Monday, 29 April 2019
Saint Catherine Of Siena: Legenda Major by Raymond Of Capua
Paperback: This book is also known as 'The Life of St Catherine of Sienna' and is an inspiration for us all. Catherine of Siena (1347-1380) had her first vision of Christ at age six and dedicated her life to his service as a Dominican. She produced an extraordinary series of Letters on spiritual education and the public affairs of the Church, as well as the Dialogue. She also served as an advisor to Pope Gregory XI and his successor, Urban VI. In 1970, Pope Paul VI named Catherine Doctor of the Church. In 1999, Pope John Paul II proclaims her Patron of Europe.
"Catherine was educated as a child that belonged to God. As soon as she began to walk alone, she was loved by all who saw her, and her conversation was so discreet, that it was with difficulty her mother could keep her at home; her neighbours and relatives would bring her to their houses in order to listen to her childlike reasonings, and enjoy her infantine sweetness. They found so much consolation in her company that they did not call her Catherine, but Euphrosyne, which signifies joy, satisfaction. Perhaps they were ignorant of this meaning, and did not know what I learned later, that Catharine had resolved to imitate St Euphrosyne; and it may be, also, that in her childish phases she uttered some words resembling Euphrosyne, and those who repeated her words gave her this name. Her youth realized the promises of her early infancy: her words possessed a mysterious power which inclined the soul to God. As soon as one conversed with her, sadness was dispelled from the heart, vexations and troubles were forgotten, and a ravishing peace took possession of the soul, so extraordinary indeed that one could only imagine it to resemble that enjoyed by the Apostle: on Mount Thabor, when one exclaimed: "It is good for us to be here." One day while she was praying in her little chamber Jesus appeared to her, and announced to her the kind of new miracle that He was going to operate in her.
Learn, my sweetest daughter, that henceforth thy life will be filled with prodigies so amazing that ignorant and sensual men will refuse to believe them. Many even of those persons who are attached to thee, will doubt them and fear an illusion caused by excess of love to me. I will diffuse in thy soul such an abundance of grace, that thy body itself will experience its effects and will live no longer except in an extraordinary manner. Thy heart shall become so ardent for the salvation of thy neighbour, that thou shalt forget thy sex and its reserve; thou shalt no more avoid as formerly the conversation of men, but thou shalt expose thyself to every species of fatigue in order to save their souls; thy conduct will scandalize many who will contradict thee and accuse thee publicly.
Jesus Himself was and is a sign of contradiction, and His saints often are contradicted. Saint Catherine was warned of this eventuality and yet faithfully followed her Crucified Saviour as should we. Catherine had much to suffer in her reputation, and in this especially appeared her admirable patience. What more precious than the reputation of a maiden, and what more delicate than the honour of a consecrated Virgin! It was in consideration of this that God would have his Mother, the Queen of Virgins, protected by no husband in the eyes of the world and on the Cross, he confided the virginity of his mother to the virginity of St John.
This book was written by Saint Catherine of Sienna's confessor, Blessed Raymond of Capua.
About the author: Blessed Raymond of Capua, OP, was a leading member of the Dominican Order and served as its Master General from 1380 until his death. He was beatified by the Catholic Church in 1899. First as Prior Provincial of Lombardy and then as Master General of the Order, Raymond undertook the restoration of Dominican religious life. For his success in this endeavour, he is referred to as its "second founder". Raymond worked also for the return of the papacy to Rome and for a solution to the Western schism. The important mystic and author, St Catherine of Siena, accepted him as a spiritual director because of his burning passion for the Church and for the revival of religious life. (Wikipedia)
Christus Vivit by Pope Francis
Paperback: For young people today, trying to find a path to holiness in a hostile world is increasingly difficult. Last year, the Church held a Synod on Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment, where Bishops from across the world gathered to discuss this issue. Now Pope Francis shares this Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation in the form a Letter to Young People and to the Entire People of God.
Written to inspire young people in their faith, the Pope writes in an engaging and highly readable way, drawing from young saints and biblical figures, and even the youth of Jesus himself to remind them - and the entire Christian faithful - that their voice must be listened to.
