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August 12
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New comment on Marcel's review of
The Gnostic Gospels
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August 02
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Susan
gave
to:
Making the Most of Shade: How to Plan, Plant, and Grow a Fabulous Garden that Lightens up the Shadows (Paperback)
by Larry Hodgson
bookshelves:
activism
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Susan said:
"What an amazing and very practical book. The book is beautiful to look at and easy to read. The information is extremely well-organized and practical.
I was able to make a list of perennial plants for a container garden, and know exactly what ...more
What an amazing and very practical book. The book is beautiful to look at and easy to read. The information is extremely well-organized and practical.
I was able to make a list of perennial plants for a container garden, and know exactly what the plants' advantages and disadvantages are from water, propagation, to pests!
GREAT BOOK!...less
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Susan
gave
to:
The Luxe (Hardcover)
by Anna Godbersen
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in July, 2008
Susan said:
"My daughter really liked this book because of its solid research. There are no anachronisms in speech or behavior in this turn of the 20th century romance.
But, the story is not surprising. One can guess the denouement almost from the beginnin...more
My daughter really liked this book because of its solid research. There are no anachronisms in speech or behavior in this turn of the 20th century romance.
But, the story is not surprising. One can guess the denouement almost from the beginning. Secondary characters are more interesting than the primary characters
...less
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Susan
gave
to:
The Rope Trick (Paperback)
by Lloyd Alexander
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in August, 2008
Susan said:
"I've started rereading Lloyd Alexander just because I wanted to read about characters who overcome in the face of adversity and who learn deep lessons. I wanted to read about endearing characters like Jericho:
"He was a large man, and if any...more
I've started rereading Lloyd Alexander just because I wanted to read about characters who overcome in the face of adversity and who learn deep lessons. I wanted to read about endearing characters like Jericho:
"He was a large man, and if anybody in Lidi's audience got out of hand, Jericho had only to go and stand next to the trouble-maker, who immediately grew quiet. Jericho was a tiger when it came to protecting Lidid, but she was the only one. He had a secret. He was softhearted. He did everything he could to hide it eve avoiding sick dogs, stray cats, and wounded birds. He knew the world well enough to fear that this might be used against him."
One cannot fail with Lloyd Alexander's books....less
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July 14
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Susan
gave
to:
A Countess Below Stairs (Paperback)
by Eva Ibbotson
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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recommended to Susan by:
Sarah Wood
recommended for: young readers
read in July, 2008
Susan said:
"Eva Ibbotson is known for her droll young reader pagan stories. For myself, she is a far better writer than Terry Pratchett (my opinion!). However, this book is outside of her usual stories. The Countess is indeed a Russian countess whose family l...more
Eva Ibbotson is known for her droll young reader pagan stories. For myself, she is a far better writer than Terry Pratchett (my opinion!). However, this book is outside of her usual stories. The Countess is indeed a Russian countess whose family left during the Russian Revolution. They find themselves without resources and means in England, hence, "the countess below stairs." Below stairs means a servant. Her story is delightful, always interesting, and Ibbotson's writing is not wasted on a very satisfying story. A good story for young readers from 11 - 16 and even for adults!...less
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Susan
gave
to:
Revolution Is Not a Dinner Party (Hardcover)
by Ying Chang Compestine
bookshelves:
finished
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Susan said:
"This novel is loosely based upon the life of the author. Although intended for teen readers, it is an evocative and unsentimental look at growing up during the Cultural Revolution in China. The title "A revolution is not a dinner party" is...more
This novel is loosely based upon the life of the author. Although intended for teen readers, it is an evocative and unsentimental look at growing up during the Cultural Revolution in China. The title "A revolution is not a dinner party" is a quotation from Mao....less
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September 09, 2007
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Susan
gave
to:
Unexpected Miracles: The Gift of Synchronicity and How to Open it (Paperback)
by David Richo
bookshelves:
spirituality
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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recommended for: Seekers,
read in September, 2007
Susan said:
"Syncronicity en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synchron...
is a Jungian concept in which "two or more events which occur in a meaningful manner, but which are causally unrelated. In o...more
Syncronicity en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synchron...
is a Jungian concept in which "two or more events which occur in a meaningful manner, but which are causally unrelated. In order to be Synchronous, the events must be related to one another conceptually, and the chance that they would occur together by random chance must be very small."
I personally find the title as being "unfortunate" but the content really useful especially for those facing life choices and changes.
For example, Richo's Graceful Exits Have Dignity, lists important things to consider in looking at life change:
•I give much more than I receive.
•I do more and more and see the success of less and less.
•I feel that I am giving up something rather than giving and receiving something.
•My health is suffering because of the stress of staying.
•Even what I once like doing —and can do well—is now flat, stale, and uncomfortable.
•I am no longer effective
•My bliss and enthusiasm are gone.
•I no longer come up with creative ideas or even see alternatives.
•I have been doing too much for too long for too little appreciation.
•I work on changing things but nothing gets better.
•Things keep going wrong and never quite right themselves as I am left with my finger in the dike.
•The same ineffective pattern keeps repeating itself.
•Money or prestige has become my central or sole motivation for staying.
•I do not move on because I am afraid to risk a change.
•I have no assisting forces encouraging me to stay.
...less
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Susan
is currently reading:
The Creative Brain: The Science of Genius (Paperback)
by Nancy C. Andreasen
bookshelves:
currently-reading
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in September, 2007
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Susan
gave
to:
The Lost Gospel of Judas Iscariot: A New Look at Betrayer and Betrayed (Hardcover)
by Bart D. Ehrman
bookshelves:
historyofreligion
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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recommended for: Christians, theologians
read in September, 2007
Susan said:
"My first "contact" with the concept that Judas was a "good guy" was when a composer colleague of mine, who was not at all familiar with Christianity, had "sequenced" an accompaniment trax for a singer involved in a Mega ...more
My first "contact" with the concept that Judas was a "good guy" was when a composer colleague of mine, who was not at all familiar with Christianity, had "sequenced" an accompaniment trax for a singer involved in a Mega Church for a theatrical Maundy Thursday service. He invited me to go with him because of my (former) Christian background (to guide him through an unfamiliar experience of being in a Church) and because he wanted me to hear his work in situ. After the "show," he said, "But how was Judas supposed to be the bad guy when Jesus knew what Judas was going to do and Jesus told Judas to do what he had to do?"
In this scholarly book about the (possibly) Gnostic Gospel, Judas is not the "Betrayer," but Snape-like, the fulfiller of what had to be done.
Ehrmann traces the fascinating journey of the manuscript from its dissovery to its revelation as an important historical find. However, after the story, Ehrmann goes into the analysis of whether or not it is a Gnostic Gospel. This gets into dryer material, but for those whose knowledge of Gnosticism is minimal, it is rewarding reading.
...less
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Susan
gave
to:
Two Crowns for America (Hardcover)
by Katherine Kurtz
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in September, 2007
Susan said:
"Katherine Kurtz has been one of my favorite "return to" authors. She makes me think about the world in a different way. Sometimes, she takes me so completely into her worlds that it takes me a while to return to my own.
In "Two Cro...more
Katherine Kurtz has been one of my favorite "return to" authors. She makes me think about the world in a different way. Sometimes, she takes me so completely into her worlds that it takes me a while to return to my own.
In "Two Crowns," the world she creates is not of pure fantasy (as in her Deryni series) but rather of the Revolutionary United States. Scottish immigrants, patriots of the Stuart cause, have added the new colonies to their cause. George Washington, the Marquise de Lafayette, St. Germaine, are the key characters.
Kurtz writes of Freemasonry being the impetus and the reason for the success of the Revolution....less
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