"Jesus Calling" by Sarah Young is filled with spiritually practical, simple steps for the mature Christian or babe in Christ. Each devotional ends with a scripture or scriptures. This addition of scriptures to the author's thoughts always helps me in a better meditation. The scriptures are like a memory tool for me.
The devotions for each day and month are reality based. For example, we shouldn't expect a perfect day everyday just because we have chosen to live the way that the Lord has chosen for mankind. Some days are horrible. Sarah Young calls these days "the sludge of the fallen world." Sarah Young in "Jesus Calling" gently guides us in ways to share an intimacy with God. I look forward to growing and changing through the use of this devotional. It is a God sent gift.
Also, the book is small and very attractive. That means it can go with me anywhere. It is just one more added benefit.
"The Dream Room" by Marcel Moring is about a small family. There is the mother, father, son and grandparents. The family lives in England. The grandparents are of Dutch and English descent. When the book begins, the family are faced with hard ecnomic times. It is after WWII. When the mother also loses her job, a neighbor has the perfect idea. This family will help him with his business. It is a dream come true.
The neighbor is a doll doctor. He also sells airplane kits to hobbyists. For whatever reason, customers are coming into the shop looking at the completed airplanes hanging from the ceiling instead of looking at the kits on the shelves. The art of crafting has gone by the wayside. Why buy the kit? If the plane is already put together, buy the ready made. Perhaps, the war is to be blamed. People fear the passing of time. Time and life are fragile.
David's family live above the doll hospital. The family decides to put the planes together for their neighbor, the doll doctor. I like to think a lot of love and thought went into building each airplane. The father had been an air pilot during the war. When his parachute crashed, by serendipity he discovered his soon to be wife. She was his nurse while he recuperated from many broken bones.
This book is about love and dreams on many different levels. I especially enjoyed reading about the romance between David's father and mother. The way they met one another is unforgettable. There is the mother's love of the Dream Room at David's grandfather's home. In the Dream Room is a curved window and a seat where David's mother would sit dreaming while looking out to sea or reading a book that takes her faraway. Then, of course, there is the father's love of flying. "When he flew his mind emptied and there was nothing but the thrust of the plane...." There is also David's passion for cooking. I love culinary books. This part of the book was really enjoyable to me. I always see male chefs in restaurants or in a movie or on tv. I never think about what these men must have been like as little boys. It's fascinating.
Also, I felt throughout the book a feeling of crossing the globe: Paris, England, Holland and Germany. It made me think about the origins of ourselves and our neighbors. We are complex. Each of us is made up of many different places like a patchworked globe. We are like roses, petal upon petal, layers and layers of shaded differences brought together by the beginnings of love. At the end of the book, Marcel Moring keeps us in the Dream Room through the words of a fable. I will think more about that fable tonight.
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(1 of 2 readers found this comment helpful)
"So Long a Letter" by Mariama Ba is a spectacular book. Ramatoulaye is a widow when the novel begins. We meet her while she is in mourning. Soon, we learn about the other sorrows of her heart. Times throughout which she cried and cried. Her healing strength comes through writing this letter to Aissatou. Because the friendship means so much to her Ramatoulaye names her daughter after Aissatou. I thought this was a beautiful way of showing appreciation for a friend who always had a listening ear and a nonjudgmental heart.
In this letter to Aissatou, Ramatoulaye gives details about her marriage to Madou Fall. This lengthy letter is like a flashback in time. Both Aissatou and Ramatoulaye faced the identical situation with their men. Each woman chose a different way to handle their new circumstances. Still, neither woman judges the other woman.
I adored the book for so many reasons. I loved the friendship between the two African women. I enjoyed learning about the West African culture and I liked learning more about the African male. At the last page, I had my pen ready to write down other titles by Mariama Ba. Unfortunately, this is her first and last novel. "Ba died tragically in 1981 in Dakar after a long illness, just before her second novel Le Chant Ecarlate appeared. "So Long A Letter" by Mariamb Ba is translated from the French by Modupe Bode-Thomas.
If anyone can translate the French phrase, I would appreciate knowing the name of the novel in English.
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(3 of 5 readers found this comment helpful)
"Gatsby's Girl" by Caroline Preston is a powerful novel based on real people. Ginevra Perry/Granger is F. Scott Fitzgerald's first love. It isn't long before the relationship ends due to an assortment of reasons. Ginevra abruptly ends the relationship. All through her life she will look back and wonder did she make the right choice.
These feelings lead Ginevra to continue following F. Scott Fitzgerald's life by reading his novels and clipping newsworthy items from the newspapers. She wonders whether characters like Daisy Buchanan in "The Great Gatsby" are remembrances of her on the written page.
It is like turning back the clock to the Roaring Twenties as Caroline Preston unfolds their story. The novel swells with emotion as Ginevra's life and F. Scott Fitzgerald's life and Zelda's life goes around and around in regrets and a need for love and identity. It is a book about a Lost Generation, a generation still able to help us better understand ourselves.
The novel is great. It is Historical Fiction at its best.
