Category: Book reviews

Books I read in 2019

  1. Jeremy Poldark by Winston Graham (PBS followed this really closely.)
  2. Edenbrook by Julianne Donaldson (fluff)
  3. Refugee by Alan Gratz (Very good.)
  4. The Crossover by Kwame Alexander (Wow. Great book.)
  5. Growing Up by Russell Baker (excellent)
  6. Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann (a page-turner)
  7. Gmorning, Gnight: Little Pep Talks for Me and You by Lin Manuel-Miranda (A kind reminder that positive, online written words matter to people.)
  8. All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot
  9. Life Below Stairs: True Lives of Edwardian Servants by Alison Maloney (This was mostly familiar because I watched Downton Abbey!)
  10. Back When We Were Grownups by Anne Tyler (About as real a telling of midlife and large family dynamics as could be.)
  11. Bread of Angels by Tessa Afshar (I read this for book club. Easy read. Lots of Evangelical Christian vernacular.)
  12. Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly (I read it breathlessly and quickly, since I could not put it down.)
  13. The Book of Mormon (focus: how to declare the word of God)
  14. A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles (I loved it because I love philosophy, natural history, astronomy, Russian literature, Casablanca, Mozart, Chopin, and Rachmaninoff)
  15. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King (His foul language crossed a line with me. This came highly recommended. I can recommend my personal copy, covered in correction tape.)
  16. Founding Brothers by Joseph Ellis (Masterful writing.)
  17. A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman (pretty good)
  18. Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy by David D. Burns, M.D. (I skipped the reference chapters about medications. This book was recommended by a friend to help identify distorted or unreasonable thinking. It was entertaining and informative.)
  19. The Witness of Women: Firsthand Experiences and Testimonies from the Restoration, edited by Janiece Johnson and Jennifer Reeder (I struggled to stay interested for many reasons. It would probably work better as a reference book, as it’s organized by topic.)
  20. Grandma Gatewood’s Walk by Ben Montgomery (The woman is inspiring. The book was ok.)
  21. The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter by Margareta Magnusson (My Swedish great-grandmother left behind only a few boxes of special things and minimal belongings to sort. My grandmother praised her name for it. This book was just ok, but the concept is awesome.)
  22. Once More We Saw Stars by Jayson Greene (Raw and honest memoir of grief, but with hope. The writing is very good. The mystic and spiritualist journey he chose made me uncomfortable at times.)
  23. Braving the Wilderness by Brene Brown (Some good stuff here about the need to mourn and rejoice with people of every background and idea. The paradox is that when we divide into like-minded groups we feel less connection than if we build respectful bonds with people with whom we differ. The wilderness is where we step away from cliques and political parties and experience humanity. It’s being brave enough to respectfully stand up for beliefs without tearing down others.)
  24. Beloved Bridegroom by Donna B Nielsen (I read this little book every few years to remind me that interpreting the Bible is not like solving an equation but interpreting rich literature.)
  25. A Midwife’s Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard Based on Her Diary 1785-1812 by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich (An important book for me to read at this moment. I have had a profound experience reading it. I chronicle my life, too, you know.)
  26. Still that Summer Girl by Elaine Wright Christensen (I love this poetry and I love the poet, my neighbor and friend.)
  27. All These Things Shall Give Thee Experience by Neal A. Maxwell
  28. The Book of Mormon (focus: what influences righteous behavior and God’s accompanying grace)
  29. A Year with C.S. Lewis: Daily Readings from His Classic Works
  30. The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner
  31. Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams by Matthew Walker, PhD (Highly recommended. I loved the research and the defense of sleep, including naps. We should honor our need for sleep. It affects everything.)
  32. And there was Light by Jacques Lusseyran (Beautifully written, deep truths.)
  33. The Majesty of Calmness by William George Jordan
  34. The New Testament

I keep track of books so I am accountable to finish what I begin. It was a funny reading year, an in-or-completely-out-of-it kind of year. Some of these books will remain with me forever. Others I have forgotten already.

I am still in the middle of two books, and have been since about, um, summer: Middlemarch by George Eliot and Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott.

