Tag Archives: power

Exciting reading!

Posted on April 1, 2016 by readingmater

I’ve been enjoying various novels, but today I read something that excited me enough to blog again. You may not believe this but it is Pliny’s Letter to the Emperor Trajan, which I first read back in Uni. in the … Continue reading →

Posted in history, non-fiction, theology | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The Book of Negroes:

Posted on March 21, 2016 by readingmater

Daughter Marjorie read Lawrence Hill’s Book of Negroes and said it would probably be her Book of the Year, even though we are still in March. And yes, I think it is that good. It covers the story of a single African … Continue reading →

Posted in Historical fiction, historical novels | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Galileo’s daughter

Posted on July 25, 2015 by readingmater

Cliques in the Vatican. Personal animosities. Prejudice passing as certain truth. I’m talking about the 1600s, not the present day, though. Clearly things change very slowly in the Vatican, and not at all in human relationships, with our love of … Continue reading →

Posted in biography, non-fiction, science | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

The Pope is not Infallible. But preach on, brother!

Posted on June 24, 2015 by readingmater

I love Laudato si, his new cncyclical – letter- to the Catholic church and to the world. I took as long reading this as some of the books I blog about, and it has so much good stuff in it. … Continue reading →

Posted in economics, science, social justice, technology, theology, world religions | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

On Rock or Sand.

Posted on May 20, 2015 by readingmater

Do we have “firm foundations for Britain’s future” ? Old people notoriously think the world is going to hell in a hand basket (is that an American idiom?) so I am, typically, wondering whether the golden days were the days … Continue reading →

Posted in social justice, sociology, theology | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Other Side.

Posted on May 6, 2015 by readingmater

I once lived in Oakland, California, in a rather nice parsonage on the edge of the hills. Then we lucked out and got an urban homesteading house of our own- an abandoned house, with boarded up windows and an FBI notice … Continue reading →

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Death of a Tyrant

Posted on March 28, 2015 by readingmater

What did Henry VIII die of? After reading and watching Wolf Hall and Bring up the Bodies, both by Hilary Mantel, this book, The Last of Days, by Paul Doherty, caught my eye. Did Henry die in bed  after sending so … Continue reading →

Posted in Historical fiction | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The working poor- again.

Posted on March 18, 2015 by readingmater

Breadline Britain was heavily academic and fact/statistic based- but a really worthwhile book. This week I found a library book, At the Coalface, about the sort of family I grew up in- dad at work, but not earning quite enough, … Continue reading →

Posted in memoir, non-fiction, social justice | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Invention of Wings

Posted on March 14, 2015 by readingmater

My church in California had a relationship with a church in Chiapas in southern Mexico.  The church was thriving. Medical teams from the US visit there. Kids are being fed and educated. Some had got as far as college and … Continue reading →

Posted in Historical fiction | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Fields of Blood

Posted on December 5, 2014 by readingmater

We are a violent species. We are a compassionate species. News recently has covered cases of young unarmed black men killed by police. The wars/invasions in Iraq and Afghanistan have led to further hatred and war. Why do we make … Continue reading →

Posted in social justice, theology, world religions | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment