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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[[Category:Spirituality and Religion|*]]__NOTOC__  
{{newreview
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|author=Kieron Moore and Rajesh Nagulakonda
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{{Frontpage
|title=Buddha: An Enlightened Life (Campfire Graphic Novels)
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|author=Frederic Seager
|rating=4
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|title= Jesus, the Man and the Myth: A Jewish Reading of the New Testament
|genre=Graphic Novels
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|rating=4.5
|summary=I don't do religion, but still there was something that drew me to this comic book. For one, the whole Buddhist faith is still a little unknown to me, and this was certainly going to be educational. Yes, I knew some of the terms it ends up using, but not others, such as bhikshu, and had never really come across the man's life story. Yes, I knew he found enlightenment and taught a very pacifist kind of faith, but where did he come from? What failings did he have on his path, and who were the ones that joined him along the way?
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|genre= Spirituality and Religion
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>9381182299</amazonuk>
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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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{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|author=David Wilbourne
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|author=Peter Owen Jones
|title=Shepherd of Another Flock
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|title=Conversations with Nature
 
|rating=5
 
|rating=5
|genre=Autobiography
 
|summary=[[:Category:David Wilbourne|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.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0283072709</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
|author= Massimo Pigliucci
 
|title= How to be a Stoic
 
|rating= 3.5
 
|genre= Spirituality and Religion
 
|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>184604507X</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Dr Mark Pearce
 
|title=A Biblical Theology Behind Music, Praise, and Worship
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=Spirituality and Religion
 
|summary=Music used in religions and worship itself goes back to the beginning of humankind.  In 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>1524677280</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Clair Iles
 
|title=The Thoughts and Inner Journey of Dr. John Dee
 
|rating=3.5
 
 
|genre=Spirituality and Religion
 
|genre=Spirituality and Religion
|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 peopleYes, 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.   
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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>1524676691</amazonuk>
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|isbn=1912992418
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|author=Patrice Chaplin
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|author=Richard Brook
|title=The Stone Cradle 
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|title=Understanding Human Nature: A User's Guide to Life
|rating=5
 
|genre=Autobiography
 
|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>190557083X</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Matt Woodcock
 
|title=Becoming Reverend: A diary
 
 
|rating=4.5
 
|rating=4.5
|genre=Autobiography
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|genre=Lifestyle
|summary=[[:Category:Matt Woodcock|Matt Woodcock]] is enjoying life: successful journalist, happily married and a new dream home bought and heavily mortgagedThe 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!
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|summary= I am a firm believer that sometimes we choose books, and sometimes books choose usIn 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.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1781400105</amazonuk>
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|isbn=1800461682
}}
 
{{newreview
 
|author= Kurt Vonnegut and Ivan Chermayeff
 
|title= Sun Moon Star
 
|rating= 4.5
 
|genre= For Sharing
 
|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>1609807243</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|author=Jabulani Midzi
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|isbn=Hill_Atlas
|title=The Forbidden Tree: History or Folklore?
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|title=The Atlas of Monsters
|rating=3.5
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|author=Stuart Hill and Sandra Lawrence
|genre=Spirituality and Religion
 
|summary=This is indeed a good question that not even Christians can agree on.  The spectrum goes from the right wing Evangelical literalists who believe right down to the creation's 7 days being just that, all the way over to the left wing Anglo Catholic liberals, some of whom take issue with the virgin birth and the crucifixion.  Staking my colours to the mast, I'm in the middle, believing that the Bible should be taken in historical context, that it does contain Old Testament myths and some accounts clearly written in a one-sided way but I firmly believe in Jesus, the miracles etc.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1524661910</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Bhakti Mathur
 
|title=Amma, Tell Me About Diwali!
 
