The Blessing by John Trent and Gary Smalley

Non-Fiction. Paperback from Thomas Nelson Publishers. Published in 1993. Purchased at The Mustard Seed in Banbury, Oxfordshire, UK.

We don't often just stumble across Christian book shops, so when I saw The Mustard Seed I dragged Steve in. It was a small shop and though they had a decent selection, I have most of the books they had that I might be interested in. But, in an effort to support them I looked around to find something to buy. I settled on this book. It was not a difficult read, at least not in the sense of being hard to understand. It was difficult to think about how a lack of affirmation can unintentionally hurt our loved ones. Included in the book are stories of how different people were affected by the "blessing" (or lack of it); steps to follow in blessing your loved ones; as well as the address of a web site with more support and information about blessing. (The web site has some additional articles you can download, but really seems to be mostly stalled. Even the description of the book on the start up page is wonky. The book summary seems to be of a different book - unless I just completely missed several chapters or something.)

Publisher's summary (not from The Blessing web site):
Our emotional and psychological makeup is such that we all need what the Bible calls "the blessing"--the knowledge that someone in this world loves and accepts us unconditionally. The Blessing teaches the remarkably simple, logical process, touching both inner spirit and physical body, of being a blessing, and how to pass that life-changing blessing on to your parents, spouse, children, and friends.

To buy from amazon.co.uk, click here: The Blessing
from amazon.com, click here: The Blessing

From the bookshelf: Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House by Cheryl Mendelson

Non-fiction. Hardcover from Scribner. Published in 1999. Purchased from Amazon.com.

I suppose it might not be very cool to think this book is neat. But, I really do. The first time I became aware of it was at the Cascade Library (in Grand Rapids). After checking it out and renewing it, I decided it was worth buying. I was fascinated by the chapter on wine glasses - who knew there were different types of glasses for different types of wine? Not me. (Maybe this is common knowledge to some, but I was raised in a household that did not drink alcohol.) I also like the idea of having two different types of kitchen towels. One kind being designated for just dishes, the other for just hands. There is even a chapter on how to repair books! Ideas and information about running a household abound on every page. This is helpful to me because I spend most of my time attempting to keep our household functioning at a reasonable level.

Publisher's summary:
Home Comforts is something new. For the first time in nearly a century, a sole author has written a comprehensive book about housekeeping. This is not a dry how-to manual, nor a collection of odd tips and hints, a cleaning book, a history book, or an arid encyclopedia compiled by a committee or an institute. Home Comforts is a readable explanation for both beginners and experts of all the domestic arts -- choosing fabrics, keeping the piano in tune, caring for books, making a good fire in the fireplace and avoiding chimney fires, ironing and folding, setting up a good reading light, keeping surfaces free of food pathogens, and everything else that modern people might want to do for themselves in their homes. But this reliable and thorough book on the practicalities of housekeeping is also an argument for the importance of private life and the comforts offered by housekeeping.

Cheryl Mendelson is a philosopher, lawyer, sometime professor, and a homemaker, wife, and mother. Home Comforts is based on her domestic education, which she acquired while growing up on a farm in the hills of Greene County, in southwestern Pennsylvania, from her grandmothers, aunts, and mother. Learning from the distinct domestic styles of her native Appalachian relatives and her Italian immigrant relatives, she appreciated early on how important domestic customs are to a sense of comfort and identity in life. She writes out of love and respect for her subject, and hopes to inspire others to develop the affection and respect for home life and housework she was fortunate to have learned.

Mendelson addresses the meanings as well as the methods of housekeeping with a keen sense of the history and values involved. The result is a warm, good-humored, engagingly written book with a message and a point of view, one that is overflowing with useful reflections and information. The clarity, breadth, and depth of the information collected here are unparalleled. You can read Home Comforts for thoughtful entertainment or use its ample index to help you find the answers to practical domestic questions. There is nothing quite like it.

To buy from amazon.co.uk, click here: Home Comforts: the Art and Science of Keeping House
from amazon.com, click here: Home Comforts : The Art and Science of Keeping House

Rumours of Another World by Philip Yancey

Non-Fiction. Hardback from Zondervan. Published in 2003. On loan from the Windsor Public Library. (And overdue.)

Philip Yancey has long been one of my favourite authors. The Windsor library does not have a large selection of Christian books, so I was pleased to run across one of Yancey's books that I had not read. I was not really sure what it was about when I started reading it and was interested to see that he wrote the book for those who live in the "borderlands of belief", skeptical about church and religion. Throughout the book he offers indications of the other world and encourages the readers to remember the spiritual world and to let it be foremost in our minds.

Thomas Merton is quoted as saying: "Everything in modern city life is calculated to keep man from entering into himself and thinking about spiritual things." Certainly worth thinking on - if I can get around all the distractions my modern city life presents me with.

Publisher's summary:
In Rumours of Another World, Philip Yancey asks, "Is the visible world around us all there is?" and "What rumours of another world might it convey?" He then examines the apparent contridictions. If this is God's world, why doesn't it look more like it? Why is this planet so messed up? Finally, the book considers how two worlds – the visible and the invisible, natural and supernatural - might interact and affect our daily lives. Throughout, Yancey invites readers to explore the difference the answers make in coming to grips with our lives.

Rumours reads like a conversation, inviting those skeptical of religion and turned off by the church to consider the possibility of an unseen, supernatural world of beauty and purpose coexisting with our visible world. Rumours of another world are just that, rumours and not proofs, Yancey reminds us. "A thin membrane of belief separates the natural from the supernatural. We experience the highest realities through the lowest, and we must learn to pay attention to notice the difference".

To buy from amazon.co.uk, click here: Rumours of Another World: What on Earth are We Missing?
from amazon.com, click here: Rumors of Another World: What on Earth Are We Missing?

A Mind at a Time by Mel Levine

Non-fiction. Hardcover from Simon & Schuster. Published 2002. Purchased at Amazon.com.

With a kid at home right now who learns differently from what is considered the norm, I'm always on the lookout for advice on how to improve his chances of actually learning something. This book has really been a help to me. It's all marked up and underlined. I'd highly recommend it to anyone with a kid who is struggling with learning.

Publisher's summary:
"Different minds learn differently," writes Dr. Mel Levine, one of the best-known learning experts and pediatricians in America today. Some students are strong in certain areas and some are strong in others, but no one is equally capable in all. Yet most schools still cling to a one-size-fits-all education philosophy. As a result, many children struggle because their learning patterns don't fit the way they are being taught.

In his #1 New York Times bestseller A Mind at a Time, Dr. Levine shows parents and those who care for children how to identify these individual learning patterns, explaining how they can strengthen a child's abilities and either bypass or help overcome the child's weaknesses, producing positive results instead of repeated frustration and failure.

