88 ratings | 16 reviews | avg rating: 4.51

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Beryl Singleton Bissell

goodreads author profile

url

http://www.goodreads.com/berylbee

born

October 10, 1939

gender

female

place of birth

Teaneck New Jersey, The United States

website

http://www.berylsingletonbissell.com/index.htm

genre

Biographies & Memoirs, Religion & Spirituality, Literature & Fiction

influences

Catholic Boarding School

member since

April 2008

about this author

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The award-winning author of The Scent of God -- a Book Sense notable in April 2006 -- selected by the Minneapolis Star Tribune as a "Best of 2006 Minnesota Authors." Writes frequently for Lake Superior Magazine, was a columnist with the Cook County News Herald for 10 years, has been published in numerous publications in print and online, and in the anthologies Surviving Ophelia edited by Cheryl Dellasaga and The New Writer's Handbook:a practical anthology of best advice for your craft and careeer, Volume 2.

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books by Beryl Singleton Bissell

avg rating: 3.99 | 69 ratings | 23 reviews | 2 distinct works

	The Scent of God: A Memoir by Beryl Singleton Bissell (Goodreads author) avg rating 3.99 — 69 ratings — published 2006 2 editions	my rating:
	the scent of god by Beryl Singleton Bissell (Goodreads author) avg rating 0.0 — 0 ratings — published 2006	my rating:

* Note: these are all the books on Goodreads for this author. To add more, perform a search.

Beryl is currently reading

	05/11 Beryl gave to: Sadhana (Paperback) by Anthony De Mello bookshelves: currently-reading	my rating:
	recommended to Beryl by: Virginia Reiner, a dear writing friend recommended for: those willing to step out of dogma and into faith read in May, 2009 Beryl said: "I love Anthony de Mello's challenges, the way he thrusts ideas in your face and tells you to take it or leave it. One can't cling to safe old beliefs in his presence. He doesn't care whether you listen or not. It's up to you to take what you want and...more " add a comment
	01/08 Beryl is currently reading: Evil Genes: Why Rome Fell, Hitler Rose, Enron Failed and My Sister Stole My Mother's Boyfriend (Hardcover) by Barbara Oakley bookshelves: currently-reading	my rating:
	add a comment
	01/08 Beryl is currently reading: The Spirituality of Imperfection: Storytelling and the Search for Meaning (Paperback) by Ernest Kurtz bookshelves: currently-reading	my rating:
	add a comment

Beryl's recent updates (rss)

May 19

Beryl marked as to-read:
Breathing in Colour
by Clare Jay

my rating:

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Beryl made a comment on Christine Swint's review of Breathing in Colour

Beryl wrote: "You've captured me. I'm off to purchase a copy. I'd heard of synaesthesia before in relation to a co...more "

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Beryl read and liked Christine Swint's review of Breathing in Colour:

"Clare Jay’s Breathing in Colour ( Piatkus, Little, Brown Book Group, March 2009) weaves together threads from many disparate areas of life – dreams, travels,the creative mind, family dynamics, memory, and relationships between men and women. The ...more Clare Jay’s Breathing in Colour ( Piatkus, Little, Brown Book Group, March 2009) weaves together threads from many disparate areas of life – dreams, travels,the creative mind, family dynamics, memory, and relationships between men and women. The story, which takes place in the UK and India, blends the characters’ dreams into the narrative with seamless artistry, no easy task (which I know from my own experience of including dream imagery in my writing).

Throughout the course of the novel the reader learns about synaesthesia, a condition in which a person perceives sounds or smells as colors, or numbers and certain letters of the alphabet as colors. Both the mother and the daughter in the novel are synaesthetes, and Clare Jay does a superb job describing how the two characters view the world. Jay is not a synaesthete herself, yet she illustrates their world with vivid accuracy, allowing the reader to glimpse what it might be like to have such ultra heightened senses.

I met Clare Jay two years ago at a conference for the International Association for the Study of Dreams, where she told me about the novel she was then writing, her lucid dreams (knowing one is dreaming while in the dream state), and her technique for inducing the writer’s trance, which involves yogic relaxation (she is also a yoga instructor) and the recall of dream imagery. I still remember the character I came up with after attending one of Clare Jay’s workshops involving dreams and creative writing. It was a panther woman who sat at the end of my bed. In fact, I’ve written a poem about the panther woman – she holds a special place in my pantheon of fictional characters.

