Galileo, The Genius Who Faced The Inquisition by Philip Steele

I get uneasy every time I think of the Galileo story. The Catholic Church forced him to recant his scientific findings that the planets revolved around the sun because it was against the teachings of the church (which dated back to Aristotle, who died in 322 B.C. and Ptolemy who died in 170 A.D.).
How can we truly move forward when there is always someone with an agenda or special interest distorting the facts?
These children and young adult books are great finds. They can be read in an hour, have beautiful illustrations and facts about the world.

Galileo Galilei was born on February 15, 1564 and dies on January 8, 1642 at 77
Dialogue of the Two Principal Systems of the World was published in 1632
Galileo is found guilty of being a heretic and forced to reject the teachings of Copernicus
In 1992 Pope John Paul II closed the Church’s case against Galileo saying that mistakes had been made in the trial.

The Meaning of Life by Bradley Trevor Greive

This is a fun inspiring book. Helps you to think, ask questions and put things into perspective.

On page 72 – There is a picture of a giant turtle with a little turtle on top of its head. The quote -A little voice –call it your conscience, your inner self, or your internal mother-in-law –will always tell you the truth if you are prepared to hear it.

On page 98 – There is a picture of a sad little monkey on a tree. The quote reads –Like everyone else, you will have some days that are better than others.

Scriptures and Meditations by Joel Osteen

This is a great book for short uplifting scriptures and motivation. There are some nice pictures. It’s a picture book with thoughtful ideas.

Page 88 – Find Strength Through Adversity

Page 89 – God has a divine purpose for every challenge that comes into our lives. Trials test our character and help shape our faith.

Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson, M.D.

This book is so easy to read and so profound. It helped me to understand that the only reason why I could ever find myself “stuck” is because I am not thinking of my objective. My goal should be my only pursuit. The question is “What do I have to do to get there?” I love the idea of life being a maze and how to work your way through this maze. I think it’s a great book to have in the home.

From the author: - The book is a simple parable that reveals profound truths. It is an amusing and enlightening story of four characters who live in a “Maze” and look for “Cheese” to nourish them and make them happy.

Two are mice named Sniff and Scurry. And two are “little people” –beings the size of mice who look and act a lot like people. Their names are Hem and Haw.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

This book really taught me about the difference in social class. To be born in a high class social status, to have a lineage of a rich family is completely different then becoming rich. The high class society looks down on a poor man who had to work to make his money because he was not born into it. This is a complex and sad love story, considered to be Fitzgerald’s greatest novel.

The story takes place in the wealthy Long Island district of East Egg, inhabited by the old aristocracy and West Egg an area looked down upon by those in East Egg. People are judged by the amount in their bank account and their social connections.

Jay Gatsby, falls in love with Daisy, a woman from the social elite, but loses her due to their different social standing. He is a self made man and makes a lot of money trying to impress her and win her love. She instead, marries a man from her own social strata and has and affair with Gatsby.

Fitzgerald makes a strong statement that the possibility of social mobility in America is an illusion.

Tokyo fiancée by Amélie Nothomb

This is a quick read with a lot of surprises. I did not like the main female character. I thought she was selfish and dishonest. It was originally written in French and I think it may have lost something in translation. I enjoyed this book mostly for its raw honesty and it took place in Japan and gave me little tidbits about the culture.

Like I have to find out what okonomiyaki tastes like. http://www.japan-guide.com/r/e100.html

Amélie a Belgian woman was born and raised in Japan. She returns in her early twenties, and tutors french to Rinri, her only student. She has relationship with this shy, young Japanese man and discovers that she doesn’t know how to explain her feelings for Rinri, who loves her deeply.

Amélie says, “Why must pleasure always have a price? And why must one always pay for sensual delight with the loss of original lightness?”

Socrates in 90 Minutes by Paul Strathern

Anaxagoras is believed to have been Socrates’ teacher.

In Greek Philosopher means lover of wisdom.

This book is a quick study of the Philosopher and gives you a lot of interesting information about him. It also shows you Socrates the person (how he spent his days).

Socrates was pronounced “the wisest of men” by a Delphic Oracle, his famous response; “I know nothing except the fact of my own ignorance”. He never wrote anything down. What we know of his philosophy was written by others especially Plato.

A lot of the ideas that we think are new (New Age) are old as dirt. Parmenides of Elea, from early 5th century BCE, believed the world as we know it is merely an illusion.

Angels & Demons by Dan Brown

There were so many twists and turns in this story. The book is part Sci-fi, part religion and confusing. It’s a great read, but slow in the beginning and it takes time to understand where the story is going. There are a lot of scientific and Vatican information in the story.

This was my second time hearing the word Illuminati. I think the first time was a Lara Croft movie :-). This was my first time hearing of the Switzerland European Nuclear Research Center. They succeeded in producing the first particles of antimatter.

Once again Professor Robert Langdon finds himself in The Vatican; someone/group is threatening to blow up The Vatican and is killing Cardinals one by one using ancient rituals.

DaVinci Code by Dan Brown

This was a fun book to read. This is a quick page turner with a lot of fun historical facts. The DaVinci Code turned the Christian world on its head with the claim that Mary Magdalene was Jesus’ wife and they had children. That Jesus never rose from the dead.

There are many more controversies in this book.

Thinner by Stephen King

This is my first Stephen King book and it scared the daylights out of me. I think this is one of his better books under the alter ego, Richard Bachman.

Billy Halleck, an over weight lawyer, accidentally kills an old gypsy woman with his car when his wife was giving him a … job. Either the woman’s mother or father puts a hex on Billy and his weight problem is gone forever -LOL.

Moll Flanders by Daniel Dedoe

Fear and Poverty can make us do the unthinkable in order to survive. There is so much to say about this novel that I don’t know where to begin. Defoe speaks against the treatment of women and what they were forced to do in order to take care of themselves in a world where they were considered the possession of men.

Defoe’s Moll struggles to avoid the deadly poverty of 17/18th-century England. From a prison-birth to prosperity this is a saga of a notorious heroine. Her misdemeanors and delinquencies, her career as a prostitute, a charming and faithful wife, a thief, and a convict - till today is one of the most candid stories of a woman's progress ever told.

Moll's mother is a convict in Newgate Prison in London who is given a reprieve by "pleading her belly" (pregnant criminals were able to avoid execution). Her mother is eventually transported to America and Moll Flanders (not her real name) is raised by a good foster mother, then she becomes a household servant where she is loved by both sons. The elder son convinces her to "act like they were married" in bed, but is not willing to marry her but convinces Moll to marry the younger brother. She is widowed and remarries several times one of those marriages is accidentally to her brother. Yes this story covers all the bases.