Leaning into the Curves by Nancy Anderson and Carroll Hofeling Morris

 Posted by  Shanda's Reviews
Jul 022010
 

Title: Leaning into the Curves
Authors: Nancy Anderson & Carroll Hofeling Morris
Publisher: Deseret Book
Published Date: April 2010
ISBN#: 978-1-60641-235-0
Genre: General Fiction
Paperback: 257 pages



Leaning into the Curves allowed me a peek into two different lifestyles that I previously knew nothing about: 1) life after retirement, and 2) what it is to be a motorcycle enthusiast.

Through the telling of Molly and Hank’s story, it is apparent that the authors have had their share of life experiences. Several life lessons and timely messages appear as events in the book take place.

As someone who is still raising young children, I couldn’t relate to the book quite the same way a woman with grown children might. I did, however, take the themes woven through the story as one might take advice from someone who has “been there” and “done that.”

Leaning into the Curves is a pleasant, mellow read about Molly and Hank, a married couple adjusting to life after Hank retires. Through some miscommunication, Hank buys himself a motorcycle for his birthday, thinking that Molly has overcome her strong feelings against them. The motorcycle, and their experiences with the Temple Riders Association, a Mormon motorcycle club, become the catalysts that bring to the surface several issues that Molly and Hank have never really had the time or need to deal with previously, both personally and within their marriage.

Leaning into the Curves is a story about the sacrifices we make for our families, finding common ground, overcoming fears, trying new things, moving past first impressions, and most of all, the importance of openness and communication.

My Rating: 3.5 stars/5 – it has a nice writing style and interesting characters
Would I-
  • read it again? Probably not, simply because I’m not really the book’s intended audience
  • recommend it? Yes, especially to empty nesters and motorcycle enthusiasts
  • read more by the authors? Yes
FTC FYI: I received a review copy of this book that had no effect on my review.

Catholic Roots Mormon Harvest by Eric Shuster

 Posted by  Shanda's Reviews
May 222010
 
Title: Catholic Roots Mormon Harvest

Author: Eric Shuster

Publisher: Cedar Fort (CFI)

Published Date: April 2009
ISBN#: 978-1-59955-257-6
Genre: Non-Fiction
Paperback: 261 pages

When I first agreed to read and review Catholic Roots Mormon Harvest I assumed it would be like most other review books. I would settle in for a day or two and finish it cover to cover in a matter of hours.

I was wrong.
The book that came to me new and pristine now shows obvious evidence of use. The corners of the cover curl a bit, the spine is wearing a little on the edges, and every few pages or so there is an underlined paragraph or a star marking some point I want to find again easily.
The author, Eric Shuster, begins Catholic Roots Mormon Harvest telling the reader of his background in the Catholic Church. His wife, Marilyn, also shares her history with the Catholic Church, including her time spent preparing to become a Franciscan nun. Various events in both of their lives led them to become involved with the youth where they met and fell in love.
Soon after their marriage, Eric and Marilyn moved into a home next to a family that were members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. They didn’t know this at first, as the family never pushed their beliefs on them. As Eric and Marilyn were able to get to know them better, they found this family to be a great example of what they wanted for their own family. A memorable experience with a certain Latter-Day Saint craftsman also helped bring about their investigation into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
Eventually, Eric and Marilyn started taking the missionary discussions. With their involved and active background in the Catholic Church, each aspect of the gospel taught to them by the missionaries was weighed and compared to Catholic doctrine. Through extensive study, prayer and discussion, Eric and Marilyn agreed to be baptized.
Catholic Roots Mormon Harvest is a comparison of 40 doctrines between the Catholic Church and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. In each chapter, Eric presents a doctrine or principle based on the one before it, relying heavily on the Scriptures and words of the Prophets and Apostles for his sources. Every section has the same basic layout: an introduction to the subject, Catholic doctrine, Latter-Day Saint doctrine, and finally the author’s thoughts and commentary.
As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints for my entire life, all of these doctrines were familiar to me to some degree. In several sections, however, I learned of certain details I had been unaware of before reading this book. I turned several times to the scriptural references Eric provided and made notes to learn more about these doctrines in my own studies.
The chapter titled “Life After Death” is where I did most of my marking in the book. Those 34 pages contain a large amount of information on the Latter-Day Saint doctrine of what follows this earthly life. To quote the author in this section:
“The gospel of Jesus Christ imparts to all of God’s children everything we need to know and understand to receive the blessing of the celestial kingdom. By learning and following the principles of the gospel, we can know our Heavenly Father, develop a personal relationship with our Savior Jesus Christ, and learn to live the life that God our father desires us to live- the life that will lead us back to him.”
Another chapter, “Angels and Satan,” is also full of good information. I underlined one paragraph to remind me of the reality of Satan and his followers:
“Without a mortal body, these spirits retain their knowledge of their premortal life and suffer constantly from the knowledge of their loss, which they know is hopelessly eternal. Thus, with Satan as their leader, they seek to destroy the plan of our Heavenly Father by persuading us to continually break the commandments of God and to do evil.”
Eric and Marilyn’s love of our Savior, as well as their desire to become close to Him and to our Heavenly Father, is very apparent throughout the book. He freely shares areas of the gospel that brought them pause during their investigation of the LDS Church, as well their efforts to be open-minded, do the research, pray, and follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost in order to find their answers. The author strives to present each doctrine in a fair and honest light, and I feel his efforts were successful.
Other than the Scriptures, I found Catholic Roots Mormon Harvest to be the most substantial 261 pages I have read in quite some time.
Catholic Roots Mormon Harvest is a must-read for those who are interested in the differences in doctrine between the Catholic Church and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. LDS readers who would like to learn more about Latter-Day Saint doctrine will find this book of particular interest as well.
My Rating: 5 stars (5/5)
Would I:
  • read it again? I plan to refer back to this book often.
  • recommend it? Yes.
  • read more by this author? I would. I hope to, in fact.
FTC FYI: I received a review copy from the author, which had no effect on my review.

