Reading Roundup // Jan 2016

I absolutely love reading. And now that I have a good routine going as a SAHM, I have been reading a whole heck of a lot more than I have been able to since high school! I mean, look at all these reviews I've done!

I've decided, because I have sooooooo many ideas for posts, to only do one post per month with reviews for all the books I've read that month.

So, I've joined up with Emilie, from Burke Does, to bring you a new monthly reading linkup, called Reading Roundup. On the last Tuesday of every month, link up with Emilie and me with either a review roundup post or just any book review post!
Make sure to check out Emilie's post as well!

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?

by Mindy Kaling

I was super excited to read this--everyone who had read it only had good things to say about it. I also really like Mindy in the Mindy Project. I expected this to be more of a themed memoir rather than just an autobiography. I really wanted to get her perspective on the title question, since I have that question a lot. But, I was disappointed with that. However, it was really interesting to get to know the real Mindy and it made me laugh because she based her Mindy Project character off herself! It's so funny to see the similarities! I also love that she is pretty down to Earth.

Redwall

by Brian Jaques

I have wanted to read this ever since I saw a few episodes as a child. I finally got it for a $1 at a local library book sale for my classroom. I loved the book the whole way through! It is pure historic fantasy. It was so creative, and perfectly set up as a hero's journey. However, the only thing I didn't like about this book was that some of the conversations between characters seemed a little forced, especially when they were trying to figure out codes and mysteries. They went through every single step of the process and didn't leave any room for the reader to figure things out.

Life is Beautiful

by Sarah M. Johnson

**I received a free copy of  this book from Book Publicity Services in exchange for a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Holy cow! Sarah grew up in a family of hidden emotions and personal issues (her dad was a recovering meth addict and she had her own issues with failing out of college, depression, and alcoholism). Her family decided to go on a service mission to Guatemala, but their small plane crashed, and 11 out of 14 passengers (including her dad and brother) passed away. Sarah came out physically unscathed--a miracle!--and her mother suffered traumatic burn injuries on her bottom half. This book is how Sarah was able to find her personal relationship with God and how she was able to use how He viewed her to improve and do better. 

I couldn't believe all that Sarah had gone through in her life and what a miracle it was that she survived. I couldn't imagine being in her place, dealing with a meth addicted father, or having to take care of your injured mother as well as your brother and father's funerals at age 19 while under the influence of alcohol and depression. Sarah's story truly is one of courage, faith, and hope. She is the epitome of staying strong. Presently, Sarah is married with children and working on a grad program for family therapy. She wants to specialize in loss therapy because she was so influenced by her personal therapist from her own past experiences. No matter what religion you are, this is a good, uplifting read and will definitely make you thankful for your life!

Better Than Before

by Gretchen Rubin

** I received this book from Blogging for Books  in exchange for a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I LOVE Gretchen Rubin! I read The Happiness Project a few years ago, and fell in love! She really spoke to my heart because her personality is a lot like mine! Ever since then, I have been trying to improve myself by her example (although I still need to read Happier at Home). So, when I had the opportunity to read Better Than Before, I was super excited. And, the fact that this book is about making and breaking habits, and I read it in the first month of the year during a time where my life was changing, seemed perfect! To be completely honest, I haven't finished this book yet--moving got in the way!

In this book, Gretchen reflects back to her experience from The Happiness Project and wanted to dive farther into that--why do certain things make us happy, why do some of us succeed while others fail, etc. In form true to her, Gretchen decided to do research--she organized the book in findings of her research, answers to her questions. She reflected on her personality and her responses to certain stimuli. But, the main point she was trying to get across was: there is no one-size-fits-all method to success; there are many different ways to succeed, and you have to find the right model for you.

I can't wait to continue to read and finish this book--I've been taking my own notes in the margins for me, researching myself as Gretchen has been sharing her findings. I'd suggest doing that when you read it!

Rules for the Linkup

1) Follow both of your hosts:

Tayler from The Morrell Tale

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Emilie from Burke Does

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2) Link up a reading roundup post or a book review post. Make sure it's not to your blog's homepage, but for a specific post. All posts that aren't a book review will be deleted. The linkup will be open for two weeks!

3) Read and comment on at least two other book review blog posts. This is to help build community and meet new bookworm friends!

4) Share the linkup on social media with #bloggerreadingroundup and grab a button to show on your post and/or sidebar!

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Sterling Bridge Book Review

** Don't forget about my Favorite Things Giveaway! **I received a free copy of this novel from Cedar Fort Publishing & Media in exchange for a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 
I was excited to read a sports book! I've been told time and time again by different sites, professors, articles, etc, that teachers need more sports books for boys to relate to. So, although I don't really like most sports movies or books, I decided to try it out.

