I totally agree with a previous reviewer If you want an easy book about the church buy Catholicism for Dummies instead. It is a great book and the author, Father Trigilio is very knowledgeable. If you read this you will see a misrepresentation of the Catholic faith - certainly not the reason you chose to read it in the first place. I threw my copy of this book into the fireplace. It looks like a new 'Idiots' version of Catholicism has now been released with new authors. Perhaps it is better.

I watched this with my husband and 11 year old son last night. They both groaned when they saw what it was about. They considered it to be a 'chick flick'. However they both enjoyed it. We know almost nothing about surfing so we found that part of the movie very interesting. I was also worried that the shark scenes would be too frightening for my son but I was very impressed to see how well it was handled. You don't even see the shark when it attacks. I have read a little bit about the real Bethany and it seems to me that the movie does a fine job of telling her story honestly. We particularly enjoyed the parts at the end when we got to see the 'real' Bethany and her family.

The publishers review reads 'Patrick] DeWitt has produced a genre-bending frontier saga that is exciting, funny, and perhaps unexpectedly, moving', however I found this book was not the least bit exciting, rarely funny, hardly moving and yes... unexpected in a weird sort of a way. I am reminded that when a book comes with a long list of awards it is hardly ever a really good read. Some parts of the book were quite gruesome and the rest was mostly just boring. I did finish reading the book, and the last part of the book centered around a rather unique idea (regarding gold prospecting) but it was not a book that I would recommend to anyone.

I was a bit nervous about reading this book. I didn't know if I could handle the subject matter. I decided to just read the first chapter and decide from there. Once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down! Other reviewers have done a good job of telling you what the book was about. I found that 'Room' reminded me of two other works; 'The Lovely Bones', and the movie 'A Beautiful Life'. In both of these works the creators show the human side of inhumane situations. In 'The Lovely Bones' the author did not deal so much with the horror of the rape/murder as she did with the events that surrounded it. In 'A Beautiful Life' a father shields his son from the horror of a Natzi Concentration Camp using love, humor and games. In 'Room' the focus of the story is on the happy moments in the life that the mother creates for her son in spite of their 12' x 12' prison. A well written and thought provoking novel. It would be great for discussing at a Book Club.

I just finished reading 'Left Neglected' and it was a wonderful read, indeed. If you have read 'Still Alice' you will love 'Left Neglected' as they are very similar in feel. The author, Lisa Genova has a NeuroScience PhD and she does a great job of intertwining the facts about brain injuries (particularly Left Neglect) with the feelings and experiences of someone who has it. She tells a sad story with the ring of truth and of hope, and she leaves her readers feeling enriched with a new appreciation for life in all its chaos and colours. Truely and inspiring book and a real page turner. I read it all in only two days!

I suppose my title is a little misleading. This book is not necessarily scarey but it definitely is a fascinating read. I sat up on a Sunday evening and read the entire book in a few hours - I could not put it down! Then I told my husband all about it and the next day I kept on talking to anyone who would listen. As I said, it is a fascinating book and gives much food for thought. This book is the story of one man's experience with Ghosts. The author is deeply spiritual Catholic man and so, before he can even accept the fact that there might be a ghost in his home, he spends much time in prayer discerning what might be going on, and then turning to the Bible and the teachings of the Church to find out what they have to say about ghosts. Of course, what he learns is that all Christians in general and the Catholic Church specifically, believe in 'the unseen world'. An unseen world that remains a mystery.

The story is entertaining and easy to follow. Gary Jansen does a great job of combining what we know about life after death (based on the Bible and the teachings of the Church) with his own experiences. Did you realize that "Ghosts" appear in the bible? I did find the ending a little hard to swallow but it certainly makes for great thought and discussion. I did not find that this book challenged my faith but it did make me more confident in what the church teaches. Keep in mind that this is a non-fiction book.

This would be a great book for a Book Club, or even for a Bible Study group! I think Christians and non-christians alike would find it interesting.

I am very surprised to see so few reviews of this wonderful book. After reading it I decided to read all of Chris Bohjalian's books in order and I must say that at this point (I just finished 'If You Knew Kindness') Skeletons at the Feast is by far the best one. I have to disagree with 'Mad Hatter's' review. I can't stand reading any graphic violence in a book and I found that the violence that was in this book was not too gruesome. What I liked best about the book is that it was fast-paced (not true of Bojalian's earlier works) and people in the story were were described as unique human beings. There were good Germans, bad Germans, good Russians, bad Russians, good Jews and not so good Jews ... and well... only good Americans. Anyways, it was a very good read and I highly recommend it.

This is quite an amazing Children's bible. Everything written in the "Product Description" is true. Each bible story includes a prayer, some "Going Deeper" suggestions for additional reading or other activites, and other little trivia tid-bits. It is an exceptional resource and would be wonderful for Family prayer time. While this is clearly a Catholic resource because of its many references to the writings of the saints and to Catholic Traditions, I don't think that there is anything in it that would offend our Protestant brothers and sisters.

I have ready many books about Catholicism and I would definitely have to say that this is one of my favourites. I have lent it out and bought it for gifts many times. The thing that I like so much about it is the fact that it explains so much about the history of the church in a way that is interesting, captivating and very easy to read. One of my favourite chapters is "The Odor of Sanctitiy: Making Sense of Incense". The reason that I liked it is that I learned a lot about Incense - something that I had never really thought much about. I also enjoyed "Our Lady's Cloak: The Color of the Sky in Christian Art" where I learned why Mary is so often depicted wearing the colour blue. I don't know if I would recommend this book to a Protestant as it does assume that you have some knowledge of the church but I certainly would recommend it to any Catholic interested in learning more about the history of the church.