My favorites are in bold. I didn’t put books of scripture in bold, but trust me, I love these, too. 😉

Little things this week

General Conference
I will really miss him.
Quilt group at our house this week.
These ideas for family history at a friend’s home were inspiring. It was an honor to see their family’s testimonies and how they celebrate their ancestors.
Loved it.
Tim has another black eye but declined to be photographed.
I kept the conference block tower for several days because Mark did a brilliant job.

I Read It Aloud

“Read the Gospel of Mark aloud,” I have been told several times in my life. “That’s the way it was meant to be experienced, aloud and during one sitting. It will take you a couple of hours.”

Well, today I did it, using Julie Smith’s rendition. It took less than two hours to finish. The King James Version is still awesome, but a modern language translation helped me see things I did not see before.

Her rendition is free on the Kindle. (LINK) If you have two hours alone, I recommend you read it aloud (or any way you like) and enjoy the good news.

A Quote and a Good Book

We infinitely wrong ourselves by laziness and confinement. All creatures in all nations, and tongues, and people praise God infinitely…You are never what you ought till you go out of yourself and walk among them.

Thomas Traherne, Centuries of Meditations

I recommend the book, Refugee by Alan Gratz. Mark had the option to read it and I was drawn to its subject matter. I read it in a few hours and loved it. I encouraged Mark to read it and talk about it with me. It follows the stories of three refugee kids, age 12, from three eras: Nazi Germany, 1990s Cuba, and 2015 Syria.

Books I Read in 2018

My top four books are in bold. The winners are a memoir, an economics book, a book about depression and anxiety, and a book of essays. It seems I liked books that challenged my way of thinking this year.

  1. The Girl With Seven Names: Escape From North Korea by Hyeonseo Lee (This was good, and eye opening)
  2. Emma by Jane Austen (I read this every few years.)
  3. No Life for a Lady by Agnes Morley Cleaveland (Memoir of ranch life in New Mexico 1870s-1930s)(Engaging, interesting, and made me want to go to New Mexico again.)
  4. You are Boring, but You are Uniquely Boring: 25 Models for Writing Your Memoir by Louise Plummer and Ann Cannon (a good, easy guide)
  5. The Book of Mormon
  6. The Zookeeper’s Wife by Diane Ackerman (pretty good)
  7. Friends Divided: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson by Gordon S. Wood (I liked the beginning and ending but the middle had a little too much political theory for me.)
  8. The Book of Mormon (This was our family reading that took us about two years this time, maybe longer.)
  9. The Book of Mormon (I focused on pulling out concise doctrines and phrases for a new project.)
  10. The Girl Who Wrote in Silk (Not recommended.)
  11. Queen Victoria: From Her Birth to the Death of the Prince Consort by Cecil Woodham-Smith (Minus the chapters about the Crimea and India, I liked it.)
  12. Unified: How Our Unlikely Friendship Gives Us Hope for a Divided Countryby Senator Tim Scott and Congressman Trey Gowdy (Not about politics, this book about friendship made me want to be a better neighbor.)
  13. Still Alice by Lisa Genova (I loved it.)
  14. Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi (A lot of the content made me uncomfortable, but it is quite a story.)
  15. Encyclopedia of Trouble and Spaciousness by Rebecca Solnit (I loved the variety of essays in this book. The essay on Thoreau and his sisters was my favorite. I loved the concept that sister is a verb…)
  16. The Gospel Comes With a House Key by Rosaria Butterfield (This is about the power of Christian hospitality. Unfortunately, I did not feel hospitality in her choice of language. It felt like she was writing to an exclusive group, with its own vernacular, which was somewhat unclear to me. I still loved her and I still felt inspired to open my home and my life to others to help bring people to Christ.)
  17. Who Cooked Adam Smith’s Dinner? A Story of Women and Economics by Katherine Marcal (She introduced ideas that were completely new to me. I am still thinking about it. I didn’t agree with everything she said, but this is an important book.)
  18. The Book of Mormon (focus: ministering)
  19. My Life in Middlemarch by Rebecca Mead (The most comforting, familiar book I could think to read after Daniel left home.)
  20. America’s First Daughter by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie (I couldn’t put it down.)
  21. Lost Connections: Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression and Anxiety and the Unexpected Solutions by Johann Hari (This challenges everything I thought I understood about depression and anxiety. I didn’t agree with all of his proposed solutions, but so much of this made sense to me. Highly recommended.)
  22. Saints: The Story of the Church of Jesus Christ in the Latter Days, Volume 1. The Standard of Truth, 1815-1846. (Really good.)
  23. Present Over Perfect by Shauna Niequist (Some good truths here.)
  24. The Book of Mormon (focus: references which include Christ)
  25. Mama’s Bank Account by Kathryn Forbes (I absolutely loved it.)
  26. The Persian Pickle Club by Sandra Dallas
  27. The Gift if the Magi by O Henry
  28. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickins

Memoir Project: Books!

The words I read to our children are part of our collective memory, and helped forge our identity as a family. Can you name the books that inspired the style of writing in this piece?

Austin, TX; Sahuarita, AZ; Sandy, UT 1997-2017

Books!

Four little children went for a walk in a wide, wide world. Through the house they clambered, down the hall, to the bookshelf, and to the couch. When they got to the couch, they counted themselves: one, two, three, four. There were no poky little children when it was time to read aloud at the Ross house.

In the great tan family room there was a television and a red broom. There were picture books about dog parties, kittens with mittens, a toy house, and Chrysanthemum the mouse. There was a brush (often unused) and bowl full of goldfish.

The kids took their places

With giggles, motions, and kicks,

And with hops and big thumps,

The kids chose their picks.

And I thought,

I love how they come near

To hear these old stories

Whispered softly in their ears.

If my mother could see this,

She would give a great cheer.

“Oh, you are not my mother…You are a Snort!” My thoughts are interrupted by laughter. And later, “Fire, fire!” The big trucks scream from the firehouse. Years go by, as we chant, “Oh, Mother dear, see here, see here, our mittens we have found!” and learn about the “no-no fruit.” What does the owl say? “Whooo. Whooo.”

One year, two years, fun years, short years pass. “Do you like my hat?” is replaced with, “Fifteen men on the Dead Man’s Chest Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!” and Hobbit riddles in the dark with Gollum.

Then suddenly it was quiet. Slowly, dust settled on the picture books on the shelves. The smoke and steam cleared away, and there were four children all grown. Four children, neat and tall; four sets of legs, long and strong. And Mom and her books were left in the house. Hooray! Shouted the people! Hooray! Just look at the children grown! The time she spent reading to them felt like a very short day. Perhaps her girl and boys will have another good idea, “Why don’t we read just like this to our children someday?” So, it was decided, and everybody was happy. Now when you go to the Ross house, be sure to go down in the basement. There they’ll be, Mom and the books, she, sitting in her chair, with her books right beside her to welcome you back.

That’s the kind of house we lived in. And I hope you remember when you leave it.

 

 

 

(Creative license and/or quotes taken from The Poky Little Puppy, Goodnight Moon, Dr. Seuss, Are You My Mother?, Fire! Fire!, Three Little Kittens, My Baby and Me Story Bible, My First Book of Sounds, One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish, Go Dog. Go! Treasure Island, The Hobbit, Mike Mulligan and His Steamshovel, and There’s a Wocket in my Pocket.)

At the Pulpit

This book from the Church Historian’s Press addresses the dilemma that we face as we try to understand the role of women in Church history.  It allows women speak for themselves, and they trample stereotypes and popular assumptions of who Mormon women are. Their words and their lives are inspiring to me.

I have learned something from each woman in this volume, but these are a few favorite discourses:

The School of Experience by Mattie Horne Tingey, May 19, 1893 (World’s Congress of Representative Women address about motherhood, including doctrine of a Heavenly Mother)

The Religious Crisis of Today by Elsie Talmage Brandley, June 9, 1934 (Dealing with doubts; encouraging questions in the youth; being willing to grow)

My Yoke is Easy and My Burden is Light by Alice C. Smith, Oct 1, 1969 (The most beautiful message about visiting teaching I have ever read.)

Latter-Day Saint Women in Today’s Changing World by Belle S. Spafford, February 11, 1975 (I loved this because I was amazed at her understanding of women’s issues and Church history. She teaches that the Prophet Joseph turned the key for emancipation of all women.)

