APRIL 2020

Hello Book Lovers,

We have had two Bookshare get togethers using Zoom in the last two months.  It wasn't quite the same as being together, but it was a nice way to be able to meet and talk about books we have been reading recently.  Here is the list of books that were reviewed:

JO ANN ABEGGLEN

With All Due Respect: Defending America With Grit and Grace by Nikki Hayley

Today’s bookshelves are overflowing with political books from members of both the Republican and Democrat parties, as well as opinions from those whose views represent those in other camps. Many explode and condemn by names the people who do not follow the same political beliefs. It was a welcome relief to see that type of behavior is not repeated in this book from Nikki Haley. One of the guiding principles represented is her belief that Americans need to “…refocus the country on working together to build our strength and not allow ourselves to be torn apart.”

Yes, that is easy to say and very hard to do. Throughout the pages of “With all Due Respect,” the author poses the tough questions she has dealt with and explains what she did and why, both as Governor of South Carolina and later as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. Ms. Haley shares her emotions, the strengths of a person with strong ideals. Through it all, the emphasis is on respect for all and working together to move forward.

Author Nikki Haley talks openly about the challenges she has faced through her life and how they have shaped her and given her the tools to address whatever confronted her over the last few years. She approached each issue and gave those who disagreed with her the dignity they deserved. Her actions describe even more than her words, demonstrating she is a person who looks past the racial and political lines to find agreement between people, between citizens of this country and of the world. She makes no apologies for acknowledging her heritage while at the same time considering herself an American. The world needs more Nikki Haleys. Five stars.


Her Quiet Revolution:A Novel of Martha Hughes Cannon: Frontier Doctor and First Female State Senator
  
  by Marianne Monson

This was an incredible read. I was very surprised. Normally I have a difficult time getting through novels such as this, but HER QUIET REVOLUTAION had me captivated from the first few pages. I will admit that I wasn't quite sure how the first chapter fit in until I realized it was the little girl that the story was about. At first, I expected the story to be about the mother in the first chapter. Once that connection was made, I was fascinated with what Martha accomplished and how she went against the norm of the day. She did so much for so many people. She helped so many people, and then after making the choice of whom she would marry, how that lead her down a different road. It was a fantastic read that I've already told many people about. I highly recommend it to everyone.


MARYANN STEVENS

MARCH BOOKS

Continuous Atonement by BRAD Wilcox 5 stars. 

He already bought the bicycle but He wants us to make an investment in our redemption. He has a garage full of bicycles.

Hope.

Jesus’ Atonement covers us. He gave skins to Adam & Eve to cover them. Arabic cover = embrace.

Don’t want just to live with God but to be like him. Redeem us to reform. Make us better. A doctrine of human development.

The only sins the Atonement cannot touch are unconfessed sins.

Lie Down with Lions by Ken Follett 4.5 stars for suspenseful story negative points for long pornographic love scene. Treachery, cunning, love & death. An American undercover CIA agent, a young French doctor gripped by hatred for those who ruined the life of his communist father, a young English woman who loves each of them with a different type of passion. From Terrorist bombs in Paris to the intrigue of Afghanistan of the 1980s, the suspense & action never stops- truly. 

The Full Cupboard of Life By Alexander McCall Smith. 3.5 stars.

Mr. JLB Matahoni is tricked into agreeing to a parachute jump to raise funds for the Orphan Farm. Precious gets him out of that. Later a disreputable mechanic, a competitor of Speedy Motors, is upbraided for his dishonest practices. Precious is asked to investigate 4 possible suitors for a very successful & rich business owner & hairdresser. The advice is rejected and two marriages take place. Fun, quick.

A Long Petal of the Sea By Isabel Allende

4.5 stars. I love this author.

Allende weaves the stories of three disparate characters to reveal the underbelly if some of the modern world’s worst crimes against humanity. She manages to tell their stories without being unnecessarily graphic. A surprise ending for a Latin writer.  The three characters:

Richard lives in an old brownstone he stubbornly leaves devoid of decoration & heat. An NYU professor & recovering alcoholic, he uses thrift, a determinedly austere vegetarian diet & a rigorous daily routine to push away the memories of his deceased wife & children whose deaths he feels responsible for.

