Maryland Books

This surprisingly neutral book compares the enormous variety of religious beliefs throughout history, with particular attention paid to Christianity. While not an in-depth text, it will serve as an introduction to critically examining the development and spread of religion.

Christians should definitely read his chapter on Christianity; Mencken considers the 1611 King James Version to be one of the most beautiful books ever written.

While his chapter hypothesizing the origins of religion is rather speculative, any such hypothesis is bound to be - at the very least it will pique your interest in the subject. The chapter on the variety of religions is particularly interesting, as it attempts to show how the same general ideas were molded into vastly different beliefs; in particular, the section on the various conceptions of heaven(s) and hell(s) will definitely be engrossing to anyone.

H. L. Mencken was a rare man indeed. He was a hard headed skeptic of the theological arts, but took an intense, scholarly interest in it, and it was a boon to the universe of thoughtful men when he decided to report back to them on what he found there. The book he wrote will stand for a long while as the best of its kind--at once dispassionate and informative, with more than a little of his trademark wit thrown about with an undisguised glee. His enthusiasm for his subject bubbles out all over the place.

The book begins with an imaginary story of how religion must have gotten started among the first primitive men. It is a story well told, and reveals what Mencken imagines is at the root of men's heart much of the time--a fear of the unknown, and an understandable aspiration to master that fear by some means. Then, very early on, the con men step in to utilize the fear for their own ends--power and cash. To successfully create a job for himself, he proceeds to invent embellishments unintelligible to the poor saps, and rituals that only the initiated, such as himself, can perform.

The book continues with some comparative religion, basing most of it on what the Romans sneered at, that the Greeks made dramas about, what the Jews borrowed from the Babylonians, and what the Asiatics actually first dreamed up. He finds in all of this the roots of Christianity, and especially the stuff that Christ had never thought of, which the theologians later added for the most practical of reasons.

His account of the early church and the evolution of the bibles is gratifying in its scholarship and clarity of description. He makes the ancient theological quarrels come to life, imparting an understanding that is a valuable addition to any freethinker's equipment. Occasionally, the real Mencken peeks through, enlivening and enlightening as he goes.

The best part of the book, though, is when he shows how religion is inadequate for the job, and is in a full retreat before the onslaught of science and rational methods, leaving the truly civilized man with " a way of facing the impenetrable dark that must engulf him in the end, as it engulfs the birds of the air and the protozoa in the sea ooze....not perhaps with complete serenity, but at least with dignity, calm, a gallant spirit."

If you're used to the snappy quotables we've (all?) come to expect from Mencken and love, you may be somewhat disappointed. "Treatise..." contains more carefully fleshed out analysis and argument than his sociocultural criticism.

In this mode, without so much of the caustic wit, his writing style actually doesn't impress quite as much. But, to make up for it, his quality of argument and inventiveness is surprisingly rich. I'd always considered Mencken to be quite a philosopher, as well as a snappy come-backer. Here, he proves it: coming up with some quite brilliant hypotheticals about the origin of religion in early man, especially. And his re-telling of the concise history of Religion shows that he has a knowledge of considerable breadth. There are a few very dramatic turns of phrase here (the fun stuff), some awkward delivery, but a lot of interesting subject matter.

Pleasant, easy to read, and thorough overview of religion from the beginning of humanity, with an emphasis on Christianity, from the position of an atheist.

From the preface: "My book is mainly factual. Its purpose is simply to get together, in handy and I hope readable form, the material data about the embryology, anatomy, and physiology of theology, with an occasional glance at its pathology....Religion was invented by man just as agriculture and the wheel were invented by man, and there is absolutely nothing in it to justify the belief that its inventors had the aid of higher powers, whether on this earth or elsewhere....There is no purpose here to shake the faithful, for I am completely free of the messianic itch..."

