Olivia’s book selection of the month

On occasion, Olivia selects books she’s particularly fond of, and shares a little something about them with our loyal customers.

Olivia’s book picks for September:

Olivia apologizes for not picking books for August, she had a “bad-hair” month and was feeling out of sorts. If you visit the store please know we have not gotten a different dog and please address any remarks about her new “do” to us, not her directly, as she is sensitive that way.

The Case for God by Karen Armstrong, $16.95

A nuanced exploration of the part that religion plays in human life, drawing on the insights of the past in order to build a faith that speaks to the needs of our dangerously polarized age.
Moving from the Paleolithic age to the present, Karen Armstrong details the great lengths to which humankind has gone in order to experience a sacred reality that it called by many names, such as God, Brahman, Nirvana, Allah, or Dao. Focusing especially on Christianity but including Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Chinese spiritualities, Armstrong examines the diminished impulse toward religion in our own time, when a significant number of people either want nothing to do with God or question the efficacy of faith. Why has God become unbelievable? Why is it that atheists and theists alike now think and speak about God in a way that veers so profoundly from the thinking of our ancestors?

The Sandwich Swap by Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah, $16.99

Lily and Salma are best friends. They play together and stick together through thick and thin. But who would have ever thought that ordinary peanut butter or plain old hummus could come between them? Lily and Salma don’t quite understand each other’s tastes, but does that mean they can’t be friends? They understand far better than a lot of gown ups that these things hardly matter and that friendship is the most important thing of all.
Her Majesty, Queen Rania’s childrens book is inspired by her own experience. As written by Kelly Dipuchio, it is a warm-hearted and gently humorous fable about two girls who become aware of their subtle cultural differences, only to have their friendship strengthened as a result. Her Majesty travels the world promoting children x2019;s causes as well as cross-cultural understanding and tolerance.