Sterling Bridge by Chad Robert Parker is a historical fiction that is very reminiscent of Remember the Titans. It takes place in the 1920s in Tooelee, Utah. Tooelee (too-el-ah) is still a very small town today--it began as a mining town for all the copper and silver mines in the mountains in the west of Salt Lake Valley. In the 1920s, the last of the original Mormon pioneers were beginning to die off, but their descendants still harbored a distrust and prejudice against non-Mormons (I can't really blame them due to how the early Mormons were treated), but many non-Mormons and immigrants began settling in Utah to work int he mines. Part of the 7th grade history Utah Studies curriculum is to teach students about the impact of the immigrants and different cultures that settled Utah. The year I taught it, I had my students do a big multi-cultural heritage project and they loved learning more about their ancestors and their cultural heritage.  In this book, Tooelee is a divided town--Old Town and New Town...divided between original pioneer settlers and the migrants/immigrants. The narrator is 14 year old Joe Lacey. He meets Sterling Harris (a real man), a Mormon from another Utah city who is a football coach. Harris brings together both Old Town and New Town, immigrant and pioneer descendant, Mormon and non-Mormon into a rag-tag team. He creates unity with the boys and brings unity to the town.    I was honestly a little disappointed with this book. This was Parker's first novel published, so I have to give him some lax, but I honestly didn't think it was well-written. It is a little confusing to follow the events. Parker has this whole world perfectly set up in his mind and he knows the history so well, but narrating it to us was a little difficult. I also realize that Parker is a Mormon author and Cedar Fort's target audience is the Mormon community, but I think the book would have done better with less detail and plot of the Mormon church. I mean, difference of religion is a big topic, but the book could relate to other people like Remember the Titans did by focusing on the fact of different cultures coming together to be stronger.
Buy the book here: Barnes & Noble // Amazon
Find out more about the author here: website

Jihad, Jesus, and Peace Book Review

I am always interested in the similarities and differences in different religions. I believe that all religions have grains and seeds of the One Truth. So, when I saw this book on one of the display shelves in the library, I was very interested in what this book had to say about the ending days and how it's related between Islam and Christianity.

The author, interestingly enough, is of Egyptian and Middle Eastern descent, even though he is a Christian and was one of the founding pastors of The Church of The Apostles in Atlanta, Georgia. Michael Youssef explains on the back cover that he would "provide answers that are concise and biblically accurate." As a historian, this really intrigued me because it seemed like it would be a pretty unbiased book, though with a hint of Christian perspective.

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But, I was wrong.
The first few chapters were interesting. It talked about some of the basic of Islam, as well as the historic culture of the Arabs and how that influenced the culture of Islam. Just like Mormonism, sometimes it's hard to tell between the culture and the actual religion. However, I already knew that information from high school and college history classes. But, I don't really keep up with the news well, so the next part was interesting to me: he explained the difference between "moderate" Muslims (the ones that believe their religion is one of peace), ISIS, The Islamic State, The Muslim Brotherhood, Al'Qaeda, and other fractions and fanatic/terrorist groups. 
Once Youssef set that up, he started to sound very anti-Islam on a whole. He said that those fanatic groups, although evil, had more of a truth on what the Koran says than the "moderate" Muslims. He would like to believe the "moderate" Muslims were the true Muslims, but they didn't really understand their Allah's commands of subjugation and creating a world caliphate according to the Koran. He used passages from the Koran to show that the goal of Muslim religion is to dominate the world into a theological dictatorship known as the World Caliphate. He claims that the word Islam doesn't come from the Arab word for peace, but subjugation. He says that the violent actions against infidels, unbelievers, and hypocrites, is the true jihad, and jihad of inner struggles and against Satan are secondary. He says that most governments, including the US's has been compromised by Islamists connected to the Brotherhood and they are taking down our government and subjecting us very subtly from the inside out. 
I hated the way Youssef started to sound! He also used Bible quotes to prove that the AntiChrist will be the Islamic prophesied savior, their version of a Messiah. He uses Bible prophecies to connect them to Muslims, as if Islam is the Devil's tool. It made me sick. Half the book just sounded like he was better because he was Christian and automatically saved. It read very conspiracy theory. I mean, he says he has studied this and researched it and read sources of all sides. Well, I have read the Koran as well, and have had numerous Muslim friends. The Koran was peaceful and respected the Christians and Jews (although almost in a patronizing way) and a lot of the teachings of the Koran is parallel to the teachings of the Bible! Also, for crying out loud! Using the Koranic passages that talk of war against non-Muslims during the time of Muhammad to show how "evil" Islam is...does he not realize that God of the Jews commanded them to do the same to non-Jews in the Old Testament, even to kill all the herds and animals of the tribes they were to decimate?!?!
Overall, this was a really disappointing book. Although, it did teach me a little bit more about the fanatic Islamist groups. It was also a little ironic because I had finished it a few days before the Paris attacks, and I had started to write this post during the weekend. We now know that ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attacks, as well as a few other suicide bombings (and then, coincidentally, a few natural disasters) in other countries on the same day. So, there was a little apoplectic/conspiratorial part of me that thought, "he was right!!" But, that only lasted for 5 minutes.
What is your opinion on this book, the attacks on Paris, and just current news with fanatic Islamist groups?

Continuous Conversion

If you have been following my Instagram or Twitter for a while, you know that I have just been raving about The Continuous Conversion by Brad Wilcox. Seriously! This book has been a game changer! As you know, this year, I've had a little bit of trial of faith. But, this book has helped me refocus on the plain and precious truths of the Gospel!

Because this book is just so stock full of amazing truths, I'm going to do the same as I did with One Thousand Gifts and just list some of my favorite quotes! But, whether or not you are Mormon, I seriously suggest reading this to focus on Christ, His Grace, His love for us, and His plan for us. (He does include a few chapters on the LDS temples, but I decided to leave those quotes out and focus on ones that other Christians could relate to as well.)
"God isn't just proving us, He's improving us."
"'I can't do this Mormon thing,' a friend told me. 'I've tried and the expectations are just too high.' And she's not alone in her thinking. Many people, as they feel themselves falling short of perfection, are tempted to quit trying. But are there only two options? Think of it this way: When a person is learning to play the piano, are the only two options performing at Carnegie Hall or quitting? Similarly, in mortality, are the only two choices being perfect or giving up? No. Growth and development take time. Learning takes practice. Discipleship is a journey, and true conversion is a continuous process."
"Sometimes finding hope and motivation to keep moving forward...is as simple as going back to core doctrines and refocusing on them through new eyes."
"True conversion occurs when we stop trying to earn heaven and start trying to learn it. Conversion deepens as we understand the purposes and power of God and recognize how freely He offers His help...Conversion is refined as we nourish our testimonies and bring life to our discipleship. Conversion endures as we draw on the power of Christ's name and His holy temple. Conversion allows us to reach outward as we serve int he kingdom and juggle life's many responsibilities."

