Wednesday, 3 July 2024

My Library Card


The House Of Beckham: Money, Sex And Power by Tom Bower


About the book: For fans and watchers of the Beckham Netflix documentary who want the rest of the story, The House of Beckham (2024) is an explosive tell-all account of the real lives of David and Victoria Beckham.

As one of the most famous and influential couples in the world, David and Victoria Beckham have attained iconic status. The ultimate power couple have together built a multi-billion-dollar global brand. For decades, adoring fans have been captivated by the glamorous world they have created, while their unrivalled fusion of showbiz, fashion, football and celebrity has been cultivated alongside the image of a strong marriage.

When the much-trailed Netflix documentary Beckham aired in 2023, viewers were offered an even more intimate insight into their private lives. Produced by the Beckhams themselves, the series raised many questions, not only about their success and personal relationship, but also about the ruthlessly successful management of their image in the media. 

Are their lives really as perfect as the Beckhams would like the world to believe?

Through extensive research, expert sourcing and interviews with insiders, Britain’s most celebrated investigative biographer, Tom Bower, has unearthed a succession of revelations that give surprising insight into the reality of ‘Brand Beckham’. 

Exploring the couple’s relationship, and the truth about their football and fashion careers, their finances and their new life in Miami, The House of Beckham unravels the extraordinary reality of the business-savvy cultural icons to tell an engrossing, often astonishing story of money, sex and power.

About the author: Tom Bower is an investigative historian, broadcaster and journalist. A former producer and reporter for BBC Television for 25 years, he is the bestselling author of over 25 books, including: Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the War Between the Windsors, Rebel King: The Making of a Monarch and Dangerous Hero: Corbyn’s Ruthless Plot for Power. He lives in London with his wife.

Sunday, 30 June 2024

Norbert And Early Norbertine Spirituality


About the book: This volume - Norbert and Early Nobertine Spirituality (2007) - in the prestigious Classics of Western Spirituality series offers in translation with introductions, significant works written in the first generation of the founding in the twelfth century of the Canons Regular of Prémontré (also known as the Premonstratensians or Norbertines after their founder, Norbert of Xanten). 

From the many twelfth century works and authors of the Order, the translators-authors of the introductions of this work have chosen those writers who knew Norbert personally. 

This volume presents for the first time in English the two medieval vitae of Norbert (one in its totality and the other by significant selections). 

The other texts chosen and their introductions contextualize Norbert and his foundation within areas of study, such as medieval controversies between monks and canons, the situation of religious women, the instruction of the clergy, and the conversion of members of the nobility to religious life under the impulse of the Gregorian Reform. +

About the editors: Reverend Theodore J Antry, OPraem, entered the Nobertine Order in 1957 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1966. He holds an MA in Latin from Marquette University and a PhD in medieval studies from the University of Notre Dame. He is currently the archivist for Daylesford Abbey in Paoli, Pennsylvania. He is a member of the order's international Spirituality Commission and an associate member of its Historical Commission. Antry's published work includes an edition of the medical work of the fourteenth-century Premonstratensian Thomas of Sarepta.

Carol Neel, who holds a PhD in history from Cornell University, is professor of history at Colorado College, Colorado Springs where she has taught since 1980. She holds a BA in Latin from Bryn Mawr College and a PhD in history from Cornell University. She has written about the history of women and the family int he Middle Ages as well as about the medieval Premonstratensians. Among her prior publications is a translation of the Handbook of the ninth-century noblewoman Dhuoda. She lives with her husband and four children on a mountainside in Colorado Springs.

Friday, 28 June 2024

A Song Of Comfortable Chairs (The No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Series) by Alexander McCall Smith

About the book: Grace Makutsi’s husband, Phuti Radiphuti, is in a bind. An international firm is attempting to undercut his prices in the office furniture market. Phuti has always been concerned with quality and comfort, but this firm seems interested only in profits. To make matters worse, they have a slick new advertising campaign that seems hard to beat.

Meanwhile, Grace is approached by an old friend who has a troubled son. She and Phuti agree to take Patience and Modise in and lend a hand, but things do not work out quite as intended, and the situation proves difficult for them to handle. It will require not only all of their persistence and dedication but also help from an unexpected quarter to find a solution that will make everyone happy.

Faced with more than her fair share of delicate dilemmas, Mma Makutsi deals with it all with her usual graciousness. This, along with the kindness, generosity, and good sense for which the No 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency is known, assures us that, in the end, each of these matters will be set right.

