Living History Books

This is a sweet, but challenging story about a very young woman from pro-Union Maryland who marries a Union soldier just after the Civil War. The story presents the conflicts of hard feelings and the need for healing between North and South in the context of family relationships. It seems quite unusual as stories usually end with a wedding without any details about the "happily ever after" part. Here, the emphasis is on this young bride's married life. Cultural and religious differences as well as bitterness from the war make life quite difficult for this young bride living with her husband on his parents' farm. The story makes an interesting backdrop to consider ideas about developing relationships, the give-and-take necessary in marriage and the idea of love and commitment. The book is lovely and quite engaging. Appropriate for ages 12 and up.

Sally Day Hammond was a merry and spirited Southern girl who won the heart of a hardworking and reserved Federal soldier from Connecticut. The book tells of the life after their marriage, with his parents on their farm. Sally expected that everyone naturally thought and behaved the in the manner to which she was accustomed, and found it difficult to adjust to New Englanders and the life in Connecticut. She learns to give up things and learns how to love. This book made me cry in places, because I can identify with Sally, and learning to live with someone with a difference personality, who hasn't grown up with the same customs. For example, the first morning in Connecticut, Sally was awakened much earlier that she was used to, and when she went to help set the table for breakfast was told, "We don't use napkins with breakfast here." Sally went on to explain to her husband's parents that she couldn't eat that kind of breakfast, and would have toast and tea. They considered tea a special treat only to be served when the minister visited.

The book chronicles struggles, friendships, fights, and near the end, close to a town-wide scandal, all resulting from the turbulence of different lives and lifestyles brought together.

I was disappointed that the book didn't have more of a Christian emphasis, with Sally in one place saying that she thought that hell was a real place, but that she thought that "most of the stories were made up to scare little children."

Younger children may think this book is boring, but older ones may find the telling descriptions interesting, and new wives may be able to identify with some of the adjustments.

Great book on implementing garden and nature objects into your home such as adoring mosaic pots you can make. Headboards for the bed from old large wooden fence. An idea I liked using rusted, or new wire fence border as a frame to hold dozens of pictures. There are beautiful photographs throughout and wonderful decorating ideas. The book is lacking in style projects for outside, there are some but the indoor projects overrule.

This book gave me inspiration to make everything in it. I loved the pictures. I think that alot of the Home & Garden books are very similar, but this book really stands out. I love it and I highly recommend it!

The topic of this book is a "must know" for all Christians. The writing is a little repetitious, but the main idea is profound.

This is by far the best book on the doctrine of Sanctification in print. It was originally written in the 17th century, but has been put into modern english with this edition. This book will help you better understand the Gospel and its power not only for our Justification, but our Sanctification as well.

This book provides an excellent curriculum, if you will, of books every Christian should read in his or her lifetime. Although the focus is on Christian literature throughout the centuries, there is also a list of non-Christian works that have shaped our world which the author rightly advocates reading. There is even a separate list of books for children (although adults could benefit from reading some of these as well). The descriptions of each work are very concise, with excerpts from some works scattered throughout. One can read through this book in a couple of hours; that way, one has plenty of time to start digging into the books themselves, which is the whole point!

I have used this book heavily to build my library of classics. It is an annotated book list divided into Christian, non-Christian, and Children's literature and by historical periods: The Ancient World, The Middle Ages, The Early Modern World (The Reformation, Renaissance), The Eighteenth Century, The Nineteenth Century, The Twentieth Century, and Contemporary Candidates for Greatness. Parents, such as myself, will greatly appreciate the separate chapter and list dedicated solely to Children's literature. I have used this chapter to collect quality books for my children.

Glaspey gives you a short commentary on each book (and excerpts from some authors), and tells you how best to make use of the reading lists he provides. He also gives good reasons why Christians should read non-Christian books. Also provided is a list of ten books which he feels every Christian ought to know. Included are books by C.S. Lewis, Dostoevsky, Augustine and Tozer among others.