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
|genre=For Sharing
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|genre=Children's Non-Fiction
|summary=Klaka had celebrated Diwali and it had been great fun - a wonderful, beautiful day and tonight the city is lit up by thousands and thousands of lights.  Amma and daddy had given many gifts to their boy and Klaka and his brother had lit the earthen oil lamps known as diyas.  They didn't just eat and have a good time - they also offered their prayers for good fortune, prosperity and health to Ganesha, the God of new beginnings and to Lakshmi, the Goddess of wealth. But Klaka was curious:  ''Amma'' he said, ''tell me about Diwali''.
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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>9881502888</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|author= Cees Nooteboom and Laura Watkinson (Translator)
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|isbn=1999731506
|title= Letters to Poseidon
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|title=Spiritual Atheist
|rating= 4
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|author=Nick Seneca Jankel
|genre= Travel
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|rating=2
|summary= A serviette, a glass of champagne taken outside a fish restaurant in the open-air Viktualienmarkt in Munich, all taken to celebrate the first day of spring, prompt Cees Nooteboom into Proustian reverie. Upon the paper napkin is written in blue capitals the word POSEIDON, the Greek god who has preoccupied Nooteboom's thoughts for several summers. The blue colour reminds him of the sea viewed from Mediterranean garden of his villa in Menorca. Taking this prompting as a moment of benign synchronicity, he later begins a correspondence with this sea-deity. He seeks to inquire how this somewhat unreliable ancient Greek Olympian sees aeons of time and sends him letters and legenda; meditations and stories to be read, both poetic and tragic, from the arts and the contemporary world. He is not expecting a reply.
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|genre=Lifestyle
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1782066209</amazonuk>
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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.
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|author=Alison Pick
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|isbn=1789015200
|title=Between Gods
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|title=Be Your Higher Self
 +
|author=Samesh Ramjattan
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
|genre=Autobiography
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|genre=Spirituality and Religion
|summary= Alison Pick's paternal grandparents escaped Czechoslovakia just before the Holocaust by bribing the Nazis for visas to Canada; the rest of the family died in Auschwitz. They spent their whole lives trying to pass as Christians, and Pick's father, too, was reluctant to have anything to do with Judaism. Pick only learned he was Jewish through a conversation overheard when she was 11.
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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 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?
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1472225090</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|author=Christopher Dell
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|isbn=Mahnke_Lore
|title=Mythology: An Illustrated Journey Into Our Imagined Worlds
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|title=The World of Lore, Volume 1: Monstrous Creatures
 +
|author=Aaron Mahnke
 
|rating=4.5
 
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=Spirituality and Religion
 
|genre=Spirituality and Religion
|summary=What does a rainbow mean to you?  How would you explain the creation of the world if you had no science as such, or the changing of the seasons?  What other kinds of natures – chaotic trickery, evil personae or even the characteristics of goats – people your world?  And why is it that the answers man and woman have collectively formed to such questions have been so similar across the oceans and across the centuries?  This highly pictorial volume looks at the mythologies that formed those answers, and locks on to a multitude of subjects – blood, music, godly activity – to show us what has followed.
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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>0500291519</amazonuk>
 
 
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}}
{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|author=Femi Bolaji
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|isbn=Saxena_Jaya
|title=God Tells the Sun to Shine: An Amazing Story of Love and Forgiveness
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|title=Basic Witches
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|author=J Saxena and J Zimmerman
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|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 Jacob.  Even 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 eat.  Esau is the man who sold his birthright for a bowl of lentil stew.
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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>1482802120</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|author=Rowan Williams
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|isbn=Wright_Universe
|title=The Edge of Words: God and the Habits of Language
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|title=The Universe and Life but Not Everything
|rating=4
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|author=Anthony Christian Wright
 +
|rating=3.5
 