"I guess it would be easier if getting a body or getting baptized were our ultimate goals, but those are not the end. They are just a means to the end. Going to the temple and even going to the celestial kingdom are not the ends. They are means to the real end. The ultimate goal is for all of us to become more like our Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ."
"Elder Dallin H Oaks said: 'The Final Judgement is not just an evaluation of a sum total of good and evil acts--what we have done. It is an acknowledgement of the final effects of our acts and thoughts--what we have become."
"We accept the Atonement by faith, which includes repentance, covenants, and ordinances. Baptism and temple ordinances are not attempts to add to the finished works of Christ's sacrifice. These and other righteous works are extensions of our faith, by-products of our acceptance of Christ, and evidence of Christ working with, in, and through us."
"How could we believe it would be easy for us when it was never, ever easy for Him?"
"Parents know that children are learning and growing. Their love is bigger than smelly diapers and temper tantrums. They see beyond such moments to the children's great potential. God must feel the same."
"Giving up would be rejecting the Atonement. Trying is accepting the Atonement."
"In the command, 'Be ye therefore perfect' (Matthew 5:48), the Greek word that was translated as perfect is teleios, which means 'finished'. We are finished as we place ourselves in the hands of the 'finisher of [our] faith' (Moroni 6:4). As we make covenants with Christ, He offers to be our tender tutor."
"I visualize grabbing the iron rod as grasping the arm of Jesus Christ. The only way any of us can make it is by holding on tot he Savior and being infused with His power."
"Because of the necessity of agency and choice, we must be the one to grasp, figuratively or literally, the extended had. It is that outreached hand that we call grace."
"Taking hold of His hand and allowing Him to lift us doesn't happen automatically or quickly. It is a spiritual skill that has to be learned and relearned, and then, that learning must be continually applied."

"Occasionally I have seen a man walking near the BYU campus carrying a large cross bearing the words 'saved by Grace'. He seems to thinks LDS are missing that message. On the contrary, we already acknowledge and agree that we are saved by grace alone. However, we also recognize that being saved by grace is only part of the purpose of Christ's cross. Christ came to save us by bridging the abyss between humans and the divine, but then what? Salvation assures there is life after death and life after sin, but there also has to be life after salvation! Our goal must include more than returning to and making peace with God. It has to be transformed by Him." 
"When I focus too long on my inadequacies, I peter out quickly in my quest. When I focus instead on Christ, I find 'the power of godliness'."
"The Bible is not religion; it is a history of those who had religion. The religion of those who live within the covers of the Bible centered in living oracles and the ordinances of salvation. Theirs was a religion of prophets and apostles. That is the same religion we enjoy today."
"My oldest son, Russell, would say, 'We believe in the exact same Christ you do. We just know Him better.' How could Russell make such a bold claim? Because we have additional scripture and the words of modern apostles and prophets who testify of Christ and help us come to know Him. It is one thing to believe in Jesus. It is another thing to know Him."
"Too many LDS were zealously testifying of truth without actually knowing the gospel...Some LDS go through all the right motions without feeling any of the emotions. They settle for rule following instead of religion, for obedience and sacrifice instead of consecration, for testimony instead of conversion, and for cultural Mormonism instead of the soul-transforming fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. IT is time for a little zeal with our knowledge. It is time for a few alarm clocks to ring. 'Awake and arise, come forth, and do not tarry.' It's time for wide-awake discipleship."
"While serving his mission...my son David once wrote, 'People need to realize that Christ's Atonement is not just about giving us a fish, but teaching us to fish. It is not bout feeding us for a day, but rather feeding us for a lifetime--an eternal lifetime.' If this were not true, then Christ's suffering could be dismissed as nothing more than a kind but shortsighted act of a friend who is allowing us to turn in His homework with our names on it. Such a good deed might get us a passing grade in the moment, but it wouldn't teach us anything in the long run."
You NEED to read this book!

From Baptist Preacher to Mormon Teacher

** I received a free copy of the novel from Cedar Forts, Inc. in exchange for a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

As some of you may know, this year, I've had some challenges with my faith. One thing that has hurt it was the knowledge that there has been an influx of Mormons leaving the Church this past year. Some of my friends have even left the church. So, I've been trying to refocus on the plain, simple, pure, and true center of the Gospel--Jesus Christ. I've been reading books written by Mormons on topics such as grace, faith, Christ, testimony, and overcoming trials of faith.

Since I was born in the Mormon Church, and have never known any differently, I've been really interested in converts to my church and their reasons why they left another religion to come to ours. So, when I had the opportunity to read and review From Baptist Preacher to Mormon Teacher by Wain Myers, I was excited and really interested. I had lived about 8 years in Virginia, where the Baptist church flourished. Although I personally never encountered any hate from baptists there, I have had friends who have. One Mormon friend of mine was invited by a Baptist friend of hers to a local baptist church's "Bring a Mormon friend night" youth activity. The Baptist friend thought it was going to be a bonding experience. But, it turned out to be a Mormon-bashing experience. The Baptist friend profusely apologized to my friend. So, knowing that Myers was a Baptist preacher who turned Mormon really intrigued me!

