I found this book of Advent meditations in 2000, and found them enjoyable and thought-provoking. but I felt that I had missed much. So when Advent rolled around in 2001, I set out on the journey again. I was right. There was more for me to learn about myself and my spiritual journey.

Something I particularly liked was that the journey didn't stop at the stable on Christmas Eve, but continued a full two weeks beyond--taking me back into the real world and reminding me that I cannot remain at that special place, that the stable has gifts for me to return to the everyday world. At this point, I plan to make the journey again in 2002.

This book is beautifully produced - the illustrations are old manuscript illuminations from Ethiopia. Beside each illustration is a bit of information explaining the iconography of the illustration. The art itself could be the entire book.

The text is a retelling of the nativity story uniting the canonical stories with folk and apocryphical nativities stories. The only other modern text I have seen treat the stories with such respect is Linney's Jesus Tales.

The result is a book that exhibits the early and natural expression of the wonder of the nativity. I highly recommend this book.

Respected British psychoanalyst, teacher, writer Coltart would seem to be the best kind of practitioner: brilliant, kind, and utterly humane. She's been practicing since 1972. I love these essays because she is hopeful, helpful, and very wise. Her references are her clinical practice, art, philosophy, and literature. She reads, listens, and describes -- widely and well in these essays. Rarely, she lapses into jargon (rocky reading for the lay person), but usually avoids it. Some of her topics: wordlessness and the unthinkable;the silent patient and the meanings of silence (she isn't at all afraid of it); sin and conscience; the squaring of the practice of psychoanalysis with her chosen practice of Buddhism. Coltart reveals herself to be thoughtful and remarkably humane; open to the world, and at the same time disciplined and clear in her beliefs and goals. Wonderful reading and rereading.

Haddam repeats a holiday here (Christmas was previously covered in _Not a Creature Was Stirring_, the first volume of the series). The events of _A Stillness in Bethlehem_ take place immediately after _A Feast of Murder_; at a minimum, you should try to read that one before reading this one. This is one of the few Demarkian mysteries that *don't* involve poison. (The recurring use of poison makes sense, actually, since Gregor made himself an expert on poisons during his tenure at the FBI.) You'll also be treated to a varied menu of conspiracy theories of one sort and another, but nothing so ordinary as Oliver Stone's. :)

Since Armenia declared independence only a few months before, Cavanaugh Street has been inundated with refugees, and Father Tibor has worked his fingers to the bone organizing food and shelter, and sending supplies back to Armenia. (For a couple of books, everyone on Cavanaugh Street put up a few refugees until they got on their feet - after all, you never know who might be a 3rd or 4th cousin. Changes phased in gradually after that: the neighborhood expanded a bit, and Tibor's church had enough kids to have an Armenian Orthodox parochial school, and so on. But that's in the future at this point in the series.)

Soon after Bennis and Gregor get home from the Thanksgiving fiasco in _A Feast of Murder_, Tibor collapses from exhaustion and from not eating enough. ("I'm still furious...I mean, I'm rich, Gregor. Tibor doesn't have to starve himself to feed a lot of refugees." "I think you got that across to him in the long run, Bennis." "I should have been able to get it across to him in the *short* run.")

Anyhow, Gregor and Bennis are now checking Tibor into a hotel in Bethlehem, Vermont, for a much-needed rest. Why Bethlehem? Tibor's always wanted to see the Christmas pageant held there every year. He first heard of it in his early days as a refugee in Israel, before he immigrated to the U.S. And Bennis, whose connections put Gregor in mind of a spy ring, managed to get hold of some good hotel rooms, even though it's the height of Bethlehem's tourist season.

The ACLU, of course, has a standing offer to sue the town over the pageant, but nobody's bitten so far. The pageant, after all, turns such a profit that Bethlehem's budget for the year doesn't need too much in the way of higher taxes. Nobody wants to be first to complain, certainly.