Consistent progress can result when we understand that not every child can do equally well in every type of learning and begin to pay more attention to individual learning patterns -- and individual minds -- so that we can maximize children's success and gratification in life. In A Mind at a Time Dr. Levine shows us how.

To buy from amazon.com, click here: A Mind at a Time
from amazon.co.uk, click here:A Mind at a Time

Giving up on James Herriot: The Life of a Country Vet by Graham Lord

I'm having an awful time trying to get through the James Herriot biography I borrowed from the library, hence no new books reported here of late.

The biographer has spent a lot of time in the first couple of chapters saying things like this: "we don't know where his father worked. He might have worked at an iron works. Here's what someone else who worked in an iron works during that time says about it." and "Here's someone who went to his school. This person didn't really know him, but here's what they say about the school." and so on. It feels like hopping back and forth rather than staying with one subject. I think it would be easier for me to read if the information was presented with less personal details about the person who gave him information. I have not read a ton of biographies, so I am not sure if this method is a normal thing for a biography or not.

I may give it another try by skipping forward to the sections where there would be first hand information from Herriot. But, with other books waiting to be read, this one may just go back to the library unfinished.

From the bookshelf: Celtic Daily Prayer

Non-fiction. Hard cover from Northumbria Community. Published in 2000. Purchased at Blackwell's Bookshop in Oxford, UK.

I come from a church tradition that does not use pre-written prayers (or at least has not in the past). So using prayers that were not "composed as I went along" was a new experience for me. It has been good to be able to choose from these prayers at different times of need. They've been especially helpful at times when I am not sure what to pray. I really like this one:

Circle (name), Lord.
Keep comfort near
and discouragement afar.
Keep peace within
and turmoil out.
Amen

The book also contains daily readings, which I have not looked at as much as the prayers. They seem like they would be ideal for a daily devotional reading though.

Publisher's summary:
This book combines the "Celtic Daily Prayer" and "Celtic Night Prayer" books, and adds to them fresh material born out of the further development of the Northumbria Community's ways of worship in the intervening years since these books were published. The main part of the book consists of thoughts, prayers and readings for the morning and the evening of every day of the year, as well as liturgies for both normal and special occasions. There is also clear guidance on how and when to use the material in imaginative ways, and on the benefits of utilising the imagery and themes of Celtic Christianity.

To buy from amazon.co.uk, click here: Celtic Daily Prayer
from amazon.com, click here: Celtic Daily Prayer

The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom

Non-fiction. Paperback from Bantam Books. Published 1971. Reissued 1984. Purchased in Grand Rapids, MI, USA

I remember reading this many years ago and so bought it for the kids to read. It was brought over in a pile of WW2 books. I saw it on the shelf the other day and thought I would reread it. It didn't take long to read, but what an amazing book. In it you get people at their worst and people at their very best.

As an aside: In my rereading, I noticed for the first time that a Siemens plant near Ravensbruck used people from the concentration camps as forced labourers. A quick web search for companies associated with the Nazi regime turned up the names of several that I recognize. So, I'm sitting here wondering what one does with that type of information.

Publisher's summary:
Corrie Ten Boom stood naked with her older sister Betsie, watching a concentration camp matron  beating a prisoner."Oh, the poor woman," Corrie cried."Yes. May God forgive her," Betsie replied. And, once again, Corrie realized that  it was for the souls of the brutal Nazi guards that her sister prayed.

Both women had been sent to the camp for helping the Jews. Christ's spirit and words were their guide; it was His persecuted people they tried to save – at the risk of their own lives; it was His strength that sustained them through times of profound horror.

Here is a book aglow  with the glory of God and the courage of a quiet  Christian spinster whose life was transformed by  it. A story of Christ's message and the courageous  woman who listened and lived to pass it along --  with joy and triumph!

To buy from amazon.co.uk, click here: The Hiding Place
from amazon.com, click here: The Hiding Place

From the bookshelf: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

Originally this was a BBC radio series that evolved into a book, and then eventually into a whole "trilogy" in five parts. Published in 1981, it is a book that I have read and enjoyed several times over the years. (In both book and audio form.)

Certain to give you a laugh, there are some profound tidbits to be found here as well, including the answer to "Life, the universe and everything"!

Publisher's summary:
Seconds before the Earth is demolished to make way for a galactic freeway, Arthur Dent is plucked off the planet by his friend Ford Prefect, a researcher for the revised edition of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy who, for the last fifteen years, has been posing as an out-of-work actor.

Together this dynamic pair begin a journey through space aided by quotes from The Hitchhiker's Guide ("A towel is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have") and a galaxy-full of fellow travelers: Zaphod Beeblebrox--the two-headed, three-armed ex-hippie and totally out-to-lunch president of the galaxy; Trillian, Zaphod's girlfriend (formally Tricia McMillan), whom Arthur tried to pick up at a cocktail party once upon a time zone; Marvin, a paranoid, brilliant, and chronically depressed robot; Veet Voojagig, a former graduate student who is obsessed with the disappearance of all the ballpoint pens he bought over the years.

Where are these pens? Why are we born? Why do we die? Why do we spend so much time between wearing digital watches? For all the answers stick your thumb to the stars. And don't forget to bring a towel!

To buy from amazon.co.uk, click here: The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy
from amazon.com, click here: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Delicious Library

A couple of years ago I started cataloging my books with a program called Library. Though I started at it before our move to the UK, I have only recently come near to completing the process thanks to a barcode scanner. (The main reason it isn't done is a rather large ocean between me and that last shelf that I haven't tackled yet.) If you've ever toyed with the idea of cataloging your books I'd highly recommend a barcode scanner of some sort. It really sped up the whole process. We had a lot of fun with it and now have an almost complete list of our library.

Now there is a new version of Library, called Delicious Library, just released by a newly launched company called Delicious Monster. Here's what Mac Central has to say about the new software:

The software includes barcode scanning support through Apple's iSight Webcam, high-res 3D renderings of your media's covers, Address Book and iCal-coordinated checkout, automatic syncing with iPods, two-click purchases through Amazon.com, and native XML file format.

It looks like it is going to be a good program, though I'll admit I haven't had much time to play with it beyond importing my books and DVD's. My next goal will be to try syncing with my iPod. What fun!

Prostitute Writer?

"A writer discovers a workable plot and writes the same book over and over all his life to the immense satisfaction of his readers. The readers can feel literary without thinking or dealing with truth. Prostitute writer." Eugene Peterson in More than Words

This quote was written in the context of a discussion of the negativity of programs replacing the real work of the church – which is in my mind a valid point. Then I started to think about the implications of the quote as it relates to reading. (Thus it's inclusion here.)