First of all, let me just say I love the way this is written. It is so conversational. Myers isn't afraid to share his personal revelations and heart-felt heart-conversations with Heavenly Father. He also isn't afraid to let his culture, heritage, and fun-filled personality shine through in his writing. There is definitely some Southern humor, as well as Baptist preacher mannerisms in it, which makes it a fun, quick read.

Myers was born to a church-hopping mother in a ghetto area, with a non-present father. But, at a young age, after a sermon at a Baptist Church, he had a clear vision that he was supposed to start teaching the Gospel. So, he spent his life working toward that goal. He became a Baptist Preacher, and he was a dang good one, too. He loved preaching, he loved sharing the word of God. But, he was being paid for it, which never set well with that. And, he believes because of that payment (manna, or temptation from Satan), his life started to spiral down. He was a preacher on Sunday, but during the week, living not how he was supposed to. He finally left his Baptist Church and moved. He met a woman who just emanated the Spirit from her and he had another personal revelation that she was to become his wife. Sebrina was a recent convert to the LDS Church, and he started becoming interested in the Church as he felt God was leading him to it.

Although there were issues Myers felt with the Church, especially the topic of blacks not being able to hold the priesthood before the 1970s, he trusted in God and allowed God to speak to him and let him know the church was true. He related an experience he had before he even thought about the LDS Church similar to Joseph Smith's first vision: going to a secluded area and asking God which church he was to join. God answered to him none but that He would lead Myers to His true church. When Myers heard the Joseph Smith story, that was an affirmation that the LDS Church was the church he should join.

There were a few quotes that really helped me because they reflected the issues I've had with my church recently:

"One of the best things that happened to me while I was trying to find my Father's straight and narrow path was that my faith in men of God was shattered. It didn't feel amazing at the time, but now that I look back, it was nothing but amazing. You see, as I sought counsel from preacher after preacher and received heartbreaking answer after heartbreaking answer, I realized that I was looking for God in all the wrong places. It became painfully evident that I wasn't going to find Him, the real Him, in any of the churches or pastors I was interacting with.

When I found the truth in the LDS Church, I didn't see its leaders as men of God; I saw them as mortal men searching for answers--just like I was. That's not to say that they weren't men of God; that's just to say that I didn't expect them to be perfect. I knew that only one man has walked the earth in perfection. I have a clear understanding that we are all prone to mistakes and bad decisions--even Church leaders." Page 82

"When people tell me that they've asked God if the LDS Church is true and haven't received an answer, I know that they aren't truly relying on God for the answer. Instead, they're relying on their own understanding for the answer. ....

A young man once said to me, 'Wain, I don't get it. There are so many issues and past practices with he LDS Church that are bothersome.' I responded by pointing out that his issues with the Church are all based on the actions of man, not God. I've dealt with--and continue to deal with--the problems I have because my faith is in God, not man. Members of the LDS Church are human and have shortcoming and flaws, just like everyone else. I cant judge them; I've got too many of my own weaknesses and sins to correct." Page 130

It is definitely a book worth reading!

To purchase the book:

Amazon // Barnes & Noble // Books and Things

For more about Wain Myers:

blog // facebook

Project Read Your Classroom Shelves #4

I have been reading so many other books this past month, that I haven't made a big dent in my YA novels. So, I only have two reviews for today!

The Castle of Llyr by Lloyd Alexander

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I had originally bought this book at a library $1 sale and immediately grabbed it when I saw two obvious Welsh words: "Lloyd" and "Llyr." I thought it'd be cool to have a Welsh magic and knights story. Well, it turns out that this is the third installment in the Chronicles of Prydain, the most famous of which is the second: The Black Cauldron. After realizing that, names and events fell into place as Disney made a version of The Black Cauldron.

This book is the developing/discovering of the love between Assistant Pig-Keeper turned knight Taran and the tom boyish princess with magical properties Eilonwy. Eilonwy is sent to Dinas Rhydant to learn how to become a Lady and to be betrothed to the clumsy Prince Rhun. But, Magg, the steward of the castle captures Eilonwy and takes her to the evil witch, Achren. So, Taran, Kaw, Gurgi, Flewddur, and Gwydion embark on a quest to rescue her as Taran realized his deeper feelings towards Eilonwy.

It was a fun read, but some characters' relationships as well as allured events were a bit confusing because it is the third installment in the series. But I had so much fun pronouncing the Welsh names and places correctly and learning more about the epic tale of Welsh lore.

Rules of the Road by Joan Bauer

Teenage Jenny just got her license. She works in a shoe store and knows everything about shoes. Her dad is an alcoholic and has left her family (which includes her mom and younger sister). Jenny gets an opportunity of a lifetime during summer break to be the driver of Gladstone Shoe's owner (this is a national chain!) to take her from Chicago to Texas for a future-deciding stock holder's meeting.

This book has an interesting premise: comparing the rules of the road to the rules of life. However, I think the author tries to do too much in addition to being almost existential in life rules: 1) teenage girl saves cooperate business, 2) driving rules and experiences, 3) dealing with a drunk father, 4) teenage girl taking care of family, 5) ins and outs of the shoe business. It was just too busy. 

But, the characters are likeable and fleshed out, except for the antagonist. He seemed pretty ambiguous and two-dimensional to me. But, I really did like the resolution...not with the main cooperate saving plot, but with dealing with her denying alcoholic father. That was great.

Which of these books seem interesting to you?