A Latter-day Saint Theology of Suffering by Francine R Bennion, March 28, 1986 (How we understand the sources and purpose of suffering in this life matters.)

Study Notes

Here are some of my notes from last month’s study of the Book of Mormon. You may have noticed that my scripture projects are always evolving. This last complete reading of the Book of Mormon, I chose to focus on four topics and write down references and quotes related to each. I chose the following topics: faith, prayer, family challenges, and the atonement of Jesus Christ.

Of the four topics, the biggest number of references were about the atonement. I wrote 11 pages of notes about it. The other topics supplied 6 pages of notes each.

Here are a few basic things I gained from this exercise of seeking deeply by topic:

  • The Book of Mormon is what it claims to be: another [powerful] testament of Jesus Christ. There were nearly twice as many references about the atonement compared to the other topics I studied.
  • Abinadi is my new favorite Book of Mormon prophet because his message is so heavily centered on Jesus Christ. I wrote more of his words (and his Messianic quotes from Isaiah) under the topic of “atonement” than any other Book of Mormon prophet.
  • There are no ideal families in the Book of Mormon. What I found in Book of Mormon families was sometimes heartbreaking, but I focused on what parents did in response to the challenges. This was so helpful.
  • A common word used to describe how to pray is “pour”, e.g. we need to pour out our souls in prayer. The meaning of this grows as I ponder this simple word.
  • I saw that acts of faith always brought miracles, and always required incredible courage. Miraculous outcomes do not always manifest themselves as immediate physical protection. I need to embrace this concept.

These ideas seem simple and basic, but that’s how it is with profound things. Truth is simple. It’s deep, but discernable. I am learning to love the Book of Mormon this year more than I have before.

 

2016 Book Reviews

Here are my mini-reviews of the books that I read in 2016.

  1. The Flight of Gemma Hardy by Margot Livesey (I prefer the original Jane Eyre to this retelling, set in the 1950’s and 60’s.)
  2. The Book of Mormon (It’s a winner 😉 )
  3. Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker by Jennifer Chiaverini (Meh.)
  4. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows (Couldn’t put it down)
  5. The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and their Epic Quest for Gold in the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown (Well written!)
  6. Jesus Christ and the World of the New Testament by Richard Neitzel Holzapfel, Eric D. Huntsman, and Thomas A. Wayment (This was a 5 1/2 month study. I am so slow at this, but this was a good resource book for the New Testament.)
  7. The Wright Brothers by David McCullough (Loved it.)
  8. Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline (Recommended for adult readers. Lots of strong language and an explicit attempted rape. This book explored the life of an elderly immigrant, sharing her story with a troubled teen.)
  9. Somewhere Safe with Someone Good by Jan Karon (I have always loved Father Tim but I miss the old characters who have died.)
  10. Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow (Worth the length.)
  11. The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah (I mostly liked this.)
  12. Dressing Your Truth by Carol Tuttle (The author is a salesperson trying to get you to buy her program. Her approach to fashion is an interesting combination of psychology, energy levels, and physical features. I am very much a Type 4.)
  13. Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy (Very typical Thomas Hardy: a flawed heroine and a simple, honorable man; strong imagery, tragedy, but a happy ending. I liked it.)
  14. Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande (Everyone should read this. Everyone.)
  15. The Power of Everyday Missionaries by Clayton M. Christensen (Very good.)
  16. The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George (Worldly, not recommended)
  17. Seven Women and the Secret to their Greatness by Eric Metaxas (a second reading; for inspiration)
  18. An Invisible Thread: The True story of an 11-Year-Old Panhandler, a Busy Sales Executive, and an Unlikely Meeting with Destiny by Laura Shroff and Alex Tresniowski (Warm and fuzzy but also some tough realities.)
  19. Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson (So British, with some true satire. I loved the main character.)
  20. The Book of Mormon (Just keep reading, just keep reading…)
  21. As Iron Sharpens Iron: Listening to the Various Voices of Scripture edited by Julie M. Smith (I took my time on this one. I truly enjoyed the mental and spiritual exercise. My two favorite dialogues were between Nephi and Joseph, and Luke and Mark.)