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.