The Sword of Summer

Not the best hing I have read.found it very slow through most of it.
i do not think I will be reading the other ones in this series and that is a shame.

Armor Up

Geared toward youth today but I found it a great read.

I pulled so much good out of this to help me be a better person.

How to be an Extra Ordinary Missionary

This is geared toward Missionaries for the LDS Church but I was able to pull knowledge out of it that  will help me to become a better person and member of the Church.

An Unlikely Mormon

I loved this! It was a CD but I am counting it as a book.

The story of how Glen Beck the radio personality came to find the Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints and joint was humorous and insightful.

The Temple: Gaining Knowledge and Power in the House of the Lord

Was a little disappointed intros. I guess I expected more consider who the author is.
Had a lot of basic concepts and repeated itself a lot it seemed.
The flow was not there I thought.
Still I am glad I read it.

To My Friends; Messages of counsel and comfrot

This is a collection of talks Elder Holland has given over the last few years. At first I was disappointed that I had read and heard these before. Then about half way through the book I notices all the tabs I had inserted for items I had marked as well as the thought of having all of these from Elder Holland close and all together was a welcome thought.

be happy- Simple Secrets to a Happier Life

A ok book. 

I have no problem being Happy and positive, for which I am forever grateful, but I love Hank Smiths style so I got this book.

I really enjoyed his approach to showing scriptures in the Book of Mormon that can be a road map to happiness.

Whom the Lord Loveth

A collection of short thoughts by the author. I have been reading this for awhile since I can just grab it when I have a few minutes to spare and it works perfectly that way.
Love the thoughts contained.
Let me feel a quick pick me up when needed on so many topics.

Kingdom Keepers # 5 Shell Game

Not sure how to rate this. It is for YA readers but I got bored. While some great things happened I was left thinking this is the same old plot time and time again. I did like that finally some of the “good” characters showed up to help, I was not happy with how the main characters seemed to change personalities on a dime without any explanation. Even though it was left on a literal cliff hanger not sure if I will read the next one.

How Do I Know If I Know

Very quick and fun read.
Basic premise is you know more than you think you do.
I really enjoyed that scattered throughout the book are barcodes that you can scan to be lead to talks from General Authorities that support what that part of the book is about.

Youth should read this.

The Sacrament

Nothing really earth shattering but a good read.
Some of the different authors covered the same thing but that was ok.
A quick read for anyone wanting to look at the sacrament closer for themselves

Winners Never Cheat- Even in Difficult Times

As I read through this one thought kept popping up in my head.
Why are not more companies like this?
I have worked for a few companies and heard of others. All seem to proclaim great values as their creed, yet when you look at the details they fail to even come close.
I wish more CEO's etc were like Mr. Huntsman.

 must read for any business minded person.

Women and the Priesthood

I was not sure what i expected from this book.
I respect Sister Dew and enjoy her other books and talks. This was not so much about women and the Priesthood in the LDS Church but more about how to be a good member.
The first of the book she covered a lot of basic belief and doctrine.
Only 1 chapter dealt with the title of the book.
Other chapters related what and how women serve and work in the Church and how important and vital they are to the over all plan.
Don't know if it is a must read, but I enjoyed it.
Most enjoyable part was all the statements from Church leaders about women all gathered in one spot. For that it gets 4 stars instead of 3.

Book of Mormon

Love this book

One by One

This was a nice read. Full of stories that helped show the point Elder Bednar was trying to make.
The tying in of the scriptures helped show the overall theme of God dealing with each of us one by one.

The Power of Prayer

  A good read.
The examples and thoughts were simple yet held a lot of meaning and power for me.
We all know the simple steps to prayer and the whys, hows and whats of it, but this book helped me make some of my ideas more solid.
It also helped me to reaffirm that I need to do better in this area of my life.
A must read in my opinion 

Accomplishing the Impossible

Not really about accomplishing the impossible but good advice all the same.
Pres Nelson has a easy reading style, partly due to this being some of his talks reprinted here.
Enjoyable easy read but I wanted more on the subject of the title.

Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks

Well, this was a bit of travel down memory lane.
Not a page turner but some of what he went through as he grew was familiar
Finding D&D wanting to escape all ring familiar.
I had hoped he would have covered more about gaming happening now.

Divine Signatures, The Confirming Hand of God

From Goodreads.com:As Latter-day Saints, we know God exists, but sometimes we may wonder, "Heavenly Father, are you really there for me?"

When trials seem beyond our ability to bear, some people lose their spiritual bearings, while others are made even stronger. How can we strengthen our faith and deepen our testimony to the point that we can endure whatever life holds in store for us and emerge stronger than before?

In this unique book, Gerald N. Lund shows how having a correct idea of God's character, perfections, and attributes is essential to our ability to strengthen our faith and develop our testimony.

He also reminds us of how much God loves His children and that He "delights" to bless us, especially when we are striving to do His will. As and example, Elder Lund introduces the idea of a "divine signature": "Sometimes blessings come in such an unusual manner and with such precise timing that they accomplish something in addition to blessing us. They so clearly confirm the reality of God's existence that they buoy us up in times of trials."

Throughout the book, Elder Lund relates story after story - some from Church history, some from his own life, and some from acquaintances - that illustrate the inspiring and life-changing insights he shares.

This book is a powerful blend of personal reflection and deep doctrine that will help us identify the tender mercies and "divine signatures" that abound in our own lives and which will lead us closer to God

Short Story From first draft to final product

From Goodreads.com:SHORT STORY is not a typical "how to" guide. I spent time looking for a book which would show me how a "raw" story was developed through drafts, with comments received and the changes made. Struggling to find such a work, I decided to create my own, being transparent and honest in the details.

Using the story that gained me an offer of a place on a Master's in Creative Writing, SHORT STORY will take you through three drafts of the work.

The book details not only the major revisions, feedback given by a professional novelist and an academic, but also has a bunch of tips from my writers toolbox condensed between the drafts.

I hope that the process provides something useful for you, be it a tip from the writing toolbox, a look at the editing process, or motivation in knowing that you can do better than I did!  


My Thoughts: It took a bit to get through but I enjoyed the items he brings up about writing. Nothing really new but good points just the same.