The classic novel that asks the question ‘What would Jesus do?’ in various circumstances. Perhaps worth reading as the book has sold so widely and been such a profound influence, but it’s quite hard going in places. Inevitably old-fashioned and long-winded (it was written over 100 years ago) with rather too strong an authorial voice at times, it’s still quite an interesting read. Some of the situations are quite shocking today – Christians involved in shady business deals, for instance, or taking rental money from licensed whisky saloons – but others might still provide a challenge. For instance, the people in the book became heavily involved in helping the impoverished and unemployed in their cities.

Can be read online at http://www.kancoll.org/books/sheldon/

I enjoy all Georgette Heyer’s novels, and this is one of my favourites. I re-read it every four or five years, and love it just as much each time. The story is about a young man who masquerades as his identical twin for an evening, to save embarassment. But then has to continue…

Delightful characters, gentle humour and irony, very clever plotting and excellent historical background in Regency England. Highly recommended.

An excellent, down-to-earth book about marriage, with its problems, and suggestions for making things better. Parsons primarily covers communication difficulties, and the need to appreciate the other person as well as listening to them. There are also chapters on finance, arguing, intimacy, forgiveness, and the dangers of affairs.

It’s written from a Christian perspective with a few references to the Bible, but I don’t think there’s anything which would offend anyone from any faith (or none). plenty of personal examples and anecdotes illustrate the author’s comments and advice. All round, one of the best and most readable books about marriage I have come across.

This is the biography of Noor, a Lebanese girl whose life becomes traumatic from the age of four when she sees her mother brutally murdered. She spends time at a psychiatric hospital, and also lives for a while with violent relatives who make her feel worthless. The only person she clings to through her childhood and teens is her gentle older brother. Eventually – as is described in the opening chapter – she becomes a Christian and attends a training course in Cyprus where a lot of her emotional wounds are gradually healed.

Told simply, almost stiltedly at times (perhaps because English is not Noor’s first language) it’s still a gripping story, one I could hardly put down.

This isn’t my style of book, but I read it after reading an excellent review. The style is informal, and the language rather too strong for my liking in places. Nevertheless I kept reading and finished it in a couple of days, despite over 500 pages.

23-year-old Jo goes to work in London as nanny for three children. She suffers some culture shock, and also starts to query her own mind, her friendships, and her love-life. Characterisation is excellent, at least for the most important characters, and while some of the conversation was a bit trite, it was never enough to make me cringe.

All in all, I enjoyed it.

A couple of longish short stories, and some shorts. Mostly featuring Hercule Poirot, and the final one involving Miss Marple instead. The longer stories were pretty good, but I thought the short ones disappointing – rather convoluted, and relying on guesswork by the detectives rather than logic.

I loved the parts of this book written by Joni, the well-known Christian quadriplegic who managed to overcome depression following her accident, and lives a full life as a Christian writer and speaker. She honestly and sympathetically examines a lot of questions about suffering, with answers drawn from her own experience and that of some of her friends. She freely admits that we often don’t know the answers.

On the other hand, I was less impressed by the first six chapters, and another towards the end, written by her co-author, Steve Estes. They seemed impersonal, and while he posed some questions he never really answered them, giving instead his own doctrinal viewpoints.

What an amazing book this is!

It’s the fictional account of an assistant pastor called Jake who is feeling increasingly disturbed by aspects of church life, despite an apparently growing and thriving congregation. He meets somone called John who speaks with amazing gentleness and wisdom, and encourages Jake to explore his preconceived ideas about the Christian life, and church in general.

There’s no criticism of the Church as such, no ‘shoulds’ and ‘oughts’, but almost every page contains thought-provoking insights. Not necessarily anything new, but put together in such a helpful way that this a powerful antidote to many of today’s Christian ‘how-to’ books. Many who read it will empathise fully with Jake, and others won’t. But I think it would challenge everyone to re-think their priorities, and consider what place their local church is filling in their lives.

Highly recommended to anyone, whether Christians or not, particularly for those disillusioned by the church in any way.

What an antidote this is to the legalism and judgementalism that seems to pervade much of the Christian church these days. The author writes clearly and movingly about what it means to be a child of God: to receive his unconditional love and grace, to walk day-by-day in the knowledge of our Father’s acceptance. The book looks not at vanquishing or denying our inner selves, but giving them fully to God, acknowledging who we are in every respect, and thus opening ourselves more to grace and guidance.

Highly recommended.

Excellent cast, well acted, very well produced. A lovely film for all the family, or at least anyone interested in the dynamics of family relationships. The plot revolves around 63-year-old Penelope and her grown-up children.

However the story is only roughly like Rosamunde Pilcher’s book! The ending is quite dramatically different and there are several changed incidents. Not really a problem – it worked well, and the film captured much of the essence of the book – but a little disturbing. Nevertheless, well worth watching.

First watched in March 2006… watched again in May 2008 when visitors wanted to see it. Knowing it was different from the book in advance did help, and I was surprised to find myself enjoying it thoroughly despite it being only two years since I first saw it.