So, my question is this: does all reading need to make you think and deal with truth? I certainly don't always read looking for deep thought or nuggets of truth. Sometimes I read just for enjoyment, to pass the time with a book that doesn't require much of me. It's fairly obvious that the Dan Brown books fit into the category of "writing the same book over and over again", as do the books by Brian Jacques that the kids enjoy. I don't think I feel particularly literary when reading that type of book. They're just for entertainment.

As I struggle with this quote, I'm having a hard time bringing myself to say that I think it's wrong to read books are not chock full of life changing insights. But, I am pretty sure that a reading diet of nothing but this type of book would be very off-balance. (Which may be more what he is trying to say. Not sure.)

Leave a comment and tell me what you think.

From the bookshelf:7 Kinds of Smart: Identifying and Developing Your Multiple Intelligences by Thomas Armstrong

Non-Fiction. Paperback from Plume Books. Published 1999. Purchased from amazon.com.

This book is a great reminder that there is more to being "smart" than just being good at book learning. Taking to heart that there are many types of intelligence is a great way to encourage the kids (and myself)! Being aware of something besides our mental intelligence is a good reminder to work on developing other areas as well. Remembering that there are many ways that intelligence expresses itself can also be a boost when those inevitable feelings of failure come along .

Publisher's summary:
Based on psychologist Howard Gardner's pioneering theory of "multiple intelligences," the original edition of 7 Kinds of Smart identified seven distinct ways of being smart, including "word smart," "music smart," "logic smart," and "people smart." Now, with the addition of two new kinds of smart--"naturalist" and "existential"--7 Kinds of Smart offers even more interesting information about how the human psyche functions. Complete with checklists for determining one's strongest and weakest intelligences, exercises, practical tips for developing each type of smart, a revised bibliography for further reading, and a guide to related Internet sites, this book continues to be an essential resource, offering cutting-edge research for general consumption.

"At last, thanks to Thomas Armstrong, we have a book that introduces the theory of multiple intelligences to the general public. As an extra dividend, it helps people to discover and unleash their own intellectual strengths."--Howard Gardner, Ph.D., author of Frames of Mind

To buy from amazon.co.uk, click here:Seven Kinds of Smart
from amazon.com, here: 7 Kinds of Smart: Identifying and Developing Your Multiple Intelligences

Trinity College Library

During our visit to Ireland, we had the good fortune to visit Trinity College in Dublin and see the Book of Kells. An absolutely amazing illustrated manuscript of the four gospels dating from the 9th century. And this is not the only amazing old book they have there at Trinity College. They've been building their collection for hundreds of years! Wow. They're definitely bibliophilists!

From Trinity's web site at: About the Library

Trinity College Library is the largest library in Ireland. Its collections of manuscripts and printed books have been built up since the end of the sixteenth century. In addition to the purchases and donations of almost four centuries, since 1801 the Library has had the right to claim all British and Irish publications under the terms of successive Copyright Acts. The bookstock is now over four million volumes and there are extensive collections of manuscripts, maps and music.

The Library has a triple rôle. As a university library it serves the needs of the College's undergraduate and postgraduate students and of the academic staff; it is also a research library of international repute, making available much rare material to scholars from all parts of the world. In addition, it provides an information service to government departments, to research organisations and to technical, industrial and commercial bodies within Ireland.

Knowing God by J. I. Packer

Unabridged Audiobook from Audible.com. Published in book form 1973, and as an audiobook in 1990 by Christians Listening.

It's taken me a long time to get through the ten hours and 15 minutes of this audiobook. Unfortunately the quality of the recording left something to be desired, often repeating sentences at what must have been the breaking point for the narrator. (Bad editing, I'd assume.) I had borrowed the book from the Windsor library in paperback form first (one of the few Christian religious books they have there), and was having a hard time getting through it, so I tried for the audiobook. Now, I think I need to go back to the paperback edition so that I can attempt to explore some of the things he says more fully. Some of it made very good sense to me; especially his chapter refuting the idea that becoming a Christian will make life all sunshine and roses, as well as the one that discussed why icons are not such a good thing. Some of it however, just went way over my head.

Publisher's summary:
Packer contends that the ignorance of God lies at the root of much of the Church's weakness today. And, from this ignorance, two ugly trends have spawned this state of affairs: (1) "Christian minds have been conformed to the modern spirit; the spirit, that is, that spawns great thoughts of man and leaves room for only small thoughts of God," and (2) "Christian minds have been confused by the modern skepticism." This timeless work provides a scholarly yet warm exposition on the nature of God, reinforcing the fundamental facts of faith that have so frequently been called in question.

To buy from amazon.co.uk, click here: Knowing God: With Study Guide
from amazon.com, click here: Knowing God. The audio version can be purchase from audible.com through amazon.com by clicking the audio download link on the description page.

Digital Fortress by Dan Brown

Fiction. Paperback from Corgi Books. Originally published in 1998, republished 2004. Purchased at Books, Etc. at London Luton Airport, UK.

As we were heading out on our trip to Ireland, I stopped in the bookshop for something to read, and this is what caught my eye. I figured since I'd read all the other Dan Brown books published so far, I'd go ahead and read this one as well. Since his popularity has soared since The Da Vinci Code, the publisher has been reissuing his older books. This is the oldest one they've recently put out. I'm under the impression that it is his first book, though I wouldn't bet the farm on it.

The book doesn't seem to have the smoother writing style of his later books, but is still an enjoyable enough read. I would not want to place all my faith in his knowledge of how computers work, but I don't have to believe that something would really work in order to enjoy a book. I do get a little tired of all the main characters in books being drop-dead gorgeous and long-legged or stunningly handsome - as if she or he wouldn't be an enjoyable character otherwise.

Publisher's summary:
When the NSA's invincible code-breaking machine - encounters a mysterious code it cannot break, the agency calls in its head cryptographer, Susan Fletcher, a brilliant and beautiful mathematician. What she uncovers sends shock waves through the corridors of power. The NSA is being held hostage...not by guns or bombs, but by a code so ingeniously complex that if released it will cripple U.S. intelligence.

To buy from amazon.co.uk, click here: Digital Fortress
from amazon.com, click here: Digital Fortress

Rakkety Tam by Brian Jacques

Fiction. Hardback from the Penguin Group. Published 2004. Purchased at Methven's, Windsor, UK. (And at the just published price, no less. But, what else can you do but buy when your kids come running up to you on the High Street, eyes all aglow because of a book they've found? They know my soft spot.)