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No
(1 of 2 readers found this comment helpful)
Posted November 24, 2008, 11:55 AM EST: Fra Filippo, a Carmelite monk, and Lucrezia, a novititate, are two of the most unforgettable characters in "The Miracles of Prato" by Laurie Albanese and Laura Morowitz. This is Historical Fiction at it's best. The story takes place during the Fifteenth Century. During this time Fra Filippo Lippi is a monk as well as a very talented artist. One of his famous patrons is Cosimo De Medici. Lucrezia, a novititate, from the Santa Margherita convent becomes the woman who will pose as The Holy Mother for one of his paintings.
While he paints Lucrezia, Fra Lippi falls in love with this beautiful woman. Sadly, in Prato it is well known that Fra Lippi is weak when it comes to fleshly desires. Amazingly, he does not succumb to the beauty of Lucrezia. He respects her as he would the Virgin Mary. Nothing unsavory happens between he and Lucrezia during their time together in the monk's bottega.
Although these two people hold themselves above reproach, scandal takes over their lives. The monk and novititate meet all sorts of obstacles. I cried while reading the novel. I thought about the power held by men in high religious establishments. I pondered the fact that beauty can become a curse rather than a blessing to women. I wondered about marriage vows. Is there more than one way for a couple to become legally married? The novel constantly awakened thoughts and made me question age old philosophies.
"The Miracles of Prato" is also suspenseful. Fra Lippi sees a flash of red walking quickly past him more than once as he travels about the city. Who is it? There is a missing child. Where is the baby? Who took the child? Then, there is the Sacra Cinola, the belt of the Madonna. It is a Holy relic. If it does not remain in the right hands, what will happen? Is their a curse attached to the Sacra Cinola? Do miracles flow from the green and gold belt belonging to the Virgin Mary? Saint Thomas was the one who gave the Sacra Cinola to the Holy Mother.
Teresa de' Valenti is one of the people who believes she has witnessed a miracle from The Gift of Heaven. With the miraculous birth of her son, Ascanio, Teresa de' Valenti chooses to always believe in the truth and virtue of Lucrezia. More than once, she will show her appreciation to Lucrezia.
Laura Albanese and Laura Morowitz have written an extraordinary novel.It is a portrait of long lasting love. I anxiously await their next book.
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No
(4 of 5 readers found this comment helpful)
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Jesus Calling: Seeking Peace in His Presence by Sarah Young
bookluver, June 3, 2009
Jesus Calling by Sarah Young"Jesus Calling" by Sarah Young is filled with spiritually practical, simple steps for the mature Christian or babe in Christ. Each devotional ends with a scripture or scriptures. This addition of scriptures to the author's thoughts always helps me in a better meditation. The scriptures are like a memory tool for me.
The devotions for each day and month are reality based. For example, we shouldn't expect a perfect day everyday just because we have chosen to live the way that the Lord has chosen for mankind. Some days are horrible. Sarah Young calls these days "the sludge of the fallen world." Sarah Young in "Jesus Calling" gently guides us in ways to share an intimacy with God. I look forward to growing and changing through the use of this devotional. It is a God sent gift.
Also, the book is small and very attractive. That means it can go with me anywhere. It is just one more added benefit.
The Dream Room by Marcel Moring
bookluver, April 28, 2009
The Dream Room by Marcel Moring"The Dream Room" by Marcel Moring is about a small family. There is the mother, father, son and grandparents. The family lives in England. The grandparents are of Dutch and English descent. When the book begins, the family are faced with hard ecnomic times. It is after WWII. When the mother also loses her job, a neighbor has the perfect idea. This family will help him with his business. It is a dream come true.
The neighbor is a doll doctor. He also sells airplane kits to hobbyists. For whatever reason, customers are coming into the shop looking at the completed airplanes hanging from the ceiling instead of looking at the kits on the shelves. The art of crafting has gone by the wayside. Why buy the kit? If the plane is already put together, buy the ready made. Perhaps, the war is to be blamed. People fear the passing of time. Time and life are fragile.
David's family live above the doll hospital. The family decides to put the planes together for their neighbor, the doll doctor. I like to think a lot of love and thought went into building each airplane. The father had been an air pilot during the war. When his parachute crashed, by serendipity he discovered his soon to be wife. She was his nurse while he recuperated from many broken bones.
This book is about love and dreams on many different levels. I especially enjoyed reading about the romance between David's father and mother. The way they met one another is unforgettable. There is the mother's love of the Dream Room at David's grandfather's home. In the Dream Room is a curved window and a seat where David's mother would sit dreaming while looking out to sea or reading a book that takes her faraway. Then, of course, there is the father's love of flying. "When he flew his mind emptied and there was nothing but the thrust of the plane...." There is also David's passion for cooking. I love culinary books. This part of the book was really enjoyable to me. I always see male chefs in restaurants or in a movie or on tv. I never think about what these men must have been like as little boys. It's fascinating.
