Borrow Light

Lately it seems I have been craving a good novel that I could just sit and enjoy without thinking too much...especially since I do most of my reading the middle of the night and that is not the best time for deep thinking.  This was just a book I was looking for.  It is an easy read, the story isn't too complex, the characters are lovable, and it is clean.

And really who doesn't love a good cowboy romance?

Julia is a 27 year old Fannie Farmer Cooking School graduate engaged and living in Salt Lake City in the early 1900s.  Hate to say it be her fiance seems pretty lame.  Apparently Julia (I love that name) thought so too.  She broke off the engagement and took a job in the wild west as a cook for a rancher.  And from there the story unfolds so nicely.

I am have found that I am not a HUGE fan of LDS fiction...I am sure it is because I haven't found the right authors yet but so often I feel like some of the stories become very preachy and the Gospel undertones over take the story and characters.  That is not the case here.  The Gospel is woven throughout the lives of the characters in such a believable and sweet way.  I enjoyed seeing the development of Testimonies from different characters without it feeling like the author had was hoping to use the novel as a teaching manual.  The love story was pretty great too. 

It is just a sweet story that I really enjoyed reading...so much so that I read the 2nd book.

So there you have it...if you are looking for a nice summer read that than look no further I have found the book for you.

Happy Reading!

Killing Lincoln

What a great book!  It is a true story (obviously) about the assassination of President Lincoln, but at times I felt like it was a novel.  It kind of goes back and forth between novel like and strait up facts (text book).  But even the text book kind of writing was intriguing.

It was so interesting and so good to read that I honestly carried it with my all over the house (minus the bathroom...it was a borrowed book) so that if I had a minute I could stop doing what I was supposed to be doing to read a chapter (which were awesomely short!!).

There was a lot about Lincoln's assassination that I didn't know, for example I don't remember ever learning (although I bet I did) that it was a group thing...that there was a handful of men all with different leaders to kill and that it was probably MUCH bigger than that even...perhaps a conspiracy *gasp*.  I also didn't know that Lincoln felt his time was coming to a close; or what happened to Booth after words.  I knew he was apprehended but not how.  It was a lot of fun to read especially since I had been to many of the places mentioned in the book.  Another positive point is that I felt so smart after reading it...usually when I read non-fiction I really skip around but I read ever page.  It was that good! 

READ IT.  Learn something this summer!

A Heart Divided

You know those times when you just want a nice sweet story that is sweet, clean, easy, and a page turner...this was that kind of book for me.  I just wanted something nice to read that wasn't boring and I will be reading more from this author in the future.

A Heart Divided is about the Caldwell Family who has held a grudge against the Wainright Family.  The book never really went into the how...something about a bad card game, loosing the farm and shooting a son...you know small stuff.

Sarah has spent her life helping her brothers and father simply survive but funds run out and they decide to rob their arch enemies to get the money they need.  Sarah is caught by the family they are robbing and held as a prisoner until the town's sheriff returns.  Amazingly enough Sarah is young and pretty and the two Wainright brothers are young and handsome.  See where this is going?

I was excited to read it and see how it ended, but I would be lying if I didn't tell you it was a little predictable...simply because in the first two pages I knew who would end up together I just didn't know how.  Another thing about this (and so many other country love stories) the rough tough cowboys say things that no man would really actually say.  For example:

Older Brother Nick says to younger Brother Cord, "When are you going to unlock that iron cage round your heart, Cord?"  I just can't see my brothers saying that to each other...so it kind of makes me laugh to imagine. 

But it had both a sweet love story and a great message of forgiveness and moving on.  On of my favorite quotes from this book was:

"Ask yourself, where can I accomplish the most good?  Not that doing the most good might not be the hardest thing of all to do.  God never promises to make the road easy just because He asks some particular thing of you.  On the contrary, oftentimes what He asks is the hardest road of all.  But on what other road will you fulfill your life's true mission and find the deepest, most lasting peace?

Happy Reading!

