Kurt A. Johnson's profile

Simple and yet powerful, 21 Dec 2005

The Bible tells of the three wise men, Magi, who came from the East, following a star to the newly born King of the Jews. But, there was a fourth wise man, Artaban, who sold all that he had, and acquired three jewels, to give as his gift to the babe. But, when Artaban stops to help a sick man, he is delayed and misses accompanying the other three, and so he must set off alone. This is the story of the fourth wise man, who seeks the King of the Jews, and finds him in the most unlikely of places.

This is an absolutely wonderful story. It takes the famous 1896 story, written by Henry Van Dyke (1852-1933), and puts it in simple and yet powerful words which can be read by the younger reader… Read more

A great mystery, one of the best ones ever written!, 15 Dec 2005

When the body of a murdered young woman is found in their library, the Bantry's bring in their old friend, Jane Marple. There's a mystery within a mystery here: who is the murdered girl, and how did she get from where she was last seen to the Bantry's library? There are suspects galore, but only one person can possible get to the truth - Miss Marple!

Jane Marple was the literary creation of that most famous of English mystery writers, Agatha Christie (1890-1976). For those of you unfamiliar with Miss Marple, she was your stereotypical elderly spinster-lady, who loves to gossip and grow her flowers. But, even more, she has a razor-sharp mind that she uses to solve… Read more

The fullest examination yet, 14 Dec 2005

The small book contains a wealth of information on that geological wonder, the Giant's Causeway in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The author covers everything from the history of people's interest in it, through the flora and fauna of the area. The book is quite interesting, and my one (and only) complaint is that the book does not contain a comprehensive map of the Causeway.