The Proper Care & Feeding of Marriage by Dr. Laura Schlessinger

I was hoping this book would be as good as Dr. Laura's advice on the radio. I wanted a succinct and well-organized summary of the philosophy she uses to give marital advice. This is not it. She is a much better speaker (on the radio) than she is a writer. Her writing style is informal, feels unedited, and in many ways is just a re-hash of many of her calls. It's too bad. She really needs a good editor to get this job done!

I was hoping for a book that would be a worthy wedding gift or a gift for couples I know are struggling. While there's good advice in this book, it's not easy to get out of it, and the tone is honestly kind of annoying.

What I admire about her philosophy that I was hoping would be in this book are these things:

Men and women are different. They were designed to be different and complementary. Let's understand the differences and celebrate them.

Children's needs are paramount. Do not think you can divorce or date or anything else until your children are raised.

Your relationship with your spouse is private. Do not discuss intimate details of your sex life with your children. Your relationship is sacred and it comes first...

Do the right thing. For the right reasons. Sacrifice is hard AND it's often the right thing. Do it.

Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage by Mark Gungor

My friend Darci lent me this book and told me it was a very useful book for her, and had much better content than the title implies. She was right! It was enjoyable and offered solid advice from a clergyman. What I appreciated about his thinking is the acknowledgement that men and women are very different creatures. And we need to understand and celebrate the differences in order to get along. That fits right along with Len and my on-going admiration of Dr. Laura Schlessinger on the radio. We admire her and she often hits this point with her callers.

I also appreciated the frank and practical way a clergyman wrote about sex and its importance in marriage.  He drew on his long experience in working with couples as well as on his own marital experiences to make the book full of examples.

The History of Love by Nicole Krauss

I was distracted during the summer I read this...taking care of Irene. I thought this book might be a good diversion. Truth is, I couldn't really follow it. I couldn't make sense of it. I think there are parts that are brilliant... I think I liked it well enough to give it another try....

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

I ordered this book after seeing it on a list of little known, great books. I was disappointed. I may have been too distracted to enjoy it, but I couldn't follow all the characters and the mystery.  And I would reread it to try it again if I liked the characters or the mood or the setting. But I did not. So I won't. Out it goes.

A Man Called Ove: A Novel by Fredrik Backman

My friend Amberly recommended this book. I bought it at the airport during the end of the hectic period of moving and moving Irene in with us. May 2016. I was in need of something light-hearted, and this wasn't it! I knew there was humor there, but it just wasn't reaching me! I may have to try it again, because Mary found it hilarious.

What I did appreciate was the way the story unfolded...it wasn't clear at first why Ove was so negative and anti-social, but that became clear as I read of his life and experiences. It was a heart-rending story...of his losing a wonderful wife whom he cherished. I enjoyed the way his neighbors reached out and gave him something to live for... but otherwise, it was not a joyful or fulfilling read for me.

Frances and Bernard by Carlene Bauer

This was an intriguing and heart-wrenching book. Beautifully written with deep and interesting characters. I also enjoyed the religious discussions that were challenging for me to understand. Great writing and great humor. I think I'll read it again so I can comment more fully. I must also remember to lend it to Kathy Kovarik. I think she would appreciate it.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

It's surprising to me that so many reviewers on Amazon had such high praise for such a vapid book! My dear sister Ann, whom I treasure as much as life itself, recommended it too. But I'm sorry to say, the characters were shallow, the setting dreadful, the conversations predictable, and the plot empty. Out it goes.

The Twenty-One Balloons by William Pene du Bois

I read this as an escape during a challenging summer. I wanted a "get away from it all" book and hoped this was a good one. It was a sweet story with engaging black and white illustrations, but not a particularly memorable story.  I think it would light a child's imagination with the cool way of life the Krakatoa people live and all of the inventions. I might have to give this one a second read to see if with my improved mood, if my appreciation will grow. But I believe a great book would have been able to crack through anything! We'll see... du Bois' writing style is charming, however, and his author's note about the similarities between his story and one by F. Scott Fitzgerald is intriguing indeed!

Amazed by Grace by Sheri Dew

This little book, only 70+ pages long, was an invitation to consider the meaning of Grace and how to embrace it and extend it. Sheri Dew is an accessible writer even though she has considerable intellectual gifts. Her fresh interpretations of principles, along with her personal stories, always uplift and inform me. She encourages me to be more devoted to the principles I know to be true, and to live them more completely. Ramona gave me this book, and I've read it twice. There were fresh insights the second time through, although that might be more a function of my age and attention!

Persuasion by Jane Austen

This wonderful book felt vaguely familiar. I thought I was reading it for the first time, but maybe not!? I must have read it before, because I anticipated many of the events. Still, it was an enjoyable, idyllic read.

Reading this one, though short, was more effort than I remember in most of my Austen reading. Her long sentences and word choices gave me frequent pause. It's not a fast and easy read; it's a challenging read. Like all of Austen's work, though, it's well worth the effort!

The overlooked and undervalued sister who unselfishly serves without thought of reward is an admirable character. That the love of her youth would remain steady over eight years was a heartening example of devotion! I think I love Austen because she loves what I love: nobleness of character, loyalty, and integrity.

Quiet

This is a fabulous book! I can't wait to get it back after book club! I lent it to someone and now it's gone...