A Thankful Heart and Giveaway

** I received a free copy of the book from Cedar Fort Publishing in exchange for a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

As I've recently mentioned, I am focusing on gratitude to help bring myself closer to Christ. So I was very excited to be able to read this book.

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This book is set up with 31 teachings or devotionals to focus on gratitude. It has a quote from a general authority in the LDS Church, a small parable or lesson, scripture references, and an ending thought. Christensen says that you can read these one of two ways--straight through, or take one teaching a day. That is what I've decided to do--one a day. Every day, when I wake up, I read two chapters of scriptures (right now I just finished 2 Kings), and then I'll read one teaching from this book. So, to be honest, I'm not finished with it, but it has done wonders to help me begin each day with gratitude. I am also highlighting all the references in my scriptures as they have to do with gratitude. But, even in my personal scripture study, I'm noticing more and more verses of gratitude and thanksgiving. It truly is what Christ wants us to do. I've seen myself kneel and say morning prayers more often, and my evening prayers are more full of gratitude. It has really helped improve my mental and emotional health, as well as strengthen my testimony and faith in Christ and His Church. Whether you are Mormon or not, I strongly suggest this book to help in your study of gratitude and recognizing all of God's blessings in your life!

And, because Christensen (and I) want you to focus more on the blessings in your life, we are offering a free e-copy of this book. It will be a digital copy, not a hard or soft cover tangible book. But, that way, you can put it on your smart phone or tablet and take it to church with you or on the road!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

You can purchase the book here:

Barnes & Noble 

Find out more about the author here:

Website // Facebook // Instagram

What are you doing to be more grateful in your life and see His blessings?

One Thousand Gifts

This summer, after struggling with both anxiety/depression, and a trial of faith, my mom suggested reading One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp.

This book is kind of a spiritual awakening memoir of Voskamp, who grew up in the Mennonite farming community of southwestern Ontario. She isn't Mennonite, but deeply Christian and had a personal conversion once she realized the true meaning of eucharisteo .

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Rather than do a normal book review, I want to just share some of my favorite quotes:

"Our fall was, has always been, and always will be, that we aren't satisfied in God and what He gives. We hunger for something more, something other."

"Now in the Bible, a name...reveals the very essence of a thing, or rather its essence as God's gift...To name a thing is to manifest the meaning and value God gave it, to know it as coming from God and to know its place and function within the cosmos created by God. To name a thing, in other words, is to bless God for it and in it."

"I yearn for the stuff of saints, the hard language...I want the every fullest life...it is hard to think that the insulting ordinariness of this truly teaches the full mystery of all most important, eucharisteo."

"In Christ, don't we have everlasting existence? Don't Christians have all the time in eternity, life everlasting? If Christian run out of time--wouldn't we lose our very own existence? If anyone should have time, isn't it the Christ-followers?"

"Time to breath deep and time to see real and time to laugh long, time to give You glory and rest deep and sing joy and just enough time in a day not to feel hounded, pressed, driven, or wild to get it all done--yesterday."

"All God makes is good. Can it be that, that which seems to oppose the will of God actually is used of Him to accomplish the will of God."

"The parent must always self-parent first, self-preach before child-teach, because who can bring peace unless they've held their own peace? Christ incarnated in the parents is the only hope of incarnating Christ in the child."

"Feel thanks and it's absolutely impossible to feel angry. We can only experience one emotion at a time. And we get to choose--which emotion do we want to feel."

"Anxiety has been my natural posture, my default stillness. The way I curl my toes up, tight retreat. How I angle my jaw, braced, chisel the brown with the lines of distrust. How I don't fold my hands in prayer...weld them into tight fists of control. Always control--pseudo power from the pit. How I refuse to relinquish worry, babe a mother won't won't forsake, an identity. Do I hold worry close as this ruse of control, this pretense that I'm the one who will determine the course of events as I stir and church and ruminate? Worry is the facade of taking action when prayer really is. And stressed, this pitched word that punctuates every conversation, its it really my attempt to prove how indispensable I am? Or is it more? Maybe disguising my deep fears as stress seems braver somehow."

"I want that kind of crazy, happy joy, God...How have I lost it in the growing older, duller? How to see the world again thorugh those eyes? To live in the wide-eyed wonder of a world that unwraps itself grandiose and larger-than-life, so other wordly?"

"Only self can kill joy. I'm the one doing this to me."

"Grace is alive , living waters. If I dam up the grace, hold the blessing tight, joy, within dies...waters that have no life."

"Eucharisteo is, yes, more: it is giving grace away."

"The communion service is only complete in service. Communion, by necessity, always leads us into community."

"The work we do is only our love for Jesus in action, writes Mother Teresa. If we pray the work...if we do it to Jesus, if we do it for Jesus, if we do it with Jesus...that's what makes us content...the contented, deep joy is always in the touching of Christ--in whatever skin He comes to us in."

Even though Voskamp's style of writing is very abstract, it was still a great read and allowed me to slow down my life and be thankful for the small things. I would recommend it to any Christian in any denomination. Honestly, I would recommend it to anyone!

Which quote did you enjoy the most?

When Beauty Is a Beast

*I was given a free copy of this book from Cedar Forts Publishing in return for a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I know I'm not the best wife around. I know I'm not always equally yoked to Justin as I should be. Sometimes I'm just plain lazy in our relationship. I should be his help-meet, not his task master. So, I willingly asked to review this book, to help improve myself.

Now, this book uses the term "abuse" to describe the 10 things women do that harm their relationships, but Sorenson makes sure to define abuse as the spectrum...it's not all just threats, sexual abuse (which women are guilty of too), or swearing and saying profanities toward him. No. It could be simple, subtle, little off-putting things that sometimes we just don't realize are hurting our husbands. Sorenson also reminds us that men are sometimes just as guilty with these 10 things, but there are already plenty of church talks, studies, books, etc condemning and lecturing them for that, but there aren't really any resources when women act these ways.

Now, this book takes an LDS gospel twist to it, but honestly, it is applicable to any Christian marriage, or really ANY marriage in that matter!

Again, Sorenson's 10 things are really a broad spectrum:

1) Controlling your spouse

This could be manipulation, isolation, forced submission, trying to make men thing like women (they are physiologically and psychologically wired differently!), trying to be overtly influencing in his church duties, making him do everything (chores, cooking, child-rearing) her way and saying that his way is wrong, the whole "what do you want to do tonight" "oh, I don't want to do that," and using "revelations from God" to control your spouse.

The one that I'm guilty of and trying to work on is having Justin do things my way, especially when it comes to Rhys, cooking, and driving. I'm not a perfect parent, and Justin takes good care of Rhys and Rhys loves him, so I need to be less controlling when it comes to that. Even simple things like saying, "Cook the fish first before frying the rice" (which I actually said on Sunday night and he called me out on it), or "get into the right lane, the turn is coming up" when he knows where to go is considered "controlling your spouse", and therefore harming our relationship. I'd be annoyed if Justin acted that way to me, so I shouldn't do it to him.

2) Verbal abuse

Of course this could be profanities, yelling, and being demeaning to your husband. But, it could also be little threats. It could also be nagging. Sorenson says that we shouldn't use PMS'ing as an excuse to be *witch-y*.  He says that a lot of times, men will tiptoe on eggshells because they don't want to upset us. Really, with reading this chapter, I just got the impression of the Kat from Taming of the Shrew. He even includes complaining about our husbands as verbal abuse. 

We really shouldn't complain about our husbands...I've seen plenty of FB groups for newlyweds that do that. NO! Remember what you learned as a child: "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all!" However, I do realize I am guilty of nagging Justin.

3) Drawing comparisons

This includes comparing him to other men spiritually ("you don't respect your priesthood as well as the Bishop"), physically (drooling over six packs when your husband doesn't have one), or situationally ("Bob is getting his PhD, owns a house already, and is making twice as much as you. Why didn't I marry him?")

I'm bad at comparing our situation to others, but together as a couple. I don't blame Justin for any of it, but I do have the green monster tendency sometimes.

4) Unreasonable expectations

Basically, think of your teenage check-list for the perfect husband. I'll be honest. There is no such thing as a perfect husband. These expectations could be in how he treats you, the job he works, his skills and hobbies, how spiritual he is, how he looks. It isn't fair to project a set of dream standards upon him when you agreed to marry him the way he is.

I wanted to marry someone taller than six feet, who wanted to go to grad school immediately, loved to read, and loved to stay active, and had some sort of musical talent. Although Justin is good at folk-dancing and some ballroom dancing, he is only 5'10", has an auto-immune (plus diagnosed flat feet) so maintaining as active a lifestyle as I lead is difficult, would rather watch sports or play a game then read, and doesn't need to go to grad school for his career choice (just take qualification tests and certificates), I still love him for who he is. I support his decisions, although if he chose to work on any of those check lists, I would be ecstatic, but I don't expect him to because I fell in love with him the way he is and married him for who he is.

5) Transference of blame

This is blaming all arguments on your husband, or saying that he drove you to do a certain thing, or "he brought it upon himself." It takes two to argue, and the truth hurts. I have seen my dad give up many arguments with both my mom and us children saying, "I'm the loser. You win. It's my fault," when the majority of the time, it was our fault to begin with. My dad doesn't like tension in the house and doesn't like confrontation, so he'll put the blame upon himself before someone else can do it.

I feel like I'm the opposite in this. I tend to blame myself more than blame Justin. I tend to think of myself as the worse spouse and him as the better spouse. Maybe that needs to be fixed, but at least I'm doing good with this chapter!

6) Creating doubts

Sorenson describes this chapter as "not necessarily seen as formal 'abuse'...may simply be evidence of bad communication skills or the utilization of dysfunctional 'techniques' in relating to others or in expressing needs and concerns." Really, it's making your husband think something that isn't true. It's kind of like Verbal Abuse and Transference of Blame put together. And, it can be seriously manipulative and cause serious damage to your husband's self-image and self-confidence. And the worst part is, sometimes it's completely unintentional!

One of the clearest examples I have was when we were dating. I've always been a pretty independent girl and put heavy dedication into my schooling. So, there would be a few nights that I would say, "Ok, I'm gonna go work on homework, see you in the morning." Then, without a kiss, but a quick hug, I'd leave and go work on homework. Justin never dated a girl like that, so he thought he did something to cause me to leave. Also, apparently, I have a few faces or tones that I use for various reasons. Sometimes that can be confusing to Justin and makes him wonder if he did something wrong.

7) Manifest Jealousy

Sometimes women can be jealous of their husbands: how they react with other women, staying at home while he gets to go to work, or how close he is to his family, etc). This can cause tension between the marriage. But, he also says it could also include women who are overtly dependent.

Honestly, I'm not jealous of Justin in any of these regards. I don't isolate him, I let him go out on bro-dates, and have his own hobbies, and let him play video games often. However, there was a point in our marriage in the first few months, where I had trouble socializing outside of him. So, when he was out with friends, after a while, I'd get real lonely and couldn't sleep, so I'd ask him to come home because I missed him. I don't do that anymore. If he's out late, or playing a video game late, I text him and tell him I love him and I'm going to bed (because he asks to know when I'm going to bed).

