bookshelf

LILY GRACE

Name: LILY GRACE
Author: Susie S. Mozell-Smith
ISBN: 978-0615869148

THE PROPHETIC WORD OF GOD, PAVING THE WAY FOR JESUS RETURN

by Susie S. Mozell-Smith ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 7, 2013

A bizarre twist on biblical prophecy.

bookshelf

Mozell-Smith, who says she was told by God to write a book, shares favorite Scriptures along with some unorthodox interpretations of the Bible.

A retired school bus driver now attending university classes in Christian Studies, Mozell-Smith says her book is a prophetic update to the Bible. She has mined the Scriptures, assembling hundreds of verses on a variety of topics. Unlike most inspirational books, which indent Scriptures within the text or at least place them in quotation marks, Mozell-Smith often blends her thoughts and the Bible’s, and it can be confusing to determine where she finishes speaking and Scripture begins. Often focusing on race, she believes a number of biblical figures were black, including Jesus and Joseph, and she says Moses was the first albino. The Caucasian race, she writes, resulted from the curse of leprosy. Mozell-Smith believes in UFOs and says that because Satan lost the ability to fly, “He now relies on UFOs for transportation to and from heaven for approved visits only.” She writes that the Antichrist appeared in December 2012 but doesn’t say who that person was. However strange many of her statements may seem, Mozell-Smith appears sincere in her beliefs. She’s certainly entitled to her own opinions about Scripture, though her readers may be less accepting of her handling of scientific facts, as when she writes, “The earth do (sic) not rotate. The sun rotates around the earth.” She considers such information truth that was revealed to her. She also holds unusual beliefs on social issues and says the “gay movement” is causing the expansion of hell, noting, “God has it set on one temperature and that is burn baby burn.” She also opposes church leadership positions for women and says “woman is to man as a sheep dog is to a shepherd.” The book is riddled with grammatical errors, with Mozell-Smith often using “want” for “won’t” and incorrect verb tenses. Some chapters consist only of Scripture with no personal narrative added, which might relieve exhausted readers.

A bizarre twist on biblical prophecy.

Pub Date: Oct. 7, 2013

ISBN: 978-0615869148

Page Count: 314

Publisher: WAVES

Review Posted Online: Sept. 18, 2014

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

bookshelf

NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

bookshelf

This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

bookshelf

TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

bookshelf

An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.