The Last Lecture

Wow.

That sums up this book.

Not necessarily because it's brilliant writing, but because of how this book makes you feel, and how it makes you think about things.

I loved it!

Of course I spent the last part of the book trying not to cry out loud, (I was sitting at work). But for the most part, I spent the whole book thinking.

Thinking of course, about what I would say to my kids, or my loved ones, if I knew I wasn't going to be here for the rest of their lives.

But believe me, I think about that enough. My imagination doesn't let me not think about stuff like that. I worry what Brian will do or what I would do without him. But I try not to dwell on it.

Mostly it made me think about my childhood dreams and if I've achieved any of them.

I thought about some of the awesome things his parents taught him and what I want to teach my kids.

I thought about what are the really important things, and how I need to let the little stuff go, because do I really want Brian's memories of me to be about how I wouldn't let him get a new bike, or stressing myself out because things don't go according to plan?

I also have to point out that he mentioned Disney a lot in this book, and it made me want to go to Disney World/Disneyland A LOT! I tried to explain to Brian how much I love Disneyland, but he just doesn't understand. It's hard to explain that magic and how happy it makes me feel when I go there. But I did make him promise that we could take our kids there more than once when they're growing up, because that's when you feel the magic the most.

Another thing he mentions is about brick walls. How brick walls are put there to keep others out. Brick walls show you how much you really want something. Brick walls make things even better once you get passed them. Brick walls make the dream worth all the effort.

I think I'm going to sit down and make my list of dreams I had as a kid and do more to achieve those. I want my kids to know that you can make those dreams happen. And even if they don't happen, it teaches you a lot just to try.

Everyone should read this book!

The Last Summer

This book was OK. Unfortunately it reminded me of some of the books I read in my Adolescent Lit class, which I didn't like. The characters were very internal, only thinking, never speaking what they felt. I started the book feeling like I was supposed to analyze the characters and it never changed. While the ending was a little sad, it did tie things up pretty nicely so that's good.

It makes me a little hesitant to read her other books (The sisterhood of the travelling pants.) Has anyone read those? Are they really as good as I've heard? I've seen the movies and loved them. Should I ruin it by reading the books?

The Count of Monte Cristo

I really enjoyed this book. I know it seems forever long (600+ pages) but it really moves quickly. A plus was that I'd seen the most recent version of the movie, so that made it easier to follow characters and the plot, but I would still recommend this book to anyone. It also helps to have a good chunk of time to read it, like say, a car trip to California, or driving during rush hour in California. But still, very good.

Persuasion, Jane Austen

I really liked this book. I know not everyone is a fan of Victorian novels, or of Austen herself, but I really liked Pride & Prejudice so I wanted to give something else a try. To be honest, I first heard of this book after watching The Lake House.

This book stays true to Austen, and criticizes the social system she lived in, but I liked it better for the story. Two young people in love, separated by the persuasion of a parental figure, thrown together again after 8 years apart, and they have to figure out if there's still a chance for them. I related to this book and probably liked it more because "timing" was the issue. I have a thing for couples who fight against "timing." :)

For those of you who don't know, it took about six years for Brian and I to get together, and we faced all sorts of obstacles in between. Hence, why I liked this book. And I'm not giving too much away, because like all Austen novels, they end up together in the end. :)

Enjoy!

The Kingdom & The Crown Series

I loved these books! I really like everything I've read by Gerald N. Lund. I like the historical accuracy as well as the fictional characters that bring you into that world. And I feel like I'm learning without even trying. In this series I learned a lot about Jewish customs I probably would've never thought about. It was a really good read and didn't take very long. My only disappointment was the last one ended really fast. It summed everything up, but didn't give any conclusion for the fictional characters you grew to love throughout the series.

I would definitely recommend this book to everyone. And I have my own copies if anyone would like to borrow them.

Other books by Gerald N. Lund I would recommend: The Work & The Glory Series (Early Church History period), Fire and the Covenant (Martin & Willie Handcart Companies).

Broken Things to Mend

I really liked this book. It wasn't quite what I was expecting, but I still loved it. Each chapter was like a short talk on different subjects. I thought about putting a couple of favorite quotes on here, but I liked so many that it would end up being a quote from every chapter and that's getting kind of ridiculous. I just felt really inspired after reading this book & it made me want to do better.

Ok, I found one quote that seemed to hit me pretty hard.

"God expects you to have enough faith and determination and enough trust in Him to keep moving, keep living, keep rejoicing. In fact, He expects you not simply to face the future (that sounds pretty grim and stoic); He expects you to embrace and shape the future - to love it and rejoice in it and delight in your opportunities."

I would definitely recommend this book.

Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling

I finally finished this book today. It is a long book and was difficult for me to get through. As I mentioned before, I've come to realize I'm not really big on biographies, but once I started this one I wanted to finish it.

I had my doubts for a while about whether or not I liked what the author was saying or if I wanted to keep reading it, but after conferring with a friend that it "is a good book and you'll like it more once you get into it" I decided to keep going. I think having this week at work to read for hours on end actually helped because then I could get into it without interruptions.

This book has some interesting points on Joseph's life and how the church was developed. I can't say I understand or agree with how some of it was portrayed, but I don't know everything, so I won't say it's wrong. I think it's one of those things where you just have to realize the church is true, but people are not perfect.

There was of course, a section on polygamy which I basically had to just read and then forget. There's nothing appalling in there or wrong even, but it's just the doctrine I have a hard time with. Which is odd because we don't even practice it anymore. Also, because my grandpa's father was a polygamist and I wouldn't even be where I am today if he hadn't been.

Anyway, I would recommend this book to those who are looking for a fact-based look at Joseph's life.

I would recommend this year's (and last year's) Teachings of the President's of the Church: Joseph Smith to those looking for a spiritual look.