1 comments about Twist of Gold.

1. This book is extremely good, with pages that will have you hanging on every word. It is about two children who are coming to America, from Ireland because of the famine, in search of their father. They had to leave their mother behind with the baby, and all they have to protect them it a "twist of gold"; a torc that has been in the family for years. From Ireland to California, there are plenty of mishaps and troubles, but also plenty of laughter and good parts. Although it is very tragic, and long, you won't put it down until it's done. I read this book when I was 11, and it has been my favourite ever since. I suggest this book if you want a good full book that will keep you reading for a while!

No comments about The Last Voyage of Drake and Hawkins.

No comments about Irish Dreams.

5 comments about Walks Through Marie Antoinette's Paris.

1. and to everyone who wants a different historic tour through Paris...



2. What a treasure this book is. Not only does it have pictures that I haven't seen anywhere else, the information is a history enthusiasts treat!
   The size of the book, which adds to it's charm, is suitable to take with you as it guides you along in the footsteps of Marie Antoinette.
   
   I simply loved it



3. This book is over one hundred pages long, but only about ten pages are actually devoted to the book's title!
   There are only two uneventful walks through Paris, the first one being only just slightly more interesting.
   
   The maps provided are extremely poor, and the extra information provided by the author is nothing you could not obtain from a good guide book, or from the internet.
   It is certainly not worth paying the price for the information in this book!
   
   The majority of the book talks about various residences associated with Marie Antoinette in her lifetime, coupled with a terribly written account about the ill-fated Queen. The author seems to have really forgotten about her title!
   
   DO NOT be fooled by the other five star reviews! This book is definetly misguided, and what it does contain has been said before.



4. When i had first seen the book walks through Napolean and Josephine's Paris i immediately looked to see if there was one about Marie Antoinette. Alas there hadn't been one printed yet but i was informed that one was in fact in the making. I was very excited and preordered mine immediately. When it arrived i immediately read it cover to cover and was very inpressed by the wealth of knowledge contained n the little book. It even includes the addresses of several shops and bakeries that catered to the French Court including M. Bertin's studio where she constructed much of MA's lavish couture. This book is a little gem and i cannot wait to use it when i visit Paris.



5. Just a great book. If you're considering buying this you already know the story, so I will simply say that we took this book along on our family's trip to Paris and had a great time walking through the city as Marie Antoinette's story came alive.

2 comments about Ireland: Aerial Photographs.

1. This coffee-table book covering Ireland scenes from the air will make an excellent conversation piece or addition to the home of any with a prior affection for the country. Aerial views provide spectacular geographic insight on the land's various changes and will appeal to any with a fascination for Ireland.



2. I purchased this book while on a trip to Ireland. I was looking for a book that captured the beauty of the landscape that I had seen. This book does that ~ and much, much more. The photographs in the book are so beautiful that it's hard to believe that they are real. The colors and images are deep in color and rich with detail.

1 comments about The Accidental Pilgrim.

1. A travel book can be more than just a detailed chronology of logistics and fantastic sights that can't be missed along the way. David Moore demonstrates this unequivocally with his engaging account of an inspiring bicycle pilgrimage from Dublin, Ireland to Bobbio, Italy following the faint tracks of Dark Ages Irish monk, St Columbanus. Moore starts the book by drawing the reader into the dramatic climax of his trip with the harrowing details of his bicycle descent from Splugen Pass in the Alps to peaceful Chiavenna in the valley below. He then cleverly recounts the progression of events bringing him to that point in his life. Moore alternately educates, amuses, and delves deeply into his inner journey as he pedals across a continent and tries to reconcile the complexities of his identity, motivations, and life choices. Although well organized for riding with neatly packed panniers and an array of maps and plans, his `real' life as an Englishman living in Ireland after having spent considerable time in the USA seems less organized and more daunting. Earlier careers as a technical writer and a dot com era Internet whiz weren't satisfying and left him wondering about his life's direction. Moore seized on the idea of the pilgrimage and its promise to resolve his internal uncertainty but part way through the trip, events such as 9-11 and later the crash of an SAS jet at the Linate airport help him form a new thesis that life should be enjoyed while it can without guilt. This lightening of his soul is reflected in entertaining accounts of his experiences with a variety of eateries and hotels. Along the way he argues with St Columbanus about the dangers of religious extremism and admires the Saint's contributions that are still remembered to this day. The book ends without a clear picture of Moore's future but that's okay because it leaves room for a sequel. This reviewer can only hope he plans more travel and the development of another inspiring and entertaining book like the Accidental Pilgrim!

No comments about Munster's Mountains: 30 Walking, Scrambling, and Climbing Routes.