This is a book for Christian biblioholics to savor. It was through this book that I discovered some of my favorites such as "A Testament of Devotion" by Thomas Kelly, and Christian authors such as Walker Percy, Alexander Solzhenitsyn, and Flannery O'Connor. Many books he names, Christian and non-Christian, I already knew and read and others, such as books by Norman Geisler, I was disappointed to find missing. But overall, this is an excellent resource and one that is unique. Highly recommended.

In recent years a spate of popular books about monasticism has appeared, some tending to trivialize this relatively rare vocation, others subtly romanticizing it. In contrast, A Guide to Living in the Truth is one of the more realistic books in the genre.

Monk and scholar Michael Casey focuses on the foundational virtue of humility, the subject of the seventh chapter of St. Benedict's Rule. After briefly considering what humility is not (passivity, self-hatred, or mere resignation), Casey provides a meditative, line-by-line commentary, drawing from sources as diverse as St. Bernard of Clairvaux and Albert Camus to clarify the sixth-century text.

The reader may feel some resistance to the message of this book. St. Benedict's view of human nature is unflinching, and his emphasis on the effort required to purge our selfishness is not for the faint-hearted. But Casey does an admirable job of framing Benedictine spirituality in the contexts of common sense, psychological insight, and the mercy of God.

Rather humbly, Casey largely leaves the reader to apply this ancient wisdom to less cloistered lifestyles. But be advised. You may find that this thoughtful introduction to the heart of the Church's original twelve-step program changes your spiritual life more than you expected.

Michael Casey (Trappist monk of Tarrawarra Abbey in Australia) turns a seemingly specialized topic into a readable and helpful book suitable for anyone seriously involved in the spiritual life. HUMILITY is not a popular term, often confused with humiliation. Drawing on the word's connection to its root (meaning "earth"), Casey treats humility as the result of deep self-knowledge: who you are, who you are not, and who you are in relationship to God. Drawing on insights from modern psychology, he considers the 12 steps in St. Benedict's ladder of humility as 12 ways of moving towards integration and transformation. Readers who are familiar with Benedictine spirituality will gain the most from this book, but it has much to offer the general reader.

Aunque ella ha perdido la elecccion de 2008 todavia es buena historia de su vida, especialmente 1992 - 2000 con su esposo, el presidente Bill Clinton.

De Hillary solo tenía las ideas preconcebidas que habilmente la prensa ha dejado filtrar; una mujer inteligente, pero fría y calculadora. Con esta autobiografía he podido comprobar que ella es mucho más que eso, es incluso una persona que ha realizado en su vida lo que varias. A pesar de ser una persona eminentemente política, es en el buen sentido de la palabra, el de trabajar para los demás, de tener metas y lograr cambios. Me enorgullece pertener a su mismo género.

I was impressed with the accounts of Finney's labors, especially the ones where he goes into details of the great conviction of sin, and power of God that attended his preaching. We can learn much from these examples in presenting the gospel to the lost today. He was straight with people and called sin-sin, but he also loved people enough to tell them the truth so they had a chance to be saved. This book is hard to put down.

I've read this book for the second time and find it more profitable the second go 'round. Its a great resource for ministers and those interested in the revival of their faith or that of their church body.

There are many "case studies" of Finney's experiences and life stories. There are also many templates for us to apply in ministry today.

The underlying strengths of Finney are seen throughout the book. Prayer, great understanding of scripture, and a radical reliance on the Holy Spirit are exactly what the church needs today.

It's a privilege to rise to Professor Bell's challenge in the book itself and be the first to drop a public note about this book. It's an impressive distillation of a wonderful body of writing in c16 Italy--he's done a fine job of evenhandedly presenting a very large, notoriously difficult to trace, and sometimes outrageous (and entertaining) corpus of material. Another indication (were one needed) that social context in period studies is neglected to one's peril.

