Nail, The: Being part of the Passion by Stephen Cottrell

  

The book is constructed around seven key gospel characters telling their part of the Easter story: Peter, the Roman centurian, Pontius Pilate, Ciaphas, Judas, Mary Magdalene, and Pilate’s wife. Each chapter is dedicated to one of these and includes a Gospel reading, an Old Testament reading,  an imaginative first-person reflection by the character, and a final poem of response.

I didn't enjoy as much as his Christmas book but it was readable with lots to think about - maybe because each chapter was so short.

It offers opportunities for pray and guidance to use within a church cell however I don't think you need to be Christian to enjoy the story.

Cards on the Table by Agatha Christie

This was one of the best Agatha Christie books I have yet read. Nine people at a bridge game, one murdered, four suspects and four above suspicion who investigate.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Tom Sawyer's Comrade by Mark Twain

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

 

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is the first of Mark Twain's novels and is an American classic novel. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it!

It is a historical fiction giving readers a glimpse of the laid back town's life in the mid to late 19th century and is basically a satire of the customs and superstitions that Americans practiced and believed during that time.

I enjoyed the shenanigans that a young, mischievous boy got into.

A Short History of England by Simon Jenkins

   

It's a concise illustrated brief history of England (not Britain) since the beginning of times (after the Romans left) to the present, quite up-to-date, considering.

It helped me to give some order to my weak understanding of British history

Due to the conciseness it feels more like a list of names and dates, simply listing the names of kings, the dates of battles, and occasionally makes a comment on the culture or economy of the time.

City of Thorns: Nine Lives in the World's Largest Refugee Camp by Ben Rawlence

 


I found this to be a gripping insight into the lives of people living in a refugee camp.

This is a huge culture shock, and I think that was ultimately the point. I had no idea this refugee camp existed, let alone that it is the largest ever. I had no idea there were so many disadvantaged people, with limited resources and an expansive population boom.
However, at times it was confusing to read as it jumps from person to person, and I had a hard time separating what was an overall review of current events and what was specific to one person's circumstances.

Human Universe by Professor Brian Cox and Andrew Cohen

 
The book helps the non-physics graduate catch up with hard science - it is a
fascinating and enjoyable read about mind-boggling facts and discoveries relating to our universe.

Cox and Cohen look at five basic questions - where are we? are we alone? who are we? why are we here (not meaning why some man in a beard decided to put us here but what are the conditions that enabled our existence) and, the weakest section, what is our future?