Chapter I "Its Nature and Origin" - Mencken describes his view of how early priests came into being in prehistoric society: "One Spring there came great rains in the valley and on their heels a flood of melting snow...One night the flood rolled into the lowermost cave, cut off the occupants, and drowned a mother and her child...The rising water to them seemed like a living thing...One fellow steps boldly forth...He goes close to the edge and bombards his enemy with stones...Growing bolder, he stalks into the water and belabors it with his club...the next morning the flood begins to recede...This first priest could accomplish something that other men were incapable of...What more natural than to give thanks?...True religion was born at that moment...He took on the aloof, philosophical air of a dermatologist contemplating a rash: he learned how to avoid making promises and yet hold the confidence of his customers... He gave some thought to the form and content of his first incantations, and thereby invented the first ritual...The gift of blarney went with the sacerdotal office, in the early days as now...the new trade of priesthood had attractions that were plainly visible to any bright and ambitious young man...When he let it be known that there were certain things, done by the people, that would gratify the gods and insure their aid, these things began to be regarded as virtuous, upright, moral. When he announced that other things were frowned upon, they straightaway became sins...The priest found himself a law-giver...Did the fires rage and the sky remain dry? Then it was because the faithful had forgotten their plain duties...It was not the priest's fault...calamities were plentiful in those days, as they are now. They remain the most potent weapons in the armamentarium of the priest...Theologians, as a class, are practical men. Immortality, as they preach it in the modern world, is but little more than a handy device for giving force and effect to their system of transcendental jurisprudence: what it amounts to is simply a threat that the contumacious will not be able to escape them by dying...I am myself a theologian of considerable gifts, and yet I can no more imagine immortality than I can imagine the Void which existed before matter took form. Neither, I suspect, can the Pope."

Chapter II "Its Evolution," continues as an academic treatise, but sprinkled liberally with condescending and clever phraseology: About creation myths: "In no department of theology is there a vaster accumulation of amusing rubbish." About afterlife: "Even in India, the very gonad of theology..." About contradictions in the Bible: "The collection of tracts called the New Testament is so full of inconsistencies and other absurdities that even children in Sunday School notice them."

Chapter III "Its Varieties" is a study of comparative religions. This is a well-done academic piece with fewer "Mencke-isms."

Chapter IV "Its Christian Form" is a beautifully written history of Christianity, highly complimentary of the Old Testament as poetry and Literature, and is the best chapter in the book. He reviews the well-accepted J, E, D, & P authorship of the Torah, with brief mention of how it was compiled. (for more info on this, read "Who Wrote the Bible," by Friedman). This chapter alone is worth the price of the book. According to the bibliography, he gets much of his factual material from James Hastings' Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics.

Chapter V "Its State Today," resumes "Menckeisms," such as, "The church as an organization has thrown itself violently against every effort to liberate the body and mind of man. It has been, at all times and everywhere, the habitual and incorrigible defender of bad governments, bad laws, bad social theories, bad institutions."

I thoroughly enjoyed this entertaining and informative book and highly recommend it. For a different approach to the same subject, I recommend Atran's book, "In Gods We Trust."

In this sardonic, blasphemous and sometimes ferociously cynical pamphlet, H.L. Mencken castigates the irrationality and incredibility of all religions, e.g. there are 175.000 discrepancies in the manuscripts of the Christian New Testament.
But he considers religion rightly as one of ( for him) the greatest inventions of all times, giving the clergy enormous economical (all the temples became extremely rich) and political power. For Mencken, their power comes from the fear of Hell. The God of love that they preach invariably turns out to be a God of harsh and arbitrary penalties and brutalities. Religion is not only cruel (human sacrifices), but also a source of enormous human misery: 'Is a Catholic bishop a good citizen, when he commands, on penalty of Hell, that poor and miserable women convert themselves into mere brood sows?'(p. 270)
'The priest is the most immoral of men.' (p. 271)
His major targets are Roman Catholicism and Protestantism.
'Calvin was the true father of Puritanism, which is to say, of the worst obscenity of Western Civilization.' (p. 245) His God is an 'appalling monster'. (p. 272)
The Churches are well aware that science is their natural enemy. Therefore, they try to control education. They are always on the defensive (Galileo, Darwin) and they are opposed to all attempts of rational thinking. For Mencken, religious education is the same as organized ignorance.
He lambasts those who defend religion for 'practical' reasons: 'the fact that threats of Hell have their social uses is ... simply an argument against the human race!' (p. 268)
However, H.L. Mencken has a dark side: 'the democratic pestilence'. Like Plato, he was disgusted with the masses which were a source of a cancerous proliferation of demagogy. More, 'the reigning theologians heated up the mob against the enlightened minority.' (p. 255)
It shows his deep pessimism: the masses could not be educated and the mighty priests kept them in an irrational darkness.
This is an important flaw in his reasoning and it turned out to be a false prophesy. In many democratic countries, the religious right is on the defensive and is losing (lost) important battles.
This treatise is one of the most violent pamphlets I ever read: a Homerian battle of the enlightened one against the powerful caste of the priests.
A must read.

