Magic Lessons by Alice Hoffman

 This author came up in a few different Instagram posts, so I decided to give her a try. She has written a lot of books, so I was hoping to find someone I could enjoy in multiple ways, and this book is a prequel to some of her supernatural and witch stories. I found her at the library in St. George during a spell between some good books and decided she was worth a try.

I would say the story was interesting, the characters interesting, and the setting fascinating as it wove in some history of the mood and paranoia surrounding the Salem Witch Trials. I wouldn't say the characters were fully developed, but it was more about the movement of the characters and the people around them that moved the story along. It was also more about love and life...this author frequently waxed philosophical as she wove the story along. The ending is illustrative of her oft-repeated themes:

"Drink chamomile tea to calm the spirit. Feed a cold and starve a fever. Read as many books as you can. Always choose courage. Never watch another woman burn. Know that love is the only answer."

I got a little tired of the spells and herbs, but many (of the herbs, at least!) would probably work! I liked how the Owens women were unique and loved their red boots. It was interesting to see how this power could go wrong when the daughter uses magic to go to the dark side. All of it was interesting, but not enough for me to read any more by this author. It did awaken a desire to learn more about the real Salem Witch Trials...

The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians by James Patterson and Matt Eversmann

 This was a freebie I picked up somewhere, and I was arrested by the bright yellow cover. I know James Patterson is a popular author, so I thought it would at least be entertaining. And it was!

Each person's entry was an individual essay, and the essays were divided into categories. Actually, the categories made no sense at all; hello, was there an editor home? but it didn't really matter, because each essay was fairly interesting in and of itself. 

Some of the essayists were booksellers and some were librarians. All of them had interesting vignettes to share about their reading and recommending lives. What became a little annoying was that someone obviously told them to write in the present tense, even though they were recounting past experiences. It was a little strange.

I've kept the book around, though, because several of them mention their favorite authors and some of their favorite books. I thought it would be handy to explore some of their recommendations, but I wish I had marked them as I read the book, because I'm having trouble finding them now... 

This kind of book is convenient for me, though, because I can read an essay or two and then go to sleep. I don't get hung up on a long plot. It occurs to me, though, that I might want to gift this to my friend Sally Mielke, who is a retired librarian. She might like it...

The Ten Day Daughter by S. Michael Wilcox

 This little book was on some give-away table, so I thought I'd give it a try. I admire S. Michael Wilcox and have listened to many of his talks and he is accessible, spiritual, humble, and brilliant. Even though this is an older book, I thought it would probably be interesting at the least, and great at the best. 

It was published in 2012, and I think this may have been an early retirement project for him. It's an interesting read, about a homeless pregnant young woman who needs help, but constantly refuses it. The Wilcox family tries to take her in and help her, but she is skittish and fearful. I enjoyed the wondering about what her past was, and what she would do next, but I got a little tired of all the tears and crazy. Wilcox's wife spent lots of time crying too, and it begins to feel like the mental challenges and hysteria are contagious. Still, I had to admire what it took to try so hard to help someone, especially someone who did not want help. And the rest of the family was at an age and stage where taking this on was obviously complicated and challenging.

And, surprisingly, there was no happy ending. There was no resolve. I actually appreciate that Wilcox has no easy answers or rationale or explanation. It made me wonder what he thinks about this experience years later. Did he ever understand more of what happened or why? That would be fascinating to know...

It's going to Deseret Industries now, so someone else can read it and wonder, "What would I do in a similar situation?" And, "Am I doing enough to love my neighbor?" In that regard, it was inspiring...

Doing Small Things with Great Love by Sharon Eubank

 The subtitle is "How everyday humanitarians are changing the world"

I follow Sister Eubank on Instagram, and was intrigued by what she was saying in her video snippets. I've always admired her, and have great respect for her work. She's open and vulnerable and obviously works very hard. I expected this book to be good, but it's even better than I expected! It's not just a description of the best ways to help the world, it's a very compelling call to action, I feel its pull.

 I especially resonated with the part about cash being sometimes the best way to help. This is counterintuitive to me, because I've always assumed it would be misused or lost. It resonated with me, though, because I remember when I was working with Native American populations to help them in college, some of them didn't have gas money to get to campus, or menstral supplies to stay active during their periods! Sister Eubank also pointed to research that says cash is most often NOT misused as I had assumed. 

I also like her emphasis on working locally, right where we are. And doing small things, which lead to great things. It's encouragement to see that the small things really are and become big things. Here are some of my favorite quotes:

..."many of the issues development dollars are trying to address were caused or made worse by the incalculable amounts of money, resources, and human capital extracted from Africa over hundreds of years of colonizing forces. Money alone does not solve these problems. In the absence of ethical leadership, self-determination, and the protection of basic human rights, development aid has proved to do very little to change the reasons communities and countries are poor."

"One of the reasons religious communities and faith-based organizations can often act as powerful change agents is that they are inherently made up of overlapping trusted networks."

"Trusted networks are inclusive.

Trusted networks protect alternate views.

Trusted networks foster choices.

Trusted networks hold themselves and others accountable.

Trusted networks can form councils that act."

Then she lists (beginning on page 62) 10 best practices for councils, which is a fantastic list.

And I love this paragraph from page 70:

As Westerners, as people with resources, as graduates of higher education--we don't say it aloud but--our underlying attitude is so often that we know what is best for people, how to solve their problems--we will teach them. This never works. We have no idea what is best for people. We rarely know what is best for ourselves. We do not have the solution to their problems. 

Then she goes on to list five categories of questions to ask to get started... beginning on page 70.

All of these points are illustrated with interesting stories from Sister Eubank's world wide experiences, and they ALL resonate with me and my experiences on the reservation. 

Here are the questions...

1. What help do you want?

2. What are you able to do yourselves?

3. What help do you want from the community?

4. What will you do when the need comes up next time?

5. Is it a local solution?

The term "second disaster" (page 30) was new to me, but I wasn't unaware that it happens. It's the tragedy of help gone awry...examples of huge clothing donations rotting on the beach because there was no plan for distribution. And refrigerators sent to Haiti who had no electricity after their earthquake. 

At the end of each chapter, Sister Eubank offers thoughtful questions for reflection, and then my favorite chapters, 9 and 10, invite us to ACT in specific ways.