8) Exhibiting Violent Behavior

Now this is another spectrum one: actual physically violent behavior to him or his property, threats, or accidental violent behavior.

I am proud to say that I have never damaged Justin's property, nor have I ever touched him harshly. I have made a vow to him that I will never hit him. And I take that seriously.

9) Withholding Intimacy

Now, I'm going to say this upfront--this is a private issue, I'm not going to talk about Justin and me. Eww. Bedroom stuff should stay in the bedroom, and not on a blog.

Remember that one episode of Everyone Love's Raymond where he and Deborah got in a fight and then starting withholding sex from each other and then it turned into a contest to see who could go without the longest? That's an example of this chapter--withholding sex as a punishment or encouragement to get your husband to those unreasonable expectations. However, it also has a big caveat for women who have been sexually abused before or to whom sex is physically painful for them. However, the biggest warning he gave was that withholding sex because you just don't feel like it or are too tired or that "the stars aren't aligned" is a small form of this abuse. He makes sure to say that women shouldn't have to give sex to their husbands whenever they wanted it, but they needed to be clear about expectations and to remember that Heavenly Father gave us the commandment and gift to be intimate with each other. Intimacy strengthens the marriage.

10) Creating Fear

This is another form of manipulation. Again, threats like divorce, turning kids against your husband, telling everyone negative things about him, suicide, etc. This just isn't fair or nice, nor is it establishing a good strong partnership. 

Thankfully, I don't threaten my husband! However, he has mentioned that sometimes, he stays silent because he's afraid I'll get upset or it'll hurt my feelings. That, too, is a form of creating fear. We both act that way--we don't want to hurt each others feelings so badly that sometimes our communication as a married couple suffers for it sometimes.

Honestly, most of these chapters have to do with communication, which is one of the most important things in a marriage. I really enjoyed this book, and love learning different ways to improve myself as a women of God, a mother, and a wife. I definitely suggest this book to you if you are married, engaged, or dating someone.

You can buy the book here

Amazon // Barnes and Noble

C.C. Sorensen is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and has served in many positions on both the ward and stake level. “When Beauty Is a Beast” grew out of Sorensen’s many years of counseling husbands and wives who were struggling with various relationship issues.

What can you do to improve as a wife?

The Throne of David

** I received a free copy of this book from Cedar Forts Publishing in return of a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I have recently been studying the Old Testament. It is the second time in my life I am reading it straight through. The last time I read it was about 5 years ago, so there is a lot that I have learned and discovered this time. This week, I just finished reading about David, and now his son Solomon has taken the throne. So, when I was given the opportunity to review this mystery thriller about the "biblical" throne of David that was passed down through the tribes of Israel that supposedly settled the British Isles, of course I was interested.

I mean, come on:
1) Hebrew esoteric history
2) Celtic Christianity
3) British royal history
4) It all takes place in the United Kingdom and Ireland

Of course I'd want to read it.

The Throne of David by Ann Farnsworth is a mystery thriller, and while I'm not too keen on those, it still was an interesting read. The protagonist is David Lord, who is somewhat of a freelance detective from an accounting firm, or something like that. I never really quite grasped what he did. He is contacted by a college best friend who is the personal secretary of Prince George. A letter was found pertaining to the Prince that could lead to the change of the throne. David goes to England to help, but his friend is killed. Happenstancely, he meets the sister of his friend, Camryn, whose husband has been MIA for a long time in Afghanistan. The secret police follow them step for step and always try to capture them as they try to make sense of how the Stone of Scone (the historical mythological rock that is under the British Coronation Throne) is related to the Pillow of Jacob (a rock Old Testament Jacob laid his head on to sleep and then had a vision of God). Meanwhile, in the US, David hires ex-military information man Enrique to search for women mentioned in this romantic letter to Prince George to see if there were any children born.

I'm not going to mention more than that because I don't want to give anything away.

What I liked:
- The legends and myths of the Stone of Scone, leading into Celtic Christianity esoteric history and connecting it to the Pillow of Jacob. I really enjoyed reading about that since I had no idea about any connection previous. I want to go do my own research on it now.
- Always full of action

What I didn't like:
- I thought a lot of it was a bit cheesy or unbelievable--action and dialogue were sometimes forced or very cliche, dreams and visions with mystical powers didn't mesh well with the very realistic description of plot. The characterizing of the very Irish and the very Scottish was almost caricature-ized.
- At points, some information or events were a little confusing
- Information overload. A lot of times, there'd be a few pages of characters just stating the legends and lore, as if they were reading a Wikipedia article vertabum. It wasn't very well integrated into the novel.

If you like clean thrillers or clean mysteries with no graphic romance or graphic violence, then this is for you.
If you like Celtic, Hebrew, esoteric, Christian, or British history, then you might be interested in this.

You can purchase the book at the following:

  Barnes and Nobel//Amazon 

Find Out More About the Book and the Author at:

 Author's Website//Facebook//Twitter//

Would you be interested in reading this book?

Project Read You Classroom Shelves #3

It's been a while since I did one of these, and to be honest, I haven't been making my way through the novels as quick as I would've hoped. But, I hit a rough patch with some of them that I just wasn't interested in, so it made it a little harder to continue reading.

