Books read in October 2007 (8)

1. The Hebrides at War by Mike Hughes Visiting the beautiful Outer Hebrides on holiday I was struck by what looked like war graves in two burial grounds. These turned out to be the graves of men "Known unto God", WW II merchant seamen whose bodies had been washed ashore without any identification.I was interested to know more about these islands at war and this book tells the story of their contribution to defending the convoys and defeating the U boats. It is a story of bravery and humour from what seems like another age. I was prepare for tales of thatched crofts but not of barefoot school children. The book is well illustrated with many photos, quite a number of which must have been taken against regulations. 2. Carmina Gadelica: Hymns and Incantations from the Gaelic by Alexander Carmichael Collected over a hundred years ago by an excise man, I was interested to read this as a witness to Celtic spirituality. However the amount of invocation of the Virgin Mary and prayers to saints leads me to think it is more to do with Roman Catholic spirituality. It is an interesting compilation of a now mainly lost oral tradition but one is not alone in questioning the historical bias of the author. Presbyterianism was not the malevolent influence on music and dance in the Hebrides which he makes it out to be. Read Donald MacLeod's more contemporary assessment for a very different view. I confess this is the one and only book among my reviews which i did not manage to read to the end. 3. The Living Past by Donald Macleod About 30 years ago I heard the author speak at a conference and I was initially amazed at a strange voice and style. As he went on I was very impressed and so it is with this book. One has to wonder why he pretends to be writing two decades in the future, finishing up an old man with parkinsonism in a Stornoway nursing home. The reminiscences of life on Lewis from the forties to the sixties are told in a series of letters to the daughter of a deceased schoolfriend in Quebec. Strange but delightful, one learns of life a world away. Present day Lewis is a world away from London, but the Lewis of fifty years ago seems much much farther from us. School was a place of fearful teachers. Children were to be seen and not heard. What fascinated me was his warm yet critical appreciation of the Presbyterian culture. MacLeod is a man with a sense of humour, a real non-conformist. He prefers humble heretics to the legalistic orthodox He is well worth reading to understand life in the Hebrides and the culture of the Free Church. He will surprise you. It is pleasant to find he does love one very English thing, cricket. Minor criticisms are sometimes he assumes a knowledge of local history that not all readers will have. Gaelic is sometimes not translated. The book should have an index. 4. of Playing for Pizza by John Grisham I have read all his novels including Bleachers which is about football. I have enjoyed them all until now. This book is nothing but football. If you do not understand this sport do not read this book. The plot is weak. Its only strong point is the description of food in Italy. It is enough to make your mouth water. I should like to invite Mr Grisham to England and teach him about cricket. 5. Atonement by Ian McEwan

I wasted time starting to read this. Pretentious drivel would be the kindest thing to say. The author deserves a place in Private Eye's Pseuds column for his description of cow dung having a faint odour of leather. I gave up.

6. The Afghan by Frederick Forsyth
For me, Forsyth and Seymour are the masters of the genre. Forsyth does not take as many disparate strands and thread them together in the end as Seymour does. He knows his SAS and its heroes. A good read. The terrorist target is a well kept mystery. Only one small criticism. The Taliban are even more repressive than he says. No laughter or applause is allowed. I hope no terrorist will ever learn from this plot as people learned how to get false passports from The Jackal. One improvement could be made, some maps.

7. Wrinkled But Not Ruined: Counsel for the Elderly by Jay Edward Adams

Having reached 61 with seven chronic health conditions I decided I needed to read up om a Christian attitude to ageing. Adams as always is full of wise counsel though I thought he could have done more on the blessings of age like wisdom and grandchildren. There is much wise counsel here for older people and those caring for them pastorally.

8. God's Little Book of Encouragement by D.N. Marshall

Joy is the most infallible sign of the presence of God.
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of
righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, - Rom. 14:17
This is all you get on one page, but it is excellent.

Because Jesus endured the darkness and came through, even the darkest
tunnel has its exit and every bad Friday is followed by resurrection
'on the third day.'
About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice,... "My God, my
God, why have you forsaken me?" Matt. 27:46

So here is quality if not quantity, a quote and a text on each page.
I received it as a gift, read with benefit and will pass it on.