Until now, that is. Patricia Feld Verek, a writer of true-crime novels and a spiteful woman, has moved to Bethlehem with her husband, Jan-Mark (an artist in the most offensive modern mode). She's working on a book about children who commit murder, with case histories; he's spending his time having affairs with various local figures, both male and female. (Some are prominent, some aren't.) Tisha decides to take up the ACLU's offer - not because she cares about the pageant, but because she has a taste for a bit of drama. She gets more than she bargained for - she's shot to death before she can actually see her lawyer. But was the lawsuit the motive for her murder?

Gregor happens to have arrived not only after Tisha's recent murder, as well as that of gentle old Dinah Ketchum, expert quilt-maker; the local paper has been running a 3-part series on his most recent case. So he's asked to consult by the local police department...

There are more subplots and interesting characters than I can list here; Gregor himself is having trouble keeping track by the end. Don't worry about Tibor; he perks right up when he finds out about the newspaper series on Gregor, then becomes obsessed with the idea that Bennis might be trying to go on a diet. (He has an interesting conspiracy theory about diets.) Candy Spear, who has the role of Mary in the pageant, is in an abusive marriage, but she's been gaining confidence from her work on stage, so that story has a satisfying ending. Bennis made the mistake of giving Gregor a book about J. Edgar Hoover as an early Christmas present; he now has a kind of anti-conspiracy theory that's driving her crazy.

A few final things I should mention. If you're a big fan of contemporary art (e.g. the kind that seems designed to get into controversies over public funding), or of true crime writers, etc., be warned that the Vereks are not nice people. The woman who is Bethlehem's Episcopal priest is into New Age fads of various sorts; she's not a sympathetic character either. (All of these characters are handled well enough, as far as I'm concerned, but a reader who's into these sorts of things might be miffed that Haddam doesn't take them seriously.)

Michael Hudak's The Uproar In Bethlehem is a Christian children's picture book that adapts the biblical story of the three shepherds who traveled to pay homage to the infant Jesus upon his birth. At the end of the book is the music for the hymn Gloria, perfect for setting upon a piano to play a short sing-a-long. The exuberant, colorful illustrations bring the story alive with extra excitement. The Uproar In Bethlehem is a joyful book for reading to (and with) young children.

I myself have read a few books on christian monasticism, including many by Thomas Merton. This book I found to be thoroughly enjoyable. It is basicaly the Plan of Life for these Hermits. It is a christian book. It speaks alot about the influence of the Desert Fathers on their plan of life. This is a book of Desert Spirituality. It discusses some basic and simple elements to the eremetical life. I dont think anyone grounded in the christian faith will have much trouble understanding the ideas in this book. And for those fans of the Desert Fathers this book is a must read. It was a peaceful and prayerful book.

The glorious stained-glass cathedral windows of England inspired Fiona French to create this wonderful celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. The words, directly from the book of Luke from the King James Bible, are brought to life with bright beautiful designs. Although the traditional words may be too advanced for very young readers, they will be drawn to the book for the illustrations. This concise version of the Nativity would be an asset for personal collections.

The familiar text is augmented by brightly colored illustrations reminiscent of modern stained glass windows.This is an outstanding holiday book to add to collections in church and public libraries or for personal giving to Christians of any age.

The familiar text is augmented by brightly colored illustrations reminiscent of modern stained glass windows. This is an outstanding holiday book to add to collections in church and public libraries or for personal giving to Christians of any age.

BETHLEHEM ROAD is another installment in the Thomas and Charlotte Pitt series. As such, it has all of the usual features: interesting characters, many of whom are familiar as series regulars, an intriguing plot, Victorian London as the backdrop, and a burning social issue of the day that plays a significant role in the story. As occaisionally happens, Ms. Perry lets her soapbox get in the way of her mystery once or twice in this one, but that's only a minor problem.

