A Better Man by Louise Penny

It has been such a long time since I've listened to a Gamache book, and it took no time at all for me to be sucked back in to Three Pines and the world of Armand Gamache. I love Gamache so much. Some of Penny's descriptions have gotten noticeably stale, as this is the 15th book in the series--she loves to describe the characters in the same way every book. Gamache has his kind but intelligent eyes, Clara has paint in her hair. But then again, that makes sense; it's part of the magic of Three Pines that they remain the same and are the same people you see every time. The mystery in this book, about a woman who was found murdered in the river behind Three Pines, was gripping, and Penny did an amazing job again creating the setting for the book with the river overrunning its banks. I breezed through this audiobook. Even if some things are getting old, I will always come back for every Gamache story.

Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram X. Kendi

This is one of the most fascinating and mind-blowing I have read in a long time. I listened to it, actually, or else I would have been underlining things on every single page and I would have so many more things to say about it than I have right now. I have thought about this book at least once a day since finishing it six weeks ago; so many of the stories he told and the points he made are so fresh, even when he was talking about things that happened three hundred years ago in America. The main thing he made me believe was that the only thing wrong with black people is that we think there's something wrong with black people--and I never really understood what that meant until he explained it throughout the book, over and over again. He started at the beginning of our American history and used five crucial American thinkers and how they dictated and represented the racist (or anti-racist) ways Americans thought and have thought at the time. I could not believe all of the parts of our history that he wrote about that I did not know or which I'd never understood in the way he shared. Like, the fact that after the Civil War, in the beginning of Reconstruction, there were black Congressmen from the South, who were slowly pushed out by the South as they reclaimed their hold over Black people through Jim Crow and anti-voting laws. I had no idea. I feel ashamed that I didn't know about all of the Black activists who have been making a difference to change political and public opinions for centuries in our country--I knew many, but they were represented here in such a more complete way that I learned so much. This book was definitely the best book I've read/listened to all year, and I feel like I might buy a copy so that I can read it again and remember better what I've learned.

My Calamity Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows

I absolutely, totally loved My Lady Jane by these same authors, a few years ago, and I really liked the sequel My Plain Jane. I loved how they did a fantastical, funny, irreverent retelling of historical figures or fictional characters. So I have been looking forward to the third book in this Lady Janies trilogy for a few years now. And it was incredibly disappointing. The story was really pretty boring, I didn't love the characters, and I felt like there were some really boring high-minded "tolerance" sections where a character preaches about how people have been so mean to the native American tribes. I totally agree, it just really grated how they decided to talk about it in this book. Definitely not even close to the other two books.

The Library Book by Susan Orlean

This was one of my favorite books I read this year. I heard about this on the What Should I Read Next? podcast and immediately bought it for myself for my birthday. I knew it was going to be a hit because I am always, always interested in books about books and libraries. Orlean covers such a wide scope in this book--the book is mainly about the LA Library fire in 1986, but she dives deep into the history of libraries in general, the history of library fires, the history of the LA Library in specific, the biography of Harry Peak (the suspected arsonist of the LA Library), and what the LA Library is like now. It was amazing and was some of the best non-fiction I've read in a long time.

Understanding the Book of Mormon: A Reader's Guide by Grant Hardy

Austin tried to get me to read this so long ago and it sat on my bedside stand for way too long. I kept meaning to and not managing to get around to it--but once I did, I found it so interesting! I thought this book gave a whole different way to read the Book of Mormon, and gave me so many more insights into the three main narrators or writers of the Book of Mormon. Hardy analyzes what we can figure out about Nephi, Mormon, and Moroni, from what they include, what they leave out, and the way they write. A lot of what he discusses is pure speculation, but it's very interesting to consider and really helped me to imagine them as humans. He also provided a lot of deep textual analysis of important sections to help discuss the prophets, but I'll admit that I did skim a lot of those sections--I didn't have a ton of time to dedicate to this book and I wanted to be able to finish it. I feel like this was really worth the read, though, and I'll remember some of his insights for a while to come. 

Biased: Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice that Shapes What We See, Think, and Do by Jennifer L. Eberhardt

I really enjoyed this nonfiction book about biases and how we can tell where our biases are. I liked how Eberhardt included her own personal experiences alongside research which she has conducted and other research, and how she discussed how these things apply for police and for other people. Unfortunately, I'm reviewing this so long after reading it that I can't remember any more specifics to write! Dang it.

Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi

Another nursing Newbery read, and I liked this one way more than I expected to. When I started it and realized it was set in the Middle Ages and the main character was this peasant/serf boy, I really didn't want to read it. I guess I thought it might be like The Midwife's Apprentice, which wasn't my favorite book by any means. Plus, the Middle Ages is just a depressing time. But this book had a lot more adventure and excitement in it than I expected, and I found myself dreaming about it last night, so I definitely got more out of it than I thought I would. I wouldn't say I loved the characters--Crispin never seemed to have any personality--but I thought the plot was fun and exciting and I was able to understand a little more of medieval culture just from seeing how entrenched the religion was in these characters and the way things were for them, so it was worth the read. 

The Christ Who Heals: How God Restored the Truth that Saves Us by Fiona Givens and Terryl Givens

I absolutely loved the Givenses previous book, The God Who Weeps, which I read in 2013. My mom said she wanted us all to read their next book, The Christ Who Heals, for her birthday. I slacked a lot and didn't get a chance to finish it before we discussed it, but I did finish it this past week, and it was also really good. Both Fiona and Terryl Givens are incredibly smart and well-read scholars, and they are so interesting to read because they do such a good job incorporating references from history and from all throughout the scriptures and Mormon history and doctrine. This book describes all the aspects of our understanding of Jesus Christ and how our belief in Christ differs from other Christian faiths--and why that difference matters to us. I underlined so many fantastic parts in here that it would be hard to add them all, but I thought this was an incredible faith-promoting book.

Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes

I feel like this book would be a great read-aloud book with the boys, especially if you're trying to learn about American history. A good Fourth of July book, maybe. I read this because it was a Newbery winner, but I actually enjoyed it a bit more than I was expecting. I definitely got caught up in it, and I could see boys who had learned about Paul Revere and the Boston Tea Party in school being so excited about this book. There were a few things that dated it--a negative reference to black people really turned me off--but it was written in 1942. Otherwise, it stands up and is a great illustration of what life was like in Boston during the lead-up to the American Revolution. I felt like I was there, the details were so well-done and thorough. 

Don't Overthink It: Make Easier Decisions, Stop Second-Guessing, and Bring More Joy to Your Life by Anne Bogel

Annie Dillard said, "How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. What we do with this hour, and that one, is what we are doing." And Anne Bogel says that if we spend time stressing and overthinking, that is what we are doing with our lives. We should not be doing that. I really enjoyed this quick and thoughtful book about how to think more clearly and make quicker decisions. I felt like a few of her points seemed to really coincide with advice we are given in General Conference, in a secular way. 

A few things I loved from this book:

• Your thoughts can be your enemy or your ally. Your thoughts are connected to your health and well-being, and paying attention to what you think about is key. 
• Deciding what your major values are can help you with making decisions. Our values can also influence what we choose to keep before our minds (like books, issues, news, etc.).
• "Our lives should reflect who we are and what we care about." "Our lives reflect what we persistently think about. Where we choose to place our attention directly affects the way we experience the world around us and the people we become... Your life is the creation of what you focus on--and what you don't." "It all depends what we choose to focus on."

I felt like this book gave me more motivation to live more true to myself and to not waste mental energy worrying or thinking about things that I shouldn't be. I'm glad I bought a copy to be able to revisit it because that's the sort of book I want to be motivated by again and again. 

These Happy Golden Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder

I hadn't read this book out loud before to the kids because I was sure they would find it boring. It's Laura all grown up, teaching school and being courted by Almanzo--why would they care about that? But I was wrong--they LOVED this book and were excited for more. I think the stories about going on long buggy rides with the horses were fascinating to them. I personally loved reading about Laura's experiences teaching school. I loved being able to get those details and be able to picture what it was like for her, particularly because my great-grandma Emily Myres was a schoolteacher in Canada in very similar circumstances--maybe 40 years after Laura, but not much had changed. I loved that connection for the kids. This book ends with Laura being married, and I'm not planning to read The First Four Years with them. We're starting Farmer Boy instead, which we skipped when we were going through originally.