A Woman’s Worth by Jerry E. Johnston

 Posted by  Book Reviews, Shanda's Reviews
May 082010
 

I had the privilege of meeting Jerry Johnston during an author signing event today at Seagull Book in The District. He sat quietly at a table just inside the door. His pleasant demeanor drew me over and I introduced myself. In front of him on the table sat a few stacks of his booklet, A Woman’s Worth. Jerry offered to tell me about the booklet and proceeded to share how much the women in his life had taught him. I was impressed by the obvious respect and appreciation he has for these women who have influenced his life.

I happily agreed to read and review A Woman’s Worth. I hope that I can convey to readers in my review a portion of the appreciation I felt from Jerry during the few minutes I was able to speak with him.

A Woman’s Worth opens with an introduction written by Janice Kapp Perry, who comments that as she read Jerry’s recountings, “he prompted most pleasant reflections of the special women in my own life…” I agree completely. It was impossible to read about these women without remembering those who have had the most impact in my life.

Jerry shares his memories, thoughts, and experiences with several women of all ages, including Chieko Okazaki and Marjorie Pay Hinckley, in 12 short yet effective stories, most of which are only a page or two in length. In each story he shares how each woman touched his life and the lessons he learned from them. The most memorable for me included the parable of the prodigal son, a Peruvian woman who shared candy bars and dreamed of having a son, handkerchiefs, a penny, and a dinner table.

Each section is preceded by a heading appropriate to the story, such as Sacrifice, Loving Kindness, Optimism, Harmony, and Devotion. I was inspired and re-dedicated to improving these qualities in myself. It would be so fulfilling to reach the end of my life and realize that in some small way, I was able to be an example of even one of the virtues in this booklet. As a woman, my heart is full of gratitude to see that someone notices the value of these women, and treasures them the way that Jerry does.

A Woman’s Worth is a 28-page paperback booklet with an easy price tag of $4.99 or less. It would make a wonderful gift, not just for Mother’s Day, but for any woman and for any reason. A Woman’s Worth is available at Deseret Book and Seagull Book now, so get your copies before they are gone.

Jerry Johnston is a columnist for Mormon Times and has been with Deseret News for over 30 years.

FTC FYI: I received a review copy from the author that did not affect my review in any way.

My Ridiculous, Romantic Obsessions by Becca Wilhite

 Posted by  Book Reviews, Shanda's Reviews
May 032010
 

Title: My Ridiculous, Romantic Obsessions

Author: Becca Wilhite

Publisher: Shadow Mountain

Published Date: Feb 2010

ISBN#: 978-1-60641-596-2

Paperback; 181 pages

I was waiting for weeks on hold to get this book from the library. As soon as I brought it home, I couldn’t help but “peek” by reading the first few pages, which then turned into the first few chapters. I snuck in more reading every time I found a few minutes and quickly finished it up the next day.

I enjoyed Becca Wilhite’s first novel, Bright Blue Miracle, a Whitney Award Finalist for 2009, so I was really looking forward to My Ridiculous, Romantic Obsessions. I wasn’t disappointed.

Sarah is a college student who decides to start attending the same school as her friend, Chel, after learning about the amazingly gorgeous TA in the History of Western Art class. She doesn’t consider herself the kind of girl that anyone would be interested in dating, a belief she formed after a heartbreaking experience in high school, but that doesn’t stop her from enjoying the scenery, as it were. Sarah also has a secret she hopes nobody ever discovers – she reads paperback romances.

Certain people and experiences become part of Sarah’s romantic imaginings as she moves through the story, yet Sarah is never the leading lady in those fantasies. She turns around after class the first day and comes face to face with one of the hottest guys she’s ever seen. She’s surprised when he takes her photo with his phone to put with her number as they gather contact information for study group. His interest in her continues to baffle her, especially when he’s still interested after several nerve-induced embarrassing moments for Sarah.

