Roses & Thorns

Roses & Thorns
Showing posts with label Religion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Religion. Show all posts

Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Counsels of Light and Love by St. John of the Cross

Blurb:

A manual of simple cautions and points of light and love of the world's most celebrated mystic, St. John of the Cross; introduced by Thomas Merton, perhaps the most famous monk of the modern era.

Review:

Counsels of Light and Love by St. John of the Cross is a powerful discourse for spiritual direction, specifically intended for those committed to life in religious orders, but also applicable to all persons desiring to strengthened their inner convictions in any area through lessons of attentiveness and diligence. I recommend it to those more interested in this topic on a theological or academic level.

Thanks for visiting, Rose, Julie, Donna, & Rochelle

Length:   78 Pages

Prices:
Print:  $12.00
Digital:  N/A

Buy Link:


Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Walking in the Light by Pope John Paul II

Blurb:

This beautiful book contains many priceless gems of spiritual wisdom from one of the greatest spiritual leaders of our time, Pope John Paul II. Each of the Pope's daily reflections center on a Christian virtue and is meant to be prayerfully pondered, read and re-read, until it takes root in the reader's heart. The reflections are warm, tender, and heartfelt, and each is accompanied by a Scripture passage (for further reflection), a prayer, and an action response to the Pope's daily challenge to live a virtuous life. 


Review by Rose Thornton:

Walking in the Light by Pope John Paul II is a good spiritual read which is applicable to daily life and for building one’s moral muscles.  It is simple and insightful with solid advice for maintaining focus on virtue. I recommend it to those seeking to better themselves through reflection and contemplation.


Length:  72 Pages

Print Price:  $8.96

Buy Link:




Thanks for visiting, Rose, Julie, Donna, & Rochelle

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Made for More by Curtis Martin

Blurb:

Life is an adventure, and while everything you do and every decision you make is aimed at making you happy, you may step back from time to time and ask yourself, “Why am I here?” and “Is there a deeper meaning to life?”  To find these answers, you need to go beyond the distractions of the world and be open to discovering your true purpose and potential.

Review by Rose Thornton: 

Author Curtis Martin in Made for More takes a serious look at ethics and morals as the sources of happiness in this otherwise materialistic world:  “Many of our choices deliver only temporary or fleeting happiness, sometimes at the cost of our ultimate happiness.  Good choices offer a lasting, deeper kind of happiness.”  This book does have a strong underlying religious principle, which a reader may or may not be drawn to, but I did not find it to be overly preachy or persuasive.  However, it’s true that I am someone who reads a variety of materials and I’m likely to find something thought-provoking in every book whether I agree with the author’s premise or not, so I am personally not adverse to reading materials with various ideologies.  For instance, I found his statement above to be true regardless of any religious connection…..which indeed was not introduced until later in the book. 

One of Albert Einstein’s famous quotes from an interview with The Saturday Evening Post, 1926, clearly demonstrates how this great thinker kept his interests and beliefs separated without threat to either:

 “As a child I received instruction both in the Bible and in the Talmud.  I am a Jew, but I am enthralled by the luminous figure of the Nazarene……no one can read the Gospels without feeling the actual presence of Jesus.  His personality pulsates in every word.  No myth is filled with such life.”

I believe every reader can do this and it will be up to the individual reader to decide if this book is appealing enough to enjoy.  The one section that most intrigued me as merely an objective reader was where Martin quotes H.G. Wells who, although not a supporter of Christianity himself, wrote :

“I am an historian.  I am not a believer, but I must confess as an historian that this penniless preacher from Nazareth is irrevocably the very center of history.  Jesus Christ is easily the most dominant figure in all history.”

Martin then asks: “How is it, then, that Jesus has become the single most influential person in the history of the world?”  That kind of question either interests a reader or it does not.  If it does not, then I would recommend this book as one to skip; however, if it does pique an interest, I could recommend this book as one man’s answer to the question and suggest reading it with an awareness that it is only one man’s answer.

Length:   130 Pages
Prices:
Print:  $4.60
Digital:  $8.99
Buy Link:


Thursday, August 7, 2014

Essences by Kenneth Webb





Blurb:

Essences III is a continuation of the poetry published in Essences and Essences II, which were published in 2006 and 2013 respectively. Mr. Webb has written about several sciences and major religions, using many traditional poetic forms. Subjects include The Universe, Nature, History, The Animal World, Characterizations, Potpourri, Japanese Haiku, Filipino Haynaku, Children's Poems, and America.

Review:

I’m not normally a fan of poetry, but Essences III has something for everyone from Shakespearean couplets to Filipino Haynaku. Although his Christian beliefs are quite evident, it is clear Mr. Webb honors all beliefs, giving respectful nods to most of the other major religions. Some of his language use is almost child-like, which is probably why he was so successful as a substitute teacher in the Waukegan/Lake County, Illinois school district. He is able to see the world through the fresh eyes of a young person, and convey that wonder and delight in his poetry.

My only objection is the poem “Fun With Sounds” in the Children’s poetry section. Mr. Webb states this is a particular type of poem in which one simply adds the letter “y” to the end of a word to create the “y” sound, but some of the words in this section should be formed using “ie,” like “cookie.” I believe children have enough difficulty learning to spell properly without seeing words misspelled in poetry books. Don’t anyone show this book to the Cookie Monster. But that’s only one poem out of the entire book. Otherwise, it’s not a bad way to spend an hour or so.

Length:  146 Pages
Prices:
Print:  $9.96
Digital:  $3.99
Buy Links:

You’ll notice we always include the publisher’s buy link.  That’s because authors usually receive 40% of the book price from the publisher.  Editors and cover artists usually receive about 5%.  When you buy a book from Amazon, Barnes & Noble or another third-party vendor, they take a hefty cut and the author, editors and cover artists receive their cuts from what is left.  So, if a book costs $5.99 at E-Book Publisher.com and you buy from there, the author will receive about $2.40.  If you buy the book at Amazon, the author will receive about $0.83.

Downloading the file from your computer to your Kindle is as easy as transferring any file from your computer to a USB flash drive. Plug the larger USB end of your chord into a USB port on your computer and simply move the file from your “Downloads” box to your Kindle/Documents/Books directory. You can download your books onto your computer using “Save As” to a “Books” file you create and sort them into sub-folders by genre, author, or however you wish before transferring them to your Kindle. That way, if there’s a glitch with your Kindle, the books are on your computer. Your author will be happy you did when he/she sees his/her royalty statement.

Thanks for visiting. Rose, Julie & Rochelle