Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

I just finished book 2 of the Hunger Games triology, Catching Fire. I don't want to spoil anything for anyone reading this or the first book. So I'll just say it was SO GOOD! I was not expecting things to turn out the way they did. Not at all. I found this website (here) where you can "play" the Hunger Games. I totally lost! Ha ha! The next book comes out August of this year and the movie is projected for 2011.

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The Hunger Games

"In the ruins of what was once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a Capitol surrounded by 12 districts. The Capitol is cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them to send one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18 to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV."

I got this book for Christmas and it only took me a couple of days to finish reading. It was SO good! At first I didn't like the author's writing style, and I have to admit I got a little irritated with it in some parts, but the story was great and it kept me wanting more. "One more chapter" kept turning into 3 or 4 more chapters. This is the first book in the trilogy. I think its about a 7th grade reading level, so not difficult at all.

Mothers of the Prophets

This book was really difficult for me to get into. In fact I haven't completely finished it. But it gives a brief history of every mother of every prophet since Joseph Smith Jr. Its pretty amazing the stuff these women went through, especially in the 18 and 1900's. A lot of illness and death in their families. It definitely made me appreciate the knowledge and technology we have now. I don't think I could handle losing a child let alone several children.

The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks

This was my first experience with a Nicholas Sparks book, and I must say I absolutely loved it! He is a great writer and very clean, yet he still get his point across, even when it comes to romance. The book is about a Marine who finds a picture of a woman while stationed in Iraq. He comes to believe that the picture is a good luck charm and decides to find her when he returns to the states. Great story, great writer, all around great book!

Brain by Robin Cook

From the back of the book:
Dr. Martin Philips and Dr. Denise Sanger, are desperately afraid. Both of them suspect that something is wrong--terribly wrong--in the great medical research center where they work. Both of them wonder why a beautiful young woman died on the operating table and then had her brain secretely removed. Both of them find it impossible to explain the rash of female patients exhibiting bizarre mental breadkowns and shocking sexual behavior. Both of them place their careers and very lives in jeopardy as they penetrate the eerie inner sanctums of a medical world gone mad with technological power and the lust for more.

This book was a really good read. Some things were difficult to understand because of the terminology, but I found it hard to put down. The wrap-up in the end seemed to leave some details out and left me wondering, but I will probably read more Robin Cook books.

Wicked by Gregory Maguire. I stopped reading this book. Its dirty and disgusting and I did not like it even a little bit. I do not recommend it to anyone. Its officially the first book that I have read that I absolutely did no like. I expected it to be a Wizard of Oz type book, since it is about the Wicked Witch of the West. But nope. Very disappointing.

Instead of finishing Wicked I read In Praise of Stay-at-Home Moms by Dr. Laura Schlessinger. Great book! I loved it! My reason for wanting to read it in the first place was because I sometimes feel like I'm not contributing to society in any way and I often find myself telling people that I am "just" a mom. I also think that society looks at full-time moms as a little on the old fashioned side. Anyway, this book praises those who chose to stay at home and raise their children. It is a little too critical of women who chose to work if you ask me. But it has some great tips on how to be a better mother and wife. The greatest thing I took from this book is that I am a stay-at-home mom, not a stay-at-home housekeeper. It reminded me that I'm at home to teach, nurture, enjoy, and give love to my children and if the house isn't perfect all the time, then its okay. I also loved that she talks about how your attitude about your "job" at the end of the day can greatly affect your marriage. I highly recommend this book to all women who have chosen to stay at home or who are trying to decide wether or not they should stay at home. Oh, and I definitely cried a few times.

2 Book Reviews

I finished Financial Pease Revisited by Dave Ramsey back in May. It was a little bit of a difficult read to be honest. A lot of technical stuff, some of which I didn't understand completely. However, I did learn a lot about finances and money management. Clint and I enrolled in Dave Ramsey's Financial Pease University and will be taking 13 lessons that will guide us in the direction of Financial Peace. I'm sure once we've gone through the lessons the things I learned in the book will be a little more clear. Ramsey is a very straight forward author and for the most part he is easy to read. I highly recommend the book and the classes to anyone interested in getting their finances in order.

I also finished Love and Logic Magic for Early Childhood back in May. Written by Jim Fay and Charles Fay, this book teaches parents how to teach children responsibility for their actions and behaviors. Its a pretty good book. It has A LOT of helpful advice on the early years of raising children and how to make the "terrible two's" a little less terrible. The hard part is actually using the techniques. It takes patience and consitency. I was very consistent with Morgan on some of these techniques for a couple of weeks and I saw a big difference in her behavior (then we went on vacation). I learned a lot from this book on how to dicipline with love and how to turn bad behavior into learning experiences for both adult and child. There were a few things I didn't quite agree with, as will probably happen with any parenting book. It was easy to read and kind of humorous in some parts. There is also another book for school-aged children called Parenting With Love and Logic by Jim Fay and Foster Cline.