In A Song of Comfortable Chairs (2022) - the twenty-third instalment in the delightful No 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series - Grace Makutsi encounters a pair of quandaries that will require all of her and Mma Ramotswe’s cleverness and generosity to resolve.

About the author: Alexander McCall Smith, often referred to as ‘Sandy’, is one of the world’s most prolific and best-loved authors. His various series of books have been translated into forty-six languages and become bestsellers throughout the world. These include the highly successful The No 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, the popular 44 Scotland Street novels, the Isabel Dalhousie novels, the von Igelfeld series and the new Detective Varg novels. He also writes stand-alone novels, children's fiction and libretti for short operas.

Alexander has received numerous awards for his writing and holds thirteen honorary doctorates from universities in Europe and North America.  He is Professor Emeritus of Medical Law at the University of Edinburgh. In 2007, he received a CBE for services to literature and in 2011 was honoured by the President of Botswana for services through literature to the country.  In 2015, he received the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction and in 2017, The National Arts Club (of America) Medal of Honour for Achievement in Literature. In 2020, he received the honorary fellowship of the FT Weekend Oxford Literary Festival. In 2021, he received the coveted Edinburgh Awards, chosen by the people and cross-party politicians of Edinburgh. And in 2022 he received the Lifetime Achievement in the Saltire Literary Awards for contribution to the Arts at the Scottish Book Awards.

Rating: 5/5 

Wives Like Us by Plum Sykes


About the book: Take a grand English country house, one (heartbroken) American divorcée, three rich wives, two tycoons, and one (bereaved) butler; put them all into the blender and out comes the impossibly funny Wives Like Us (2024).

Welcome to the rose-strewn county of Oxfordshire and the Cotswold villages of Little Bottom, Middle Bottom, Great Bottom, and Monkton Bottom, recently annexed by a glittering new breed of female: the Country Princess.

Following a ghastly row about a missing suite of diamonds, Tata Hawkins has flounced out of Monkton Bottom Manor with her daughter, Minty, and Executive Butler Ian Palmer in tow, decamping to the Old Coach House to teach her husband, Bryan, a lesson.

But things don't go to plan: Bryan disappears to Venice with a bikini designer; Selby Fairfax, the glamorous American divorcée who has inherited the beautiful estate next door, refuses Tata's neighborly overtures; and Tata's very best friends, Fernanda Ovington-Williams and Sophie Thompson, are distracted by their own heartaches. Worst of all, Ian has nowhere to store his collection of vintage Gucci loafers.

With the help of a pig farmeress moonlighting as a personal assistant, a male model moonlighting as a stable hand, and a London barrister moonlighting as a gentleman farmer, can Ian restore harmony to the Bottoms?

About the author: Plum Sykes was born in London and educated at Oxford. She is the author of the novels Bergdorf Blondes, The Debutante Divorcée, and Party Girls Die in Pearls. She is a contributing editor at World of Interiors and American Vogue. She lives in the English countryside with her daughters.

Rating: 4/5

Thursday, 27 June 2024

The Conditions Of Unconditional Love (An Isabel Dalhousie Novel Series) by Alexander McCall Smith


About the book: 'You can't go out of the house without tripping over a philosophical question.' That is a remark made by Isabel Dalhousie to Jamie, the bassoonist who is her handsome younger husband. 

Isabel's own life, of course, points to the truth of this observation: she seems to attract philosophical problems in much the same way as a magnet attracts iron filings.

In this latest movement in the symphony of her life, Isabel is faced with novel challenges, each of which tests her resolution to do the right thing. Dawn, a nurse in an infectious diseases ward, is let down by her lover and needs a place to live. Not surprisingly, Isabel offers her a roof over her head. What do you do, though if your house-guest locks herself away and avoids all contact?

And then there is the pompous and slippery Professor Robert Lettuce. He is planning a prestigious conference, and involves Isabel in it. But look at the budget: why is there such a large payment for Lettuce himself and for a young female assistant? Isabel is suspicious.

Other intriguing problems abound, including Isabel's involvement in a book group threatened by discord and bickering. 

Isabel remains calm. Of course she does. She knows the power of love, reason, and a clear head to resolve all of these issues, and more.

The Conditions of Unconditional Love (2024) is the fifteenth instalment in the much-loved Isabel Dalhousie novel series set in Edinburgh, Scotland.

