating=5
 
|genre=History
 
|summary='How should we live?'  asks author Roman Krznaric. To answer this ancient question, he looks to history.  'I believe that the future of the art of living can be found by gazing into the past', he says.   Creating a book which is as full of curiosities as a Renaissance 'Wunderkammer', he has a stab at the big questions:  love, belief, money, family, death.   The result is a pot-pourri of delights which left this particular reader stimulated and invigorated.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1846683939</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=David Malouf
 
|title=The Happy Life: The Search for Contentment in the Modern World
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=Popular Science
 
|summary=There's something quite uplifting about the physical brevity of David Malouf's 'The Happy Life' which is subtitled 'The Search for Contentment in the Modern World'. It suggests that it is easy to find, when of course, the whole point of the book is that despite, or perhaps because of, scientific and technological advances that have taken away many of the causes of true unhappiness in the world, it remains elusive for most. Who can say that they are truly happy? The book runs to less than 100 pages if you take out the Notes section, and the typeface is large. It is, by any reckoning a slim offering.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0701187115</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=Vonnegut_Sun
|author=Christina Goodings and Annabel Hudson
+
|title=Sun Moon Star
|title=My Look and Point Bible
+
|author=Kurt Vonnegut and Ivan Chermayeff
 
|rating=4.5
 
|rating=4.5
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=
 
This version of the bible for toddlers has been cleverly retold to engage little ones, with lots of illustrations, pictures to point at and words to learn.  It includes stories from both the old and new testaments, from the creation and Noah through to the birth of Jesus as well as some of his parables and the crucifixion.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0745962068</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Alexandre Christoyannopoulos
 
|title=Christian Anarchism: A Political Commentary on the Gospel
 
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=Spirituality and Religion
 
|summary=Whilst I've long been a Christian, I've never considered myself an anarchist.  My thinking is that anarchy is something you're more likely to see on the news than on 'Songs of Praise'.  However, there is a school of thought that suggests that Jesus' teachings were so counter-cultural and so against Roman law that it constitutes anarchism.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1845402472</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Karen Armstrong
 
|title=In the Beginning: A New Interpretation of Genesis
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=Spirituality and Religion
 
|summary=Armstrong's background (there's a page right at the beginning) is certainly diverse and interesting so I was looking forward to reading what she had to say.  And thankfully, I didn't have to rummage around looking for my own copy of the bible (I've now located it) as Armstrong obligingly provides Genesis (in beautiful, old-fashioned typeface) here.  So roughly two thirds is given over to her investigative prose and the remaining third is the actual book of Genesis, for handy reference.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0099555476</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Yangzom Brauen and Katy Darbyshire
 
|title=Across Many Mountains: Three Daughters of Tibet
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=Biography
 
|summary=Fleeing your home can never be easy but when you are six, your only shoes are roughly hand-sewn and stuffed with hay, and your route is over the world's highest mountain range then it must be particularly challenging.  This was the journey that Yangzom Brauen's mother took with her parents when they fled Tibet after the Chinese invasion of 1959.  They were leaving behind all that they knew and travelling to India in the hope that they could find sanctuary in the country where the Dalai Lama was in exile.  'Across Many Mountains' is their story.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>184655344X</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=David Ovason
 
|title=Shakespeare's Secret Booke: Deciphering Magical and Rosicrucian Codes
 
|rating=3
 
 
|genre=Spirituality and Religion
 
|genre=Spirituality and Religion
|summary=One group of people that were convinced the Chilean miners, Los 33, would be relieved of their ordeal, were numerologists. For hundreds of years, it seems, they have held the number thirty-three in good stead.  It represents a lot of expression of the ego, or the soul, or the transformation of the spirit from one world to another.  It doesn't boil down to just the 33 years Christ was supposed to have held His human incarnation, but refers to many ethereal, magical, alchemical transformations from state to state.  And who can deny the Chilean mine was 2010's most vivid embodiment of hell - and that the 33 were reborn in coming back to life on earth?
+
|summary=In his own delightfully imaginative way, Kurt Vonnegut tells the story of the birth of Christ in this unique and long out of print children's book. Told from the perspective of the new born infant in his first hours of birth, this charming little story feels different to other children's Christmas books whilst at the same time goes back to the basics in exploring the true nature of Christmas.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1905570260</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Robert Leon Davis
 
|title=Running Scared: For 22 Years He Was a Fugitive - The Corrupt Cop Busted by God
 
|rating=3.5
 
|genre=Autobiography
 
|summary=Robert Davis was the eldest of nine children all living with their grandmother in New Orleans – on welfare.  His grandmother was a good, honest woman and Davis loved and respected her, but money was so tight that he resorted to thieving to bring some extra food in for the family.  He knew that she would be deeply upset about it, but hunger is hunger.  In your heart you can't blame him and it seems that all is coming good when Davis becomes a respected police officer in the mid nineteen-seventies.  He's living with a good, decent woman and looks set to have a good career.  Great, you think, sometimes life ''is'' fair and it works out.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1854249932</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
  