Has anyone read Love and Logic? What did you think of it? Did you find the parenting techniques helpful? Did they work for your children? What was the hardest part for you? Easiest part? I'd love to hear your thoughts/opinions.

The Host by Stephenie Meyer

Finished April 30, 2009
From the back of the book: Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. Our world has been invaded by an unseen enemy that takes over the minds of human hosts. Most of humanity has succumbed. When Melanie--one of the last remaining humans--is captured, she is certain it is her end.
Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, probes her thoughts to discover the whereabouts of the remaining human resistance. Instead, Melanie fills Wanderer's mind with visions of Jared, a human who still lives in hiding. Unable to seperate herself from her body's desires, Wanderer to yearn for a man she is tasked with exposing. When outside forces make Wanderer and Melanie unwilling allies, they set off on a dangerous search for the man they both love.

I LOVED this book. Probably better than the Twilight series (they're by the same author). Stephenie Meyer is, in my opinion, a very talented author and I hope she comes out with a new book soon! I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves modern fiction.

My Sister's Keeper

This book is about a young girl, Kate, who was diagnosed with Leukemia at age 2. Her parents went to a genetic specialist to help them conceive a child that would be a perfect donor for their daughter who's prognosis was very poor.

At age 13 Anna, the conceived donor, is fed up with donating blood and bone marrow to her sister. When her parents tell her she must donate a kidney to save her sister's life, Anna decides to file a lawsuit to gain medical emancipation from her parents so that she can start making her own medical decisions.

This is a great story with a twisted ending you would never expect! However, I was very disapointed with the author for the language she decided to use in this novel. I've never read anything by her before, so I didn't have any expectations. She's a great writer, but if this book were a movie, it would be rated R only for the language. It definitely could have been left out. I doubt I'll read any of her books again for that reason alone, which is a shame, because like I said, she's a great writer.

I really loved this story though. There were some parts that were difficult to read because I hate to hear about suffering children.

The Total Money Makeover

49% of Americans could cover LESS than one month's expenses if they lost their income!

If you only read one book the rest of your life READ THIS ONE!!!!!!


Honestly, Clint had to get on my case everyday for about 2 weeks to get me to read this book. I HATE reading for knowledge. I'm all about reading for pleasure. I especially hate anything that has to do with finances. I rather just have Clint explain things to me. But Dave did an amazing job at explaining things very simply in his book. His 7 baby steps are easy to understand.

This book will help you take control of your finances, it will help you get out of debt, and if you are diciplined and follow the 7 Baby Steps, it will also help you build wealth beyond your wildest dreams! No, money isn't going to make you happy, but being 100% debt free and being able to pay cash for anything and everything that your family needs and/or wants, will make you happy because the stress that is always hanging over your shoulders will be gone!

Dave's favorite thing to say is this:

"If you will live, right now, like no one else, then later you can really live like no one else."

If that doesn't make sense, or even if it does, then READ THE BOOK!!!! Dave is a genius! If you don't want to spend money on the book yet, listen to his radio show (you can get free podcasts or find local times and channels here) and you will quickly see why I've become an advocate.

And Clint...stop laughing...just because you had to twist my arm to read and FINISH the book, doesn't mean I didn't agree with and love Dave's ideas.

Chronicles of Narnia

Okay, I have to admit. I didn't finish reading the series. I've been working on them since December and absolutely loved the first 4 books. But I'm to the point where I just need to stop cause they are getting a little boring and repetitive. They are great for young kids. I just need a change of scenery I guess. I may come back to them someday and finish the last 2 books. I think I have 2 left. C.S Lewis is a great writer and actually kind of funny in the way he describes things. I highly recommend the books for Elementary aged children who love using their imaginations.

Book Review # 4

Book: The Chronicles of Narnia-The Magician's Nephew
Author: C.S. Lewis
Finished: December 12, 2008
Pages: 95
Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers
Year: 2006, originally 1955

Its interesting that this is the first book of 7 in the Chronicles of Narnia but it was actually the 6th book to be published. I absolutely LOVED this book. Very easy reading and full of so much fantasy and imagination. I think the reading level is about ages 9-12. I love how short the chapters are. I found so much symbolism in this book, as I'm sure most people do. I know there are a lot of books that have been written about the symbolism behind C.S. Lewis' writing. I just might have to read one once I finish all 7 of the Narnia books. I will definitely be buying these books.

Book Review #3

Book: The Kingdom and The Crown Volume 3-Behold The Man

Author: Gerald N. Lund

Finished: December 8, 2008

Pages: 704

Publisher: Shadow Mountain

Year: 2006

Behold The Man is the final volume in this series of books. It is a fictional story that takes place during actual events happening during the New Testament times.

This book was a little bit longer than the first 2 and I felt like it was full of unnecessary details. On many occasions the author described every last detail of the food on the table and I found myself skipping entire paragraphs because I wanted to get on with the story. He also repeated a lot of history that he had explained in previous novels, like the details of the Passover meal and other Jewish traditions. I also felt like the ending was cluttered and full of chaos, and then it ended abruptly.