Yet the Pope also has some guidance to offer young people, exploring vocation discernment and encouraging friendship with Jesus. He additionally addresses the Church as a whole, reminding us of the youthfulness the Church should embody, while also considering how to renew youth ministry and emphasising the importance of attracting young people to the Church.
This is an important document to be read by anyone - young people, those involved in youth ministry, and all those who wish to help pave the way to a mission-focused Church that keeps her ears open to the fresh voices and ideas of young people.
About the author: Pope Francis is the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State.
Sunday, 28 April 2019
Saturday, 27 April 2019
Star Of The North by D B John
Hardback: Star of the North (2018) is a propulsive and ambitious thriller about a woman trying to rescue her twin sister from captivity in North Korea, and the North Korean citizens with whom she forms an unlikely alliance.
Star of the North opens in 1998, when a Korean American teenager is kidnapped from a South Korean beach by North Korean operatives. Twelve years later, her brilliant twin sister, Jenna, is still searching for her, and ends up on the radar of the CIA. When evidence that her sister may still be alive in North Korea comes to light, Jenna will do anything possible to rescue her - including undertaking a daring mission into the heart of the regime.
Her story is masterfully braided together with two other narrative threads.
In one, a North Korean peasant woman finds a forbidden international aid balloon and uses the valuables inside to launch a dangerously lucrative black-market business. In the other, a high-ranking North Korean official discovers, to his horror, that he may be descended from a traitor, a fact that could mean his death if it is revealed.
As the novel progresses, these narrative strands converge and connect in surprising ways, ultimately building to an explosive and unforgettable climax.
About the author: D B John was born in Wales. He began training as a lawyer but switched to a career in publishing, editing popular children's books on history and science. In 2009 he moved to Berlin, Germany, to write his first novel, Flight from Berlin. A visit to North Korea in 2012 inspired Star of the North. He lives in Angel, London.
Rating: 5/5
Wednesday, 24 April 2019
Monday, 22 April 2019
Thursday, 18 April 2019
My Life In Christ: The Spiritual Journals Of St John Of Kronstadt, Part 1
Paperback: I do not precede my book by any introduction: let it speak for itself. Everything contained in it is but a gracious enlightenment which was bestowed upon my soul by the all-enlightening Holy Spirit during moments of deep self-concentration and of self-examination, especially during prayer. - Archpriest Ivan Ilyich Sergiev
My Life In Christ (2015) is a classic text of Orthodox Christian spiritual life. This book is a reflection of both the profound spiritual experience and the elevated theological reflection of its author, St John of Kronstadt.
This new edition features a revised and updated English translation and is enhanced by the inclusion of subject and scripture indexes. Appropriate both for beginners in the spiritual life and for those more experienced, no one will come away from reading this work without profit.
My Life In Christ will be returned to time and time again and is appropriate, relevant, and edifying reading for all Christians. The two parts of this present edition are available separately and as a complete set.
About the author: Ivan Ilyich Sergiev (1829-1908), known to his contemporaries as Fr John of Kronstadt, was the most revered figure of the Orthodox Church in Russia in the half-century leading up to the Bolshevik revolution of 1917. Fr John's veneration grew even greater after his death, and in 1964, the Russian Orthodox Church outside Russia formally recognised him as a Saint.
About the translator: Nicholas Kotar is a graduate of Holy Trinity Seminary, Jordanville, New York, and holds a degree in Russian Literature from UC Berkeley. My Life In Christ is revised and adapted (with reference to the original Russian text) from the translation of E E Goulaeff by Nicholas Kotar.
Wednesday, 17 April 2019
The Way Of The Cross by Donagh O'Shea OP
Paperback: Christian awareness is shaped by a particular death, the death of Jesus: his living and dying and rising are the energies that shape Christian identity.
The Way of the Cross (2003) offers reflections on the fourteen traditional stopping-places or stations which mark out a path by which Christians may walk in the footsteps of Jesus, identifying themselves spirituality with him.
And, as many do today, The Way of the Cross adds a fifteenth station, the resurrection.
Part Two is a resource for more leisurely reflection on each station. It provides scriptural texts, and it also brings us into the company of saints and mystics who have travelled this path before us.
