All Saints Day Books

In spite of the product information above, ALL CALM, ALL BRIGHT is not aimed at children aged 9-12, although they may enjoy many of the poems and especially "How Santa's Reindeer Learned to Fly." But the majority of the poems are intended for a much wider audience, with a number of the longer poems directed to adult readers who are willing to wrestle a bit with image and form.

(Sorry for putting five stars on my own writing, but I'm proud of the book and the many years of work that went into polishing it.)

I wholeheartedly enjoyed reading this book and I feel that mostLDS women will also. It is not a heavy doctrinal treatise or a how-totype book, but rather a collection of reflections of life as an LDS woman.

The book is divided into six sections of widely varied themes. For example,"Progenitors and Pancakes" includes seven works about families and "Inner Music" contains six essays and one poem about personal identity.

The individual essays and poems have a wide variety of topics such as recipes, jet lag, visiting teaching, and snoring. I particularly enjoyed Thayne's essay "On the Side of Life".

As a fellow quilter, I loved Ulrich's essay "Patchwork" which discusses her mania for old things, and explains the way in which she collected the bits and pieces of her education as she raised her family. She recalls that it took her five years to complete a one-year M.A., and nine to finish her Ph.D!

An interesting feature of this collection are four "dialogues by fax" which are actual off-the-cuff faxed conversations between the two authors. At first I thought that the inclusion of these conversations was somewhat strange, but as I read each of them, I was delighted with their spontaneity. Ulrich and Thayne discuss weather, children, writing and more without the formal strictures of an essay or poem. Thayne writes, "I love conversing with you this way about whatever moves or amuses, chafes, or captivates us." These dialogues contribute a great deal to the warm and personal tone of this book. The result is a cohesive and entertaining collection that all in the "choir" will enjoy.

Catherine Chambers, does a marvelous job of tying all the origins of this superstitious holiday together in an entertaining format. It explains the birth of traditions of All Hallow's Eve, All Saints Day, and All Souls Day in Europe, Latin America and the influences upon them in early North American culture. How a ritual of warding off evil spirits and the harbringers of the dark winter evolved into a festival of ghosts and goblins called Halloween! Find out how legitimate pranksters were appeased by the giving of treats during the holiday that soon became a well loved tradition. Overall, a great read for kids and adults as well!

This book, authored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, contains all the necessary information through the forms of short stories, quotes of church leaders and other prominent people, scripture references, studying ideas, and a 'notes' section at the margin of each page to become a more effecient missionary. This book is a major convenience for all who want to learn more about the LDS Church's gospel principles, and its missionary efforts, all of which are centered around serving others through preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.

This book is one volume in a series of books that form the autobiography of Ved Mehta. Mehta started with two biographies of his mother and father (Mamaji and Daddyji) and then started to write about his own life. It's an astonishing, deeply moving story of a boy gone blind at a very early age, who goes to America to study, and later to England (Oxford) and Harvard, to become a staff writer for The New Yorker. It's a shame and a disgrace that most of these books are out of print, because I consider them as Great Literature. He not only tells his own life, he also gives you insight into different cultures (starting with the lives of his mother and father, who had a totally different background, then the separation of India and Pakistan, then the difference between East and West, and finally between America and Europe). Warning: If you read one part of his autobiography, you'll want to read them all!

This is a wonderful book for youngsters attract their interest from the stories that are referred to in the book about stories in the Book of Mormon.
I like how it says "you can read more of my story..." and then it gives a reference. I also really enjoy the pictures in the book.

Not to take away from the excellent reviews here -- but as an Anglo-Catholic Episcopalian, I was disappointed at Wright's lack of understanding of the Communion of Saints. He states that the practice of the invocation of the saints "seems to me to undermine, or actually to deny by implication, something which is promised again and again in the New Testament: immediacy of access to God through Jesus Christ and in the Spirit". NOTHING could be further from the truth about the invocation of the saints! For a valuable corrective to Wright on this issue, readers of this book should read "Be Still and Know" by one of the greatest of the Archbishops of Canterbury, Michael Ramsey. Ramsey states, "It is thus within the reflection of Christ's glory that the prayers of all the saints continue. Within the family of the saints we may ask the prayers of those who are near to the vision of God, and we may pray for all in earth or Paradise or heaven." He also says, "As God-bearer, Mary has helped in the creation of the Communion of Saints. As creature with ourselves she gives glory to her creator and ours, to her savior and ours. Herself more glorious than the cherubim and higher than the seraphim, she leads our praises to God." I wish Wright's book had reflected some of this ancient Christian wisdom.

THIS EXCELENT BOOK REFLECTS THE BEST SHORT SYNOPSIS THAT I HAVE READ OF THE PRINCIPAL ANGLICAN CONCEPTS OF WHAT HAPPENS WHEN ONE LEAVES THIS PRESENT EARTHLY LIFE.

N.T. Wright, recently appointed Anglican bishop of Durham, has had a distinguished academic and writing career as well, having taught at both Oxford and Cambridge, and being a frequent lecturer at Ivy League schools in America. He has authored theology texts, bible commentaries and histories, as well as devotional texts. This slim volume incorporates a bit of each of these types of literature, looking at the way Anglican tradition has treated our memory and understanding of the departed (the saints and others), as well as his own views on what a more biblically-based understanding would look like.

The text of this book grew out of lectures and sermons Wright delivered while canon theologian of Westminster Abbey. As part of his development of the subject, Wright explores the theology present in various hymns sung by Anglicans, particularly those around All Saints Day, the first of November. Wright admits the divisions that exist in Anglican polity, the tension between catholic and protestant sensibilities, and the problems with trying to come up with once-and-for-all formulations. In his first chapter, Wright looks at the development of ideas from the medieval times, including purgatory, limbo and other such doctrines not explicitly found in scripture. He concludes with different ways one may question such traditions, deciding for himself the best course of action to be a 'fresh reading of the New Testament' and recognition of more modern developments affecting the church.

Wright's second chapter lays out some of his ideas. He dismisses the idea of universal salvation (saying that, despite the fact that he was congratulated once upon a time for being a universal salvation-ist, he is not) as being the modern-day replacement for the idea of purgatory, and is often meaningless in its construct. Wright takes the bible seriously about heaven and hell without attaching too much literalism to the descriptions of the bible. Perhaps the most intriguing idea was the sense that humanity bearing the image of God is as much a vocation as it is a part of our being -- we are called to be Christlike, being in the image of God here understood as something we do as much as it is something we are.

Wright's third chapter will most likely appeal only to Anglicans -- it deals with liturgical issues surrounding All Saints and All Souls commemorations. The fourth chapter similarly deals the the 'Kingdom season', another liturgical/calendrical issue for Anglicans. The short conclusion, however, has a wonderful and brief discussion of how and why we continue to pray for the departed, if the idea of purgatory is no longer what it was. Wright's discussion of Professor Sir Norman Anderson and his unexpected argument in favour of the continued practice is a gem.

For Anglicans, this is a very worthwhile book. For other Christians, parts will have direct impact and interest, and the rest will demonstrate how other faithful Christians practice prayer and remembrance. At a mere 76 pages, this is a quick but valuable read.

Noted Scripture scholar and Anglican Bishop of Durham N. T. Wright is no stranger to controversy. A moderate within the Reformed strain of Anglicanism, he has issued thought provoking research that has caused the Church to better understand the Jewish roots of Christianity while also infuriating many Protestants by challenging their standard reading of St. Paul's epistles regarding the issue of justification. Simultaneous with his more technical works, he has also released a number of more popular works aimed at a general audience seeking to grasp disputed issues in the Church. He is the rare example of a Christian author who can both research the foundations of Christianity and teach the faith of the Church.

In For All the Saints?, Wright is aiming at the general audience in explaining his thoughts on what happens after we die. In a move that is sure to aggrivate all parties, he rejects praying to saints but accepts prayers for the dead. In the former case, he fully accepts that the saints in heaven might well be praying for us but sees no Scriptural justification for asking them to do so. One might challenge his Reformed presuppositions, but he consisently applies them and does not attack straw men. The result might be a predictable rejection of the belief in seeking the intercession of the saintly departed, but is a well thought out and sincere one.

It is very interesting how he approaches the issue of prayers for the dead. Wright concedes this was a Jewish practice that was adopted by the early Church and seeks to apply it within a Reformed framework. Rejecting the Western medieval notion of a tripartite Church - triumphant in heaven, expectant in purgatory, and militant on earth - he holds a bipartite Church that is both triumphant and expectant in heaven and militant on earth. The Church in heaven is triumphant as they are with Christ forever but expectant as they are not complete since they have not yet been resurrected. It is for the completion of God's purpose in their lives that we may pray for the saintly departed.

Throughout the book, Wright seeks to give latitude to those outside his ecclesial tradition while remaining faithful to his own principles. For All the Saints? stands as an excellent example of bringing a Catholic outlook into the Reformed tradition. For the more sectarian in that tradition, it will only confirm their ill feelings towards Wright, but for those honestly wrestling with these difficult issues, it is essential reading.

I really enjoyed Shirley Bahlmann's "Against All Odds". I found her style of story telling unique and entertaining. The thoughtprovoking tales captured my imagination and claimed my attention to the end. Although written from the viewpoint of a younger person, they appealed to the youthful spirit in me and I could visualize each situation as it unfolded.

This book is really good for a lot of ages. It has stories where kids are telling it from their point of view, and it makes it more understandable. The stories in it have a lot of action and a lot of good endings! This book would be fun for anybody who likes things about pioneers and what happened to them, or just for people who want to read a good book!

This book was luckily not what I expected of it. I thought it would be another boring history lesson on pioneers and their struggles. Instead it was a fun book with stories based on true pioneer accounts. The author gives helpful references on what is true in the accounts given. I read it in one sitting and was excited when the next book, "Isn't That Odd" came out. If you are looking for an historical book more exciting than most, this is the one for you.

I purchased this title thinking it was a suitable read for adults. What I received was a book suited more for youngsters. More importantly I expected to read authentic, documented accounts of pioneer survival (definitely the impression given in the description). I was disappointed to find the book is actually a collection of fictionalized accounts of Mormon experiences. At the end of each story the author deploys a few sparse sentences to indicate the actual events that sparked her imagination - definitely not what I expected or wanted. The author has storytelling talent and therefore the book might be enjoyable for young adults interested in historic Mormon fiction, however I found it frustrating.

This is a very enjoyable read. It is packed with short, witty insight on a variety of topics from a Mormon view. I wish on occasion that the editor had quoted a bit more extensively so as to give a better context for Nibley's comments (especially the short ones; there are a few too many one-liners here to make the book truly satisfying), but since Nibley does tend to get rather deep and not a little intimidating on first acquaintance, I highly recommend this collection as an introduction to the thought of a gifted scholar who refuses to take himself at all seriously

This is a very enjoyable read. It is packed with short, witty insight on a variety of topics from a Mormon view. I wish on occasion that the editor had quoted a bit more extensively so as to give a better context for Nibley's comments (especially the short ones; there are a few too many one-liners here to make the book truly satisfying), but since Nibley does tend to get rather deep and not a little intimidating on first acquaintance, I highly recommend this collection as an introduction to the thought of a gifted scholar who refuses to take himself at all seriously

this was a pretty good book. however, i am not too interested in the mexican war, so i was not very interested in some parts of the story line, but if u r interested in the mexican war, this book is definetly 4 u!