Lucia is a Chilean National who lived through the repressive regime of Salvadore Allende. Her older brother, an ardent dissenter creates a natural climate for her attendance at many marches. When her brother disappears after a particularly violent protest, Lucia’s mother urges her to take asylum in the Venezuelan embassy until she can escape to Canada. Lucia becomes a professor, writer & investigator of the Allende regime from afar, now at NYU as a visiting professor. Her mother, Lena, spends 30 years searching for definitive proof of her son’s death at the hands of the regime.

Evelyn, a poor Guatemalan, lives with her grandmother & her two older brothers, supported in part by funds sent by her mother in distant Chicago, USA. her other brother gets involved in a brutal gang and later dies at their hands. Because of some alleged betrayal, the gang now brutally attacks Evelyn & her brother, who dies at their hands. The local priest finds a coyote for Evelyn who finally makes it to the US. As an undocumented alien, she reunited with her mother whom she barely remembers. Life is far from ideal but manageable until ICE begins snooping around & she must flee yet again.

A fierce unprecedented winter in 2016 NYC leads to a car accident that reveals a dead body in the car trunk of a car borrowed by Evelyn and this event brings the three characters together in a way that exposes each persons griefs  hopes.

Not only is the story a truly suspenseful thriller, Allende showcases the cruelty of Guatemalan & Chilean terrorism, the plight of undocumented persons, & the wretchedness of family disintegration. When you think all has been exposed, the ugliness of human trafficking is revealed. So good. 

Suffragette: my own Story by Emeline Pankhurst 3 stars 5 if you’re very interested in the history of the British suffragette movement prior to WWI. the differences between the rights of men & women and the treatment of men & women when using the same rebel tactics is really very striking. Mrs Pankhurst was the leader & moving force behind the militant wing of the suffragettes. They threw rocks, burned buildings, destroyed works of art but prided themselves on never injuring people. When they were sentenced to prison they employed hunger and then thirst strikes to obtain release as the government was loathe to have them die in prison.

APRIL BOOKS

The Dog Who Came in From the Cold by A McSmith 3 stars. Too many simultaneous stories

A Long Petal if the Sea by Isabel Allende. 4.5 stars. w: 'A Long Petal Of The Sea,' By Isabel Allende Isabel Allende's new novel follows two refugees from the Spanish Civil War, whose mock marriage as they flee to Chile gradually deepens into real love, set against a backdrop of war and upheaval.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.

3 stars story is intriguing, layers of unexpected twists & turns but low because of language. By all appearances Amy & Nick are the perfect NYC couple, both beautiful, charming & successful. Within days of each other they lose their jobs, the recession tanks the equity in their lovely brownstone &; Nicks twin sister calls from hometown, N Carthage Missouri to tell Nick their mother has terminal cancer. Amy has never lived anywhere except NYC but agrees they must move to MO to help. After two years of not fitting into the Midwest culture, Amy disappears or was she murdered on their 5th wedding anniversary. In the weeks that follow public opinion of Nick has already been convicted even though no body & been found & Nick swears his innocence. A dark tale of the unraveling of a marriage and a portrait of a well concealed psychopath.

BETH HEDENGREN

FEBRUARY AND MARCH BOOKS

February

Bandersnatch: C.S Lewis, JRR Tolkien, and the Creative Collaboration of the Inklings by Diana Pavlac Glyer

Paul and I attended a discussion with Dr. Glyer at BYU Thursday February 13. Glyer is a prof of writing and rhetoric and comes at the Inklings from a background of research on writing groups in general. I was fascinated and bought the book on Kindle as soon as I came home. Almost finished with it by the 14^th. Fascinating insights into the authors and the creative process in general.

Safe Journey: An African Adventure by Glenn L. Pace

My friend Sidney has recently returned from a mission to Africa and highly recommends this book.

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? By Mindy Kaling

Millennial comedian writes about the trials of growing up. Funny.

Princess of the Silver Woods by Jessica Day George

Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George

Silver in the Blood by Jessica Day George

March

Jessica Day George

            Tuesdays at the Castle

            Wednesday in the Tower

            Thursday with the Crown

            Fridays with the Wizards

            Saturdays at Sea

            Dragon Flight

            Dragon Spear

            

            Princess of the Midnight Ball

            Princess of Glass

            

            The Rose Legacy

            The Queen’s Secret

The One-in-a-Million Boy, by Monica Wood

Charming book about a boy who dies and the way his 108-year-old friend help his dad and mom to deal with the loss. 

