The detectives in toga are back! Ever read the first one? You should; this is a rare things: a sequal as good as the original.

This time, it's Caius that's in trouble (read the book to find out just how and why). It all started when the boys decided to buy their teacher a birthday present, and got him (they think) a deaf and dumb slave named Udo. That's just the start of their troubles, because Udo is more than he seems, and they suddenly find themselves in a web of intrigue and murder, when they stumble on a plot to assassinate a famous senator. It could be one of their fathers!

In this novel, we learn more about the boys, as they display their loyalty and courage. Caius, for one, isn't the same brawny wannabe Hercules he was in the last one, but shows his brave side.

It all takes the same wit, hair breath'd escapes, razor-sharp logic and good sense and you have yourself another wonderful novel!

The Mystery of the Roman Ransom was one of the best books I have ever read. One of the reasons it was so good was that it had a huge amount of mystery and suspense. It was also very good because it got you interested in the story right away. I also found the story engaging because the main characters were about my age. The main characters are seven rich Roman boys and their tutor Xanthos. In the beginning of the book, which is set in ancient Rome, the boys give Xanthos a slave for his 50th birthday, but he is very angry, so the boys must keep the slave. Through him they find out that one of their fathers is going to be murdered. Their fathers are very important senators who run the government. The plot of the book is trying to find and prevent the assassin(s) from killing Cacius's father. The boys' very realistic adventure in ships, houses and through alleys of Rome help them gain courage. The boys are very clever because they have to figure out who is going to murder Cacius's father. Their bravery helped them get through every dangerous task set before them. The only downside to this book is that there is hardly any historical information in it. It is a really great book.

I liked it cause it was in depth. They told all about the characters then they told the story.

When I ordered the Encyclopedia, I resigned myself to slugging through mountains of information and end up "What did that say again?"

Well, I am pleased to say that there was the mountain of information and more often than not I knew what it was saying. The definitions in were to the point, crisp and relevant to the times. Rev. P. Stravinskas had the insight to include information an ordinary Catholic needed at 7PM Sunday in a mad rush to complete an assignment.

Where the encyclopedia lost me were in some definitions that were necessarily lengthy. Obviously, some white space could have saved me time in re-reading the whole passage. But, with the value of the information included, I believe the Encyclopedia is an excellent resource for those of us who are not scholars in the catechism of the Catholic Church.

Those who know Fr. Stravinskas know that he likes to keep things short and to the point, so that the average person can understand what he's teaching without getting lost in detail. On another note, Our Sunday Visitor has a reputation for printing only the best quality of Catholic books. This collaboration brings out the best traits of both.

It is faithful to the Church's basic teaching since the Second Vatican Council, it fits into one large volume using a print size that will not strain your eyes, it is wonderfully organized to cover a wide variety of topics relevant to the Catholic faith, and its entries are informative while being written at a level the average Catholic can understand.

For these reasons, this is simply one of the best modern Catholic Encyclopedias on the market. Every Catholic family and college student who is interested in their faith should own one.

If you want to know what the Catholic Church teaches this is a great reference book. Father Stravinskas teaches what the Church teaches, and not just his own personal opinion. I'd recommend anything he wrote. It's wonderful to know you won't be misled. Nice book for dipping into, too!

A New Heart for Alex is an action-packed story of how a young boy meets the challenge of open-heart surgery. Although in the beginning I was confused with some of the context used, I was drawn into the story and understood how much courage and hope was needed to make the surgery a success, and how sometimes it is not a success. I enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to other Junior High School students.

A New Heart for Alex is a compelling story about a young boy whose father is a doctor and mother is a nurse. Alex was born with a congenital heart defect and much of his young life was spent acquiring coping skills. Now the time has come for Alex to have his heart surgically repaired.

The reader is invited to travel with Alex as he faces the challenge of surgery. Experience the anticipation, humor, fears and insights into the mystery of life as this mature eleven-year-old child triumphs over physical limitations. The book is written in a style that is engaging, fast reading and appropriate for adults and adolescents.

A New Heart for Alex is a heart-warming story of an adolescent faced with the wonder of growing up and with his own mortality simultaneously; a candid, albeit brief glimpse into the dark comedy that is the world of surgery; and a thought-provoking, cross-cultural lesson about the value of life even in the face of letting it go. It leaves the reader hoping for a sequel.

