Saturday, March 09, 2013

Mother's Day Edition

Tomorrow is Mothering Sunday, it's been fun in the shop as we headed towards this great annual event :D
Margaret Dickinson, our lovely local best selling author, had her new book out just in time for it again, and as is usual did her regular round of signing dates and so we had lots of signed copies whizzing out the shop, we still have a few left and in honour of Mother's Day we are offering them with a free £5 Voucher if you buy your Mother's Day Card at the same time :D
Of Course it's also Fairtrade Fortnight - see more about what we have been doing with that here: https://www.facebook.com/UnicornTreeBooks/posts/426424537445774 .. and just in case you wanted to blend Mother's Day and keep up with Fairtrade ethos then remember gifts come in fairtrade flavour too!
We can do chocolate or biscuits, you can even get Pasta and cook her a lovely meal ... or you could get her fairtrade jewellery, some lovely bracelets and necklaces both in ethnic stylings or silver ... or maybe she's the stationery type - lovely fairtrade gift sets, pens and notepads too...
And Last but not least on the Mothering Sunday theme, for the thoroughly modern mum ... how about a Kobo Glo?? Mothers Day offer of just £79, but be quick as we have very limited stock...


So there we go that's Mothering Sunday!

Now just to let you know next week is the first of the 2013 Lincoln Theological Society Lectures - it's on 'Judas, Jesus & The Cost of Salvation' and it's by Rev'd Canon Dr Anthony Cane.
We do have tickets still available - £5 for a good glass of wine and interesting lecture can't be bad can it! oh and of course the chance to browse the wonderful bookstall provided by us as always :D
The lecture is at Bishop Grosseteste University on Tuesday 12th March - Doors open at 7PM for a 7:30Pm Lecture.


and finally it's review time!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 – Operation Screwtape – The Art Of Spiritual War
Author – Andrew Farley
Format – Hardback
Price – £11.99
Publisher – Baker Books (Dist. Lion Hudson)
Date of Publication – February 2013
ISBN – 978-0-8010-1447-5
Reviewer – Melanie Carroll

In Operation Screwtape we find the continuation of C S Lewis’ classic Screwtape series. Farley has here updated the agenda, moved the discussion into the realm of technological advancement, of feel good church, of the health and prosperity gospel teaching and a few more familiar ideas as well, and in a voice so well matched to the original works he breaks down and highlights the inherent problems in these things, showing how sometimes what we think is good can actually be so bad for us, showing us how we trap ourselves in our own beliefs of unworthiness, confession, doubt and want. This really is an excellent book, a worthy successor to the original Screwtape letters and a real joy to read. One not just for the Lewis fans, but for anyone that would like a gentle, fun and easily understandable way to consider how we can be best protect ourselves from the traps of the enemy and our own making, and think on many things that we find in modern church teachings.

Title – Spiritual Care Of Dying And Bereaved People
Author – Penelope Wilcock
Format – Paperback
Price – £9.99
Publisher – BRF
Date of Publication – February 2013
ISBN – 978-0-85746-115-5
Reviewer – Melanie Carroll

Though not a new book, in some ways it does feel so, as it has been completely updated and expanded, losing the section on Aids, but growing to include amongst it a new indepth section on funerals that offers very practical helps, it also now includes more new personal insights from Penelope’s own life.
This book, as it’s predecessor did, has a gentle air of quiet sympathy and consideration to it that sometimes can be missing in books aimed at ‘pastoral’ ministry, but then in part that’s because this book isn’t just a guide for ministers and practitioners, this book is also a book for those journeying through these intense and painful experiences themselves, this book is not just written by someone more than eminently qualified from years in service working with the dying and bereaved but is written by a person who has gone through the experience personally, intensely and is not afraid to share that, but rather wants to. This book is real ‘spiritual care’ for both those on the journey of death and for those looking to work pastorally with them. An excellent book indeed on a deeply painful subject that I think it would be exceptionally hard to better.


Title – The Christian’s Secret Of A Happy Life
Author – Hannah Whitall Smith
Format – Paperback
Price – £3.99
Publisher – Spire (Baker – Dit. By Lion Hudson)
Date of Publication – January 2013
ISBN – 978-0-8007-8077-4
Reviewer – Melanie Carroll

A lovely exceptionally affordable edition of what is probably one of the best known ‘Quaker’ books out there. Though written over 100 years ago this book still reads as well today as it ever has, there are in these simple honest words and thoughts by Hannah Whitall Smith a timeless wisdom and beauty that encourages you on in your own faith. There is strength and purpose, courage and determination and unremitting faith on every page, and all of it simple to understand, easy to read and a blessing to recieve. ‘It depends only upon the fact of an entire surrender and an absolute trust. Anyone who will honestly use these two wings, and will faithfully persist in using them, will find they have mounted up with wings as an eagle, no matter how empty of all emotion they may have felt themselves to be before.’ (pp248).
A beautiful work and at a bargain price make this a brilliant book indeed.

Title – Christian Social Teachings – A Reader In Christian Social Ethics From The Bible To The Present
Author – Ed. George W Forell
Format – Paperback
Price – £25.99
Publisher – Augsburg (Dist. Alban)
Date of Publication – September 2012
ISBN – 978-0-8006-9860-7
Reviewer – Melanie Carroll

This is a revised and updated second edition of a book that would be more than at home on the bookcase and in the hands of anyone interesting in ethics and social theory, because it really does provide an insight to the development of our western social ethic. At the beginning of each chapter we get a brief introduction and overview to the authors and subject, followed by a well thought out selection of their writings – think of it as a well chosen tapa selection with all the delightful flavours encapsulated in small tasty easy to nibble bite sized pieces!
As we get to the contemporary issues we get good solid discussion on core topical issues (that probably would be just enough info and detail to scrape a pass grade on an essay if you hadn’t read anything else!).
The only downside with the book is that it is of course American and as such much of the topical discussion is from an American stance and that is a little different to the society we have here in the UK and that can cause some small issue. However on the whole it’s a solid tour through the subject and introduction to key authors and subjects.



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