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

What a wonderful story!  From the first page I was hooked and I was crying by the end.  This book made my middle of the night feedings with Ryan so wonderful.  Not that I didn't completly enjoy holding Ryan for an hour or more in the dark...but this book made it that much better!

It is a flash back story about a Chinese boy living in Washington during WWII.  He is the only Chinese boy in an all white school and is getting bullied every single day of his life.  Most of his classmates and teachers pick on him for being Japenese (when he isn't) but they can't tell the difference.  Then one day Keiko joins his class and his whole world changes.

This is such a sweet story full of family loyality, coming of age, making choices and living with the consequences.  It is a story about finding the sweet amongst the bitter during a time in American history when there was so much bitter.  There is a lot about our own nation's history that I had no idea about...even my own state.  I didn't know that there were "internment" camps for the Japanese people in Idaho...did you?

I give this book two thumbs up, a high five, and a little happy dance...it is that wonderful.

Happy Reading.  If you read it let me know what you think.

Have a New Kid my Friday

A couple of weeks ago I had had it with Jared's fits.  Did I just hear you gasp in surprise that my sweet angle boy throws fits?  Well he does.  And he rocks at it.  Since Ryan was born...well lets be honest...since I was about 7 months pregnant with Ryan I was too tired and my body hurt too much to be much of enforcer. (I knew I was going to pay for it but what other choices did I have?)  And After Ryan was born I am ready for things to return to "normal."  As in when I said something they did it.  (mostly) So I turned to this book.  I had heard about it a few years ago and I guess I was holding the idea to read it for  now.

It is a great book.  a quick read with easy ideas to follow through on.

I feel like it has given a little extra push to hold to my guns and to see that there are simple ways to make big changes.  Like keeping my cool, walking away, and not discussing certain things.

I am far from perfect.  I wish I was a little closer to it.  But it this parenting stuff is hard.

This book covers a lot of issues and will be a great resource to turn to...in fact I just might be doing that during nap time :)  At the end he covers specific areas that we as parents deal with from lying to sucking thumbs to tantrums to clothing choices.  Each chapter is a new day of the week building on the previous day until BAM Friday when kids become perfect. 

It also made me feel like the issues I have with my kids really aren't that bad...he puts in some parent examples and man alive some people have really awful kids.

Then again someone might look at my kids and say the same thing.

Anyway this is a great book for anyone with children.

Grade: Must read over and over and over again.
*I was reading this while reading Sister Hinkley's books "Glimpses."  I highly recommending doing that. 

making a small change

HA...you thought this was a book title huh? 
WRONG.

I am going to change the way I grade these books I read.  Instead of using letter grades I am going to use phrases I am also going to put the "in a nut shell" at the top of the page rather than the bottom....that is if I remember to (which I do not promise I will ever).
Such as:

Awesome
Read it now!
Awful!
What a waste of my time
Worst way to spend my free time
I loved it
Made me smile
Loved, but don't tell anyone
the bees knees
I can't wait to read it again

And so on.

I think the grading system really isn't allowing me to put in a few simple words what or if I liked it plus it is boring.  Come to think of it.  I bet if teachers used this system rather than grades it would be so much more fun to get papers back....unless you the poor kid who gets his graded paper back with "What a waste of my time" in red ink on the top.

Happy Reading.

Glimpses

I was given this book a few years ago, and I every now and then I would sit down and read a page or two and enjoy it but I never took the time to just sit and read it from cover to cover.  I am glad I finally did.  I have loved every page and getting to know Sister Hinkley a little better has been delightful.  What an amazing lady...I hope I can be a little more like her.
This book doesn't really follow her life from birth through death, but instead focuses on certain areas of her life and character.  For example some of the chapters include Mothering, optimism, Faith, sense of humor, and so on.

With each chapter I thought of ways that I could be a little bit better as a wife, mother, and daughter of God.  I have always loved Sister Hinkley and now I do even more.

This is a book I will revisit often, to be uplifted, taught and reminded.


GRADE: A+