A very lively and fast-paced look at advice manuals of the 16th century. He takes a lot of different sources, from manuals written by uptight husbands for one specific person, to widely-published manuals from priests, doctors, quacks, lawyers, and women from all walks of life, to show how middle-class Renaissance Italians looked at things like childbirth, conception, raising children, how spouses should behave, and how widows and widowers should live. What I liked best about the book was the wide range of manuals he takes from -- it's a popular history to be sure, but you come away with a pretty good idea of how people were expected to behave and what was normal for the era. The index and footnotes are splendid -- worth the price of the book itself in my opinion.

The informal tone of the writing makes the book a fun read, but the way he can synthesize all these facts he's got is what makes the book worth the money. I certainly would consider this a valuable addition to my history bookshelf.

If All the Swords in England tells the well-known tale of St. Thomas Becket and King Henry II through the eyes of two twin brothers, Simon and Edmund. Separated in their youth by the death of their parents, Simon, who is lame in one hand, becomes a servant to Becket the exiled Archbishop of Canterbury. He witnesses the sufferings of the Archbishop's household in France and the numerous attempts to bring about a reconciliation between the estranged churchman and his sovereign.

Meanwhile, Edmund comes of age in the royal court. He sees first hand the rages of a king obsessed with protecting his royal power and extending it even into the realm of the Church. The King will not reconcile with his former friend due to Thomas's insistence on standing up for the honor of God.

This book starts off slow but the climax is exceptionally well done--even if you know what's coming. In St. Thomas Becket, one can see a reflection of Christ, who fearlessly stood face-to-face with brutal, murderous men having nothing to defend himself with but the cross. All in all, this book is a fine introduction to the life of a very admirable man, and is easily read by young folks 12 and up.

Barbara Willard's If All the Swords in England, first published in 1961, makes a happy comeback in this quality paperback edition by Bethlehem Books.

The drama unfolds during the turbulent years of the argument between King Henry II Plantagenet and Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, concerning juridical authority in church matters.

After the tragic deaths of their parents, brothers Simon and Edmund Audemer are separated. Edmund becomes a page in the court of King Henry II, while Simon becomes a scribe in the household of Thomas Becket.

Willard's use of the literary device of the two brothers allows the reader a "first-hand" glimpse into both the characters of Thomas Becket and Henry II as well as into the climate of the times.

The book is full of exciting episodes (including a miracle), and interesting characters. Barbara Willard's If All the Swords in England presents a timeless story of courage and conscience. It is also an excellent introduction to the heavier Becket by Anouilh and T.S. Eliot's Murder in the Cathedral. Grades 5-7.

Derek has written for the person who truly believes in God and has decided to make a life-wager commitment. If you are this kind of person willing to go-for-it, who will risk it all for the sake of God-Person completeness, then this is the book for you. It is short book yet complete. Every word counts and if you use it as a handbook, then you will have a dog-eared copy soon after. You MUST want Gods Best. There is a whole chapter on this very point. I wish everyone who reads this book Gods Best! Any YOUR CUP WILL RUN OVER. " To summarize, I will list the things you must do if you want God's best: 1. Want God's best. Do not settle for less. 2. Focus on Jesus. 3. Meditate on God's Word. 4. Make friends with the Holy Spirit. 5. Hear and promptly obey God's voice. 6. Be careful how and what you hear. 7. Be more concerned with eternal than the temporary. Make sure your priorities are right. 8. Let God choose for you."

Derek has written for the person who truly believes in God and has decided to make a life-wager commitment. If you are this kind of person willing to go-for-it, who will risk it all for the sake of God-Person completeness, then this is the book for you. It is short book yet complete. Every word counts and if you use it as a handbook, then you will have a dog-eared copy soon after. You MUST want Gods Best. There is a whole chapter on this very point. I wish everyone who reads this book Gods Best! Any YOUR CUP WILL RUN OVER. " To summarize, I will list the things you must do if you want God's best: 1. Want God's best. Do not settle for less. 2. Focus on Jesus. 3. Meditate on God's Word. 4. Make friends with the Holy Spirit. 5. Hear and promptly obey God's voice. 6. Be careful how and what you hear. 7. Be more concerned with eternal than the temporary. Make sure your priorities are right. 8. Let God choose for you."