{{newreview
+
Move to [[Newest Sport Reviews]]
|author=Carol Richards
 
|title=Columbanus: Poet, Preacher, Statesman, Saint
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=Spirituality and Religion
 
|summary=Richards is at pains to point out straight away that the reader mustn't confuse Columbanus with Columba of Iona.  She informs us that the latter did not travel extensively but the former, the subject of her book, did travel throughout parts of Europe.  She gives her subject a terrific introduction on the cover, describing him as 'poet, preacher, statesman, saint.'  And then goes into much more detail about these areas of his life.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1845401905</amazonuk>
 
}}
 

Latest revision as of 12:29, 4 April 2023

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Review of

Jesus, the Man and the Myth: A Jewish Reading of the New Testament by Frederic Seager

4.5star.jpg Spirituality and Religion

I was brought up in a family where religion played little or no part. Culturally Irish Catholic on one side and Welsh Methodist on the other, nobody really discussed religion and the adults around me ranged from lapsed to agnostic to atheist. Other than the odd church wedding or baptism or the school nativity play, I didn't think too much about faith or what people did or didn't believe. Full Review

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Review of

Conversations with Nature by Peter Owen Jones

5star.jpg Spirituality and Religion

One of the comments made when I was offered this beautiful book for review was that it's not very long. Having read the book twice over, I'm brought back inescapably to the Spanish proverb that Life may be short, but it is broad. In this case I'm brought to the idea that the length of life is not the point; the point is its depth. Peter Owen Jones dives deep. Full Review

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Review of

Understanding Human Nature: A User's Guide to Life by Richard Brook

4.5star.jpg Lifestyle

I am a firm believer that sometimes we choose books, and sometimes books choose us. In my case, this is one of the latter. Not so very long ago, if I had come across this book I'd have skimmed it, found some of it interesting, but it would not have 'hit home' in the way that it does now. I believe it came to me not just because I was likely to give it a favourable review [ full disclosure The Bookbag's u.s.p. is that people chose their own books rather than getting them randomly, so there is a predisposition towards expecting to like the book, even if it doesn't always turn out that way ] – but also because it is a book I needed to read, right now. Full Review

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Review of

The Atlas of Monsters by Stuart Hill and Sandra Lawrence

4star.jpg Children's Non-Fiction

There are monsters and mysterious characters, such as trolls, leprechauns, goblins and minotaurs. They're the stuff of far too many stories to remain mysterious, and every schoolchild should know all about them. There are monsters and mysterious characters, such as Gog and Magog, Scylla and Charybdis, and the bunyip. They are what you find if you take an interest in this kind of thing to the next level; even if you cannot place them all on a map you should have come across them. But there are monsters and mysterious characters, such as the dobhar-chu, the llambigyn y dwr, and the girtablili. To gain any knowledge of them you really need a book that knows its stuff. A book like this one… Full Review

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Review of

Spiritual Atheist by Nick Seneca Jankel

2star.jpg Lifestyle

Spiritual Atheist is a new 'bible' for the spiritual not the religious, according to the tagline. This is a taboo smashing book which solves the problem of modernity and explains how to be a 'spiritual technologist' who can live and love freely in 'spiritual fullness' without relying on a belief in god. Touching on everything from 'brain science' to AI, Jankel offers a 'path to meaning', allowing us to move beyond consumerism towards an ethical life. Full Review

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Review of

Be Your Higher Self by Samesh Ramjattan

4star.jpg Spirituality and Religion

There are a lot of self-help books about: it's one of the most thriving sections of the average bookshop, but it's not always easy to find the book you need. Samesh Ramjattan has addressed this problem in Be Your Higher Self, a book which allows us all to make sense of our place in the world, as most of us only glimpse our true potential and few people ever achieve it. Even with hard work and dedication, obstacles present themselves and it's difficult to understand why or how they can be overcome. Ramjattan offers us a guide to the spirit world, the chakras, karma and reincarnation as well as information about the age of Aquarius and the ego. It's a slim book - just 128 pages - so can it provide us with the answers we seek? Full Review

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Review of

The World of Lore, Volume 1: Monstrous Creatures by Aaron Mahnke

4.5star.jpg Spirituality and Religion

Every country, every town, every village has a folktale – a story passed down through generations that often focuses on the dark and unexplained. No matter how the modern world moves on, there's a still a part of everyone that is vulnerable to a good tale. From ghosts to werewolves, by way of wendigos and elves, author Aaron Mahnke delivers the reader legends from all over the world, whilst examining how they've become part of our collective imaginations, still striking fear into the hearts of many of us today. Full Review

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Review of

Basic Witches by J Saxena and J Zimmerman

4star.jpg Spirituality and Religion

Before I started this book I was expecting to be thrown into the world of magic and would know how to levitate by the end of the first chapter. Unsurprisingly, I was wrong. However, what I was met by was a book that explores the origins of witchcraft, teaches you how to dress and act like a witch and contains spells ranging from accepting compliments to conjuring up a relaxing Netflix binge. Full Review