Baltimore Elegance
I have taken classes with Ely. I own just about all her books. This is the best out of all! Easy to read, great pictures for visual understanding. Great information and explainations. Must have book for applique...

Elly has outdone herself with this book...the techniques she teaches is invaluable to anyone who wants to learn to applique. And the patterns are among her best yet. Plus it has projects that are fun to make too! This is a 'must-have' for every quilter who likes applique....whether you applique now or you want to learn!

As a seasoned quilter, I had always avoided applique. There were too many conflicting methods floating around, and none of them seemed to work for me. Elly's book clarified everything! She explains all of the methods in easy to understand steps. She explains the hows and the whys, and tells you what to look for to avoid problems down the road. The lessons are terrific, and presented in clear, concise steps with good illustrations. Her patterns advance in skill level as the lessons progress. My projects were a success, thanks to Elly, and I now feel comfortable with applique.

Elly has done it again for all her fans and is sure to gain new ones with this simplified approach to a classic style. Her "voice" can be heard in every written line for those of us lucky enough to have attended her academy classes. Add this to your collection, or start a collection with this wonderful book. Keep them coming, Elly!

Elly has written many books on Baltimore album quilts, but this is one of my favorites. It has 8" block patterns, rather than the more traditional 12". It's full of instructions for applique, stitching, transferring designs, and lots of color pictures. Plenty of ideas to work from. The only applique method she doesn't explain is the Templar Starch method, which I think is a good way to do applique, but I won't mark down her score for this.

As a graduate of the Naval Academy, I found this book to be a fresh, vibrant and comical description of the life of a first year Midshipman. For those who have not lived the experience first-hand, it will be amusing and informative. For those who have been there, it will resonate with the irony and irreverance that characterize the radical metamorphosis from civilian to naval officer.

I can only add to the plaudits below. I didn't go to Navy, but my father and brother did. I've always wondered if plebe year was as wierd and hard and fascinating as they said it was -- now I know the answer. But beyond the wonderful introduction to USNA life, this is a terrific story -- great, complex characters, inspiration as well as sardonic humor, and a terrific twist at the end. Anyone who is interested in military life will enjoy this book. I'm about to buy several copies to send to friends.

From all indications, the Naval Academy is not a place for humor but with this book, David Poyer has shown that humour can thrive in a military environment even though it really doesn't have a place. The characters were well developed and the ending had a surprising twist. A wonderful read for anyone interested in the military way of life

For those of us who will never attend a service academy, books such as "Return of Philo McGiffin" give us a glimpse of what it takes to get through these tough institutions. They are colleges in one sense but as a character in the book says "this is your first duty assignment in the Navy!" For anyone thinking about Annapolis or who has a friend or relation who will attend, this book is a must read. My grandfather went to West Point and spent almost 40 years in the Army - now I have an idea of how he got there. Philo McGiffin is great book for anyone who is a fan of our Naval Academy but wants no illusions of how hard it is there.
My hats off to all Annapolis Alumni!

It won't take too long, because you'll find Philo hard to put down. If you're a Navy grad, you'll love it. The book is funny and poignant. You'll remember incidents you'd long forgotten. (Hmmm, maybe that's not such a good recommendation.) Beat Army!

I was a member of the congregation of Faith Christian Fellowship (the church that Maria's husband co-pastors) during my years in medical school in Baltimore. It was one of the amazing churches that I have attended in my life- and the first church that I decided that I wanted to join as a member, even though I've been a Christian for 13 years. This book was a beautiful testimony to God's faithfulness to two people who made living their lives out totally for God's glory the top priority of their lives. It is that much more special to me because I've seen it in real life. The book is both at times gut wrenching, touching, inspiring- and above all, real. It is totally worth picking up and totally worth passing along to a friend. You'll be glad that you did...

Maria Garriott accounts for her twenty-five years of multiethnic urban ministry in Baltimore--but she also does much more. A Thousand Resurrections reveals a kind of honest faith that is refreshingly witty and delighful. I would highly reccomend this book and can't wait to share it with my mother-in-law who works with urban Chicago ministries.

Maria Garriott's A Thousand Resurrections is the story of the Garriott family's ministry work in a poverty-stricken community. Garriott's struggle to balance the interests of her family's Pen Lucy ministry, along with her marriage and children, is evident in this touching and inspiring account.

With a realistic, heartfelt, and even humorous style, Garriott draws her readers into the very heart of her trials and triumphs. As a wife, mother, college graduate, and woman who seeks to do God's work through helping those in need, Maria Garriott has written a truly unique and candid retelling of her experiences in urban Baltimore.

