54. Bill Bryson's African Diary

Rated 4 Stars
From:  Amazon

Thank you Beth for recommending this book.  I would not of known it existed otherwise.

All royalties and profits from this book go   to CARE International.  It's short, only 49 pages and in parts it is genuinely funny and in other parts genuinely moving.

FROM AMAZON:  Bryson visits Kenya at the invitation of CARE International, the charity dedicated to eradicating poverty. Kenya is a land of contrasts, with famous game reserves and a vibrant culture. It also provides plenty to worry a traveller like Bill Bryson, fixated as he is on the dangers posed by snakes, insects and large predators. It is also a country with many serious problems: refugees, AIDS, drought, and grinding poverty. The resultant diary, though short in length, contains the trademark Bryson stamp of wry observation and curious insight.

53. Jesus Interrupted

By Bart D. Ehrman
Rated 5 Stars
From:  Library

I'm not quite sure what to make of this book but it certainly was interesting. I do know though that I need to get off this religious reading kick that I have been on this month.  For someone who claims not to read books with a Christian theme it seems like that's all I've been reading lately.

LIBRARY SUMMARY:  Jesus, Interrupted addresses the larger issue of what the New Testament actually teaches-and it's not what most people think. Here Ehrman reveals what scholars have unearthed: The authors of the New Testament have diverging views about who Jesus was and how salvation works. The New Testament contains books that were forged in the names of the apostles by Christian writers who lived decades later. Jesus, Paul, Matthew, and John all represented fundamentally different religions. Established Christian doctrines-such as the suffering messiah, the divinity of Jesus, and the trinity-were the inventions of still later theologians. These are not idiosyncratic perspectives of just one modern scholar. As Ehrman skillfully demonstrates, they have been the standard and widespread views of critical scholars across a full spectrum of denominations and traditions. Why is it most people have never heard such things? This is the book that pastors, educators, and anyone interested in the Bible have been waiting for-a clear and compelling account of the central challenges we face when attempting to reconstruct the life and message of Jesus.