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Review of

The Universe and Life but Not Everything by Anthony Christian Wright

3.5star.jpg Spirituality and Religion

I often wonder - usually after a moment of shaking my fist at the news on TV - what my manifesto for life and society would look like were I to write it down. I have all sorts of thoughts about these things, from the metaphysics of who we are and where we come from, right down to detailed critiques of quite insignificant government policies. I've never done such an exercise - mostly because I lack the time, the patience and the diligence required. It seems like an enormous task. Full Review

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Review of

Rosie: Note to Self by Claire Connor and G P Taylor

3.5star.jpg General Fiction

In the first of a five book deal Claire Connor, writing in partnership with GP Taylor, brings us a modern romance based loosely on the story of Ruth from the Bible. This is total chick-lit, and from the first few pages I thought it was just going to be a very light, funny romance story. However, the story quickly takes a depressing turn and the rest of the book is as much an exploration of grief as it is a romance novel. Full Review

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Review of

Returning Home by Stephan Santiago

3.5star.jpg Spirituality and Religion

Stephan Santiago has experienced life in a way that's led him to believe we're all on a soul journey back home – that place we inhabited before we were born. This book is a guide as to how we can optimise this journey for ourselves, those around us and our children. Full Review

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Review of

Shepherd of Another Flock by David Wilbourne

5star.jpg Spirituality and Religion

David Wilbourne's CV looks like a career path for people who are hard-of-humoured. Banker, teacher of Ancient Greek, vicar, bishop…none of these are jobs normally connected in our minds with a jovial twinkle. Yet in David's case, we'd be totally wrong to assume. The current Bishop of Llandaff takes us by the hand to show us episodes from his life as vicar of the character-packed Yorkshire parish of Helmsley proving that tears of sorrow are equally shared with tears of laughter. Full Review

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Review of

How to be a Stoic by Massimo Pigliucci

3.5star.jpg Spirituality and Religion

Stoicism is about developing the tools to deal as effectively as humanly possible with the ensuing conflicts, does not demand perfection, and does not provide specific answers. For many readers, living in an age of rules to make us happy and the inevitable failure to stick to them, this is an intensely reassuring sentence. Pigliucci certainly makes Stoicism an appealing philosophy, one which can sit alongside religious faith but doesn't have to, one which doesn't demand Aristotelian heights of intelligence, beauty or riches in order to truly succeed in life, and one which recognises life's messy difficulties. Full Review

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Review of

A Biblical Theology Behind Music, Praise, and Worship by Dr Mark Pearce

4star.jpg Spirituality and Religion

Music used in religions and worship itself goes back to the beginning of humankind. In this book musician and theological academic Dr Mark Pearce explores its Biblical history in a Christian context as well as providing tips and suggestions for those involved in worship in the present day. Full Review

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Review of

The Thoughts and Inner Journey of Dr. John Dee by Clair Iles

3.5star.jpg Spirituality and Religion

Clair Iles is, in her own words, a normal person who was educated at a normal comprehensive school. However, she's a normal person who hears dead people. Yes, Clair is a spiritualist with ability to hear from those who have passed on. In the past they had generally been relatives or everyday folk. Imagine, then, her surprise when she felt she was hearing from Elizabethan court polymath John Dee. Over a period of time she could feel his dictated thoughts and ideas in her mind and this book of the channelled words is the result. Full Review

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Review of

Becoming Reverend: A diary by Matt Woodcock

4.5star.jpg Spirituality and Religion

Matt Woodcock is enjoying life: successful journalist, happily married and a new dream home bought and heavily mortgaged. The only cloud on the horizon is their struggle to have children but they have faith in the IVF treatment as it's early days yet. Then comes the funny turn Matt has on the way to a story one day. This takes him by surprise but the resulting clergy collar comes as a total shock. He's a normal bloke who always thought of himself as more pint than piety believing in a God who's happy for him to remain in the pews. Errrrm… whoops! Full Review

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Review of

The Stone Cradle by Patrice Chaplin

5star.jpg Spirituality and Religion

The Stone Cradle is a remarkable book from the author Patrice Chaplin. It is a biography, the third in a series set in the Catalonian city of Girona. It is also an enduring love story and a journey into mystery and spirituality. The city has drawn artists, writers and philosophers for centuries. Rich in Kabbalistic thought through Azriel, the most famous student of Isaac the Blind, it has always been a home for mysticism and secrets. The magnetism and resonance of the city has had a hold on Patrice Chaplin since she first visited it in the fifties. The series of books detail her journey and her encounters with the esoteric society that have protected its mysteries since ancient times. 'The Stone Cradle' also gives a new life and direction to the mysteries of Rennes le Chateau, the small French village, made famous by the Da Vinci Code and the Holy Blood and The Holy Grail. Linking the two places through sacred geometry to the mountain of Canigou. Full Review

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Review of

Sun Moon Star by Kurt Vonnegut and Ivan Chermayeff

4.5star.jpg Spirituality and Religion

In his own delightfully imaginative way, Kurt Vonnegut tells the story of the birth of Christ in this unique and long out of print children's book. Told from the perspective of the new born infant in his first hours of birth, this charming little story feels different to other children's Christmas books whilst at the same time goes back to the basics in exploring the true nature of Christmas. Full Review

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