About the author: Alexander McCall Smith, often referred to as ‘Sandy’, is one of the world’s most prolific and best-loved authors. His various series of books have been translated into forty-six languages and become bestsellers throughout the world. These include the highly successful The No 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, the popular 44 Scotland Street novels, the Isabel Dalhousie novels, the von Igelfeld series and the new Detective Varg novels. He also writes stand-alone novels, children's fiction and libretti for short operas.

Alexander has received numerous awards for his writing and holds thirteen honorary doctorates from universities in Europe and North America.  He is Professor Emeritus of Medical Law at the University of Edinburgh. In 2007, he received a CBE for services to literature and in 2011 was honoured by the President of Botswana for services through literature to the country.  In 2015, he received the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction and in 2017, The National Arts Club (of America) Medal of Honour for Achievement in Literature. In 2020, he received the honorary fellowship of the FT Weekend Oxford Literary Festival. In 2021, he received the coveted Edinburgh Awards, chosen by the people and cross-party politicians of Edinburgh. And in 2022 he received the Lifetime Achievement in the Saltire Literary Awards for contribution to the Arts at the Scottish Book Awards.

Rating: 5/5

Monday, 24 June 2024

The Enigma Of Garlic (44 Scotland Street Series) by Alexander McCall Smith


About the book: The Enigma of Garlic is the latest installment in the charming and congenial 44 Scotland Street series which finds all our favourite residents of Scotland’s most celebrated address up to their usual hilarious hijinks.

It is the most anticipated event of the decade - Big Lou and Fat Bob’s wedding - and everyone is invited! But the relative peace and tranquillity of 44 Scotland Street is about to be disrupted. Domineering Irene is set to return for a two-month stay, consigning young Bertie to a summer camp. Not content with that, she somehow manages to come between the enigmatic nun, Sister Maria-Fiore dei Fiori di Montagna, and her friend, the hagiographer, Antonia Collie.

And can a person really change, even after being struck by lightning? Bruce Anderson’s metamorphosis and new-found outlook on life is put to the test as he prepares to leave his creature comforts for the monastic simplicity of Pluscarden Abbey. His house sitter, meanwhile, gets a little too comfortable in his new life and discovers that his talented employer’s shoes are all too easy to slip into. With great taste comes great responsibility.

Alexander McCall Smith’s delightfully witty, wise and sometimes surreal comedy spirals out in surprising ways in this new instalment, but its heart remains where it has always been, at the center of life in Edinburgh’s New Town.

The Enigma of Garlic (2023) is the latest and sixteenth instalment in the outstanding 44 Scotland Street series set in Edinburgh, Scotland.

About the author: Alexander McCall Smith, often referred to as ‘Sandy’, is one of the world’s most prolific and best-loved authors. His various series of books have been translated into forty-six languages and become bestsellers throughout the world. These include the highly successful The No 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, the popular 44 Scotland Street novels, the Isabel Dalhousie novels, the von Igelfeld series and the new Detective Varg novels. He also writes stand-alone novels, children's fiction and libretti for short operas.

Alexander has received numerous awards for his writing and holds thirteen honorary doctorates from universities in Europe and North America.  He is Professor Emeritus of Medical Law at the University of Edinburgh. In 2007, he received a CBE for services to literature and in 2011 was honoured by the President of Botswana for services through literature to the country.  In 2015, he received the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction and in 2017, The National Arts Club (of America) Medal of Honour for Achievement in Literature. In 2020, he received the honorary fellowship of the FT Weekend Oxford Literary Festival. In 2021, he received the coveted Edinburgh Awards, chosen by the people and cross-party politicians of Edinburgh. And in 2022 he received the Lifetime Achievement in the Saltire Literary Awards for contribution to the Arts at the Scottish Book Awards.

Rating: 5/5

Friday, 21 June 2024

The Little Office Of The Blessed Virgin Mary And The Office Of The Dead (In Latin and English)


About the book: “As you vigilantly school yourself in studying the psalms and in giving praise to God, I exhort you, venerable brother, and recommend that you also not omit the daily office of the blessed Mary ever virgin.” - ⁠Saint Peter Damian

The best prayer is the prayer of the Church - pray the inspired psalms of the Holy Ghost since the 8th century, hated by heretics, loved by friends of Our Lady, recited by Saints John Damascene, Catherine of Siena, Vincent Ferrer, Louis of France, Bridget of Sweden, and many more.

