God's Goodness by Majorie Kemper was probably my favorite; a story that stirs an emotional reaction no matter how many times I read or think about it. And it addresses probably more than any of the others the realities of life and how there are no simple answers.

Another very intelligent and well-written book by my favorite spiritual author. Here Merton discusses various religions and theologies, bringing out the similarities between Eastern and Western spirituality.
He begins by illuminating as best as can be expressed in words what Zen is, which is difficult since the essence of Zen is that which is is inexpressible. He does a magnificent job of making a difficult and wildly misunderstood subject understandable. We can then appreciate the depth of this practive and it's similarities to Christianity.
Merton introduces us to classic chinese thought such as in the Tao Te Ching. I found myself drawn to the simplicity and depth of Zen and Confuscian thought which seems to cut straight through to the heart of the matter of what is most important in life. Man's inherent goodness and will of God imprinted on his soul, constantly seeking to express itself in right action. The importance of "personal response" to life.

A beautiful and thought-provoking little book. Saint-Exupery is a master at presenting complex concepts in an enjoyable and entertaining way. The little prince appears to a pilot who crash-landed on an island. The little prince travels around the universe and meets all of the typical types of human personalities which all seem so silly. It's only the fox that actually teaches him somemthing meaningful. I love his interaction with the fox. Oh how simple it all is. The point of all life is to "tame" each other, to commit to love, to risk the inevitable pain that will be the result of loving and then losing that love.

So, "Has the sheep eaten the flower or not?"
I guess it all depends on how we look at things. When we have a positive "the glass is half-full" attitude then all is right with the world and the stars are laughing. On the other hand when we think negatively, dwelling on mistakes of the past, then the stars will all be weeping.

Written by a Christian monk living in Japan it is a wise and open-minded look at the influence Asian theology has had on Christianity and more importantly the influence it will have in the next century.
Also very revealing are the guidelines that came out of the Second Vatican Council in relation to Christianity, other religions and science.
The latter part of the 20th century was a time of great spiritual hunger and disatisfaction with the dogma and doctrines of established religion. What has become evident to many involved in Catholic church is the fact that the message of theology cannot be rigid and objective but subjective, taking into consideration the culture and personal situation of the person. The danger of ojective theology presented in a "one way for all" is fundamentalism.

This is a very different type of book which describes in vivid detail the activities of the various inhabitants of a London neighborhood during the course of a summer day. I was at first put off by the writing since none of the characters are named but rather referred to in reference to their apartment number, the man in #19, the couple in #21, etc. But I quickly found myself getting very involved with these people in the ordinary struggles of their lives so that I couldn't wait to see what, if anything, would be resolved for them. And all the while knowing that that they are bonded together by a tragic event which is yet to be revealed to me.

The writing is superb providing such exquisite detail that you feel immersed in the story. The surprise ending, foreshadowed at the start of the book, makes you want to go back and re-read the beginning to see things from that perspective again.

A very good, thorough study of God in three main religions; Christianity, Judaism and Islam. What struck me about it was how man-made religion is and how in all the traditions what was originally intended for all (men and women) has been distorted to this patriachal view. It's surprising how confused mankind has always been about the meaning of life and the origin of man and God. Also, just the fact that the image we have of God is so far from what God really is. We have tried to make God in our image rather than reach out to Ultimate Being.

Interesting and well written this book chronicles the period of time after denouncing her vows with numerous flashbacks/glimpses of experiences as a nun.

I felt connected to her in her rejection of "religion". I was curiosity elated by it and could identify with feelings of disgust at any traditional ceremony. Yet she was still drawn to the investigation of "God". It's interesting that she suffered from epilepsy with a very different outcome than Sister John in Lying Awake.

The surprising thing I learned in reading this book were the similarities between all three of the main world religions. They all have the same core beliefs and all have the same figures as their source (i.e. Moses, Abraham). Islam got it's start from communication between Mohammed and the Angel Gabriel.

The book is totally about Seymour, the deceased brother of Buddy. It's divided into two vastly different parts. The first part - Raise High the Roof Beam was totally enjoyable. The second part was somewhat of a struggle to get through and I was disappointed that there was not more of a revelation at the end.

Very similar to her other book "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" with the main character Frankie (F. Jasmine) being a young girl 11-12 yrs old, intense, unhappy, searching.
It's a good read. Likeable characters, especially Bernice, the Black cook/mother figure. Not much happens - it all occurs in the span of a summer in the hot south but there are some really profound kind of observations made by this little girl about life/momentary connections with other people, longing for love, closeness, meaning in life. One noteable conversation with Bernice about how we're all stuck in our own skins without being able to escape, with others yet separate from all. Frankie prefers to describe it as "loose".

Great book and extremely well-written, all revolving around Franny's obsession with the Jesus Prayer and her withdrawal from life because it is so unGod-like. Zooey finally makes his sister see that it's not her concern. She just has to do what she was meant to do. "Do It For the Fat Lady"

An entertaining story about people surrounding baby Faith after her mother Holly dies in childbirth. Set in the English countryside with unusual characters, the events that unfold are surprising and not at all what you would expect. Very good and humourous this is a quick and enjoyable read.