100 books

The subtitle of this book is 'Experiencing God in New Ways'- its fitting as its a truly beautiful book. Gire is a writer- he loves writing which is what makes this so beautiful. He genuinely enjoys putting words in order in a book. And what he is writing about is great too. He's talking about the ways in which we may find ourselves meeting God- be that through film or people, or tears! I loved teh stuff on tears.. thats probably for a new year post! But a great book to finish the hundred with!

I couldn't do a hundred books without at least trying Pullman. And, after six months of battling through the first of the trilogy. I like his characterisation, I like the whole daemonology of it. I don't like the very typical add on attack on the church. Its just not very well grafted into the plotline. But then I would say that. He's a better writer than Rowling, but I enjoy her more!

Its an award winner, so it must be good! I've thought this before about books, only to be sadly disappointed. This experience was slightly different. Reading the splodge on the back I was told this was a story about lust and greed.. so I expected an unhealthy chunk of darkness. Which, pleasantly, I didn’t find. It’s a beautiful book about family- about what you do with it when all the roles get mixed up! Its genuinely a nice read- I may leave it with my mum to read- I think she may like it!

I love Peter Kay- he’s really one of the funniest men around. So when this was bought for my dad as a present I though I would get in early and finish this off before leaving their house (and lets face it I only missed Deal or no Deal)!!! Its not great literature, but it is funny. If you can get into the imaginative place of thinking of him stand upping his way through, then this is a great little read. Read it in a public place where your tittering will annoy or amuse those around you!

This book was a present from my vicar- and is a bit of an homage to the irreductable British (ish) institution that is the Duke of Edinburgh. It basically catalogues several score of his gaffes, blunders and general offensiveness. Its a good read, not least because it reinforces your republican thinking in a very large way! Wouldn’t go out of my way to buy it, but if you are lingering in Borders then go for it!

Nice little murder mystery.. though not massively tantalising at the end.. but then I did mainly read this book in book stores before finally succumbing and buying it this afternoon! It means I;ve read the odd 20 pages here and there for the last three months.. so maybe I didn't grasp the flow of the story so well!!

This is a very handy little book. It basically a whole bunch of the stuff that they use on QI (one of my very favourite TV programmes), all in one handy volume. And it was a Christmas pressie that I got stuck into early! Great bathroom book, all divided up into little sections. Marvellous!

I got sent this from Canada last week, with a little note saying 'for your heart'. Its an historical novel about Boudica, Queen of the Iceni; to whom I have been much compared. Its a good read, about the very classic story of the Ancient Britons. What I liked: well the story- the notion that the Ancient Britons were much more egalitarian than their Roman counterparts. The no holds barred approach to viewing Boudica- acknowledging her tactical errors. What I didn't like: its not hugely well written!

I had to read this for a review for Youthwork Magazine. And lets face it I was always unlikely to read it aside from that. Its pap.. simplistic marketing bilge for the rich and brand conscious. There we go.. teh bit I can't say in Youthwork!

I've been plodding away at this on and off for over a year and have finally gotten through it! Truss is obsessive about punctuation- and the resultant read is actually not bad. She wends her way thourgh the major marks, finding their role and place with a whole bucnh of research that is worthy in and of itself. It does make you feel woefully inadequate as a grammarian though. I may never write again!

So I hadn't quite clocked that this was thriller about Dracula- but for an essentially not very "me" book, it did rather well. In common with lots of new reads, its written from three or four points fo view using letters as a key genre of communication. I liked it.. not least for its slightly slow feel.. Its really detailed and frankly will interest very few non historical bods but I liked it!

This film has been a bit of a seminal one for a lot of people in the UK. This is actually an abridgement of the original book by a guy teh name of Morgenstern.. and is funny (Goldman does this little interruptions all over which are very amusing).. Well worth a read even if you haven't seen teh film.

This is one mammoth book. Genuinely, it 800 pages and on each one is some little gem of knowledge about London. Its taken me about four months to wade through it, but I;m glad I did. Ackroyd's great- because he is a classy historian who doesn't discount teh spiritual element of any city. Whilst he doesn't mention the history of the church (this is a truly social history in that sense) he does talk about the strongholds and foregeign gods of the City. Anyone who would seek to make a difference in London would be well advised to read this- its salutory warnings of the resilience of the City are spot on. I like it!

Another DDo read this one but its very good on helping me to work out where I stand on baptism. I'm becoming less baptist by the second pretty much! Michael Green writes really simply which made this a quick one or so in teh UL in cambridge.. Where I also looked at other books, just not deeply enough to call it reading!!!

My first dive into her writing.. and.. well .. its OK.. she does this thing where she writes from lots of different people's points of view and stuff. It means you have to follow a little more closely than you would like. But hey ho! Good story though..

Its trendy at the moment to write books which portray the church (whether the church RC for Dan Brown, or the church Mid West for Sam Bourne) as an evil power broking insttitution prepared to kill to get its own way! It is also trendy to write about it very badly! And so why oh why did I manage to eat through this book in a day! Well its just about compelling enough to get you there.. And if you go fast enough you don't find yourself choking over the appallingly cheesy naff writing. Of which there was plenty! Its a good tube read (as is Brown).. and if you, like me, ever fancy having a go at writing a novel, its encouraging to know that you don't have to get far beyond GCSE English to get published.. though if you have to slag off the church to do it maybe I'm not so keen!

I sneakily read this in Starbucks in Borders the other day! Its the book of the film that has just come out and was another foray into the world on kids literature. It turns out that its a good foray. I really enjoyed it- fast paced, good characters (good enough for film, not for study in school I think). I would certainly pick up another Horowitz!