Brian Jacques has been a favourite of the kids for many years now. And, I'll have to admit he's been a favourite of mine as well. In reality the story lines never really vary much, but they are still enjoyable books. The world of Redwall is a charming one, filled with critters with delightful distinguishing personalities. I'm always glad to read one as soon as I can call my place in the "new book queue" (I usually end up last, but don't mind.)

Here's a song from Chapter 32 sung by a young haremaid (long, but worth it):

'Well pish an' tush an' 'pon my word, I am the Primrose Warrior.
The day I joined the Long Patrol, no maid was ever sorrier.

They woke me up at break o' dawn, and sent me off to war,
before I'd had a chance to bathe, or dust each dainty paw.

I went away to fight the foe, with comrades rude an' rough.
They'd never seen a perfume spray, much less a powder puff.

With not a drop of daisy balm, or any rosehip lotion,
I marched along, a dreadful sight, my ears shook with emotion.

Then soon we faced the enemy, an' it was my firm belief,
between that awful scruffy lot, was not one handkerchief!

What were their mothers thinking of? No one had washed his face.
I mentioned to my Officer, they looked a real disgrace!

All filled with indignation then, I charged them single-pawed,
with a boudoir mirror for a shield, a parasol for a sword.

I curled their ears and brushed their teeth, and wiped their runny noses,
then sprayed on toilet water, until they smelled like roses.

They ran away in swift retreat, that rabble so unseemly.
My General then promoted me, for beating them so cleanly.

So when you see me on parade, you chaps must all salute.
I'm called the Primrose major now, and isn't that a hoot?"

Publisher's summary:
Rakkety Tam MacBurl is a brave border warrior who has travelled south in search of adventure. But when his army is attacked by an evil flesh-eating band, adventure finds him.

Gulo the Savage, wolverine, flesh-eater and brutal killer, has come to Mossflower in search of his brother - who stole the mystical stone that will make one of them king of the lands of ice and snow. Anybeast who gets in Gulo's way is dead meat. And he's heading for the peaceful Redwall Abbey - unless Rakkety Tam can stop him.

To buy from amazon.co.uk, click here: Rakkety Tam
from amazon.com, click here: Rakkety Tam

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Fiction. Hardback from Collector's Library. First published 1813. This edition published 2003. Purchased from Methven's in Windsor, UK.

This copy of Pride and Prejudice is a small collector's edition. It fits neatly in pocket or bag. I've read Pride and Prejudice several times. I've also watched the BBC mini-series many times. I am not to the point where I know the book as well as the movie - often the things that are different in the book surprise me. I do enjoy the book in part because it adds many details left out of the film version. It's interesting to compare the two and speculate why some things were left out or changed in the movie.

For gloomy days that are best passed curled up with a familiar book, this is one of my favorites.

Publisher's summary:
Pride and Prejudice is a delightful social comedy and a timelessly affecting love story. Elizabeth Bennet is the headstrong young woman whom no man seems capable of taming; Fitzwilliam Darcy is the arrogant landowner who distains to think it would be worth his trying to do so. Jane Austen's poised narrative shows how these two apparently incompatible characters learn to overcome their initial feelings of mutual dislike. A tour de force of wit and sparkling dialogue, Pride and Prejudice is also a sumptuously detailed picture of contemporary society, which, in its exploration of manners and motives, has a great deal to say about the society of today. Austen's best-loved novel is a memorable story about hte inaccuracy of first impressions, about the power of reason, and above all about the strange dynamics of human relationships and emotions.

To buy from amazon.co.uk, click here:Pride and Prejudice.
From amazon.com, here: Pride and Prejudice

What type of reader?

I found this quote by Samuel Taylor Coleridge whilst browsing the internet:

Readers may be divided into four classes: 
1.) Sponges, who absorb all that they read and return it in nearly the same state, only a little dirtied. 
2.) Sand-glasses, who retain nothing and are content to get through a book for the sake of getting through the time. 
3.) Strain-bags, who retain merely the dregs of what they read. 
4.) Mogul diamonds, equally rare and valuable, who profit by what they read, and enable others to profit by it also. 

So, naturally, I started trying to decide what type of reader *I* am. I'd love to say unequivocally that I am of the "mogul diamond" persuasion. But, truthfully, I think I see a bit of myself in all of those classes. There are times when what I read gets internalized, but only impacts me a little bit. There are certainly times when I read to pass the time (say on a ten hour flight across the Atlantic). And who hasn't read a paragraph (or more) only to realize that none of it has actually stuck - not even the dregs? (Although I'm not sure that's exactly what he meant there.) On my best of reading days I do indeed profit from what I read, and at the least others profit because I've got a better understanding of myself. I wonder if anyone would really fit neatly into the "mogul diamond" class all the time? I could see that a reader could be one of the other three categories all the time, but the fourth one seems like it might be a bit harder to attain at all times. Some of the stuff I read isn't really something that I really want to profit from, other than to be entertained. I suppose I could profit from the fact that I was entertained, though. Any thoughts?

From the Bookshelf: The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology

(The "From the Bookshelf" entries will be favorite books that are part of our library, but have not necessarily been read recently.)

Although I have not read this book in it's entirety, it is one of my favorites. I don't know enough about etymology to say that this the perfect book on words or to comment on the level of scholarship. However, we have really enjoyed it and have found it to be very useful when we are curious about the etymology of a word. We use it enough to have actually dragged it across the Atlantic so we'd have it available during our time in the UK. (And this was no small feat considering the book is three inches thick and heavy.)

Publisher's summary:
As all lovers of language know, words are the source of our very understanding of ourselves and the world around us.

Often, however, our use of language is so automatic that we neglect to consider where those words came from and what they assume. What are the implications, beyond the simple dictionary definitions, of using words such as privilege, hysteria, seminal, and gyp?

Browsing through the pages of The Barhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology is like exploring the historical, political, and rhetorical wonderland of our linguistic heritage. We see the evolution of ideas, as rootword connections that now seem arbitrary are traced to schools of thought from the past. We also find an opportunity to examine how the sometimes backwards, sometimes hilarious, and sometimes illuminating ideologies built into our language affect our modern thinking.

Written in a fresh, accessible style, this book provides the derivations of over 21,000 English-language words without resorting to the use of abbreviations, symbols, or technical terminology. Drawing on the most current American scholarship, and focusing on the core words in contemporary English, The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology is both a diverting browse and a thinking person's Bible.

To buy from amazon, click here: Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology

Asterix in Britain by Rene Goscinny and Albert Uderzo

Fiction. Hardcover from Orion Books Ltd. Originally published in 1966, reprinted 2004. Purchased from Methven's, Windsor, UK.