Also, I felt throughout the book a feeling of crossing the globe: Paris, England, Holland and Germany. It made me think about the origins of ourselves and our neighbors. We are complex. Each of us is made up of many different places like a patchworked globe. We are like roses, petal upon petal, layers and layers of shaded differences brought together by the beginnings of love. At the end of the book, Marcel Moring keeps us in the Dream Room through the words of a fable. I will think more about that fable tonight.
(1 of 2 readers found this comment helpful)
So Long a Letter (African Writers Series #248) by Mariama Ba
bookluver, April 27, 2009
"So Long a Letter" by Mariama Ba is a spectacular book. Ramatoulaye is a widow when the novel begins. We meet her while she is in mourning. Soon, we learn about the other sorrows of her heart. Times throughout which she cried and cried. Her healing strength comes through writing this letter to Aissatou. Because the friendship means so much to her Ramatoulaye names her daughter after Aissatou. I thought this was a beautiful way of showing appreciation for a friend who always had a listening ear and a nonjudgmental heart.In this letter to Aissatou, Ramatoulaye gives details about her marriage to Madou Fall. This lengthy letter is like a flashback in time. Both Aissatou and Ramatoulaye faced the identical situation with their men. Each woman chose a different way to handle their new circumstances. Still, neither woman judges the other woman.
I adored the book for so many reasons. I loved the friendship between the two African women. I enjoyed learning about the West African culture and I liked learning more about the African male. At the last page, I had my pen ready to write down other titles by Mariama Ba. Unfortunately, this is her first and last novel. "Ba died tragically in 1981 in Dakar after a long illness, just before her second novel Le Chant Ecarlate appeared. "So Long A Letter" by Mariamb Ba is translated from the French by Modupe Bode-Thomas.
If anyone can translate the French phrase, I would appreciate knowing the name of the novel in English.
(3 of 5 readers found this comment helpful)
Gatsby's Girl by Caroline Preston
Bookluver, December 18, 2008
"Gatsby's Girl" by Caroline Preston is a powerful novel based on real people. Ginevra Perry/Granger is F. Scott Fitzgerald's first love. It isn't long before the relationship ends due to an assortment of reasons. Ginevra abruptly ends the relationship. All through her life she will look back and wonder did she make the right choice.These feelings lead Ginevra to continue following F. Scott Fitzgerald's life by reading his novels and clipping newsworthy items from the newspapers. She wonders whether characters like Daisy Buchanan in "The Great Gatsby" are remembrances of her on the written page.
It is like turning back the clock to the Roaring Twenties as Caroline Preston unfolds their story. The novel swells with emotion as Ginevra's life and F. Scott Fitzgerald's life and Zelda's life goes around and around in regrets and a need for love and identity. It is a book about a Lost Generation, a generation still able to help us better understand ourselves.
The novel is great. It is Historical Fiction at its best.
(1 of 2 readers found this comment helpful)
The Miracles of Prato by Laurie Albanese
bookluver, November 26, 2008
Posted November 24, 2008, 11:55 AM EST: Fra Filippo, a Carmelite monk, and Lucrezia, a novititate, are two of the most unforgettable characters in "The Miracles of Prato" by Laurie Albanese and Laura Morowitz. This is Historical Fiction at it's best. The story takes place during the Fifteenth Century. During this time Fra Filippo Lippi is a monk as well as a very talented artist. One of his famous patrons is Cosimo De Medici. Lucrezia, a novititate, from the Santa Margherita convent becomes the woman who will pose as The Holy Mother for one of his paintings.
While he paints Lucrezia, Fra Lippi falls in love with this beautiful woman. Sadly, in Prato it is well known that Fra Lippi is weak when it comes to fleshly desires. Amazingly, he does not succumb to the beauty of Lucrezia. He respects her as he would the Virgin Mary. Nothing unsavory happens between he and Lucrezia during their time together in the monk's bottega.
Although these two people hold themselves above reproach, scandal takes over their lives. The monk and novititate meet all sorts of obstacles. I cried while reading the novel. I thought about the power held by men in high religious establishments. I pondered the fact that beauty can become a curse rather than a blessing to women. I wondered about marriage vows. Is there more than one way for a couple to become legally married? The novel constantly awakened thoughts and made me question age old philosophies.
"The Miracles of Prato" is also suspenseful. Fra Lippi sees a flash of red walking quickly past him more than once as he travels about the city. Who is it? There is a missing child. Where is the baby? Who took the child? Then, there is the Sacra Cinola, the belt of the Madonna. It is a Holy relic. If it does not remain in the right hands, what will happen? Is their a curse attached to the Sacra Cinola? Do miracles flow from the green and gold belt belonging to the Virgin Mary? Saint Thomas was the one who gave the Sacra Cinola to the Holy Mother.
Teresa de' Valenti is one of the people who believes she has witnessed a miracle from The Gift of Heaven. With the miraculous birth of her son, Ascanio, Teresa de' Valenti chooses to always believe in the truth and virtue of Lucrezia. More than once, she will show her appreciation to Lucrezia.
Laura Albanese and Laura Morowitz have written an extraordinary novel.It is a portrait of long lasting love. I anxiously await their next book.
(4 of 5 readers found this comment helpful)
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