When Ben (the hot guy) asks Sarah to accompany him to his sister’s wedding, Sarah agrees. While dancing, Ben and Sarah experience an “almost kiss” that had my toes curling- definitely appropriate but oh-so-nice. Ben works hard to show his interest in Sarah, but she’s still afraid and unbelieving, just waiting for the time to come when Ben realizes she’s all wrong for him and leaves. Sarah learns something about Ben that breaks the “perfect” image she has of him, and she isn’t quite sure how to deal with it.

Unfortunately, her reaction to his struggle combined with her reserve toward him because of fear and her feelings of unworthiness, convince Ben that Sarah isn’t as interested in their relationship as he is. When he confronts her, Sarah is unsure what to do or say, and Ben leaves. By the time Sarah realizes how she hurt him and what needs to be done, it isn’t easy getting Ben to trust her again. In fact, it’s very nearly impossible. Sarah must face the fact that she might have ruined what she had with Ben forever.

Before romance lovers panic, there is a happy ending, but Sarah has to really work for it, which I found both realistic and frustrating (I really wanted a happy ending). The romantic tension was very nice. I found myself relating to Sarah’s doubts about being “girlfriend material,” though at times I wanted to reach through the pages, shake her and say, “Don’t you realize how men feel about red-heads? And look at those natural curls!”

If I had realized how much I would like My Ridiculous, Romantic Obsessions, I would have bought it instead of waiting so long for it at the library. I highly recommend this book to all those who love a good romance.

My Rating: 4 stars (really liked it!)

Would I-

  • read it again? Yes. I’m already looking forward to that, in fact.
  • recommend it? I have and do.
  • read more by Becca Wilhite? Definitely! I hope to see My Ridiculous, Romantic Obsessions as a Whitney finalist next year.

Women of the Book of Mormon: Insights and Inspirations by Heather B. Moore

 Posted by  Book Reviews, Shanda's Reviews
Apr 152010
 

Title- Women of the Book of Mormon: Insights and Inspirations

Author- Heather B. Moore
Publisher- Covenant Communications
Published Date- March 2010
ISBN# 978-1-60861-007-5
Hardcover; 102 pages
If I could have chosen anyone to write this absolutely wonderful book, it would have been Heather. Having read her Out of Jerusalem series as well as Abinadi and Alma I’ve really enjoyed the way Heather writes the women in her books. Okay, I like the way she writes her books period. Yet the way she captures what life might have been like for those women in her fictional retellings of Book of Mormon events have been particularly interesting to me.
I can honestly say that reading Women of the Book of Mormon has changed me. I’ve wondered about the women of that time period, most of whom go unacknowledged and unmentioned, as I’ve read the Book of Mormon. The women we do read about are usually unnamed and their accounts are brief.
With her first nonfiction book, Heather has opened my eyes to these women and brought me to a new level of understanding of how they spent the days of their lives: their challenges, responsibilities, feelings, and faith – or lack of faith. I’ve never really thought about these women as my sisters before, and now I feel a strong connection to them.
I was unaware of how young these women were when they became betrothed, usually at age 12 or 13. While the betrothal usually lasted a year, the thought that my 12-year-old daughter would have been engaged and awaiting her marriage if we lived during that time is simply unfathomable to me.
I also didn’t understand just how much Sariah sacrificed when she followed her husband, Lehi, into the wilderness. I see why Laman and Lemuel were loathe to leave everything they possessed behind in Jerusalem. With Sariah it meant more than leaving behind a very comfortable life. It meant doing work that you previously had servants to do for you, bearing your children in the sandy wilderness, and wondering how you were going to manage your growing household when food was scarce and unvarying. It meant walking while men and children rode the camels since as a woman you were just a step above a slave. Sariah accepted and bore it all; she is a great example to me.
I’ve often thought Nephi must have held his mother in high regard and loved her immensely to have included her as often has he did while recounting his experiences. Heather shares examples that prove that though women weren’t too high up in social standing, when a woman begged or pleaded on behalf of another it held a lot of power and influence.
Mormon’s wife is another account I found fascinating. I’m pretty sure I’ve never given her a second thought until reading about her in Women of the Book of Mormon. Read the book to learn more about her life as a military wife in dark times.
I’ve barely scratched the surface of what Heather shares in Women of the Book of Mormon. This book would be a perfect Mother’s Day gift, of course. While I was thinking of a couple of women I would point toward this book, it occurred to me that men would really benefit as well from reading Women of the Book of Mormon. If you purchase this book for yourself or as a gift, make a point to share it with the men of your life so they can better appreciate these women and everything they experienced.
Well done, Heather!
Heather has book signings this weekend. Click here to find out when and where.
Visit Heather’s website and blog.
Women of the Book of Mormon: Insights and Inspirations is available at Deseret Book and Seagull Book.
My Rating: 5 stars (excellent!)
Would I-
  • read it again? absolutely
  • recommend it? most definitely
  • read more of Heather’s books? I can’t wait to read Alma the Younger (see the cover HERE)
FTC FYI: I received a review PDF from the author; it had no effect on my review.
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