There was much rejoicing in our household the day we came across this book in the course of bookstore browsing. We had checked it out of the library here several times. Over time we had decided that it was definitely worth adding to our collection. Unfortunately, we came to discover that it was out of print and used copies were selling for as much as £40 on eBay. We went so far as to scan the book so that we could have it to take back to the states with us. In the way of such things, within a few days of our scanning the book, it was back in the bookshops, having just been reprinted. I bought it without even looking to see how much it was going to cost me. (Fortunately it was only £10 - a bargain compared to £40.)

We've enjoyed the Asterix series for a long time. The author cracks us up with names like "Cacofonix" for a bard with dubious singing talent, and "Getafix" for a druid. There are many references to history slipped in here and there amidst humorous word play. Such fun. Then when you add in the fact that this book pokes fun at the way of life of a Brit, it has me rolling in the aisles every time I read it.

Publisher's summary:
One little ancient British village still holds out against the Roman invaders. Asterix and Obelix and invited to help. They must face fog, rain, warm beer and boiled boar with mint sauce, but they soon have Governor Encylopaedicus Britannicus's Romans declining and falling. Until a wild race for a barrel of magic potion lands them in the drink. It's not quite cricket - how about a nice cup of hot water, though? Over even the first ever tea-party?

For more from the world of Asterix and Obelix visit: www.asterix.tm.fr and choose your language. To buy from amazon, click here: Asterix in Britain

Coraline by Neil Gaiman

Fiction. Audiobook from Harper Children's Audio. Published 2002. Purchased from audible.com. (Although they don't seem to have it anymore. It is available from amazon.co.uk though.)

This audiobook was purchased for Cara's listening pleasure. (I like to try and read some of the same things the kids read, in part to have a topic for conversation and in part to have an idea what is going into their heads.) At just over three hours it's not a very long book at all. But, it was an enjoyable story. It is intended to be scary and was just about as much scary as I am willing to subject myself to! Might be more so for a younger child though. Cara says it scared her a little the first time she listened to it.

Publisher's summary:
The day after they moved in, Coraline went exploring....

In Coraline’s family’s new flat there are twenty-one windows and fourteen doors. Thirteen of the doors open and close. The fourteenth is locked and on the other side is a brick wall, until one day when Coraline unlocks the door and finds a passage to another flat in another house exactly like her own.

Only it’s different.

At first, things seem fantastic in the new flat. The food is better. The toy box is full of exciting toys, books whose pictures writhe and crawl and shimmer and little dinosaur skulls that chatter their teeth. But there’s another mother and another father, and they want Coraline to stay with them and be their daughter. They want to change her and never let her go.

Coraline discovers there are other children trapped there already and she is their only hope of rescue. She will have to fight with all her wits if she is to save the lost children, her real parents and herself.

In this alternately whimsical, creepy, charming and dreamlike story, written in simple but elegant prose, Neil Gaiman has created a modern fairytale that is at times funny, at times frightening and at times beautifully surreal.

To buy on amazon, click here: Coraline

The Brethren by John Grisham

Fiction. Audiobook from Random House Audio. Published 2000. On loan from the Windsor Public Library.

Finishing up in 11 hours, this audiobook certainly helped to pass the time while I did housework over the last week. An interesting book as there really was not a "good guy". Every major person in the plot was busy doing something that they should not have been. I never was really sure how I wanted the story to go because I felt as if each character really did not deserve the "happy ending" that I like to see at the end of a book.

Publisher's summary:
Trumble, a minimum security federal prison, is home to the usual assortment of criminals --drug dealers, bank robbers, swindlers, embezzlers, tax evaders, two Wall Street crooks, one doctor, and at least four lawyers.

Trumble is also home to three former judges who call themselves The Brethren: one from Texas, one from California, and one from Mississippi. They meet each day in the law library, their turf at Trumble, where they write briefs, handle cases for other inmates, practice law without a license, occasionally dispense jailhouse justice, and spend hours hatching schemes to make money.

Then one of their scams goes awry. It ensnares the wrong victim, an innocent on the outside, a man with dangerous friends, and The Brethren's days of quietly marking time are over.

To buy on amazon, click here: The Brethren

Ordering Your Private World by Gordon MacDonald

Non-fiction. Hardcover from Thomas Nelson Publishers. First published 1984. Updated and republished 2003. Purchased from amazon.com.

This book is ultimately about the practice of spiritual disciplines. MacDonald shares his experiences as a pastor and how in time he came to realize that he could not do the job on his own power but needed the power of God to keep him going. Then he takes the reader through what he considers the essentials and gives some guidance as to how to go about each "discipline". He also adds a couple of ideas I've not seen in other books I've read about the spiritual disciplines, including an admonition to read, keep your brain active, learn to listen to others, and cultivate a christian world view.

It took me a couple of months to get this book read, but it was mostly because I had too many other books going at the same time. This recently published edition has a study guide included and I am planning to work my way through the questions. There is a lot of sound advise in this book that I hope to be able to integrate into my life.

Publisher's summary:
We have schedule planners, computerized calendars, and self-stick notes to help us organize our business and social lives every day. But what about organizing the other side of our lives – the spiritual side?

One of the great battlegrounds of the new century is within the private world of the individual. The values of our Western culture incline us to believe that the busy, publicly-active person in ministry is also the most spiritual.

Tempted to give imbalanced attention to the public world at the expense of the private, we become involved in more programs, more meetings. Our massive responsibilities at home, work and church have resulted in a lot of good people on the verge of collapse.

In this timely update to his classic Ordering Your Private World, Gordon MacDonald equips a new generation to live life from the inside out, cultivating the inner victory necessary for public effectiveness.

To buy from amazon, click here: Ordering Your Private World

Now that's a bibliophilist!

Such was his love of learning that the scholarly grand vizier Abdul Kassem Ismael (935-995) of Persia never left home without his personal library. On his many travels as a statesman and warrior, Ismael traveled with 400 camels who carried his 117,000 volume library wherever he went. Even so, his personal librarians could locate any book almost immediately, because the animals were trained to walk in alphabetical order.

-From Abdul Kassem Ismael

I always take too many books with me when I travel, but I am sure this guy gets the prize!

ALA's Banned Books Week

My eldest progeny informs me that this is the American Library Association's Banned Books Week. During Banned Books Week libraries put up displays of books that have been banned at various times during history and encourage library patrons to take one home to read. The list of books that have been banned is quite extensive and includes everything from the Bible to Little House on the Prairie.

Are there books that are not much more than garbage? Absolutely. Are there books that espouse ideas that I think are wrong? Definitely. That's not to say that it doesn't matter what you read - care should certainly be taken to assure that the diet of reading is a healthy one. But, learning to identify what is junk and what is good in a book seems to me to be a better solution than just banning them outright.

