Cat Pollock Writes

Still a week behind, but I am working on catching up. I promise. The Practice of the Presence of God Brother Lawrence. 1982, Whitaker House Summary: The Practice of the Presence of God, considered by many to be a Christian classic, is a collection of recorded conversations with, letters from, spiritual maxims spoken by, and short biography of Brother Lawrence. Brother Lawrence was a lay brother at a Carmelite monastery in Paris in the 17th century. He worked in the kitchen of that monastery, and he caught people's because of the intimacy of his relationship with God. This was developed through hours spending practicing being in the presence of God. Why I Read It: On my first mission trip outside of America, my team spent a month early on in New Zealand. Our ministry contact was a rad American like us, and he shared a couple of chapters out of this with us. It had enough of an impact at the time for me to want to finish the entire book at some time in the future.

Yeah, this review should have been up on the blog last week. Oops. At least I got it up before the end of the month? The Universe Next Door: A Jake Corby Sci-Fi Thriller Al Macy, 2016, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform Summary: The Universe Next Door is the third in a series of novels about Jake Corby, a former FBI troubleshooter who has saved the International Space Station from being shut down and the world from alien invasion. In this installment, Jake, his dog Boonie, and his 83-year-old grandmother-in-law are pulled into a parallel universe where dinosaurs never went extinct, and Earth is ruled by a species of dinobirds. Why? A universe collision is imminent that could wipe out both universes, and the dinobirds need Jake's help to prevent it. Why I Read It: Here's the legal disclaimer here that should have come at the beginning, folks. I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review. Opinion: The Univers

I go MIA for a couple of weeks, and what does that get me? Behind in posting reviews. Oy. Here is the review that should have been up two weeks ago. Empire: The Rise and Demise of the British World Order And the Lessons For Global Power Niall Ferguson, 2004, Basic Books Summary: Empire: The Rise and Demise of the British World Order and the Lessons for Global Power is a history of British imperialism from the 16th century to the mid-20th century. Amongst other things, the book discusses privateering, the race to colonize Africa, and the occupation and administration of India as a colony. Why I Read It: This book was assigned reading for the British history course I did not complete. Opinion: Like most history books, this one is dense with information. It was easier for me to make my way through this particular book because I was familiar with many of the events Ferguson discusses in India. That's what happens when you take two semesters of Asian history in c

I'm sitting in my living room, sipping on some Dr. Pepper, catching up on this season of The Voice, and writing this review. Today is a good day. Treasure Island Robert Louis Stevenson, 1883 (cover art from early 2000s Kingfisher Classics Edition) Summary: Treasure Island  is the classic adventure story of pirates, treasure, and betrayal on the high seas. Published serially in 1881 and 1882 in a children's magazine, its popularity got it published in novel form in 1883. Its depiction of the pirate life in the 18th century has had a huge influence on how we view that time period today. Why I Read It: I saw a lot of the classics on Google Play Books, and went a little crazy with the downloading. Treasure Island  was one of the victims. Opinion: Sometimes I have a little bit of trouble with the classics, but I am willing to concede it could be because my reading tastes have skewed towards more modern writing styles.  That is not a problem I'

Last month's quotes weren't as timely as I would have liked, but looked a little something like this: April 1, 2017 April 12, 2017 April 19, 2017 April 22, 2017 April 29, 2017 Any of these quotes resonate? Feel free to share, just remember to mention where you found them! If you missed last month's quotes, you can look them over here .