About the author: Donagh O' Shea OP, director of the Dominican Centre Cork, has conducted retreats not only in Ireland and Britain but also in countries as diverse as Albania, Iceland, Norway, Pakistan, the Philippines and South Africa. His other books include In A Fitful Light: Conversations on Christian Living and I Remember Your Name In The Night: Thinking About Death.
The Imitation Of Mary by Thomas à Kempis
Hardback: The Imitation of Mary is an excellent companion to The Imitation of Christ that comprises writings about Our Lady carefully culled from the works of Thomas à Kempis and set forth in the style of The Imitation of Christ. It offers a splendid way to grow in the imitation of Jesus through the imitation of His holy Mother. It is a profoundly spiritual road map for readers who wish to travel with Mary and Jesus.
About the author: Thomas à Kempis (1379/80-1471) was a member of the Brethren, priest, Augustinian monk, author of a dozen books, and copyist extraordinaire. He lived at and was a member of the Windesheim congregation at Agneitenberg monastery in the Netherlands for more than seventy years. He is most famous for his The Imitation of Christ.
Tuesday, 16 April 2019
Monday, 15 April 2019
All In (High Stakes Series) by Simona Arhnstedt
Paperback: Trust is the most precious commodity of all.
In the cutthroat world of Sweden's financial elite, no one knows that better than corporate raider David Hammar.
Ruthless.
Notorious.
Unstoppable.
He is out to hijack the ultimate prize, Investum. After years of planning, all the players are in place; he needs just one member of the aristocratic owning family on his side - Natalia De la Grip.
Elegant, brilliant, driven to succeed in a man's world, Natalia is curious about David's unexpected invitation to lunch. Everyone knows that he is rich, dangerous, unethical; she soon discovers he is also deeply scarred.
The attraction between these two is impossible, but the long Swedish nights unfold an affair that will bring to light shocking secrets, forever alter a family, and force both Natalia and David to confront their innermost fears and desires.
All In (2016) is the first instalment in the commercial/romantic High Stakes fiction series. It is followed by Falling (2017) and High Risk (2018).
About the author: Simona Ahrnstedt is a bestselling author, licensed psychologist and cognitive behavioural therapist. Her novels are published in over 20 countries including her native Sweden, where she has been credited as the country’s first major romance author. As her novels have swept bestseller lists in Sweden and throughout Europe, she has become an international spokesperson for books by women, for women, and about women.
Rating: 5/5
Thursday, 11 April 2019
A Massacre In Mexico: The True Story Behind The Missing Forty-Three Students (Politics) by Anabel Hernández
Hardback: They sought to bury them, not knowing that they were seeds. - Anon
A Massacre in Mexico is the definitive account of the disappearance of forty-three Mexican students.
On 26 September 2014, a party of students from the Ayotzinapa Rural Teachers’ College were en route to a protest when intercepted by local police. A confrontation ensued. Come the morning, the students were nowhere to be found. The crime that had transpired and the resultant cover-up brought the profound depths of corruption in the Mexican government and police force - as well as the vulnerability of ordinary Mexicans - into stark relief.
Investigative reporter Anabel Hernández reconstructs the terrible events of that night and its aftermath, giving us the most complete picture available. Her sources are unparalleled.
In researching this book, she secured access to internal government documents that have not been made public and to surveillance footage the government has tried to hide and destroy. Hernández demolishes the Mexican state’s official version of events, which the Peña Nieto government cynically dubbed the “historic truth.” As her research shows, state officials at all levels, from police and prosecutors to the upper echelons of government, conspired to put together a fake case, concealing and manipulating evidence, and arresting and torturing dozens of “suspects,” procuring forced confessions to back up the official lie.
By following the role of the various Mexican state agencies through the events in such remarkable detail, A Massacre in Mexico shows with exacting precision precisely who is responsible for this monumental crime and who needs to be held accountable.
A Massacre In Mexico (2018, English) is translated - with an Introduction - from the Spanish by John Washington.
About the author: Anabel Hernández is one of Mexico’s leading investigative journalists. She has worked on national dailies, including Reforma, Milenio, El Universal and its investigative supplement, La Revista, where the work on the alleged collusion of government officials and drug lords won her the Golden Pen of Freedom award, presented by the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers. Her previous books include the award-winning Narcoland.
