ohh how time flies, especially when you decide to re-arrange and bump up the children's section in the shop (who knew kids books were so much fun! pretty sure it would have gone quicker if I hadn't kept stopping to read the childrens picture books and share them with others!).
Ohh and Don't forget to join us on facebook and keep up with what's going on in the shop, interact with us and take part in our competitions! this week I said I gobble books like others gobble sweeties and then asked what genre would be which sweet .. and there is a free 'Oblivion' T-shirt for one of the answer(er)s. Oblivion being a rather good book from Anthony Horrowitz - but I'm sure you already knew that...
There's an #epicfail competition coming up soon too, with stickers and stuff for anyone as may want them and come in and get them! My favourite is the one that says 'Failure is an option' ;D
Anyway that aside (and watch out later on there could well be some children's book reviews in the offering at a later date - and a lot of them from the general kids selection too!) here are the reviews I did last weekend and this week ...
Now Remember:
All these reviews and indeed a geat many more can be found on the excellent Good Book Stall Website www.thegoodbookstall.org.uk - well worth checking out :D
All the books reviewed here (and don't forget to check out the review page we have on here as well!) and those found on www.thegoodbookstall.org.uk can also be found at or ordered from Unicorn Tree Books too, both in the shop and online at either www.lincolnbookshop.co.uk or www.lincolnchristianbookshop.co.uk or at the wonderful www.hive.co.uk
(but please do remember to make us your favourite shop when you visit
Hive! the online bookshop where every sale supports independent physical
bookshops!)
Title – Un-Conditional
– Rescuing The Gospel From The Gay-vs-Christian Debate
Author – Justin
Lee
Format – Paperback
Price – £12.99
Publisher – Hodder
& Stoughton
Date of
Publication – January 2013
ISBN – 978-1-444-74541-2
Reviewer – Melanie
Carroll
Unconditional is a beautiful and honourable book
with an honesty and gentle insight at its heart that has a passion for
compassion and understanding shining through. This is not a book of argument or
rhetoric but a book of apologia that works more for the lack of such heated
argument, it moves one and tries to open the discussion up to the human
realities and suffering, it invites us to understand and consider the reality
away from the academic, the reality of the persons dealing with the issues, the
gay person yes, but their family, their friends, their church – it asks us to
look at this issue with the eyes of the gospel, with the eyes of Jesus, you
know that man that did not judge the
adulteress but instead had compassion for her…
Perhaps one of the most important bits of the book is the discussion to do with
and around the realisation that the word ‘gay’ has connotations that are at
odds sometimes between those using it, for some gay immediately means sex, for
some not, but for all the discussion becomes bogged down at this point until we
work past the word and instead see and deal with the person, each one an
individual and not a ‘type’.
Of all the books I
have read on this subject I think I would say that this is truly the most
pastoral of them all and there is a real need and place for this book within
our churches and within the hands of our congregations, and for those who are Gay
and Christian.
Title – C.S. Lewis Vs The New
Atheists
Author – Peter S
Williams
Format –
Paperback
Price –
£12.99
Publisher – Paternoster
(Authentic)
Date of Publication – February
2013
ISBN –
978-1-84227-770-6
Reviewer – Melanie
Carroll
An absolute must of a book for any fan
of Lewis or for people who want to grapple with ‘New Atheists’ and their
arguments against our mere Christianity! Honestly if you had ever wondered how
Lewis would these days approach and deal with the new atheist arguments then
here you will find your answer.
Given C. S Lewis came initially from an
atheistic position to one of faith and then spent so many years as a keen
apologist of the faith then it is obvious that his works are well suited as a
base to help in dismantling arguments and building up a framework of arguments
for the faith. Peter Williams does an excellent job of setting forth the new
atheist arguments and positions with good outlines of Grayling, Dawkins,
Hitchens et al positions and then in turn digging down into Lewis’ own work and
arguments to proffer forward strong rebuttals and strategies of
discourse.
The book is itself a beautifully strong apologist work with no
little reference to academic knowledge and measures (indeed each section has an
end reference that is almost encyclopaedic in it’s scope and coverage) but over
all the book retains a style that is easy to read and for this reader thoroughly
enjoyable.
Title – Immortal Diamond – The Search
For Our True Self
Author – Richard
Rohr
Format –
Paperback
Price –
£10.99
Publisher –
SPCK
Date of Publication – February
2013
ISBN –
978-0-281-07017-6
Reviewer – Melanie
Carroll
Richard Rohr’s new book has a profound
depth that digs at the heart of who and what we are, making us work at mining
our deepest beliefs and self delusions until what is left is the heart of our
true self, our innermost being stripped bare of its self defences, our altered
perceptions and the voices of others, until we find buried beneath all that the
heart of ourselves as God see’s us,
unearthed at last the ‘Immortal Diamond’.
