Category Archives: Religious

May 31, 2022 · 4:25 pm

Saints, Volume 3

Saints, Volume 3

Picking up where volume 2 left off, Saints Volume 3 covers 1893 to 1955 with several of the chapters focused on the lead up to World War II and during the war. Telling the stories of members bit by bit, more or less chronological order and jumping around the globe, works really well. I found myself becoming very invested in what happened to these people. I recommend this book to anyone interested in the human side of church history.

5 (out of 5) Stars
Books Read in 2022: 58
Pages Read in 2022: 21,168
Graphic Novels: 1

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February 12, 2022 · 3:56 pm

Saints 2: No Unhallowed Hand

Saints 2: No Unhallowed Hand

Saints 2 covers the period of 1846-93 and sees the pioneers moving west, Brigham Young and then John Taylor and Wilford Woodruff becoming prophet, and troubles with polygamy and the federal government. It is told in story form using lots of primary and secondary sources (with an extensive source list). While most of it centers in Utah since most of the members were there at that time, it also covers what was going on in the Pacific and other places. I found it very informative while also being easy to read and not like a textbook. I highly recommend it to other members interested in church history.

5 (out of 5) Stars
Books Read in 2022: 14
Pages Read in 2022: 5271

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March 4, 2021 · 9:57 pm

The Heart of Memory by Alison Strobel

The Heart of Memory by Alison Strobel

The Heart of Memory‘s writing style is engaging and it is well-edited. The premise of someone with a life that revolved around God suddenly hating God after a heart transplant because of the feelings of the donor is very interesting. The problem is the three characters in the family are the most unlikable awful people ever. The only good characters are side ones. They are “good Christians” very much in the spotlight but in actuality are terrible humans. I’m not sure why the author made them quite that awful. I rather wanted all the bad things to happen to them. If you like Christian fiction and have some extra time kill, this book is a decent time waster.

3 (out of 5) Stars
Books Read in 2021: 11
Pages Read in 2021: 3342

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September 22, 2019 · 6:08 pm

Saints, Vol. 1

Saints, Vol. 1 tells the story of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from the beginning until after the martyrdom of Joseph Smith and the beginning of the trek west. It’s a well-written and honest look at church history including parts that could be uncomfortable for some. It’s told through stories that are very interesting and often inspiring. I highly recommend it to all members of the Church.

5 (out of 5) Stars

Books Read in 2019: 108
Pages Read in 2019: 27,875
Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks (more book reviews!)

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June 4, 2019 · 5:06 pm

Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan

Pilgrim’s Progress is a bit of a heavy-handed over-the-top obvious allegory, but I found myself enjoying it. The author did a pretty good job of telling how to get to heaven and navigate through life’s challenges. The version I read had the Biblical references written in the text inside parentheses in italics and I found that took away from the enjoyment of the story and so after a while began to just skip over them. There are quite a few illustrations throughout. I recommend this book to anyone who has ever wanted to read Pilgrim’s Progress, but never got around to it.

4 (out of 5) Stars

Books Read in 2019: 65
Pages Read in 2019: 17,584
Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks (more book reviews!)

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May 29, 2019 · 7:13 pm

Scripture Study for Latter-day Saint Families: The Doctrine and Covenants by Dennis H. Leavitt and Richard O. Christensen

Scripture Study for Latter-day Saint Families: The Doctrine and Covenants goes pretty much verse by verse with ideas, quotes, activities, questions, and more to help your family learn lessons from the Doctrine and Covenants. I used it for religion class in our homeschool with my 10 and 12 year old sons. It worked so well and they learned so much. I highly recommend this for families who are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

5 (out of 5) Stars

Books Read in 2019: 61
Pages Read in 2019: 16,598
Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks (more book reviews!)

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January 10, 2019 · 1:46 pm

Daughters in My Kingdom

Daughters in My Kingdom tells the history of the Relief Society. There are many interesting anecdotes and lots of quotes from general authorities. I learned quite a bit from it and recommend it to all sisters of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

5 (out of 5) Stars

Books Read in 2019: 2
Pages Read in 2019: 200
Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks (more book reviews!)

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December 31, 2018 · 9:14 pm

The Temple Experience by Wendy Ulrich

The Temple Experience is a terrible book. As I read it, I alternately felt horribly sorry for the clients who go to the author (a therapist) and wondered if perhaps the author’s view of the world is terribly skewed to the point that she thinks absolutely everyone is extremely mentally unhealthy. Worse, though, many things she asserted throughout the book were not doctrinally correct. I absolutely cannot recommend this book to anyone.

1 (out of 5) Stars

Books Read in 2018: 141
Pages Read in 2018: 36,569
Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks (more book reviews!)

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December 17, 2018 · 8:01 pm

Covenant Keepers by Wendy Watson Nelson

Covenant Keepers is a short booklet absolutely packed with insights and a 21-day challenge that Sister Nelson assures will change your life. her positive, upbeat personality comes through in her writing. I took so many notes as I read it and definitely plan to put her challenge to the test. I highly recommend it to other women who are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

5 (out of 5) Stars

Books Read in 2018: 137
Pages Read in 2018: 35,423
Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks (more book reviews!)

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December 13, 2018 · 4:20 pm

God Wants a Powerful People by Sheri Dew

There are so many blessings we can receive and this book talks about how to get them and why we should want them. There are many quotes from scriptures and general authorities as well as personal anecdotes to illustrate the author’s points. I took so many notes as I read. It’s really packed with some great little bits! I highly recommend this book to all members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who wish to increase their faith and the power of God in their lives.

5 (out of 5) Stars

Books Read in 2018: 136
Pages Read in 2018: 35,369
Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks (more book reviews!)

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