Abbey Books

Marvelous 186 page book. Part of a series entitled "Great Buildings of the World". Traces the long and fascinating story of monastic architecture, which began some 1500 years ago with the Rule of St. Benedict. Not only informs you of the history of monasticism, but also has wonderful pictures, mostly in black and white, alas, that shows the buildings the monks created. Twelve abbeys were chosen, from five countries, England, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain. I have embarked on a five year project to duplicate all the photos in this book. Done three years, and had some fantastic travel experiences, as well as seeing all this incredible architecture. There is one picture in the book, in full color, of a church in Germany, in which you can just imagine Martin Luther saying "Enough!"

Acceptance Pamplet is a brief and effective set of thoughts and suggestions that, if applied to living, will make life for most readers a peaceful, happy, and serene life. I have been a part of weekends and/or evenings that use this book which divides into the following topics: UNNECESSARY SUFFERING, ACCEPTANCE, FREE WILL, SUFFERING, CONTENTMENT, and GOD AS I UNDERSTAND HIM. We usually spend from 1 to 1 1/2 hours on each session.

Questions: Bob Ballow (904-435-4048 or moreabout2003@gmail.com)

This is an amazing story that captures what it is like to be a child between the ages of 2 to 4. The illustrations were developed from actual photos of the child and display the path the mother and daughter took learning to make each moment
count. Children find joy in reading the book and parents (when reading the book to their children) can identify with the feeling of being pulled between chores and playing with their children.

Mia Dery's Adventure Guide To The Triangle refers to North Carolina's Triangle area, who enjoy a range of outdoor activities from mountain and road biking to hiking and sea kayaking. Visitors and residents alike will find plenty of sports and outdoors-oriented suggestions, including clear directions and line maps for locating the area, difficulty ratings, and reviews of back roads and byways.

Eliot Porter's beautiful photographs of wildflowers, trees, and mountain streams are an interesting juxtaposition to the often caustic prose of Edward Abbey, who writes the main body of the text, and Harry Caudill, who writes the epilogue. This book is Abbey at his best, showing that he can write well about a landscape other than the American southwest. He describes the landscape of the Southern Appalachians in their stark reality: the billboards and phony saloons of industrial tourism, the abandoned stores and churches, the paved roads catering to the rich and sedentary, the forsaken Cherokees. His story is a truthful and compassionate account of the tragedies of the region, as well as a powerful argument that capitalism has failed. This is not the place to start with Abbey--"Desert Solitaire" or "Abbey's Road" would be a better choice--but for those who are already familiar with him, this book will not be a disappointment.

This gorgeous book flawlessly demonstrates the architecture of the Cistercians, the photographs conveying the principles of asceticism which governed their monastic spaces. The continuity of pages filled with black and white photos, alongside which black text communicates wisdom from some of the greatest religious personages, is broken only by the red lettering delineating the beginning of a new section, each of which is named for the canonical hours--mirroring the shift that would have occurred in the monks' day as the bells of terce or nones called them to prayer. Throughout, Hervé's photographs marvelously capture the spirit of light so important to the aesthetic of Cistercian architecture, making it apparent that he truly understands and respects its principles. The essence of L'Abbaye du Thoronet permeates the pages, making me feel (in a way no other book has) as though I am again standing in its cloister, the scent of boxwood in the air, a specific and marked tranquility throughout...
I believe that this is a volume of which St. Bernard himself would approve.

I read Downing's first works on poverty medicine and was quite eager to read his next book. This book did not disappoint. I have family and friends involved in helping with HIV/AIDS in Africa. I found Downing's viewpoint very refreshing, and found that his model of discussing illness should be one that is read by Westerners, not just Africans. I keep recommending this book to anyone who is interested either in AIDS/HIV in Africa, or to doctors who want to think of a different medical approach, one which involves surroundings, not just bacteria and viruses. We need a whole being approach to health which is offered to us here. Rather than think of Africa as a needy, backward place, we need to start to see the wisdom this continent can offer us. Perhaps seeing how our exported culture functions in other countries, such as "condomization," can help us re-evaluate how harmful Western ways of seeing life may be. I wish it were less expensive, so I could give a lot of copies away!

This book really helped me and my family comfort our brother who was dying of cancer. It made us feel good that we could read him prayers that otherwise we would not have been able to find because of the stress and emotional factors when one is losing a loved one. Everything is in this little book and is very helpful not only to the dying but also to those who are losing a loved one. A great book.

I'm not sure how this book reads if you have never met the current archabbot of St. Meinrad, but if you have, his voice and wisdom flow off the pages. The first half will speak to anyone who wants to grow in their faith. The second half focuses more on those in relegious life, which for those who have wonderd what it is like 'on the inside' it will give them a glimps. Also a source of preaching material as well as spiritual reflection.

It is in 'Beneath the Web' that the whole story really gets going, as set up in 'The Wooden Sword'. In the world patiently crafted Lyn Abbey lets her characters lose to solve the mystery of 'Dart' and wether he is man, demon, fetch, or who knows what. Berika the sheperdess came off relatively poorly in the first book, still gaining her feet. As she finds her power that changes. The obsessive reader of science fiction for some thirty five years, I rarely find a book who's ending I can't guess, but Lyn Abbey makes the whole thing a unique experience with her depth of detail and characterization. I only wish I could say of her that 'she doesn't know when to end a series', as two books seems to be her limit. A pity, because the rich worlds she carves out have the potential for much more. These two books are worth finding.END