The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary has been in use for centuries. It often was the "simplified breviary" of religious communities; as such it was subject to the reform of the Roman Breviary by Pope Pius X in 1911. It is a part of the 1962 edition of the Roman Breviary as well, which was the norm for the present edition.

This new edition has been designed for private use. It can, however, be used in community, although this edition is without a ceremonial. If it is used privately, the Office may be recited in either Latin or in English. 

For private use, the following times are suggested for the canonical hours:

    Matins: Early morning or previous evening
    Lauds: Always in the morning, even if Matins are anticipated (said the evening before)
    Prime: Morning prayer
    Terce: 9 AM
    Sext: Noon
    None: 3 PM
    Vespers: 6 PM
    Compline: Night prayer

The text of The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Office of the Dead is that of the 1915 Benziger Brothers edition with updated punctuation and slight rewording of some familiar passages in English. The content of the Offices was revised in conformity with the norms of the typical edition of the Roman Breviary published in 1961. Completely re-typeset with the Latin and English text on facing pages, Angelus Press offers this beautiful edition (2014) to the faithful as an eminently readable and truly affordable format.

May The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary bring many graces to those who use it, and foster the spirit and deepen the understanding of the Roman Catholic Liturgy.

We Were Dreamers: An Immigrant Superhero Origin Story by Simu Liu

About the book: The star of Marvel’s first Asian superhero film, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021), tells his own origin story of being a Chinese immigrant, his battles with cultural stereotypes and his own identity, becoming a TV star, and landing the role of a lifetime.

In this honest, inspiring and relatable memoir, newly-minted superhero Simu Liu chronicles his family's journey from China to the bright lights of Hollywood with razor-sharp wit and humor.

Simu's parents left him in the care of his grandparents, then brought him to Canada when he was four. Life as a Canuck, however, is not all that it was cracked up to be; Simu's new guardians lack the gentle touch of his grandparents, resulting in harsh words and hurt feelings. His parents, on the other hand, find their new son emotionally distant and difficult to relate to - although they are related by blood, they are separated by culture, language, and values. 

As Simu grows up, he plays the part of the pious child flawlessly - he gets straight As, crushes national math competitions and makes his parents proud. But as time passes, he grows increasingly disillusioned with the path that has been laid out for him. Less than a year out of college, at the tender age of 22, his life hits rock bottom when he is laid off from his first job as an accountant. Left to his own devices, and with nothing left to lose, Simu embarks on a journey that will take him far outside of his comfort zone into the world of show business. 

Through a swath of rejection and comical mishaps, Simu's determination to carve out a path for himself leads him to not only succeed as an actor, but also to open the door to reconciling with his parents.

We Were Dreamers (2023) is more than a celebrity memoir - it is a story about growing up between cultures, finding your family, and becoming the master of your own extraordinary circumstance.

We Were Dreamers is an instant New York Times bestseller.

About the author: Simu Liu is a Canadian actor and writer best known for his work on Marvel Studios’ Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, in five seasons of the beloved family sitcom Kim’s Convenience, Ken in Barbie and for manifesting his dreams into existence with a Tweet. He wishes he had tweeted for something a bit better - like world peace, or for his parents to finally say “I love you”. He received nominations at the ACTRA Awards and Canadian Screen Awards for his work in Blood and Water. He was named one of Time's 100 most influential people in the world in the "Artists" section. In January 2023, he was named the winner of the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television's Radius Award at the 11th Canadian Screen Awards. He also won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Host in a Live Entertainment Special for the 2022 Juno Awards.

He lives in Los Angeles, Toronto, and wherever the best tax credits for film production are. 

Thursday, 20 June 2024

Meet The Witnesses Of The Miracle Of The Sun by John Haffert


About the book: John Haffert's book, Meet the Witnesses of the Miracle (1961, 2017), is the most complete collection ever of eyewitness testimonies to the Fatima October miracle, reprinted in 2017 in conjunction with the 100th Anniversary of the Miracle of the Sun. 

Despite the incredible Miracle of the Sun, people did not reform their lives. A consideration of the general decline of morals since 1917 begs the question: "Will the world have to be chastised before people will change?"

If so, it is good to think back to 13 October 1917. Three months earlier, Our Lady had promised Lucia a miracle "so that all might see and believe."

Our Lady did indeed work a miracle. She astonished the crowd of 70,000 with a miracle so terrifying that many thought the end of the world had come. The sun unexpectedly spun all over the sky and even plummeted towards the earth.