Maria Garriott never sugarcoats the details of her story. From dealing with a drunken lay leader to protecting her children from the harsh realities of poor urban life, or trying to, Garriott provides a wonderful resource for people considering urban ministry.

I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone curious about the realities of urban life and ministry, or ready for a dose of reality about the life of the urban poor. A Thousand Resurrections is a treasure written by a highly educated woman who has "been there, done that," and has now told all about it. Maria Garriott is an author worth remembering, and her church planting story not to be missed. - Meg D. R. Tepfer, Christian Book Previews.com

Maria presents an honest account of what it's like to minister in an urban setting. This book is an encouragement. It validates what so many of us feel as we try to reach out to our cities. Her story demonstrates God's faithfulness to a church, a neighborhood, a family, an individual. It shows how God uses weak people who are simply available for Him to use. Thanks, Maria, for writing your story. It will help us to pray more intelligently for neighborhoods, because now we know some of the hard truths of urban life. It will help us to pray more intelligently for urban pastors and their families too.

This is an inspiring, wise, and often humorous account by the wife of a pastor of the founding and growth of an inner-city multi-racial congregation over a 25 year period. The book is a must-read for anyone praying and working to make a difference in a high-poverty neighborhood within urban America. The book is also sure to be a favorite of those who like Jan Karon's Mitford series. Of course, the characters in this book are real not fictional, but they just as endearing as those in the Mitford series and the portrait of the rewards and challenges of ministry, relationships, and family is similar even though inner-city Baltimore is so different than Mitford.

An avid reader of publications like National Geographic, I found this book to be a very enjoyable and accurate depiction of an area that receives too little attention. The only thing that could improve this story would be full color photographs illustrating the brilliant sunsets, changes in water color, the wildlife and the characters that are detailed throughout. This book sparked such an interest in the area that my family currently is searching for a new home on the Crisfield side of the Bay. We appreciated the pace of life and the simplicity that have caused the locals to resist change and embrace their past. Many thanks to the author for clueing us in.

I received this book as a gift, never having heard of the author or Smith Island. After reading the book, I feel very lucky to have discovered a new favorite author. Tom Horton's book is a gem! He's a talented writer and Smith Island is a rare and beautiful subject. As an Iranian, I found his descriptions so enchanting that I plan to visit Smith Island someday soon.
This book is appropriate for all ages and especially for those who appreciate the environment and a simplicity to life that is fast disappearing.

Notice that all the reviewers here live near the Chesapeake Bay. This bay will interest and speak to all those that have an interest in a society and environment almost gone. A super read, intimate in detail and beautiful in imagery.

Tom Horton's great gift as a writer is his ability to conjure up the natural world in words. His memoir of his family's time on Smith Island is his best work yet. Note I said yet. A book by Tom Horton is always a cause for rejoicing. His environmental writing is up there with Aldo Leopold and Barry Lopez.

Tom Horton's great gift as a writer is his ability to conjure up the natural world in words. His memoir of his family's time on Smith Island is his best work yet. Note I said yet. A book by Tom Horton is always a cause for rejoicing. His environmental writing is up there with Aldo Leopold and Barry Lopez.

A fabulous book, with so much to read and see, and LEARN! Gloria Allen is always thorough in her research. Wonderful!

Gloria Allen's "A Maryland Sampling" is much more than a book about needlework or samplers. In truth, it weaves multiple histories of young girls, the early days of female education in Maryland, families and tradition to create a fascinating picture that deserves to be told. Equally important, "A Maryland Sampling" details, to a greater extent than ever before, the embroidery work of young African-American girls in Baltimore and the teachers and schools that sought to give young girls of color an education equal to that of while children. Even if you're not a needleworker or sampler collector - and I am neither - "A Maryland Sampling" is a beautiful book with a beautiful story.

A former curator and then director of the Daughters of the American Revolution Museum in Washington, D.C., Gloria Seaman Allen brings to bear her considerable years of experience and expertise in "A Maryland Sampling: Girlhood Embroidery 1738-1860". A beautifully illustrated history of Maryland samplers and pictorial embroideries that were the instructed obligation of young girls who were thereby able to showcase their needlecraft skills and abilities. Now these samplers are highly prized among collectors and antiques dealers. Allen focuses specifically on Maryland and how needlework traditions from its 18th and early 19th century English, German, and French settlers were carried on down through the end of the American Civil War. A truly seminal work of painstaking scholarship, "A Maryland Sampling" is especially recommended as an addition to academic library American Cultural History reference collections, and to the attention of needlecrafters, as well as Americana collectors and dealer.

