Categories:

• Biography

• Children's Books

• Computing

• Cookery

• Fiction - General

• Fiction - Science & Fantasy

• Fiction - Teen

• Personal Development

• Travel

(More categories will be added as needed)

 

Biography

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The Long Walk to Freedom Nelson Mandela I wanted to read this because I believe Nelson Mandela to be one of the most significant figures of our times. However, I was slightly daunted by its length (782 pages) and quite expected it do be a 'difficult' read. I was totally wrong. Mandela tells his story in a simple, matter-of-fact style, with great dignity and humility. The book captivates its reader, often speaking of the unspeakable with an extraordinary lack of bitterness. It reminded me potently that 'history', or even 'news', can never be more than events as seen and presented by a particular person or group - the news bulletins I remember took on very different hues in the light of this version of the truth. Historically and politically, this is an important book. More, it illuminates an extraordinary resilience of human spirit coupled with exceptional humanity that for me define greatness. Gina Dennis

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Children's Books

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Computing

Web Design in a Nutshell Jennifer Niederst An excellent basic HTML reference book. The issues that all web designers have to grapple with (differing browsers and screen resolutions, colour, etc.) are laid out clearly in the early chapters, whilst the rest of the book provides a 'desktop quick reference' for HTML and an introduction to newer technologies (CSS, DHTML, Java, etc.).The clear layout, broken up with tab markers on the page edges, enables you to find your way around easily and there are plenty of practical examples. An indespensible first purchase for any aspiring web designer, though it will need to be supplemented by more detailed books on specific aspects of coding as you progress. Gina Dennis

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Cookery

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Fiction - General

Click here to buy!	The Alchemist Paulo Coelho This is one of those life-enhancing, transformational parables that nourish the soul. It will sit on my shelves alongside Saint-Exupery's Little Prince and Richard Bach's Jonathan Livingstone Seagull as a book to return to for sustenance, to remind me to listen to my heart and follow my dreams! Gina Dennis
Click here to buy!	Gone to Soldiers Marge Piercy I don't particularly like books about war, but I do like Marge Piercy so I eventually got around to reading this. It is truly 'huge', a panoramic view of the impact of the Second World War on ten key characters. As the lives of these very different men and women intertwine and overlap, perspectives shift, illuminating many shades of American, British and European experience with a rare compassion. In no way does this book revel in the 'heroics' of war, yet, because of its humanity and heart, it is neither depressing nor 'heavy', even though many its events are devastating and its 'personal histories' deeply moving. Gina Dennis
Click here to buy!	The Mistress of Spices Chitra Banaerjee Divakaruni Poetry, spirituality, myth, love story, social comment, magic, - very special! This is a book that questions the nature of what we call reality, shifting effortlessly between the apparently 'realistic' and the irresistibly fantastic. The 'reality' focuses on Tilo, an immigrant from India who runs a spice shop in the heart of the expatriate community in Oakland, California. For the rest . . . you'll just have to read it! Gina Dennis
Click here to buy!	Zenzele Nozipo Maraire This is a wonderfully wise novel about cultural change and racial understanding. Written as a letter from a mother to her daughter, it is tells the story of a young African woman strung between old and new worlds, growing into herself and listening to her inner voice. I found it to be fascinating, moving and universal in its truths. Gina Dennis

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Ficton - Science & Fantasy

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Fiction - Teen

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Personal Development

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Living Magically - a New Vision of Reality Gill Edwards I started by skimming this book and thought "I don't really need this, I've already covered this ground". Then I really read it and found it truly inspirational. It can perhaps best be described as a practical self-development guide that approaches life from a metaphysical viewpoint. But that sounds awfully dry and the book isn't! In her Second book, Stepping Into the Magic, Gill develops her ideas further and her in her newest, Pure Bliss, she talks about living in 'soft time'. This roughly equates with a state of consciousness I have previously called 'being into becoming', that is, a way of 'just being' that simultaneously encompasses joyous growth and change. You can find out more about Gill's view of the world through her web site, http://www.livingmagically.co.uk Gina Dennis

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Travel

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The Age of Kali William Dalrymple The Age of Kali is a collection of essays that capture the spirit and complexity of modern India. It distils ten years of travel throughout the Indian subcontinent. Through evocative descriptions and revealing personal encounters, it draws together strands of past and present, spirituality and profanity. According to the ancient Hindu Scriptures, India is now in the throes of the Age of Kali, a time of darkness and disintegration. Dalrymple shows us a country overwhelmed by change, where certainties have been swept away and in which corruption and violence are endemic. Yet this is a book written with humour, reverence and love. An essential read for anyone who wishes to glimpse India's true soul. Gina Dennis

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