Having had the privilege of studying the course behind this publication first-hand at Exeter, I would recommend the book to any student who seeks a thorough and well-rounded survey of the contemporary debate between science and religion.

Or is it a debate? The authors posit several models of dialogue between these two - usually separated - spheres, and this forms a core feature of this textbook: the opportunity to explore ways in which the two complement and enrich one another.

Therefore as well as being competently yet simply introduced to complex scientific questions (the Big Bang, the origin of life, quantum theory - to name a few), the author allows scope for the reader to see - for himself, and through the eyes of great thinkers, more and less famous - how it is possible to construct a working hypothesis of the inter-relation between God, humanity and the cosmos.

In the later chapters, which are a particularly unique and enjoyable section, we are introduced to the scientifically-influenced theologies of Jay McDaniel's "pelican heaven", Sallie McFague's "embodied God" and Ruth Page's "Web of Life". The reader can enjoy these models, whilst exercising a critical eye, sensitive to the scientific perceptions and phenomena so effectively outlined towards the beginning of the book.

On top of this, other views are outlined, including a section on Islamic theology and creation.

This is a great book for students and all those interested in understanding more of the world about them. It is refreshing to find a theology book which is so world-affirming, without resorting to religious dogmatism: not just a dry textbook, but a competent handbook AND a "choose you own adventure!"

This book is a beautifully illustrated book with colorful pictures and beautiful language. It makes you want to be in key with god.

Do take the time to peruse all reader reviews. This is a valuable book.

It is a bit enormous, though, and there is no index. This means that if the reader has to hunt for some little reference or fact, he or she is in for a long trek through these pages. Although it is designed with many short chapters, each devoted to a design element, the sheer amount of data is somewhat daunting. Alexander does write clearly, and in an informal, second or first-person manner. But there is little summarizing. Probably an excellent book to read cover-to-cover as part of a large study project. So read this book and know it well BEFORE you talk to your architect, contractor, designer... don't do as I did and start speed reading it when the architect hands over the blue prints.

Note: Whereas feng shui is a little more mystical, Alexander's suggested design tactics make practical sense. (I gently encourage any reader trying to choose between feng shui and this book to go with the latter). Very useful concepts for anyone who wants to make the most of their living space.

One can find the answers to most of life's little (and big) problems in this classic work. It does everything from helping one determine why the backyard just doesn't feel right to describing the problems with sprawl. I hesitate to label it as an architectural work because it can be so much more. Certainly, it illustrates how architecture can play a much larger role in shaping our lives than it has during the past fifty years.

The format of the book is effective in that it allows one to follow the connections between various design rules/patterns that might otherwise not be obvious. The use of these "links" within the book could have been a source of inspiration for web designers. This book will appeal just as much to the lay person as it does to the legions of architectural professionals who use it as a guide on a frequent basis.

Part 2 of 3 part series.

This book is the dictionary for A Timeless Way of Building. The Oregon Experiment is a case study of the use of these ideas to plan a college campus.

This book is about functional design for humans rather than design for design's sake. It directly refutes the real estate industry's insistence on neutral design for quick sale (which is the industry's goal - not the goal of a homeowner!) It promotes design which fits the needs and desires of the user, not the developer or architect. The philosophy involves the users heavily in the process of design, permitting integrated design without requiring comprehensive knowledge of all interacting factors on the part of the designers, it is a way of modularizing the design process into smaller, comprehensible units which can be understood and discussed in a useful way.

You will not be disappointed in reading these books.

Yes, it's dated a bit, especially in it's language approach to social issues.

Yes, it's Utopian, but not impractical.

No, all of the patterns do not apply to all people in all places, but then, they are not intended to.

What is important is the basic premise: That physical environment design can either promote community or divide people. That there exist basic patterns of interaction between people, buildings, roads and environment.

No, you cannot just change your entire community overnight into a utopia (mores the shame) however, these books can help to redefine how your community grows and develops to improve the quality of life for everyone in the community.

All of the research is fairly old, but it is research into basic human actions and reactions to their surroundings - not something which is subject to a great deal of change - examples cover several thousand years.

If you're tired of strip malls, rampant development for development's sake, neighborhoods without character or community, irritating traffic patterns, multiple hour commutes, buildings which are uncomfortable to live and work in or just interested in improving your corner of the world, read these books and apply some of the principles wherever you feel they will fit your life.

I own multiple copies and recommend it highly.

