Why I have this book: I read the other two books by this author and liked them both.
Fun fact: The author turned out to be in the missionary moms group for my daughter's LDS mission. So now I've "met" her via email.
This book has the same kind of theme as her other two books (the various challenges of being a wife/mom/LDS/daughter-in-law/friend, etc.), but somehow the writing style creates a different feel. I'm not really sure how to describe it. I should read the other ones again... maybe it was just my perspective at the time I read them.
My cursed editing brain was triggered a few times, and one part I would have liked to see explored a little more... but all in all, I enjoyed it a great deal. I like how she takes real life challenges that a lot of women deal with and creates a storyline that often doesn't necessarily revolve around those issues. That probably doens't make sense... but I guess I mean that we all have many facets to our lives, and no one issue can stay our primary focus all the time. We have lots of things that demand our attention and contribute to the tapestry of our lives. And with all of those things, we keep living. Her books describe that reality well.
I will keep watching for her future releases, because I've found all of her books to be very worthwhile.
Clean.
Thursday, August 28, 2014
Monday, August 25, 2014
Hope Runs: An American Tourist, a Kenyan Boy, a Journey of Redemption (Claire Diaz-Ortiz, Samuel Ikua Gachagua, and Donald Miller)
Why I have this book: I borrowed it from the e-book library.
I found this book to be very interesting and eye-opening. It made me realize just how small my circle of the world is, and even though I stay plenty busy trying to do good things, it's definitely not in the same scope as the examples in this book. It was exciting to read about and made me think about the opportunities I do have to serve and other opportunities that might be out there.
I'm glad I read it... I find that it has opened my heart a bit more, and has made me more aware of the things going on in the world that aren't always on the front page. I'm grateful for the people who are willing and able to get out there and make a difference. I also am impressed by Sammy and others like him. They show the depth and strength of the human soul. It's inspiring.
Clean.
I found this book to be very interesting and eye-opening. It made me realize just how small my circle of the world is, and even though I stay plenty busy trying to do good things, it's definitely not in the same scope as the examples in this book. It was exciting to read about and made me think about the opportunities I do have to serve and other opportunities that might be out there.
I'm glad I read it... I find that it has opened my heart a bit more, and has made me more aware of the things going on in the world that aren't always on the front page. I'm grateful for the people who are willing and able to get out there and make a difference. I also am impressed by Sammy and others like him. They show the depth and strength of the human soul. It's inspiring.
Clean.
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
Weed Your Brain, Grow Your Testimony (John Bytheway)
Why I have this book: It is on my Deseret Bookshelf app. It must have been less expensive than for Kindle.
Okay, so I love the message of this book. (I think it might have been a talk, because it's not that long.) There were some editing issues (including one pretty big one) and annoying Deseret Bookshelf issues, but I got through it as I kept reading and became more engrossed in the message. I think a lot of members of the LDS Church would benefit from hearing or reading it.
I just wish it had been on my Kindle, because I love it so much more than the Deseret Bookshelf app.
Clean.
Okay, so I love the message of this book. (I think it might have been a talk, because it's not that long.) There were some editing issues (including one pretty big one) and annoying Deseret Bookshelf issues, but I got through it as I kept reading and became more engrossed in the message. I think a lot of members of the LDS Church would benefit from hearing or reading it.
I just wish it had been on my Kindle, because I love it so much more than the Deseret Bookshelf app.
Clean.
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
All Rain, No Mud: The Secret to Happiness in a Stormy World (Sharon Larsen)
Why I have this book: I think I saw a clip of the author speaking at Time Out for Women, looked her up, and saw the description for her book. This was a year or more ago. I didn't buy her book then, but put it on my Wish List and recently, when I had a gift card to Amazon, I bought it!
So... this book is only 80 pages long and is still about $10. I knew it was short when I purchased it, and of course, I knew how much I was paying, but I hoped it would be worth it. Sometimes a little book can pack a big punch.
I enjoyed some parts more than others. Some chapters seemed mostly like a memoir of her childhood, and while there were lessons learned and shared, it wasn't really what I was expecting. There were a few nuggets that were thought-provoking for me, and I enjoyed it in general... but honestly, I was disappointed that it didn't have a more direct and substantial message throughout.
I don't regret reading it, but I wish I would have paid under $4 for it. :)
Clean.
So... this book is only 80 pages long and is still about $10. I knew it was short when I purchased it, and of course, I knew how much I was paying, but I hoped it would be worth it. Sometimes a little book can pack a big punch.
