Amazon synopsis:
A look at the dark side of life, Victorian-style, when nothing was quite as it seemed and a public execution could be an entertaining family day out. Murderers, poachers, thieves, pickpockets and vagabonds all went about their business with impunity. Crime took place on the streets, on public transport, in homes, pubs, prisons, asylums, workhouses and brothels – it was all part of everyday life in Brighton and Hove in the late 1800s. Read about the notorious railway murderer, Percy Lefroy, who appeared at his trial in full evening dress and went to the gallows in an old brown suit. Gasp at the audacity of a temptress who fell in love with a doctor and tried to poison his wife, with strychnine laced chocolate. Then there’s little Emily, a girl who received imprisonment with hard labour for stealing a few tempting pieces of gingerbread while a gaggle of disruptive young women loved causing a riot, flirting with men and smashing windows. It was madness and mayhem in those weird and wonderful times – and it’s brought vividly to life by Janet Cameron in Brighton and Hove – Murder and Misdemeanours.
This book focusses on Victorian Brighton and the crimes that took place in that 100 years. This book is full of stories – some serious, others bordering on comical. It seems Cameron really has done her homework – the book was detailed and although not very long, it contained some interesting and useful facts.
However, I did not find this an easy read. I found myself having to force myself to read the chapters – even though some were very short, only a page or two long. I thought the use of pictures was interesting as well. She wanted to show an area but used a modern photograph instead of a picture that revealed Brighton back in the 1800s. Although this book will be useful to my dissertation I felt a bit let down. I thought the book would be more interesting than it was and I’m afraid I won’t be actively seeking out books by Cameron.
5/10
This is not a long book that explores Brighton’s history of alcohol and pubs. The history dates back to the first ale-houses and Collis informs us about all aspects of life that links back to alcohol. The book is full of facts and figures, and some stats did take me by surprise.
I found this book useful and easy to read. It has given a clear insight into the pub history of Brighton and will be a great help in my dissertation writing. I smirked in places and actually quite enjoyed this read.
7/10
I have read this book for my dissertation and it gives a clear and concise history of Brighton, England. There is a lot of science in the book as well as history, which I found helpful. He explains how the air and the seawater were seen as a cure in great detail, and I feel I now have a better understanding of why Brighton was able to flourish when Dr. Richard Russell came to town with his seawater cure.
Sickelton has clearly done a lot of research for this book. His descriptions of the Royal Pavilion and St. Nicholas Church for example are in great depth and take several pages. His descriptions are such that it makes you think you are really there looking around at the architecture.
This book is written in 1827 and I found it on Google books. I read it one day and enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I also was surprised at the language and how I was able to understand most of it! I have found this an interesting and useful read.
7/10
Waterstones synopsis:
Wendy offers studies of key women in the New Testament as a starting point for a series of reflections on women’s roles in the church today. Some of these women were saints, full of good works; some were frankly poisonous and did considerable harm. From her long experience within New frontiers, Wendy offers a good deal of shrewd advice and writes candidly about her own struggles to fit into church structures. ‘Women can be powerful in a church and can be influential in changing it from a sick community to a healthy one. They can be a tremendous asset or a huge liability. They can influence the whole ambiance of a church…The pages of the New Testament contain a surprising number of references to women to whom we can relate as we seek to build good healthy churches in the twenty first century’.
In this book Wendy studies the women in the New Testament and shows how even though women are not meant to lead the church, they can still influence it, either in a good way or bad. I liked the way Wendy did this – she expands on Biblical story, adding fiction to make the stories substantial and for the point to be explained. There are explanations and examples to help us understand how we can function well in the church. Wendy also uses real life examples, from her own life and friend’s stories, so we can see the impact women can have.
I found this book really useful and will be holding onto it. I think this is an important read for women in church, so they know how they can help the men and wait to watch out for so that they do not cause problems. I for one know I don’t want to be a jezebel and now have an idea of what to be aware of.
This book is for women and does have some strong opinions, such as how women should not lead the church. I think this should be pointed out so people are prepared in case they might be offended/have a different view. I agreed with what Wendy wrote however and found this book incredibly well written, easy to read and very helpful. I have nothing bad to say about this book and highly recommend it.