This is a riveting breathtakingly honest look behind the scenes of today's Catholic priesthood in America. It's not about the headline sexual abuse scandals. It's about abuse that seldom makes the headlines -- abuse inflicted by the systemically dysfunctional climate within which priests must conduct their lives. The picture is not a pretty one -- honest expression stifled, initiatives thwarted, and normal human friendships crippled or tabooed. It shows the disabling effect on priests of being subject to heavy-handed authority, unyielding dogma, unrealistic law, and a code of celibacy that is a prescription for aching loneliness. All too often alcohol and other addictions fill the vacuum. But this is not an angry book. Dinter doesn't whine or rant. And that is the book's power. It objectively states facts, events and names. Dinter clearly loved his ministry and pursued it with energy and commitment. But the tension between this pursuit of his calling, and the human toll exacted as the price of membership in the priestly caste, became intolerable. So he resigned, not from his ideals, but from the dysfunctional system within which he was forced to try and live out these ideals. Dinter's quiet eloquence gives us a rare glimpse into the abuse inflicted on good priests by the disabling role expectations of an outmoded caste system.

This revealing book sheds light on the seminary training and life in the priesthood which finally ended for the author after a 39-year journey. The writing in this book flows well as the author begins with his life as a child, his seminary years, pastoral work in several parishes, campus chaplaincy, doctoral work, and a sabbatical at the Vatican. He tells about bad priests he encountered along the way and the many good priests who remain devoted to the flocks that they serve.

I wondered how he could continue as a seminarian in such a repressive and then permissive atmosphere. A sign should have been placed over the seminary door: "Beware all ye who enter here!"

He was a glutton for punishment from his domineering, powerful prelates as a priest, and I wondered why he stayed in the priesthood. After a lengthy description about all the good work he and others had accomplished while he was a chaplain at Columbia University, I expected that he would at least receive high marks from the bishop. Instead, he was called on the carpet and told that he no longer had a job!

He then went to study for a year in Rome after spending a summer in England. He describes the Vatican disparagingly as "a men's club on the Tiber." He was uncomfortable in the atmosphere of suspicion and distrust that prevailed there. When a group of priests had dinner with a visiting bishop from America, it was a command performance where the bishop embarrassed and humiliated the priests instead of being an enjoyable occasion of friendship and congeniality.

Upon returning to the U.S., he was not given an assignment and was treated with disdain when he pleaded with the chancery office to place him somewhere. When he received no placement, he took matters into his own hands and asked a fellow priest if he could stay at his rectory. After he moved there, he substituted as a fill-in priest in that area and also taught at colleges. He soon made many friends among the laity who supported him when he fell in love with a widow in the parish, left the priesthood, and married there. They are still members of that parish.

Dr. Dinter's experiences with his bishops left me with bad feelings toward them. The career men fawning on their superiors so that they will receive promotions are a despicable lot who have lost sight of the church as the Body of Christ. For them it has become a corporate ladder, and they care not for the lowly priests under their dominion after they reach the top.

I believe the author's writing is an honest, brave portrayal of his priesthood. One prevailing theme is the unnecessary mandated celibacy for priests, which he compares with a disability. The book explains why so many priests become sexually abusive to children and adolescents.

Dr. Dinter paints priests as extremely lonely men who cannot openly dissent about any Catholic teaching for fear of being ostracized by their superiors and/or being sent off to remote parishes in the hinterland. Banishment is the club held over the heads of priests and is an effective silencer for any dissenter. The priests cannot even openly discuss controversial issues in the church privately when they meet with each other which I found disturbing. Facing their future with fear and the silence it promotes smacks too much of "big brother" watching every move the priests make and everything they say. Priests should not have to function in this repressive atmosphere of suspicion and distrust.

I was so glad that this book ended on a positive note for the author because his many years of dedicated work in the priesthood went unappreciated by the hierarchy under which he served.

Paul Dinter gives the Catholic laity a rare view into the process of priestly formation. The Other Side of the Altar confirmed some of my ideas of this process, but revealed many other aspects of the continuous formation of Catholic clergy.

Mr. Dinter's use of his own story, his personal experiences, makes the book credible and interesting. The layers of possible dysfunctional behavior -- that of the individual priest, the collective group of priests and the entire Roman Catholic hierarchy -- are intertwined and bring understanding to many of the problems currently associated with the Catholic clergy.

The author clearly defines a curious view of human sexuality that is mainstream to past and present Catholic doctrine. How important this issue is to letting the Catholic Church move forward and into the new millennium is a matter for all readers to decide. Paul Dinter's ideas on this issue certainly broadened my perspective in this area.