White Sand, Red Menace by Ellen Klages

Via

Dewey and Suze are a little odd because they love physics and mechanics. Their parents helped work on the Manhattan Project and now the war is over. Dewey's dad has died, so she now lives with Suze's family and they moved to the middle of nowhere where the government is doing experiments with rockets and missiles. This book is basically a daily slice of life with them adjusting to a new city, 1940s gender stereotypes, racism against Hispanics, and Dewey's personal past. I actually didn't realize this was a sequel until near the end! I got a little bored because there wasn't a lot of plot (the main plot didn't really begin until about the last 1/3 of the book) nor do I really relate to the protagonists as I don't care about physics or mechanics. But, I think it is wonderful that there is a book for girls interested in hard sciences!

Where I'd Like to Be by Frances O'Roark Dowell

Via

Maddie is in the foster care system. She grew up with her Granny Lane claiming that she was saved as a baby by a ghost. She loves to collect pictures of people and houses in notebooks and makes stories up for them. A new girl named Murphy came to the Children's Home and turned Maddie's world into one of hopes and dreams. They, and some other friends, build a little fort that becomes their special place, their home and Maddie begins to understand more about people she cares for and where she'd like to be. This is an easy read...it could very well be for later elementary school. It was simple, yet deep at the same time. This would be a perfect read for students or children who have been in the system before.

Afternoon of the Elves by Janet Taylor Lisle

Via

This is another very easy read...more for Elementary than Jr. High. Young Hillary has been intrigued by the different, quiet, anti-social, sometimes temperamental Sarah-Kate who is two years older, but only one grade higher. They happen to be neighbors and in Sarah-Kate's over-grown, wild backyard, there is an elf village. Hillary is entranced and wants to know more, but her curiosity leads her to discover the sad truth about Sarah-Kate's personal and family life. She learns that elves aren't always as they seem. I really liked this book, it was cute, but deep, and the way that Hillary's eyes began to open though Sarah-Kate's uniqueness was brilliant. 

Which ones seemed interesting to you?

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Project Read Your Classroom Shelves #2

I love this idea I'm doing of reading all my books from my classroom library. I'm having such fun reading YA novels again! In the past two weeks, I've read 3 of them and have already started on another one!

The Black Book of Secrets by F.E. Higgins

Via Google Images

I'm not sure what to think about this book. The premise is interesting. Set in an unknown European, probably English, Industrial or near pre-Industrial time. The author gives a pretense of finding documents and excerpts of an autobiography or memoir of Ludlow, the protagonist. The plot is about a young boy named Ludlow who runs away from his terrible life in the City and becomes an apprentice to a pawnbroker who arrived in a small town dominated by a selfish, conniving man. However, the pawnbroker is unlike others--he pawns secrets and writes them in the black book. 

I really did like the idea of the story, however, I thought the breaks and time lapses were a little weird. Also, because of the author's pretense of finding documents, some chapters are Ludlow's point of view, some are omniscient, some are the townspeople giving up their secrets. I wish the pawnbroker's background and personality was deepened a bit more. I also didn't like how the climax happened 2/3rds of the way through the book and had a ton of falling action and resolution. It went quite fast and not in a lot of detail--almost like the author was setting up for a sequel, but there is no sequel. 

But, if students like Industrial-era books, mystery, and a little of the occult (there is a secret group, but no bad occult stuff), then they'd love this book. There were many dog-earred pages that weren't there when I first got the book, so I know students have read it through before.

Alibi Junior High by Greg Logstead

Via Google Images

This is definitely a boy book! Easiest way to describe it to all you mid-twenty to thirty year olds--it's as if Agent Cody Banks had to fall off the grid and hide out for a bit as a normal kid. Yep, you heard me. And guess what, the protagonist's name is Cody! All this life, he has traveled with his CIA agent father, helping him in his missions--he knows numerous languages, is a genius, can take apart and put together weapons, and is a black belt. However, he and his dad were attacked in a bombing, so his dad sends him to a backtown in New England with his aunt to be safe. But, for all the missions Cody had been on and all the bad guys he's brought to justice, Junior High seems to be the most impossible mission ever. Thankfully, his next door neighbor's older brother came home from Special Ops in the Middle East and is a kindred spirit to Cody as he deals with bullying, unfair teachers, and his first crush.

The main reason I didn't like this book was the unavailability of the protagonist. That's the reason I didn't even really like Agent Cody Banks or Spy Kids...it's ridiculous. But, I did like how it showed how tough junior high can be--I taught junior high for three years, so I know. I also really like the character of Andy, the Special Ops who lot his arm in a bombing. He was the most believable. But, I know junior high boys will eat this book up!

Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks

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I saw parts of this movie when I was a kid, as well as reading part of the book, but when I picked it up, I couldn't remember barely any of it. So, I was excited to read this classic all the way through. Omri (what an interesting name) received a plastic Indian for his birthday from his friend, a cupboard from his brothers, and an heirloom key to open it. He placed the Indian in the cupboard, because why not, and the next thing he knows, the Indian has come to life! After getting to know the Indian and helping him survive in his room, his friend wants to turn a cowboy toy to real life...of course, you know how'd that would go. Also, they decide to take them to school, and well, conflict happens, temptation happens, the key is lot, etc. 

This is an awesome book! Omri grows up a lot in this book--he comes to understand the importance of human life and their own life (like their family, personality, culture). It's an easy read, even if the author (who wrote the book in 1980) wrote it like an author from the late 19th century. I know there are sequels, and I want to read them, but I'm a little nervous because I don't want to be disappointed since the first one was so good!

Other Project Read Your Classroom Shelves reviews

Which one would you want to go read?

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