Without the Mask (Charlie Bird)

Why I have this book: I borrowed it from DBS+ as an audio book.

I really liked this book written by a former (very popular) mascot of BYU sports - Cosmo the Cougar. I mean, Cosmo didn't write it, but the man who wore the Cosmo costume did. Charlie was a mostly closeted gay man during his years at BYU, but now he's openly gay, and still an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He chooses to live a chaste life and to keep the covenants he's made with God.

If I could give it a 4.5 on Goodreads, I would. Since I can't, I gave it five stars. I thought the author's thoughts were excellent, and it actually helped me with some of my spiritual struggles lately. (I'm not gay, but spiritual struggles can be similar even when brought about by different circumstances.)

I admire Charlie for being able to (at least at this point in his life) stick to his convictions of morality when he knows he'll never be able to have the life that feels comfortable for him as far as relationships go. I also understand why some choose another path as lgbtq members of the Church. It can't be easy either way.

Clean. 

I, Eliza Hamilton (Susan Holloway Scott)

Why I have this book: I bought it on sale for Kindle after someone recommended I read it before watching the musical Hamilton on Disney Plus.

Oh, my gosh. So boring.

I seriously pushed myself to about 35% (?) and I've chosen to stop. I'm a third of the way through and it's still a chore to pick it up each night. (I have no interest in picking it up in the daytime, either.)

So done and such a relief to get it off my reading pile. (Reading pile = books on my Kindle.)

Clean'ish so far. There's a mention or two of Hamilton being a womanizer and he and Eliza doing a bit of groping before marriage and loving the marriage bed after, but none of it is descriptive.

Planted: Belief and Belonging in an Age of Doubt (Patrick Q. Mason)

Why I have this book: I borrowed the audio version from DBS+.

I gave this five stars on Goodreads. I think the author does a great job at validating those who are questioning their beliefs and their faith. In my opinion, this book is so helpful for those who are doubting and also for the people who love them.

Does it answer every question? Not even close, and the author doesn't pretend that he can explain away the things that cause people to question or doubt. 

I recommend it for anyone who is a member of the Church. If you're doubting, this might help you feel supported and understood. If you have family members or friends who are doubting or leaving, this might help you understand their reasons.

Clean.

After the Fall: A Climber's True Story of Facing Death and Finding Life (Craig DeMartino)

Why I have this book: I bought it years ago, and I'm pretty sure it was mostly for my husband. It probably was also one of the free/cheap Kindle books on Book Bub or something. (Yep, just checked... it was free.)

I actually liked this book quite a bit for a good chunk of it. Reading about the fall and the medical/health issues he faced, along with the plan for his recovery was all very interesting. The book became less interesting to me as he talked more about his "ministry." I'm not sure why. I think I never really felt the depth of it, although that doesn't mean it's not there. It just didn't come across in the writing for me.

It's amazing to think that there are lots of people out there with life-altering injuries that affect their lives every day. I appreciated learning about that. It helps me have more empathy for others and what they may be going through.

I gave it three stars on Goodreads.

Clean. 

Live Up to Our Privileges: Women, Power, and Priesthood (Wendy Ulrich)

Why I have this book: I borrowed it from DBS+ as part of my study of priesthood power as per President Nelson's counsel in the October 2019 General Conference. I listened to the audio version.

Okay, so first I want to say that I really liked the author's voice and reading of her book. She did a great job.

I didn't find the book super engrossing, although the idea (comparing various priesthood offices and symbolic and real events of the Savior's life to women and their roles and gifts) was interesting, I didn't really "feel" it that deeply.

I did think she had some great thoughts, though, that I appreciated enough to jot down. (These are in my own words and the way I interpreted her ideas for myself.):

• Think about what we can do within the areas of our lives that can't be changed instead of thinking about how those things limit us.
• Taking care of ourselves and our relationships opens the door to hearing God.
• We can't be "born again" literally... we can't start over in life (as much as we might wish we could), but rebirth is possible and it's enough when we:
• Stop looking back at our difficult experiences and choices not as they exactly were, but through the lens of Christ's power to redeem.
• Creating a new story about what those things all meant and can mean with a perspective of growth and learning.
• Choose to allow our experiences to be for our good.
• When we think of our mistakes in life, focus on how much we've grown in life, not on how we've failed.
• Having compassion for ourselves brings empowerment.

All in all, I did enjoy this book and plan to listen to another of her books soon. I gave this one three stars on Goodreads.

Clean.

The Star Garden (Nancy E. Turner)

Why I have this book: I borrowed it from the ebook library so I could finish out the trilogy. I did read this years ago, but I must have borrowed the book because I know I never owned it.

Okay, so the writing and the story are so engrossing, but I really don't get how the author manages to have such inconsistencies from book to book. In fact, I recently found out that she has written a fourth book for this series, and from what is written on the back, it takes place at least a year after one of the characters in the book has died. She's alive in the new book, but she died in an earlier year in a previous book.

Anyway, I wish she had me read all her books so I could help her to see what needed fixing because it just seems odd that nobody else noticed before they were published. And here is a brand new book that is totally messed up with when someone died and now they're alive again (not really) a year or two later. I don't get it.

Otherwise, I do so love her epic stories, but I couldn't give this another four or five stars on Goodreads with these crazy mistakes. I gave it three stars... but I do still love the writing of Nancy E. Turner.

This book has all the drama and fighting and tragedy as the previous two books. There's also some surprising premarital sex (not described... in fact, I was asking myself, "Wait... did they...?")

What's It Like to Be Married to Me? And Other Dangerous Questions (Linda Dillow)

Why I have this book: I got it for free on Kindle. It was probably when I was on those Book Bub lists back in the day.

While I think the author did make some good points in this book, I also think it could have been about one hundred pages shorter. I ended up skimming quite often.

She used a story in the book that I'm pretty sure has been debunked as an urban legend (but said it was true), and gave another example of a wife forgiving her husband for sexually molesting their daughter. (Forgiving = working things out and staying married.) Listen, maybe that was the best decision for this particular wife/family, but I could never be with a man who molested his own daughter.

In any case, I am just going to delete this book from my Kindle account. It is a Christian based book, but I didn't agree with a lot of it, and I wasn't inspired by a good portion of it. I gave it two stars on Goodreads, though, because it did have a bit of good counsel for wives.

Clean, although there is a long chapter on sexual intimacy in marriage. I still think it's clean, but in case that offends anyone, I figured I'd mention it.