Paul Dinter spares no punches and names some prominent people that touched his priestly formation. A great read for all readers and a must read for all Catholics.

This book engages the reader in one of the most comprehensive studies on the growth and evolution of the pastoral council since Vatican II. In a superb analysis of the conciliar and post-conciliar documents, the ideas, theories, trends, steps and missteps of the 60s and 70s, the 1983 Code of Canon Law, and the developments in the 80s and 90s, Fischer illustrates how councils have not only matured, but have corrected erroneous positions held as inviolable for many years. He offers an exciting vision that could convince even the most ardent opponents of councils. The book is an essential resource for anyone involved in the process of evaluating their own current practice or in seeking new direction. While some will find this work a little heavy, all will agree that a finer analysis just has not been written.

If you need one book on parish pastoral councils for your library, this may be what you are looking for. Fischer combines original research and meticulous scholarship with an engaging anecdotal style that makes this book accessible to the common reader. The material is very well organized with helpful chapter introductions and summaries. The final chapter offers a model for parish pastoral council guidelines that could help readers looking to formulate or revise their existing guidelines. Diocesan staff responsible for council development could use the book as a reference tool. The scholarly endnotes, exhaustive bibliography, and partial listing of diocesan guidelines for parish pastoral councils are worth the price.

This book brings to the reader an awesome collection of historical facts, documentation, data collection, sources, personal experience and solid recommendations. And in that process Fischer fearlessly hits all the 'hot buttons' we have struggled with for years: purpose, committee structure, understanding of consultation, leadership, and selection of members. And who would have thought that we could look to Aristotle for a definition of the kind of folks we need to have serving on a pastoral council?
The book will be intriguing reading for those who, like myself, have been involved for years in these formative struggles with councils, to see it all spelled out with such clarity. The greatest value of this book, however, will probably be found in the conclusions that Fischer reaches about what he calls a 'foundation document.' Here we will all learn more effective ways to put flesh and bones on the result of the author's insights as we foster the work of the Spirit in the American church. Thank you, Mark Fischer!

Ages 4-8??? Paleeze! This one is timeless, a true must read for all ages! Who says religion can't be fun.

I have to say that this book is so informative and it isn't just for children...I would give this book 5 stars as it explains just about everything that a child could ask a parent. I believe that it keeps the attention of the child because it is very colorful and it is contemporary.

Wendy Goody and her colleagues have assembled a fun, wonderful learning guide for Catholic children everywhere. A must-have for any Catholic parent or educator.

For those of you who wish to get acquainted with Pliny, learn more of ancient customs and practices, or if you just look for something different and enlightening to read for a change this book is highly recommended.

As the title rightly suggests this Penguin Classic consists of eclectic samples taken from the 37 books that comprise the Natural History. It is based on an updated, accurate and easy to read translation by John Healy and includes a 32 page introduction, the official section numbering, a key to ancient places mentioned in the text and an index. At 400 pages it is substantial enough to offer many pleasurable hours of thought provoking reading, although, to be honest, I had expected considerably more material to be included. This selection also reflects the translators interest in mineralogy and metallurgy (22 pages are for example devoted to a treatise on gold and silver while no selections have been made from book XIX on vegetable gardening). A curiosity which deserves a note here is book XIV (pp. 182-193 in this edition) in which Pliny gives an eminent account of the art of wine and viticulture. It is an absolute must read for all connoisseurs of good drink.

Considering that the complete works are both very expensive and bulky this is a good introductory option. But this is only an appetiser. Those who wish to indulge in more serious reading, or look to read Pliny in a more scholarly manner for the possibility of making good and well informed quotes, will undoubtedly do better by consulting the separate volumes which contain the whole unabridged text (eg. H. Rackham's authoritative translation with parallel Latin-English text published in 10 volumes by Harvard University Press). Had this Penguin edition covered more material I would have rated it at 5 stars.

// J. Silvennoinen

This book was pretty good although I had to constantly check most of Pliny's 'facts' with a natural science textbook nearby. I was shocked to find how wrong he was and on so many things. Its like he was just guessing and not performing the necessary experiments. I don't know where this guy got his degree, but that place probably wants to rethink their ciriculum. Quite frankly, with Scientists has ill-informed as Pliny was, its amazing that the Roman Empire lasted so long. What else can you really say?

