Gripping from beginning to end, we follow the tense developments of the Papist struggle to overpower the Huguenots in France and reclaim the English crown from Protestant sympathiser Queen Elizabeth I in the late 16th century. Lawyer Christopher Radcliff finds his life threatened when he is sent by his patron, Robert Dudley, the Earl of…
The Only Way to What? A provocative start. Followed by a challenging summary: Jesus was not focused on saving sinners from an angry God who is hellbent on making them suffer forever. Jesus was interested in the very opposite: helping us angry, hostile, combative, confused, misguided human beings learn to know, love, and follow a…
I bought this book mainly because of the subtitle: A Story of France in the Time of the Huguenots. That was the subject of interest to me, as some of my ancestors in Jersey were forced to flee France during the persecution after the Edict of Nantes was repealed in 1685. The fact that the story…
Another dip into the complete works of this great author. The plot of The Old Curiosity Shop is intricate, if somewhat long-winded. In addition to the very well developed primary players – we quickly come to empathise with the charming Nell and the faithful Kit – we meet a host of interlocked secondary characters, some…
Seven-year-old Katharina is fascinated by the story of Noah’s ark, the first part of which she heard in Sunday school, before being sent with her little brother to stay with her granny on the hill until her new brother or sister is born. She is a bright and somewhat withdrawn girl, reflecting on such mysteries…
Fascinating for nostalgic classicists! Prudencia Prim wants to escape the boring, superficial business world and unexpectedly finds herself in a small village that seems to have got stuck in a previous century. We are introduced to her boss, ‘the Man in the Wing Chair’, his protegé nephews and nieces, who enjoy the Latin Masters, and…
This book is appropriately subtitled “The Road Where Childhoods are Stolen”. Movingly written, we are brought to love and agonise with little lilac-dressed Leilah, desperate-to-start-a-new-life Mariana and all the other broken girls we meet along that tragic highway BR116.
Another upcoming author who deserves some publicity is Francisco Cordoba. Most of his writing has to do with his beloved horses. Here he gives us some insight into how he came to be an author, as well as some other personal insights.
Paul Keeble shares, on the one hand, his family’s experiences of living for over 30 years as part of an underprivileged community in inner-city Manchester and, on the other hand, his personal (theological, social, political) reflections on his motivation and influence in that situation.
Saw The Shack yesterday. Excellent film, very true to the book, highly recommended. It has a very refreshing message: God really loves us and longs for us to share our lives with Him day by day. Horrible things are not His doing; there is an evil power at work; but God can bring blessing out…
I’m trying something new. I’d like to introduce you to some up-and-coming authors. Today it’s Amir Lane (pronounced Ah-meer), who ventures into a very different genre from mine. Perhaps it’s to your taste. Amir is a supernatural and urban fantasy writer from Sudbury, Ontario and the author of Shadow Maker: Morrighan House Witches Book One,…
We are plunged into a multifaceted family intrigue that seems to have rather too many coincidences at first. As the plot thickens, we are drawn in on the excitement and left guessing time and again. The main characters are well-developed and the storyline thought-provoking.