Augustine by Henry Chadwick

Saint Augustine was a churchman who wrote extensively for the Roman Catholic Church around the year 400 A.D., and that makes him an "ancient" writer, like the Roman philosophers. His words were so influential that many of the policies he helped to set are still in place here in the 21st century. 

The author gives a good idea of the hotbed of activity that was the Catholic Church in the 5th Century. But if you want to go into greater depth on certain subjects, like the Trinity or how the Church's ideas on abortion were formed, it would be better to read elsewhere, as this book is a very erudite overview.

Dietland by Sarai Walker

This is a book about how women can take their revenge upon men. It features stories of humiliation, mutilation, and dismemberment. I mean, really! This is a nasty turn in society at present, and I hope it dies down soon! As a feminist, I cannot recommend this book for weight loss or for any other reason.

The Trouble with Henry and Zoe by Andy Jones

As Cloggie Downunder wrote on Amazon, "this is a novel with plenty of humour, but also a bit of heartache, lots of wisdom and wit, an anniversary celebration, a wedding, a hen’s party, and a generous helping of people with a graduated bob hairdo. This is a delightful novel . . ." It's a romance novel, so be prepared for talk of rings and weddings. Also be prepared to drop a few tears. The course of true love never does run smoothly! In fact, Andy Jones is good at pointing out how our fault-finding minds are always looking for flaws in other people, no matter how dear they are to us.

Hoot by Carl Hiaasen

Carl Hiaasen certainly has a firm grasp of this form of literature intended for young adults. I thought Hoot had a fantastical side, and it is very funny. At the same time, it just about lays out the blueprint for seriously protesting an environmental issue. And the characters were very unpredictable! This book is suitable for those learning English and was a New York Times bestseller.

Thinking Fast and Slow, by Daniel Kahneman

This is a book about how we make decisions. It is a very high-level book and not for beginners. The author describes how even educated and very scholarly people make all sorts of errors in decision-making. In fact, he admits that he also makes some of these errors, as they are hard to avoid. It is an honest book, but leaves the reader wondering how people are ever supposed to master the art of logical decision-making, since our minds are so full of glitches.

On the plus side, this book is very engagingly written. It was a New York Times bestseller. The author was a winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics.

Your understanding of the mathematical fields of chance and probability will most likely have a lot to do with what you take away from reading this book. The average person would probably say that if she has a complex problem to solve, she will just flip a coin!

Christopher Wren, The Cat Who Covered the World

This story about Henrietta, the pet cat, traveling around the world with reporter Christopher Wren and his family is light-hearted and fun. The family loves its cat so very much that they put up with all sorts of complications brought about by traveling and living abroad with an animal.

The cat is small, as its mother was a Siamese. It is gray and an excellent mouser. And wouldn't you know it, at one point (in Cairo) it decides to go its own way and gets lost for a time in dangerous back streets and filthy alleys.

This book conveys very well the warmth and stability generated by a loving family. So much so that at one point I was wondering how the parents could be so pleasant and patient all the time. The answer is that no one is that perfect and no two children are such models of good behavior all the time. The focus of this book is not the people, however, but the cat. As the author writes, Henrietta is an ordinary cat who has extraordinary adventures. This book will make you glow with delight, it is so deftly written. 

Journey of Souls by Michael Newton, Ph.D.

In case you have ever wondered what happens to the soul after the body dies, or in case you don't believe we have souls, this book is for you. Yet I am not sure I entirely believe what this book purports to uncover for us through the use of hypnotherapy. How do we know the interviews with therapy clients have not been invented? The interviews all sound suspiciously similar in the use of words, grammar, and level of vocabulary. Actually, all the client interviews sound like Dr. Newton!