|genre=Spirituality and Religion
 
|genre=Spirituality and Religion
|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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|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>1472910435</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|title=Like a Tramp, Like A Pilgrim: On Foot, Across Europe to Rome
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|isbn=1850788332
|author=Harry Bucknall
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|title=Rosie: Note to Self
|rating=4
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|author=Claire Connor and G P Taylor
|genre=Travel
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|rating=3.5
|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, CanterburyAs 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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|genre=General Fiction
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1408187248</amazonuk>
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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.
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|title=An Atheist's History of Belief
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|isbn=Santiago_Returning
|author=Matthew Kneale
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|title=Returning Home
|rating=4.5
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|author=Stephan Santiago
|genre=Politics and Society
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|rating=3.5
|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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|genre=Spirituality and Religion
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0099584425</amazonuk>
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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 born. This book is a guide as to how we can optimise this journey for ourselves, those around us and our children.
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|author=Reverend Adam Smallbone
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|isbn=Wilbourne_Shepherd
|title=The Rev Diaries
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|title=Shepherd of Another Flock
|rating=4.5
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|author=David Wilbourne
|genre=Humour
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|rating=5
|summary=Adam Smallbone wasn’t always a vicar.  He 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 parish.  Indeed, 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.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0718178394</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
|title=Burqas, Baseball, and Apple Pie: Being Muslim in America
 
|author=Ranya Tabari Idliby
 
|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 namesAnd 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=[[:Category:David Wilbourne|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 assumeThe 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>0230341845</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|title=The Atheist's Prayer
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|isbn=Pigliucci_How
|author=Amy R Biddle
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|title=How to be a Stoic
 +
|author=Massimo Pigliucci
 
|rating=3.5
 
|rating=3.5
|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=''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>1782401024</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|title=Rogerson's Book of Numbers: The culture of numbers from 1001 Nights to the Seven Wonders of the World
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|isbn=Pearce_Biblical
|author=Barnaby Rogerson
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|title=A Biblical Theology Behind Music, Praise, and Worship
 +
|author=Dr Mark Pearce
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|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 importantThis 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=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>1781250995</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|title=Inventing the Enemy: Essays on Everything
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|isbn=Iles_Thoughts
|author=Umberto Eco
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|title=The Thoughts and Inner Journey of Dr. John Dee
|rating=4
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|author=Clair Iles
|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>
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
|title=Sisters of the East End
 
|author=Helen Batten
 
 
|rating=3.5
 
|rating=3.5
|genre=Historical Fiction
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|genre=Spirituality and Religion
|summary=
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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 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.
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>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|title=Anti-Judaism: A History of a Way of Thinking
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|isbn=Woodcock_Becoming
|author=David Nirenberg
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|title=Becoming Reverend: A diary
 +
|author=Matt Woodcock
 
|rating=4.5
 
|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>
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Carolyn Mathews
 
|title=Transforming Pandora
 
|rating=4
 
|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 before.  It hadn't been his first heart attack and he had reduced his workload but this attack was fatal.  He 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.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1780997450</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Wm Paul Young
 
|title=Cross Roads
 
|rating=4
 
 
|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 listsPersonally, I found it a very moving story and whilst I thought it helpful on some points, it tended to skim over othersNow we get to see if Young can repeat his success with his new novel, ''Cross Roads''.
+
|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 yetThen comes the funny turn Matt has on the way to a story one dayThis 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!
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1444745972</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
+
{{Frontpage
|author=Danaan Elderhill
+
|isbn=Chaplin_Stone
|title=The Magic Book of Cookery
+
|title=The Stone Cradle
|rating=3.5
+
|author=Patrice Chaplin
 +
|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 witches.  As 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.
+
|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>B0092BX6O0</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
+
{{Frontpage
|author=Charity Seraphina Fields
+
|isbn=Vonnegut_Sun
|title=I am not a Buddhist
+
|title=Sun Moon Star
|rating=3.5
+
|author=Kurt Vonnegut and Ivan Chermayeff
 +
|rating=4.5
 
|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?''
+
|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>1475085664</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
  
{{newreview
+
Move to [[Newest Sport Reviews]]
|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>
 
}}
 

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

Hill Atlas.jpg

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

Pearce Biblical.jpg

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

Woodcock Becoming.jpg

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

Chaplin Stone.jpg

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

Vonnegut Sun.jpg

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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