Dr. Allen is an excellent historian and this beautiful, informative book gives evidence to it. For anyone interested in the historical aspects of needlework of the Baltimore area, this is a must see and read book. The pictures are sharp and clear and the history of the girlhood embroideries is right on track.

THIS IS A WONDERFUL BOOK OF 384 PAGES, WITH MANY BEAUTIFUL PICTURES. IT DOCUMENTS MARYLAND SAMPLERS AND EMBROIDERIES. THE BOOK GOES IN DEPTH TELLING ABOUT THE SCHOOLS, TEACHERS AND THE PUPILS, INCLUDING THE AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY WHO CREATED THESE BEAUTIFUL WORKS OF ART.

VERY INTERESTING TO READ, AND A VALUABLE BOOK TO HAVE, FOR ANYONE INTERESTED IN SAMPLERS AND THEIR HISTORIES.

The item arrived on time and this web site was the ONLY place I could find this book as my daughter needed it for her English class at school!
Amazon really came through for me when we couldn't find the book anywhere else. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

THIS BOOK IS POWERFUL, ITS SHOCKING, AND IT IS ASPIRING. THERE IS NOTHING ON CHANNEL 11 THAT BRINGS THE HONEST, INSIGHTFUL, VERY REAL ACCOUNT THAT MR.DOUGLASS DOES IN HIS BOOK. FROM SLAVE TO FREE-MAN, THIS IS TRUELY AN AMERICAN SUCCESS. SKIP THE INTRO, AND JUMP INTO IT.

Douglass's second, and lengthier, narrative fills in many of the gaps left in his first autobiography: we learn about his mother, his siblings, and more details about his psychological transformation from brute to man. It's quite insightful, as Douglass is careful to relate each of his personal experiences to the innate evil of the peculiar instituition, for both the slave and the slave holder.

Having read a biography of Douglass many years ago, I thought I knew his story. Hearing through his pen was an entirely different matter. What a master of the language and insighful set of observations on human nature.

I am a man of many words, but words fail me in my endorsement of this book. The letter to his former master in the appendix is worth the price of the book by itself.

Standing in line at the Lincoln Memorial, a book beckoned to me that I previously hadn't seen before. The face of Frederick Douglas grabbed my attention; a man that I've respected for many years, encountering him mainly through my study of Abraham Lincoln. On the spur of the moment, I snatched up a copy of "My Bondage and My Freedom", and within a few days, my admiration in Frederick Douglass was transformed from interest to awe.

Frederick Douglass orginially penned his book as a response to people's accusations that someone as articulate and composed as he couldn't possibly be a former slave. With that goal in mind, Douglass wrote his memoirs, in a straight forward, powerful way. In the book, he painfully and honestly documents the path his early life took; the memories of being owned, how slaves coped during these times, and how he managed to pull himself out of it all.

While Douglass' life in itself is amazing, (as he describes the amazing process he undertook to learn how to read), what amazed me even more are Douglass' discourses that he sprinkles through the book, discussing relevant issues during the time. In one instance, he addresses the concern about why slaves simply didn't run away from their oppressive situations. It's almost as if you can actually hear the people talking to Douglass and he responding to them.

This book does not only tell the tale of a truly amazing American, but gives us a unique insight to the times. This book should be required reading in every high school in this country.

The book arrived quickly and in the condition that was specified. No issues, would use this seller again.

Particularly for a budding Optometrist, this book allows the Optometrist to be acquainted with all the fine arts of optics and the like.

Book arrived in great shape. Like new!!

One of the best science textbooks I've ever read. Clearly written and interesting to read. Heavy on concepts, light on math. Diagrams are simple but effective. It's rare to see a physics book as approachable as this one. As an amateur photographer and research microscopist, I love this book. Some parts of the text are a bit outdated (remember it was published in 1986), but the vast majority is valuable information. This is a great tool for physics students and teachers.

This is the best textbook I ever had, and I sold it for some ($$$) at the end of a semester to buy a bus ticket. Very mad; I miss the book, but it's so expensive. It's amazing the way the author incorporates all sorts of literary allusions in this physics book, such as offering an interesting hypothesis on the optical illusion of the egyptians getting swallowed by the red sea while chasing the jews. Every chapter, light becomes a metaphor for so many things, the way we see, the obstacles, etc.

