The Kite Runner

It may sound odd to some, but this book about Afghanistan, war, and all of it's unpleasantries is quite good. Fantastic even. It was written by an Afghan man, Khaled Hosseini. He grew up in Afghanistan just prior to the Taliban coming into power, and fled the country to the U.S. It is a story of hardship, love, and power. Very good. Highly recommended.

I Capture the Castle

I liked this book, but it didn't end the way I wanted it to. The ending was good and in the end I guess it was right just not the way I had hoped. It took place after WWI and before WWII. It was not a war book. It was about an author who took his family to live in an abandoned castle. The story gets good about 4 chapters into it. I laughed very hard at the bear part!! I'm being vague because I don't want to give it away! It was a very easy read! The author I am told wrote Mary Poppins, but I can't say that is the absolute truth!

The Arthurian Omen by G. G. Vandagriff

This is a brand new LDS fiction suspense novel. It was a fast read with just enough happening to keep me interested. It takes place in Wales where a search is started to find a manuscript proving King Arthur was a real figure. King Arthur is still the subject of many fanciful legends in current day Wales. This book has a number of twists and turns, enough that the ending is a real surprise so don't peek.

The author gives a good feel for the countryside and mystery of the Welch countryside and language.
"A Celtic scholar is brutally murdered when she finds a clue to a priceless fifth-century manuscript that could prove the identity of King Arthur. Determined to find the ancient relic and avenge her sister’s death, Maren Southcott begins a quest that immediately puts her own life in danger.In the tradition of Mary Higgins Clark, The Arthurian Omen weaves a tale of mystery and suspense as pursuit of the manuscript winds through the medieval castles and monasteries of Wales. Stalked by a psychopath with delusions of a Welsh revolution, Maren is shaken to the core when a new crisis threatens to destroy the one person she loves most. Can she find the manuscript before the murderer strikes again? Or is the manuscript-and the legend-better left buried in the past?"

The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs

This book was a gift for Mother's Day. It was an interesting read, definitely a book for women. It is a story of a single mom raising a soon to be teenage daughter. It shares her journey, not ad nauseum, but with strength. It shares the friendships she has developed with other women who have helped her in her journey. They end up starting an informal club in her shop. It shows the support women can give each other through their life. If you don't knit, you will want to before you are done reading it.
It does have some language problems. I have edited my copy and would be glad to share it. I enjoyed reading it, although there are some heartwrenching moments in the book.
Sorry, no picture, I can't figure out how to make that work tonight.

The Host by Stephenie Meyer

I feel somewhat embarrassed to admit that I bought The Host on the second day after it's release. I debated over it, but I knew I would never be able to get it at the library and Costco had it for a pretty good price and it was my birthday. So don't judge me.

Now, I was pleasantly surprised by it. It was really quite good. I didn't think Stephenie could pull off another story as good as Twilight. The Host really is every bit as good as Twilight. In some ways I liked it better. The romance was there, but a little less gooey. And, while it is sci-fi, you don't notice that so much.

There are some strong resemblances to Twilight in this book. The structure of the love story is similar. You'll notice if you read it. In the end though, I read the book in just a few days. Just like with Twilight, nothing got done and my children suffered. When you get the chance, read it. You'll like it. I almost think even my husband would like it, though I am sure he would never consent to read it.

Enemy Women by Paulette Jiles

This was a pretty good book. A young girl gets caught in the whirl wind of the Civil War. She is imprisoned for helping the enemy, escapes, and must somehow continue on with her life. She is essentially left with very little to live for. My complaint is the ending. I hated it. But, in defense of the book, I have read a lot of books that I don't like the ending of them. Overall, it was a very interesting book. The ending just stunk.

The Pleasure of My Company

Written by the comedian Steve Martin, this is a delightful, practically clean, quick, quirky read. I like to describe it as not so much as a rich dessert but as a yummy cupcake. With his clever writing style you'll find yourself rallying behind the odd protagonist despite his quirky habits. I laughed several times so that Sean was intriqued. We both give it a full four out of five stars. You can read almost three-quarters of it here (but if you read that much, you're really going to want to know how it ends... so you'll have to get your own copy.)

On Becoming Child Wise

I have been a long time fan of the 'On Becoming...' series by Gary Ezzo and Robert Bucknam. They took me through the new born stages and how to get little Ethan and Maille to sleep through the night and to awake smiling. I've read their second book 'On Becoming Toddler Wise' and felt like it had a lot of good information, but I was blown away by the Child Wise book. While reading the book I had a paper and pencil in hand, writing down key guidance and information in rearing all-around great kid! Some of the topics included, first and foremost...Instill good Morals. The Golden Rule, is a terrific tool. Do unto others as you would have others do unto you. Second: Labor, teach the child to work for the family and for themselves. Third: Respect for age. What we can do about our child screaming for our attention while we're trying to talk with another adult. And where did the titles Mr. and Mrs. disappear to. Fourth: Discipline and the 5 laws of correction. How to deal with temper tantrums. Praise and Respect. The list goes on as to how we can teach our children to become the virtuous, good willed, respectful, independent and happy children that they are and can continue to become. I recommend this book to every mother and father on the planet!

The Storm Testament

In desperation for something to read I picked up a much abused copy of The Storm Testament. I've never read any of these and Nathan loved at least the first one. While the story was pretty good I had a very difficult time connecting to the characters. Dan Storm is a teenager thrown into living off the land and becoming a hardened mountain man. This is a fantasy made for teenage boys. I mean, what teenage boy hasn't dreamed about living off the land and marrying a beautiful Indian girl. My other complaints include the lack of dialog and the amount of fighting. Dan Storm fought mormon haters, a bear, several Indians, and a couple of lousy trappers who tried to steal from him. This book just wasn't my cup of tea. . . maybe Nathan and I just don't have the same taste in books. Big surprise.

Trusting Jesus by Jeffrey R. Holland

I love Elder Holland. I think it stems back to the time he spoke to the missionaries when I was in the MTC. He said to let him know if any of us was thinking of going home because he would come tie us to our beds with the bed sheets. From then on I paid attention to him. He is so human. This book is filled with talks he has given, but its organized and still flows nicely. I enjoyed reading every talk and each one hit me with a different feeling of comfort or desire to improve. It seemed to me a good reminder of who we really can always count on. I really loved it.