Monday, 8 April 2019
Edith Stein: The Life of a Philosopher and Carmelite by Teresia Renata Posselt, OCD
Paperback: Teresa Renata Posselt OCD was the Novice Director, then Mother Prioress of the Cologne Carmel when Edith Stein lived there. Edith Stein (2005) is Posselt’s tribute to Saint Edith Stein, a wreath of recollections, lovingly woven together. It is also the first-ever biography published about that “Great Woman of the Twentieth Century.”
Having been out of print for half a century, the original text is here re-edited and enhanced by scholarly perspectives and updated and corrected in the light of knowledge which was not available to the author at the time.
Enriched by a broader range of contemporary literature about the philosopher, educator, spiritual writer, and victim of the catastrophe that engulfed her as part of her Jewish people, this new presentation of the biography everyone cites so frequently brings the reader closer to the real Edith Stein.
The editors have avoided weighing down this engaging life story with intrusive scholarly notes and commentaries. Instead, they have relegated such material to a separate section of “Gleanings.” This gives the reader the option of enjoying the biography unencumbered by supplementary matter or delving into the Gleanings when desired.
The three editors/translators are close to the Stein family as well as to her Carmelite family which she entered in 1933. Susanne Batzdorff is Edith Stein’s niece, who has known her in person. Josephine Koeppel and John Sullivan are both Carmelites who have occupied themselves with the life and work of the saint and have talked with several Carmelite religious who lived with Edith Stein.
Complementing their notes and comments that deepen the knowledge of the famous phenomenologist and Carmelite is an insightful “Foreword” contributed by Sr Amata Neyer OCD, who knew Posselt personally. She has served as prioress of the Cologne Carmel and as archivist for its Edith Stein Archive.
In Germany, and in many other countries too, this long-out-of-print book - Edith Stein - is sought after again and again. Pope John Paul II beatified Edith Stein in Cologne in 1987 and canonized her in Rome in 1998. In 1999, he declared Edith Stein, together with Bridget of Sweden and Catherine of Siena, as patron saints of Europe. It is the devout wish of the editor and the translators that Edith Stein may be a role model of awe for God and love of truth, justice and peace, not just for Europe but also for all the world, especially for young people whose task it will be to build the future.
May Saint Edith Stein/Teresa Benedicta De La Cruz (1891, Breslau - 1942, Auschwitz) become ever widely known and honoured.
Wednesday, 3 April 2019
Our Thoughts Determine Our Lives: The Life And Teachings Of Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica
Paperback: Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica was one of the most renowned spiritual guides of Serbia in the twentieth century.
As a novice he lived in obedience to Elder Ambrose of Miljkovo Monastery, a disciple of the Optina Elders. From him Fr Thaddeus learned the Prayer of the Heart and the selfless love that came to characterize his whole ministry to the suffering Serbian people.
Born in 1914, Elder Thaddeus lived through all the suffering endured by Serbia in the twentieth century. Over the course of two World Wars, during the Communist takeover, and through the NATO bombings of 1999, he co-suffered with his people. He taught, counseled, and prayed for all who came to him in pain and sorrow. His words of love and hope provided spiritual balm for people from all classes of society.
In 2002, Elder Thaddeus reposed, leaving behind a large collection of his teachings, preserved by his faithful spiritual children.
His life, teachings, and spiritual conversations are presented here for the first time in English -compiled primarily from materials originally published in the Serbian book Peace and Joy in the Holy Spirit (Mir i radost u Duhu Svetom by Matej Arsenijevic) - by the St Herman of Alaska Brotherhood.
Our Thoughts Determine Our Lives (2009, 2017, seventh reprint) is translated from the Serbian by Ana Smiljanic.
May this book bring relief to all those burdened by the sorrows and uncertainties of our times, that they may turn their gaze to the One Who Is, our eternal Saviour and Lord Jesus Christ.
The Practice Of The Presence Of God by Brother Lawrence
Paperback: The Practice Of The Presence Of God: The Best Rule Of A Holy Life (2015) is a collection of letters and transcriptions of conversations, compiled by a disciple of Brother Lawrence.
Brother Lawrence was a 17th-century Carmelite monk and head cook in his monastery's kitchens. He quickly gained an international reputation as a mystic and spiritual counselor.