10/10
Waterstones Synopsis:
Maybe it was a grandparent, or a teacher or a colleague. Someone older, patient and wise, who understood you when you were young and searching, and gave you sound advice to help you make your way through it. For Mitch Albom, that person was Morrie Schwartz, his college professor from nearly 20 years ago. Maybe, like Mitch, you lost track of this mentor as you made your way, and the insights faded. Wouldn’t you like to see that person again, ask the bigger questions that still haunt you? Mitch Albom had that second chance. He rediscovered Morrie in the last months of the older man’s life. Knowing he was dying of ALS – or motor neurone disease – Morrie visited Mitch in his study every Tuesday, just as they used to back in college. Their rekindled relationship turned into one final “class”: lessons in how to live. This is a chronicle of their time together, through which Mitch shares Morrie’s lasting gift with the world.
This is an extraordinary book. Albom actually refers to it as a thesis. In this book he records conversations he has with an old university tutor who is dying. These conversations consist of Morrie sharing his wisdom about life with Mitch. He has a wonderful insight into life, especially in regards to happiness and death. It is an enlightening book and an enjoyable book.
Albom is a wonderful writer. Even though this is a recollection of conversations Morrie and Mitch had, this is written as a story, and you forget that it is Albom’s memories, and a piece of work that Morrie wanted written – he even gave Albom the title.
I really enjoyed this book. It was very descriptive, and I found it heartbreaking to read about how Morrie was deteriorating and his death. This was such a good read. It was easy to read insightful. I felt I got a lot out of this book.
8/10
This is a nifty little book from Meyer. Only 60 pages long but full of good advice. Meyer looks at hearing from God – how we need to be silent and patient and how we should expect a move of God suddenly – how He works on his time frame not ours. This book has personal stories in which are encouraging, and although only a small book she imparts wisdom and has made me consider my prayer life and she has helped raise my expectations. I can confidfently say I am now more open to God moving suddenly, and am looking forward to the surprises!
This is well written and only took an hour or so to read. I liked how she was honest and shared stories of her life to help people grasp what she was saying. I found this a helpful book and well worth a quick read.
8/10
Synopsis from Amazon:
Reformation is the continual reforming of the mission of the church to enhance God’s command to reach out to others in a way that acknowledges the unique times and locations of daily life. This engaging book blends the integrity of respected theoreticians with the witty and practical insights of a pastor. It calls for a movement of missionaries to seek the lost across the street as well as across the globe. This basic primer on the interface between gospel and culture highlights the contrast between presentation evangelism and participation evangelism. It helps Christians navigate between the twin pitfalls of syncretism (being so culturally irrelevant that you lose your message) and sectarianism (being so culturally irrelevant that you lose your mission). Included are interviews with those who have crossed cultural barriers, such as a television producer, exotic dancer, tattoo studio owner, and band manager. The appendix represents eight portals into the future: population, family, health/medicine, creating, learning, sexuality, and religion. Mark Driscoll was recently featured on the ABC special The Changing of Worship.
This book looks at how to evangelise without getting sucked into worldly cultures. Driscoll makes many comparisons between how people interpret the Bible, the traps they fall into when preaching the Gospel and he explores how to reach out without being a hypocrite and a fool.
This was not a particularly easy read – as my Dad would say, Driscoll is a preacher not a writer, but what he has put down is worth reading if you are interested in evangelism or are a Christian. It is not a self-help book, instead he focusses on the Bible and what it says about God and the dangers one can slip into – such as legalism. I found this a useful book and will try and put what I read into practice. There were humorous stories and comments in the book to lighten up the theology. Overall, I liked this book even if it did take me a while to read and I will read more of his books in the future as I like his teaching.
7/10
Synopsis taken from www.blestatheist.com:
As a young child, outraged by the hypocrisy she finds in a church that does nothing to alleviate the physical and sexual abuse she experiences on a regular basis, Beth delivers an accusatory youth sermon and gets her family expelled from the church. Having locked the door on God, Beth goes on to raise a family of seven children, learn 17 languages, and enjoy a career that takes her to NASA, Washington, and 24 countries. All the time, however, God keeps knocking at the door, protecting and blessing her—which she realizes only decades later. Ultimately, Beth finds God in a very simple yet most unusual way. A very human story, Blest Atheist encompasses the greatest literary themes of all time – alienation, redemption, and even the miraculous. The author’s life experiences, both tragic and tremendous, result in a spiritual journey containing significant ups and downs that ultimately yield great joy and humility.