This book takes the reader out of time and space and into a realm of wonder. After growing up in St. Mary's County, it was astounding to see how much the mother county of Maryland has evolved through the centuries. The author, who I am proud to say is my aunt, has put together a collection of pictures that accurately represents the county in a way that makes it unique than any other county in the United States. Once the reader picks it up he or she will not be able to put it down, it is truly captivating.

This is an amazing book to have if you are from the area. The pictures are beautiful and offer an amazing look into the County, the people of the area and it's history. You will definitely not regret this purchase and it is a treasure to have. Thank you Linda. -Heather

Linda Reno, in her St. Mary's County, Images of America, has provided me a stroll through the home county of many of my ancestors. In her inimitable way, Linda has brought to life for me their homes their faces and their customs through her choice of pictures and reader friendly text. I couldn't stop reading it even when I came to the last page. I started all over again. It's destined to become a family treasure. I highly recommend it for it's sheer delight.

The pictures--all taken in the early 1900s--that were gathered for this wonderful book really bring old St. Mary's County to life. Linda's clear and concise captions are even more interesting. She not only identifies those in the old family photos, but also includes a brief genealogical sketch. The pictures of so many St. Mary's County locations, most of which no longer exist, allow us to "see" through the eyes of those who went before us. To be able to view, as well as read about, the churches, schools, barns, hotels and homes of the past give us a glimpse into the daily lives of the County's early 20th century residents.

I don't know of any other book that provides such a comprehensive pictorial history of St. Mary's County. It is obvious that Linda put her heart and soul into this project. She did a phenomenal job.

I would like to HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone with even a passing interest in the history of Maryland. So often history is just dates and faceless names, but this book brings the people and places of St. Mary's County to life. The pictures are wonderful and capture the mood of a earlier more simple time. The captions are informative and well written. Linda Reno brings considerable expertise to this endeavor. Among her many roles, Linda heads up the Maryland GenWeb for St. Mary's County and has done so much to bring to life the history of St. Mary's County, the birthplace of Maryland. Linda has written extensively on the history of St. Mary's County and yet she always always has been ready to give freely of her time and knowledge. Where she finds the time I do not know!

My family has its roots in St. Mary's County and Linda has done us all proud. Buy this book and then just settle in and enjoy a wonderful view into an earlier period in our history. Thanks Linda for a wonderful book which I hope will allow more people to share in our proud Maryland heritage.

I loved Lisa Samson's wonderfully flawed human beings. They are well rounded and interesting people with problems and hang ups, just like I have. It gave me hope. If they can hang in there, so can I!

This book came recommended by a good friend, one who knows I don't usually like books with "Christian" themes. However, Women's Intuition quickly won me over. It's an awesome read--I loved it and was sad to finish the book. The characters are quirky, funny, honest and compelling. They struggle with fear and with how to have faith in the midst of painful circumstances. The writing is lively and reminds me of Elizabeth Berg or Anne Lamott. I've already recommended this book to three of my friends! Lisa Samson is an up and coming author and I can't wait to read her next book.

I don't ever read books with Christian themes; they tend to get a bit preachy for this non-Christian. However, the Christianity of Samson's characters is so skillfully interwoven with their personalities that it's easy to "forgive" the preaching.

I appreciate faith, and the fact that her characters are so deeply flawed and not harp playing angels makes their faith and application of that faith a very lovely read.

It's nice to read about people overcoming their hamartia, it lends such hope to the rest of us. What Samson portrayed was a God who uses all things to his own ends, the fire, the lies, all of it, and that Romans 8:28 is a universal truth.

Aside from Lark making me want to slap her for being so backwards (she made me nervous and I wondered how she could be such a good Christian if she didn't even trust her God to take care of her when she left the house.)...LOL I truly enjoyed this book and will buy it for my mother who loves books with Christian themes.

Lisa Samson has succesfully created a work of fiction that will touch every facet of your life. She weaves a tale with love, laughter, fear, and joy that anyone would love to wrap themselves up in. Brew a pot of coffee and enter Lark Summerville's complicated life. You won't want to go back home.

Reading a Lisa Samson book is like diving into a refreshing literary river--clear, clean prose that carries you along in waters delightful and deep, funny and profound. Women's Intuition is no exception. I am not usually a "women's fiction" reader, but I read Samson because I love good writing, and find she transcends the same old-same old. Join the delight. Discover Lisa Samson for yourself.