This book has many of the best parts from the full version of Naturlis Historia, and is much easier to read than the 1000+ pages in the many volumes. Great if you don't the time for all of the volumes, or to find them all. This is a book well worth reading.

Karl Rahner is one of the 20th century's most powerful and insightful Christian theologians who understood and spoke to the modern Christian. Never in all my years of reading and study have I encountered a book that understands what it is to live and, more importantly, to pray in the modern world. This is not a "how to" book. It is a book of prayer, about prayer.

My objection is the translation. Bruce Gillette has chosen to translate the German "mensch" into "man" rather than "people" (it really means "mankind") and to use the masculine pronoun "he". There is no reason for this; Rahner would certainly be more careful were he writing today and using inclusive language would not have altered the meaning in the slightest. Furthermore, the translator tends to use sentence fragments which might make sense in the original German but often stand as "orphans" without clear relationship to the preceding or following sentence. While I thank Liturgical Press for publishing this book, I suggest greater editorial care. Notwithstanding, ignore the translation defects and read this book.

Each chapter in this work provides enough material for reflection to fill a month - and, perhaps, that is the way to enjoy it fully. Father Rahner's sermons on prayer, especially deep and poignant because they were originally delivered to Germans suffering the pain and deprivation following the second world war, are exquisitely beautiful. He writes movingly of how God strips aways our false ways, how the Holy Spirit and Christ within us "pray for us" when our own efforts are weak, and far more. Much of it may be difficult to ponder, but the ring of truth and love are so clear that the light of resurrection shows the cross to be a shadow. Superb work to be read at any time, but particularly when one is struggling in one's own prayer life. Those who are familiar with this brilliant Jesuit through his systematic theology will see that the picture is incomplete without observing what a great man of prayer he was.

A powerful book on prayer by one the most important Christian theologians of the 20th century.

If you think you want to pray but have trouble even beginning because belief in a loving God seems like ludicrously wishful thinking in such a mess of a world, try out this book. Rahner understands suffering, he understands atheism, he understands angst--this book is based on sermons preached in bombed-out Munich in 1946--and yet he dares to be Christian and to pray.

(Two other books that I've found especially helpful: C. S. Lewis's "Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer" and Ann and Barry Ulanov's "Primary Speech: A Psychology of Prayer.")

This is an excellent book for those with little time or who love "snippits". Each page has a title and an outtake from one of St. John's many homilies. Due to its concise nature, this book has been edited and paraphrased by the author (whom isn't an Orthodox Christian if that matters to you)... It is unknown, but hopped, that he kept most, if not all, of the original words and intent... Anyway, this is worth reading and carries some very pertinent advice on "Living Simply".

On Living Simply is a wonderful way to introduce yourself to the simple eloquence of St. John Chrysostom. His words illustrate his profound insight into life that is as applicable now as when it was origionally recorded in Late Antiquity. If you are interested in Patristic Christian thought or just in Ancient Wisdom, I highly recommend this book to you.

Chrysostum was a true saint and a man of humble spiritual enlightenment. His words ring true even in for modern times. Truth may go out of fashion but it is the same in every generation, and this dear man lived loved the truth. This is not the ordinary spiritual book but a masterpiece on matters of the soul. A book well worth adding to your library!

This book is excellent. I don't know where to start. Often, we study history with respect to different countries, geographical areas, or religions. This book draws them all together. It provides insight into what these men were thinking, and the personal and political influences they had to deal with. Really interesting.

For the serious theologian, be it of the lay or ordained variety, this is a great resource.

Here, chronologically, the renowned historian Kelly provides insightful, concise historical background into the papacy.

One can be assured that his research is spotless, since his early church knowledge and expertise is renown. This is continued here.

Great to have the bibliographical resources for each entry, knowing that Kelly has sorted the possibilities out and provided valuable service in providing primary assets to investigate.

I'll be referring to mine often in historical research. Anyone who delves into this prominent area will want this valuable, economic resource in their library.

Any book that deals with the topic of Pope Joan, the only female pope, and does not do it with guffaws for comic relief, is a keeper in my library. He also includes a Pope whose four day papacy before his death, never gave him the time to be "sworn in"! Now that is a complete study. Feminism and curiosity aside, though, this is a valuable reference that is also enjoyable reading. My favorite attraction is that for each Pope, Kelly directs you to the best sources for more information on everyone of the Popes he has studied. As interesting groups of people go, it just doesn't get any more interesting than these guys!