For most of the story, the plot revolves around a series of murders involving MPs. Each is found tied to the same lamppost with his throat cut. Each was returning home alone and on foot from an evening session of Parliament. This is pretty riveting stuff, and for most of the book there is no obvious suspect. The only suspect on the horizon seems unlikely to be the perpetrator. Both Thomas and Charlotte are baffled. Ultimately, however, the solution to these murders is only the prelude to the real climax of the story, which is abrupt in true Anne Perry style. For me, the solution to (or, really, the rationale for) the lamppost murders is this book's weakness; it's what keeps this from being a five-star book. The lamppost murders, with their bizarre circumstances and the misery they provoke in the families of the victims, need a more compelling purpose than what we end up with here. At the risk of giving away too much, it just seemed to me that the lack of intent and motive for the murder of these men left a little to be desired when all was said and done.

BETHLEHEM ROAD is a pretty good mystery with most of the strengths usually found in the Pitt series. While Perry perhaps over-reaches herself a bit here in trying to pull off a plot within a plot, it will keep readers turning the pages from beginning to end. For me it was entertaining, even if ultimately a little frustrating. I recommend it to other mystery readers, particularly fans of the Pitt series.

The statue of Boadicea driving her war chariot stands in front of the British Parliament building. Members of Parliament (MPs), walking past the statue every day, contended that women did not have the ability to understand issues and vote intelligently. The year is 1888 and women's rights are a contentious issue. When MPs have their throats cut on the way home from evening sessions, suspicion points in many directions. Was it a radical women's rights advocate, a demented anarchist, or perhaps someone benefiting financially?

Thomas Pitt and his wife, Charlotte, become involved in the investigation. The entire issue of women's rights unfolds including various repressive laws. There are issues of inheritance, child custody, and a wife's obligations to her husband (religious fundamentalists in the U.S. have been revisiting this issue). This is a real whodunit with a surprising conclusion. The novel provides a good picture of the English social structure of that time period.

Bethlehem Road is the tenth novel in the Pitt series of mysteries by Anne Perry. While I would recommend reading the series in order for maximum enjoyment, the characters are at a turning point in this book and so you could just jump in here if you wish. Charlotte Ellison Pitt is really getting comfortable in her role as a police Inspector's wife; Thomas Pitt, her husband, has a more sympathetic and appreciative new boss; Emily Ellison March (Charlotte's sister) just married for a second time; and Aunt Vespasia is starting to show alarming new signs of frailty and age. Together, Thomas, Charlotte and Vespasia work together to solve the mystery of the "Westminster Cutthroat" who is murdering MPs on Westminster Bridge.

What I most liked about this mystery was the number of red herrings that were thrown in the way of the conclusion. I found myself unable to figure out who had perpetrated the crimes and went down lots of blind alleys as a result. This added to my enjoyment of the book, although the ending was a bit Christie-like in all honesty. I'm really looking forward to Highgate Rise, the next book in the series, since Bethlehem Road sets up so many interesting new possibilities.

Kneeling in Bethlehem, like its companion volume Kneeling in Jerusalem, is a mixture in which one finds meditations in verse form that will please and/or annoy you. In this volume there are several memorable poems: "Getting to the Front of the Stable" explores the role of Joseph in the Christmas story. "The Refugees" speaking of the Holy Family in Egypt is also a reflection on our treatment of refugees at the Mexican border. "Boxed" shows how cheap and tattered crèche figures can acquire meaning far beyond their value.

Yes, there are poems I dislike, but as a whole this volume is worth reading before the Advent/Christmas season - it provides some solid insights into a realistic, human and religious approach to the season

This extraordinary collection of poems touches me deeply. I keep it near me every day. As I enter the Advent season each year, Ms. Weems' wonderful "In search of our kneeling places" helps me keep room in my inn. I absolutely love the book. Thank you, thank you Ann Weems.

Weems approaches Christmas from a realistic and down to earth point of view, yet the poems touch your spirit also. This is a lovely, yet little-known book that I give to absolutely everyone for a Christmas gift.