Meet the Witnesses encourages reflection on this miracle and hence on the Fatima message. The eye-witness accounts it contains bring the Miracle of the Sun to life. Vividly projecting the image of the sun spinning in the sky and nearly crashing to earth, they cause readers to echo the cry of the witnesses, "We believe!"

Meet the Witnesses invites us to prepare diligently for serious trials in a world that deserves divine punishment. It challenges each one to strengthen his faith, increase his love and proclaim his unshakable certainty in Mary's promise: "Finally, my Immaculate Heart will triumph!"

About the author: John Mathias Haffert (1915-2001) was an American Roman Catholic author and editor. He wrote several books, mostly on Roman Catholic themes, co-founded Catholic societies, edited Catholic magazines and lectured on Catholic issues.

Haffert received his high school and college education at Mount Carmel College, a Carmelite seminary, and then began his career as an author and lecturer. Haffert was the co-founder of the Blue Army of Our Lady of Fatima, a Roman Catholic Marian Society which was approved by Pope Pius XII and has about 25 million members worldwide. Haffert was assisted in the creation and Daily operations of Blue Army of Our Lady of Fatima by Father Venard Poslusney. He was the editor of Scapular Magazine which helped enrol one million Americans in the Blue Army of Our Lady of Fatima and in prayer for the Soviet Union.

Haffert was a strong advocate of the message of Our Lady of Fatima and he worked with Fatima visionary Sister Lucia dos Santos to develop the "Fatima Pledge" in 1946. This later became the "Blue Army Pledge", in 1948. Haffert spoke often on topics concerning the Miracle of the Sun. Haffert died at 86 in the United States. (Source: Wikipedia)

Saturday, 15 June 2024

Brazen by Julia Haart


About the book: Brazen (2022) is a riveting, inspiring memoir of one woman’s escape from an extremist religious sect and an extraordinary rise from housewife to shoe designer, to CEO and co-owner of the modelling agency Elite World Group

Ever since she was a child, every aspect of Julia Haart’s life - what she wore, what she ate, what she thought - was controlled by the dictates of ultra-Orthodox Judaism. At nineteen, after a lifetime spent caring for her seven younger siblings, she was married off to a man she barely knew. For the next twenty-three years, her marriage would rule her life. 

Eventually, when Haart’s younger daughter, Miriam, started to innocently question why she was not allowed to sing in public, run in shorts, or ride a bike without being covered from neck to knee, Haart reached a breaking point. She knew that if she did not find a way to leave, her daughters would be forced into the same unending servitude that had imprisoned her.

So Haart created a double life. 

In the ultra-Orthodox world, clothing has one purpose - to cover the body, head to toe - and giving any thought to one’s appearance beyond that is considered sinful, an affront to God. But when no one was looking, Haart would pore over fashion magazines and sketch designs for the clothes she dreamed about wearing in the world beyond her Orthodox suburb. She started preparing for her escape by educating herself and creating a “freedom” fund. At the age of forty-two, she finally mustered the courage to flee the fundamentalist life that was strangling her soul.

Within a week of her escape, Haart founded a shoe brand, and within nine months, she was at Paris Fashion Week. Just a few years later, she was named creative director of La Perla. Soon she would become co-owner and CEO of Elite World Group, and one of the most powerful people in the fashion industry. Along the way, her four children - Batsheva, Shlomo, Miriam, and Aron - have not only accepted but embraced her transformation.

Propulsive and unforgettable, Haart’s story is the journey from a world of no to a world of yes, and an inspiration for women everywhere to find their freedom, their purpose, and their voice.

About the author: Julia Haart is the CEO, co-owner, and chief creative officer of Elite World Group. She is guiding the company to expand the definition of a “model” while growing the company’s digital footprint and transforming it into a talent media network. She is incorporating new and creative talent, improving client services, and giving a fresh new voice to EWG’s clients. Julia was previously the creative director of La Perla, the luxury Italian intimates brand. She launched her career as a designer with her namesake shoe collection. Julia is the star of the Netflix docuseries My Unorthodox Life. She lives in Manhattan.

Thursday, 6 June 2024

After The Warning To 2038 by Bruce Cyr


About the book: Our civilization as we know it, is running out of time, but most fail to see the sudden destruction, soon to fall upon us. "When conditions are at their worst," a WARNING will come directly from God and few people are aware of the hour. This can be calculated accurately, based on scores of prophecies available to us through Catholic saints inspired by the Holy Spirit.