The Practice Of The Presence Of God records and includes includes 15 short letters and his last words of advice to his friends and disciples, as he suffered from an unnamed illness which would eventually take his life.
The Practice Of The Presence Of God is translated from the French and has been a means of blessing to many souls. It is as practical today as it was almost four hundred years ago. It contains very much of that wisdom which only lips the Lord has touched can express, and which only hearts He has made teachable can receive.
May this edition also be blessed by God and redound to the praise of the glory of His grace.
About Brother Lawrence: One of the most adored books on living in God’s presence comes from an unlikely source - a man who was maimed as a young soldier and later became a footman “who was clumsy and broke everything.” That is the early life of Nicholas Herman before he became Brother Lawrence.
Herman was born around 1610 in Herimenil, Lorraine, a Duchy of France. His birth records were destroyed in a fire at his parish church during the Thirty Years War, a war in which he fought as a young soldier. It was also the war in which he sustained a near-fatal injury that left him quite crippled and in chronic pain for the rest of his life. Brother Lawrence was educated by a parish priest whose first name was Lawrence and who was greatly admired by the young Nicolas. He was well read and, from an early age, drawn to a spiritual life of faith and love for God.
At mid-life he entered a newly established monastery in Paris where he became the cook for the community which grew to over one hundred members. After fifteen years, his duties were shifted to the sandal repair shop but, even then, he often returned to the busy kitchen to help out. While repairing sandals or working in the kitchen, Brother Lawrence discovered and then followed a pure and uncomplicated way to walk continually in God’s presence. For some forty years, he lived and walked with God at his side.
It was not until after his death that a few of his letters were collected. Joseph de Beaufort, representative and counsel to the local archbishop, first published the letters in a small pamphlet. The following year, in a second publication which he titled, ‘The Practice of the Presence of God’, de Beaufort included, as introductory material, the content of four conversations he had with Brother Lawrence. Brother Lawrence never advanced beyond being the cook at the Paris monastery.
Tuesday, 2 April 2019
Damaged Goods: The Rise And Fall Of Sir Philip Green by Oliver Shah
Paperback: In this jaw-dropping exposé, Oliver Shah uncovers the truth behind one of Britain's biggest business scandals, following Sir Philip Green's journey to the big time, the wild excesses of his heyday and his dramatic demise.
Sir Philip Green was once hailed one of Britain's best businessmen. As chairman of Arcadia Group, home to brands such as Topshop, Dorothy Perkins and Miss Selfridge, Green had prime ministers and supermodels on speed dial. But the retail magnate's reputation came crashing down when Shah, a Sunday Times journalist, uncovered the methods Green used to amass his gigantic offshore fortune, and the desperation that drove his doomed BHS deal.
In 2015, Green sold British Home Stores for £1 to Retail Acquisitions, owned by Dominic Chappell, a charlatan who siphoned off BHS's remaining millions before filing for administration.
By the time it went under in April 2016, BHS had debts of £1.3bn, including a pension deficit of £571m. Its collapse left 11,000 employees without jobs and 20,000 pension fund members facing the loss of their benefits, prompting the government to launch an inquiry into Green's sale of the company.
While one of Britain's oldest department stores boarded up its shop fronts, former employees and shoppers protested in the streets and MPs rallied in parliament, demanding Green be stripped of his knighthood. The furore over the sale subsided in 2017 when Green agreed a £363m deal with the Pensions Regulator, but with revelations surrounding Topshop's pension deficit now surfacing, could tragedy strike again?
Damaged Goods (2018) - a story of corruption, ego, greed and one terrible misjudgment - is longlisted for the FT and McKinsey Business Book of the Year Award.
About the author: Oliver Shah is the award-winning Business Editor of the Sunday Times and one of the most respected national commentators on business and the high street. He was named business journalist of the year at both the Press Awards and London Press Club Awards in 2017 for his investigation into Sir Philip Green. Shah studied English at Cambridge University and journalism at City University before joining City AM in 2009 and the Sunday Times in 2010. Starting out at the newspaper as a retail correspondent, Shah became City Editor in 2016 and was recently promoted to Business Editor.
Monday, 1 April 2019
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