Here's what Dwight D. Eisenhower had to say about banning books about communism:

Don't think you're going to conceal faults by concealing evidence that they ever existed. Don't be afraid to go in your library and read every book, as long as any document does not offend our own ideas of decency. That should be the only censorship.

How will we defeat communism unless we know what it is, what it teaches, and why does it have such an appeal for men, why are so many people swearing allegiance to it? It's almost a religion, albeit one of the nether regions.

And we have got to fight it with something better, not try to conceal the thinking of our own people. They are part of America. And even if they think ideas that are contrary to ours, their right to say them, their right to record them, and their right to have them at places where they're accessible to others is unquestioned, or it's not America.

Going Postal by Terry Pratchett

Fiction. Hardcover from Doubleday. Published 2004. Purchased from Waterstones. Trafalgar Square, London, UK.

This is another of Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels and as usual it was very entertaining. His parodies always get me to laughing - this one especially because it's about the post office - with which Steve has had a lot of experience over the last few years.

I'm afraid I'll have to admit to using the book as an excuse to be an absolute slug yesterday evening. I read for almost five hours straight, then when I woke up this morning I finished the last couple of chapters. Ah, bliss!

Publisher's summary:
Moist von Lipwig was a con artist and a fraud and a man faced with a life choice: be hanged, or put Ankh-Morpork's ailing postal service back on its feet.

It was a tough decision.

But he's got to see that the mail gets though, come rain, hail, sleet, dogs, the Post Office Workers Friendly and Benevolent Society, the evil chairman of the Grand Trunk Semaphore Company, and a midnight killer.

Getting a date with Adora Bell Dearheart would be nice, too.

Maybe it'll take a criminal to succeed where honest men have failed, or maybe it's a death sentence either way.

Or perhaps there' s a shot at redemption in the mad world of the mail, waiting for a man who's prepared to push the envelope...

To buy from amazon, click here: Going Postal : A Novel of Discworld

High Druid of Shannara: Tanequil by Terry Brooks

Unabridged Fiction. Audiobook from Books on Tape. Published 2004. Downloaded from Audible.com.

This is the second in the series. It's been a good listen - not too long at a little over 13 hours - and has helped keep me distracted for the last several days. As I neared the end of the recording, I realized that Brooks was leaving us with a yet another cliffhanger. I should know better than to read a book from a series when it is just published. I like to wait until the whole series is complete so I can read them all at once rather than having to wait for the next book. I'm not very patient.

Publisher's summary:
The danger is increasing for Grianne Ohmsford, rightful High Druid of Shannara, who has been banished to the harsh world called the Forbidding by a treasonous fellow Druid. Her only hope for rescue is her nephew Pen, but Pen is under siege as well. Both he and his parents are sought by the Druids, who want to make sure that their magic will never help Grianne to return. Yet no one but Grianne is aware that her banishment into the Forbidding allowed the simultaneous transference of a fearsome denizen of the Forbidding back into Grianne's world, an evil creature that can take on any shape, can kill at will, and is only the harbinger of a much greater, devastating invasion.

Watching the English: The Hidden Rules of English Behaviour by Kate Fox

Non-fiction. Hardcover from Hodder & Stoughton. Published 2004. Purchased at Methven's books, Windsor, UK.

Readers of my other blog may think the title of this book sounds familiar. They may even recall how proud I was of myself for having found a copy of this book at the library rather than having forked out the money for it. What can I say? I now own a copy of this very intriguing book. I think I even understand a bit more about English behaviour than I did previously. Well, at least I know more about what compels them to act the way they do. To sum it up would be hard in this limited format, but, according to Kate Fox, most of the way the English behave has to do with social dis-ease and class consciousness. I was quite struck with how often class was mentioned. Did you know that you can tell what social class someone belongs to here by how they plant their garden, what drink they order at the pub, how they pile peas on their fork and whether they call the couch a sofa or a settee?

Publisher's summary:
In Watching the English anthropologist Kate Fox takes a revealing look at the quirks, habits and foibles of the English people. She puts the English national character under her anthropological microscope, and finds a strange and fascinating culture, governed by complex sets of unspoken rules and byzantine codes of behaviour. Her minute observation of the way we talk, dress, eat, drink, work, play, shop, drive, flirt, fight, queue - and moan about it all - exposes the hidden rules that we all unconsciously obey.

The rules of weather-speak. The Importance of Not Being Earnest rule. The ironic-gnome rule. The reflex apology rule. The paranoid-pantomime rule. Class indicators and class anxiety tests. The money-talk taboo. Humour rules. Pub etiquette. Table manners. The rules of bogside reading. The dangers of excessive moderation. The eccentric-sheep rule. The English 'social dis-ease'.

Through a mixture of anthropological analysis and her own unorthodox experiments (using herself as a reluctant guinea-pig), Kate Fox discovers what these unwritten behaviour codes tell us about Englishness.

Finn MAC Cool by Morgan Llywelyn

Historical fiction. Mass Market Paperback from TOR books. Published 1994. Purchased from the Oxfam used book shop in Windsor, UK.

After a stressful half hour at the bank in Windsor, I decided to take myself out to lunch before heading home. Since I was alone, I needed a book to take to lunch with me. Right across the road from my chosen lunch spot is the Oxfam shop. So, I went into their used book section to see what I could find. This book almost didn't get chosen because I was having a hard time with the silly name. But, nothing better presented itself, so I thought for a couple of quid I would just get it. Then at least I'd have something to pass the time during lunch - even if it didn't turn out to be worth reading all the way through. Turned out to be an interesting book. After a bit of research I discovered that the name Fionn Mac Cumhaill is also used for this historical/mythical character. I think I might have chosen that name to use for the title if I had been the author. But, perhaps people more familiar with Irish folklore know that name and don't think it sounds as silly as I do. (The name brings up images of the Fonz. Though perhaps I'm pronouncing it wrong.)

Publisher's Summary:
Somewhere in the shadowy borderland between myth and history lies the territory of Finn Mac Cool. Mightiest of the Irish heroes, leader of the invincible army of Fianna, he was a man of many faces: warrior, poet, lover, creator, and destroyer. Finn Mac Cool is a man taken from one of the lowest classes of Irish society, driven by ambition and strength to rise above his birth and bring new respect and status to his people.

He had it all and lost it all, but in the end he gained immortality. Finn Mac Cool is a novel of sweeping historical grandeur and awesome adventure.

An Idea Whose Time Has Come by Floyd E. Rose

Non-fiction. PDF. (In paperback by Brentwood Christian Press.) Published in 2002. Downloaded from As the Spirit Leads.

