The Reason I Ignore My Book Blog

There is a reason I ignore my book blog and it is not because I am not reading books. It is because I am too embarrassed to post about the books I am reading. So I am here to come clean. I read relationship books. For someone who is not in a lifetime committed relationship, I probably read them more than I should. But I like them. And somehow I think that intellectualizing my inability to find a lasting relationship by consuming large volumes of how to on such relationships is going to allow me to fix all the problems that are causing me to continue to pause at the door of committment. So I am coming clean because I want you to know that I haven't abonded the written word and because I think these two books are actually quite good and you may actually enjoy reading them yourself. Here it goes.






Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work and the Relationship Cure are both books by John Gottman. I like them because they are based on the prinicples of faith, hope and charity. They talk about being good friends and that good frienships come from basic and continual connection. The Relationship Cure is a specific guide to how to better connect with spouses, friends, co workers, siblings, and anyone else who is a part of your life. They have both been helpful to me.

I can't get into The Book Theif. Any suggestions?

#22 Rough Stone Rolling

Preface to this post: People from the LDS faith, the faith that I belong to, believe that when Jesus Christ was on Earth, he organized a church. Some basic principles of the church were the authority of the priesthood, continuing revelation from God, and Gifts of the Spirit. After the death of Christ, almost all of the apostles of that church were killed and we believe, the world fell into a state of apostasy. Over time, many enlightened people began seeking out and finding truth and a religious revival occurred. During that time, we believe, that Joseph Smith was called by God to restore a church on earth that would be the same church that Jesus Christ organized during his life. We believe all of this is foretold in scripture including the writings of Isaiah. He prophesied that in the last days a marvelous work and a wonder would occur, that Israel would be gathered, and that Zion would be built in preparation for The Second Coming of Jesus Christ. I hope this explanation makes the following posts make more sense.


Please indulge me in one more post. I can't stop thinking about this book, but more, I can't stop thinking about how this book ties to the things I have been studying in Isaiah since spring. Reading and rereading, trying to understand what those words are all about. One thing that has become clear is that there has been a plan for a long time, for all time. Isaiah knew about this plan. One part of that plan was organizing the world into the tribes of Israel. The tribes of Israel had the truth about Heaven and Earth and Jesus Christ and the Priesthood, but they had a bit of trouble following the commandments they were given. So truth would sometimes get lost and then it would get found and then it would get lost and then it would get found. It was a tough road. But God made promises to Abraham, that someday it would get found and stay found. He promised that in a far away time, that Israel and truth and priesthood would be gathered again and would not be lost.

What do you do when you are God and you are full of grace and truth and you make a promise to someone. How do you keep that promise when you are relying on your children, who have struggled so much over time to listen to you, to fulfill things. Who do you chose?

Seeing this book from the lens of Isaiah and God's promises to Abraham and The Gathering of Israel makes me admire Joseph Smith with more energy. The truth's of the gospel had come and gone on the earth many times, but this time, they would stay and The House of Israel would be gathered. And Zion would be built. The most amazing part is that all of those things are happening.

It seems to me that God's method for developing a person or developing a people who can accomplish his work is through tests and trials. There are countless examples of this in scriptural and secular history. The early church members seemed to experience an extra dose of trials that were physical, emotional, spiritual, and intellectual. But they seemed to become the people that God needed to accomplish his work.

I think I am done posting about this book, but I still feel like talking about it, so strike up a conversation. And it's about time I get going on book #23. I am changing from The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo to The Book Thief. I started on my trip to Hawaii and I am intrigued.

#22 Rough Stone Rolling

There are so many things I want to say about this book, but first I want to tell a story.

When I was 21 years old I decided I wanted to be a missionary. I decided this because I felt an abundance of gratitude for the blessings the gospel of Jesus Christ had given me and I wanted to show God I was thankful by making the sacrifice of serving as a missionary. So, a few months after I made this decision, I was knocking on doors in Ithaca, NY and telling people that God had called a prophet in modern times and his name was Joseph Smith. But I found myself struggling, because I knew in my heart that I didn't really know that what I was telling them was true. So I did what I had learned to do from the time I was a little girl and I learned it from this story..

From Joseph Smith History

...I was one day reading the Epistle of James, first chapter and fifth verse, which reads: if any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. Never did any passage of scripture come with more power to the heart of man than this did at this time to mine...At length I cam to the conclusion that I must either remain in darkness and confusion, or else I must do as James directs, that is, ask of God.

So, in accordance with this, my determination to ask of God, I retired to the woods to make the attempt. After I had retired to the place where I had previously designed to go, having looked around me, and finding my self alone, I kneeled down and began to offer up the desires of my heart to God.

I saw a pillar of light, exactly over my heard, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me. When the light rested upon me I saw two personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other- This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!

I had learned that, like Joseph Smith, I could get an answer from God about anything. So I prayed, and I received an answer, not a vision like the one described above, but an experience that was just as certain. This answer was only the beginning. The peace I felt allowed me to share the story of Joseph Smith with more confidence. During that time I was a missionary, I must have shared the story of Joseph Smith 8-10 times a day, 6 days a week, for 18 months, who knows how many times I told that story. The amazing thing for me was that each time I told it, without exception, the Holy Ghost witnessed that it was true, and not just to me. I told that story to countless people and everyone who listened to what I was saying, felt the Holy Ghost too. How do I know that? Sometimes they cried, sometimes I could see it in their eyes, and sometimes they would tell me. A few of those people wanted to know more and a small handful of people changed their life because of that story.

So, what I am telling you is that I know that Joseph Smith is a prophet. I am not delusional. I am not weak minded. I would dare say, I am the opposite of those things. I know because the Holy Ghost testified to me in a very real way hundreds of times as that story came out of my mouth.