No comments about Italy's Most Wanted: The Top 10 Book of Roman Ruins, Wonderful Wines, and Renaissance Rarities (Most Wanted Series).

5 comments about Climbing Brandon: Science and Faith on Ireland's Holy Mountain.

1. Raymo does it again! As in his book: "Skeptics and True Believers", his continuing search for harmony between religion and science leading to universal admiration and awe of God's creation, he writes a compelling argument for removing the detritus of dogma and the sterility of science- not that easy for a person who was brought up on Catholicism and schooled in science (physics, astronomy) where he started to articulate his personal misgivings about strict dogma and contradictions.
   
   Climbing Brandon was written at his part time home in Ireland on the Dingle Peninsula near the foot Mt Brandon where pilgrims/tourist come from all parts of the world to walk the paths and visit the contemplation centers of long passed saints and monks, i.e., St Patrick, Brendan, et al.
   
   With geographical descriptions, especially those garnered from various view points in the surrounding mountains where past contemplatives meditated/prayed, poetical/prayerful/anecdotal/scholarly treatments of Irish/Celtic religious history, including numerous citations, this beautiful book comes off as part: Travel Guide (and watch out- after reading this book, one might be compelled to drop everything and go tour the region!), a crash course in Irish/Celtic cultural history (Paganism, Pantheism, Christianity, etc.), Religio/Science dissertation, etc.
   
   The premise that God is in all and not the exclusive property of humans (anthropomorphism) is cited in an early Irish poem attributed to one of the "Milesian" princes, Amergin: "Song of Amergin" or "The Mystery". Think of everything that exists and the poem covers it- this is God. Same notion as in the sermon of St Columbanus which ends with: [Those who wish to know God, he says,] "must first review the natural world". This same notion is put forth with citations from: Thomas Berry , E.O. Wilson, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin and many others. Thanks again to Chet Raymo for another beautiful, thought provoking book!



2. I only recently reencountered the writings of Chet Raymo. For some number of years a first edition copy of HONEY FROM STONE has graced my bookshelf. This summer though I picked up a copy of NATURAL PRAYERS and THE SOUL OF THE NIGHT the latter of which was my favorite, that is until I read CLIMBING BRANDON.
   
   For anyone with a passion for Raymo's dense yet wonderfully expressive writing style so reminescent of Loren Eiseley's best, for anyone captivated by the tensions posed by the mysteries of science and faith, and for all of us who are fascinated with things Celtic, you can't do better. This is a prayerful book -- there is no better companion to climb and discover the mysteries of Mount Brandon with than with Chet Raymo.
   R. Bruce Craig



3. Climbing Brandon by Chet Raymo was a little bit of a disappointment to me. The last book I read by Raymo, Walking Zero, felt like being in a college science class with a great, enthusiastic instructor. This book just wasn't as engaging. While Raymo does a good job with his descriptions, they tend to be a bit dry. If ever a book called out for pictures or illustrations, this is it. I'm not familiar with all of the terms for parts of mountains so when he talks about a corrie or a moraine, I'm lost as to what I should be picturing in my mind. The book is supposed to trace Irish faith with the history of Mount Brandon, and I felt that Raymo wandered from that goal a bit often as well. He says over and over that the Celts infused their brand of Christianity with their naturalistic beliefs, but he never gives any examples of it. Ultimately it seems that the book is about Raymo's own search for faith and God, and I ended up feeling a little sad for him. He decries the belief in a transcendant God who answers intercessory prayer and cites double blind studies proving that it doesn't work. But then he offers prayer himself to a immanent God who exists in all of nature and is worth of praise and thanksgiving for the beauty of creation. Raymo is missing the most important part of God: the personal relationship and joy of talking to a God you know is listening. I get the opinion that Raymo isn't done with his search, and I hope that he finds what he's looking for.



4. Mr. Raymo has a seasonal home near Mt. Brandon, has climbed the peak dozens of times and clearly loves the region and its history. The author interweaves tales of local natural and human history - both documented and legendary - with religious history, a smattering of Irish literature and his personal experiences on Mt. Brandon. But this book fails, in my opinion, to capture the feel and atmosphere, much less the spiritual aspect of the region of the Holy Mountain.
   
   Instead the author focuses on how his interpretation of pre-Christian and early-Christian Celtic spirituality - mostly conjectural due to absence of contemporaneous written records - contrasts with what in his view is the rigid, obsolete, anti-human, anti-science Roman Catholic dogma that came to dominate pre-Enlightenment Europe as well as Ireland. That's the same dogma taught to Raymo in his alter boy childhood, a worldview he totally rejects in favor of the "truth" of contemporary western science which Raymo asserts is only reasonable modern worldview (Try telling that to the mullahs!).
   