I ended up on the As the Spirit Leads site by following a link from Gal328. The booklet (it's about 68 pages total) caught my attention because it specifically addresses why women in the Church of Christ should be able to take part in all areas of church life, and because it was written by an African American, who in my experience are the most conservative members of the C of C. Mr. Rose compares how women are treated with the way slaves were treated, which I have seen in other writings about women and the church. Somehow it seems very personal to him, though. Which it must be for him to put his neck on the line in writing this booklet and starting a gender-neutral church.

He says: "Slavery in America was built on the premise that the worst white man was better than the best black man. Male chauvinism in the church is built on the premise that the least qualified man is more qualified than the most qualified woman." I've certainly seen that in action on more than one occasion.

Publisher's summary:
For thirty years, Floyd Rose was among the most sought after preachers in the Churches of Christ.  In 1978, at the age of forty and the height of his popularity, he was conducting an average of twenty-six gospel meetings a year and featured on Regional and national Lectureships through the United States. To the surprise of his family and friends, in 1979, Rose left the Church of Christ, and with his wife and one other man, Rose founded the Family Baptist Church in Toledo, Ohio.  In just six months, the Family Baptist Church grew from three to five hundred members.  It was Toledo's fastest growing church, and had become the center of spiritual, political and economic power in Toledo's African American community.  Among its guests were Rosa parks, Stokely Carmichael, Louis Farakan, and T.D. Jakes. In 1994, two years after the death of his father, Rose returned to the Church of Christ of his childhood and again his popularity soared.  Between April of 1997 and April of 1998, he traveled more than 75,000 miles accepting invitations to preach, lecture and conduct workshops in thirty different cities in as many states. In spite of his ever increasing popularity, Rose was troubled by what he saw as a parallel between how blacks were treated by a white dominated society and how women are treated in a male dominated church.  So, he established the Church of Christ At Pine Hill; a church without wall-without denominational, cultural, class, race or gender walls; a congregations of Christians where women participate in all of the ministries of the church, without restrictions or reservations.

Big Honkin' Zits : A Zits Treasury by Jerry Scott

Fiction. Comic book. Paperback from Andrews McMeel Publishing. Published 2001. Purchased from Forbidden Planet in London, UK.

In the "just for fun" category, this book certainly fits the bill. Even though I've read it a couple of times before, it never fails to make me "LOL". This comic appeals to both myself and my kids. I think it's most likely because I'm busy relating to the parents in the strip while the kids are tuned into Jeremy, their son. Pretty good writing happening to appeal to both parents and kids. One of my favorite comic strips.

Publisher's summary:
Widely lauded by critics, colleagues, and readers, Zits is on the brink of appearing in 1,000 newspapers-the unspoken threshold of the comic strip elite. The strip has been twice honored with the National Cartoonists Society's Reuben Award as the Best Newspaper Comic Strip, and received the Max and Moritz Award in 2000 for Best International Comic Strip.This second treasury represents a compilation of Don't Roll Your Eyes at Me, Young Man! and Are We an "Us"'. With friends and family, Jeremy ponders life's great philosophical questions, such as, "If the universe is constantly expanding, how come the sky never gets any bigger'" He tackles serious issues too, deciding with his buddy, Hector, to shave his head to support a friend's mom who's battling cancer. Big Honkin' Zits masterfully guides its readers through the real-life joys and heartaches of being a teenager.

Shameless plug for Audible.com

Listening to audio-books while traveling has been a good way to help pass the time over the years. With the acquisition of my iPod I've realized that audio-books are great for other times, as well. I listen while sewing, ironing, exercising and even sometimes when trying to get to sleep. The kids like listening when they aren't feeling well, or while doing crafts.

For the last year or so I've been a member of Audible's Premium Listener program. For $20 a month I get two audio-books. Since most audio-books aren't inexpensive, I've always gotten much more than the membership cost worth of books each month. Plus I've added to my book collection! I've listened to: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy; The Screwtape Letters; The DaVinci Code; The Last Continent; How the Irish Saved Civilization; The Secret Life of Bees; The Callahan Chronicles; Meditation for Christians; Snow Crash; Angels and Demons; I, Robot; Princes of Ireland ; Split Second; and am currently listening to All God's Children and Blue Suede Shoes; Tanequil; The Message and Knowing God.

So, all that said, if Audible looks interesting to you, and you check it out and decide to register or join the Premium Listener program, if you "mention my name" while registering, I can get a chance to win an iPod mini, a Audible gift certificate or free audio programs. Now, normally I don't do this sort of shameless plug thing, but the combination of the lure of an iPod and books was just too much for me.

Unintended Consequences: The Amazing Spider Man by J. Michael Straczynski, John Romita Jr.

Fiction. Graphic Novel. Paperback from Marvel Graphic Novels. First published as AMAZING SPIDER-MAN VOL II #51-56. On loan from the Windsor Library.

PJ just read this one, and said I should read it as well. It was actually a pretty good book. I'll have to say in general I rather like Peter Parker and Spider-man. Seems like he's at least trying to do the right things for the right reasons.

Publisher's Summary:
As Peter and his estranged wife Mary Jane Watson continue to struggle with their recent reconciliation, Peter's wall-crawling alter ego faces a new superhuman threat. A bizarre gamma-powered creature emerges seeking revenge, but what is its connection with the infamous Vegas Thirteen - a group of mob bosses murdered forty-six years ago - and the crime lord Morris Forelli? Spider-man is drawn into a web of deceit and betrayal as he calls on all his astounding abilities in order to save Forelli and his unsuspecting daughter ... as well as saving himself!

In addition, Peter must deal with the unintended consequences of his actions as Spider-man and their affect on the lives of the families of those he has brought to justice.

Cathedral: The Story of Its Construction by David Macaulay

Non-fiction. Hardcover from Houghton Mifflin Company. First published 1973. Purchased from SuperBookDeals through Amazon.co.uk's Marketplace.

This book was purchased as a supplement to Cara's World Studies course. While it certainly is not an exhaustive study of how a cathedral was built, it is very interesting. Great illustrations as well. Even after touring several old cathedrals here, it still amazes me that buildings like this were built in the 1200's.

Publisher's summary:
The Gothic cathedral is one of man's most magnificent expressions as well as one of his grandest architectural achievements. Built to the glory of God, each cathedral was created by the ingenuity, skill, and hard work of generations of dedicated people.

This richly illustrated book shows the intricate step-by-step process of a cathedral's growth. The plan is agreed on; the site is chosen; each craftsman's contribution is presented; his tools and materials are described. The details of the construction are graphically explained from the building of the foundation and the erection of the walls through the details of the flying buttresses, vaulting, and roofing, on to the completion of the towers and the casting of the bells.

