Scary Nuns: Sisters at Work and at Play by Essential Works

Published by HarperEntertainment - An Imprint of Harper Collins Publishers

Scary Nuns: Sisters at Work and at Play is filled with eye candy. Mention a nun and everyone knows exactly what you mean. We all get that image in our minds of women with the black and white uniforms, always neatly pressed, elegant looking and yes, often scary, as are all things we don't understand. It doesn't help that too often in books and movies we are given the stereotypical nun who is unbending and harsh, especially when dealing with orphans.

Within the pages of this book are the images that will shatter those stereotypes and bring a strong message that nuns are more similar to you and I than we expected. Picture a convent and imagine if you will for a moment, their recreation room. What do you expect to see in there? I am pretty sure you aren't thinking of a snooker or pool table with the nuns happily playing a game or two. This image, along with images of nuns with rifles, nuns frolicking in the sea, practicing dancing for a charity show and much more, will surprise and delight any reader.

There are of course more traditional images such as the nun kneeling in prayer, teaching orphans and laying prostrate on the ground which have a certain calm and beauty about them. Sprinkled in with the images are numerous literary quotes and brief histories of the most notorious nuns, all of which add a little something to this quick and entertaining read. I would even call it the Sister Act (Whoopi Goldberg movie) of the book world.

Naturally, being a fan of photography, I loved this book. It's not only fun to see the nuns in various settings but also to see the changes in dress, through history and, being pocket-sized makes it perfect to share with friends.