   At the same time Raymo keeps referring to the need for the scientific world view to incorporate "mystery" as a means to meet what he acknowledges is an innate human need for spiritual matters. But the religion-rejecting author never explains how this can be done. As near as I can tell he endorses - seeming for others but not himself - a return to a sort of pantheism that encourages people to replace prayer - demonstratably meaningless according to Raymo - with exaltation and celebration of daily natural phenomenon such as a mountain sunrise. In the single instance in which Raymo tells of a semi-supernatural personal experience - a solitary night vigil in an ancient Christian church in which he becomes "spooked" by his sense of an unseen "presence" - the entire experience is explained in the light of day - to himself at least - by the discovery of a bird's nest with newborn birds just above where he sat in the dark during the night. Mystery solved, once again, by science. Apparently Raymo thinks only other people - those too weak-minded, unlike himself, to boldly live in the "real" world where human logic and reason reign supreme - should experience or even believe in the possibility of mystery.
   
   Finally, Raymo's obsession with Roman Catholicism's supposed blight on human thinking and history limits his ability to assess the reasonable proposition that a lot of the early Irish Christian church's supposed (superior) Celtic spirituality actually came, at least in part, from its documented historical connections directly with what we now refer to as Orthodox Christianity as opposed to the Roman variety.
   
   There's an excellent generalized map of southwestern Ireland opposite the title page (a much needed map of the Mt. Brandon region is lacking), some nice sketches of local scenes illustrate the start of each chapter and there are reference notes and an index. The most interesting hisorical tidbits involved the author's version of the origin and practice of celebrating "cross dates" that evolved into Groundhog Day, May Day and Halloween.
   
   Recommended to those who enjoy one-sided arguments for Mr. Raymo's worldview, but of limited interest for those seeking information to explore the Dingle Peninsula and its fascinating history, landscape and residents, much less, may I say, its spiritual aspects and opportunities.



5. Mr. Raymo has a seasonal home near Mt. Brandon, has climbed the peak dozens of times and clearly loves the region and its history. The author interweaves tales of local natural and human history - both documented and legendary - with religious history, a smattering of Irish literature and his personal experiences on Mt. Brandon. But this book fails, in my opinion, to capture the feel and atmosphere, much less the spiritual aspect of the region of the Holy Mountain.
   
   Instead the author focuses on how his interpretation of pre-Christian and early-Christian Celtic spirituality - mostly conjectural due to absence of contemporaneous written records - contrasts with what in his view is the rigid, obsolete, anti-human, anti-science Roman Catholic dogma that came to dominate pre-Enlightenment Europe as well as Ireland. That's the same dogma taught to Raymo in his alter boy childhood, a worldview he totally rejects in favor of the "truth" of contemporary western science which Raymo asserts is only reasonable modern worldview (Try telling that to the mullahs!).
   
   At the same time Raymo keeps referring to the need for the scientific world view to incorporate "mystery" as a means to meet what he acknowledges is an innate human need for spiritual matters. But the religion-rejecting author never explains how this can be done. As near as I can tell he endorses - seeming for others but not himself - a return to a sort of pantheism that encourages people to replace prayer - demonstratably meaningless according to Raymo - with exaltation and celebration of daily natural phenomenon such as a mountain sunrise. In the single instance in which Raymo tells of a semi-supernatural personal experience - a solitary night vigil in an ancient Christian church in which he becomes "spooked" by his sense of an unseen "presence" - the entire experience is explained in the light of day - to himself at least - by the discovery of a bird's nest with newborn birds just above where he sat in the dark during the night. Mystery solved, once again, by science. Apparently Raymo thinks only other people - those too weak-minded, unlike himself, to boldly live in the "real" world where human logic and reason reign supreme - should experience or even believe in the possibility of mystery.
   
   Finally, Raymo's obsession with Roman Catholicism's supposed blight on human thinking and history limits his ability to assess the reasonable proposition that a lot of the early Irish Christian church's supposed (superior) Celtic spirituality actually came, at least in part, from its documented historical connections directly with what we now refer to as Orthodox Christianity as opposed to the Roman variety.
   
   There's an excellent generalized map of southwestern Ireland opposite the title page (a much needed map of the Mt. Brandon region is lacking), some nice sketches of local scenes illustrate the start of each chapter and there are reference notes and an index. The most interesting hisorical tidbits involved the author's version of the origin and practice of celebrating "cross dates" that evolved into Groundhog Day, May Day and Halloween.
   
   Recommended to those who enjoy one-sided arguments for Mr. Raymo's worldview, but of limited interest for those seeking information to explore the Dingle Peninsula and its fascinating history, landscape and residents, much less, may I say, its spiritual aspects and opportunities.

No comments about Living and Working in Ireland, 3rd Edition: A Survival Handbook (Living and Working).