Five stars is not enough to rate this book. I give this book an absolute 10. I have never read a book so inspiring, so wonderful, so full of everything that your looking for in a book. It's a page turner from beginning to end. I love the way the author quoted scriptures, that in fact helped to encourage and up lift me. Very inspirational. I just can't rave anymore about this book. This is by far one of the best books I have ever read in my life. I love the way Victor Christopher Murray made you feel Kyla and Jefferson's pain, their sorrow, their joys, their happiness. I mean she really made you feel what each character was going through. She just could not have done a better job. Oh and Brian and Alexis, Couldn't have happened to a better couple. I thank God for blessing Ms. Murray with such enormous talent. Truly his hand was in this. Victoria Christopher Murray, continue looking to the hills from whence cometh your help and know that he will do the rest. I will definetly be looking forward to reading more of her work. I would recommend this book to all. You won't be dissapointed.

It is so refreshing to read a fictional christian book. I applaud Victoria for stepping out of the typical stories we so often read about, and to write something of substance. I am so tired of reading the same tired stories by uncreative authors. This book dealt with real life issues facing many christians today.

The life of Kyla and Jefferson seemed perfect to many, including her so-called best friend Jasmine. Kyla and Jefferson appeared to have everything, mainly Jesus Christ. Because of their strong religious faith and their daily walk with God, Kyla felt her marriage was above TEMPTATION. However, love did not conquer Temptation in her marriage. This books takes you through the process of forgiveness and one's faith in God. Will Kyla be able to forgive the sin of Temptation? Does she really have enough love and trust in God to forgive completely?

This book does not have alot of twist and turns or surprises; however, the story takes you through a process that will keep your glued to the pages. One you pick up the book, you will not put it down. Kyla learns that her marriage must be tried by Temptation in order for her begin her purpose and ministry in which God had prepared for her. She learned, that in order to truly be a testimony of God, you must be tried by a storm, and Kyla's was a storm of TEMPTAION.

Keep up the good work !! Eagerly awaiting your next novel JOY!!

This book is truly a must read! It is so difficult to believe that this is the first book written by Victoria Christopher Murray. I totally agree with previous reviewers. The book held my interest from the beginning to the very end. This is exactly the kind of reading material for which I've been looking. Victoria does an excellent job of showing that Christians are also faced with real trials and tribulations, however, the beauty of this book is laid out through the actions taken by characters who have decided to do things God's way no matter the consequence(s). I was so blessed by Jefferson's determination to tell the truth and trust God to work a bad decision for good, in the face of loosing everything, including his wife, his daughter and his reputation. Then there's Alexis, who as a single sucessful young woman, has made a commitment to God and honors it more than the newly found relationship with the man of her dreams. This book definitely encourages one to stand firm on God's word and just watch Him grant the disires of the heart in His own perfect timing.

I was so caught up in the lives of the characters of the book, I dared to put it down. I must have read this book in record time. Bravo, Victoria! I'm looking forward to you next work!

I have been praying for a while that Christian Black authors would write inspiring stories that would stir our faith and help us to grow in Christ. "JOY" was my prayer answered. Ms Murray takes you into the head of the average Christian woman and make you feel and understand from both the Christian and Black perspective what it is that the main character "Anya" is going through. I really enjoyed this book because it kept it real. Christians are always thinking of chirping birds and heaven and I apprecaite that we finally get to see a character in REALITy of what being a Christian is really about...making mistakes but holding onto Christ. This is even a great read for men because it addresses a lot of issues that could be helpful. "Joy" takes you on a ride of susupension, mystery, joy, laughter, anger, holding the book to your chest, smiling to yourself and imagining yourself as the characters. Most importantly, "Joy" brings to reality what being a Christian in truly about. I LITERALLY ENJOYED EVERY SINGLE MINUTE. What a great escape from Black novels that cause singles to lust and yearn for men and women just to have the Black novel experience....we can be focused on Christ and still enjoy fiction literature. WAY TO GO.

Have you found yourself wanting to branch out and read a Christian Fiction book. Have you fought this urge because you think the author is going to preach a sermon to you the whole time? If you've answered "Yes" to both of those questions then I have the book for you.

"Joy" by Victoria Christopher Murray is the book you should pick up because it is great on so many levels. This book shows you that strong unyielding faith will get you through any and everything thing. This will also teaches us lessons about love and hate, trust and betrayal, and forgiveness.

Ms. Murray takes us into the life of Anya Mitchell. Anya is successful, intelligent, strong woman who knows that God has great things in story for her no matter what other people may think. Anya has her own company that is making big bucks for her, she has found the man of her dreams and it doesn't hurt that he's also a Christian and she has her family right by her side. Anya founds herself constantly being tested from her fiancé's pressures about getting married, to her not so Christian cousin moving in with her to dissatisfied employees. As you go through Anya's life and daily situations you are reminded in a subtle manner of how God wants us as Christians to live our life and that prayer is the answer to all things.