Like Rohr’s previous works
this focuses on spiritual and psychological growth and insight, but in this one
the biblical considerations and narrative of death and resurrection is deep and
rich, indeed so much so that this book would make an incredible companion on the
journey to resurrection that is lent and holy week -though to be fair it would
be strong at any time. At the end of the book are a series of appendixes which
form a series of practical exercises to really help you build on the
understanding of the book. It’s a fantastic book and one not just for fans of
Rohr’s previous work, indeed if you’ve never come across his work before this
would be a wonderful place to start.
Title – The Reunion - A
Novel
Author – Dan
Walsh
Format –
Paperback
Price –
£8.99
Publisher – Revell (Baker
Books)
Date of Publication – October
2012
ISBN –
978-0-8007-2121-3
Reviewer – Melanie
Carroll
The Reunion is a beautifully gentle novel with a considered pace and
flowing words that really takes you along on this story of what is ultimately about love and redemption,
but covers loss, change, doubt, heroism and above all quiet lives of unexpected
worth – how much do we know our neighbours, how do we really see ourselves, how
easy is it to lose yourself or indeed to find yourself? All these were the
questions and thoughts that this gentle novel brought to mind in me.
It’s the
story of Aaron, a Vietnam veteran who war profoundly affected, now in his 60’s a
simple handyman at a trailer park. It’s also about his daughter who never really
knew her father, and a journalist whose father died in the Vietnam war and all
the other people who intersect with these lives –it’s a story that has its base
in war, but more importantly it’s a story of what happens after a war and it’s
longer term consequences.
Title – The Jonah
Complex – Rediscovering The Outrageous Grace Of
God
Author – Greg
Haslam
Format –
Paperback
Price –
£7.99
Publisher – River
Publishing (Dist. Joining The Dots)
Date of Publication
– February 2012
ISBN
978-1-908393-04-3
Reviewer Melanie
Carroll
The Jonah Complex by
Greg Haslam is an excellent book that is both critique and commentary, critique
in some ways of our church and society today – pointing out the similarities
between where we are and Jonah’s story and time, and commentary that works all
the way through the book of Jonah highlighting and upholding the story and it’s
worth for today. I have always been a big fan of the story of Jonah, not so much
the fishy tale we get as children but the depth and intricacies that are in it
about faith, about choosing to follow, about misunderstanding God’s Grace which
are all in it, notably though for me the most important part of the story of
Jonah is at the end, the castor oil plant episode, and to finally get a book
that does not ignore or gloss over this section is lovely. Haslam instead uses
it to really show and hold up ‘the outrageous Grace of
God’.
Title – Not So
Secret – Being Contemporary Agents For
Mission
Author – Graham
Orr
Format –
Paperback
Price –
£8.99
Publisher –
IVP
Date of Publication
– October 2012
ISBN –
978-1-84474-591-3
Reviewer Melanie
Carroll
I found this book to
be really enjoyable, being as it was a mix of testimonial stories of time spent
in Tokyo, Japan as active missionaries and also a reflection on their time when
returning and working in the UK, as such it has a personalness and genuineness
about it that works well to demonstrate how we can be missionary agents in our
own lives and communities. In each chapter not only is there this correlation
between japan and the Uk but there is also a strong and considered biblical
outline as well, looking at what Jesus would have and indeed did do in such
circumstance and providing the scripture references and understanding that must
be at the basis of our actions and understanding when we go forth under the
Great Commission. This is an excellent book for those that like testimonials,
for those considering mission work, and not least for those that want to be
active in evangelism.
Title – Only Say The
Word – Affirming Gay And Lesbian Love
Author – Alan
McManus
Format –
Paperback
Price –
£9.99
Publisher –
Christian Alternative (John Hunt)
Date of Publication
– January 2013
ISBN
978-1-78099-309-6
Reviewer Melanie
Carroll
This is a very different
book, it’s intent is to offer forward a more merciful reading of scripture and
theology that affirms homosexuality rather than suffering or rejecting
homosexuality. In the book we are introduced to a rainbow of churches, each
church preceding a chapter offers forward a different persepective of reception
that gay or lesbian people may come across, these are all quite readily
recognised positions – these short introductions to the rainbow churches are
quite interesting in themselves given they are written in a first person
perspective with gentle commentary on issues that may be at heart here. From
these we then move onto more considered arguments, discussions or contemplations
that help to develop the feelings and understandings of those from the gay
community as they endeavour to make understood the position they are often
in…
I’m not sure the book entirely achieved it’s aim of ‘Affirming Gay &
Lesbian Love’ but for me the most moving piece is the ABC of the Cloud of
Witnesses we encounter in the Violet Church on pages 54. This is something that
for me should be read and reflected on by everyone, regardless of gender or
opinion, and makes this book important because if we can’t be moved by this then
there is fundamentally something wrong with how we understand the command to
love others as ourselves.
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