I enjoyed some parts more than others. Some chapters seemed mostly like a memoir of her childhood, and while there were lessons learned and shared, it wasn't really what I was expecting. There were a few nuggets that were thought-provoking for me, and I enjoyed it in general... but honestly, I was disappointed that it didn't have a more direct and substantial message throughout.
I don't regret reading it, but I wish I would have paid under $4 for it. :)
Clean.
Monday, July 28, 2014
The Yearbook Trilogy (Allyson B. Condie)
The Yearbook
First Day
Reunion
Why I have these books: A friend recommended the first book in the series years and years ago. Somehow it always stuck in my mind, so I finally decided to just buy them. The Deseret Book e-book is way cheaper than Amazon... like $15 cheaper, so I used the DB app to read them.
Note to self: Never download a book longer than 100 pages on the DB app. You just enjoy reading on the Kindle so much more than on your phone!!!
So altogether, this trilogy was over 1100 pages long. It was okay. Interesting enough that I wasn't necessarily forcing myself through it, but not interesting enough that I couldn't put it down. I think the ideal age for a reader would be around high school age, so that could be part of it. (I am WAY past high school age.)
I don't hate that I read it, but I'm kind of glad I'm done so I can move on to something else.
Clean.
First Day
Reunion
Why I have these books: A friend recommended the first book in the series years and years ago. Somehow it always stuck in my mind, so I finally decided to just buy them. The Deseret Book e-book is way cheaper than Amazon... like $15 cheaper, so I used the DB app to read them.
Note to self: Never download a book longer than 100 pages on the DB app. You just enjoy reading on the Kindle so much more than on your phone!!!
So altogether, this trilogy was over 1100 pages long. It was okay. Interesting enough that I wasn't necessarily forcing myself through it, but not interesting enough that I couldn't put it down. I think the ideal age for a reader would be around high school age, so that could be part of it. (I am WAY past high school age.)
I don't hate that I read it, but I'm kind of glad I'm done so I can move on to something else.
Clean.
Sunday, July 13, 2014
The Art of Hearing Heartbeats (Jan-Philipp Sendker)
Why I have this book: It was the scheduled book club book for this month. I guess they decided to change it last month, but I had already bought the Kindle version, so I read it anyway.
I liked it. It felt a bit like a legend or fairy-tale kind of story, especially as it ended. But it was very engrossing and had a magical kind of atmosphere to it to me.
Overall, it was well-written and creative (although the scene at the beginning when the mom is describing how she met/married her husband just seemed too scripted and not really how someone would talk in a normal conversation.) It is the kind of book that creates a feeling that kind of sticks with you for a while after you finish it.
There are a couple of swear words and a couple of scenes of sexuality that are mild-to-moderately descriptive.
I liked it. It felt a bit like a legend or fairy-tale kind of story, especially as it ended. But it was very engrossing and had a magical kind of atmosphere to it to me.
Overall, it was well-written and creative (although the scene at the beginning when the mom is describing how she met/married her husband just seemed too scripted and not really how someone would talk in a normal conversation.) It is the kind of book that creates a feeling that kind of sticks with you for a while after you finish it.
There are a couple of swear words and a couple of scenes of sexuality that are mild-to-moderately descriptive.
Thursday, July 10, 2014
Tying the Knot: A Newport Ladies Book Club Novel (Josi S. Kilpack, Annette Lyon, Heather B. Moore and Julie Wright )
Why I have this book: Because it is the last book in the Newport Ladies Book Club series.
Well... I liked it well enough. It was an enjoyable read and it was fun to get "caught up" on the characters from the other eight books. It was a bit on the shorter side (176 pages), so not a lot of depth could really go into each of their stories.
Some of it was a little corny, and (spoiler alert) there was a little too much of the romantic happy ending for pretty much everyone. It just didn't seem very realistic when at least some of the books up to this point weren't even focused on romance and were more about other life challenges. It was kind of a lighthearted ending for what started out as a series with a little more substance. I was a bit disappointed in that, even though the book itself kept my interest.
Clean.
Well... I liked it well enough. It was an enjoyable read and it was fun to get "caught up" on the characters from the other eight books. It was a bit on the shorter side (176 pages), so not a lot of depth could really go into each of their stories.
Some of it was a little corny, and (spoiler alert) there was a little too much of the romantic happy ending for pretty much everyone. It just didn't seem very realistic when at least some of the books up to this point weren't even focused on romance and were more about other life challenges. It was kind of a lighthearted ending for what started out as a series with a little more substance. I was a bit disappointed in that, even though the book itself kept my interest.
Clean.
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