In the 20th century and up to now, Satan is allowed the opportunity to accomplish his greatest challenge, since the beginning of mankind. The power of darkness has been increasing for the last 250 years since the rise of Freemasonry/ Illuminati. God allows Satan an extended reign to have more time and more power to defeat and destroy the Church and in fact all mankind. Hidden political powers continually deceive mankind through a communist agenda.

Pope John Paul II during his time, was aware of a great storm on the horizon: "Precisely at the end of the second millennium, there accumulates on the horizon of all mankind, enormously threatening clouds, and darkness falls upon mankind." 

An awakening is coming!! 

Pope John Paul talked about the Lamb (Jesus Christ), who is the only one able to open up the seven seals: "That scroll contains the whole series of divine decrees that must be accomplished in human history to make perfect justice prevail. If the scroll remains sealed, these decrees can be neither known nor implemented, and wickedness will continue to spread and oppress believers. Hence, the need for authoritative intervention: it would be made by the slain and risen Lamb...to take the scroll and to open its seals.

The WARNING has been predicted in prophecies in the Catholic Church for over 500 years. In the 20th Century, Mary, Mother of Jesus predicts this same event with urgency, at three different apparition sites. The Warning or Illumination of Conscience is the first of the Ten Secrets or events that will unfold on this earth. These events are the unfolding of the Seals of Revelation. The Warning will take place for all humanity, because of an intense build-up of cataclysmic events unfolding in Russia and Ukraine and unfolding in Israel, with Islamic forces including Iran pressuring to destroy Israel. The United States will suffer unexpectedly affecting the entire world.

After The Warning to 2038 (2017, 2024) reveals many prophecies unfolding in the near future of Biblical prophecies, and Catholic prophecies from the Holy Spirit, revealed to the Early Church Fathers, Doctors of the Church, and Catholic saints including venerable, blessed, and canonized; Mystics of the Church including stigmatists, priests and religious, men and women of notable discernible credibility, and from visionaries who have seen Mary, Mother of Jesus; all through the Holy Spirit. 

This book has many major prophecies of detailed information about 10 secrets or events in chronological order about to unfold. Many of these events have not ever been experienced on this earth before.

Our Lady of Medjugorje relates events just before the time of the Warning: "It is an upheaval of a region of the world. In the world, there are so many sins." 

Our Lady of Peace to Pedro Regis at Anguera, Brazil states: "Humanity is contaminated with evil and my poor children pursue the paths of self-destruction. Israel will live the anguish of one condemned because of the surprise by the men of terror." "The City of Jerusalem will be destroyed and when they go through the tribulation, it will not be recognized." 

These 10 events will unfold from about 2024 to 2038.

We live in the 5th Church age of Seven Church ages that correlate with the Seven Churches in Revelation. 

After 2038, those left on the earth will live on the land during the 6th Church age of genuine Peace according to Catholic Prophecies.

About the author: Bruce Cyr was born and raised in a Catholic family in southwestern Alberta, Canada. He grew up on a farm and ranch that brought hard work and the graces to share with 7 siblings. He went to a Catholic school and then to Agricultural College. He was drawn to God and the mystery and wonder of the Spirit after experiencing the Presence of the Lord in the early years of his life. At first, he did not understand what was happening. In the latter teen years and early twenties, he did not practice his faith much but still knew that the Lord would help him through. In the 1970s, he studied the evangelical Biblical end-times version of prophetic word. In his late twenties he experienced Catholic Charismatic Renewal and finally understood what the Lord had given him in the early years. He became a leader of a Catholic prayer group and became quite involved in parish life. He and his wife raised nine children on a dairy farm in the 1980s and part of the 1990s.

In 1992, he experienced a vision of St Bridget of Sweden and the wisdom given to her and some information about the future. In 1994, they moved to Okotoks, Alberta with some of the younger children still going to school. From about 1995, he experienced anointings or confirmations from the Lord of some of the events that are about to unfold in the future.

In the last 30 years, after awakening to St Bridget's prophecies, he then studied the Catholic version of Biblical future prophecies and similar private revelation prophecies of events connected to some of these end times events. Our Lord has confirmed to the author some of the events that are about to unfold, revealing that humanity is deceivingly on a road of peril. Catholic prophecies also reveal God's plan to rescue a portion of humanity or the Church. By 2009, Our Lord encourage him to write down in a chronological order, many of the events or prophecies that he had read about and were confirmed to him for the compilation of the book. Bruce Cyr has studied prophetic word from the Bible for over 35 years.