Here if You Need Me, by Kate Braestrup

Memoir by a young widow who becomes chaplain to the Maine  Forest Service. Touching stories of helping those who suffer trauma and loss in the woods. Ministering on search and rescue missions. Finding God through helping others.

APRIL BOOKS

Diana Wynn Jones

            Howl’s Moving Castle

            Castle in the Air

            House of Many Ways

Fun trilogy—the first one was made into anime movie by Miyazaki. Quirky, funny characters!

Isabel Allende, In the Midst of Winter

I am about halfway through this—then I had to return it. Three people thrown together by a blizzard in NYC: A reclusive male American Professor of Latin American studies, a woman Chilean Professor, and a young woman illegal immigrant. Their back stories are told as they negotiate how to deal with a dead body found in the trunk of the car the immigrant was driving.

Ruth Reichl, Save me the Plums: My Gourmet Memoir

Memoir of Food Writer Reichel’s time as editor of Gourmet Magazine. Fascinating look into the publishing industry as it was. Ends when Gourmet is cancelled, as the internet hurts the market share of print media. Another excellent memoir by Reichl. Others I have read by her include Tender at the Bone (about her growing up years) and Garlic and Sapphires (about being a food critic for the New York Times). 

JRR Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

I’m listening to this as I cook, clean, etc. A joy to hear the beautiful language and the full story again.

MARLENE MATHESON

The Making of George Washington by William H. Wilbur -  4+ stars
My own book, written in 1970
I read this at the same time I was watching the docu-series on George Washington. Both were different sides of his story, but the book, being more focused on his younger years helped me understand the series much better. The training he received from his father, particularly, was what shaped his future into the great man that he became.

7 Habits of Highly Successful People by Stephen Covey   audiobook from Libby - 3 stars
I only heard half of it because it became tedious to me. It is good information, but almost all of this information I have heard all my life, much from Ken's talks, but Stephen has it organized in a specific way.

David and Goliath by David Malcolm - 5 stars - audiobook
I read this book years ago, but I listened to it 2 times through this book, so insightful!

Being Mortal by Atul Gawande - 5 stars - audiobook
He is a physician and talks about the end of life and dying in a fascinating way.  Not depressing at all.

Coming of Age in Mississippi by Anne Moody - 4+ stars - autobiography
A black girl who grew up very poor, went to college, participated in the Civil Rights conflict in Mississippi. Since I remember the events that took place during this time, it was very interesting to get a first hand look at the inside picture.

Joy in Every Sound by Robert D Christensen, MD - 3+ stars
This is a LDS man who wrote short stories of his life and tied them into the words of Hymns. It was interesting to read his personal stories but gave me new insight into writing my own personal stories.

GERI CHRISTENSEN

West With The Night by Beryl Markham.  A wonderful autobiography written by one of the first women aviators who lived in Nairobi Kenya during the 1920's and 30's and flew her own plane to deliver goods and people.  The book is beautifully written and gives an amazing insight into the author's life and adventures.  4 stars.

The Punishment She Deserves by Elizabeth George. This is a fascinating novel from the Inspector Lynley series and even though it was long, it never became boring or predictable.  The characters are strong and the story is intense and believable.  I give the book 3 1/2 stars.  

The Amazing Mrs. Polifax by Dorothy Gilman

As always, the Mrs. Polifax books are delightful, entertaining and pure escape reading.  This book is about Emily Polifax's trip to Turkey to rescue a defecting spy who is hiding in a Gypsy camp along with her young son whom she refuses to leave without taking him with her. The book is just like taking a trip to Turkey as they travel through the different landscapes and villages before finally able to board a helicoptor piloted by none other than Emily Polifax (her first time ever to do this) and they are safely able to escape their pursuers.  Wonderful quarantine reading.

With All Due Respect: Defending America with Grit and Grace by Nikki Hayley.  This is an autobiography or memoir written by the woman who served on the South Carolina State Legislature and was then elected as Governor of South Carolina.  She was raised by immigrant parents from India and felt like she broke many barriers of race, gender and culture when she was elected to serve the people of South Carolina.  Then she was called by Donald Trump to be the US Ambassador to the United Nations after his election.  She served honorably and well in this position for two years before asking to be released.  The book is very well written and gives a detailed account of the author's background, her political life as well as her philosophy and moral beliefs about the country and the international relations the US has around the world. She has seen poverty and oppression first-hand and understands the needs that exist in so many countries that are ruled by ruthless dictators who care nothing about their countrymen and women. It is a great book and well worth reading.