This is the story of Elizabeth Mahlou’s life. It is harrowing and encouraging. She is honest, realistic and humble. The book begins with Beth telling us about how she spoke at a Russian Orthodox church about her role as a Good Samaritan in helping Shura, a boy in Siberia with Spina Bifida. The book is full of how she meets people, how she connects and copes in different countries and how her contacts and friends enable her to help many people. She has multiple degrees, can talk a range of languages and has many fascinating stories, such as how she was one of the only American’s allowed in Russia during the Cold War. Yet she does not brag and is not big headed. She is honest and humbled by her truly amazing experiences. She sees all of them as a chance to help others. She talks about her family and the abuse all her siblings suffered from different family members but how they supported each other and looked out for each other, and ultimately survived.
The second part of her book examines how she changed from an atheist to a practising Christian. She talks about how God has always rescued her, had a plan and loved her. How all the “coincidences” in her life were likely to be from God. She relays miracles she has seen, the faith of others and how ultimately her life was changed.
This is an amazing read. Even if you aren’t interesting in God or religion this book is inspiring and beautiful. Many lives have been changed through Mahlou’s work, and I think maybe will be changed by this book. This is a must read.
9/10
Synopsis from Amazon:
In THE PRODIGAL GOD, New York pastor Timothy Keller uses the story of the prodigal son to shine a light on the central, beautiful message of Jesus: the gospel of grace, hope and salvation.
Keller argues that the parable of the prodigal son, while Jesus’ best-known parable, is also his least understood. He introduces the reader to all the characters in this timeless story, showing that it concerns not just a wayward son, but also a judgemental older brother and, most importantly, a loving father.
This short but powerful book is a reminder to the faithful, an explanation to the seeker, and finally an invitation to all – both older and younger brothers – to enter in to the ‘unique, radical nature of the gospel’: the reckless, spendthrift love of God.
This is the first Tim Keller book I have read, and I found it very useful in my walk with God. Keller looks at an alternative way of looking at the parable of the prodigal son. He looks at the elder brother – the one who didn’t take his inheritance, run off and shame the family. In that parable, the father shows amazing grace and love and forgives the younger son completely. The elder brother however, does not. Keller explains how Christianity is not a religion – where you follow rules, like the elder brother to get into heaven. He explores how it is by God’s grace and Jesus’ death and resurrection that we are saved. The elder brother did not have a relationship with his father, he was bitter – just like the Pharisees. He followed rules and was into legalism. Keller explains how that is something we need to break out of – that won’t bring us salvation.
This is a short book that clearly explains the Gospel message and how to adapt ourselves to live in relationship with the Father. I did dip in and out of this book, which was not a problem. It is a book that will get re-read. I did find however that when I was reading it, to take it in I had to give the book my full attention.
My fiancee started the book this afternoon and is already half way through – that is a good indication of how readable it can be – especially as he is not a big reader.
8/10
This is a great historical source. Keegan has travelled to South Africa and interviewed four Africans who suffered under Segregation and Apartheid. The stories are all different and give an excellent insight into what life was like in South Africa during the twentieth century. All of them suffered different degrees of racism, yet survived in different ways. Some made a name for themselves, starting their own business, whilst others just worked on white farms. This is oral history at its best. This book gives such an incredible insight into how contradictory the Segregation and Apartheid laws were, and how because of that the laws could be manipulated and exploited to enable a higher quality of life. In the latter half of the book Keegan evaluates what he has heard and explains the historical important of this source.
I found this book easy to read and enthalling. Sometimes the hardships were difficult to read, and the level of racism is sometimes shocking – too shocking for words, but it was inspiring to read how they overcame their difficulties. This is an unique book and important historical source, and a really good read. It is short – only 170 pages, and full of truely amazing stories.
10/10
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