Nouwen is one of my favourite authors: I just totally love his stuff. So when Christine John popped this little number into my hand at New WIne, I lapped it up! Its a little book based on some talks he gave about leadership.. but talks that he had taken one of the L'arche community members to.. in true Nouwen style he looks at leadership in a new way! It will take you about two hours to read, and a lifetime to digest!

I bought this book for 99p in Waterstones. There is a reason it was 99p. As a piece of writing it is awful. Conceptually its great. Its kind of in the genre of Anita wasserface and "The Red Tent", taking a Biblical story (which at least gives it a decent plot), and fleshing it out with lots of details.. or in this case lots of sex! It does the fleshing out reasonably well, conjecturing about how they gathered the myriad animals and sparing no details about mucking out and the like. What makes it a bad book is that there doesn't seem to be a consistent style. One chapter a character sounds like a Jewish grandmother from New Yoik (sic) the next like a semi Arabic character. There are details and turns of expression that don't fit (crowbar??).. just doesn't feel pre apocalyptic flood.. (because obviously we knwo how that feels!!)

This is a pretty standard text for wannabee vicars. It explores the models of leadership as practised by the church throughout the ages and takes a look at how we might want to exercise leadership now. Michael Green is a lovely lovely man and that comes through in the text. He genuinely cares and I like that. On the downside, the book is a little dated, its written pre women priests, and certainly doesn't look at the current hot potatoes of women bishops and gay clergy (well openly practising gay clergy anyhoo!).. Again, only really worth reading if you're in the Church of England!

Good read this one. I'm not entirely sure I agree with this guys central premise (which is that Anglicanism in the UK should abandon its parish system and grow new churches using school halls and new worship centres.. ).. Its certainly given me some stuff to think about. Not really one to read unless you're working in the Anglican church.. or want to..

I loved this book. Although its basically a text book for work I have really, really enjoyed it. The book is well written for a start. Its well put together, practical and inspiring. Though it talks about priesthood its appropriate for anyone in leadership. Again I find the Anglican communion more and more inviting. Its great!

What to say? I actually greatly enjoyed this book. I think I’ve read it at a time when God is calling me back to understand all that he has created me to be. To hear that I am woman and beloved and romanced has got to be good just now. This IS an American book and you should bear that in mind when you pick it up. There are no examples of women in church leadership over men, which makes a point in and of itself. But at the heart of it is some stuff that I think we maybe all need to receive, that God has created us to be pursued, to have a unique place in an adventure, and to be romanced (or maybe that’s the same as pursued). I’ve already recommended this to two people. Must be a good one.

I like Coupland, but had never read his seminal (well at least his kick start) work until now. The story of Gen X, is based around Andy, middle child from middle America, choosing to live an edgy existence in California. Its definitely a book of its time- the notion of dropping out in this way is no longer strange but seems to depict how most of my friends are living just now- all of us with jobs that just get us by. I;m not sure we're quite so neurotic but hey.. Definitely worth a read, though for me doesn’t measure up to the wonderful Hey Nostradamus.

Do you ever get just the teensiest bit scared when reading a Roald Dahl book? I know that most of his characters are designed to be just a little bit sinister, but this book really brought it home to me. As ever with Dahl, its a really good read but just an iddy bit weird!

This is a slightly dry Anglican text about what Anglicanism is about. Its great swat up material for a meeting with the Vocations Officer. But in the course of 100 pages he does a really good job of confirming all the good things I have been thinking about being part of the Anglican Commune on a more formal basis. Its actually really worth a read I think, especially if you're thinking, well what the heck is the whole place about.. I liked it!

This is a tiny wee management book which Flanster lent me ages ago.. I put off reading it for ages cos I don't like American management books.. But its a good un.. very fitting for this moment.. Worth a look if you're pondering change!

What a great concept.. guy meets girl, they get married.. but in a really weird order cos he's a time traveller.. I;m fascinated about how Audrey wasserface put the whole thing together.. did she have a room with lots of post its and timelines??? I loved this book. As I read it, it reignited my desire to write a novel.. maybe I should? Anyhoo.. read it and weep.. cos its sad, not cos its bad!

This is a must read. I love this book. There's no rules of thour shalt just a gloriously practical look at the transformation that can occur when we stop trying to fix ourselves and just get some disciplines in place instead! He's great- no wonder this is a classic. I'm inspired!

Love it! This is my favourite of the Narnia Chronicles. I just love its aspect on healing and redemption. Love the whole thing of journeying after what is lost and love the redeemd and changed Edmund! Wonderful wonderful book, please make it into a film.. please!!!

Great- moves the story on..

My least fave I'm afraid. It just has too much of a tinge of un PC-ness.. (I hesitate to say racism but.. ) Still a good story!

What can I say.. great read, the characters all the more intriguing the more times you read it.. Yay

I reread this and was surprised by how little I remembered from teh time before (onoy 4 years ago!).. Bizarre. I love the whole creation of Narnia thing... very lovely Am a tad gutted that they haven't gone for this as a film.. but well thats Hollywood!

Great book. Two guys on big motorbikes go round the world.. via a mafia house in the Ukraine, some nasty mud in Outer Mongolia and a crash in Canada. The book is linked to the TV series/ film which I;ve not sen, but love the way its written.. I;m a bit of a Ewan fan so.. but well worth a look.

I think I prefer the sequal.. I think its this one that has a moment I still identify with- Adrian Mole going out to the skating rink, trying to look cool and failing miserably!! He ends up wearing his school PE kit.. Anyway.,. another quick and easy read just before Christmas (yes its taken me til March to write this up so.. )..

This was a seminal piece of my childhood.. Adrian Mole and his hideous experiences as a teenager. The weird thing is that as a kid I didn't realise that Adrian Mole is a grade A whinger! On second reading, it all becomes hugely clear! But it was great to plough my way through this and the sequal!