Lakota Woman by Mary Crow Dog and Richard Erdoes

My friend Darci gave me this book because she knows I often work on the reservations here in South Dakota. I have found the Lakota people to be fascinating and inspiring. I have found their challenges to be incredibly difficult and hope I can be a support in improving educational opportunities for children on the reservation. I like to expand my understanding of our state's history and this book gave me a perspective I hadn't read before.

Mary Crow Dog chronicles her life in the early 1970's. She describes what it was like to be involved in the American Indian Movement, the siege of Wounded Knee, and the occupation of the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Washington, D.C. I related to much of what she describes, because at that point in time I was involved with anti-war (Viet Nam) protests in the Bay Area. The sense of purpose, the ignorance, the sociality, and the idealism were all things to which I could relate.

I was alternately impressed and disappointed as she described her relationship with leader Leonard Crow Dog. They were adventurous and brave and often foolish. It was especially disheartening to read about Crow Dog's spiritual life. Mary took great pains to describe how serious and relevant Lakota ceremonies are, and yet often described how certain aspects were disregarded when it was inconvenient. It's hard to take someone or someone's practice seriously when they themselves didn't honor it. It feels more like an adventure than a sacrifice...although there was much hardship and sacrifice involved.

In some ways this view of history is very superficial and describes actions and hardships but lacks any analysis or deep understanding of what brought the actions about. It's an interesting ride, and a perspective I hadn't read before, but sadly lacking in generating empathy for the movement and the struggle.

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

When I get together with my Laramie friend Leslie, I always ask her what she's reading. About a year ago, she told me about this book, and said it was one of the best books she had ever read. Her husband Don chimed in and agreed with her. Since these two are so different, it surprised me that they both thought the same book was so good.

While vacationing in Robson Ranch in Eloy, Arizona, I happened to find a copy of this book in their free lending library. It was a hefty book with small print, but I still recalled Don and Leslie's high recommendation, so I took it on. I'm so glad I did. It's worth the time and worth the pain...the pain because the descriptions of torture in the P.O.W. camps are hard to take. This book was interesting to read on a very comfortable and leisurely vacation; the contrast to my life was stark! And it made me intensely grateful for every morsel of food I was enjoying!

I was amazed by the detailed descriptions...I know that Louis Zamerini had years of time to reflect and remember things, but still it amazes me to read the details of conversations, situations, feelings, engine noises, etc. Incredible! These details really bring the story to life. This World War II pilot had amazing experiences before he became a Japanese P.O.W., and that story is compelling as well. He was quite the out-of-control youth, and it's interesting to read how that energy and dysfunction turns out to serve him well (mostly) in the camp.

I marveled the most at his 41 days in a little life raft before the Japanese caught him. How he fought off sharks with the oars, how he ate an albatross and used its bones to fish with, how inadequate the supplies were, and how the drive to live created so much ingenuity.

This story gave me lots of insight and questions about World War II. As I read, I kept thinking about my dad, who also served in that war. I was anxious to ask him about it...and he read this book too. But the only thing he really had to say about it was that he wondered how truthful all of the stories in the book were...I had the sense that he thought this was a lot of bragging. Interesting reaction! My dad is great about describing how things work mechanically, and tells stories of people, but doesn't focus much on feelings or impressions. I told him that this author had attempted to verify everything she wrote with at least two corroborating witnesses, which had to be a monumental task! The list of her notes and citations is incredible!

I loved her description of finally meeting Louie face to face. Because she was suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, she spent seven years researching and writing this book. She worked from home. Her interviews were conducted by telephone. So when she finally met him, after the book was published, it was heartening to read about their meeting. She also felt very gratified when she was able to make connections with people and things by doing her research that Louie didn't know. That must have been a great and satisfying work. I know the joy doing small things for my dad brings me, so I can happily imagine how satisfying this work was for this author. 

It also reminded me about the strength of the tried human spirit. I love to read these stories of triumph in very difficult situations. Louie's ultimate conversion to Christianity was fascinating to read, especially since he was converted by Billie Graham in a tent revival kind of situation. He was able to look back and see God's hand in his life and realize his forgotten promise to serve Him. It was a wonderful conversion story that made the book complete. Without that conversion, Louie's life in post-war American society would have been a tragedy. 

More to Your Story by W. Craig and Jan J. Zwick

Bonnie gave me this book for Christmas in 2015, telling me it's a book that she really loves and thought I would enjoy also. She was so right!

The Zwick's are wonderful church leaders with many experiences that they share in vignettes that include their reflections on the meaning of their experiences. It's a great model for journaling the miracles that are happening in our lives every day. It's an invitation to be reflective on how God's hand is ever guiding our lives.

A couple of the stories are so powerful and instructive that I read them to Leonard. They involved Elder Zwick's experiences as a young missionary in Argentina under the direction of his mission president, Elder Richard G. Scott. Elder Zwick's experiences in rural, rough country, and negotiating lumber purchases and transportation of it to the site to build a chapel are incredible!  Also, reading about the challenges he and Elder Scott faced as they traversed borders and unknown (and known!) dangers are wonderful examples of following the promptings of the Holy Spirit. These chapters were the highlight of the book for me, though there are many more that are worthy and simpler examples of lives well-lived and well-examined!