The grandeur of the cathedral unfolds through the book until finally the reader shares with the townspeople of Chutreaux a sense of wonder at the power of their creation.

My Forbidden Face by "Latifa"

Non-fiction. Paperback from Virago Press. Published 2002. Purchased at the Bridge Help Point (off of their used books self for .20p), Datchet, Berkshire, UK.

It was a slow day at the Bridge today, so I went into the help point to peruse the used books to see if there was something that caught my eye. As usual there wasn't much to choose from; only occasionally will there be a gem hiding in the midst of the junk. I haven't read any of the books that have come out recently about how women are treated by the Taliban, so I decided to pick this book up and give it a read. The woman who wrote the book is young, and could have perhaps benefitted from a little help from a professional ghost writer. It was an interesting story though, and it is certainly appalling how women are treated under Taliban rule. Here in the UK I have had a very small taste of the distain some men from that part of the world have for women. It just makes me angry, but I can imagine how degrading it must be for the women there not to be able to combat it very effectively.

Publisher's summary:
A poignant story of a young woman's life under the Taliban.

Latifa was born in Kabul, in 1980, into an educated middle-class Afghan family, at once liberal and religious. As a teenager, she was interested in fashion and cinema and going out with her friends, and she longed to become a journalist. her mother, a doctor, and her father, a businessman, encouraged her dreams.

Then, in 1996, the Taliban seized power. From that moment, Latifa, sixteen years old, became a prisoner in her own home. her school was closed. Her mother was banned from working. The simplest and most basic freedoms - walking down the street, looking out of a window - were no longer hers. She was now forced to cover herself entirely with a burqa.

With painful honestly and clarity, Latifa describes the way her world fell apart in the name of a fanatical interpretation of a faith. her story goes to the heart of a people caught up in a terrible tragedy in a brutalised country. But Latifa is determined to survive - and live in freedom and hope.

Deception Point by Dan Brown

Fiction. Paperback from Corgi Books. Published 2002. Purchased at Methven's Books, Windsor, Berkshire, UK.

I've been on a Dan Brown spree. I saw this one yesterday in Windsor and couldn't help myself. (I think that is how I come home with a lot of books, actually.) I finished it in one day - by sneaking in reading between working with the kids on their school work and holding the book in my hand while eating dinner. It was hard to put down. I was definitely surprised at the end when the plotter was revealed.

Publisher's summary:
A shocking scientific discovery.
A conspiracy of staggering brilliance.
A thriller unlike any you've ever read....

When a NASA satellite discovers an astonishingly rare object buried deep in the Arctic ice, the floundering space agency proclaims a much-needed victory -- a victory with profound implications for NASA policy and the impending presidential election. To verify the authenticity of the find, the White House calls upon the skills of intelligence analyst Rachel Sexton. Accompanied by a team of experts, including the charismatic scholar Michael Tolland, Rachel travels to the Arctic and uncovers the unthinkable: evidence of scientific trickery -- a bold deception that threatens to plunge the world into controversy. But before she can warn the President, Rachel and Michael are ambushed by a deadly team of assassins. Fleeing for their lives across a desolate and lethal landscape, their only hope for survival is to discover who is behind this masterful plot. The truth, they will learn, is the most shocking deception of all.

Legend of the Celtic Stone by Michael Phillips

"An Epic Saga of Scotland and Her People" Part 1. Historical Fiction. Paperback from Bethany House Publishers. Published in 1999. Purchased at Half Price Books in Austin, TX.

While browsing in the Christian books section, the title of this book caught my eye. Even though I had never heard of the author or anything about the book, it was not too hard to decide to buy. When I sat down to read it I was rather surprised to find the book starting in modern day London. Interestingly enough, the author goes back and forth between modern times and different times in history. The forays into the past are presented as the main character thinking/reading about the past. I had a little bit of trouble shifting from a modern story to the historical stuff. The history is however very descriptive and interesting. The book is definitely Christian and is a bit heavy on the preaching at points, which doesn't really quite fit in the story. (Easy preaching might have worked better. It's almost like you can see the author switching into high gear during those parts.)

Publisher's summary:
In Legend of the Celtic Stone, Westminster Abbey is the site of a burglary that sets all of Great Britain astir. Both the IRA and Scottish nationalists are thought to be the culprits but no one has the answer to the puzzling crime.

Andrew Trentham, member of Parliament and one of the nation's most eligible men, is as chagrined by the break-in as anyone, and wary of the winds of nationalism sweeping down from the north. It is difficult for him to focus on national affairs however when his personal life is filled with all the trouble he can handle.

Rebuffed in his proposal of marriage by the woman that he loves and suffering through the lingering pain of a family tragedy, this heir of noble blood is compelled to reexamine his foundations. What Andrew discovers in the process is a link to ancient Caledonia, a highland heritage that will forever change the way he looks at the world. As the ancient legends begin to shed light on Andrew's place in the world, he makes attempts to rekindle the love he has lost. At the same time, a resurgent Scotland rises to reclaim the glory of its storied past.

Angels & Demons by Dan Brown

Unabridged Audiobook from Audible.com. Enjoyed via my iPod.

Angels & Demons was first published in 2000; the audiobook was done in 2004. The narrator David Poe really had his work cut out for him in managing a reading that takes 18 hours and 15 minutes. He did very well and was easy to listen to - it was never obvious that the recording wasn't done in one long take. (Some narrators of audiobooks I've listened to have not been able to keep their voice sounding the same throughout the whole reading.)

I began listening to Angels & Demons on our way to the states in July. I finished it up on our drive from Texas to Michigan. So, it took a little over three weeks to hear the whole book. (I tried to limit myself to just listening while traveling.) I really enjoyed the book and would recommend it.

Here's the publisher's summary:
World-renowned Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned to a Swiss research facility to analyze a cryptic symbol seared into the chest of a murdered physicist. What he discovers is unimaginable: a deadly vendetta against the Catholic Church by a centuries-old underground organization, the Illuminati. Desperate to save the Vatican from a powerful time bomb, Langdon joins forces in Rome with the beautiful and mysterious scientist Vittoria Vetra. Together they embark on a frantic hunt through sealed crypts, dangerous catacombs, deserted cathedrals, and the most secretive vault on earth, the long-forgotten Illuminati lair.

Books

It's no stretch to say that I'm a bibliophile. I really enjoy reading books, and collecting them as well. This blog is intended to be a reading list of sorts, along with general bookish comments. I've kept a reading list for several years, but was inspired to add a reading list blog by a friend who did the same.