Don't let the fact that you are going to read about faith and prayer deter you from this book because it is a great read. Ms. Murray developed her characters in a way that will have you thinking "I know someone like that," some of her characters will make you mad and some will have you standing in their corner rooting them on. The suspenseful plot in the story isn't all that bad either. I was on pins and needles trying to figure out who the attacker was (if you only knew how many times I had to stop myself from flipping to the back of the book to find out who it was...and let me tell you know you'll never guess).

Now there were some cases in the book where I was like "come on now, no one really thinks like that" and there were some times when Anya was just too good to be true but I can assure you those times are few and far between.

I haven't read Temptation yet but I can assure you it's on my list of books to read.

It's always an enriching experience to read a sophomore novel from an author whose writing shows growth. Murray is one such author! From Chapter One she quickly roped me into Anya's story and I didn't let go until the very last page. Anya's life was filled with romance, intrigue and faith. It was faith which helped her to keep going after enduring a brutal tragedy. The characterization of Joy was strong and I especially liked how Murray showed us the depth of Anya's character via her relationship with her family(especially her grandmother and cousin), her fiancée who we all loved to hate and Anya's life as a professional/career women who was making significant strides as an African American woman in a predominantly male dominated profession.

Joy is a book about love, hate, trust, and betrayal with a great lesson in forgiveness and faith. Murray shows up how Anya uses her faith in God and the love of her family and friends to recover after a vicious attack by a stalker. At times, Anya did seem a little two perfect, but I especially liked that her story was positive and plausible. Murray presents Anya's strong Christian values in a compelling manner without sounding preachy and yet allowing the reader to enjoy a good story. Joy by Victoria Christopher Murray is a good read which I recommend to others who want to experience a good book while strengthening their walk with the Lord.

APOOO BOOKCLUB

Brian Friel is undoubtedly the most acclaimed living Irish playwright. His work has an ambition, an appeal and a historical imagination which neither his peers nor the younger generation have yet rivalled. He has continued to reinvent himself over the forty-odd years of his career, trying out different forms and different identities, always aiming to articulate as clearly as possible whatever was on his mind at the time. It's becoming clearer and clearer that, as he enters his seventies, his muse is drying up; he hasn't had a major commercial _and_ critical success since Dancing at Lughnasa (1990), but the way playwrights eventually lose the plot is intimately linked to changing fashions in (and approaches to) theatre itself. Friel's verbal talent is undiminished; his sense of theatricality is what seems increasingly redundant.

It has to be said that this collection of interviews, articles and diary entries does the man no favours at all. Christopher Murray's research and dedication to his subject are exemplary, but starry-eyed ain't the word for it. The ostensible narrative here is that of a great writer sailing majestically from modest youthfulness to a secure berth in the cultural pantheon, but the real story, at least for those of us who've followed Friel's career over the last ten years, is about a writer increasingly out of touch with both the theatre and his own place in it.

Murray shows his hand right at the start. Friel likes to cite the ideas of TS Eliot as a model of his own sense of his role as a writer, and this helps us to see that Friel's stance is distinctly old-fashioned. Friel conceives theatre as a kind of agora (the place where Athenians would debate issues of the day), a neutral space accepted by the polis as a zone for reasoned debate. He seems never to have dealt with the extent to which his own work is recuperable as a sentimental dream of a potentially organic Ireland. He practically never writes about urban experience (for the very good reason that, as he says himself, he doesn't know much about it) - but this is a serious threat to any attempt to define him as central to contemporary Irish experience. Murray's commentary doesn't even try to treat this as a deficiency in Friel's work. The majority of the population of Ireland live in large towns. (A good third live in the greater Dublin area.) Friel's status is less to do with his daring as a writer and more to do with the prestige conferred upon him by foreign acclaim. (Although his real daring is exemplified by his own work, even when he discounts it; for example, after writing the monumental "Translations" about the British effort to recast Irish geography in its own image, he then thoroughly sent up the issues of the earlier play in his rollicking farce "The Communication Cord".) Theatre has by now become such a commodity, attendance to it such a badge of prestige for the consumer of culture, that only work that departs radically from the Frielian scriptural economy has a chance of making the kind of intervention that Friel values - and of course, the kind of intervention that gets made is not the kind that Friel admires. (He's getting a bit cantankerous in his old age.)

More recently, Friel has publicly dismissed the role of the director in theatre. With characteristic assurance, he's even tried directing his own work, albeit with less than happy results. Friel's work is more or less over; if his appreciation is deserved, which it surely is, it's happening much too late. Irish theatre has moved on, and the ultimate effect of Murray's book is to show just how far behind Friel has found himself.

A useful resource for scholars. A less than helpful guide to whatever in the world might happen to be the cutting edge of Irish theatre, right now.

which is something that it failed to mention. I was very disappointed in the fact that all it contains is a critique of O'Casey and the plays.

Don't buy this book if you are looking for the plays.