I still loved this book. I loved the entire series. I loved the way the author depicted the Roman soldiers as they arrested Christ and then later crucified him. I have never learned so much from a fictional novel. As I mentioned in my first book review, Lund does an amazing job at siting his facts and distinguishing between what is fact and what was added by the author to make for a better plot. He quotes many biblical scriptures and historical manuscripts at the end of each chapter. I feel like I have a better understanding of the New Testament because I now understand more about the culture and religion of the time. I definately understand some of Christ's parables better (like the parable of the 10 virgins and the oil lamps).

Clint and I may eventually read these books together. I think it would be fun to read a chapter and then find the corresponding events in the New Testament and see if we can't learn even more that way. I just can't get over how much I learned about Christ's life and ministry.

Book Review #2

Book: The Kingdom and the Crown Vol. 2-Come Unto Me

Author: Gerald N. Lund

Finished: October 21, 2008

Pages: 574

Publisher: Shadow Mountain

Year: 2001

A dramatic account of Christ's ministry, as seen through the eyes of those who would follow him. In Come Unto Me, volume 2 of the bestselling series The Kingdom and the Crown, Simeon of Capernaum wrestles with how to undo the damage wrought by his reluctant conversion to a man called Jesus of Nazareth. His determination to follow the teachings of the Master has cost the life of one friend and sent three others to a Roman prison to await execution. How can he stay true to the teachings of Jesus, which require that he love his enemies, and yet deliver the friends who face death because of him? A similar dilemma faces Miriam of Jerusalem. Her father, along with the other leaders of the powerful Sanhedrin, are determined to stamp out the growing popularity of this itinerant preacher from Nazareth. But Miriam too has found Jesus to be far more than a mere man, and this poses a terrible choice for her--will she follow family or faith? From the Galilee to Jerusalem to the great city of Rome, Come Unto Me continues the story of the people whose lives are forever changed by the teachings of a simple carpenter from Nazareth. Award-winning author Gerald N. Lund masterfully blends the biblical account of the greatest story ever told with unforgettable fictional characters in this dramatic epic. Description from Amazon.com

Book Review #1

Book: The Kingdom and the Crown Volume 1 of 3-Fishers of Men

Author: Gerald N. Lund

Finished: September 28, 2008

Pages: 640

Publisher: Shadow Mountain

Year: 2000

Fishers of Men is a fictional story that takes place during actual events happening in The New Testament times.

The family of David of Capernaum is living in Roman-ruled Israel during the mortal ministry of Jesus Christ. David's family is divided in their beliefs of whether or not Jesus is the promised Messiah. There is much controversy on the subject throughout the land, especially amongst the Pharisees and Sudducees who have spent their entire lives studying and practicing their interpretation of the Bible and Jewish religion. In the midst of the trouble that Jesus of Nazareth is causing for religious leaders, there is also trouble stirring between religious and political leaders.

I loved this book. It wasn't one of those 'I-can't-put-it-down' type of books, however I did love reading it. I learned a lot about the Jewish faith, the political situation of the time period, and about the ministry of Christ. Although the family in the book is fictional, the story really puts into perspective the issues that were presented to those who lived during the New Testament times. It made me wonder where I would have stood in my faith had a lived back then, and a man had come into my hometown claiming to be the Messiah and Savior of the world who was prophesied by so many prophets. It also made me take a look at where my faith is today. Am I just living the motions or am I truly a follower of Christ? Do I really understand the religion I claim to be converted to?

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading any type of Christian fiction. Although written by an LDS author, it makes no reference to the LDS religion that I noticed. Only to the Old Testament, New Testament, and several historical texts on Israel, the Jewish religion, and Biblical research. It is quite obvious that the author spent countless hours ensuring that events, customs, and geographical location surrounding his fictional story were as accurate as could be. I can't wait to read Volume 2!

Fall Into Reading 2008-September 23, 2008

Yesterday was the first day of fall and I happened to stumble onto a blog called Callapidder Days. The author of this blog is hosting a Fall Into Reading Challange and I've decided to participate. I absolutely love reading. I know some people might think its a waste of time, but there is something about books that just draws me to them. I usually only read for pleasure, almost always fiction. And more often then not, I read LDS fiction. So here is my list of books that I would like to read by December 20th (first day of winter and the end of the challange).

1. The Kingdom and the Crown Series by Gerald N. Lund;

X Fishers of Men-Finished September 28, 2008

Come Unto Me

Behold The Man

2. The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis;

The Magician's Nephew

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

The Horse and His Boy

Prince Caspian

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

The Silver Chair

The Last Battle

There are so many others I want to read. But this will have to do for now. I don't want to overwhelm myself with a huge list of books. I know once I get to Korea things will be a little crazy for a while. So this is it. 10 books in 13 weeks. Wish me luck!