Karl's Reading List

Published by Multnomah Publishers/Random House, Inc.: Atlanta, Georgia, 2006. Elise and I, both separately and when we got married, have collected a number of relationship books, often using them as references or reading sections, but not generally getting through the whole book. Recently, we had the privilege of running our first pre-marriage counselling session for a younger couple in our church, and hunted out our books both to resource ourselves and to offer resources to them. Long story short, I then picked up this book and decided I'd have a go at reading it in its entirety. I recommend doing so. For Men Only is the companion book to For Women Only, which was written by Shaunti Feldhahn as a solo author, helping women understand their men a little better. In this book, Shaunti joins with her husband to write the flipped version, helping men understand their women a little better. Both books (I believe, from what Elise has mentioned of the other book) contain numerous polls th...

Published by Jonathan Cape/Random House: London, 2007. This is the third book I've read by Stephen L Carter , and he is becoming a favourite author of mine. His books are mystery/thrillers in the vein of John Grisham (who apparently is a fan), without so much of a focus on courtrooms. So far, so straightforward, but Carter takes this basic template to tell stories that have a bit "more to say" than your average book in this genre (though Grisham can also have 'something to say' as well!).  In this, his second novel, we follow Julia Carlyle, the wife of the ambitious and somewhat distant Lemaster Carlyle. Julia is a dean in the divinity department of a New England university, of which Lemaster is president - the couple are among the few African-Americans to live in the area. On the way home from a function one evening, they come across the body of Kellen Zant, a fellow professor and Julia's ex-lover (from before she knew Lemaster). This sets off a chain of e...

Published by Marshall Morgan and Scott Publications Ltd: Basingstoke, Hants, UK, 1987. This book was recommended to me by my parents and my grandmother, from whom I borrowed the copy I read. The author, Jennifer Rees-Larcombe, tells her story of learning to care for others, inspired by a remark made by her son that Jesus "hasn't got arms any more to cuddle sad people" (page 16). Rees-Larcombe gradually learned to open her home and life to others far more than she had been doing, and later in life began to receive similar care after being diagnosed with "a disease rather like Multiple Sclerosis " (page 9).  The book is full of examples of caring for others (both by and to the author and other stories that she has learned of) and the impact this can have on both giver and receiver. It also highlights how often caring for others can help others on their faith journey. Knowing that people can often feel inadequate when faced with difficult situations, Rees-Larcombe...

Published in an omnibus edition: " The Murder of Roger Ackroyd "; " They Do It With Mirrors " and " Mrs. McGinty's Dead " as part of the "Agatha Christie Crime Collection" by The Hamlyn Publishing Group Ltd.: London, 1969. First published 1952. This is the first book of Agatha Christie's I have read to feature the character Miss Marple, an elderly woman who is an amateur detective in her own rights. Whereas I prefer the mildly amusing and idiosyncratic character Poirot, having Miss Marple as an investigator adds a different feel to the proceedings, as she is not officially investigating, and often relies on the fact that, as a seemingly innocent older woman, she can learn information without drawing attention to herself. The plot of They Do It With Mirrors takes a while to get underway - Miss Marple is sent by a friend to check on the friend's sister, Carrie Louise, for whom the friend is worried. Carrie is married to Lewis Serrocold,...

Printed for "The Gospel Faith Messenger" Ministry: Palmerston North, NZ, 1983 (1981). I'm not sure this book has been 'properly' published, but the author is apparently still in ministry, and having a brief glance at his website suggests more recent versions of the book have been updated and may have been published eventually. This copy has been sitting on my shelf for ages, inherited from a pastor who retired, and I recently decided to have a look at it. It's fairly straightforward over-all, being   a chapter by chapter breakdown of elements and areas of Christian counselling. Certain phrases and topics seem a little dated now from our 2022 perspective (maybe they will have been updated in more recent editions), but other phrases and topics were good reminders of the attitude we should take when talking with broken people. "I believe that only certain types of character and personality are responded to by those with very sensitive personal problems. For ...