So, some things about Joseph Smith are hard to understand. They are hard because we don't know all the answers and his life is somewhat mysterious. They are hard because they are foreign. They are hard because we weren't there. They are hard because we want God's ways to be our ways. I don't have the answer.

But I do know that in the spring of 1820 a boy went to the woods to pray and God appeared to him and called him to a marvelous work. I know that the work involved bringing to light another book of scripture that witnessed to the world that Jesus is the Christ. I know that all of these things came about because of promises made to Abraham thousands of years ago. Most of all, I know that anyone who asks can get an answer from God.

I still feel like I want to talk about this book some more.

#22 Rough Stone Rolling

I am in the middle of Richard Bushman's Rough Stone Rolling and it is totally engaging. I don't know how anyone could know the story of Joseph Smith and not be fascinated by him. Although Richard Bushman is Mormon, he is very fair. He almost presents the case of Joseph Smith being a fanatical visionary who invented a religion, but then, when all the information is looked at honestly, that answer is too simple to explain him. I have had two responses as I have read. One is an amazement of how much Joseph really knew and the other is amazement of how much Joseph didn't know. It is though he understands principles and has a vision of how the gospel of Jesus Christ will fill the earth, but he seems to know very little of the details. They seem to come to him a little at a time and through a process that looks a lot like trial and error. Not exactly how our expectations might lead us to believe a prophet should receive revelation.

One example occurs when Bushman is discussing the emergence of the temple endowment in Nauvoo. He comments on how it is connected to Jewish tradition. He explains how there is only a remote possibility that Joseph was even aware of these customs and then gives this statement, "He had an uncanny ability to recover long-lost traditions for use in modern times." It is the method of uncovering these traditions that is sometimes hard to accept, and yet feels consistent with how we know God communicates with each of us. The answers seem to come line upon line. And he uses information that is available in the world to get him started on the process.

I will warn you that if you have a romanticized notion of how the LDS Church was organized or who you want Joseph Smith to be, you might be disappointed in this factual account. Joseph was a convert to organized religion. He wasn't raised with Sunday School or much of any school for that matter. He didn't have a modern perception of what we think religion, particularly our own religion, should be like. He was rough in many ways. But I believe the Lord chose him because of his roughness, not despite it. The Lord needed a man who was good to the core, but strong enough to bring about a marvelous work and a wonder. The more I read, the more I am convinced, there was not better man for the job.

So far, I love this book. I let you know how I feel when I finish it. It's a long one!

#20 and #21 Catching Fire and Mocking Jay

I loved these books that finished off the Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins. I know when I posted about Hunger Games, I was a little ho hum, but Suzanne Collins got so much better by the end. It reminded me of Harry Potter in that the books were simpler when they characters were simpler, and as the characters progressed and understood more, we as the readers were ready for more as well. The books fall in a genre called dystopia, you can also find The Giver and 1984 in this group. These are books that for tell danger in coming societies if we don't change our ways. The futuristic society of these stories fortell the dangers of greed, a system that relies on the poor to create a comfortable living for the rich, and government control. I love that Collins did not answer every question or resolve every concern, by the end of the book, but also left us with hope. I know you will get swept up in Katniss and her family, but you may need to stick around to the second book before you catch fire, at least I did.

#19 Eat to Live

I don't know about you, but I am always interested in learning more about healthy eating and how food affects our bodies. It may because my mother would occasionally go through stages of no sugar in the house and I can remember occasionally accompanying her on visits to the herbalist. One thing I am grateful for is that we were too poor to grow up eating anything that came out of a box. I used to lament my homemade bread sandwiches with crumbles or our steady diet of beans and vegetables. We know now that so many of our tastes were formed during our childhood years. I never realized how blessed I was to develop my taste buds in a home with real food and a mother who was willing to cook for our family each day. I'm sure that seemed like tedious, never ending work for her, but it such a tremendous impact on my health today. I am so so grateful.

OK. Back to Eat to Live. I started reading this book because I have something called insulin resistance (everyone is talking about it these days) and I felt like I had to eat a high protein, low carb diet to deal with the symptoms of this disorder. I have been frustrated by that because it goes against the code of health I believe in called the Word of Wisdom. I have read and searched and prayed and thought about what to do. Then a friend with the same health condition recommended this book. The authors basic premise is that we need to eat more not less, but we need to eat more things with a high nutrient density. That means food that are filled with good stuff and have less calories. Which foods are the stars of this plan? You guessed it green vegetables. Which foods are the supporting cast? Fruit, beans, and other vegetables. Which foods should be occasional guests of the show? Meat and Sweets.
Here's a question for you. Which has more protein 100 calories of steak or 100 calories of broccoli? I know you aren't going to believe it, but it's the broccoli. And in addition to protein, the broccoli has all sorts of vitamins, minerals and cancer fighting, body healing amazing things.

So, if you are interested in learning more, I think you will like this book. It is called Eat to Live by Joel Furhman.

#18 Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford is a good read. I am not going to say it was a page turner, but instead it sort of moved quietly along, keeping me engaged in it's tale of young love and a human need to sort people by race and color. I feel like I am going to love the story more in days and weeks to come than I do now, like it needs to ripen a bit. Or maybe it will be somewhat forgetable. I am not sure yet. The thing I appreciated about the story is that it made me aware of internment of the Japanese during World War II. It is hard to believe that 50 years ago we were shipping people off on buses to live in work camps with barbed wire fences and armed guards. It is so difficult to relate to an era of time that has passed, even when it has passed so recently, when it seems so foreign to the time and place I live in now. I wonder what things my children will find hard to believe when I tell them about my experience with America as a child.
I would definitely recommend this book. It is a well-written, sweet story that you will enjoy, just don't feel surprised when you find it's ok to put it down and come back to it in the morning. It's just that kind of book.