The characters in Breathing in Colour, both the dream man and the ones who walk the earth, are alive with color, smells, texture, and nuance. They are more than three dimensional because of Jay’s bright, sensitive use of language. It’s like going on a magic carpet ride.

Be sure to visit Clare Jay’s beautiful website and blog, where she has information about her next book, Dreamrunner. (less) "

2 comments

Beryl marked as to-read:
Sailing on an Ocean of Tears (Paperback)
by Donna Kendall

my rating:

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Beryl made a comment on Reader Views's review of Sailing on an Ocean of Tears

Beryl wrote: "I really enjoyed this review because it reflected the reasons it resonated with you -- which I find ...more "

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Beryl read and liked Reader Views's review of Sailing on an Ocean of Tears:

"Reviewed by Olivera Baumgartner-Jackson for Reader Views (4/09)

Donna Kendall’s “Sailing on an Ocean of Tears” is one of those books that truly makes you stop and think of the consequences of little acts we perform every day, sometime...more Reviewed by Olivera Baumgartner-Jackson for Reader Views (4/09)

Donna Kendall’s “Sailing on an Ocean of Tears” is one of those books that truly makes you stop and think of the consequences of little acts we perform every day, sometimes quite mindlessly and unaware of a potential chain of effects we might have set in motion with one of them. It is a book that effortlessly shows us how very much intertwined our lives are and a book that makes one think there are no coincidences in life. Morethan anything, it is a book that reinforces my belief in the beauty and wisdom of “paying it forward” and just plain living right. If you do that, there is unfortunately no guarantee that all of your wishes and heart desires might be granted, but at least you’ll know you’ve made a difference in some other person’s life.

Isabella, an Italian restaurateur who has led her life caring for others, is about to close for the night, when she discovers a homeless woman behind the restaurant’s dumpster. It is pouring rain; the woman is clearly in a bad shape, so Ruth takes her in, feeds her and offers her shelter. The homeless woman, Ruth, at first refuses what she perceives as charity, but slowly opens up to Isabella and the two become friends, sharing their life stories and memories with each other. Through one of those stories they discover that they have an acquaintance in common, an unfortunate Irish woman, Bridget, whose brutally abusive husband took her children away from her. Bridget has since returned to Ireland, but is about to come visit the United States again, and the three women meet again, setting in motion an incredible chain of events, righting a good few past wrongs and easing several minds.

While at first I wished for a more conventional “happy ending” for Isabella, I have to admit that nobody knows what would make somebody else truly happy and maybe what she ended up with was exactly what she wished for. I’ve greatly enjoyed “meeting” all three main characters and reading about their life experiences and the ways that have deal with their challenges.

This beautifully written, deeply compassionate book with exquisitely crafted characters and a compelling story would make a good gift for a friend whose soul is troubled or for one who has helped you through some bad times. Donna Kendall’s “Sailing on an Ocean of Tears” is meant to be shared.(less) "

1 comment

May 11

Beryl gave

to:
Sadhana (Paperback)
by Anthony De Mello

my rating:

recommended to Beryl by: Virginia Reiner, a dear writing friend
recommended for: those willing to step out of dogma and into faith
read in May, 2009

Beryl said: "I love Anthony de Mello's challenges, the way he thrusts ideas in your face and tells you to take it or leave it. One can't cling to safe old beliefs in his presence. He doesn't care whether you listen or not. It's up to you to take what you want and...more "

add a comment

April 14

Beryl gave

to:
Anthony De Mello: Writings (Modern Spiritual Masters Series)
by Anthony De Mello

my rating:

read in January, 2009

Beryl said: "I keep rereading this wonderful compilation of stories and inspiration by a spiritual master. "

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Beryl gave

to:
The Way to Love (Image Pocket Classics)
by Anthony De Mello

my rating:

read in January, 2008

Beryl said: "The book I carry with me in my purse. All you need to know about spirituality by a master. "

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Beryl's groups (recent posts)

The Spiritual Memoir Group — 28 members — last activity 17 days ago, 12:03PM
This group is for persons interested in the genre of the spiritual memoir. Think Augustine, Thomas Merton, Anne Lamott, and Kathleen Norris to name a...more

Q&A with Tommy Taylor and The Second Virgin Birth — 14 members — last activity May 24, 2009 08:40PM
I will try my best to answer any question that you may have about my new novel, The Second Virgin Birth.

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Beryl Singleton Bissell

goodreads author profile

combine editionsbooks by Beryl Singleton Bissell

Beryl is currently reading

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