A flawed fantasy
A faithful remnant, loyal to Fa-Cel, who is both Creator and Light, resists the devious ruses of the mighty Nahil, who aim to conquer the entire world of Enjanan.
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Persuasion? Or wait & hope?
It’s the beginning of the 19th century in rural England. Anne Elliot, ‘with an elegance of mind and sweetness of character, was nobody with either father or sister; her word had no weight, her convenience was always to give way – she was only Anne.’
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God blesses all peoples
As the subtitle, ‘What does the Lord require of us?’ (Micah 6:8) suggests, the author’s motivation is to seek God’s will. In particular: how should we relate to people who adhere to other faiths than that revealed in the Christian Bible.
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Scientific materialism in all its glory
A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson It takes some courage to pick up this tome. It’s BIG. If you take the plunge, you’ll discover it’s very well researched, very readable, and very informative. The cosmology and physics are presented simply and clearly. The historical developments in such areas as geology, paleontology, archaeology,…
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A peek behind the scenes
Angel at the Paradise Hotel by Teresa O’Driscoll This book has an intriguing premise – you’ll have to read it to find out what I mean. We encounter a diverse cast of individuals – both Corfu locals and holidaymakers from afar – each burdened by unique anxieties and unresolved issues. As their interactions unfold, their…
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Clashing Cultures with Many a Laugh
Two Old Fools on a Camel by Victoria Twead Victoria Twead’s beloved series usually places her and her husband, Joe, firmly in their charming, chaotic Andalucían village of El Hoyo. However, Two Old Fools on a Camel sees them undertaking their biggest adventure yet: a year-long teaching stint in Bahrain. The reason for this enormous…
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False triumphalism and true love
A Broken Hallelujah by Judith Forgoston Judith Forgoston’s A Broken Hallelujah is a brilliantly composed novel that skilfully spans half the world to explore two profoundly human and spiritual themes. It serves as both a cautionary tale and a powerful testament to restorative love. On one hand, the book highlights the very real danger of…
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Swiss grassroots democracy
Our Village Says ‘No’ to Extravagance, ‘Yes’ to Compromise (and New Neighbors!) Last night, our village assembly, the twice-yearly gathering where grassroots democracy truly shines, was anything but routine. While the autumn meeting typically focuses on budget approvals, this session brought pivotal decisions on both new citizenship and a hotly debated community building project. The…
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A complicated family
Releasing Janet, by Alex Banwell We all have a past. We’re all products of our family history. Sometimes an innocent remark or incident triggers a process of discovering as aspect of who we really are, and helps us resolve a long-standing hangup. We knew something of the present from Alex Banwell’s delightful fist book, ‘Just…
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A deeply troubling venture
The Last Voyage by Brian D. McLaren Were this merely a work of science fiction, it could be deemed a reasonably well-written, thrilling narrative about a small group of scientists on a highly improbable trip to another planet. But, if you know anything about Brian McLaren, it’s got to be much more than that. The…
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Has the Church lost its way?
I’ve recently read several books about the wives of Christian reformers. They led me to ponder on the way the Church’s emphasis and lifestyle have changed throughout history. Here is a very superficial summary of my analysis, concentrating on the European situation:
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Behind the Reformation
Katharina Luther series by Margaret Skea These books about Katharina von Bora, Martin Luther’s wife, show an incredibly vivid combination of informative history and living personalities.
